Tale Of Two Brothers [Solo, Plot Finale]

[Josh Dragovalor]

The coordinates had been given. Nick had sent them and told him to come immediately, wanting to finish what had been started. Josh, of course, had other plans... But he wouldn't disclose them, not yet. He knew what Nick wanted. He wanted a battle, for one reason or another. He still couldn’t wrap his head around it… Was it some sort of thing he had done? He talked about wasted potential, wasted power… It was as though Nick felt that Josh had been graced with natural gifts that Nick did not and had decided to waste them with the Jedi. And for that reason, Nick seemed to want him dead.

He didn’t understand…

The Final Dragon, it’s third incarnation, would drop down onto a planet that he had to be honest when he said made him incredibly uncomfortable.

Mustafar.

He hadn’t told [member="Shmi Labooda"] about it. He had mentioned a message from his brother, who he hadn’t informed Shmi that he still lived, and said there was “something he had to do” before storming off. Probaby not the most tactful exit and he would answer for it later. But he was sure Shmi would forget when he brought Nick home and got to introduce her to his brother. Then all would be well.

Right?

The Final Dragon landed, and would open to reveal a Jedi Master that in his eyes knew that his destiny lay here. He was dressed for combat, in full Jedi Robes with the magnus armor under them.

He knew it was time. And it was possible that one or both of them would not survive this. He wanted them to leave this as allies, as friends, and as brothers…

But he knew that Nick didn’t see things the same way.

Meanwhile, a shuttle had dropped someone off about an hour before. Sith Nicholas DragonsFlame had lost his ship to a jealous co-worker who during their scuffle had gone and destroyed his ship, The Destruction Fox, in a fit of rage. Nick knew he’d be projecting all of the rage that he felt toward that to this battle… The Fox had been his go-to vessel for about seven years now. Now it lay in a scrap heap, where he’d only been able to salvage about half of the remains. He would have to build another ship later. He’d take a shuttle off this stupid rock once he was done here…

Or… Heh. Maybe he’d take the Dragon. There was only one Dragon here after all…

But there was no wish to reconcile on the ideas of the Sith Knight, who had grown his hair out to where it went past his shoulders, like crimson fire flowing to his head to his shoulders. He didn’t look much younger then his older brother but the experience of a tortured man that was seen in his eyes may make him look older to some. Josh’s close attachment to the light side of the Force had made him look far younger, more handsome, and like a light just radiated from him. Nick’s face looked darker… Almost corrupted, but not entirely. The two looked like but were polar opposites…

Nick was sick of it. Sick of this blight holding his family name roaming this galaxy, doing good for people and trying to be some sort of beacon of light... So much potential just... WASTED! So much POWER.... WASTED on such goodie goods! It made him SICK, he couldn't TAKE IT! If he wasn't going to use his power to the fullest and take over the galaxy... Then he would kill him and absorb every inch of power that he had... For himself.

Nick knew that as a Sith Knight, Josh would have him outmatched most likely. The Jedi Master wasn't a Jedi Master for nothing. But Nick knew he was more cunning... That was why he had called him to Mustafar. He knew he was too naive to be able to refuse, not knowing the murky depths of magma could serve as his tomb.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh had never been to Mustafar before, but knew that this planet was caked in molten magma... Why Nick would bring him here puzzled him for the longest time as he would land...

And then he saw the land's surface. And he knew. This was all Nick's plan. He wanted Josh to burn... Burn like he had for the years he spent being tortured, having to live with himself for all he had done, and what he'd been made to do... The tortures he went through to gain power. He wanted Josh to see it all... And feel every inch of his fury as the magma reduced his bones to dust. But Josh knew, to himself, told himself even... That wasn't what was going to happen. Josh would take a breath as he would step forward, seeing another ship go down... A shuttle. And out stepped a man... Reaching out into the force, he knew... And he could sense that in the years since he had seen Nick last, his presence in the dark side had grown ever stronger... And yet he still felt...

Conflicted.

There was still hope, he could sense. There just had to be.

Of course, Nick didn't feel the same.

-------

There he was... The Jedi Master that was the bane of his existence... You know, at one point the Sith Knight had considered trying to recruit him to their cause. Josh DragonsFlame could have been one of the most powerful Sith to ever rule the galaxy... With baby brother by his side. But he was weak. He allowed himself to be held back by the Jedi, and now he was a shell of what he could have been. He could sense him, as the other brother stepped out of that formerly Republic ship... He could sense the attachments he held through the bond they shared... And he could sense love. Love for what? Not for him... For another?

For a girl...

A wide grin crossed Nick's lips as he stepped forward, cloaked in black. "So... you've taken a lover then."

Nick would chuckle as Josh would shake his head. "It doesn't have to be like this, Nick."

But Nick would merely shake his head.

"So it's true then.... You've become WEAK!"

A chuckle would escape Nick's lips as dark red eyes, once blue, would shine toward Josh's brimming brown...

"... I'll be sure to pay her a visit and ensure she joins you in the Force then."

That hit a nerve. But Josh kept calm, kept his patience as the two met on the docking bay just outside of where their ships had been parked. People were watching this nervously, ready to head back into the docking bay, board their ships and get the hell out of there if need be.

The two would circle one another and Josh shook his head.

"It doesn't have to be like this, Nick! I can save you! You just have to listen to-"

"I AM THROUGH WITH HAVING TO LISTEN TO PEOPLE LIKE YOU!"

Force Lightning would zip from Nick's fingers, to which Josh would quickly have to counter with Electric Judgement. Some would stare in awe, others would begin to run for their lives as the two Force Users had begun their battle... The lightning would spur around in a dance before exploding, and the two would activate their lightsabers. Josh's was a bright blue, and Nick's a blood red. Notably, he now used a single-blade, as Josh had cut the other half of the double-sided lightsaber that Nick had once used and Nick had lost it in the last battle. Nick would fall upon Josh and begin with a series of strikes, as Josh would parry them back as he would back up, backflipping and launching himself onto a bar on top of a stall where a merchant was selling unordinary items found only in their Mustafar Salon. Nick would growl as he would ignite his hand... It seemed that in the time spent training, Nick had learned pyrokinesis, just as his brother had. Nick wold launch a fireball and Josh would take off with a running start, the fireball catching the stall on fire as Josh would land on another stall. Another fireball would hit just as Josh leap off. Nick would let out a cry and start wildly tossing fireballs, as people would begin screaming and fleeing for their lives, and stalls all around outside of the spaceport would begin to burn...

Josh would light his own hand with fireballs as he would put his lightsaber away a moment, the blade still out and sticking out as he would begin tossing fireballs at Nick in succession using both hands. Nick would mimic the tactic and the two would begin pelting one another with fireballs that would collide over and over again, exploding each time and causing destruction in their wake. Josh's endurance would win out and Nick would be struck, flying through the wall and landing on dry land, on a small cliff just above the magmas of Mustafar.

Josh would draw his blade again, as would Nick and Josh would follow.

"You only need listen to me a moment, Nick! It's not too late for you!"

"I TOLD YOU, IT'S TOO LATE, YOU DAMN FOOL! NOW IT'S TOO LATE FOR YOU! NOW YOU CAN SUFFER WHAT I HAVE SUFFERED!" Nick would snarl as he would launch Force Lightning toward the Jedi Master. Josh would block it with his lightsaber, able to endure it with his own training to the level of Master. Josh would load a fireball in his hand and fire it. It would hit Nick's arm, singing the robes and forcing him to let go of the lightning. Nick would not be deterred as he would leap into the air, coming onto his brother with an overhand strike that Josh would block with two hands on his blade.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfkWtFl7t3M​

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The two would struggle against one another for a moment before they would leap up and kick off one another's feet and fly back, firing Electric Judgement and Force Lightning respectively, keeping one another in the air until both would - in perfect sync - stop their attacks and begin pelting one another with fireballs again. The two would land and the fireballs would continue exploding as they collided...

As the fireballs stopped and the dust cleared, Nick drew his blood red blade again...

"Look at you... It's so pathetic what has become of you... Attachments? What, do you want a family next? Who's the lucky girl?"

Through their bond, he could search his feelings... And he knew.

"The tri-clops freak, Master Labooda? Interesting choice... Tell me, BROTHER... Will your children that you two want so badly be half-breeds too? Or will they have parts of all three of what you are?"

He was touching nerves, and Josh was having a harder time then usual keeping his anger at bay. But he did manage to ask a question...

"What... What do you mean, three parts?"

"Oh? Well, Human, whatever your freak of a flame is... And your... Well... Oh! You weren't aware? I figured that any secret I knew of our families history, you'd already beaten me to it... And here I thought you were all-powerful. But what was I thinking? You're just a man... That's all you'll ever be until you embrace the power that could be your strength...

But well... There's no point in telling you now? Is there? I mean, soon enough, you... Your freak... And if she's already pregnant, I'll kill that child of yours as well for good measure... Don't need more freaks in this world... Hehehehehe...."

Josh was irritated, for sure. Talking like that about [member="Shmi Labooda"] was enough to make his blood boil. "And what of your precious Saorise, hmm? I'm sure she wouldn't approve of you running off with some freak to play family man and have babies.... Oh! I almost forgot! Her head is still rolling, rotted on the floor in some Sith base! How forgetful of me! My apologies..."

Josh took a deep breath and shook his head.

"... Fine."

"... Hmmmm?"

"If you want a fight... COME AND GET A FIGHT!"

Josh would toss his lightsaber, spinning it in the air with the Force as it came zooming toward Nick who would use Force Push to send it just a ways away from him and do the same as the first would return to Josh's hand. Josh would use Force Speed to duck the attack, watching a crane operating mining operations in the area be cut in half by Nick's lightsaber and fall into the molten magma. Nick would chuckle as he would use Force Jump to leap onto the crane.

"If you want your revenge so much... Come and get it!"

Nick knew that Josh would not be used to the rage... He would use it blindly, and Nick would kill him easily. But as Josh would leap after him, Nick had to express some stunning at how easily he had fallen into his trip...

As for Josh?

Oh he knew he was walking straight into a trap.

As Josh would swing at Nick's torso, Nick would backflip upwards onto the upper part of the crane. He would then leap toward Josh from above as he went for the overhand, but would be met with nothing as Josh would become invisible.

"A trick?" Nick would remark, with a growl. "Fine, I know some tricks too..." He would add as he would close his eyes, and three more Nicks would appear. "As much as I hate that waste of space... One Circe Savan taught me this one... Tell me, can you figure out which is me? Even invisible, I doubt you will..."

The teachings of Circe Savan verses the teaches of Aleidis Ijet were in full effect, as Josh would suddenly re-appear and strike through one of the illusions, before disappearing again. Nick and his clones would look toward it, only for Josh to appear behind another one and bring his blade down. Nick would be forced to block and the third Nick would disappear as the two would struggle against one another. It was at this point that the metal holding the crane from being cut loose had been melted and the crane would begin to float down the magma stream. The two would continue fighting, in what might feel nostalgic to some as they continued to fight, sabers dancing as they clashed as the piece of machinery continued down the streams of Mustafar. Josh would press the attack as Nick would get on the defensive. Josh would go for an overhand, but Nick would aim low and aim a kick at his knee, the attack bringing Josh down. Nick would go overhand and Josh would roll out of the way just in time to avoid the blow. The attack would damage the structure below them, and weaken it. It might not take much more before the lava would take it...

Nick would swing again, but Josh would duck, before slashing for the side. The attack would slash through Nick's hand, and it would fly clean off, into the magma. Nick would let out a bloodcurdling scream in pain as he held the stump where his hand had been. Josh's eyes would widen in horror, wondering just what he had done... He would lower his hand... Wondering if it was over...

Suddenly Nick would raise the stump, and his hand would re-appear to reveal that it had been an illusion all along as would suddenly blast Josh with a powerful torrent of Force Lightning, laughing all the while.

"NEVER TRUST A SITH!"

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Nick had planned from the beginning to use his cunning, his capabilities of deceit for this battle. It had been such a simple trick too... But he'd had so many years to plan for this. To keep up with a Jedi Master filled him with pride, filled him with what felt like power... The Sith Empire had underestimated him. Used him as a lackey, as he merely was a pawn to take sides when the battle for a new Emperor cropped up every so often... He was there when Lussk took Emperor. He was there when Kaine took Emperor. He was there when Krag took Emperor. He had seen so much betrayal, that it had twisted him beyond measure... But they had underestimated his abilities. Abilities he had spent the last few years honing...

They would not grant him the title of Sith Lord. But he knew deep down that this showed more then anything he was worthy of it. He knew, better then anyone else his capabilities... Keeping up with his Jedi Master of a brother, even if there was a distinct difference in power, only proved that.

The Force Lightning burned Josh's flesh, burned his insides, burned him to his very core. He let out a loud series of screams in pain, as he had been completely taken unawares by the attack.

"How does it feel, knowing you are powerless before the absolute might, the power, of the Sith?

And how does it feel... Knowing that after I've killed you, Shmi Labooda, that mutant freak, is next?"

Josh was losing his sanity, bit by bit, but he held strong... But then it hit him...

Perhaps it was time. Perhaps it was time to make use of what he'd learned, his own secret weapon he had prepared for this battle in particular. Nick had come to kill... But Josh had come for another reason. Now it was time to employ it.

"... I'm sorry."

"... For what? Abandoning me? Not looking for me for all those years while I suffered? YOU'RE SORRY NOW?! YOU DON'T GET IT, DO YOU?! IT'S TOO DAMN LATE TO BE SORRY!"

Nick felt power coursing through him, in his mind... In his warped mind, he was winning... He was mere moments from killing him and taking his place as one of the most powerful Force Users in the galaxy... And then he would declare himself what he truly was. A Sith Lord. And nobody would be able to dispute that...

But Josh would merely shake his head, gritting his teeth against the pain as the screaming had stopped...

"... No."

"... Huh?"

"... I'm sorry for what I'm about to do."

Josh would finally let go. Let go of all that was holding him back from his rage, as he would dig deep down into himself. He had spent so much time pushing himself to do things he found disgusting, using the Force for abilities that felt so reprehensible, that killed him deep inside at the very core of his being. He had spent many weeks vomiting throughout the course of the training in the dark side he'd had to subject himself to.

And nobody within his circles had known. Not even [member="Shmi Labooda"] had known. Only [member="Coryth Elaris"] knew. She alone, he had told her, and tasked her with the boon that should he fall... She was to try to bring him back, and should she fail... To kill him.

He just hoped that he wouldn't fall here when he finally did this. He'd been so traumatized by what had happened that his training had been cut off abruptly. He was no longer able to force himself to use the dark side for the sake of training anymore. That was a detail he had not told Coryth. He'd claimed he was ready and didn't need to anymore, but that couldn't be any further from the truth. He had no idea if he was ready for this. He had failed over and over to try and use it for training, but his own mind and body worked against him. All it did was trigger the memories and feelings he'd held before, far more overwhelming then before, and he just... Couldn't do it.

He still didn't know if he'd be able to do it here.

But he tried. It was possibly the hardest thing he'd ever done. He had to dig deep inside of himself, go to the deepest, darkest regions of himself to pull it out. His head was on fire, every fiber of his being inside of him was screaming. And not from the pain of being hit with Force Lightning either...

No, it was his own inner pain... He was doing this to himself, and his mind was screaming for him not to. And he almost listened to the voice inside of his head. But finally... The screams came out, not inside anymore, but physically...

He let out an earpiercing scream as he would counter the Force Lightning with that of his own. He was doing something he hated himself for doing, was repulsed that he was doing, and what he knew he would remember forever that he did. Using the dark side in combat, especially at this level... He'd be forever scarred, he knew.

But he knew he had to.

Force Lightning scoured from his fingertips and quite easily drew back that of the less experienced Sith Knight, and before long, was driven into him, full force. Josh was using every inch of his anger... His anger toward the Galactic Republic and the old Jedi Order for backstabbing him. His anger toward Circe Savan for creating this mess with Nick to begin with, his anger toward the Sith for taking his father, Philip J. Halen away... His anger toward the Sith for torturing him for years in that prison, for taking his memories away, for all the friends and loved ones they had killed... For killing Saoirse... His deep-seated anger toward the Republic for what they had become, toward the Senate for driving his friend Aleidis Ijet into self-imposed exile and becoming the completely different person she had become.

Two decades of pain and anger all rocketed out in this surge of Force Lightning... Two decades of held back anger all shot out at once. He knew he couldn't control it. He wasn't ready. But the attack shocked Nick alright. He let out a bloodcurdling scream as he was engulfed in Force Lightning, pain beyond anything he had ever experienced in his lifetime searing throughout his entire body. The attack would send him rocketing off the mechanism and hitting the ground on dry land. Josh would leap off, and unable to control his power, continued to shock Nick mercilessly.

Nick was dying in front of his very eyes, Josh could feel it, he could sense his life force draining away rapidly... He was going too far... He was going too far, too fast...

He had to stop it somehow...

He didn't know how. But at some point, the lightning had stopped. Josh dropped to his knees, letting out a heavy series of breaths. His mind was close to broken, and his body had endured heavy damage from using such an intense of power that even as a Jedi Master he could not control. His body was not attuned to using that amount of anger and rage all projected into that one attack... And he'd suffer the physical pain of it for quite some time, he knew.

But he knew another thing, and that was the fact that the battle was over. Even as Nick managed to get to his knees, unable to get to his feet... The way he stared at the Jedi... No... His brother... It was clear his thoughts.

------------------

Nick's pain still rocketed through his body, but more then physically, he hurt mentally... Emotionally. He'd lost... And he knew it. He'd been bested not only in the art of combat, but in the very art that he'd spent so many years of his life training... Against someone who shouldn't even know how to wield it.

But... How?

Why?

For so long, he'd looked at his brother as this disgusting, beacon of light and hope Jedi... All light, there could never be any darkness in him, despite all the years he'd tried to bring it out.

And yet, he hadn't brought it out... Josh had. Of his own volition.

What was clear was... He was no superior. He was beaten. His goal had been failed... He was useless now. With no purpose.

Finally... He would lower his head. Part of him held... Just a bit of pride. A bit of pride in knowing that his brother had finally achieved what he knew he had inside of him all along...

Even if he was wrong. All wrong about Josh.

"If this is how it has to be... Then do it. K-kill me... You've -HACK- embraced the darkness inside of you... Now strike me down. I was a fool to think that I had a place at your side the day that you became a god... I was foolish to think we could rule this galaxy together... I will never equal you. Never. If my pursuit for power is fruitless... Then I have no place at your side. Kill me now, and take my dream and my ambitions with you... And realize them."

And then he closed his eyes, knowing that as a Sith Lord, Josh would not take pity on the week...

Josh rose to his feet, managing to get himself up despite the pain he was in. He would raise his lightsaber once more, and Nick prepared for the end...

Only for Josh to lower it and deactivate the blade.

Nick could sense it... All of that darkness that surrounded his brother, the dark side of the Force, it just... Faded away. One moment, he'd been cloaked in it, overwhelming power... And then it was gone. Replaced by the light that he'd grown to hate so much.

He opened his eyes a crack, and then opened them in full... Staring at his brother with his mouth open wide, his jaw dropped... He couldn't fathom what he was seeing, what he was feeling...

"What.... How...."

And then Josh would simply smile, a soft, gentle smile...

"I may have learned the dark side, brother... But I have managed, even if through great difficulty... To retain who I am. I am a Jedi, through and through... And nothing will change that. The dark side will not change me."

"But why...?"

Nick couldn't understand. Why learn this power if not to use it? If he were still this... This... Disgusting, goody-good, Marky Mark of a Jedi Master? He'd always been like that, even as a Padawan. Even in the memories he'd managed to glimpse through the bond that had been created, he'd been poked at by other Force Users for just being this almost innocent, driving force of good that just never seemed to yield. He was the perfect Jedi, or he had been until he'd obtained a mind of his own and did things his own way. But he still kept those ideals... And yet, somehow, despite the dark side clearly being there... He still had them.

How?

Why?

Perhaps it was his flawed ideals and lust for power as a Sith that clouded his judgement. But all he could do was stare... And wait for an answer, as he tried to use that bond between them to search him... To try and find an answer.

And then Josh finally spoke the words that he knew would change everything.

"Do you remember back on Naboo, when you told me that you were too far gone to be free?"

And just like that... Nick had been broken.

"No...."

Josh allowed Nick to search his memories. He could have easily blocked it, now that he knew he was rooting around in there. But he wanted Nick to see it all. He showed him... Showed him what he had done to himself, given up his ideals for so long, given up that sheer loyalty to purely the light side... Going so far as to seek out Circe herself to bring the dark side out of him...

He could feel the way his mind was tortured... Damage he had done to himself. All for...

For him.

"I promised myself that I would prove to you that there's never a too far gone in this world, brother..."

"But why?!"

Nick stared at him. He couldn't understand! HE COULDN'T UNDERSTAND! WHY!?

"WHY?!" He finally screamed at him. "I... I don't get it! I don't understand any of this! None of this makes any SENSE!"

"Because..." Josh began softly. "I had faith that if shown that it was possible... I had faith in you enough to know that you'd be able to break free, as you wanted so badly."

And then it all made sense. Nick stared at him for the longest time.

"No.... No no no..." He began to whisper, his eyes widened, his pupils shrunk. It'd been so long since anyone had done him any kind of kindness. He'd been done wrong so many times, he'd learned to trust no one, and backstab all... He had isolated himself for years now, to train and become more and more powerful...

But even before that... Nobody had done him this sort of kindness. Not on this scale. He... He didn't know how to react. He didn't know what to think. But the love for his brother that he'd spent so many years isolating and pushing away, wanting to rid himself of so he could be a true follower of the darkness without attachments...

It all bubbled up to the surface in that moment.

And finally... Tears began to fall from his eyes.

"No... No, no, no, no, NO!" He had trailed off before the last bits came out screaming as he held his head. He had caused him this pain. It was all his fault. He hated himself. He hated everything he had ever done, he hated what he'd done to his brother, who all he'd done in turn was sacrifice for him. "WHY!? WHY WOULD-WOULD YOU DO THIS TO YOURSELF! FOR ME?! WHY?! ANSWER ME, DAMN YOU! ANSWER ME, YOU BASTARD! WHY?!"

And then his voice quieted.

I... I've done nothing but cause you pain... Why would you torture yourself, give up everything... For me? Why not just let me die? It serves you no benefit, only pain..."

Josh only smiled.

"Because you're my brother... And I could never give up on you."

Nick hated himself more then anything in the world. Everything he'd done up until now felt insignificant... As though all he'd done in his life now was harm a brother who's love made him sacrifice himself so he could be free... Just to prove against Nick's own foolishness, to prove against what he'd convinced himself... That he could be free, as he'd wanted deep down..."

"... I'm sorry."

Nick had never apologized in his life until now. Not sincerely anyway. But here... He meant it. More then anything.

"I'm sorry... For everything..."

Josh shook his head as he would hold a hand out to help Nick up.

"It's alright... I... I just want you to have the freedom you deserve. That you've wanted. That's all... That's all I've ever wanted, Nick" Josh spoke softly. "I don't care if you join the Jedi, hell... I don't even want you near the fighting. I just want you to have a chance to be free... To live your life the way you want... Not the way you think you have to."

In that moment... Nick's connection to the dark side was gone, in his eyes. He'd been fighting with himself for so many years, and for the first time... His vision felt clear. His lust for power, it just... Faded. It had been... Well, it'd been so easy, he realized.

He'd had the power to do it all along... All he needed was to know that he could. He had been so stupid...

"All I can ask is... Will you come with me?" Josh would ask. "Not as a Sith... But as my brother. I want you to meet the love of my life. I want you to see the happiness I've been able to have... And know that you can have your own.

All I want... Is my brother back."

Force, he hated himself for what his brother had sacrificed to make him see that...

What a fool he was.

"... Okay" Nick spoke softly. It was all he could think of to say, before he finally took that final step...

And then...

He took his brother's hand. Not as a Sith... But as Nicholas DragonsFlame. The proud son of Philip and Serena DragonsFlame, and brother to Joshua...

And for once...

He felt like he could look himself in the mirror and smile.

He felt... Free.

For the first time, in so long...

Josh stared at him a moment, just... Studying his face. For the first time being able to look upon his brother, and see the similarities between them in their features. So many years of work, so much torment, so much pain... And for the first time in so long, Josh felt...

Happy.

Truly happy.

The feeling... Well, it was mutual between them. Josh slowly opened his arms, and in that moment the two brothers were finally able to embrace for the first time since Nicholas had been small. Nick couldn't hold it in anymore, and the emotions just... Poured out, as he would collapse into a pool of tears in his brother's arms. All Josh could do... Was smile, and hold his brother tight. And be there for him.

Be there like a big brother should be.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

This was... Well, quite frankly it might just be the happiest moment of his life. Years spent searching, years spent banging against a wall trying to figure out what to do... Years of pain and suffering and hard work and finally... It was all paying off. He had his brother back... He may be the only living member of his family left, but... He'd take it. He had his brother back... That was all that Josh cared about in this moment.

Once the embrace had ended, Josh would smile. "You've gotta meet Shmi, Nick. She's... Well... Quite frankly, she's amazing. She puts a smile on my face just at the sight of her... And odds are, she'll make you smile too."

Nick couldn't help but smile. How long had it been since he had genuinely smiled? He had spent so long hating that face of his brother, but seeing that real, genuine smile made him give his own. It felt... Surreal, to feel loved for the first time in longer than he could remember.


"This feeling..."

He still didn't know how to describe it.

"... Thank you."

That was all that he could bring himself to say. This overwhelming sense of relief and happiness was beyond words. All he could do was look his brother in the eyes and find some way to convey just what he had done. He knew... He knew he would be spending his lifetime trying to pay him back for doing this for him, whether he wanted him to or not. But beneath the cruelty that the Sith had instilled in him was just a smidge... Of honor. And that honor demanded he do everything he could to pay him back for all the pain he had brought upon himself for Nick's sake.

As the two began to walk toward the Final Dragon, Nick would stare up at the ship.

"Man... That is a beauty."

He had decided to leave the Fox here. It was a Sith vessal... They would take it back eventually anyway. So they might as well have it. Nick had the credits to buy himself a new one. One that wouldn't carry the memories of the horrible things that he had done.

"So I'm wondering..."

"Hm?"

"... What color should I make my lightsaber now that I'm not digging the red so much anymore?"

Josh stared at his little brother for a moment, it taking a moment to realize that he had just made a joke. Josh's lips began to twitch into a grin, and the both of them began to laugh. The laugh evolved to hysterical as tears fell down their faces.

"You seem kind of like a green lightsaber person to me" Josh would crack with a chuckle. "I mean, you could also go with hot pink, but..."

More laughter ensued, but Nick shook his head.

"Green it is then."

As they neared the vessal, Nick still was full of questions.

"Got any Jedi stories? I'm sure you got tons."

Part of him just wanted to hear his brother talk. Wanted to hear him as happy as he had been... There was something satisfying about it. Something that filled him with a joy he couldn't describe. He wanted to see and hear more of it. He wanted more of that positive energy radiating all around them....

Josh chuckled in turn.

"I do. When we're on the ship, I'll tell you as many as you want until we get back to Naboo... Promise."

Nick found himself smiling at that as he nodded his head.

"... It's a promise."

Josh would then look toward Nick, a mischievous little smirk crossing his lips.

"Ever find a girl of your own? Or well, a guy even. I mean, I won't judge or anything"

Nick was taken by surprise by it, but shook his head.

"Had one, a girl I mean, before I went to the Sith. Was a bit of a freak, but I loved her for it. Disappeared though. Never heard from her again, and for the most part forgot when I committed myself to the Sith. There's a lot of things about my life that I'm only beginning to recall now, if I'm being honest."

That brought a frown to Josh's face for a moment. That realization of how deep Sith indoctrination just might actually be... It was mind-boggling. It explained so much, and yet... Somehow it made him sad. It made him sad to realize how much of one's personality may have ended up being locked away, their memories and all, when indoctrinated as heavily as he had been, by what Nick was saying. It made him think of the few Sith he had met that he'd managed to actually somewhat get along with... Like Krest, like Ophidia, and a handful of others... He wondered for a moment what they were like before they became what they were.

His empathy in that moment for them was beyond words.

"... Josh?"

"... Mmm?"

"... Is something wrong?"

"... No, no. Just... Thinking."

"About what?"

"Just about-"

He hadn't been able to finish his sentence when a large shot would blast down upon them from the sky. It had been Nick who had seen it first, and before Josh could react, a movement of the Force had sent him flying backwards and out of range of the blast.

Nick. It had been Nick who had done it. Josh sat up just in time to see Nick look toward him, knowing the blast was right on top of him...

And he smiled. A bittersweet smile.

"NICK!"

The explosion that ensued when the blast hit the ground was massive. It had been a large missile, shot by a massive ship up above that he just now had begun to make out... When the smoke cleared...

Nick was gone. Only his robes, a smoking wreck - and what was left of his lightsaber remained. Josh looked up to see the vessal once more, noting it was clearly that of the Sith before it would fly off. Josh's eyes were wide, his pupils shrunk as his gaze fell toward where the blast had fell as he slowly made his way toward what was left. He could not sense Nick's force signature. There was nothing left...

"No... No no no no... Please don't let this be real..." He began to whisper, his voice hasty and falling all over itself as he fell to his knees, his mind running around in circles as he tried to process everything that was happening, everything he was going through.

The Sith had done it, just like that... The moment it was clear he was no longer on their side, they had struck... The attack was cowardly, they hit him from behind like a coward... By ship, no less. Couldn't even come out to face him like men. The more seconds that ticked by, the more Josh's mind began to comprehend everything. All he had suffered through, for all these years...

It had been for nothing.

His brother was gone... His brother was dead. The Sith had taken his father, everyone he'd come to know, and love... And now they'd taken his brother away.

"No, no, no... Damnit, damnit, DAMNIT!

DAMNIT!"

Tears welled up and fell down his face as the distraught Jedi Master would slam a fist onto the ground where his brother had just been, not caring about the pain of it. Not caring about the blood that dripped from the cracked and broken skin upon impact. His training to learn the dark side of the Force had placed a mental block that had kept his emotions in check, but now... Now he couldn't control them. His feelings, his emotions... They were all over the place and all he could think about was the fact that his brother was gone, and the Sith had taken him away.

Where was that empathy he had felt, the empathy he had felt beyond words just mere moments ago? Where did it go?

It was gone.

Gone with the rest of his mind.

His irises tinted from their brimming brown to a hateful crimson as he finally just...

Let go.

Every inch of hatred and anger he felt came out in that moment.... Flames generally produced from the hands by positive emotions, his passions for what he did, came out... But not spawned by the same techniques that Josh had spent years honing. No, they were brought out naught but unyielding rage... And they burned far more fiercely - threatening to engulf and swallow the very body that had summoned them to reality.

The scream of bloodlust and fury that emerged from the young man's lungs was accompanied by a raging inferno that would for a time... Render a patch of land on Mustafar far blacker than it had ever been.

[member="Shmi Labooda"]