[Fic]Dvukh ("Two" or, in this case, "Second" or "Lieutenant"

[Jason Skywalker]

Indeed i agree. I liked seeing that this is being set in the LotF series.

 

 

Let me guess, Jacen falls, takes Sith Name and Tysy goes with him as his Dvukh?

 

[Tysyacha]

""Never doubt what you have done. All your decisions have brought you to

this point." --Darth Traya, to the Jedi Exile

 

Grand Master Luke Skywalker nodded somberly. "Proceed, Jedi Solo," he said,

"but let us four also test the young one as well. Each of us will ask her one

probing question, and then we'll see if she's ready to learn the Jedi way."

He beckoned to Tysyacha. "Please, come forward. Do not be afraid."

 

Tysyacha did so, stepping into the center of the Council Chamber. Did she

know, did she have any sense of the history, of the great men and women

who once stood where she did now? If not, it would be a short matter of

time before she learned. Luke beckoned to Corran Horn, one of the younger

Jedi Masters. Corran bowed first to his Grand Master and then to Tysyacha.

 

"Are you sure you wish to become a Jedi?" he asked her. "What are your

real motivations? Think deep within yourself, and answer truthfully."

 

"I want to help," replied Tysyacha, "in whatever mess is going on between us

and Corellia. I don't want to be a soldier, though, or sign up to be a fighter

pilot's aide-de-camp. I want to work for peace. From what I've seen, heard,

and read, war never solves anything. It just makes people die, and that's

not good. Death is a natural part of life, but war? Especially on so large

a scale? I don't think so." She shook her head with sincere conviction.

 

"I could have volunteered for some other peace corps besides the Jedi,

but they only take people of--good character. Not former criminals. Oh,

who am I kidding?" She threw up her hands and sighed ruefully. "As soon

as you, Jedi Luke, told me about the Force and how you saved my life

through it, I wanted to learn how to use it. I guess I want power. That's

not the Jedi way, is it?" She felt guilty. I should have lied, she thought.

 

"Very good," said Grand Master Luke, his tone soothing yet serious. "You

told the truth, even though you now feel ashamed to admit what you did.

Jedi want power, but craving it, wanting it above all else, at the cost

of your own soul and others' lives, is not the Jedi way. Jedi learn to use

their power humbly and wisely, in the service of the galaxy and not for only

their own gain. A very perceptive question, Corran. Jacen? You're next."

 

Tysyacha could feel Jacen Solo's intense stare upon her. It was almost a

lover's stare, a stare of a very close friend or an intimate confidante.

 

"If you were a Jedi, would you hate the Sith?" Jacen asked matter-of-factly.

 

"The Sith?" Tysyacha had heard of them, but only through third-hand rumors.

 

"Those who have learned to use the Dark Side of the Force," explained Jacen.

"Those who seek a different path from the Jedi, oftentimes to destroy them."

 

"Hate, as in hate enough to kill?" asked Tysyacha. "Certainly not. Killing people

is not my style. I preferred theft, but I'm willing to forsake even that for the

Jedi. As for the Sith, I'd want to see them turned back to the Jedi. Not dead."

 

"Good," said Jacen, nodding. He seemed pleased. "Jedi truly do not want to

harm anyone. Killing the Sith is as loathsome to them as killing an innocent,

even though it may not seem so. When Jedi kill, it is only in self-defense."

 

Kyp frowned. He was rather annoyed at this. Why debate philosophy when

true Jedi were as dedicated to the arts of combat as they were to the Force?

 

"In battle," he intoned, not waiting for permission from anyone to speak, "do

you prefer to let the enemy strike first, or would you make the first move?"

 

"It depends on the enemy," Tysyacha said. "If a cannok were charging at me,

I'd slit its carnivorous throat before it had a chance to bite. However, if it

were a human or some sentient alien, I'd have to gauge their intentions.

I don't like fighting. Jedi work for peace, as Luke told me." She folded her

hands in front of her, sensing that Kyp did not like her rather ambiguous

answer. His eyes were colder, harder, than those of the other Masters.

 

Rosh Penin stepped forward next. "If you turned to the Dark Side, what

would be your reason for doing so? Keep in mind that I have tasted it."

 

"My desire for power," Tysyacha said again. "I'd want to be the most

powerful Jedi you've ever seen. Which might make me a Sith. I've always

wanted to be someone significant, someone beyond an ordinary girl. What

use would I be if I were just another one of millions? Even my name means

'thousand'. I want to be someone important, but in a good way. Not evil."

 

Luke Skywalker felt afraid. He was not afraid of Tysyacha herself, or what

he saw in her. Rather, he feared what the answer to his question would be.

 

"If it meant never becoming a Master," said Luke, "but always humbling

yourself as a servant, would you surrender yourself to the Force and all

of its glory? Its destiny for you? If you had to choose between more

power than Darth Vader had--my father--and even far more power than

Lumiya, Dark Lady of the Sith, and the prospect of servitude with a

clean conscience, what would you choose? Meditate, and then answer."

 

Tysyacha knelt down, folding her hands in front of her. Then she stood.

 

"What would it matter if I gained all the power in the galaxy," she answered,

"but used it for destruction and evildoing? I'd kill the galaxy, and maybe all

of life. My soul would be lost, too, to the Dark Side. Even if I never became

a Jedi Master or learned all that the Force had to teach me--if I was never

'number one'--that would still be far better than being the most powerful Sith."

 

Jacen's eyes watered. What a beautiful sentiment: so true and clear. I

pray Lumiya won't mind if I consider her as an apprentice along with or instead

of Ben. I must show Tysyacha that the Sith way leads not to death, but life!

 

"Really?" asked Luke. "You are no liar. I solemnly declare you ready to take

on the role of a Jedi Padawan, and your new Master shall be--" He hesitated.

Something tugged at him through the Force. A slight pull, barely noticeable,

but nevertheless there. "I must meditate. I've felt a disturbance in the Force."

 

No. Please. Jacen cloaked his Force presence slightly, fearing detection.

[Diego Varen]

This is my favourite Chapter so far. The questions that Tysy was asked, made me think too, if I was becoming a Jedi. Jacen looks like he's guilty about something, so I hope Tysy doesn't fall with him to the dark path, but I'm not writing the Fic. I'm looking foward to seeing which master will train Tysy in the ways of the Force.

[Jason Skywalker]

Good chapter "Thousand! I liked the "interrogatory" very much, and Jacen's question was very "in your face". I can't wait to see what happens next...

[Diego Varen]

That's something I forgot to say in my previous post. It was nice seeing what Tysyacha meant.

[Dark_Lady]

Wow. This just keeps getting better and better. I like the glimpses into Jacen's mind.

[Torthane]

This story is starting to get really interesting! Sorry I didn't reply here for a couple of days; I have been really busy, but I will definitly try to keep checking back here when I get the chance.

[Tysyacha]

"I'll save you from the terror (on the screen.) I'll make you see..." --Thriller

 

Luke Skywalker sat within his private chambers at the Jedi Temple, his legs

crossed in the traditional pose, but this was more a formality than anything.

He was worried. Something had called to him within the Force, almost like a

taunt, but like a gentle invitation at the same time. What was it?

 

Ah. Even the great Luke Skywalker cannot listen to the Force in its

entirety. Soft, cold, calculating--this could be many men, or many

people, but in Luke's mind it only belonged to one. Nowadays, he was

more myth than man, a symbol of what could happen if one succumbed

completely to the Dark Side. Nevertheless, he had existed, unlike the truly

mythical Sith. Palpatine, he had been called, before he was called Emperor.

 

Can't you see it? Lumiya is here, but in your heart of hearts, you cannot

bring yourself to confront the one closest to her. He's your nephew, and

family ties mean more than allegiance to either the Jedi or Sith. Don't they?

 

Luke squinted his eyes shut and shook his head. No; it wasn't true. He'd

strike Jacen dead before allowing him to harm Ben or any member of his

family, or was he only wishing that he truly meant it in the face of the

terrible Force presence in his mind? Sidious. You haven't won yet.

 

But I will. The Dark Side will. It always does, because you cannot have

free choice without darkness. Without the choice to do evil as well as good.

And the girl? She's nothing but a servant and a pawn, but she will serve us

well. Most sentients are cattle to us, meant to feed our power and our cause.

Not her. She will strengthen us, even against her will if need be, and the

Dark Side will never exhaust her. There are worse fates than death, Jedi.

 

Luke opened his eyes, horrified. He'd always known this was true, but he

had never expected to face up to it. All the people he'd known, all the Jedi,

had been strong enough to resist the pull of the Dark Side by the time they

died. Even Luke himself had been redeemed. Thus, Jacen could be as well.

 

Do you think Jacen wants to be redeemed? said the wise voice.

 

Luke thought about this for a moment. He'd seen more than glimpses of

darkness in his handsome nephew, but he did not truly believe that Jacen

was fully following in Vader's footsteps. Or Palpatine's, for that matter. With

his help, Luke hoped, Jacen never would, because he'd have learned the truth.

 

The truth? About what, or about whom? Lumiya? Deep in his soul, I think

he knows the real reason why diplomacy aboard Toryaz Station was sabotaged

before it really began. I think that once he faces this, Jacen will be complete.

He will no longer be afraid, hiding behind the illusions the Jedi have always cast.

He will embrace his title as Sith, hating no one except the ones who held him back.

No--not you, Luke. Those who have never tasted the Dark Side, or wished to.

 

Luke shuddered. What was this? There was something to be said for hypocrites,

like Masters Atris and Vrook had been in the Old Republic, but this was different.

 

Is it?

 

Luke felt anger course through him, the same anger he had felt when he had

confronted Vader and Palpatine for the last time--when his father had given

his life for the son he thought he no longer loved. You can't have me,

thought Luke. You can't have Ben. You can't have Jacen, or even lowly

Tysyacha. We all have free choice. You're right, but why would any of us

choose your way when the Light has finally proven to be the stronger?

 

Has it? said the voice. Find Lumiya. Find your nephew there, too,

as it is within a hospital's medicine-scented walls that a Solo will find his true

destiny. Han has been arrogant to turn his back on his son. It's too late.

 

Luke bolted from his chambers, not caring if his lightsaber hung askew and

dangling from his belt. He had to act now, or all was lost, especially Jacen.

 

Fear not, said Sidious. I'll save you from the terror of the chaos

that Light brings. I'll make you see, and thus she shall. Watch.

[Diego Varen]

Despite Tysy not appearing in this Chapter, focusing on Luke and his emotions was good. I wondering who the voice was, until I found out near the end it was Sidious. I'm looking foward to more.

[CSI]

Frankly, I have nothing to comment on, except I really think Lumiya will be appear in the fic, right? Besides, DSidious is a twist, too. Keep up.

[Jason Skywalker]

A, indeed a good chapter. I liked seeing Sidious there and the fact that Luke knows.

 

BTW, i found this chapter a little bit confusing at first. Try to avoid it.

[Torthane]

Still continuing to be very interesting. In fact it is getting more interesting with every new chapter! Did you have alot of this written or are you posting each chapter as soon as you finish writing it? Anyway, I am really looking forward to what will happen next! I don't want Tysy to become a force slave! I think you have been doing a very good job of drawing the reader in and slowly unraveling the mystery. It's been a joy to read!

[Tysyacha]

CORUSCANT TRANSIENT CLINIC, GALACTIC CITY, 2200 HOURS

 

"Everything I do...I do it for you." --Bryan Adams

 

Jacen Solo couldn't believe his eyes. He wanted to vomit, to bury his face

in the nearest waste receptacle and retch until his body was exhausted.

 

There lay Lumiya. Her face was all but completely shielded by an oxygen

mask, and her luminescent eyes were barely open. The rest of her body

was either swathed in crimson bandages or shattered cybernetic parts

jutting out at almost-impossible angles. Why? Who could have done this?

A stealthy rage began to creep through Jacen's soul. At once, he knew.

 

"Master?" His voice came out a rasp, as if he were an eighty-year-old man.

 

He heard the Dark Lady's gentle voice in his mind. Jacen. I'm glad you came.

 

It was my uncle, wasn't it? He'll pay. All the Jedi, including my parents.

 

No. Rest, said Lumiya without speaking. Through your anger shall come

peace. Do not blame Luke for what has happened. Without our confrontation,

I would still be in my prime, and you would not be fully ready to succeed me.

 

"You think I'm ready now?" Jacen was stunned. "I haven't made my sacrifice!"

 

I have. Everything I've done, including this, I've done for you. Do you think

I intended to let you be the servant only, the apprentice, until you betrayed

me and struck me down? That is the way of the Sith, yes, but it is not the

true way. It is not my way. Sidious would have used you and then tried

to kill you without a second thought, but a true Sith sacrifices himself or

herself for the greater cause. Eternal peace, if you will, and eternal justice.

 

"I don't understand." Jacen felt more betrayed by Lumiya's dying than he

ever would have had she lived until he took his place as Lord of the Sith.

 

You will. Once you make your sacrifice, you will. Luke views me as he does

all Sith, a manipulative harridan who means nothing more than to harm his kin.

He is as blind as Sidious was, although on the opposite side of the Force.

Sidious refused to see the good that would have come from sparing Luke,

and Luke refuses to see the good that would have come from sparing me.

 

Don't think I'll survive. I will perish, and my presence vanish from the Force.

 

"No." Jacen shook his head bitterly. "I won't lose you. I can't."

 

You must. Otherwise, all my teaching has been for nothing. You've always

had the strength within yourself. You've had the power to give everything,

dare everything, and deny everything for the sake of the galaxy. You've

conquered selfishness and pride. Even attachment, since soon you will be

willing to give up even that which is dearest to you. If you cling at last to

me, then you will again be a slave to your emotions. Don't do this, Jacen.

 

The son of Solo gnashed his teeth and bowed his head. He wished for death.

 

I know it's hard. Lumiya's presence faltered in the Force; she would

soon be gone. Remember this. The Dark Side will serve you always. It

will strengthen you when you think you have no strength to fight. It will

bring you power when your enemy thinks he has vanquished you. Above

all, it will bring you a source of matchless power that no one can touch.

Only you, because you will bring the legacy of the Force full circle."

 

"Lumiya?" asked Jacen. "Was it you who put all this in motion? Your plans?"

 

Yes, but not mine entirely. I was the one who sent assassins to sabotage

Toryaz Station. I ruined loyal men of the Galactic Alliance with phantoms that

I created. I derailed diplomacy in this galaxy so that rogue planets like Corellia

would be brought to their knees and to justice. All for us, and all for you.

 

"So I could become a Sith?" Jacen hissed. "I hate you, Lumiya."

 

You hate me, yet you love me still. I helped to make you what you are.

If you want the final answer to the riddle of the Force, here it is: How far can

one fall and still be redeemed? Jacen. If you hold the galaxy by its throat, and

at the last moment, you humbly choose to release it from your just and fearful

grasp, then you will not be lost. Neither will I, as I release my grasp...on you.

 

Lumiya sighed and lay still. She was gone. No Force technique could help her now.

 

Jacen exited the hospital like one of the walking dead. His soul was cold. Lumiya

had broken him twice, through her death and her confession, and now he would

break the Jedi. Either that, or break himself trying to bring order to the galaxy.

[JediAthos]

Wow...I'm just now reading the last couple of chapters, and I love the way you throughly explore each characters emotions. It happens to be a weakness of mine as a writer. Your descriptions definitely draw the reader right into the story!

[Diego Varen]

Lumiya reminds me of Kreia in some ways the descriptions of her lifeless body really drew me in.

 

Yes, but not mine entirely. I was the one who sent assassins to sabotage

Toryaz Station. I ruined loyal men of the Galactic Alliance with phantoms that

I created. I derailed diplomacy in this galaxy so that rogue planets like Corellia

would be brought to their knees and to justice. All for us, and all for you.

 

One thing is to just remove that tag from the beginning. I'm looking foward to more and I'm wondering if Tysy will ever return to this Fic.

[Jason Skywalker]

What an awesome chapter! Very emotional and i liked Lumyia's confession.

 

Also, Pottsie, i'm guessing she will, i mean, the fic IS called Dvukh.

[Torthane]

Great stuff! Interesting to see a different approach to the whole darkside bit. Sith who want to bring order not chaos? Very interesting indeed. I love Jacen's character too, you do a very good job of writing a torn feeling into his personality and actions. As always, I look forward eagerly for more of this terrific story!

[Tysyacha]

Then a silence that chilled my soul... --Tracy Chapman, "Behind the Wall"

 

Jacen walked outside the hospital. It was now night, the stench of Coruscant

smog becoming faint. He knew someone was there--someone he needed to test.

 

"Jacen?" Luke Skywalker hesitantly stepped from behind some bushes toward him.

 

The young man ignited his lightsaber.

[Diego Varen]

Very short, but it will hopefully lead to a duel. I'm looking foward to more.

[HappyMojo]

I found it very good. A few bumps along the road, but no biggies. Your characters have substance, which is good, though I would like some background info on Tysyacha - Why does she think like she does.

The story has a good continuation, and I don’t have problems following the story. Your vocabulary is nice and varied. And no lightsaber battles! Hooray!

 

The things I don’t like is that Tysyacha is going to be trained in the force. It is a bit sought in my opinion. Also, the use of Atris and Wrook, could have been left out.

 

But all in all – High marks from my side.

 

I’ll look forward for more.

[Daft Adidas]

sorry for off- topic here but does Dvukh mean two in Slovak? "slovakia" i think my brother told me that coz he went there for a while once.

[Torthane]

"On my signal, unleash hell." --Maximus, "Gladiator"

 

 

Luke stood motionless for a moment, feeling the darkness that flowed off his nephew hit him in the face like a blast of hot air, ripe with the stench of death. His hand closed around the cold metal of his saber and seconds later the long blue blade cast an eerie glow over his drawn features. No words could remedy this situation.

 

Jacen seemed frozen with rage, his eyes stared straight into Luke with a gaze that spoke only hatred.

 

The world seemed to swirl around Luke as he waited for Jacen to rush forward. He could see everything, feel everything. The pain of the wounded lying in the hospital, the frustration of a mechanic in a nearby alleyway as he tried fruitlessly to repair a damaged speeder, a young girl's joy as she thought of her sweetheart, the animal instincts of the little sewer-scrapers as they searched for grubs to eat, and the fear and apprehension of the people standing around him and Jacen waiting for the inevitable battle.

 

“Oh, force,” Luke whispered. There were innocent people all around; he could delay no longer.

 

Luke tore past Jacen in a blur of speed and smashed into the heavy double doors of the hospital bursting them open. I must find somewhere with no people, Luke thought as he raced down the wide hallway of the hospital. Through the flurry of terrified medical personnel and patients he saw what he was looking for; a storage room up ahead.

 

He heard the viscous hum of a lightsaber hurtling through the air and whirled around to deflect the incoming weapon. One quick blow and his opponent's saber clattered to the floor. Luke dashed into the storage room without a second thought.

 

The walls of the large room were lined with shelves, and the shelves were stocked with thousands upon thousands of bottles and containers of medicine. Luke turned and took a step away from the doorway, holding his lightsaber in front of himself.

 

Jacen's eyes were livid as he stepped through the doorway. Two more steps and he aimed a blow at his uncle's neck. Luke swept the crackling blade away and swung at Jacen's legs. Jacen brought his weapon down to deflected the attack, and lashed out with his free hand as their lightsabers clashed.

 

Luke staggered back with a fresh bruise decorating his jaw from Jacen's fist. Two more furious, but futile swings and Luke had been forced back to one of the shelved walls. He parried another swing and his left hand closed around a cluster of medicine vials on the shelf behind him. Jacen stepped into attack again and Luke hurled the vials at the young man's unprotected face. The medicine bottles shattered against Jacen's face, pelting him with glass shards and heavy dose of Ferra-Morride. The acidic sterilizer rushed into Jacen's eyes and he screamed in agony.

 

Luke stepped back as Jacen held a hand over his burning eyes and blindly slashed the air. That was not the honorable thing to do. You should have fought him like a jedi not some scoundrel in a scuffle.

 

Suddenly, Jacen dropped his saber and yelled at the top of his lungs. Sheets of electricity shot from his outstretched fingers and the room seemed to explode. Chemicals of all descriptions erupted into a hurtling symphony of glass and flame.

 

The symphony stopped and Luke staggered out of the shattered room with one arm still shielding his closed eyes. His clothes were singed and his skin was covered with countless tiny cuts that made even breathing an agony. Through his pain blurred vision he could see expressions of pity and horror. They still had an audience.

 

He waved his hand and urged, “Get away! Get away! Run!” Each word seemed to scald his entire face as his movement forced the cuts open.

 

The people retreated towards the main doors of the hospital, but Luke could see that they still had not left entirely. He dropped to his knees and let his head hang down. He stilled his mind and soon all he could hear was the flow of blood through his veins, the rapid beating of his heart, and Jacen's moans still comeing from the debris-strewn storage room.

 

Now he could feel it, cool water running over his face, closing his cuts. The force washed over his faced and took away his wounds. Luke rose back to his feet, his pain gone. He walked slowly back towards the storage room.

 

Jacen was lying face-down on the floor his eyes shut tight and his face bleeding, and twisted with suffering.

 

Luke stepped closer to his nephew and asked, “Why you, Jacen? What drove you to this?”

 

Still face-down Jacen reached out with one torn hand and his fingers seem to clutch at Luke's very strength, sapping it and leaving the jedi master exhausted. Jacen pulled himself up and Luke could see that his smaller cuts and burns were healed. His eyes were open, but burned with uncontrollable malice. His hand once again gripped his saber.

 

They fought their way back into the hallway sabers twirling and crashing together with jarring force. The battle dragged on with neither weary combatant gaining the upper hand. The time between each parry grew, and the force of each attack lessened with every agonizing minute that passed by.

 

Finally Jacen broke off on his attacks and stumbled a little way away from Luke, gasping for air. Luke stood where he was, his chest heaving, and waited for Jacen. Some of the fury was gone from Jacen's face, but Luke knew that it still dwelt there. This fight had to end.

 

Luke began to slowly advance towards the panting Jacen, and with a cry his opponent leapt at him. Their lightsabers locked together and their strained faces were but inches apart. Luke felt his tired muscles screaming out for relief as Jacen slowly forced him back.

 

In one final, desperate attempt Luke let his left hand drop from the hilt of his lightsaber and thrust it towards Jacen's body. The force leapt out from his palm like mighty blast of wind and slammed Jacen across the floor.

 

Jacen did not stop until his head collided with the wall near the hospital entrance. He lay there motionless for a moment and then very slowly got back up. A moment later and he had limped out of the hospital and disappeared into the narrow streets of the city.

 

Luke stared at the exit for a moment and then slumped to the floor with a groan.

[Diego Varen]

Torthane has wrote a Chapter too? I like it, even if it is slightly longer than what Tysy writes. I'm looking foward to how Luke feels after the battle.

[Jason Skywalker]

Ouch. Very good. For a moment there, i thought Jacen would become like his grandfather. But keep it up you two (or three)!

[Diego Varen]

Ouch. Very good. For a moment there, i thought Jacen would become like his grandfather. But keep it up you two (or three)!

 

Which is if Jae makes an appearance in this Thread and writes something, but I'm sure she is very busy.