FORSAKEN III - Shadow Wars

CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR

The Emperor descended from his shuttle, followed by his eight Imperial Royal Guards escorting Elynn, when the pilots spotted a lone rider approaching at a distance. Two Crimson Guards made the Theelin kneel in front of them, and another one put down a case by his feet. The Emperor left the group behind to meet the Chiss.

"Are you alright?" said Syrran.

"I am, but Sidious wants to turn you and make you his new apprentice," said Elynn.

"I know. Don't worry, this will be over soon." Syrran let go of his mount and approached Darth Sidious on foot.

"Sy, don't let him use me against you."

"I won't. I want you to remain mindful."

"I am most impressed to see you have survived your duel with Darth Vader," said the Emperor. "I thought no one remained alive skilled to kill him."

"The monster you created is still alive, Sidious," said Syrran. "You're stuck with him. If you want to get rid of him, you'll have to do it yourself." He dropped Darth Vader's lightsaber at the feet of the Dark Lord of the Sith.

The Emperor looked at the lightsaber, hiding his disappointment. "So, Lord Vader lives..." The Chiss had managed to defeat his Apprentice without killing him as he had planned. It became clear to him that Syrran Qer had surpassed the rank of Jedi Knight. "And the Wayfinder?"

"Here." Syrran showed it to him. "Let Elynn go. This is between you and me."

The Emperor grinned. "On the contrary, Syrran. Your Padawan is very much part of this. Hand it over."

"This is not going to go the way you planned, Sidious. Skywalker lives, I will never fully embrace the dark side and become your Apprentice, and I will never let you harm my Padawan. Take the Wayfinder and let us go or lose everything you hoped to achieve here." Syrran pointed the Sith Wayfinder toward the lava stream.

The Emperor cackled. "Fool, what makes you think you're in control here?" His expression turned stern. "I will take the Sith Wayfinder from your cold dead hand and then I will turn your precious Padawan to become my knew Apprentice."

"You know your guards don't stand a chance against me."

The Emperor chuckled. "Your obvious attempt at goading me into a fight is quite pathetic, Master Je'daii. But since you have defined your life by the study of lightsaber combat, I will take great pleasure in taking your life with my own blades." The Emperor opened his hands by his side and two lightsaber hilts jumped out of the sleeves of his robes. The crimson blades hissed when he powered them on. "Now, let us find out the true extent of your skill with the sword."

Syrran smirked and produced his shotos.

"The Force be with him," whispered Elynn, staring at the burning blades.

Pleased by the challenge, the Emperor rushed Syrran. Infused by the dark side, his strength, aggression, agility, and speed far exceeded Darth Sidious' age and feeble appearance. He had mastered all seven lightsaber forms, including Juyo. The Dark Lord of the Sith switched between them at a moment's notice, looking for the most suitable technique to best his opponent. His incredible fighting prowess left his rivals with no room for mistakes—something welcomed by Syrran. Not since his duel against Mace Windu had the Emperor faced such a formidable swordsman. He recognized the Jedi Mater's teachings in Syrran, as well as Yoda's syneresis with the Force when he fought. Any advantage Mustafar's dark side energy granted the Emperor, enhanced Syrran well. The Chiss had also mastered all seven forms of lightsaber combat—Vaapad, instead of Juyo, in his case—allowing him to respond to anything Darth Sidious could throw at him, and his impeccable Jar'Kai technique matched that of the Dark Lord of the Sith. Conversely, Syrran's practice of his own Mano Cerrada challenged the Emperor's lightsaber expertise, having evolved beyond anything the Jedi and Sith had come up with throughout their existence. Furthermore, his brutal hand-to-hand style, Blind Alley, was unforgiving on both offense and defense.