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Missing Scenes
Post Revenge of the Sith: The Last Stand
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Through knowledge comes understanding and through understanding comes forgiveness. Without forgiveness we lose what is best in our humanity. - Kathryn Drennan
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Asajj knew years ago that she had not seen the last of her old nemesis Anakin Skywalker, that one day their pathes would cross again and when that day came only one would walk away. But never could she have guessed that she would be facing him in this fashion.
But time can change a person and this was no different for the former Dark Jedi who had none other than the Sith Lord's former master to thank for this. The thought would have made her smile but there was too much on her mind for her to drift to the past now. She had to keep moving for there were too many people here, too many innocents that were certain to suffer should this battle continue in this bustling place.
So deftly she slipped to one of the narrow alleyways and turned the corner. She wasn't certain where she was headed but had faith one of the winding alleys would take her somewhere less crowded. Yet no matter how swiftly she ran Asajj could still feel the dark presence nearing, it was oppressing like a dark suffocating cloud that threatened to choke her out. She tried desperately to hide her signature, but knew he was trained enough to pick up on her aura and this was more than a little disconcerting.
But eventually Asajj reached the back of a factory like building which appeared to have suffered severely from an explosion of sorts. It was then that she realized that there was no where left to turn. It was time to face the monster, who was once the hero with no fear and now the villain who bred it.
With a silent whispered prayer to the Force to grant her strength Asajj clenched her jaw and found her center before the hiss hush of the Dark Lord's respirator from behind her demanded her attention. Closing her eyes briefly Asajj drew her double lightsabers and activated them just as she heard the soft whoosh from behind that marked Lord Vader’s own lightsaber had been activated.
Without hesitation and no pause Asajj whirled around just in time to block a swift and normally devastating blow. Her eyes flashed in calm defiance knowing that as the Sith Lord stared into her orbs her would not find any hate or anger there. The thought gave her a sense of courage as she continued to block his vicious attacks.
"You bear the blades of a Sith, yet you are not worthy to hold such a title."
The one once known as Anakin taunted, trying to goad her, to rile up the temper that only a few short years ago had always remained dangerously close the surface. But the fury was gone now and these empty words only gave her a sense of relief and bittersweet joy. If she was meant to meet her end today it would be done taking the path of the Light. So instead of responding with words she let her blades answer in kind as her attacks grew more complicated, a testament that she had grown more skilled since the last time they fought.
But this didn't seem to impress the Sith Lord who smirked beneath his mask unbeknownst to Asajj who almost found relief in the fact she couldn't see his expression. It was just easier to battle Anakin this way, perhaps too easy she inwardly thought.
As Count Dooku’s second in command Asajj had learnt it was always easier to fight a faceless foe; that true courage comes from being able to stare into the face of your enemy, to see the fear in their eyes, the sweat on their brow and still be able to take their life. It was a Sith expression one she once cherished. But now Asajj knew it wasn't courage she lacked, rather the strength to ignore the empathy she knew that would pour over her if she were to have to look into this monster's eyes.
It wasn't that he deserved it for he freely allowed himself to succumb to the darkness, much as she did years ago. But since her return to light Asajj had found much to her confusion and surprise that there was some part of her buried deep within that pitied those who weren't strong enough to face the darkness and turn away.
However in this moment it would only serve as a handicap, one she couldn't afford in this moment. So Asajj instead focused her attentions on the practical matters at hand and kept her emotions and wandering thoughts in check. For every minute he spent trying to destroy her in his lust for the Jedi's destruction, was one minute bought for the real Jedi remnants to escape. If her death would ensure they made it out of his clutches and to safety then she would die contented that her final duty was completed.
"You are but a Padawan, surely you know you don't stand a chance against me."
He continued on as his attacks became more vicious in their assault. Asajj however forced herself to remain silent and ignore his words for such distractions could be deadly. For whether she liked it or not he was far more skilled than her and this left little room for mistakes. She had to buy time not for her own life, but theirs.
But the battle was fierce and the Sith Lord true to his words was far more trained in the arts of a lightsaber. Even with his new shell, his movements weren't so badly effected that Asajj could take full advantage of it, though she tried everything in her power to gain the upper hand. In the end he proved the stronger of the two and while Asajj was comfortable handling double blades it didn't give her the advantage needed to take down her foe. This too was a fact that was becoming painful obvious to her though she continued her attempts to stand her ground.
Yet in the end her valiant attempts to buy time for her allies began to run out as the Sith Lord began to take control of the dangerous dance of sabers leaving the Rattataki woman fighting on the defense. However the dark lord not known for his patience soon grew weary of this amusing little battle and decided it was time to draw it to a close.
Suddenly in a series of swift movements Lord Vader flipped his lightsaber around in his hand and proceeded to complete a complicated move that had been one of his favorites in what seemed like another life. Asajj though a skilled swordswoman herself was unable to block and as a result felt the searing pain riddle up her arm and saw her lightsaber spark and burn out before falling to the ground with her hand still firmly attached to it.
She didn’t dare give into her pain or her temper though she could feel her arm responding by going into shock though she was quick to continue her fight. While she was grateful that years of training permitted her to be ambidextrous it wasn’t long before this skill proved to be a short lived advantage. For soon Darth Vader used the Force to slam Asajj’s body against the jagged spikes of the exploded metal walls behind her, after having blocked another ferocious attack made by the former dark Jedi.
She couldn’t help herself but cry out in pain as she felt the rusty metal parts impale her chest and shoulder. Even so she struggled to move to at the very least maintain hold on her lightsaber but it was beyond painful and it left her reeling as she coughed blood in response. Her shoulder having been pierced by the torn metal soon caused her muscles to spasm forcing the lightsaber to slip from her fingers and clatter to the ground as they shook and went numb in shock.
She didn't need to be Force sensitive to know that this was the end, nor did she need it to feel the anger and hate that poured off of armored form approaching. Yet even so Asajj wasn’t afraid, nor did she feel any of the fury that once ate at her soul years ago like a corrosive. Instead when she found herself staring at the black form that approached her all she felt was instead was sadness for him. She understood and knew personally what it was like to be lost, to have freely given up all joy and freedom, in the lust for vengeance and power. Only to learn too late that there is no such thing as masters of darkness, only slaves.
Suddenly a feeling of calm poured over her, one that was familiar and yet so different than the last time she felt it. For unlike when Obi-Wan saved her there was no guilt to be found, no fierce revelation of all she had thrown away in her gamble with the darkness. This time there was only peace and ironically forgiveness.
But before she could make sense of it everything around her seemed to shift and change so that Asajj could only watch in wonderment. Never in her life had she ever experienced a Force vision. It was something she had always wanted to understand, but was never blessed with. Yet as her life blood poured from her body and a sharp heated pain burned at her throat Asajj’s eyes were filled with sights of a future that would not come to pass for many years.
She didn’t understand what she seeing at first for everything seemed to happen so quickly. There was a stranger clad in black, a young man to be exact fighting the Dark Lord in a place that she could not hope to recognize. He was winning but not only because of his skills, but because of the raging battle between the light and dark that was unfolding within the Sith Lord who fought back. The light was returning to his Force signature leaving Asajj to briefly wonder if her own aura looked much the same in her final battle with Obi-Wan. But the thought passed quickly as the image shifted revealing another whose form she recognized to be Darth Sidious being thrown into a vast tubing of some sort by the same black armored form who was intent on killing her in this moment.
But it wasn’t this sight that caught her attention rather the aura that surrounded the Sith Lord who had collapsed against a metal pole shortly after. No longer was it the swirling dark storm that she saw in this present, rather it was filled with light; not as bright as it once was when she first encountered the Padawan on Yavin IV, but close enough for her to know without question he had returned to the darkness. Asajj couldn’t have comprehended that the younger warrior was the reason for this, but she did know the young Jedi knight was revealed to her for a reason. However the answers would not be further revealed until she had left the realm of the mortals and become one with the Force.
Soon she surfaced from the strange vision to find herself staring at the masked form that reflected the red glow of the lightsaber that rested at her throat. Asajj became vaguely aware of the fact that the Sith Lord had just spoken, but what he had said didn’t reach her for the vision had deafened her to his words. She could only hope that his hatred would not make him deaf to hers.
“You may be lost for now…But one day you will be found…”
Asajj’s voice was barely audible as the wounds inflicted upon her stole her breath and filled her throat with blood. Her every breath was labored and her body was now rapidly losing feeling. Even so she couldn’t help but feel a tinge of hope, though in her fading thoughts she couldn’t quite remember why.
In reply the Dark Lord only briefly faltered, before swiftly separating Asajj’s head from her body in a single fluid action. Then he quietly turned and walked away paying no heed to the lifeless shell or the two lightsabers that now rested lifeless on the ground.
