The cabin of Vader's TIE-Advanced fighter shook with Dark Side energy, a reflection of his tumultuous mood. As the Dark Lord shuttled to the surface of Bast, to hsi personal castle, the man formerly known as Anakin Skywalker could hardly contain his emotions. Rage and hatred stood at the forefront of his psyche. Rage that anyone would dare enter his personal stronghold. Rage at his minions for failing to prevent these interlopers from disgracing his castle walls with their presence. Hatred at his former Master, daring to show himself after what Obi-Wan Kenobi did to him those many years ago. Hatred at all Jedi for continuing to live, despite his efforts during the Great Jedi Purge. Yet another, not at all expected emotion seemed to push and claw it's way above all the rest. Excitement swirled about him, perhaps for the first time since he found out he was to have a child with his love and wife, Padme Amidala-Skywalker. Excitement to once again face his former Master, and once and for all end the Jedi's life. Vader had given orders for no other TIEs or Imperial forces to follow him to the planet below as he left the hangar of the Star Destroyer Executor. Only he would indulge in the battle yet to come.
Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, could sense the battle raging below him. He could sense all three Jedi battling amongst themselves in his home. Obi-Wan's presence in the Force was unmistakable to him, like the stench of a dianoga found in the swamps. He was getting older, and felt weaker to Vader. That was too bad, really, as he was greatly looking forward to facing his former friend and ally at full strength. With him, fighting side by side, was Jedi Master Quinlan Vos. All reports filed after the execution of Order 66 indicated that Vos was killed off by Commander Faie and his troops on Kashyyyk, his body burned and destroyed by the Wookies who were able to recover his body before they themselves were caught and executed. Vos was always a strange Jedi, even for a Kiffar. His presence in the Force would come and go, almost as if Vos were able to turn it on and off, or cloak himself in the Force. Master Vos had walked both sides of the Force more than once, and would be a formidable adversary if faced. Or perhaps a formidable ally, if completely turned. However, Vos had fallen before and risen again, stronger for the experience. He was not to be trusted. The third and more surprising Jedi was A'Sharaad Hett. The man raised by his father among the filthy Tusken Raiders of Tatooine was not only alive, but clearly tainted by the Dark Side. A'Sharaad was very compassionate when Anakin revealed to him how he had slaughtered an entire tribe of Sandpeople, and kept his dark secret safe from the Jedi Council. His strength came from his ability to completely sever all emotion from any situation, yet fight on as if he were caught up in a rage. He was fast, he was strong, and he was highly skilled. The bigger question, however, was how he had become entwined in the Dark Side of the Force, and why he was fighting two other Jedi Masters in his home. A wave of anticipation shuddered off the cockpit once more, reverberating wildly throughout the space craft.
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Each whirling blur of electric light brought with it a myriad of color and crescendo of sound. Neither Master of the Force seemed to give pause, none gave way, none made progress against the other. With each flurry from Hett came a series of parries from Obi-Wan. Every thrust from Vos was dodged masterfully by Hett. Purple blended with blue, green blended with red, as each stroke of a lightsaber painted the air like an artist's brush on a canvas. The symphony of battle was one destined for the Jedi Archives, if and when it was rebuilt. Each combatant held a completely stoic expression, not a drop of sweat beaded their brows as the fight continued on.
A'Sharaad Hett took advantage of a pause, even so slight as to be virtually undetectable by the naked eye, and blasted Master Vos with a wave of Force energy, followed by an executioner's slice with his lightsaber. Yet the wave was countered by Vos and the swipe deflected by Obi-Wan. As Hett tried to turn Kenobi's loss of focus against him by bringing a backwards swing with his other lightsaber into Obi-Wan's spine, Vos was able to roll around behind him to deflect with his own lightsaber. In unison, both Jedi brought their lightsabers up high, arcing downwards at Hett. The Fallen Jedi raised both lightsabers above his head, the first mistake in his otherwise flawless assault against the pair of Jedi Masters, in an effort to block their simultaneous attack. However, in doing so, Hett left his body open to attack. Vos and Kenobi both stretched out and planted a forceful kick to the torso of Hett, sending him reeling backwards, yet remaining on his feet.
"You foolish Jedi, don't you both see? Don't you feel his presence get closer with each passing second? Darth Vader will be here soon, and with his aid, I will see you both dead at my feet!" exclaimed Hett.
"Do you honestly believe that Darth Vader will embrace you as friend and ally?" asked Kenobi, moving in to close the distance between the pair.
"Vader and I share some history of our own, old man. He and I share more in common that you will ever know, and it is that bond that will unite us in seeing your life come to an end."
Vos sprang from where he stood, flying towards the Tusken Sith with a speed that caught Hett by surprise, putting him momentarily off balance. That was all the opening he needed, as Kenobi raced forward with his lightsaber low, arcing upwards and cleaving his opponent's right arm off at the shoulder. A'Sharaad Hett let out a blood curdling scream of pain and surprise, his now severed arm lying in a pool of blood on the floor. Quinlan Vos came around and once again landed a solid kick to Hett's ribs, launching him sideways, collapsing into a heap on the floor. Before Hett could even consider any retaliation, Vos stood on his one remaining good arm at the wrist and took his lightsaber from him, clipping it to his belt so as not to allow Hett to get it back.
"As I warned you, my old friend; The Dark Side is no match for the Light. You should have listened to reason."
"As always, Obi-Wan, you are foolish in thought, and feeble in body," came a booming voice from behind them all. Vos and Kenobi spun around to see the black clad Sith Lord looming from the end of the Great Hall. Darth Vader stood tall, in all his glory, radiating wave after wave of contempt and hate. The Dark Side seethed off of him like tendrils of steam from the breath of a Taun Taun. "I've waited a long time for this moment, Obi-Wan. I've dreamed of the day when I would face you yet again. This time, we are on my terms, in my home, and you will not be able to use any trickery to catch me off guard."
"There was no trickery involved the last time, my old friend. Your own anger blinded you to simple facts, and you paid the price for it. It pained me to do so, but I had to teach you that final lesson. That is why you never made the rank of Master, and that is why you are nothing more than a shell of what you once were," answered Obi-Wan, walking calmly towards his former pupil, lightsaber still ignited.
"Lord Vader, I come to you with information you will find--" shouted Hett from the ground where he still lay. Cut off in mid sentence, Vader picked him up from the ground with the Force, choking the words fro his lips as he did so. "Silence, Hett. I have no time or use for you. You clearly are not strong enough to rise among the Sith, so your life is meaningless to me." Vader threw him into the far wall with a crushing impact. Hett fell to the ground in a heap, hardly moving at all.
Vos and Kenobi took flanking positions on the sides of Darth Vader, both of their lightsabers at the ready. Both Jedi knew that the battle before them would be unlike any they had faced yet. Both knew that the chances of both of them leaving this room alive were slim. Neither turned to flee, neither gave even a moment's pause. "Your villainy and tyranny must come to an end here and now, Skywalker," said Master Vos. "You're merely a shell of your former self, held together with wires and synthetics. You're no longer a man at all."
"Ah, Master Vos, how little you truly understand of the Dark Side. Of the both of you, I had thought you might understand, since you've tasted the truths the Dark Side has to offer. You don't know the true power of the Dark Side!"
"Anakin, it's not too late for you to return to the Light," said Obi-Wan. "There is still good in you, I can feel it. I've seen it, in various parts of your castle here. I know there are parts of you that are still pure."
"Do not bother to attempt to sway me, Obi-Wan," growled Vader. "You betrayed me by turning Padme against me. You and the rest of the Jedi betrayed the Republic and Senate by trying to usurp control. I have no faith in your ilk any longer. My Allegiance is to the Empire and my Emperor, the only man who saw what the Jedi were plotting and stopped them. I will correct my greatest mistake here and now, and end your pitiful life."
"Then my friend, my brother, is truly dead. The Sith curse must be expunged from the Galaxy, so we shall have to destroy you, here and now," said Kenobi with a note of regret in his voice.
Vader strode towards the pair of Jedi, lightsaber ignited and swinging with each step. Vader's jet black cape billowed behind him as he walked, an onyx wraith dancing around its master. Vader's mechanical breathing was rhythmic and calm, belying the intense excitement at facing the two Jedi Masters. As he neared them both, Darth Vader let out a devastating and surprising wave of Force energy towards them, stronger than anything Hett was able to conjure up. The Force Blast was strong enough to send them both reeling and falling to the ground, disorienting them due to the intensity and speed with which the invisible attack had come. Before either Jedi could get to their feet, The Dark Lord was upon them, hacking at them with his lightsaber and assaulting them with blasts of Force Energy.
Obi-Wan and Quinlan were both forced to fight from their backs, moving about the floor in a horizontal defensive ballet. Gradually, the Jedi moved further apart, splitting Vader's focus wide enough to allow them to regain their footing. Once their composure had returned, the battle once again created an orchestra of light and sound, emanating off of the castle walls in an eerie glow and haunting melody.
Darth Vader knew he had to take one of them down for good, and it had to be Obi-Wan. His hatred for his former Master was great enough, that he was willing to forfeit his own life once he had taken Kenobi's. With a wave of his hand, Vader blew out one of the immense stone pillars nearest to Vos, causing a shower of large rocks and debris at the Jedi. A jagged chunk of stone struck Vos in the head, knocking him unconscious. Without losing a step, Vader whirled about and began swinging his lightsaber at Obi-Wan with hard, ferocious attacks, aiming to hack his old friend to pieces. Obi-Wan was able to parry and dodge each forceful blow, while engaging Vader with his own attacks. Where Vader was strong and brutal, Obi-Wan was quick and cunning. Yet Vader's deceit was far from over. With a mere thought, as Vader was coming down on Kenobi with a hate filled crash, he also grabbed a chunk of rock from the pile on the floor and used the Force to drive it through the air at Obi-Wan. The small boulder struck Obi-Wan dead in the eye, blinding him and sending him reeling backwards, his guard down. Even as Kenobi began to stumble backwards in shock, Vader was thrusting in for the final blow, a piercing shot aimed dead at Obi-Wan's heart.
Yet the blow never met it's target. Instead, it found a new one; the abdomen of Master Vos. Coming from seemingly nowhere, Quinlan Vos threw himself into the line of fire to save the life of his friend. The pair had grown up together in the Jedi Temple. They had both seen their share of pain and misery throughout the Clone Wars. But Kenobi, despite all he had gone through, had come through it unscathed. Never once had he even flirted with the Dark Side. And now he held a secret that was vital to the Jedi Order, one that he couldn't possibly share. Vos thought back to Khaleen and his son Korto, and how he hoped he had taught him well, and how he hoped he was a good husband to her. Vos made peace with himself and with the Force, and was prepared to become one with it as well. As Vader removed his blade, Vos collapsed into the arms of Obi-Wan.
"Why? Why did you do that? What of your family?" asked Obi-Wan.
"Because the Force told me it was the right thing to do. Your destiny is far greater than mine, and my family will now forever be able to live in peace. Only I know who and where they are, so their secret dies with me. However, old friend, it is you who the Force has chosen to keep the flame of the Jedi alive. Use my Force essence to make your escape, and live on to fulfill your destiny."
"Today, the Empire has seen the death of two more Jedi, their light extinguished in the Galaxy. Now I shall make it three," said Vader as he raised his lightsaber above his head. As Vos faded from existence, Obi-Wan focused his own Force powers and added the essence of the man formerly known as Quinlan Vos and blasted at Darth Vader, sending him flying through the air, smashing through not one, not two, not three, but four stone pillars, obliterating them as he passed through them, eventually crashing into the far wall and to the ground. The torrent of rock and dirt that followed showered and pummeled Vader's dark armor, partially burying him.
After several minutes of lying on the ground, Vader eventually brought himself back to his feet. He looked about the room, searching for his quarry. Obi-Wan was gone, having made his escape while Vader was disoriented. That was a new trick that Vader had never experienced before. He'd felt the passing life essence of many Jedi throughout the Clone Wars and Jedi Purge, but never thought of using it as a weapon against his enemies. Anger welled up inside of him at his failure to destroy Kenobi today. Gone was the body of Quinlan Vos, having become one with the Force, only his clothing was left behind. His lightsaber was gone, most likely taken by Kenobi so that Vader could not add it to his collection. Also gone, having slipped away during the fight, was Hett. His arm still littered the floor in a small pool of blood. Vader took another look about the room, reflecting on both his success and his failure. As the imposing Dark Lord turned to walk away, his cape billowing behind him, the black clad figure stalked off towards his TIE. His footsteps reverberated off the walls, trailing off as he left.
