Shadow Rising

"So what's so important you had to drag me and my Padawan all the way across the galaxy to the edge of the Outer Rim?" inquired Mara Jade from the co-pilot's chair.

"You'll see it soon, sensors can't pick it up," replied Anja Gallandro, her dark eyes flicking from the cockpit view port to her flight controls.

Jaina Solo peeked over Anja's right shoulder, eyes scouring the empty void.  Millions of stars winked at the Jedi Knight, but no indication of whatever Anja had found presented itself.

"There it is!" grinned Anja smugly.  She snapped on the forward guidance beams, illuminating the darkness of space.

Jaina stepped back and stifled a gasp of surprise, she blinked her eyes to see if the vision before her disappeared, it remained.

"A derelict station?  What's so significant about that?" asked Mara while she leaned forward in her chair to look out the view port.

"Jaina knows," murmured Anja, shooting a glance over her shoulder at the silent young woman.

"It's a Shadow Academy station," said Jaina.

"It looks completely inert," observed Mara.

"I want to claim it for salvage, but I thought it would be prudent to have a couple Jedi Knights check it over first, in case the Dark Jedi left any nasty surprises on board," said Anja.

"Jaina?" queried Mara, looking at her apprentice with an arched eyebrow.

Jaina tugged on her Padawan braid, her teeth pressed against her lower lip.  She glanced at Mara, then back at the slowly spinning station.

"We have to investigate, Mistress Mara," replied the young Jedi.

***

The stasis pod lid hissed open, expelling a thick cloud of blue smoke.  Brakiss struggled out of the vertical pod, then promptly collapsed onto his bare knees.  The naked man shivered violently, he hugged his sides and gazed around with tear-filled eyes.  Something had gone wrong with the re-animation process, this body should be strong and healthy, instead he felt weak and cold.  Console screens were glowing on the other side of the chamber, Brakiss dragged himself across the slick metal floor, then propped himself up against a console.

"Jaina," smiled the handsome, blonde, Dark Jedi Master as he watched Jaina, Mara, and Anja emerge through one of the station hatchways.

***

Jaina shivered when she walked into the wide passage that ringed around the entire station.  Mara and Anja played the powerful beams of hand lamps over the gleaming metal walls, the air was cold, cold enough to frost the three women's breath in front of their faces.

"This station is strong in the Dark Side of the Force," murmured Mara.

"Life support is barely functioning, who could be left to guard the place?" demanded Anja, her right hand straying to the butt of her blaster pistol.

"Battle droids, for one," answered Jaina.  She released her lightsaber from her belt and held it tightly while she advanced down the curving passage.

"Don't get too far ahead, Jaina," warned Mara.

"Yes, Mistress," replied Jaina automatically, her boots silent upon the metallic floor as she passed through an open blast door.

There was a loud, grinding sound just before the blast door irised shut.  Jaina ignited her violet lightsaber and spun on one heel, the reinforced hatch was completely locked down.  Jaina closed her eyes and tried to reach Mara with the Force, instead her head throbbed with a painful buzzing until she stopped reaching out with her mind.  The slim Jedi Knight used her humming lightsaber to illuminate her way, she walked down the passage slowly, senses alert for anything that might attack her.

***

Mara's green lightsaber stabbed into the middle of the closed blast door.  Mara closed her eyes and focused as Luke had taught her, the center of the blast door began to glow red, the dark metal hissed loudly as it melted away.  Anja had her blaster pistol out and ready, she watched the other end of the passage, chasing away the darkness with her bright lamp clenched nervously in her left hand.

The entire passageway started to glow with a warm, red light.  Anja turned to see how Mara was doing, she stared in awe, the entire blast door was crumbling apart, hissing and smoking as it flowed like hot wax.  Mara lowered her lightsaber, perspiration covered her face, she struggled to draw in air.

"Are you okay?" asked Anja.

"We have to find Jaina, I sense that something..wants her," panted Mara.  She collected herself and led the way through the ruined blast door.  Anja stayed close to Mara's heels, wondering if the station was really worth all the trouble.

***

Jaina allowed her instincts to guide her to the lift.  The doors split open silently for the young woman, Jaina walked inside and spun to face the closing doors.  The lift descended on silent repulsors, then abruptly stopped.  The doors slid apart, and Jaina emerged into the stasis chamber.

A single stasis pod rested against the far wall.  The pod was open and empty, tendrils of blue smoke still clung to the floor beneath it.  The chamber was dark except for the dim light emanating from a long bank of display screens, Jaina approached them, they displayed various sections of the dormant station.

"I knew we would meet again, Jaina Solo," purred a voice behind the Jedi.

Jaina's lightsaber snap-hissed to life.  She twirled to meet her enemy, Brakiss, garbed in clean, white robes, his golden hair glowing around a deceptively angelic face.

"This place felt familiar, it had your stink clinging to it," snarled Jaina.

"I should be the angry one, after all you and your brother were the ones responsible for destroying my original body."

"At least this body has a complete face," snapped Jaina acidly.

Brakiss's face darkened for a moment, then the angelic visage returned.  "Yes, much more appealing, isn't it?"

"Not really," retorted Jaina, shifting her body into a stronger combat stance.

"No?  Maybe you should look closer," smiled Brakiss, his golden eyes boring into Jaina's.

The twin, burning orbs filled Jaina's vision.  She embraced the Force and tried to shield her mind from the Dark Jedi Master, he brushed her defenses away with ease and drew closer to her.

"You are mine, Jaina Solo, you once fed my Dark Force Engine, now you will feed me."

Brakiss lowered his right hand, and Jaina lowered her glowing lightsaber.  The Dark Jedi reached out and enfolded Jaina's weapon, he shut off the lightsaber, tugged it from her limp fingers, and tossed it away.

"No," whimpered Jaina, her brown eyes filling with tears as Brakiss wrapped his wide-sleeved arms around her, pressing her lithe body next to his.

"I missed the scent of your hair, your body, young Jaina," purred Brakiss inside Jaina's ear.  The Dark Jedi tilted up Jaina's small chin and kissed her lips sensually.  Brakiss's pale lips were cold over Jaina's, she felt warmth drain from her mouth.

"So strong and ripe," murmured Brakiss, unzipping Jaina's tight black jumpsuit to the waist.  He peeled back Jaina's suit, smiling as he looked down at her naked breasts.  "You've grown into a beautiful, young woman, Jaina."

Brakiss held one wiry arm around Jaina's waist while he lowered his head and kissed each of the young woman's bare breasts.  Jaina moaned softly, trembling when the Dark Jedi's lips caressed her skin.  Each kiss drained a little more life out of Jaina, Brakiss covered her left nipple with his ravenous mouth and began suckling on her soft tit.  As Brakiss sucked harder and harder upon Jaina's aching nipple, she felt the Force flow through her into the feeding Dark Jedi.  Jaina's slender legs started to buckle, she would have fallen to the floor if Brakiss wasn't supporting her with his enfolding arm.

Flushed with new life and power, Brakiss kissed Jaina hard on the mouth, then lowered her onto the gleaming floor.  Jaina could only rest limply on her back while the Dark Jedi pulled down her jumpsuit, his fingers stroking her smooth, bare limbs.

***

"This way!" snapped Mara.  She ran through a series of twisting passages, advancing closer and closer to the station's dark heart.

Anja struggled to keep up with the Jedi Master.  She panted and wheezed for air, sweat covered her face and soaked her snug tunic.

The two women reached the central lift and climbed inside.  The doors remained open, the lift didn't move an inch.

"Damn!" hissed Mara.  She examined the entire lift, she smiled when she found the trapdoor in the floor.

Anja fought to catch her breath as Mara yanked the floor hatch open and peered into the dark lift shaft.

"Don't tell me we have to climb down that!" protested Anja.

"It's the only way to reach Jaina!" retorted Mara.  She climbed through the hatch and began descending the shaft using the emergency hand holds built into the hull.

Anja sighed, then climbed through the hatch to follow Mara.

***

Brakiss was pinning Jaina's arms over her head while he thrust between her open legs.  Jaina was so weak she couldn't even manage a moan, she felt cold and numb, the only sensation penetrating her body was the warmth emanating from her crotch, the sensation of the Dark Jedi's thick cock ramming deep into her belly.

"You are all mine, bitch!" growled Brakiss, his naked body shimmering gold, his eyes radiating wanton heat as he stabbed into Jaina's vagina remorselessly.  The Dark Jedi slid his warm mouth all over Jaina's body, he pulled on her milky breasts with his lips, he licked the young woman's creamy shoulders and neck, he devoured her slack mouth, invading her throat with his probing tongue.  Jaina let tears slide down her incredibly pale cheeks.  Jaina's body rocked back and forth across the floor, held in place by Brakiss's hands that pinned her slender wrists to the deck.  The flood of Force energy that had passed through Jaina to Brakiss had slowed from a torrent to a trickle.  Jaina could feel her body slipping away, the Dark Jedi would feed on her until she was dead.

Brakiss stopped humping the limp girl and lowered his body onto hers.  He caressed the cool skin of her left shoulder, he gently brushed his lips over her wet, brown hair.

"I could stop right now, Jaina.  If I stop, you'll live, but if I keep fucking you, you'll die.  Do you want me to stop, little Jedi?"

"Yes...please," sobbed Jaina in a breathy whisper.

"I'm not going to stop, Jaina.  I'm going to kill you, then I'm going to find your brother and that little bitch Tenel Ka and kill them too!  You killed me, I'm only returning the favor, Jedi."

Jaina whimpered when Brakiss resumed pumping between her limp thighs.  Brakiss wore a demented smile, crushing Jaina's wrists within his grip, smashing his crotch over the girl's, spearing her pussy with his swelling prick.  With the sound of Brakiss's cock sliding into her cunt, Jaina's eyes rolled back, and she faded away.

***

Mara jumped down to the floor of the lift shaft, ignited her lightsaber, and impaled it into the sealed shaft doors.  The hatch started glowing quickly, it didn't take long for the metal to yield and pour down onto the deck.  Anja hopped down behind Mara and drew her blaster.

Mara lunged into the stasis chamber.  She found Jaina lying on the deck, pinned down by a naked man with gleaming, gold skin and intense, molten eyes.

"Get away from her!" snarled Mara, swinging her lightsaber at the man's head.

Brakiss jerked away and reached out with his left hand.  A lightsaber flew through the air into his open palm, Brakiss ignited the weapon and a bright, silver beam extended out.

"He's a Dark Jedi Master!" warned Anja from the melted hatchway.

Mara and Brakiss exchanged a quick series of blows.  Mara circled the naked man, he moved smoothly, with a sinuous, sensual grace designed to distract her.

"Mara..Mara Jade," murmured Brakiss, licking his lips appreciatively.

Mara creased her brow, fighting to keep Brakiss out of her mind.

"You have more training than poor, little Jaina, but it won't be enough," chuckled Brakiss before he slashed out again.

Mara parried the string of swift cuts and stabs.  She tried to attack, but Brakiss evaded her easily, and used the opening to press an even stronger assault.  The hissing silver beam bit deep into Mara's left thigh, she stumbled back, sweat pouring from her slim body.  Brakiss moved in a confusing, twisting pattern, his eyes glowing like matching suns, his lips curved into a mocking smile.

"Now another Jedi dies," hissed Brakiss maliciously, twirling on one heel and lashing out with his long, silver blade.

Mara ducked the slash and sliced up with her green beam.  The humming lightsaber passed through Brakiss's right arm, the severed limb arced through the air and fell loudly onto the deck.

"NO!" howled Brakiss, dropping his lightsaber and stumbling back from Mara, cradling his crippled arm at the elbow, where smoke still rose from the wound.

"Now a Dark Jedi dies," smiled Mara coldly, grasping her lightsaber with both hands to hack the man's head from his neck.

"Anja!" cried Brakiss, his golden eyes flashing.

The stun bolt caught Mara in the back of the left shoulder.  She spun wildly before collapsing onto the deck beside Jaina.

Brakiss rushed to a console and summoned the lift.  When the pod descended, the Dark Jedi fled inside.  The lift carried Brakiss away, Anja blinked her eyes, her mind free from the Dark Jedi's control.

"Mara?" groaned Anja, rubbing her suddenly aching head.  She looked down at the deck, where both Jedi Knights lay senseless.

Anja knelt beside Mara and checked her pulse, then her eyes.  Realizing that Mara was stunned, Anja reached into a pouch and drew out a stim-patch.  She rolled up the left sleeve of Mara's skin-suit and slapped the patch onto the unconscious woman's skin.  Mara twitched and rolled onto her back.  She sat up abruptly, eyes wide and frantic.

"Brakiss!" shouted Mara, turning her head, searching for the Dark Jedi.

"He took the lift, he's gone," said Anja, rising back to her feet.

"He used you to attack me," groaned Mara while she massaged her throbbing shoulder.  "I should have anticipated that."

"Forget me!  Can you help Jaina?"

"Jaina!" exclaimed Mara.  She slid across the deck to the motionless girl's side.  Mara brushed her fingertips across Jaina's cold forehead, her face softened with worry.

"Jaina's been life-drained, there's barely anything left," murmured Mara as she reached across Jaina and took the young woman's chill hands.

"Can you save her?" whispered Anja hesitantly.

"I have to try," replied Mara.  She squeezed Jaina's thin fingers and closed her eyes to concentrate.  She summoned the Force and channeled it into Jaina's cold body.  Minutes ticked by, Anja paced the chamber, watching as Mara knelt beside Jaina.

"It's not enough," moaned Mara.  She looked down at Jaina's still form, then leaned down to the girl's gray face.  Mara covered Jaina's lips with her own mouth, blowing warm air into the girl's lungs, pouring even more Force energy into Jaina's inert body.

Anja knelt across from Mara, she stared at both young women anxiously.

Jaina coughed raggedly and pried her eyes open.  Mara released Jaina's lips, straightening to regard her apprentice with a relieved smile.

"A nice way to wake up," grinned Jaina with a giggle.

Mara blushed and didn't reply.

"I thought you were dead for sure!" sighed Anja.  "I was really scared for a second!"

"Thank you, Mistress," murmured Jaina weakly.

"Let's get you back to the ship," smiled Mara, helping Jaina to sit up slowly.

"Then I submit my claim and cash in on this place!" declared Anja triumphantly.

***

Watching from the control chamber of an Infiltrator, the Dark Jedi Master Brakiss snarled as Anja's ship disappeared into Hyperspace.  The station was useless now, it's only purpose was to maintain the stasis pod until his clone body was needed.  The scavenger bitch Anja could have it, he had a more vital mission, a thirst for revenge that would not be slackened until both of the Solo siblings, Tenel Ka, and Mara Jade were dead by his hand..his remaining hand.

Brakiss reluctantly looked down at his severed arm.  The arm was bound and treated, it was a reminder, and a debt owed that would be repaid in full.

*****