Chapter 26: The Test

Ben's speeder shot over the rim of a canyon, dropping through the air before the speeder's repulsors countered the gravity above the turbulent waters. The bottom of his speeder dipped into the water, sending a jet of spray behind him. The man who killed his father flew over the river ahead of Ben, skimming the water's surface. Ben gunned the throttle, shooting over the river at full speed to catch up. Both speeders weaved and bobbed over rapids and small waterfalls, threading their way between wooded islands along the river's bed. Ben fired volleys of laser blasts at his prey, which flew past the fleeing speeder into the forest, exploding trees and setting small fires.

Ahead, the man ignited his lightsaber and swung the crimson blade through the trunk of a tree. The tree fell forward across the river, and Ben pulled his speeder up, barely missing the falling trunk as he shot up into the air. Ben swerved right around another wooded island in the center of the river, keeping an eye through the trees on the island for the flash of the red lightsaber. The lightsaber vanished, and Ben slowed to make sure that he did not shoot out ahead of his quarry. The fleeing speeder shot ahead past the island, and Ben picked up speed again to catch up.

The canyon walls narrowed, bending hard to the left. Both speeders banked to the left to avoid crashing, with Ben continuing to fire volleys of laser blasts that crashed into the rocky canyon walls. The man ahead reached his hand up and then pulled it down in a vicious movement. Ben looked up to see a cascade of boulders tumbling down ahead. Ben calculated the odds that he would collide, then recklessly gunned the throttle full blast, barely escaping a jumble of rocks that splashed into the water behind him.

Beyond the narrows, the canyon walls opened wide as the river drained into a vast lake filling the bottom of a valley crowned by towering, snow-capped peaks. Ben turned hard to the left to stay behind his quarry, who shot ahead across the open water. Several miles ahead, Ben could see a waterfall churning over a cliff nearly a kilometer high above the lake's placid waters, which reflected the purple-blue maelstroms above where not cut through by the wake from the two speeders. The man ahead veered to the right side of the lake, aiming for a sloping granite shelf that angled up and away from the lake's surface to the cliff from which the waterfall spilled.

Ben veered right to follow the man as he guided his speeder up the ramp, dodging stunted trees and precariously perched boulders. The man reached the top of the shelf and disappeared over the lip of the cliff, and Ben shot after him at full speed. Upon reaching the end of the shelf, Ben's speeder flew into the air and came down above a spacious flat where the river braided and pooled in a dozen different branches. The man, cloaked and hooded, had jumped off his speeder and stood still directly ahead of Ben. Ben pushed the throttle forward, sending the speeder ahead at a collision course. The man did not move, and at the last minute, Ben leapt from the speeder, sending it careening at the man. The man anticipated the attack, and with a deft movement, he used the speeder's momentum to send it flying past him to explode against a cliff.

Ben rolled and then came to his feet twenty meters beyond the man. He had turned around to face Ben, and Ben could see his silhouette imposed against the river illuminated by reflected interstellar light. At a flat next to the forest along the river sat an angular black shuttle, which Ben deduced was the man's ship. Ben ignited his lightsaber and stalked toward the man, his rage screaming for vengeance. However, something about the murderer's silent, still posture caused Ben to pause before reaching him. Silently, the two faced each other, with Ben breathing heavily and clenching his blade, poised to strike.

"Ben Solo," the man said, nodding, his voice distorted by the electronic filter in his mask. "I am Veryx. I've anticipated our meeting for some time."

Ben charged the man, swiping viciously at his head. His blade slashed through air as the dark Jedi ducked and dodged his attack effortlessly. Ben slid to a stop above a shimmering pool of water and turned on a dime, prepared to counter-attack. His father's murderer still had not ignited his weapon, instead standing still while regarding Ben with a detached curiosity.

"Undisciplined…" the dark Jedi said, taunting Ben into another attack. Ben, his fury mounting, charged the man again. This time, the dark Jedi ignited his lightsaber, and Ben's green blade clashed against his red blade. He blocked each of Ben's furious swipes effortlessly, and after parrying the blows, he landed a swift roundhouse kick that sent Ben sprawling into a pool of water. Ben stood up with water soaking his robes and saw Veryx lunging toward him. Ben barely blocked the attack in time. His opponent's attacks came fast and furious at a speed that Ben was barely able to match. His anger turned to fear as he began to realize that he was outmatched. The last swipe of the lightsaber cut into the rock where his head had been only a split second after Ben had moved it.

As Ben gained enough space to recover his defensive position, Veryx turned away, walking casually in a semi-circle with his blade by his side. Veryx looked over his shoulder at Ben, who was tense and ready to defend himself. Veryx continued his taunting, saying, "The scion of the mighty Skywalker family. Blessed with unprecedented natural ability - a naïve, entitled child idolizing his grandfather." Veryx paused to allow this insult to sink in, then added, "How disappointed your mother and uncle must be."

Ben's fury at the insult overcame his fear, and he launched himself forward, giving full voice to his rage. His swipes were brutal and furious, but Veryx anticipated them, blocking them with only a modest effort. Veryx soon went on the counterattack, swiping and stabbing with surgical precision. He slashed at Ben's saber, knocking it to the side and exposing Ben's body. Veryx then launched a volley of purple-white lightning that struck Ben in the chest. He flew back five meters, hitting the ground hard and wincing at the pain.

"You've never known pain before, have you? Your privilege protected you from seeing what the galaxy is really like," Veryx taunted cruelly.

Ben realized he was beaten. He pulled himself back to his feet, terrified that he might die soon. But rather than succumb weekly, he decided he would not go down without a fight.

"Is that why you're here? To taunt me into turning to the Dark Side?" Ben spat, attempting to suffuse his voice with a confidence he did not feel.

"Turn to the Dark Side?" Veryx laughed, and the malice in his laughter chilled Ben beyond the icy water that soaked his clothes. "No, your purpose is much more important than that."

"Then what?" Ben asked, feeling confused now that the dark Jedi contradicted his training. He had learned that most dark Jedis would attempt to turn their opponents, manipulating them to giving in to the quick and easy path.

"To fulfill the true destiny of the Skywalker line," Veryx explained cryptically. "One that should have begun and ended with Anakin Skywalker."

"My grandfather balanced the Force!" Ben shot back, clinging to the old belief even though his opinion of the man had been deeply tarnished at learning he had become Darth Vader. "He killed Darth Sidious!"

Veryx laughed again at Ben's naivety. "Balance? Your grandfather only hastened the inevitable."

"Liar!" Ben shouted. He lunged forward for another attack. His movements were more controlled, his anger more focused. The speed of his attack caught Veryx off-balance, and for a moment, he struggled to keep up. After several near hits, Veryx caught on to the flow of Ben's attack, and he ducked his next slash, twirling as Ben shot past. Veryx thrust his saber forward, bringing it through the side of Ben's thigh. Ben collapsed on the ground, clutching his thigh in agony.

Veryx walked slowly toward him. Ben had dropped his lightsaber, and Veryx kicked it into the main channel of the river. The swiftly flowing river carried the weapon downstream where it vanished into the whitewater atop the falls. Ben watched his last defense flow away, and a feeling of helplessness overcame him. Veryx now stood over him, his blade held by his side, and he looked down, radiating disdain. He knelt above Ben's prone form and said, "Sadly, I am not to kill you. You await a greater purpose. . ."

A ripple in the Force interrupted Veryx mid-sentence, and he turned his head, aware of someone approaching. He stepped away from Ben and looked toward the edge of the waterfall. A speeder shot over the rim of the waterfall, piloted by a young woman. The speeder shot toward Veryx and Ben, slowing to a halt as the woman leapt from it. She completed a graceful somersault in mid-air and landed next to Ben. Kira ignited her lightsabers, assuming a ready position.

Veryx stepped back, raising his lightsaber to a defensive position. Kira worked her way around Ben to square up against Veryx, then spoke to Ben, "Ben, take the speeder. Your mother is hurt. Go to her. I'll take care of him."

Veryx cut across Ben's response, saying, "The Palpatine girl. I'm glad you've joined us." He lunged forward, attacking. Kira blocked his attack, then countered. The initial exchange showed them evenly matched, and Veryx stood back to appraise her threat level. Veryx addressed Ben, "I see your poor training hasn't extended to her, Ben Solo. Surely you must wonder why your mother and uncle lavished so much attention on her."

Kira responded by renewing her attack. She lunged forward, slashing and hacking. The attack pushed Veryx back, and he stayed on the defensive as she forged ahead. She nearly succeeded in disarming him, but he dodged a slash that might have cut him down, and instead, Kira cut through a tree along the riverbank. The tree fell slowly toward Ben, and Kira used the Force to pull Ben away so that it would not crush him. During that moment of distraction, Veryx counterattacked. Kira barely managed to parry his thrusts and slashes, and he succeeded at knocking one of the blades out of her hand. Transitioning to the single blade, she deflected his attacks as the adrenaline of the chase began to yield to exhaustion. Veryx seemed to sense her fatigue, and he increased the intensity of his attacks. Blocking a counterattack, he landed a kick to her solar plexus, sending her reeling backward. She gasped, struggling to catch her breath, and in that moment that she attempted to recover, Veryx launched a volley of purple-white lightning at her. She raised her blade, catching the bolt. She countered by launching her own volley of lightning, which Veryx deflected.

Following her counterattack, Veryx decided he had seen enough. Through his electronically filtered mask, he whistled, and six Acronemses fluttered to the river's bank, taking a position on either side of Kira. They lifted their hands, and through the Force, pulled at Kira from both sides. Her remaining lightsaber fell to the ground, and she rose into the air, arms outstretched. She struggled frantically, but the grip of the Acronemses was too strong for her to resist.

Ben had gotten to his feet and limped toward her. Veryx stood before her, but he allowed Ben to approach. When Ben reached them, Veryx spoke, "Do you see, Ben Solo? She used the Emperor's power against me." Veryx turned to look up at Kira, who still struggled to break free from her unseen bonds. "And who do you think told her to use that power?"

Ben looked at her, disturbed and conflicted. Veryx continued, "The Emperor's power, trained by Luke Skywalker, encouraged by your mother. The full depth of their treachery revealed."

Veryx shut down his lightsaber, hooking it back to his belt as he approached Ben while Kira writhed in the air. "The Jedi have tasked you with capturing her, have they not?"

Ben nodded in response, looking toward Kira with the same disturbed ambivalence.

"Surely they understand the danger of allowing a threat like her to survive," Veryx said as he gestured toward Kira.

"Ben don't listen to him. . .," Kira called, but Veryx slashed through the air with his hand, and she fell silent, gasping and choking at the impact to her windpipe.

"You could become the hero you were always so desperate to be," Veryx said, his voice now seductive. "Imagine how you'd be seen if you rid the galaxy of the scourge of Palpatine once and for all. The legacy of Skywalker redeemed."

Reaching out through the Force, Veryx called Kira's lightsaber to him. He held the weapon out to Ben, who took it reluctantly. "Go ahead," he ordered. "Kill her."

Kira, still gasping at the strike to her trachea, began to struggle again as she attempted to writhe free from the grip the Acronemses still had on her. Ben held the lightsaber in his hand, and he turned toward her. Kira could read the expression on his face, and when she saw that he was contemplating the action, her insides turned to ice. Could the man who had been the closest thing to a brother she had ever known kill her in cold blood? Her mind drifted back to the memory of Anakin killing children, and she knew the answer.

"Ben. . ." her voice called out hoarsely. "Please."

Ben ignited her saber and stepped toward her. He raised it, looking toward her but not at her. In her desperation, Kira opened her mind to him. Ben was unprepared, and her anguish washed over him. He gasped, slumping backward. He looked in her eyes and saw the pain and hurt there, which echoed the pain and hurt in his eyes. Recognizing that he did not have the will to kill his friend, he turned to Veryx and said, "No. She needs to face justice. Murder is not justice."

"Curious," replied Veryx. "Did you not come after me with the intent to murder me? Would killing me give your father justice?"

Ben gripped the lightsaber, preparing to strike. Veryx pulled it out of his hand before he could act. He held the lightsaber, appearing to admire its construction. Then, he nodded to the nearest Acronemses, and Ben was lifted into the air alongside Kira. Both hung suspended in the air, side by side, struggling against the unseen forces holding them in place.

Veryx walked toward Ben, approaching to within an inch of his face. "Weak," he whispered.

Veryx twisted his hand, and Ben screamed in agony. He writhed and struggled, but the grip that the Acronemses held him in was impossible to break. The alien creatures moved forward, and Kira could sense their mounting excitement as they neared. They stood about five meters away on either side in streams that flowed into the river. Veryx released his grip on Ben, then turned his attention to Kira. Searing pain blasted through every nerve in her body as if her insides had begun boiling. Her screams echoed into the night, and the Acronemses started to cackle and click softly and sinisterly at the prospect of a coming feast.

"If you're too weak to kill the girl, I will do it for you," Veryx said, cold malice in his voice. "And while I do it, I will torture you to the brink of death. My master does not need you healthy; he only needs you alive."

Veryx raised his arms into the air. Purple static discharge began to emanate from his fingers as he reached deep into the Force, channeling the deep reservoirs of hatred and rage that he held within. As he drew with his full strength on the dark side to attack the pair, he brought his arms down in a slamming motion, sending brilliant cascades of purple lightning at each Jedi.

The lightning arced through space, and Ben and Kira both closed their eyes in anticipation of the blinding pain that would come. Instead of the anticipated agony, the lightning arced away from them, splitting into multiple channels that engulfed the Acronemses. Some of the lightning went into the streams that the creatures stood in, causing them to shake and collapse into the water, deepening the impact of the attack. The crumpled beings fell fully into the water, which swept them into the river. Ben and Kira fell to the ground hard, with Kira losing consciousness.

"What?!" Veryx exclaimed, as he turned toward the waterfall.

The figure of a man slowly rose above the waterfall, his hand outstretched. As he rose, the nose of an X-wing fighter appeared. As the X-wing cleared the edge of the waterfall, Luke Skywalker leapt from the nose of the ship, somersaulting through the air and landing lightly on his feet.