Hero of Naboo Chapter 7 Preview

AN Sorry this is taking so long, but, well, I had an accident right after the last message and got hurt. I'm fine, I was just sore all over for a week or so, and my writing-mojo was knocked out of for a while as a result. Still, I'm finally getting back into the swing of things, so here's the first chunk of the new chapter you've all been more than patient with.

Silence.

That was the only word to describe Coruscant as the great storm began to disappaite and vanish, back from whatever nothingness it had been summoned from. 

Mace Windu looked out from near the top of a skyscrapper, peering out to the works. The Sith, Sidious, was dead. And it would appear that Vader had either been lying or wrong, because the storm was disipating much faster than Vader and Plagueis had implied. And yes, Vader definitely still lived, but more importantly, so did Master Yoda. He wanted nothing more than to rush and seek them out. However....

He turned his head, sensing a faint life signiture beneath the caved into rubble of the room.

Others needed them more urgently. His fellow masters traveling to many places that had been greatly damaged by this attack. It would take time before any kind of rescue and medical teams could arrive. Time these people might not have.

Save lives he knew needed his help or seek out the other Sith Lords that, for today at least, might not be a threat.

It wasn't an easy choice, even if it was obvious.

Meanwhile

Yoda sighed as he slouched heavily. He hadn't done anything like that in years. He hadn't had to. If he were any other reature, his lifespan would have likely been shortened from overuse of the force on his aging body. But his kind were connected to the force in ways few others were. It wore him out, it drained him immensely, but his end likely was not any sooner to come than it already had been.

He gazed upward at the clearing storm clouds. What he sensed was strange, but welcome. The Dark Side was dissipating far more easily than expected, as if the light side was gently dispersing what remained now that Sidious was dealt with. Good. Holding up that barrier for hours would have been a problem, for him and their unexpected ally in dealing with this Sith threat.

His eyes trailed over to the still form of Vader: collapsed on the ground and unmoving, his mechanical parts damaged and broken extensively, and possible unconscious. But life had not left Darth Vader, his pressence in the force stubbornly persisting despite his injuries.

Yoda wished he had a staff to lean on, but in lieu of one, he glanced over the the ruined scrap metal all around them, the ground having been shreded and bent in the wake of the storm.

The Grandmaster was spent, but even a portion of his power was more than enough for this; with a grasping motiono f his hand, a piece of loose debris ripped itself away and came over to Yoda. It was ragged edges, but it was large enough for him to sit on. And so he did, leaping onto the debris and keeping it afloat under his own power.

Witha hum, he brought himself over to Vader's form and was unsurprised by what he saw: gloves stripped to reveal the robotic arms, a small pool of blood pouring out of the mouth of the mask, and blenty more damage. It took him another instant to take note of it, but he saw that beneath Vader were two lines indented into the ground, where he had literally used the force to keep himself anchored down from Sidious's counter attack.

Anyone else, Yoda would have felt some urgency to get them medical treatment. The fact that he didn't had nothing to do with Vader being a Sith and more purely due to the Dark Lord's pressence in the force. It wasn't fading or weakening. He wasn't in any danger of dying at the moment, not so long as he could use the Dark Side to sustain himself.

Still, that didn't mean it wasn't a priority for Yoda. The bigger question was, where to take him? A medical center on Coruscant, or back to the Jedi Temple's medical corp appeared to be the best choices, but Yoda wasn't sure how well Vader would react to either. The police force of Coruscant might just try to arrest the Sith Lord, and that would not end well for any that tried to contain the Sith Lord. Taking him back to the Temple might have the Sith Lord believe they were trying to imprison him.

And, admittedly, Yoda acknowledged therer would be at least a few in the Order that would consider trying to kill Vader in his weaken state, even after all this.

How complicated, he mused, that it was to try and treat a Sith as an ally.

Speaking of which, he frowned for a moment as he turned to the side, his stare challenging the pressence.

Darth Plaguies's shadowy form rippled back into existence, his red eyes peer towards the small Jedi with consideration. No words were spoken, both parties seeming to weigh their options as the air grew thick.

Their staring contest was interrupt by sound of steps against broken metal, signaling the approach of another. The heads of both orders watched as a red zabrak came into view. An unlit lightsaber in one hand, and in the oether was half of a decapitated and cuaterized head, held by the hairs.

"Maul," Plagueis spoke neutrally, eyeing the near-human as his eyes lingered on Sidious's head. An apprentice who failed to overthrow his master, and was slayen by his own attack dog. "Fitting."

Maul's face contorted breifly, just barely held in control, before regained himself. He looked from the Sith Lord to the Jedi Master. Yoda arched an eyebrow at the dark sider, who was obviously consdering attacking him.

Plagueis's attention trned to Yoda again, and the green Jedi preapred himself for the worse.