Jedi Insurgency 245

As Corvus was concluding his duel against Vader, Palpatine was looking to finish the fight on his end. 

Plo Koon was bleeding massively from a punctured chest, and Windu, although strong, was no match for the Sith in a 1v1 scenario. Much less would he be a threat now that Cronal was holding him back. 

Palpatine drove his lightsaber towards the wounded Jedi Master with a sinister gleam in his eye. Slick rain water fell through leaky pipes all around him, magnifying the sound of his every footfall. A nearby puddle barely rippled despite his incredible speed. So light was his movement, Palpatine was like a feather upon the breeze. Yet despite his beautiful use of agility, and athleticism, the overwhelming level of violence and malice that hung around him was enough to make children cry, and women hold their hearts silently in fear. 

Delirious due to the blood loss, Plo Koon shakily rose from his site of impact. A grisly suction sound left his chest & back as he pulled himself off the twisted spike of durasteel that had speared him through. Coughing unhealthily into his mask, Plo felt the cold rain water around him, and blinked black spots out of his eyes. Raising his lightsaber, he steadied himself in the Force. 

“...Ahsoka…I hope you find peace. I am sorry…I could not say goodbye.” Plo muttered to himself, accepting that this was likely to be his last moment before he became one with the Force. 

Blue blade held high, life essence dripping from his back/chest, and soaked in rain water, a type of exceptional calm radiated from his form. 

“Come then, Sith. I fear. No. Evil.” 

The Emperor arrived a half second later. His red blade hammered against Plo Koon’s defense with terrifying speed, each strike more vicious than the last. The Kel Dor Master gave ground beneath the assault, boots carving trenches through shattered stone as he blocked one murderous thrust after another.

Sidious smiled the entire time. His expression was almost serene, such was his confidence. 

Windu lunged from behind, violet blade screaming toward the Emperor’s neck, but Palpatine bent backward with impossible flexibility, avoiding decapitation by millimeters while simultaneously extending one clawed hand toward Plo.

[Force Lightning] erupted at point-blank range. 

Plo Koon crossed his saber defensively, but due to his accumulated injuries, he was a fraction of a second too slow. The blast engulfed him completely.

Classic purple electricity mixed with crimson Sith lightning as the Jedi Master cried out, his body hurled violently across the chamber. He smashed through a support arch hard enough to collapse it entirely. Smoke wafted up from his form, and he twitched upon the broken, blackened floor. Faint arcs of electricity still within his system triggered aftershocks, and one could occasionally see the outline of his skeleton. 

Palpatine slowly approached the downed Jedi Master with a sinister grin. From behind, Windu was shouting something at him, and tried to ram his blade into his back, only for Cronal's projection to arrive just in time, blocking the assault. The Sith Lord didn't even pause to look back, despite a purple blade coming within a few feet from striking his back. 

For miles around them, those citizens who hadn't fled in time screamed as sections of the lower Senate foundation shifted violently due to the support columns collapse. Ancient load-bearing columns beneath the district began to fracture, and soot-like dust mixed with rain poured rivers of grime upon the lower levels. 

“Fitting that one who cannot breathe my oxygen is gasping before me upon his knees. Goodbye Master Koon.” Palpatine said in a sardonic tone. 

His blade whipped downward toward the fallen Plo Koon before the Jedi Master could rise. Just as Palpatine was about to deliver the killing blow, something roared, pausing his hand. 

The sound was so colossal it shook the chamber like an earthquake. Much more than that, it was a psychic scream in the Force. Carrying with it untold malice, and a primal desire to destroy, this presence was unlike the refined hatred of a Sith, or soothing calm of a Jedi. It was wild, untamed, and demanded violence! 

Palpatine’s yellow eyes narrowed. He was quite familiar with this presence. 

“They dare use my own spells against me.” Palpatine muttered in contempt. 

Project Z had been in the works for quite some time. Unfortunately, it had to be kept on life support for much of its life. Cloned Force Sensitives had such a woefully short shelf life. 

Despite this seeming betrayal, a knowing smile briefly crossed his face, hidden in the shadow of his hood. 

Good. 

During Palpatine’s inner monologue, he watched as a blurry shadow-one standing at several stories tall-leapt from one building to the next. In short order, it arrived before him, using the Force to speed up its actions. 

Durasteel, stone, and ferrocrete detonated into a tidal wave of debris as something enormous forced its way through the subterranean structure. Massive claws the size of gunships ripped apart support beams like brittle twigs.

Its armored body scraped against the chamber ceiling as it shoved its bulk into the underground hall. Black-green scales gleamed beneath the flickering firelight, nearly impervious to harm. Great green eyes burned with startling intelligence as it looked down upon Palpatine with an aura of uncontrollable hatred. 

It was the Zillo Beast! 

Upon its back-hiding invisibly-stood Jax.

The white-haired teenager crouched low between the creature’s armored ridges, his cloak flapped wildly in the wind due to the beast's extreme speed. Narrowing his ice-blue eyes at Palpatine, he knew he was going against his Master's orders…but at the same time, he sensed through his Force Bond that Master Corvus was about to lose the [Shadow Wrath State]. That if they-he and his companion-didn't delay the Emperor now, then this rescue mission would result in losing all the Jedi. 

“I'm sorry for going against your orders, Master.” Jax whispered. “But I won't allow you to sacrifice yourself any further. Take Yon, take the other Jedi…and escape.” 

The Zillo Beast roared again, reaching a type of harmony with Jax. Its mind was vast and alien, like some colossal predator from the dawn of the galaxy. Jax’s Force Bond connected them completely, rider and beast moving with eerie synchronization. The pair of them, Jedi and monster. Rationality & Instinct. Light & Dark. Yin & Yang. Coexisted together, reaching balance in the Force. 

This act brought with it a psychic pressure that flooded the chamber. It was as if a subtle gravity pressed down upon all those present, affecting their minds with one primal, instinctual thought. 

I am being hunted.

The ‘technique’ if it could be called that, was similar to that of a [Mind Trick], making one feel that uncanny experience of being stalked. Any ordinary person would frequently swivel their head to check behind them, meet the predator with a threatening roar of their own, attack head on, or perhaps attempt to run to safety. 

Palpatine was anything but ordinary. 

“How fascinating.” Palpatine murmured. 

He had foreseen the interference of the Zillo Beast, yet like all things tied to Revan, he had difficulties pinning down the exact reason why it was an enemy. When he had first foreseen this potential scenario, all he had glimpsed was a pair of unyielding ice-blue eyes. 

“Those blue eyes. How about I pluck them?” He slowly stated with a wide grin at the Zillo Beast. 

At the same time, he thrust his saber downward, decapitating the Kel Dor. Knowing that Revan could resurrect corpses, his hand moved at super speeds, dicing the alien into tiny microscopic shreds. Palpatine's words & actions. seemed to have the desired effect, as the creature snarled in a rage, and made its move. 

A claw larger than a landspeeder crashed downward toward the Dark Lord, narrowly avoiding Plo's corpse. The Emperor blurred aside at the last possible instant, as if he were proving a point. His gaze held a trace of mockery, and incredible disdain. 

Stone and durasteel erupted upward in large chunks as the claw punched through ancient foundations. Entire sections of the chamber collapsed inward from the impact alone.

Palpatine spun through the debris with supernatural grace, at that moment, Windu had pushed Cronal back, and then made time to rush forward. 

The purple blade came screaming towards Palpatine’s ribs whilst he was mid twirl. However, it was a feint, and just as he deflected the beam of plasma, a fist rocketed towards his wrist. 

Laughing at the attempt, his second lightsaber hissed into ignition, and he cut Windu’s arm off. Yet his laughter choked on his throat as Windu continued forward! 

Eyes going wide, he barely raised his weapon in time to deflect the second swing of Windu’s purple saber. At the same time, he had no choice but to take the blow from Windu’s smoldering nub. The broken, handless forearm collided with his collarbone, shattering it to pieces, and sending a shockwave throughout his entire body. 

Stumbling backwards, Palpatine channeled his hate and rage into his body. Pulling upon his youth, he rapidly aged once more, healing the wounds dealt to him. Scowling as he dodged another claw, he shot Cronal a glare, only to see that his phantom form was a shade lighter than usual. 

‘Shatterpoint.’ He snarled, thinking to himself enviously. 

“You have lost, Your Majesty.” Windu held out his lightsaber, and confidently declared. 

“Oh?” Palpatine replied, raising an eyebrow as he jumped over the Zillo Beast’s tail. 

He didn't bother stabbing his lightsaber into its scales, as he knew how pointless such an attack would be. 

“You cannot heal the next one.” Windu confidently stated. 

The first clean hit the Jedi Master had landed, made Palpatine age to middle-age. Now, after this second attack, the Emperor was once again a decrepit old man. It was fair to say that any further healing would transform him into a mummy. 

Despite this threat, the Emperor flowed between the ensuing attacks like water. They clashed a thousand times in the next minute, all the while, Jax-sharing vision with the Zillo Beast-was having it prowl at the sideline, preparing to save Windu at a critical moment, or slay the Sith when an opportunity presented itself. 

As the fight intensified, Palpatine saw an opening that could slay the white haired Master once and for all! Ducking beneath Windu’s follow up strike, he unleashed twin red lightsabers to stab at Windu’s knees. As the dark-skinned Jedi Master went to parry, Palpatine flicked one blade up, whilst the other stabbed downward. Just as Windu was about lose his leg, and all of his mobility, Jax moved to intervene. 

“Tch.” Palpatine spat as he was forced to vault over yet another massive claw. 

The Zillo Beast & Jax worked together to send continuous [Mind Tricks] at the dodging Emperor. Although they did not penetrate his mental defenses, Palpatine felt as if an ant was crawling along his backside the entire time. Whilst this didn't alter the dynamic of the fight, this nuisance was actually the thing that angered Palpatine the most! Having his bones shattered was all part of his calculations, a thrill few Sith could survive! Yet this beast dared contend with him in the realm of mysticism!?!? That was an affront to every principle he stood for. 

Due to his continuous dodging, and the Zillo Beast’s rampage, the mid-level levels that they were fighting within began to fall apart. 

Above them, massive cracks raced through the lower infrastructure of the Senate District. Buildings began to tilt, transparisteel burst outward across nearby skylanes as entire support levels shifted from the violence beneath the city.

The Zillo Beast was relentless in its pursuit. Its tail whipped across the chamber with the force of a capital ship's broadside, creating carnage everywhere it went. 

Landing atop a collapsing pillar, he decided to test this creature. Holding out both his hands, [Sith Lightning] erupted forth. 

The blast engulfed the Zillo Beast’s face in a storm of crimson energy powerful enough to vaporize durasteel. The chamber became blinding white-red as millions of volts of electricity screamed through the air.

Jax shielded his eyes, and hunkered down within the folds of the Zillo Beast's chitinous plates. Ordinarily, such an attack could be absorbed by this primal creature…and yet, it knew that Jax would not survive if it did nothing. Focusing its aura upon the white haired teen, it used the Force to make sure he was safe. However, as a result, it had left large chunks of its body undefended. 

Although much of the kinetic energy behind the [Sith Lightning] was absorbed, its true nature was as a construct of the Force! 

The Zillo Beast roared in pained agony! Yet its momentum only seemed to increase as it ran at Palpatine despite the excruciating torture. 

Smoke curled from its scales, and Jax shed a silent tear, knowing what it had sacrificed in the name of their kinship. Although they had only known one another for less than an hour, Jax had been connecting with the ancient bond of the Zillo Beast since he had stepped foot on Malastare. To him, each and every Zillo Beast was a sibling. Seeing this pain, it hurt him on a spiritual level. Channeling [Heal] & [Force Barrier] for all his worth, he tried to help soothe his friend, even if it wasn't enough. 

His actions-although weak compared to a Dark Lord of the Sith-held weight in the Force. A Force Bond was not something trivial. When gathered together, the Jedi could work miracles. And although few in number, the other Jedi who had conducted the ritual at the Nexus felt this resonance in the Force. They entered meditative states, and helped shield this noble beast, protecting it from Palpatine’s crimson rays! 

Palpatine’s expression hardened, and the Zillo Beast ROARED.

The psychic backlash slammed into the chamber like a hammer blow.

Jax felt it flow through their bond, its rage, fury, and protective instinct matched his own thoughts. The beast viewed Palpatine as an invading predator, and would do anything to end him. 

The Emperor-having sensed Jax after he cast [Heal]-recognized that the Zillo Beast was being ridden. That this was the creature’s weak link. 

Palpatine became a crimson blur racing straight toward the invisible teenager atop the beast’s back. Although Jax had learnt his stealth skills from his Master, he did not have a System, and was ultimately a Jedi Knight, not even a Master or High Councilor. 

Jax reacted on instinct, his twin blue sabers crossed before him just as Palpatine arrived.

The impact nearly killed him, breaking his invisibility. 

Jax’s mechanical arms nearly buckled as the Sith Lord hammered through his guard with terrifying strength and impossible speed. The teenager barely managed to survive the opening exchange.

Palpatine’s blade became a red hurricane.

Jax blocked once, twice, three times, and then Sidious broke through.

The Dark Lord recognized Jax, knowing he was Revan’s student. A cruel smirk spread across his face as he imagined the torture he would visit upon this boy. To twist and break him, to transform him into a creature dedicated towards the destruction of the Jedi Order. Deciding not to instantly kill the child, he cut off Jax's arms at the elbow, then removed his knees. As soon as Jax's focus was broken, the Jedi at the Nexus lost their connection, unable to protect the Zillo Beast any further. 

Sending Jax crashing to the ground-just at the perfect angle so he landed in the charred remains of Plo Koon's corpse-Palpatine gave Windu & the Zillo Beast a side eyed smirk. 

The Emperor vanished upward in a blur as teeth larger than starfighters crashed together where he had stood.

Windu intercepted him midair.

Purple and red collided again in renewed fury. 

Palpatine fought like an embodiment of chaos itself. His Form VII was monstrous. Pure predatory aggression blended seamlessly with Makashi refinement. One moment he dueled with aristocratic elegance; the next, he attacked like a rabid animal.

Windu matched him with Vaapad.

Behind them, the Zillo Beast crashed through collapsing architecture like a living natural disaster, forcing Palpatine to constantly evade claws, jaws, and tail strikes powerful enough to annihilate tanks.

The Emperor spun beneath another claw swipe, only for Windu to nearly remove his arm. A brief lull occurred in the battle, and Palpatine stood upon the ruins beneath the Senate. 

“I tire of this game.” Palpatine said in a condescending tone. 

Disabling his lightsabers, he clasped his hands together as if he were praying. Then, he slowly pulled them apart, as if there was glue holding them together. His skinny wrists were trembling due to the effort. 

Windu felt his breath hitch. This was not part of the plan! 

He ran to stop the Sith Lord, so too did the Zillo Beast. The creature met Palpatine first, however, the Sith Lord merely scoffed. 

Jumping up the monster's forearm, he finally parted his hands. Both of them were glowing a dark orange-red. He then shoved them onto the crown of the Zillo Beast’s head. Its life energy suddenly drained at an impossible rate, making it age rapidly. Watching this majestic creature wither was like watching a clip on the holonet at 100x speed. One second it was there, the next, it was gone. 

A terrible aura formed around the Emperor as he devoured the Zillo Beast. 

Having studied Naga Sadow's holocron, he had feared becoming consumed by hunger as his predecessor had become. However, the Zillo Beast did not want to stay down, therefore, he had to resort to drastic measures! Ultimately, Project Z was not some secret weapon of the Empire to be deployed to the battlefield, but in actuality, had been bred to act as a battery and catalyst for the Emperor!

Pushing his technique to new boundaries, he infused his essence with the clouds in the sky, making the rain water devour all life within a 100 mile radius. Using these many deaths as propaganda, the Jedi would never recover from this. 

Rapidly reducing his age to that of a young man in his early 20's, a look of intoxication spread across his face. 

When Windu eventually reached him, Palpatine casually batted aside the Jedi Master’s lightsaber, his speed had reached an entirely new, unfathomable level. Even the Order Master, blessed with Shatterpoint was no match for this Apex Predator. 

Shocking Windu repeatedly with [Sith Lightning], flashes of light reflected off his face, revealing his sick sadistic pleasure. Weakened and defenseless, Windu refused to cry out. 

“Still holding onto hope? Revan is nowhere to be seen, a coward through and through. Your friends remain trapped on Coruscant as my Legions surround the Imperial Palace. Not even Master Yoda could save you now. You are finished.” Palpatine mocked. 

Curling his hand, he crunched every single bone in Windu’s body, giving him a taste of his own medicine. 

“If so tired you are, then perhaps sleep forever, you should.” A calm voice said from down low. 

Palpatine spun around in alarm, only to see nothing. 

“Master Yoda, why don't you join us?” He said to the empty broken plaza, and lifted both Windu & Jax up slowly squeezing the life out of them. 

In response, the entire planet of Coruscant shook as a monumental amount of energy poured in through the Force. 

Emerging through a swirling blue vortex, Yoda-hunched, and tired-walked forth with his cane in hand. 

“I have been waiting for this moment. Everything has gone as I have foreseen.” Palpatine smirked. 

“Confident, you are? Alone, you think I am?” Yoda questioned, then tapped his cane on the broken durasteel beneath him. 

Seconds later, a blue & red ghost emerged from the portal. 

Standing on his left was Lord Hoth-dressed in a rich fur cloak, barbarian-esque armor, and sporting a topknot-to the right was Lord Kaan, a handsome tan man with flowing black hair cloaked in all black Sith-like garb.

“So this is the pretender.” Kaan sneered, igniting his crimson lightsaber, he prowled to the side, looking to land a sneak attack. 

“Our oaths shall be complete after this. Our last battle shall be legendary!” Hoth brashly declared, revealing his blue blade, he stepped in front of Yoda, intent on confronting Palpatine head on. 

Yoda ignited his own green lightsaber, and pointed its tip at Palpatine. The little green man had spent the last six months in combat against these ghosts in an attempt to bring them peace, to free them from their tortured plight of endless combat, of endless pain and suffering. Upon defeating them, the Force had acknowledged his persistence with the ability to command them once in battle. 

Therefore, the mightiest warriors of a thousand years ago had made their presence known! 

Yoda. 

Grandfather to the Order. 

The Strongest Grandmaster in 1,000 years. 

The Resigned Persistence. 

WAS DONE HOLDING BACK.