EXT. VALLEY OF THE SLEEPING KINGS – SLIPSTREAM – SUNSET
Anakin has returned to the Slipstream. The Blade of the Saarai-Kaar tucked under his arm, he signals Dahlia who sits at the cockpit viewport. In moments the boarding ramp lowers and Dahlia climbs out.
DAHLIA: You’re back.
Anakin nods.
DAHLIA: (grins) You found it. You found them.
Anakin starts to return her grin, then he sees the blaster she has held on him.
ANAKIN: (frowns) Wha --?
Dahlia pulls the trigger. With a CHOOM, an orange blaster bolt burns into Anakin’s shoulder.
ANAKIN: ARGH!
Dahlia advances, firing the blaster. This time Anakin is on his guard; bringing the warblade to bear, he blocks each of the plasma bolts. As Dahlia moves in too close, Anakin swings the sword, slicing through the blaster. Taking a wary step back, casting the useless gun aside, the Pantoran pulls the hydrospanner strapped to her thigh free. With a BUZZ, a humming blade of dark blue plasma extends from its socket.
ANAKIN: (shocked) You’re a Jedi?!
DAHLIA: No, but Daddy was.
Bringing the blade around, the blue-skinned woman strikes. The Sith brings the warblade up at a downward angle, blocking the lightsaber. He then makes a strike for her forearm, hoping to disarm her, but she parries the attack easily.
DAHLIA: (cont’d) He taught me how to mask my Force-sensitivity so none could recognize me for what I really am. He taught me many things.
Fast and agile, Dahlia attacks with a flurry of motion, feinting and striking at Anakin with such ferocity that were she facing a non-sensitive swordsman, he would be lying in pieces on the ground already. Though Anakin is certainly a formidable warrior in his own right, he isn’t accustomed to duelling one-handed or with a blade with actual weight. As such his blocks and attacks are sluggish and unbalanced.
DAHLIA: (cont’d) Daddy taught me all about the Sith. He used to regale me with tales of their exploits, of the vastness of their empire, of the magicks they wielded.
Dahlia lands a glancing blow to Anakin’s left thigh. Distracted by the pain, Anakin fails to prevent her from kicking him square in the chest, knocking him flat on his back.
DAHLIA: (cont’d) Daddy desired the power of the Sith. Oh, how he dreamed to see the Force through their eyes, to master the esoteric arts deemed unnatural by Jedi ages past. He knew amongst the thousands of worlds that once made up the Sith Empire, at least one must have escaped plunder – a virgin bastion of Sith wisdom.
Bringing her saber down, Dahlia tries to skewer Anakin. Rolling out of the way, the Sith springs back up and lunges at the fallen Jedi. Crossing blades, their eyes connect.
DAHLIA: (cont’d) Together we would go out into the Sith Worlds. For months at a time we just wandered the stars, the ancient hyperlanes, following up any rumours or old legends which promised us our El Dorado. We never came close once. (beat) After Daddy’s passing, I abandoned hope of ever finding our lost world; I consigned it to the dustbin of old childhood myths and dreams. Then you came along – you with your dazzling Force presence and haunted eyes, on a mysterious quest for unknown Korriban. Korriban: a name which had never come up in our searches, a name which promised the Galaxy itself. I knew right then you were the key to everything.
Grimacing, Anakin pushes against Dahlia, forcing her back. Parrying one of her lunges, Anakin ripostes, opening her cheek up.
ANAKIN: (sneers) You used me. Everything you said to me, everything we shared together – it was all done to get you here. You never cared for me; I was just your ticket to the big time.
DAHLIA: (wipes blood from her wound) My feelings for you are real. I could never feign those.
ANAKIN: So you love me. You just covet my title more.
DAHLIA: (shrugs) There can be only one Lord – or Lady – of the Sith at a time.
The battle is renewed. Fueled by his rage at Dahlia’s gross abuse of his affections, Anakin no longer flounders in his use of the Sith weapon. Lunges are parried, ripostes made. The sounds of superheated plasma kissing nigh-indestructible metal reverberate through the still valley.
Dahlia is finally the one to get the upper hand. Locking her blade around his, she twists it, prying the Sith sword right out of his grasp. Reversing her grip on the lightsaber, she punches Anakin in the face, the metal hilt reinforcing her blow. Blood spurting from a split lip, he goes down.
DAHLIA: (points her lightsaber at Anakin’s throat) I don’t want to kill you. Just relinquish your title, Anakin. Give it up to me and we can go home together.
ANAKIN: No. You haven’t earned it. You do not deserve it.
DAHLIA: (heartbroken) So be it, Lord of the Sith.
Raising the lightsaber high, she prepares to deliver the killing blow. Before she can, a coat of ice forms over the lightsaber hilt. Sparks flying from the emitter, the dark blue blade flickers then goes out.
DAHLIA: (puzzled) What?
As she begins examining the inert weapon, a shadow rises up from the ground, towering over her, its silhouette quite familiar. Dread sweeping over her, the fallen Jedi drops the lightsaber, throwing her arms up as the Sith spirit passes its dark hand over her.
ANAKIN: (frantic) Ragnos, wait! Don’t!
But the bygone Lord of Sith heeds him not. Finally tasting the forbidden power she long desired, Dahlia is consumed by it. She passes through youth into middle age into old age in the span of seconds. Her firm blue skin loses its elasticity and sags; her luscious black hair turns coarse and brittle as its colour fades to white.
ANAKIN: No!
As the mummified remains of Dahlia Karin collapse to the ground, the silhouette of Marka Ragnos departs. Dragging himself over to the cadaver still clad in the wrinkled blue jumpsuit, touching the hard, dessicated shoulder which was once warm and soft with life, Anakin Skywalker weeps.
INT. GEONOSIS – SANDCRAWLER – MONTAGE
Having proven himself to be an excellent mechanic, Shiiid has put Darth to work repairing the systems of the sandcrawler as promised. But Darth has other plans; he’s going to use this opportunity to destroy the sandcrawler, killing everyone – the Raiders and their captives, himself included.
Working over the period of a week, Darth secures materials he can use to fashion makeshift detonators. Once he has assembled the detonators, he sets about planting them in the vital areas of the sandcrawler, taking great care to avoid being seen by the Raiders.
INT. GEONOSIS – SANDCRAWLER/ENGINEERING STATION – DAY
Crammed in a tight space too small for any adult to squeeze into, Darth plants the final detonator. Worming his way back out of the space, the boy fishes out the ‘droid caller he rewired to serve as a remote trigger for the detonators. Closing his eyes, he presses the ignition switch.
Darth overestimated the destructive capability of his jury-rigged detonators. Instead of setting off a series of tremendous explosions powerful enough to obliterate the sandcrawler and set the surrounding camp ablaze, several less cataclysmic but still very deadly fires have been ignited. A blaze quickly breaks out in the engineering station, right in the tight space Darth was. Feeding off the gritty old oil saturating the area, it spreads fast. Air filling with greasy black smoke faster than Darth can get to safety, the boy swoons, rapidly succumbing to asphyxiation.
EXT. MEADOW – DAY (VISION)
Opening his eyes, Darth finds himself in a meadow.
Standing up, the boy takes his strange new surroundings in. In stark contrast to dry, barren Geonosis, bright chartreuse grass covers the ground here as far as the eye can see, with large white clouds floating across the electric blue sky above. In the distance a metropolis of iridescent crystal rises from the ground, sunlight filtering through it to dazzling effect. Music – the most beautiful, melodic, uplifting Darth has ever heard – wafts up from the city, filling the air with its harmony.
SHMI WARKA: (O.C.) Beautiful, isn’t it?
Spinning around, Darth finds his long departed mother standing a ways behind him. Dressed in blue and white robes, holding cherubic Mitra in her arms, all the weight she once bore on her shoulders has been lifted. She looks radiant, a matron of matrons.
SHMI WARKA: (smiles) Hello, love.
Eyes heavy with tears, Darth runs up them. Lowering Mitra to the ground, Shmi takes her son into her arms as they come together, sweeping him around in a joyous embrace.
DARTH: (cries) Mom! Mom!
Mother and son kiss. Neither wants to leave the other’s arms.
DARTH: I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! It’s my fault you’re both dead! I couldn’t save you! I couldn’t save either of you! Forgive me! Please forgive me!
MITRA: (kisses Darth on both cheeks) Don’t be sad, Darth; I’m not. I’m back with my mommy and daddy again. We all live together in the big city.
SHMI WARKA: You have shouldered much guilt needlessly, son. Let it go.
Darth BAWLS, letting all the sadness and grief and shame he has let build in his system finally out.
DARTH: (wipes his tears away) W-where are we?
SHMI WARKA: Beyond the thousand natural shocks flesh is heir to.
DARTH: Are gramps and gram here?
SHMI WARKA: They are. They’re all here, all our ancestors. They are as they were in youth, at peace and content.
DARTH: I want to meet them all!
SHMI WARKA: And you will – when your time has come.
DARTH: (confused) My time? What do you mean? I’m here now, aren’t I?
SHMI WARKA: (shakes her head) Your pain was too great; I had to bring you here, to offer hope, but you cannot stay. You must live your life first.
DARTH: (voice breaks) What life?
SHMI WARKA: (runs her fingers through his hair) A man is coming, Darth – a friend. He will free you and take you away – far away from Geonosis. You only have to hold on a little while longer.
DARTH: But I want to be with you.
SHMI WARKA: (kisses Darth’s forehead) Have faith. You will see me again.
INT. GEONOSIS – SANDCRAWLER/ENGINEERING STATION – DAY
Darth regains consciousness. The other mechanics managed to extinguish the fire, with one of them performing CPR to resuscitate the young boy.
MECHANIC: (angry) You started this fire! It was you! I saw you! You’re ground chuck now, boy!