Jedi Master
Hawk watched in amazement as Kat forged a lightsaber from the light of the force itself; a weapon of both immense power and beauty. The silvery hilt didn't just shine with the reflected light of polished metal, it also seemed to emanate a soft warm glow all of its own, like an ethereal halo. The soft glow of the hilt was as nothing next to the blade itself however. To look at it was as if to state into the heart of a star, and yet it did not burn the eyes...it simply drew them deeper and deeper into the light.
It was at this point that Hawk recognised the light. It was his. Or, it was the spark of power that Kat had shared with him just now, but also all those years ago within the same moment. It was much more now than the spark it had been when she had first placed it within him. He had sheltered the spark and nurtured it within him. Every time he had reached for its strength; sought the light in everything around him and vanquished the darkness...it had grown.
This was what his purpose had been all these years, to shelter the light until Kat was ready to take it back from him, but even as he thought it he noticed that she held the hilt to him.
She's not ready...
It was suddenly very clear to Hawk that he had spent years learning to harness and control a small portion of her power, while she had spent an equal amount of time terrified of it and hiding from a much larger part of it.
Hawk asked himself now, that if someone had told him as a young boy of the power and responsibility he would hold, would he not have hidden from it too? It was not power that made people strong. It was experience.
"It is because we doubt, that we do not fall." Hawk smiled at her and slowly closed his hand around the hilt of the magnificent white blade.
It made perfect sense to him now, all of Kat's insecurities and doubts. They had kept her safe all these years without her knowing it. Many with her power would have become arrogant, cocky, and full of self-importance. They would have been tempted by the darkness. Perhaps, in some way, the fear of her brother had inadvertently kept her on the right path. Not that Hawk wouldn't have spared her that if he could have.
The shield dropped almost as soon as his hand closed around the hilt. The Ascended drew back in anticipation of the kill, but in the moment Hawk moved. The white energy cleaved through the first of them as if it was nothing. Its body dispersing in a murmuration of dust.
If Kat needed him to be her champion than that is what he would be. He would help her learn to control her power as he had come to. A long time ago she had buried the spark within him that could unlock her power. The key had been turned, but he still barred the door. He could see the door in his mind's eye, it was just a hair ajar but still the light streamed out. Hawk pushed against it with the force. It resisted at first, but then relented and shut, it's edges illuminated from beyond.
A second Ascended became dust in a flash of white light, and then a third fell in quick succession. The remaining creatures fell back in disarray, unsettled by the destruction of their brethren when they had thought themselves indestructible.
"A warrior of light and sorcery..." Threoren whispered to himself as he watched the Ascended turn to dust.
Every instance of doubt he had been feeling since these Jedi had come aboard their ship coalesced in the moment of their destruction. Their grand crusade was not the noble cleansing of evil from the universe...it was the ultimate evil within it. Threoren could see it so clearly now in the light of the Jedi, and he knew what he needed to do.
Hawk span, weaved and ducked, matching the Ascended creatures blade to blade and blow for blow. He had taken the first three by surprise, but the remaining three were now much more wary. Blades of light and darkness clashed, raining sparks across the bridge of the alien vessel.
Sweat began to glisten upon Hawk's naked body as his muscles strained under the onslaught. The Ascended fought with all the power of galaxies full of pain and suffering, and Hawk stumbled under a ferocious blow. He hit the floor and rolled to give himself time to recover, but they were instantly upon him, raining blow after blow down upon him that he only blocked through sheer will.
The silver hilt flew from Hawk's hand and clattered to the floor just beyond his reach. His fingers called to it with the force, but even as it moved back towards his hand he saw the blow coming that would end him.
Suddenly the Ascended paused and a dark blade ripped through its front from behind. It was lifted from the ground on the end of Threoren's blade. It suffered once and then dispersed into dust.
Even as Threoren smiled at him, the dark blades of the remaining two Ascended pierced his blue body.
"No!" Hawk yelled and swiftly turned the two to dust as their blades were stuck within Threoren.
The Jedi caught the blue alien as he fell. He was still alive, but pushed Hawk's hands from his wounds as the Jedi attempted to heal him.
"No, Jedi. This is how it must be. My one good deed does nothing to blot out the evil I am responsible for. I have seen it now, exposed in your light and can not live with the guilt."
Threoren reached up a long-fingered hand and placed a device upon Hawk's temple.
"This will fix the damage to your brain, but it will take some time..." Threoren coughed blood in a rasping laugh at his own joke, and Hawk smiled down at him before closing his eyes and laying the still form upon the floor.
Warning: Trans-galactic Library upload signal has transmitted self-destruct confirmation!
Hawk's head snapped up to the viewscreen, it showed a map of galaxies and small red dots within dozens of them, and suddenly Hawk understood what Threoren had done.
"He sent a self-destruct signal to every ship in their fleet, embedded in a Library update."
Hawk watched as one by one the little red dots blinked out.
"I think we need to go!"
It was at this point that Hawk recognised the light. It was his. Or, it was the spark of power that Kat had shared with him just now, but also all those years ago within the same moment. It was much more now than the spark it had been when she had first placed it within him. He had sheltered the spark and nurtured it within him. Every time he had reached for its strength; sought the light in everything around him and vanquished the darkness...it had grown.
This was what his purpose had been all these years, to shelter the light until Kat was ready to take it back from him, but even as he thought it he noticed that she held the hilt to him.
She's not ready...
It was suddenly very clear to Hawk that he had spent years learning to harness and control a small portion of her power, while she had spent an equal amount of time terrified of it and hiding from a much larger part of it.
Hawk asked himself now, that if someone had told him as a young boy of the power and responsibility he would hold, would he not have hidden from it too? It was not power that made people strong. It was experience.
"It is because we doubt, that we do not fall." Hawk smiled at her and slowly closed his hand around the hilt of the magnificent white blade.
It made perfect sense to him now, all of Kat's insecurities and doubts. They had kept her safe all these years without her knowing it. Many with her power would have become arrogant, cocky, and full of self-importance. They would have been tempted by the darkness. Perhaps, in some way, the fear of her brother had inadvertently kept her on the right path. Not that Hawk wouldn't have spared her that if he could have.
The shield dropped almost as soon as his hand closed around the hilt. The Ascended drew back in anticipation of the kill, but in the moment Hawk moved. The white energy cleaved through the first of them as if it was nothing. Its body dispersing in a murmuration of dust.
If Kat needed him to be her champion than that is what he would be. He would help her learn to control her power as he had come to. A long time ago she had buried the spark within him that could unlock her power. The key had been turned, but he still barred the door. He could see the door in his mind's eye, it was just a hair ajar but still the light streamed out. Hawk pushed against it with the force. It resisted at first, but then relented and shut, it's edges illuminated from beyond.
A second Ascended became dust in a flash of white light, and then a third fell in quick succession. The remaining creatures fell back in disarray, unsettled by the destruction of their brethren when they had thought themselves indestructible.
"A warrior of light and sorcery..." Threoren whispered to himself as he watched the Ascended turn to dust.
Every instance of doubt he had been feeling since these Jedi had come aboard their ship coalesced in the moment of their destruction. Their grand crusade was not the noble cleansing of evil from the universe...it was the ultimate evil within it. Threoren could see it so clearly now in the light of the Jedi, and he knew what he needed to do.
Hawk span, weaved and ducked, matching the Ascended creatures blade to blade and blow for blow. He had taken the first three by surprise, but the remaining three were now much more wary. Blades of light and darkness clashed, raining sparks across the bridge of the alien vessel.
Sweat began to glisten upon Hawk's naked body as his muscles strained under the onslaught. The Ascended fought with all the power of galaxies full of pain and suffering, and Hawk stumbled under a ferocious blow. He hit the floor and rolled to give himself time to recover, but they were instantly upon him, raining blow after blow down upon him that he only blocked through sheer will.
The silver hilt flew from Hawk's hand and clattered to the floor just beyond his reach. His fingers called to it with the force, but even as it moved back towards his hand he saw the blow coming that would end him.
Suddenly the Ascended paused and a dark blade ripped through its front from behind. It was lifted from the ground on the end of Threoren's blade. It suffered once and then dispersed into dust.
Even as Threoren smiled at him, the dark blades of the remaining two Ascended pierced his blue body.
"No!" Hawk yelled and swiftly turned the two to dust as their blades were stuck within Threoren.
The Jedi caught the blue alien as he fell. He was still alive, but pushed Hawk's hands from his wounds as the Jedi attempted to heal him.
"No, Jedi. This is how it must be. My one good deed does nothing to blot out the evil I am responsible for. I have seen it now, exposed in your light and can not live with the guilt."
Threoren reached up a long-fingered hand and placed a device upon Hawk's temple.
"This will fix the damage to your brain, but it will take some time..." Threoren coughed blood in a rasping laugh at his own joke, and Hawk smiled down at him before closing his eyes and laying the still form upon the floor.
Warning: Trans-galactic Library upload signal has transmitted self-destruct confirmation!
Hawk's head snapped up to the viewscreen, it showed a map of galaxies and small red dots within dozens of them, and suddenly Hawk understood what Threoren had done.
"He sent a self-destruct signal to every ship in their fleet, embedded in a Library update."
Hawk watched as one by one the little red dots blinked out.
"I think we need to go!"
