Force of Wills: A Duel of Fates Story

by Shadowsnake89

Chapter 13

As the battle raged a few miles from their current position, Pharaoh Hisan and his commando team had arrived at Patchwork's main laboratory to stop the countdown and rescue the queen. “Split up!” Hisan ordered. “Captain, take your men and find the control room. You two, come with me and check the lower level.” Two soldiers immediately went with Hisan as the others rushed to their objective. The Pharaoh and his mean arrived at the dark lower level of the building as the dim lights flashed on as the motion sensors detected their presence. They saw that the room was nothing but barred cells that lined both sides of the long hall.

Hisan and his soldiers cautiously walked down the hall and peered into the cells, many of them completely empty with the exception of one. Housed behind the locked door was a lone figure with their back to the door and a dirty tattered blanket draped over their shoulders.“What? Come to gloat one last time?” Hisan heard the familiar voice say as his eyes widened.

“Sunny?” He called as his queen's eyes opened wide with the realization of who was on the other side of the bars. She turned to him, tears in her eyes as she got up and rushed to the bars. “Stand back.” He cautioned as she did so before one of his soldiers shot the control panel, unlocking the cell and freeing Sunny. “I'm so glad you're safe.”

“You too. I thought I'd never see you again.” She said with tears in her eyes as they embraced. She took a step back and looked him over in his military attire. “But … what are you wearing?” She giggled a bit.

“I thought it was time for a change.” Hisan explained. “Are you all right?”

“I'm fine. But we have bigger problems on our hands. This rebellion is being led by Flurry Heart of House Cadenza.” Sunny explained. “She's orchestrated all of this.”

Hisan thought for a moment. “I remember her, but she was just a girl the last time I saw her. This is … concerning. Come on. We need to get you out of here.” The four made their way back to the main floor of the facility to meet up with the other members of the group. Suddenly, the sounds of shouting and several blaster shots rang out through the halls. Hisan quickly drew his side arm as the group tightly hugged the walls. “Soldier, with me.” He addressed one of the men with him as he first reassured Sunny by briefly holding her hand before the two moved forward cautiously making their way down the hall and to the end that cut right. The hall opened up to an expansive area with monitors, consoles and work tables where the other soldiers stood around and checked the room. Hisan himself spotted a lone soldier on the far side of the area near a lone computer terminal, near him a fallen body lay sprawled out, faced down.

“Sir.” A nearby trooper called out and stood at attention as the others noticed their leaders arrival and did likewise as the Pharaoh walked among them. He kept walking until he reached the lone trooper near the body. Hisan looked down at the body of a blue haired man with a single blaster bolt through his back. “What happened here?” He questioned.

“We caught him working at this terminal. I ordered him to step away but he refused and I fired. I couldn't risk him doing … whatever it was he was doing, sir.” The soldier explained as a scream was heard as Sunny Flare raced as fast as she was able over to the body and knelt down next to him, rolling him over on his back as she placed a hand to his face.

“Flash? Flash?! No no no no no...” She rocked him in an attempt to unsuccessfully stir him back to life.

“You knew this man?” Hisan asked in confusion.

Sunny nodded in agreement, tears streaming down her face as she cradled Flashes head. “We served together in the Republic Navy. I haven't seen him in years. What was he doing here?” She said simply as she held him while Hisan turned to the terminal. He noticed the slicing device placed into one of the slots and began to type on the console. His eyes soon widened once several screens that detailed the gases being held in the facility and the actions that Flash had taken to shut the valves to prevent it from pumping to the surface and flooding the currently assaulted base.

Hisan left the console and immediately turned to the trooper that made the shot. “Congratulations, you just killed the man that saved all of our lives.” He furiously snatched the blaster from the soldier and turned to two others as Sunny rose from her position to join him. “Get him up. He was a hero and deserves to be treated like one.”

“Sir, over here!” Another soldier yelled from across the room, pointing a blaster down at something that was obscured from the view of the others from where they stood. Hisan and Sunny made their way over to the soldier who was looking down into a nook below one of the terminals. There they saw the wounded Indigo Zap, her face covered in sweat and tightly clutching her shoulder.

She looked up, breathing heavily but still put on a smile. “Hey Sunny. Your Highness.”

“Indigo, what happened here?” Sunny asked with concerning having just seen one of her old friends dead and the other very badly wounded.

“It was a set up.” Indigo said as she tried with some difficulty to sit herself up as Sunny got the trooper to aid her in this and getting him to apply some basic first aid to her. “Flurry rigged this place to go up. Pump the entire fortress, these tunnels and the area around it with gas to kill everyone. I guess Flash stopped all that. Is he...”

Sunny gave a grave confirming nod to her as she looked to the floor with a bit of sadness. “I see. But we've got other problems. They've got more of that gas and they're loading it on ships and preparing to send it off planet.” Indigo said before the trooper gave her an injection in her arm.

“There, that should give you a boost of energy to get you back on your feet.” He said as he stepped back.

“How can we stop them? They get off of this planet with that stuff it could spell disaster for any planet they go to.” Hisan said.

“Not to mention with that Dr. Patchwork they can produce as much as they want.” Indigo said before gaining a realization. “My men. We may not agree on a great deal but we can't let that happen. The only way for us to stop them is to stop fighting each other. Only thing is the droids are still under Flurry Heart's control and will fight us every step of the way. There should be a com channel nearby. If we can broadcast on all frequencies I can let my men know about the deception and you can get your troops to fight alongside us to stop that launch.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Sunny said. Hisan opened his com and quickly made a call. “Master Fluttershy, come in. This is Pharaoh Hisan.”

"I'm...I'm here." She managed to cough out as she appeared on Hisan's screen.

"Master Fluttershy, are you alright?" The Pharaoh asked as she gave a confirming nod, her throat still very sore from the asphyxiation she had just suffered. "The machine has been shutdown, but we lost a good man doing it."

“I understand. I'm sorry for your loss.” Fluttershy said over the com.

“We have the leader of the rebels, Indigo Zap with us. She's been betrayed by her comrades. It was her former allies who set this trap, and they are planning to escape with a deadly bio-weapon, but she is willing to help us. We are going to put out a call and try to end this fighting.” Hisan explained.

“Understood. I'll do what I can here to help. May the Force be with you.” Fluttershy ended her call as Hisan's soldiers aided a still shaky Indigo over to the communications terminal.

“Attention, all forces.” Hisan's voice called out over all channels to royalist and rebel alike. His next few words caught many off guard. “This is Pharaoh Hisan. All forces loyal to the crown, cease hostilities. I repeat, cease hostilities.”

“That goes for all rebel forces as well. This is Indigo Zap. I'm alive, despite what you've all been told. Our benefactors have betrayed us. They planned to use a biological weapon to kill us all. We've been at each other's throats just like they wanted us to.” Indigo announced to the shock of her troops who'd assumed she was dead.

“But they are now attempting to escape with more of this bio-weapon. As we speak they are preparing to escape this world with ships filled with it to cause destruction on countless worlds. I know we have been at each other's throats for years now but I ask...I beg you to put that history aside for now...” Hisan said as Indigo again stepped up.

“And work towards giving our world and many others a future. Go. Turn against their droid forces. Wipe them out and stop those ships from escaping this planet. And then, bring me the head of Patchwork and my traitorous former commanders!” Indigo said in a rage before calming down. “I know my troops. We've fought side by side numerous times and I'd like to think I know you all well enough that you will listen and do this for me, for your families, for the future of Kentoph.” She ended the communication and stepped back from the console. “I really hoped that worked.”

“The gods help us all if it didn't.” Hisan said as he looked to her before his communicator beeped and an orange haired woman appeared on screen.

“My Lord, I am Adagio Dazzle. Forgive me for the intrusion but have you captured Dr. Patchwork?” The siren asked.

“No, I'm afraid that she was already gone by the time we arrived.” Hisan responded.

Adagio looked even more troubled as she placed a hand to her forehead. “This is not good. Pharaoh, we may have a larger problem then. I'm afraid that the controls you deactivated may not stop this plan.”

“What do you mean, Ms. Dazzle?” he questioned.

“The station you are currently located at only controls the valves via network. The gas stores are kept far from there at another location. There the gas can be released via a manual valve system that, if activated would cause the same results. If Patchwork learns that her plan has been stopped she will send a force to that secondary location and vent the gas directly to the surface. I will try and rally who I can to intercept her.”

Indigo stepped into view of the com. “Send the coordinates Adagio. I'm on my way.” She received a nod from Adagio.

“What? You can't go. You're wounded.” Sunny argued.

Indigo turned to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Sunny, I helped cause this. I was willing to work with those maniacs instead of trying to resolve some other way. I was so blind to the people I worked with that now millions might die on top of those that have already lost their lives. I have to make this right and you...” She placed a gentle hand to her friend's stomach. “If I make it out of this maybe we can work this all out. Hisan, I need those coordinates.”

“Of course.” He said as he handed over his tracking tool and his blaster pistol. “You men, go with her. The rest of us will get the queen to safety.” He ordered two of his troopers as they made their way to the tram system.

Elsewhere, Patchwork along with Zurby and Flurry Heart watched as the ships carrying their gas supplies began to take off. “Truly a thing of beauty, wouldn't you agree?” Before an answer could come a device on her wrist began to blink red. She looked down to it with an annoyed expression.

“What is that?” Flurry asked.

“It seems that someone has deactivated the gas valves at our station.” The doctor explained as Flurry's face contorted into a furious scowl.

“I wanted those fools destroyed!” She shouted.

“Don't worry. I have a contingency for just such an emergency.” She pulled out a small device that opened to display a holographic image of a strange dilapidated structure. “The gas can still be distributed via a manual operating system here. Activating it there would pump it even faster, but it would flood the atmosphere and spread it's effects even further...though it would be a much slower and far more painful death for everyone.”

“Fine.” Flurry said coldly. “I'll send my droid guards to take care of it.”

“Of course... but wouldn't you rather be the one to do it yourself?” Patchwork said with a smirk as Flurry turned to her and pointed her blaster pistol at the doctor's head.

“And get myself killed? What kind of game are you playing?” She quizzed as the barrel was aimed squarely at the older woman's head.

“No game. I just thought you might get some use out of this...” Patchwork slowly gestured to Zurby who stopped loading up their escape ship and used his mechanical appendages to grab a gray case that he opened to show a white bio-hazard suit. “I made this to filter out the gas for just such an occasion or mishap in the lab. It's yours if you want it.”

Flurry glared at the woman further and kept the weapon in place. “I thought you said there was no way to defend against this chemical?”

“I wagered it would be best to keep that secret under lock and key in case one of our allies couldn't be trusted. And with Flash snooping through my files and Adagio betraying us it seems I was correct. And if Adagio is still alive then she already knows about the manual valve and has probably already told them about it.” Sweat slowly trickled down the doctor's face as Flurry held her position for a moment before lowering her weapon.

“You're right. Very well, I'll head there immediately to secure it and finish this war for my parents.” Flurry turned and gestured for her droids to follow. “Make certain those ships reach the fleet and be ready to depart once I arrive.” Flurry and the droids hopped aboard several speeder bikes and quickly vanished as the high speeds of the vehicles carried them off to their destination.

No sooner had they disappeared then the mangled mechanical abomination that was Wallflower staggered into the hanger. “Wallflower, what did that Jedi do to you?” Patchwork said as she rushed over to look at all the hours of work she had put in undone in only a few hours. “Oh well, a few more modifications and improvements and soon you'll be....” She was stopped as Wallflower lifter her off of the ground by her neck with one of her still functioning hands.

“You...you did this to me...” Wallflower roared. “I kill you!” With her strength it would only take a slight squeeze to finish off this insane doctor and end her twisted experiments. However, nothing happened. As much as she wanted to and tried, Wallflower couldn't bring herself to kill her.

“You can't. Because I won't let you.” Patchwork smiled despite her current situation. “Your psychological conditioning won't allow you to harm your creator no matter what. A little fail-safe I installed just in case. I'm getting good at that. Now, put me down.”

Wallflower was broken by this as she relented and placed the doctor down. “Good. Now get aboard that ship and be grateful I don't disassemble you here and now. If you're lucky, I'll keep your vocal cords intact.” Patchwork watch as the lumbering being shuffled aboard the ship as Zurby approached the former.

“Doctor, you never told me about that suit you gave to Flurry Heart.” He looked at her curiously.

“That's because it doesn't work. But she had to believe it did to get her to go and open the valve. With her out of the way, you and I will have unlimited access to her resources, not to mention an entirely new market of potential customers from all of her connections.” The doctor explained as she strolled back to the ship. “Now let's hurry. We don't want to be here in this planet's final moments, do we?”

Comments

[Scholarly-Cimmerian]

Damn. There were quite a few twists and turns in this chapter. A moment of silence for Flash Sentry, may he rest in peace...

And as always, I'm looking forward to seeing where things go next!