Darth Vader (Legends)/Bio & Battles

Once a legendary Jedi Knight named Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader was seduced to the Dark side of the Force under the influence of Senator, later Emperor, Palpatine. Preying on Skywalker's fear of losing his loved ones, magnified by the brutal death of his mother at the hands of the Tusken Raiders, Palpatine was able to convert Anakin, and convinced him to aid in striking down Mace Windu and dueling his mentor and best friend, Obi-Wan Kenobi. During his duel with Kenobi on the volcanic planet of Mustafaar, Anakin lost numerous limbs and fell into a river of lava, scorching the flesh from his skin. His body was recovered by Palpatine, now the self-proclaimed Emperor, and rebuilt into a cyborg suit of armour. This armour cut off a few of his abilities, lessening his skill with a lightsaber and preventing him from ever learning to use Force Lightning and similar attacks, but also returned life to his dying body. As a final twist of the knife, Palpatine lied, informing Skywalker that Padme, his secret beloved wife whom he fell to the Dark to protect to begin with, was killed when he attacked her on Mustafaar in his rage. His transformation from Jedi Knight and protector of the people, to Darth Vader, cruel fist of the new Galactic Empire, was complete.

While Vader quickly stamped out nearly all remnants of the old Jedi Order, even taking a "secret" apprentice along the way. He continued on unaware that his wife had lived on a few additional hours- in time to give birth to their twin children. Obi-Wan took his son, Luke Skywalker to the desert planet Tatooine, to be raised by Anakin's step-father Owen Lars. Years later, Luke would follow in his father's footsteps and become a Jedi, under the training of Obi-Wan, and later Yoda. After he destroyed the original Death Star, Vader began to retaliate harder on Luke and the Rebels, sending his personal Clone legion, the 501st, to invade the "hidden" base on Hoth before confronting him on Cloud City, where Vader revealed his true heritage to Luke. While this revelation horrified him at first, he came to terms with the identity of his father, and when he confronted Darth Vader and the Emperor on the second Death Star, Darth Vader discovered he had a sliver of good left within him. Anakin leapt to his son's defence, killing the Emperor before dying- ultimately fulfilling the prophecy that he was to bring balance to the Force.

Battle vs. Zero (by Death'sapprentice77)
Darth Vader is in a room in a Star Destroyer overlooking the construction of the Death Star. Vader, then hears a noise and turns to see that Zero has teleported in the room. The sith ignites his lightsaber and Zero fires several shots from his buster. Vader deflects each of them and retaliates with a light saber throw. Zero quickly activates his shield boomerang and the light saber deflects off the shield and Zero quickly throws the shield at Vader who catches his light saber and quickly parries the shield boomerang, staggering back a little. Zero takes out his Z-saber and the two close in on each other.

The two trade slashes and jabs for a bit and then they lock blades. Vader gains the upper hand and uses force push to disarm and send Zero crashing in to a wall. Vader looms over his opponent ready to finish him but Zero quickly draws his triple rod and stabs Vader in his mechanical leg! The sith lord yells in pain and backs away, giving the reploid enough time to regain his footing and begin to jab at Vader. Vader parries each of his strikes and counters with one of his own slashing Zero's weapon in half destroying it. Zero runs and retrieves his Z saber and viscously lashes at Vader. Vader blocks his attacks and then retaliates cutting of Zero's hand!

The reploid screams in agony but the screams are replaced with gasps and sputters, a sure sign that Vader is using force choke. Eyes wide with terror, Zero attempts to let out a scream but cannot as he is being strangled.

Vader then utters the last words the reploid will ever hear, "Fool, only now you know the true power of the dark side of the force."

The sith hurls the lifeless body out the window into the cold, dark, reaches of space the heavy metal shutter closes down over the broken window, Vader cooly sheathes his weapon and limps off to get his leg repaired.

Expert's Opinion
While Zero had a wider range of more advanced weapons, Vader was able to counteract most of it with his light saber. What really won him the day was his mastery of the Force.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.

Battle vs. Yoda (Legends) (by Sport Shouting)
In a hut on Tatooine, Darth Vader visits the ruins of his old house. Yoda is then heard walking towards him. Vader sees him and uses force lightning. Yoda blocks it and makes a stone fly at Vader, but misses. Vader and Yoda both draw their lightsabers and clash them Vader breaks Yoda's cane and Yoda is mad. Yoda force pushes Vader into a wall. He then jumps but Vader throws his lightsaber and wounds Yoda's foot. Yoda retrieves his lightsaber and wounds Vader's hip. Vader yells and force chokes Yoda. Yoda breaks free and makes a stone hit Vader's helmet. Vader roars and charges. Vader throws his lightsaber but Yoda jumps and slashes Darth Vader's head off. Yoda bows and turns his lightsaber off.

WINNER: YODA

Expert's Opinion
This was a very close battle. In the end, even Vader's force abilities and light saber skills couldn't match up to that of Yoda.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.

Battle vs Voldemort (by JWarrior89)
"CRUCIO!!!" Lucius Malfoy fell to the ground, writhing in pain, his screams echoing throughout the forest. Lord Voldemort stood over him, wand in hand, as Nagini circled them. Bellatrix Lastrange, Fenrir Greyback, and four other Death Eaters stood around them.

"Lucius," Voldemort said, calmly, "I do not forgive. I do not forget. Your incompetence allowed Potter to escape my grasp. The punishment... is death."

"My Lord, please...!!!" Lucius cried in horror.

"However," Voldemort said, "I need all available forces for the final battle." He lowered his wand, lifting the curse. Lucius staggered to his feet and hurried to stand next to Bellatrix.

"Tonight... Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry... shall be mine." Voldemort grinned. The Death Eaters cheered... but their cries of celebration were suddenly overlapped by an enormous roaring sound, and something huge flew overhead, creating a gust of wind that made the tree tops swing back and forth.

"What the bloody hell was that!?" Fenrir roared.

"Its a dragon!" One of the Death Eaters cried out in fear.

"That is no dragon..." Voldemort said, as whatever had flown by headed for the edge of the forest.

"We are about to have visitors..." He said, as Nagini hissed threateningly.

The Imperial Shuttle landed at the edge of the forest. With a dull humming sound, the entrance ramp lowered to the ground. Five Imperial Stormtroopers exited the shuttle, followed by two Scout Troopers. They lined up facing the trees, and stood at attention. His black cape flowing in the breeze, Darth Vader descended the ramp, stopping slightly in front of the troopers. He looked around; he had no idea where he was. The Emperor had sent him to investigate a strange anomaly manifesting near the second Death Star. Taking a small squad of his best men, he boarded a shuttle and flew to the anomaly, which turned out to be some sort of portal. Suddenly the portal began to pull the shuttle toward it. He tried in vain to turn the shuttle around, then tried to send an emergency transmission to Palpatine, but the portal was somehow blocking his signal. He was helpless as the shuttle was drawn into the portal. The next thing he knew, the shuttle was flying toward an unknown planet. It appeared primative, but something made Vader order the pilot to land on the planet. He could sense a powerful presence down there, powerful enough to pose a threat to the Emperor.

"Search the forest," Vader ordered his men, "there is someone in there who threatens the Empire. You are ordered to shoot on sight." Without a word, the Stormtroopers immediately headed into the trees.

Vader: 8

Voldemort: 8

The Death Eaters treaded silently through the forest, eyes and ears sharp. Suddenly, Voldemort raised a hand. The others stopped; the faint sound of movement could be heard in the distance. The Death Eaters spread out, hiding behind the trees. As they watched, the Stormtroopers came into view, rifles at the ready, looking around. One of the Death Eaters slowly moved out from behind a tree, aiming his wand, but stepped on a twig. The resulting crack caused the Stormtroopers to swing their heads toward the source of the noise.

"There's one! Blast them!" One of them yelled, aiming his rifle and blasting the Death Eater.

Vader: 8

Voldemort: 7

The Death Eaters leapt out and attacked, unleashing a hailstorm of spells. The Stormtroopers dove for cover, all except for one, who was cut down by a killing curse.

Vader: 7

Voldemort: 7

The Stormtroopers returned fire, but the Death Eaters either hid behind cover or blocked the shots with Shield Charms. Both sides scattered throughout the trees. One of the Stormtroopers, looking around, spotted Fenrir Greyback. He aimed and fired, but missed. Fenrir spun around, aimed his wand, and yelled "Crucio!" The Stormtrooper was immediately struck with unbearable pain throughout his entire body. Shrieking in agony, he fell to the ground, twisting and contorting. Bearing his teeth, Fenrir ran forward; throwing himself on the Stormtrooper, he ripped off his helmet, and sank his sharp teeth into his neck.

Vader: 6

Voldemort: 7

Fenrir threw his head back and let out a savage roar, relishing in the taste of blood. A second later, a shot rang out, and Fenrir fell to ground, a burning hole in the side of his head. The Scout Trooper lowered his sniper rifle and retreated back into the trees.

Vader: 6

Voldemort: 6

Elsewhere, a Death Eater fired a curse at a Stormtrooper, but missed, blowing a hole in the tree next to him. The Stormtrooper fired at the Death Eater, who blocked the shots with a Shield Charm. The trooper advanced, continuing to fire, and the Death Eater retreated backward, repeatedly shielding himself from the shots. Suddenly, the Death Eater stumbled and fell over a fallen branch. The Stormtrooper fired while he was on the ground, killing him.

Vader: 6

Voldemort: 5

The other Scout Trooper took cover behind a tree. Spotting a Death Eater, he aimed his sniper rifle and fired, hitting him in the back of the head.

Vader: 6

Voldemort: 4

Suddenly, he heard a noise behind him. Turning around he spotted Bellatrix Lestrange; before he could react, she cried "Avada Kadavra!", and a jet of green light shot out from her wand, striking him and sending him to the ground, dead. Cackling wickedly, she disapparated, vanishing in a jet of black smoke.

Vader: 5

Voldemort: 4

At another location, Lucius Malfoy and another Death Eater were locked in combat with two Stormtroopers. The Death Eater fired a killing curse at the Stormtroopers, but missed; they promptly returned fire, but their shots were blocked by well-timed Shield Charms. Lucius Malfoy disapparated, reappearing behind the Stormtroopers and striking one of them down.

Vader: 4

'Voldemort: 4

The other Stormtrooper spun around to fire at Malfoy, but before he could get a shot off, he was struck in the back by a killing curse fired from the other Death Eater.

Vader: 3

Voldemort: 4

As the Death Eater turned away, a strange feeling swept over him, and a voice echoed throughout his mind.

"That man is your enemy. You want to kill him. He is weak; now is the time to strike. KILL HIM."

The Death Eater turned to look at Lucius. That man was his enemy. He wanted to kill him. He was weak, and now was the time to strike. He raised his wand and fired a curse at Lucius, who barely managed to block it.

"What the- what the hell do you think you're doing!?" He yelled. The Death Eater said nothing, but instead fired another curse. Lucius blocked this one as well, then aimed his wand at the Death Eater and shot a killing curse, striking him in the chest.

Vader: 3

Voldemort: 3

Lucius lowered his wand, stunned and enraged at what had just happened. What had possessed that fool to try to kill him, to betray Lord Voldemort!? He shook his head and turned to rejoin the battle, but without warning, he was pulled through the air, as if by some invisible force. The next thing he felt was a searing pain; he looked down to see the glowing red blade of a lightsaber impaled through his chest. He looked up into the black helmet of Darth Vader, who gripped his shoulder, withdrew his lightsaber, and threw him aside. The last thing Lucius Malfoy saw before he died was Darth Vader walking away, his black cape billowing behind him.

Vader: 3

Voldemort: 2

The remaining Stormtrooper glanced out from behind his tree, and saw Darth Vader moving through the forest. He went to rejoin Vader, but suddenly, a terrible feeling swept over him, causing him to stumble. His head twitched, and his muscles relaxed; his mind was no longer his own. Voldemort saw, through the trooper's eyes, Darth Vader walking away from him. He raised the trooper's rifle and fired; Vader, however, sensing the attack, quickly spun around and deflected the shots with his lightsaber. Without hesitation, he lifted the trooper with the Force, and crushed his neck.

Vader: 2

Voldemort: 2

As the Stormtrooper's corpse fell to the ground, he heard Bellatrix Lestrange apparate behind him.

"You will NOT ruin the Dark Lord's plans!" She shrieked, casting a killing curse at him, but Vader blocked it with his lightsaber. She fired several more curses, Vader blocking each of them in turn. With his other hand, he used Force Choke on Bellatrix, who clawed helplessly at her throat as Vader lifted her into the air. Without a word, he threw her aginst a tree with such force it cracked. Bellatrix fell to the ground, and did not move. Vader waited for a moment to see if she would stir, but when she did not, he turned and began to walk away. Suddenly, he heard a noise behind him, and heard Bellatrix cry, "AVADA KADAV-!" Even as Vader spun around, however, a shot rang out, and Bellatrix Lestrange fell backward, a scorched hole in the middle of her forehead.

Vader: 2

Voldemort: 1

Vader turned his head in the direction the shot had come from, and saw his remaining Scout Trooper lower his sniper rifle. The trooper began walking towards Vader, but without warning, a voice cried out, "AVADA KADAVRA!!!" A flash of green light erupted from behind the Scout Trooper, who was thrown forward several feet, and fell to the ground with a thud, dead.

Vader: 1

Voldemort: 1

Darth Vader looked up; Lord Voldemort stood before him, wand raised, a look of fury upon his face. Vader raised his lightsaber, ready for battle.

"AVADA KADAVRA!!!" Voldemort yelled, a jet of green light shooting out from his wand. Vader blocked the spell with his lightsaber, but this curse was far stronger than the others; he struggled against the green jet, which actually pushed him back a few inches. Concentrating with the Force, Vader began to throw tree branches, debris, and even the corpses of Death Eaters and Stormtroopers at Voldemort, who was forced to break off his attack in order to blast away the various projectiles. Taking advantage of his opponent's momentary distraction, Vader threw his lightsaber, which flew in an arc toward its target. Voldemort, however, avoided the attack by flying upward in a jet of black smoke, disappearing into the night sky.

Darth Vader caught his lightsaber as it flew back to him, and stared into the sky, searching for any sign of Voldemort. For a few moments, the only sounds were the hum of Vader's lightsaber, and the slow, steady breathing of his suit. Suddenly, he felt a warning through the Force, and turned around just as Voldemort appeared behind him. With a cry, Voldemort pointed his wand, and an enormous jet of fire flew out of it, straight toward Vader. Vader, however, threw out his hand and blocked the fire with the Force, causing it to split off to either side of him, igniting the trees around them. Voldemort, illuminated by the glow of the flames, aimed his wand at Vader again, but Vader used Force Pull to rip the wand from his hand, catching it in midair. As Voldemort looked on in shock, Vader snapped the wand in two, dropping the pieces on the ground and crushing them beneath his boot.

Vader took a step toward Voldemort, but a savage hissing sound caused him to look to his left. He barely had time to register the enormous snake lunging at him before it latched its jaws around his arm. Vader's suit prevented Nagini's fangs from piercing his arm, but the force from the impact caused him to drop his lightsaber. Vader struggled as Nagini wrapped around him, causing him to fall to the ground. Voldemort looked around frantically for another wand. He spotted Lucius Malfoy's wand lying next to his body; he pulled it toward him with a wave of his hand. Voldemort caught the wand, but at that moment, the sound of a lightsaber activating met his ears, followed by a slicing noise. Horrified, Voldemort turned to see Nagini's severed head fall to the ground; Vader had managed to retrieve his lightsaber and decapitated the snake with a single stroke. As Vader threw Nagini's body off him and got to his feet, Voldemort let out an inhuman scream, which sent out a shockwave that blasted away everything around him. Vader was thrown back several feet.

Voldemort aimed his wand at Darth Vader and yelled "CRUCIO!!!" Vader cried out, dropping to his knees, almost paralyzed by pain. Grinning savagely, Voldemort advanced on Vader, his wand still pointed at him.

"Yes, it hurts, doesn't it?" he asked.

"You think you know pain?" Vader said, struggling to speak, "I have endured... far worse... than THIS!!!" At that moment, Vader threw out his hand, blasting Voldemort with Force push. Voldemort was thrown back, crashing into a tree and sliding to the ground. Vader got to his feet, and, igniting his lightsaber, threw it at Voldemort. Voldemort got to his feet and aimed his wand at Vader, but before he could cast a spell, the lightsaber sliced his hand off at the wrist. Voldemort cried out in pain as his hand, wand still held tight, dropped to the ground. Voldemort fell to his knees, gripping his severed stump as Vader caught his lightsaber and approached him.

"Your magic is strong," he said, "but it is no match for the power of the Dark Side!" With that, he swung his lightsaber downward, slicing off Voldemort's head. The Dark Lord's body fell to the ground with a dull thud.

Vader: 1

Voldemort: 0

Without a word, Darth Vader deactivated his lightsaber, and walked away.

WINNER: DARTH VADER

Expert's Opinion
While Voldemort possessed a wide range of powerful spells, the great power of the dark side of the force overcame even that, as the power to destroy a planet is regarded as insignificant next to it.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.

Rematch Information
The purpose of this rematch was by no means to change the outcome. The original battle was the absolute most controversial battle ever to exist on this wiki, spawning over 180 comments of arguing, and over 300 comments in total. To everyone's great disappointment, however, the battle was incredibly poor quality, so a rematch was done so that a high-quality battle could be written to live up to the amount of hype this match-up generated.

Battle vs. General Grievous (Legends) (by Urbancommando77)
No battle written

WINNER: DARTH VADER

Expert's Opinion
While Grievious had four lightsabers as opposes to Vader who only had one, the latter was much better trained, and was able to manipulate the Force, unlike General Grievious who was almost entirely machine.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.

Battle vs. Qui-Gon Jinn (Legends) (by MilitaryBrat)
No battle written

WINNER: DARTH VADER

Expert's Opinion
While Vader's force abilities decreased significantly when he became part cyborg, his nearly unparalleled light saber skills remained intact, enabling him to triumph over Qui-Gon who did not devote as much time to mastering light saber combat as the former.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.

Battle vs. Corvo Attano (by Bulls12345)
"Let's have a duel daddy," Little Emily said to his father Corvo as the two were having a family picnic in a beautiful garden outside the walls of Dunwall. The weather was cool and the place was peaceful. Corvo happily watches as his daughter grabs a branch and started swinging widly with laughter.

Then out of nowhere a huge white flying ship roared from the sky. Corvo and Emily was startled as the ship landed feets away from them. Its doors open, smoke came out, and a tall dark figure emerges. The figure's harsh breathing filled both Corvo and Emily's ears. He was Darth Vader. And he came with hostility.

"Protector! I have come for you. I came here on the behalf of the Emperor, the ruler of the galaxy and those beyond it. The Emperor requests your presence and you must acknowledge him as your superior. Remove your weapons and come forth subjetively, and I will take you to him. Disagree... you and your daughter pay with your lives.

Corvo didn't like the way Vader talked. He subjects to no one, especially to someone whom has yet to earn his trust. Corvo instructs Emily to go back to the Callista, which the girl obediently follows. Emily knows that her father can defeat that monster. Corvo then puts on his mask and threatens Vader to back off.

"Hmm. So it seems. Prepare yourself protector," as Vader raises a flash of light in his hands. It was a deadly lightsaber. Corvo unfolds his blade and the two square off.

Vader slashes with his lightsaber. Corvo attempts to block it, but the saber cuts through his sword and the right side of his chest. Blood splurts out and orvo was hurt badly. Vader then proceed with a second swipe but Corvo anticipates and kicks him in the chest. Corvo throws a grenade at Vader and exploded. But Vader seemed unfazed inside a Force barrier. Vader throws his lightsaber at Corvo but Corvo dodged it before letting out a barrage of bullets from his pistols. Vader blocks the bullets with ease. But then was suddenly attacked by Corvo from behind with his assassin blade, ripping through Vader's armor and into backside flesh. Vader angrily pummels Corvo in the face and proceeds to use force to lift Corvo up and chokes him.

"You have put much of a fight Protector. But sadly this ends now," Vader said. Corvo escapes by using Blink and fires his pistols again. Vader uses the Force to stop the bullets and sends them back to Corvo, hitting him in the torso and leg. Corov kneels down in pain. Vader approaches with his saber ready. Corvo summons a swarm of rats to Vader's feet which crawls over the Dark Lord's body and attacks. Vader tries deperattely to shrug off the rats with his lightsaber and Force. But is too late to see a bomb attached to one of the rats that blasts him away. Corvo then runs towards Vader and throws a spring razor. As the Vader tries to get on his feet his feet got blasted by flying blades that ripped through the flesh of his skin, putting him to his knees. He then lifts massive boulders and throws it at Corvo. Corvo dodges with his blink and uses the wind to throw one boulder at Vader. Vader slices the boulder with his saber. Vader in a feat of rage, createst a massive force repulse, lifting Corvo and other things in a giant Force spiral. Corvo floats up and down with boulders hitting him mid air, before Vader throws everything away and sends Corvo hitting torso first into a tree, breaking four of his ribs in the process. Vader performs a kinetite at Corvo, but the assassin freezes the time allowing him to dodge it easily and goes towards vader with a swipe to the sith's abdomen. Vader attacks with a slice, but Corvo manages to block the lightsaber by hitting the hilt. Corvo attempts to stab Vader's face, but the Dark Lord grabs a hold of Corvos blade. And the two squares off face to face. Debris flying everywhere. The weather turning black And lightning in the sky. Corvo in a fit of bloodthirst, uses blink and swipes Vader multiple times with his blade in the back. Digging further through the Dark Lord's metallic body. With a strong finisher, Corvo slashes Vader's face. Splurting blood and the Dark Lord's mask sliced into two, showing his horrible pale face.

Vader uses force to send Corvo away. But then sees a bomb sticking in his armor, exploding and blasting him. Vader's armor was destroyed, and he was on his knees trying to stand. Seeing this, Corvo runs towards Vader, vader tries throws his lightsaber but Corvo uses blink to get nearer. Corvo then freezes time and carries Vader towards the path of the lightsaber. Vader then gets hit with his own lightsaber in the chest. Vader was face down in the open, with Corvo's blade aimed at him.

Then suddenly, a disfigured man in a hood came out from the ship. "Yes! Yes! Kill him! He is weak! Broken! You can take you rightful place at my side! He threatened your daughter with fear, he almost killed you, he almost separated you. You are more powerful than him! Finish him off! and take your place at my side!" Corvo ignores him and punches Vader in the face. He summoned a swarm of rats that proceeds to eat the Dark Lord. As the remaining flesh in his body is slowly gnawed and eaten, Vader lets out a painful cry of anguish and panickingly tries to keep the rats off. But it was too late for him. Vader lets out a short gasp of desperation, and falls to the ground dead. Corvo then uses Shadow Kill, and the one who was known as Darth Vader exploded in a pile of ash, gone forever.

The hooded man appraoches Corvo, ready to welcome him with open arms. But then a powerful force greeted him in the opposite side. It was the Outsider, floating in midair with smoke coming from his back, and he was not please with the Emperor's intrusion. "This...seems interesting. You here. Far away from your garbage you called an Empire."

"You dare! I am a ruler. You are --"

"a man you wanted to be," The Outsider cuts off. "You have just as much power here as a sewer rat."

"Your bluff means nothing. Nothing is more powerful than the Dark Side! We are just in the beginning of my plan. You will fall as I have foreseen," The Emperor said before unhilting his lightsaber. With a signal, hundreds of Siths and Dark Jedi came running down from the spaceship, their red lightsaber ready. The outsider gives his own signal, and the Whalers charges with their blades, bombs, and guns. The Emperor and the outsider battles each other, and the battle between the two forces has started. And Corvo stands there listening as others hack one another.

But then a voice came into his head. "You still hasn't yet chosen," The Emperor said in Corvo's mind.

Expert's Opinion
Corvo Attano won because his supernatural abilities was better and more versatile than Vader's Force and offered a variety of attacks. Corvo also was in better shape and he was simply stronger and faster than Vader. Another reason that cost Darth Vader the battle is that he was physically weaker, relying too much on his armor to even move and breath. Corvo Attano is the Deadliest Warrior.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.

Battle vs. Sarah Kerrigan (by Ak47pwnerr)
A long time ago i​n a galaxy far, far away.......

With the purpose of Clone Wars fulfilled, the man who orchestrated the war, Darth Sidious (now known by his megalomaniac title of “The Emperor”), moves to eradicate the last organization that could still cause him trouble, the remaining Separatists who know of his true identity. Eager to tie up that last, aching lose end, he sends his talented apprentice Anakin Skywalker to annihilate the remnants of organization. Anakin however has other plans…

Anakin has come to see his former friend and mentor for the man he is; a manipulator who seeks only personal advancement at the cost of trillions of lives. Though his morals have been corrupted by the Dark Side, they are still intact, and Anakin secretly plots his own master’s downfall, dreaming of the day when he may call himself “Emperor”. These feelings don’t cause him to reject his master’s mission; quite the contrary! He has more than a few debts to settle with the Separatist Council, particularly Nute Gunray, the vile fiend who had on several occasions tried to murder the only one who mattered to him. Together with a small entourage of devoted Legionnaires, he sped off to Mustafar, revenge burning deep in his heart.

Meanwhile Sarah Kerrigan’s thoughts had been troubled lately by the prospect of the return of the Xel Naga, and even more troubled at the news that a newly discovered neighbor, the so-called “Galactic Empire”, had plans for a planet destroying machine called the “Death Star”. A weapon that could destroy planets could put a literal death blow to all of her plans, and Sarah had gone to great pains to capture a high-ranking Imperial scientist from the project. After “extracting” the information out of him (the resulting corpse had been fed to her prized Hunter-Killers), Kerrigan learned that while he did not know the full extent of the plans, he knew who did. Poggle the Lesser, whose scientists were responsible for conceiving the weapon, was currently in hiding on Mustafar. If she could capture this insect-like being(her mind did not register the question of whether he would cooperate, as she was positive that he would after some “persuasion”), she could learn how to counter empire’s weapon, and perhaps even create one herself. She proffered infestation over destruction, and had no plans to actually use it on any planets(though Acturus’s home world of Korhal was a tempting target), but a weapon as powerful as that would prove useful against the mysterious and god-like Xel-Naga. Together with some of her Hunter-Killers (and her pet Zergling, who she had grown fond of), she rushed to Mustafar, avoiding numerous Imperial Patrols along the way. After two days in Space she arrived at her desitnation, where she discovered that she wasn’t the only new arrival…



In the Separatist Compound, on Mustafar



Sarah rushed through the halls, her pet zergling following briskly at her heels. The hunter-killers trailed many meters behind her but at the moment the Queen of Blades frankly did not give a damn if they would ever catch up. Kerrigan could sense someone else, exactly who she did not know, arriving on the station. Obviously anyone who set off her psychic sensor was quite powerful, and though Sarah longed for a chance to bathe in a worthy adversaries blood, she was also quite a realist and knew that she was separated from her brood in a hostile land on a covert mission. It would be ill-advised for her to engage in a potentially draining duel so far away from her forces. Shaking those thoughts aside, she turned the corner, coming into view of two tall, thin robot guards. One of them squeaked in alarm and rather oviously stated,

"Intruder! Open fire!"

The other one fired back

"Roger! Roge-"

The droid never completed his affirmation protocol, as a scrunching noise cut off his last words. The first droid attempted to open fire on the mottled green lady with a bad hair day, only to find that his gun would not fire. Before he had the chance to utter a single blemish, several 8 inch spikes collided with his body in numerous places, and the droid hit the floor with a loud thud. Satisfied Kerrigan let the 2nd robot drop to the floor, revealing a skull (for lack of a better word) that looked like it had sunken in on itself.

The doors to the compound attempted to close themselves to lock her out; obviously they didn't know who they were dealing with. No one shut a door in Kerrigan's face. With a rather contemptuous look on her face she blasted the door off its hinges, flattening two more droids that were behind it. Flanked by her Hunter-Killers, she strode forth confidently into the compound.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Anakin too could sense a powerful being on the planet, and though he could not discern the being's purpose, he could guess that it had something to do with the Separatist council, the thought of which pissed him off immensely, regardless of whether they sought the Council's death or lives. Anakin detested failure nearly as much as the men who he was hunting, and didn't plan on reporting to the emperor that he had merely found the Separatist council dead instead of doing it himself. Doing so would not allow Anakin to get close enough for the next part of his plan to come to fruition...

But such thoughts were for the future; he had a mission to attend to now. Anakin his squad exited the spacecraft that had brought them here, making sure they were fully armed before doing so. They headed towards the Klegger Corp Mining facility, where the last of the council were being held. Anakin hurried ahead of his squad, ever eager to show his men that he was just as always the front-line leader that they had so admired prior to his side switch, if any such doubts existed in their minds. Really he was doing it more for himself then his soldiers though, and did not bother to slow down to their pace.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Pausing at the door, he ordered his sniper to scale the rooftop of the complex, as an aerial viewpoint could prove helpful later. Summoning the force to him he thrust his hands forward and a powerful blast bashed the door open. As he entered he was greeted with the din of a distant battle...

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">__________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">A shrill cry burst through the air, and a second later a clawed, bony hand burst through the hard metal skeleton of a B2 super battle droid. A second hand joined the first, and together they pushed in opposite directions, ripping the battle droid in half. A Droideka rolled next to its fallen comrade, its shields activating as it did so. A Hydralisk attempted to impale the Droideka on its spines, only to find that its projectiles deflecting effortlessly off the shielding. The Droideka unleashed its own payload on the unlucky Hydralisk, burning more holes its body then could be found in a certain type of cheese. After giving the world a bloodcurdling cry of pain the Hydralisk collapsed to the floor, giving its life up for the Swarm. The Droideka had no time to capitalize on this victory as a psionic force seized it, levitated it up off the ground and crushed it into the ball form that it so often liked to assume. Only this time it would never be able to leave said form.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Like a macabre dodge-ball player Sarah Kerrigan cast her new ball at the head of another B2, knocking it off. Another B2 was tackled by her favorite pet Zergling, who drove its claws into the droid in a blindingly fast motion of movement. All that remained now of the security force were a couple of B-1s, which Sarah had come to consider so unworthy that she didn't bat an eye towards them as she advanced towards the frightened, huddling Separatist council members who had taken refuge in the back room. Nor did the two slain hydralisks once enter her mind, as she was the Queen of Blades and thus the only Zerg that actually mattered. Some of them had rifles fixed on her.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Speaking over the noise outside (her Zerg were carving into the remaining B1s) she said in her clear commanding echo-like voice.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">" I seek one of you and only one of you. Will the Geonesian known as Poggle the Lesser step forward?"

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Someone in the back: a Geonesian, but one that Kerrigan knew was not her objective, bellowed out

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">" You shall never have him you Zerg whore!" Apparently the C.I.S. had some inkling of who she was and the race that she commanded.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">The Geonesian attempted to fire his cannon-like gun at Kerrigan, only for a jam to echo through the air.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Giving her signature, creepy laugh that always sent chills to her opponent's bones, she said

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">"Fools! Did you really think that I wouldn't have disabled your rifles as soon as I entered the room? And now you shall pay the ultimate price for your insolence!"

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">"Wait!"

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">A frog-like council man, who Sarah knew as Nute Gunray, stepped forward and continued

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">"Please. We are sorry about the rudeness. Please take him in exchange for the rest of our lives."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">He pushed a Geonesian forward, obviously hoping that the Queen would take her prize and go. Sarah stared into her would-be captive’s eyes for a second, but only a second. Without further ado she thrust her wings forward, driving all six points home on the unfortunate insect and then a second later, ripping him in half and sending the two halves to the two opposite sides of the room. The Separatist Council cowered at such a grizzly display of power and her speech, now embedded with malice and anger, did nothing help to improve their morale.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">"I find you lack of faith in my intelligence and abilities insulting, Councilor-man" She flexed her wings in a rather menacing fashion. ”Perhaps I should show you what I do those that doubt my powers."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">The frog-man frantically shook his head, and said

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">"Pl-please we will hand him over if you promise to leave us alive. It-it-it would be in your benefit for you to do sssso. Think about it, the Empire is strong and wouldn't it be better for you if it was distracted by an internal resistance movement? We-we can do that for you. "

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">On a certain level, the Queen of Blades was impressed by the Neimodian's use of the political card. On another level however, she was disgusted by this sniveling coward that lay before him. Deciding to play his game for a little while at least, she said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">“You bring up a good point and I will spare all of you should you hand over the right Geonesian. Be careful, as I'll know whether you are lying or not. "

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">For a couple of seconds the Separatist members just stood there, as if silently debating among themselves whether to actually go through with Nute's plan, as Poggle was a respected member of the council. They didn't have to make up their minds however, as the real Poggle steeped out from among the crowd, and spoke.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">“I am the one you seek. I will accompany you in exchange for the lives of my fellow councilors."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Sarah felt a little respect for this man surge within her, and she nodded in a seeming agreement to this deal. She ordered two hydralisks, who had come in after finishing off the remnants of the security force, to secure the Geonesian. Once they had dragged him from the room, she made as if to go with him before pausing at the door.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">“There is one more thing that you forgot to mention, Nute. I know of the state of your organization, and how the last formidable member of it died recently. None of you are anything without Grevious or Dooku, and even if I had never set foot on this compound you would have perished shortly from the Sith that has already landed on this planet. So you see, you are really all just dead weight, and if I keep you alive then I risk the Sith knowing about my acquisition. There is really only one solution to this problem..."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">A council member in the back who could sense what was about to happen shouted defiantly "You lying bitch!"

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Kerrigan laughed and quipped back

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">"That's Queen Bitch of the Universe to you. And I never said that I would spare you, I just made you think that I would. "

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">One of the few positive tricks you taught me, Acturus she mentally added to herself. She had to put aside such thoughts in order to concentrate on her next attack. Summoning forth a mass amount of psionic energy, she then directed it onto her helpless prey in the corner. A giant cloud of light-blue psionic energy descended upon them, enveloping them in its mist. The sounds of electricity and the cries of the beings inside were joined by the smell of burning flesh. The combined sounds and smells reminded Kerrigan of frying eggs, which was an appropriate comparison given what the storm was doing to its victim's brains. The cries began to die down and from the various Councillor's ears, eyes, noses, and mouths poured forth their most important organ, the brain, now liquefied by the spell. Within two seconds more, there was no more movement to be seen from the room and Kerrigan left with a smirk etched upon her face. It felt good to massacre an entire government.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">__________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">"Sir!" His sniper said from his perch on the rooftop. ”There is an unidentified hovering object on the other end of the compound. It.... it does not look like anything I have ever seen sir." There was a pause in the transmission, and Anakin knew that he was adjusting his sights. ”The Ship almost looks like it is breathing sir."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">The Sniper's last words gave Anakin pause, as there were only two possible foes that used living ships. His rough voice spoke the words

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">“Describe it to me soldier. "

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">"It looks like a giant spiked balloon; with tentacles dangling from its side and a face that not even Bothan could love.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Anakin snorted at this, but still couldn't decide whether it was a Far-Outsider, or that new race that the emperor had briefed him about. What did he refer to them as? Anakin was sure it was something that began with a Z-

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">“Sir that thing has caught sight of me and is fleeing. What are your orders?"

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Anakin's answer reflected his tactical style.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">"Shoot it."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">"Yes sir!"

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">__________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">The clone sniper aimed at one of the retreating overlord's helium filled sac, the plasma round entering one chamber and bursting out the other. The great creature gave a shrill psionic cry of pain that echoed throughout both the force and the swarm's hive mind. The overlord knew, through it semi-sentience, that it would be going nowhere now, and turned to face its assassin. It managed to fix its gaze upon the clone sniper, shortly before the clone shot a finishing round through the passive creature's skull. Unable to keep its self afloat now, it crashed into the lava below.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">_________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">The death of the overlord also dashed her hopes of leaving this place stealthily. Now she would have to call in the Leviathan to pick her up, and the Leviathan was anything but stealthy. Either that or she would have to get the giant beast to spawn more overlords, but that would be very time consuming... Still...her minion's death hadn't been totally in vain, and through their hive mind connection the creature was able to supply not only the location of the sniper, but also great flanking spots and terrain benefits. As a lifetime tactician Sarah naturally jumped into such considerations, though admittedly the insufferable complaints of her captive were distracting her…

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">"Where are you taking me? Foolish girl, do you really think I would know of how to build the Death Star? My engineers designed it not me."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">"Well then perhaps you could enlighten me to their locations, hmm? I would absolutely love to have a nice long conversation."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">The loud screech of laughter from Poggle nearly burst her eardrums, and caused her to stare daggers at the Genosian

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">“Why would I ever do that wrench? You and your little faux empire will be crushed by the Dark Lord and his true empire!"

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Now it was Kerrigan's turn for a bout of laughter

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">"I find it surprising that you would continue to support the man who had sent another to kill you. I did not expect to see such loyalty from the leader of an organization that was borne out of disloyalty."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Poggle recoiled at this but nevertheless countered

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">"I would rather dive into lava then help you."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Kerrigan, instead of launching off another of her threats, turned to her captive and smiled. Not a pleasant smile among friends, a deep, wide smile that chilled Poggle to the bone more than her threats ever could. Now with Poggle rendered speechless, Kerrigan put her hand on his face (which caused Poggle to recoil in disgust) and ominously threatened

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">"Ohh my tiny little captive, there are things that I could do to you that would destroy any thought of resistance in your tiny, skeletal head." As she said this her hand rubbed against Poggle’s arm, adding to the unnerving effect of her smile. ”Ever heard of infestation? Well you will be infinitely familiar with the term when I am finished with you."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">The effect of those words rendered him speechless and actually caused him to gasp for air? That is strange she though, my words have never done that any others before. The Genosian's scaly hands reached for his neck in alarm and when the insect began levitating in the air, Sarah knew that something other than her words were affecting him. As Poggle held his hands in the begging position, she glanced around for the possible source of the problem, and saw a man on a landing platform several hundred meters away. She could not get a good view on his features. The man had his arm outstretched, and Kerrigan instinctively knew that he was behind her captive's current torment. That was not right in Kerrigan's opinion, and if anyone was going to torment him it would be her! She ordered two Hunter-Killers to open up on him, and her minions loyally did so. Dozens of spikes flew through the air, hurtling themselves towards the man on the platform, who took out a weapon literally made of light. At that range the Hydralisk quills were inaccurate, and only a few of those zoomed accurately towards their  target, but the ones that did he almost effortlessly cut in half with his sword while simultaneously continuing to choke Poggle.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Pissed yet slightly impressed, Kerrigan retrieved her prized C-10 Mk. VI, which she strapped to the side of one of her Hunter-Killers earlier. She was looking forward to seeing if the probable Sith could deflect her hot lead....

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">__________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Anakin knew better then to try to deflect rounds from what was quite obviously a sniper rifle, so he decided to end this now. He had just come from the conference room, and knew that this was the last Councillor member (though he had been unable to figure out why he was spared). With a terrible squeeze he crushed the insect's neck, distracting the green woman and causing her to shriek with rage. She fired her rifle, and Anakin was only just able to get out of the way. Her round blew off the top half of the pillar behind him, showering him with debris. Anakin smiled; nearly getting shot was completely worth finishing off the last of the Council, though he would have proffered to have killed Nute Gunray.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">He was also able to observe the Zerg (for that was who he had determined who they were) firsthand. With his confidence surging, Anakin felt that he would have no trouble mopping up those little bugs and the freakish lady that controlled them. Another threat to his empire would die this day.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Anakin pinpointed the position of the Zerg to his sniper, who moved to switch positions to a tower adjacent to the action, then gathered up the rest of his squad, An excitement he had not felt since his duel with Count Dooku came over him; he was going to enjoy this fight.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">__________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Kerrigan closely examined her former captive for signs of life, but could find none. Whatever the insect possessed for a windpipe had been crushed, along with the rest of his neck. Losing her cool, Kerrigan shrieked with rage and cast Poggle's body off the cliff. Her objective had failed, and now she was stuck on a volcanic plateau with no way home.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Composing herself, she started to think of a strategy. The enemy was preparing to engage her forces, as she was able to get a glimpse inside the man's mind before he turned away. The volcanic rock below her was hot, but the actual lava was 100s of meters below. This planet was kind of like Char, so burrowing in such a terrain should come natural the Zerg. IF the enemy thought that she had moved further up the plateau then their agressive commander, Anakin was his name, would no doubt seek to follow her. Once they were in the right position her Zerg could un-burrow and slaughter them! A great plan, but Kerrigan knew that it was wise always to have a backup plan. Her quick mind was able to formulate on in mere moments, and with a little regret she ordered her prized pet zergling behind a nearby storage shed, where it morphed into a cocoon. For her next act she began to cloak, and within moments the Queen of Blades had completely disappeared from sight...

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">__________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">The Clone Sniper took position on top of a nearby tower, mining the staircase with a thermal detonator to prevent any unwelcome intruders from finding him. He had brought three to the battle but General Anakin had made him turn the other two over to the rest of the squad. Not that he held that against him of course, as more likely than not the rest of the squad would need it more than him. Putting the bipod on his sniper and positioning it on the ledge, he peered down the scopes and saw...

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Nothing.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">There was not a single enemy in sight. Confused, he radioed in to his superior.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">__________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">“Sir, things are strangely quiet up her, no sign of the enemy combatants."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">"That's enough, CST-110!"

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Anakin's force senses were far more reliable then the clone sniper's scope, which was just a simple enhancement of the eyes. Anakin could use the force as an additional sense, and through this power he saw a series of tiny, mostly covered up, holes. His instinct told him what lied within. Quietly reaching over to Commander Appo, his second in command and leader of the squad, he ordered the veteran commander to prime a thermal detonator charge. Anakin then tossed into a nearby open hole, guiding it via the force to ensure that it went in. A high pitched hiss emanated from the hole, which was cut short by the detonator going off. Fire briefly erupted from the hole in a brilliant bonfire of light, and the hiss ended.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">__________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Sarah Kerrigan: 9 (1 specialist, 7 soldiers, 1 Leader)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Anakin Skywalker: 10 (1 specialist, 8 soldiers, 1 leader)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">__________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Realizing that their ambush had been discovered, the remaining seven Hydralisks burst from the ground, surprising even Anakin with their speed. He didn't need to tell his men to get to cover, as they were already on their feet before he was, finding protection behind a series of large volcanic rocks. Well, most of them did... Trooper ITE-115 (Anakin had forgotten what the man had chosen to call himself) lagged behind the rest, and no less than three Hydralisks were able to riddle him with spines, giving him the appearance of a human pincushion. The sniper soon proved to be a boon to the rest of the squad,  pounding a plasma round into one of the Hunter-Killer's skulls and blowing off another's lower arm. . A barrage of quills sent him diving for cover, as the rest of the squad opened fire from their positions behind cover onto the Hydralisk Horde. To the clones dismay they found that their low powered rounds merely deflected off the carapace of the Hydralisks, and Clone CC-586 took a spine to the arm for his trouble.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">_________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Sarah Kerrigan: 8 (1 specialist, 6 soldiers, 1 Leader )

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Anakin Skywalker: 9 (1 specialist, 7 soldiers, 1 leader)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">__________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Meanwhile, roughly 6 meters behind and 10 meters above...

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">The Sniper was having a tough time poking his head out from behind his concrete railing cover, and one spine had already glanced off his helmet, rattling the experienced soldier. Then he heard his fellow soldiers open fire, and hoped that the creatures’s focus was drawn to them. He broke from cover, aiming at the nearest Hydralisk, when something out of the corner of his eye distracted him....

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">It looked like one of the freaks below, except this one was covered in green pus covered...cocoon? Its entire body was pulsating, and unbelievably one of its legs seems to be shrinking. The Sniper didn't know what exactly he was looking at, but whatever it was his training had taught him to assume it was bad. Deciding that the rest of the squad could handle the fight on their own for a second- especially since they had switched their power settings to high- he shifted his sights over to the cocoon, only to hear a loud crack from behind him.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">With lightning fast reflexes he spun around, rifle sights at his nose, intent on blowing apart-

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Nothing.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">The rooftop was completely empty, devoid of any suspicious landmarks. The sniper continued to observe the rooftop for anything suspicious for a few more moments, eventually lowering his guard, and began to turn around to his previous task.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">*Whack*

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Something grabbed his rifle and slammed it into the sharpshooter's neck, knocking the air out of him. His training kicked in, he evaded the next rifle blow and giving a retaliatory blow against the face his clearly cloaked foe. Dropping his rifle, he reached for his holster to pull out his DC-17 pistol, but his foe was quicker, impaling him through the chest with what felt like three spears. As the Clone Sniper coughed up blood a form materialized in front of him; this was a women with green skin, piercing golden eyes, and mottled green skin. She smiled at him, leaned close and kissed his helmet, whispering

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">“Thanks for informing me about your little trap on the stairwell that was real kind of you".

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">The clone sniper was confused by this comment, but the pure amount of blood loss prevented him from thinking too hard into it. Slowly, painfully, the Queen of Blades removed her wings from the clone, who stood unsteadily by the edge. Winking one last time, she used her telekinesis to blast him off the roof, into the mayhem below.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">__________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Anakin was irritated at the moment; The Emperor had attempted to communicate and warn him of great danger, which he clearly was already in! He had gleefully hung up in that annoying old man's face. Anakin nostalgically reflected back to several months prior, where he would have never done such a rude act to the man who he considered his best friend. Everything seemed so much brighter then....

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">A loud thump pulled him out of such thoughts, and he was surprised to see that it was the body of his sniper, thrown from the tower.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Shit!

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">__________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Anakin turned just in time to deflect emery charged round from Kerrigan's C-10. This was difficult even for a Jedi to do; among criminals, "slug-thrower’s” were known as a powerful anti-Jedi weapon. It did however persuade Kerrigan that she might get better results elsewhere, and she switched her weapon into full auto just as they spun around towards her. The C-10 roared into action, flinging out projectiles with the same speed as any other assault rifle. Once clone took three rounds to the chest, while another took a bullet to the knee. Before she could finish off this man she felt her prized weapon wrenched from her grasp. It landed in Anakin's outstretched hand, who swiftly sliced it in two while locking eyes with the Queen.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">__________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Sarah Kerrigan: 8 (1 specialist, 6 soldiers, 1 Leader )

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Anakin Skywalker: 7 (6 soldiers, 1 leader)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">_________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Meanwhile the Hydralisks rushed forward in a move designed to pin the clone troopers to the wall, who they had presumed to be too distracted by the Queen to focus on them. They had underestimated Clone Training, and paid for it in bodies. A hail of high powered DC-15S blaster fire struck the lead Hydralisk, who was soon torn asunder by the mass of the barrage. Many more Hydralisk were hit, but Zerg Carapace and regeneration prevented them from dying. The still living Hydralisks forced the Clones into cover with another barrage of spines.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">__________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Fuming at the destruction of her prized relic (and one of the sole things that reminded her of who she once was) Kerrigan sent a green ball at Anakin. Sensing that it might be energy Anakin used his force protection to attempt to absorb it, only for the ball to pop right above him. Green liquid showered him and two nearby clones, covering him in sticky, heavy liquid. When he tried to move his arms up he found that the liquid inhibited their movement, weighing them down. Anakin scowled and applied his lightsaber to his arms, burning off as much of the green coated liquid as he could, while his soldiers feebly tried to rub it off themselves. At that moment his force sense went haywire, screaming danger at him. The Chosen One looked up to see Kerrigan send another spell his way. A great cloud of yellow razor-like energy barbs surrounded him, and flew in a crazy eight pattern around the three unlucky men trapped inside. Anakin just managed to enshroud himself in the force, which seemed to briefly nullify the barbs deadly punctures. His men behind him weren't so lucky....

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Anakin gave a horse cry of pain; as he realized that the barbs were beginning to penetrate in places, so far non-vital but that could easily change. With the agility of a Jedi master Anakin jumped from the cloud, tossing a primed thermal detonator at the shocked Kerrigan, whose own formidable reflexes allowed her to jump just as the explosive burned a whole in the balcony she had been standing on which caused  The energy cloud to die behind him. Anakin managed to safely land on the ground, whereupon he was then drenched in storm trooper parts.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">__________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Sarah Kerrigan: 7 (1 specialist, 5 soldiers, 1 Leader)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Anakin Skywalker: 5 (4 soldiers, 1 leader)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">__________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Sarah Kerrigan landed on her feet, pissed at how she had underestimated him.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">I won't make that same mistake again, Anakin she thought to herself. She ordered her Hydralisks to charge, hoping that the clone troopers would take the bait of having several exposed targets appear in their line of sight. Just like any other trained solider would, they did. The concentrated laser blasts tore through another Hydralisk, at which point the Queen of blades used her psionic telekinesis on the exposed DC-15S, to disable all of them. For once even these disciplined soldiers were stunned, and Kerrigan used this opportunity to summon forth a large amount of energy and send it at one of them who was too slow to dive for cover. The Psionic blast tore apart his body in such a destructive manner that it would take a committed Zergling ten minutes to achieve the same results.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Smirking, she attempts to move in for the kill, only to be stopped by a gradually increasing choke-hold on her neck. Once again her opponent had his arms outstretched, and once again he was using force choke- only this time it was on her! Intense pain registered in her brain, and it took all of Kerrigan's concentration not to give into the sensation. Instead she put her entire focus on Anakin, the man who she hated most at the moment.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">__________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Anakin's head pounded in a way that it never had before. This wasn't like waking up after a night of drink, or the type of headache that allergies brought on, this was like having an artillery bombardment land around him, each blast rattling his head. Except this time there was no artillery bombardment, only an extremely pissed off bitch of a woman staring at him.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">The pain brought upon his skull was excruciating, but it only caused him to tighten his grip, which in turn made the Queen's face turn blue. Her impressive Zerg biology was giving her some resistance to the choking prowess of the grip, but it did not afford her immunity.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">The two powerful figures, both the two most powerful figures in their perspective factions, had each other locked in mutual stranglehold. It was unclear to either which one would emerge victorious.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Finally Anakin, who has blood vessels burst behind his eyes, and from bleeding from both that and his nose, Force pushed the Queen of Blades, slamming her against a nearby wall. Not finished, he hurled his lightsaber at his stunned foe, impaling her in the stomach and causing her to grimace in pain. A gruesome smile came to his lips, but it was soon wiped off when a nearby Hydralisk came to the Queen's rescue, shooting a dozen spines at him which he only narrowly avoided by ducking behind a nearby rock. This turned out to be a mere illusion of safety however, and the rock was torn from the ground and hurled at him. It took Anakin’s entire force prowess not to get crushed, and he only narrowly managed to toss it aside, surprised to see that the still living Queen of blades was behind the Telekinetic assault. He attempted to recall his lightsaber from its perch inside the Queen's belly, only for the Queen to freeze it midair.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">It was at that moment he realized how exposed he had let himself become. His main form of cover had been removed from the scene. He was devoid of a lightsaber, as it was currently locked in a tug of war with the Queen. The remaining three clone troopers were pinned down by a similar number of Hydralisks, attempting to defend themselves with their DC -17 pistols and failing miserably. The remaining Hydralisk was rearing up to attack him! Anakin knew that his force protection would not be able to stop a barrage of projectiles, and without his lightsaber he couldn't be able to cut them down mid air. Desperate now, he reached out to the beast and attempted something he was not sure would work. ...

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">__________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Roughly 100 yards away, behind a storage shed

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">The cocoon was pulsating rapidly now, as the creature inside put the finishing touches on its transformation. Soon it would be ready to serve the Swarm, and when it emerged woe to those that stood in the Swarm's path.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">__________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Sarah Kerrigan: 6 (1 specialist, 4 soldiers, 1 Leader)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Anakin Skywalker: 4 (3 soldiers, 1 leader)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">__________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Sarah Kerrigan felt triumph enter her heart. Once again she had taken advantage of an opponent's tactical error, and once again she was making him reap the penalties. Outsmarting opponents was one of her two favorite hobbies other then massacring them, and soon she would have done both! The Hydralisk reared up and she stared into her opponent's eyes as her minion fired-

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">INTO HER.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">She hissed in pain and surprise and relinquished her grasp on the lightsaber as three spines buried themselves into her side. The blade flew back to her owner, as she stopped the Hydralisk's next couple of spines and flung it back at the treasonous beast, piercing its jugular and chest. For good measure she then blew it apart with massive psionic blast, before quickly turning to her opponent and stopping him mid jump with a psionic bolt. Concentration was hard to maintain as her body worked to repair her previous injuries (it had already repaired the stomach impale), and a faint roaring sound sound was heard over the action. Anakin lifted his head towards it, and his eyes widened. After going into her opponent's mind and making sure that this was not part of a trap, she turned her head towards the commotion.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">A sleek, slender aircraft of some sort appeared on the horizon, heading towards the landing pad. Though she did not recognize the craft or know who was in there, her opponent did. The word "Padme" echoed in his mind, and due to her mental connection, hers  too. A horrible, foul idea came into her head, and she gave Anakin her worst smile.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">__________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Anakin's heart stopped when he saw the Nabooan J-Type Star Skiff appear on the horizon. He knew the owner of that ship. "Padme" he thought. The thought that followed wasn’t his, and a foul laugh resounded throughout his brain.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">"Thanks for telling me," it said to him.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Anakin turned and saw Kerrigan giving him a cruel smile, and struggled harder than ever to get free.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">_________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">On board the Skiff Padme felt a sense of dread come over her? She was both Happy to see Anakin and dreading the finding out the truth of her husband's role in the massacre of the young-lings. Her brow furrowed, as she saw that he was not alone. Clones and giant scaly creatures were engaged in a firefight on one side, and her husband was being held in the air by a bluish light emanating from a green-purplish woman. He was frantically trying to tear into her with his saber, but she was just managing to hold him back.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">As Padme flew closer the woman suddenly turned towards her and winked. Her controls spontaneously all shut down, and some force began levitating her ship higher and higher up in the air. Padme frantically tried to move her ship out of the woman's vice-like psionic grip, but to no avail. She was in full on Panic mode when an arm abruptly seized her by the neck and a gruff but familiar voice whispered to her

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">“We have to go. Now."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">__________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Sarah Kerrigan: 5 (1 specialist, 3 soldiers, 1 Leader)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Anakin Skywalker: 4 (3 soldiers, 1 leader)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">__________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Moments later the ship was crushed, forcibly imploded in on itself. Pieces showered the far end of the field, and Anakin went limp overwhelmed at the death of the one that he had done everything for. Sensing that the fight in her opponent had died, she let him fall to the ground. Every Jedi he killed, every victory he had won, every step he had took had been for her, and now she was gone.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Off in the distance her murderer laughed and said

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">“Pity, she was such a beautiful little thing. You know I read her mind before smashing her ships to bits, and her thoughts were dominated not by you, but your deeds. "How could he kill all those young-lings? " and "Why did he turn on everything we used to hold dead?" .” Catching herself, she laughed and said" Sorry, I mean dear. Padme is the one who is dead. Probably would have died from a broken heart had she found out the truth to her thoughts.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Anakin felt his anger rise to levels it never had since his mother's death. Higher even than that terrible incident, as he loved Padme even more then his mother. The bitch continued.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">"I think I'll leave you here, Anakin, among the ashes of your precious Padme. I want you to live to regret trying to assassinate me. And I want you to always remember in your most private moments that it was you who killed the one who you loved most, through your arro-."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Anakin's head spun whipped around towards Sarah and for once she was rendered speechless by the sight.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">_________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">His eyes had turned dark red, completely full of hate and rage. Hatred was etched onto every line on his face, and it seemed to have aged considerably in the mere moments since the death of Padme. Anakin's thoughts were blocked to her now, but she could still sense the desire for murder radiating off of him. He let out a loud, extremely hoarse scream which knocked everyone who was still alive on the battlefield; Clone Troopers and Hydralisks and even the Queen of Blades herself, off their feet. When he finally ceased he wasted no time in resuming the fight.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Summoning the force to him, he rushed towards the Queen of Blades, lightsaber thrust forward. Sarah thrust her wings forward in an attempt to impale the Chosen One but Anakin evaded it with ease before slicing it off. An overhand slash by the lightsaber was only half dodged by Kerrigan; he still sliced off half of her left hand. Sarah's mental cries for help alerted the remaining Hydralisk's to her distress, and they broke off the firefight with the remaining clones. Seeing that their leader was charging, Anakin's remaining 501st commandos fell in line behind their leader, eager to put the hurt on that bitch and her freaks.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Anakin meanwhile had parried the other skeletal wing, and cut off two of the three blades of the wing. As a followup he slammed her into a nearby rock with force push, a loud crack making it clear that the impact had broken something. Switching force applications he then pulled her into him, impaling her through the chest with his lightsaber.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">This impalement alone would have killed any human who had the misfortune to suffer it; unfortunately for him Kerrigan was no longer human. Despite the agonizing pain she was feeling, Kerrigan used this opportunity to dig her 6 inch nails into his side and bite into his shoulder. Anakin was too pissed to register pain and pushed her off him, though not before slashing deep into her thigh for good measure. Anakin made to bum rush her again only to be stopped by one of her Hydralisk minions, who attempted to eviscerate the Sith Lord with its giant scythe-like claw.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Anakin effortlessly dodged the slash, before chopping the arm off and driving his lightsaber deep into the chest of the monster. Concluding that there is no such thing as overkill with the Zerg, Anakin then sliced its head in half for good measure.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Having taken care of that minor detail, Anakin pivots his body over towards Kerrigan's position,  his superhuman reflexes just allowing him to block the volley of spines. The Queen of Blades had used her fallen Hydralisk to distract him long enough to summon the two remaining Hydralisks to her, and was using them to keep her livid foe back, where she wouldn't have to deal with the lightsaber while regenerating.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Amazingly, the tactic was successful; as it took all of Anakin's phenomenal energy to deflect the bolts and he could spare none to force push or to move forward an inch. He could see that his most hated foe was in the process of regenerating a wing, having already repaired the chest stab, and his anger grew. His clones were useless as they were only armed with their pistols now and had to conserve ammo, having expended most of it in that firefight while Kerrigan and Anakin were dueling earlier.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Finally Darth Vader's rage and frustration built up to a breaking point, and he quickly force pulled the trooper   whose leg was shot by Kerrigan earlier up to the front, and positioned that man in front of him. Now with a human meat shield he once again bolted forward, hiding behind the trooper's bulky armor as the man's limbs went limp. He bashed into one of the Hydralisks with his trooper's body held in his left hand, before using his right hand to ram his saber into its gut in the same manner a Roman legionnaire would  in eons past. To ensure that it was dead, he used force crush to destroy the brain.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Turning to the remaining two Zerg, his shield was struck by Kerrigan's psionic blast, which blasted it apart and burned deep into the Sith's chest. He growled in pain, and attempted to wipe the blood from his eyes. Kerrigan used this moment of distraction to impale him through the leg, and lifted him up while simultaneously using her psionic powers to pry the lightsaber out of his hands. . The end result was something sort of akin to a Sith piñata, as Anakin dangled upside down and the remaining Hydralisk stepped forward swinging back its scythe-like claws, clearly preparing to burst open this piñata. A hail of high powered blaster bolts forced him to abandon that plan, and as he turned to deal with the foolish clone interlopers a frustrated Kerrigan jammed her second wing forward, which still hadn't healed from earlier. As such only one claw broke through Anakin's stomach, miraculously missing any vital organs, instead of three.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Further enraged by the pain Anakin was ready to try something he had only seen before and never attempted. Stretching his human arm(i.e. non metallic) forward,  he shot a deadly current of electricity towards both  Kerrigan and her Hydralisk. The deadliest force power of the Sith utterly charred the Hydralisk, and was so painful that it brought Kerrigan to her knees. Even her advanced Zerg Regeneration couldn't keep up with the full power of the dark side, and Anakin moved forward and lowered the voltage; he wanted this bitch to suffer.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Sarah gave a psionic cry for help to her sole remaining hope....

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">__________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Sarah Kerrigan : 2 (1 specialist, 1 Leader )

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Anakin Skywalker: 3 ( 2 soldiers, 1 leader)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">_________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Anakin could tell that the remaining troopers (Commander Appo and Sergeant Spinner)  were pissed at the way that he had so callously used a comrade, but at the moment he didn't care. Anakin knew that they wouldn't dare attempt to shoot him in the back lest they share Sarah's gruesome fate.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">The so-called Queen of Blades was currently on the ground writhing in pain from current after current circulating through her body. The lightning was so intense that it targeted her nerves, making them twitch sporadically and paralyzing her from attempting to defend herself. A cruel smile appeared on his lips, he was clearly enjoying himself. When he was done he was going to dunk her feet first in the lava, and such thoughts drove his mind to near ecstasy. So much so that his mind did not register any other sounds then the cries of pain of the woman in front of him, and it was his soldiers that first heard the strange sound of something clicking behind. His soldiers turned, their eyes focusing on a strange green ball-like organism with a nasty mouth that was fast approaching. The trained soldiers took out their pistols, only to find them disabled; it seems that the Queen of Blades had managed to concentrate through the pain after all. Breaking protocol, they both screamed in unison

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">"ANAKIN!"

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Their frantic yells finally forced Anakin to turn away from the Queen, just in time for the Baneling to reach his two grunts. It exploded, showering the two clone trooper and to a much limited extent, Anakin, with green goo. Unlike the green goo from earlier this was acidic, and Anakin was forced to take his robe off before it burned through, revealing a very muscular chest earned through years of combat. His two troopers weren't so lucky, and the high pitched wails of men being eaten away by the acid carried through the air, as Anakin looked dispassionately on as the acid ate through the last of his squad- armor, flesh, bones and all.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Realizing that he had laxed his attention on his primary foe he quickly turned around to her, half expecting a psi blast or a wing. He got neither and saw that she was gone, a hole in the ground being the only inkling as to where. Frustrated, Anakin screamed with rage again, though it did not help him any this time

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">__________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Sarah Kerrigan: 1

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Anakin Skywalker: 1

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">__________________________________________________________________________________

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Though he could no longer see her, he could sense her deep underground. She was getting more powerful by the second and Anakin knew that she was regenerating at an accelerated rate. Meanwhile he was focusing on healing his own wounds with limited success. He had healed the shard wounds from earlier as well as the blast marks, but had mixed success with the wing impale to the stomach and leg. They no longer bled nor did they hurt, but were not back to full potential. Force Healing never mixed particularly well with Dark Side users, whose drive was to kill, not save. As such he would have to pay a visit to a bacta tank later to get his limbs back to their full potential; in the meantime it would hurt like hell to jump.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">After healing himself as well as his abilities would allow him to, he came up with a rather devious plan. Reaching out through the force, he gained control of two droid collectors carrying barges and loaded them up with lava. He knew it would be suicide to try to fight her in her own terrain, so he reasoned that he could make staying underground a less attractive option then fighting him above. At his command they poured the lava down the hole, and Anakin was satisfied to here a psionic cry of rage emanate from the tunnels. Moments later she burst up from the ground roughly twenty feet in front of him.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Anakin laughed cruelly

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">”So this is how the mighty "Queen of Blades” fights? Hiding underground while the rest of her brood rushes in without a fear of their own safety."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Kerrigan was not one easily baited, and she replied

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">"So says the one who uses her soldiers as a reluctant human shield. At least my brood would gladly serve and die under me; your clones follow the emperor, not you, and only marched under your banner because he allowed you to order them."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">That held enough truth to hurt, and he replied

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">”Talk is cheap, and your point is moot. Once I am done with you I WILL be the Emperor."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Kerrigan wasn’t expecting such an answer and was temporarily taken back. This was only a momentary issue and she countered

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">"So you have finally given a reason to spare you, I would love to see the empire crumble under an incompetent ruler then be forced to destroy it myself."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">At this Anakin attacked, using his force protection to block a psionic blast from Kerrigan. With his lightsaber in hand he closed the distance, eager to destroy her once and for all. Kerrigan dodged the first slash, but not the next hilt smash to the side of her face. She retaliated with a sweep to the legs, but Anakin jumped over it and brought his lightsaber down onto the tip of one of her wings, cutting off one half of it. Kerrigan hissed and kicked him back as he attempted to lob off the other half.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">The battle raged on through the endless corridors of the complex. Anakin’s weapon was superior and his dueling skills impeccable, but his body was exhausted, neither force rage nor force lightning were meant to utilized as long as he used them. In addition he was fighting a multi headed Hydra. Kerrigan for the most part stayed on the defensive, every once in a while thrusting a wing forward. Her wings were usually cut into pieces when she attempted this but the Queen had accepted that as a fact of life, and was slowly trying to wear her opponent down through attrition, as her limbs re-grew back seconds later. Anakin was having none of it.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Anakin stabbed towards Kerrigan's guts only to be stopped mid motion when Kerrigan used her wings to pin his lightsaber hand back when the blade was a mere inch away from its intended target, keeping him from advancing his blade. Angry Anakin force kicked her back, slamming her into the tower. Anakin force jumped forward, slicing deep into the Queen's shins and exposing the bone. An attempt to cut off the Queen's right arm failed when she grabbed his hand with her left, and then her right. Using both hands Anakin applied force enhanced pressure on her, attempting this time to drive the blade into her neck.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Sarah Kerrigan was strong, but the force was stronger still and Anakin was steadily gaining momentum. Desperate, Kerrigan's mind flashed back to a moment in the past, and she reached out and pulled the needed object closer. A spherical orb dropped next to the two, the Sniper's still primed thermal detonator! Forced to abandon the attack, both leaders used their force and psinoic speeds (for Anakin and Sarah respectively) to escape the blast, which blew a huge hole in the tower and caused it to collapse.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">The Opportunistic Kerrigan used her Telekinesis to guide the falling building towards her adversary, who force pushed it away. Summoning up more hate from his exhausted body (rage will do that), Anakin shot a bolt of lightning at Kerrigan, who sent her own Psionic Storm towards Anakin. The deadly blue storm forced Anakin to abandon his lightning plan, and he only just escaped from that predicament.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Again Anakin rushed forward, and deflects Sarah's wing strike, cutting the offending limb off. Reaching out with his metallic hand he grasped her by the throat and moved his lightsaber down, clearly going for a forced lobotomy. Sarah slashing into his stomach with her nails, nearly opening it up before twisting out of the arm's grasp.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Bringing his lightsaber to bear again he slashed deep into Sarah's upper leg, and attempted a downward stab. Kerrigan closes the distance and once again grabs the lightsaber hand. Frustrated, Anakin attempted to kick her back but this time Sarah grabs his foot, and with a powerful overhand chop breaks the leg. The pain is too excruciating for Anakin to bear, and his grip on his lightsaber slacks. Sensing her opportunity Sarah drives her remaining wing into Anakin's heart. The Chosen one is no more.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Winner: Shara Kerrigan

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Once she was sure he is dead, she carefully removed her wing and placed the body on the middle of the conference table in the Separatist compound; she wanted the Emperor to know that his precious disciple was dead. Next Sarah left for the landing pad, as she sensed that her Leviathan will be here soon. While her objective may have failed, she did take some small satisfaction in taking the life of the galaxy’s biggest players.

Epilogue
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Some sort of Artillery pounded her platform, and Sarah was surprised to see that another ship had arrived, and was focusing full fire power on her! Star fighters poured from the vessel, all focused on her. Kerrigan only just made off the platform before it was destroyed; it seemed that the Emperor had arrived earlier then she had thought.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Though she was exhausted beyond normal human reckoning, the fight had not died from her, and she seized one of the smaller ships and smashed it into another. A third she forcibly dragged into lava and a fourth was clipped by a chuck of building debris from the tower. Yet the hydra reference made earlier applied here as well, and for every ship she took down another two took her place. She couldn’t concentrate long enough to take down the Star Destroyer either; it took all of her effort just to fend off the fighters.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">A massive roar echoed through the sky, which caused the nervous star-fighter pilots to break off engagement. Sarah’s heart leapt to her throat in pure joy, the Leviathan was here! The gargantuan creature was even larger than the Star Destroyer, and like its imperial counterpart packing its own fleet inside it. Mutalisks and Brood Lords poured out of the Leviathan and the glaives of the Mutalisks quickly overwhelmed the small Imperial fleet of star fighters, who could not replace their number fast enough to complete. The Leviathan itself grappled the Imperial flagship using its four long arms to actually impale the ship in some place. The Spore crawlers on the underside of the beast were further tearing up the underside of the Imperial hull.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Miraculously, the guns of the Imperial ship managed to actually shake the giant creature of itself, and giving up on the battle prepared to warp the hell out of there. Kerrigan was having none of that. Calling upon her massive reserves of psionic energy, Sarah picked up the ship and after applying thousands of tons of square pressure on its hull, imploded it.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">The excitement was too powerful for Kerrigan, and she screamed in triumph, happy that she had neutralized an entire empire in a single. She considered this the best day of her life.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">Many light-years away, another creature was feeling similarly strong emotions, though they were quite the opposite from Kerrigan’s….

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">The being screamed itself hoarse with rage, its plan set back immensely. Not only had Anakin failed to kill the Queen of Blades, but Kerrigan had actually emerged from the battle stronger than before. The Empire was scattered, fragmented, as both of the two people capable of uniting it laid dead on that lava world. Kerrigan was free to make forays into formerly Imperial territory, and the being known as the Dark Voice was not a step closer to seizing control of the Zerg Swarm!

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">The being calmed itself, rationalizing that he should have considered the alternative to Anakin winning. Regardless it was not about to give up on its domination dreams easily, especially since he’s been planning his ascension since the days when he was known as a Xel-Naga….

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">The Dark Voice gave a grotesque smile, evil reflecting on his every feature. It may not be today, it may not be tomorrow but eventually he would succeed. Eventually he would kill Sarah Kerrigan. He just had to find another servant capable of doing it.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:14px;line-height:22px;">The Dark Voice knew that there was no shortage of worthy adversaries in the universe; he just had to find one that would work. His eyes peered through the void, surveying some of the finer warriors that this galaxy had to offer. Examples include that Ninja that could slay the biggest demons, a headhunting alien who endlessly sought worthy trophies (The Dark Voice thought Kerrigan would look great as a severed head!), or that ruthless Umbrella enforcer who could surely match her in a battle of wits and speed. Or better yet perhaps that muscular demigod who covered himself in the ashes of his own family….

<h3 style="border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;margin-top:0.4em;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0.5em;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;vertical-align:baseline;">Expert's Opinion TBW

To see the original battle, weapons and votes, click here.