A Path Less Taken

Chapter 45 - Order 66, Part 2

Sidious would've commented if Drallig had let him breathe. The Jedi Master was aggressive almost to the point of anger, and he figured attacking their little Temple would push all of them to their breaking points.

But Sidious was starting to lose interest, so he deflected Drallig's saber to the side before firing out a torrent of lightning. Drallig ducked before quickly recovering his saber to block the stream. But that proved all for naught as he was forced to move his saber to block Sidious' incoming strike, and then being struck by a lightning strike in his gut. Despite himself, Cin chuckled.

"You find this amusing?" Sidious questioned, raising a brow.

"No. I just find it funny how someone who isn't even a Sith Lord has more powerful Lightning than you," Cin said, holding his gut. The spot he got hit burned, and it was significantly more difficult to focus.

"Skywalker is a significantly powerful user of the Force," Sidious said idly.

"You'll never break him, you know. He fights against everything you stand for," Cin said.

"So did Lord Tyrannus," Sidious reminded him, firing a bolt of Lightning at him. Cin quickly raised his saber to deflect it, and, quickly mustering the energy to focus, directed it right back at him.

"I doubt Dooku had anyone to fight for. A future to look forward to beyond the Jedi. And you are standing in the way of that future," Cin told him, fixing the Sith with a look of pure steel. Sidious' amused smile soon died and he moved to stab the kneeling Jedi, but Cin managed to raise his blade to deflect it.

With a quick gesture of the hand, Sidious would've gotten him with another torrent of Lightning. If he wasn't interrupted by two green blades about to careen into him, which he turned and met with a quick turn around.

"Serra?" Cin questioned with shock before his voice turned resolute. "I told you to handle the upper layers."

"Yeah, well you need my help now," Serra said, releasing a saber and attempting to bat it at Sidious' side. But the Sith Lord easily slid back to avoid the strike, making her flip back.

"You should have listened to your Master, young one," Sidious said, raising his saber.

"Shut your trap, old man," Serra said, raising her sabers in front of her. Quickly moving forward with an aerial spin, she locked both of her emerald sabers with Sidious' one crimson one. She then moved as quickly as she could; taking strikes and then quickly flipping to the side to keep the Sith Lord guessing. Unfortunately, Sidious was easily able to meet her no matter how quick she moved.

At one point, Sidious Force Gripped her body in the middle of one of her flips to the side, and easily sent her into a wall. Cin quickly raised himself up and attempted to impale the Sith in the back, but he quickly met Drallig's saber before lashing out with a kick towards the burned spot on his chest. Cin was already protecting that spot, and it only hit his arm because of how locked in his elbows were.

Serra quickly recovered and shook the small stars out of her vision before leaping over to her Master's side, holding her sabers out.

"Ready, Master?" Serra questioned.

"Yes, my student. I am," Cin said, standing up straight with his saber in front of him like a lance.

"How touching," Sidious said before his second red saber found its way to his free hand. Both Jedi looked at each other before charging forward at the same time. Sidious dragged his sabers along the ground before quickly meeting both of their sabers, quickly deflecting back and forth.

Sidious had a lot of power on his side, but one benefit that came with working together for so long was that you knew each other. You know strategies that worked well with that person, and that's exactly what they would take advantage. Or at least try to.