I do not own any of the Star Wars and DC characters and ideas represented in this work.
"You are more Anakin but more powerful and dangerous than anyone realized." Ahsoka Tano
Lady Maxima: Warrior Queen, Head of the royal house, leader of all Almerac was bored. Boredom, in some species that can comprehend it, was a very subjective concept varying person to person. Maxima was not a very philosophical ruler like many sentients might come to think royals are. Higher forms of intellect and study are for those who are second-in-command to any authority figure so that said authority figure won't need to worry about complex or silly words, like her advisor Sazu.
Of course, that will lead to Sazu being incredibly annoying, prone to question every decision Maxima makes, and utterly be a witch altogether. Some might ask why the Almeracian Queen hasn't already executed the secretary for being a nuisance, and Maxima thought about it and was close to doing the act in the past. But the handmaiden has proven to be too useful for her own good and would be a total waste if beheaded. Besides, Sazu has served Maxima's family for almost her entire life. The slightly older woman was like a sister to Maxima, a sister that Maxima would sometimes like to dismember personally.
Back to the day at hand, boredom was something that Maxima didn't like. It was a problem that couldn't be threatened, or beaten to submission, or thrown in jail, or ignored. It was a situation that seemed to be plaguing her recently. The many hobbies that the Queen once enjoyed to rid herself of such a state of mind was sword fighting, feeding political prisoners to the carnorite, and finding a suitable worthy mate.
But those things have changed; there are not many swordsmen worth meeting their blades with hers, the carnorite is now dead, and there is absolutely no man in this stupid galaxy worthy to be her lover and betrothed.
Well, all of them except one of course.
The Kryptonian—Superman. He was the only male being that had the potential of not only being her equal, but her lover. He was the last of his race, what she remembered, and no real way of procreating his race out of extinction. She offered herself to him, when he proved himself worthy, she offered her mind, body, and soul to him and a seat on the Almeracian throne, to be a ruler beside her. Their love would have been unbreakable, their love making legendary, their children beautiful and powerful, and their Empire unstoppable.
Alas, he was ultimately unworthy, she came to realize. Physical-wise, he was sculpted by the sacred god himself. Personality-wise, he was a fool, he was not a leader of any sort nor of any worth to her. Despite his body being the peak of a warrior, his mentality was one of a coward. Instead of killing his enemies like any sane sentient should do, he never saw him do it at all, the warrior from Earth has never killed or cause another's death. In all of the scouts Sazu had on Earth or anyplace that the Kryptonian went, he has only given mercy to those who don't deserve it.
Not doing what everyone would do with those astonishing powers and ruling the galaxy, he only watches and observes from Earth, playing cat and mouse with Earth criminals and some outside force from time to time. Maxima was, and sometimes is, infatuated with the man at some point.
When he helped her take that rat bastard De'Cine when he staged that coup against her, he compelled her to offer him mercy when he didn't deserve any. But Maxima who only just wanted to make mad love with the strongly built man just went along with his ideals. When she said that she'll be a better leader to her people to him, it was an attempt to bring him into her arms, so that she might seem more compatible with his ideals. When she has done all of that he suggested she should do, she hopes, no, prayed that he may come back from that backwater world and be her destined love.
That was all five years ago, and that bastard Kryptonian hasn't even called her!
Maxima has gotten wiser now. A mate, for her, her future family and lineage, and all of Almerac at stake needed to have two strengths in mind: Strength in the physical by any form and strength in the mind. There are many suitors that were weak physically but were in the right mind to be rulers. They wanted her to bear their children and become rulers of Almerac yet none were not physically worthy of doing so. The only man capable of becoming her mate in a physical sense was Superman, yet he was not in the right mind. Either he was too stupid or just mentally ill, for that he wasn't worthy.
Finding a suitor that has both, Maxima found out, was near impossible.
Because of all this, she was bored, possibly forever, to die as a maiden. Her dream of having a child of immense power and strength seemed to be fading away the same way her youth was, even though she was still rather young comparatively. Her plans to have a galaxy wide Empire built by Almerican hands looks like a combination of a joke and a mirage. Her hopes of having a lover to be betrothed, to have a intertwined destiny with another who loves her back, where they know each other's feelings even between the stars, are now dead. All of this excitement, the thrilling feeling of something that might be created from all of this, is gone.
And the only thing that came from this was boredom. Extreme, frustrating, saddening boredom. Not only was she bored with her current status in her life, she was bored in the moment. To some who watch Mongul's games, from watching it on a holo-screen from the far side of the galaxy to watching in person on this very stadium, it might've been the most exhilarating thing imaginable. To her, it was nothing but a bunch of nobodies and ne'er-do-wells duking it out for the amusement of a giant oaf of a ruler.
She sighed in her furnished, comfortable, air-conditioned, VIP private lounge while putting a hand onto her cheek. Seated next to her was Sazu, always commenting on this and that, but Maxima never listened. Her personal royal guards stood at attention at the lounge's only exit with some of Maxima's servant girls at the side to happily service her mistress. This private lounge, like many others on the very top of the stadium, had a remarkable view of the arena below with addition a private holo-screen of the action as well.
She couldn't really come up with a noteworthy answer on why she had decided to bring herself to watch the games personally. To offer an alliance to Mongul? Not a chance. To maybe spy on Warworld while pretending to be friendly so she may launch an invasion? Almerac hasn't seen a decent war in generations, Sazu said how the current military and economic situation of her realm, it would take decades to revitalize it. How fun. Maybe to find a suitable mate by looking through the victor of the arena? With these slimy aliens? Not a chance.
She guessed to herself the reason she was here was because, 'why not?'.
Bored out of her mind, she more or less ignored Mongul's appearance in the arena. The introduction of the poor souls in the arena pit. Mongul's explanation of these men who apparently killed some other worthless men and whatever. The mega screen above the stadium and her personal holo-screen in the lounge transmitted a prerecorded video on this 'Darth Vader' guy. She will say honestly, she got less bored.
It cuts to a red alien begging Mongul for help. Screams of men while they got slaughtered like animals. Blasters being fired. The heavy breathing of a respirator of some kind coldly inhaling and exhaling. The strangling of the ship's captain by a dark cloaked figure that ended by the captain's neck snapping pathetically.
"Brutal and dominating," she thought to herself.
Sazu though, had different opinions, "agh," she said with disgust with her High Almeracian accent, "What a brute."
The video continued with the reveal of the figure that resembled the one down below. She looked back at the pit where the dark figure stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the ne'er-do-wells around him. She realized that this figure was Darth Vader. Having obsidian colored armor, the way this Darth Vader had his mask with his cowl over the head seemed angry with two arches above the eyelids. A grill pattern on where his mouth should be. A cloak linked with a chain, Darth Vader was rather tall, dark and probably handsome.
She arched an eyebrow as Darth Vader was the only one who stood tall and almost motionless while the group around him shivered in fear. The video continues with Darth Vader arguing with Mongul in the feed. "Do you know how many emperors and empires there are in the galaxy?" A recorded voice of Mongul asked.
Vader's recorded response seemed passionate and determined that it gained Maxima's attention. "There is only ONE Emperor and ONE Empire! Your ignorance proves your lack of usefulness, and whatever planet you're from will suffer against the Empire's wrath!" The feed then cuts off Vader crushing the camera, the holo-screen then turns to a live feed of Vader standing at the arena. The crowd booed at the Obsidian armored man, Vader only stood uncaringly. Mongul asked the dark man what he had to say about, Vader defiantly replied with a loud, strong, and deep voice that was heard almost as if he was everywhere in the stadium. "My wish is to see your head off your body, Mongul!"
"Commanding and straight to the point…" she mused in her thoughts.
Mongul got embarrassed in front of his subjects, of course, and proceeded to introduce today's main show. While a video played of a giant crocodilian beast devouring dead arena fighters, Maxima used her telepathic abilities to get more information on the mysterious warrior. After generations of selective breeding, genetic engineering and augmentation, most of the royal house of Almerac enjoyed such abilities.
Using her psychic powers on this Vader, she attempted to find any information on who he is, where he is from, and more importantly, if he is even a HE. But surprisingly and even terrifyingly, she found nothing. She sensed no intentions, no thoughts she could read, information that she could feel. Maxima's telepathic powers were credited as one of best in all of Almerac and almost unrivaled in the known galaxy. She has never met a being before whose mind and feelings she couldn't sense. Yet this dark cloaked figure at the bottom of the pit denied her probing.
She didn't feel anything but one ounce of something. Three basic emotions were so strong and deadly that she actually recoiled on the sheer amount of power they held in him: Fear, Anger, and hatred. They were in him like the small rim of light of a star escaping out of an solar eclipse. His entire being was a total darkness like an umbra, the only array of emotions she felt on him were small rays of sunshine that barely escaped.
She was astonished and fascinated that not only this man could deter her mental probings, but quite possibly could be more powerful in the realm of psychics than her, as she got a headache for her probing while he seemed indifferent. He was better than her it would seem.
She wasn't bored any more.
More intently now, she observed the tall, dark, and hopefully handsome man closer now as the arena fighters' main opponents were released from their confinements at the base of the pit. Darth Vader revealed a silver cylinder, a beam of energy in the color of blood escaped from the hilt. He stood undeterred while all of the slaves pathetically shivered in what is to come. A loud siren echoed in the arena and the beasts sprang into action for their meals.
Like their mother, they were crocodilian in nature, scales that acted as armor, jagged teeth to rip flesh and bone matter, and shorts legs that can quite go fast in her viewing when they exited out of their holes. They were smaller as newborns, two meters at width and twice that amount in length. So Vader would unfortunately be fighting against the babies, but not one. There were at least a hundred of them. Dashing towards the middle of the arena in hordes, spraying the ankle water behind them—a green scaly tide. A good trade off as a 'quality over quantity', Vader will have to prove himself for Maxima's interest further by surviving this ordeal.
Some of the arena fighters decided to act brave and charged against the horde of baby alien crocs out of the middle. Most, if not all, were either uncivilized tribesmen, daring brutes, and animals themselves, charging their own attack. Very few survived when they crashed against the wall of enemies. And very few remains were left.
Fighters who had ranged weapons, like blasters, arrows, and spears used their tools against the horde. Blaster bolts met some of the crocs, arrows were piercing armored skin, and spears cracking through skulls. But the deaths did not even scratch the hordes' numbers.
Vader only stood motionless like a statue until he did something truly amazing. Just at the halfway mark where the croc horde left between their cages and to the middle, Vader bent down a little and made an incredible leap of height, defying his clumsy looks. If he jumped any higher, he would have met the giant holo-screen above the arena. In the tight arc, his cape behind him flapped in the wind like a pair of wings from a shadow-blood bat.
The crocs that saw his airborne maneuver stacked upon one another in a large pile, trying to be the first to have their meals. When going down, she felt an immense psionic surge building up in the flying Vader. Just when the crowd, and her, thought that Vader would be gulped down and chewed apart by the croc pile, he sent what she recognized as a telekinetic shield around him that not only protected him but crushed any croc that was unfortunate enough to be under him.
When he disappeared in the crushed crocs and some more of the beasts were about to pile on him, Vader sent out gigantic telekinetic wave around him that truly stunned her. The crocs that were the closest to the radius of the shockwave literally atomized out of existence. The crocs that were second-to-closet were either turned into pure paste or virtually torn apart by the amount of force the attack had. The crocs that weren't immediately killed were flung back in the air, either landing on the ground in a splashy and bloody explosion or hitting the domed ray-shielding around the pit arena, turning into ash.
The arena's artificial metal ground cracked and the debris flew across the arena, crushing crocs, being pulverized by the arena's ray-shielding and killing a few poor arena fighter saps. Water splashed from the explosion, then coming back down in a shower of water and blood. The entire stadium shook as if a horrible earthquake occurred. Some arena watchers fell and were knocked off their feet. Maxima's felt the quake and grabbed onto her chair, Sazu held her chair in a death grip as she sent a 'yelp'. Maxima's servant girls made the same sound of surprise while falling to the floor, her guards grabbed onto the wall.
When the quake stopped, there was a moment of silence that stunned the once roaring crowd. When it passed, the crowd went wild and berserk in a booming thrill never seen before, the roars of excitement were near deafening and closely resembled the sound of heavy rain from a thunderstorm. They started to chant, "VADER! VADER! VADER! VADER!" The rabble that spat our slurs and insults at the obsidian man now loved him.
The shockwaves at least halved the hordes' numbers. The survivors were either heading towards Vader in a red-seeing hungry rage or pressed on their attack on the arena fighters. The arena fighters in question were either already dead, about to be ripped to pieces by crocs, fighting for their lives, or just running away.
The crocs that resumed the charge on Vader met a surprise, for when they got close to biting range at the crater he made, he ended them with his laser sword. Like a butcher, he hacked off arms, legs, heads, snouts, torsos and even made some go in half. The red blade cauterized the crocs' wounds, sending the smell of a meaty roast in the making around arena. It burned and melted through their scaly armor, flesh, and bone. Each swing, thrust, jab, and turn he made with his red energy blade killed or dismembered a beast.
To some peasant eyes, it might seem a barbaric way of dispatching the monstrous creatures. But to Lady Maxima, it was a glorious show of swordsmanship and heart pounding to see his skills on full display. He moved his blade in preternatural speeds and skill, weaving fans of red energy and spiraling the blade to a point where it was even difficult for her to keep up. He used the blade as if it was weightless. His footwork was phenomenal, his balance was never in question, even with the ankle deep bloody water or the maneuvers he made. Every move he made was a calculated killing blow he somehow knew it was gonna happen.
A croc tried to jump behind him as he sliced three charging crocs at once. He somehow knew despite having his back turned to the animal, for when it was on him, he simply moved his blade straight up and the croc met the blade with its face. The croc's momentum from the jump kept it going and so the animal was cut in half, vertically. It's remains splashed down onto the bloody water.
His psionic powers, or even magic at this point, was another thing that excited her. Just when he was finished off all of the crocs that tried to eat him by turning them into a pile of corpses, seven of the beasts rushed in a row to take vengeance on their fallen siblings. He made a simple hand wave and a portion of water in front of him turned into a thin sheet of blood infused water that blurred to the charging crocs.
As if spewing out of a water cutter, it jetted to the crocs and sliced their heads off by the way it came at them at an angle. The headless crocs geysered blood out of their stumps where their heads used to be and fell into the red water in heaps.
The arena was an entire pool of blood and carnage.
Vader continued to cut down the horde or use his powers to crush or pulverize them while whatever was left of the arena fighters struggled with their lives. In that moment with the crowds cheering out for Vader, she was too, but not openly at any rate. She followed him with her eyes, seeing the man showing his strength and skill before her. Her mind went wild to many things, some of which were to take that mask off and see how handsome he could be. Her heart pounded in her chest loudly and quickly, as if it too wanted to meet the lovely man by bursting out of her chest.
In that moment, amongst the cheering rabble, screaming arena fighters, croc animals cryin out in pain from Vader's wrath, and Sazu's complaining of Vader's ungentlemanly behavior, it seemed the entire universe was just her and Darth Vader. At that moment, one question whispered to her, "Is he the one?"
***
A crocodilian beast was bisected by the waist from Vader's lightsaber and its body splashed into the thick bloody water. Another tried to lunge at him, wanting to drive its teeth into him. Vader's precognition already showed this to him before it even happened and he whirled the Sith blade at the pouching predator then chomped it to pieces.
Three of the beasts attempted to charge at Vader while they must've thought he would be distracted, they were wrong as in a blinding motion, Vader waved and made a force push blasted the crocs away and made them crash into the pit's walls. The extreme force and speed turned their once horrifying appearances into goopy gore and bones when they made contact with the metal wall.
When he thought that anymore crocs would try to attack him, none did, for he practically slaughtered a majority of them. Either they were dead or alive, the ones still living lost interest in him, for they had watched their brothers and sisters fall to the man and decided it was best not to provoke him any further. For that, they either gorged themselves on their said fallen brothers and sisters, chewing up the dead ex-slaves, or continued their attack on whoever was left.
Now not being relentlessly attacked by the scaly monsters, Vader took a minute in himself as he stood in a literal blood bath while the carnage continued. What he initially expected when he unleashed his Sith powers was the crowd to become horrified and Mongul more so. Yet that hasn't happened.
The crowd seemed to love him now, chanting his name as if he was their new champion, a champion not so long ago they despised and wanted to see torn apart. Simple minded, Mongul's subjects don't seem to question what, who, and why are there any gladiators in the arena to begin with or where they come from. They seem to only care about the game's violent show and nothing more, at least not entirely.
When Vader openly protested and defied Mongul in front of his subjects, they almost forgot their fury at him and showed some semblance of questioning Mongul's rule. Yet Mongul, a somewhat competent manipulator, Vader realized, returned their attention to the games and pretended as if nothing happened from the discussion.
"Pathetic creatures…" he said disgustingly inwardly.
Though mindless rabble they were, Vader had to give them an extremely little amount of credit for they seemed to value strength over anything else. That explained why they forgot their hatred of the Dark Lord and enjoyed his show of warlock powers when the arena fight started. Which Vader pondered if he could exploit that mindset in his own way when confronting Mongul.
Speaking of strength, he wasn't ignorant when he felt an attempted telepathic mind probe targeted at him which he deflected with no strain on his part. Strangely and unexpectedly, the woman that he felt that tried to read his mind had no strength in the Force so to speak of, this was no shock to Vader, for there were telepathic species and individuals who had no force powers but could use telepathy. What was strange about was her unusual strength in her telepathy powers, but her strength in such a gift was no match to his fortitude Sith mind and his mastery of the dark side. Both could never be rivaled by such telepathic parlor tricks.
Then there was Mongul. Vader thought and almost predicted that the warlord of this pitiful planet and arena would be freighted by the Sith's powers. Yet that wasn't entirely the case, Vader felt that the yellow alien seemed a little concerned but at the same time was joyful over Vader's powers. That was not what Darth Vader intended to happen.
He let himself be involved in these childish games to show his true power and submit his command over the ordinary beings around him. He was supposed to be treated as a being of terrifying power, not a hapless gladiatorial fool. He had humiliated himself and understood that these games will not have any power over him nor does this Mongul.
All of this comes to one conclusion; he had enough of all of this.
He deactivated his lightsaber and stored it on his belt. Then he went into the force, imagined a hand picking up every croc beast and snapping their necks. The force let his image become reality, the crocs that were eating or fighting suddenly were lifted up in the air and their necks were twisted in an unnatural way. The sounds of bones cracking sounded as if someone was stepping on a stick-covered forest floor. He dropped his hand and the lifeless bodies of the once hungry and predatory creatures splashed onto the large crimson pool.
Silence entered the arena. The roaring crowd stopped their chants and loud cheers as Vader showed his frustration openly. What was left of the fifty ex-slaves now reduced to only seven, all of whom were covered in blood. The lack of sound in the large arena seemed perpetual but only for a moment as the crowd cheered and yelled in absolute excitement.
Vader narrows his eyes under his black-colored helmet, "SILENCE!" His voice made a slight rumble across the stadium. As though a hand was put on the mouth of every single being in the arena, their yelling ceased and silence returned, excitement turning into slight terror now. Vader's breathing was heard across the arena. He pointed at the still seated Mongul. "MONGUL! I have enough of these pointless games!" Mongul's grin from the bloody games went away and his face morphed into one of annoyance.
"You have proven yourself to be a pest in my presence and a pathetic ruler for these rabble!" Vader voiced his lack of patience out in the arena. The scared audience took glances between the Sith Lord and their ruler. "Once more!" He continued, "You have humiliated me for your own petty amusement! That shall end, for I am a Dark Lord of the Sith and I will!…" Vader's speech was cut short when the same feeling of him being plucked up was felt and the bright blue energy surrounded and engulfed him.
***
When that transporter's energy ended and the feeling of his physical being completed, Vader didn't finish his speech on what he was going to do to Mongul. For he wasn't in the arena anymore but instead an actual dungeon. His helmet's visual sensors adjusting to the darkness, this dungeon was in the style of a holding area of a castle. Semi illuminated by the bars above in the ceiling, tall and wide, the dungeon was made up of gray bricks and support beams that ran parallel in the large room.
There were other beings as well, not the seven ex-slaves, though they have also been teleported from the arena. These beings this time were in slave garbs and rags, consisting of various species yet more barbarian and dangerous looking male aliens. The dungeon inhabitants went up to Vader and the ex-slaves excitedly.
Vader twitched a finger and all of the blood that plagued his suit went off to the ground, splattering. He also noticed that somehow, Larfleeze the dog survived the massacre. Whether by hiding or fighting was beyond Vader's knowledge nor does he care the slightest. The dog's once orange fur now soaked in blood while some gore trapped itself in his hair, he was shaking profusely, had wide open eyes, and had his hand up as if he was holding a blaster. Vader suspected that the teleporter separated the ex-slaves' weapons from them.
This teleportation technology is becoming a nuisance. Being probably the first one of his galaxy to experience the wonder technology in maybe many millennia, he has no real counter measure or plan to stop himself be teleported against his will. The only real advantage he has is the force warning of him being transported from one place to another. The only idea he thought of at that time was that he could cocooned himself by creating a protective shield of force energy and have that stop whatever was locking on to him. That was, if he gets transported again.
The dungeon rabble handed Larfleeze and the survivors rags and towels to clean themselves from the blood while they cheered on the group, especially Vader. The cheers died a little and one of the dungeon folk walked up and happily proclaimed to Vader, "You defied Mongul!" He said with a smile and a gruffly voice, "And it was great!"
Vader looked down at the short, three eyed, rough skin, grayish complexion, and toad-like alien, then at the rest of the dungeon dwellers with a mocking reprimanded question. "Are all of you too cowardly to do such a thing?"
The dungeon dwellers expressions' darkened and a big alien appeared behind the smaller one, with his ogre-like appearance and in peasant clothing, he responded, "All of us like to live," he rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, all except Draaga," he shrugged his big shoulders, "But I guess he decided he liked living too."
"And…" Vader asked, "Who is this, Draaga?"
"You don't know who Draaga is!" The smaller alien asked, astonished. The other dungeon aliens felt the same way.
The somewhat blood-free Larfleeze went up to the Dark Lord and said, "My lord," he said in a pleasing tone, "Draaga is one of the most well known warriors of the galaxy and the undefeated champion of Mongul's arena." He shook his head, "He is strong and powerful, Lord Vader, I don't think you can-," Vader looked down at Larfleeze and the dog caught himself from continuing. "I mean…your power is beyond his of course." He bowed.
Vader looking back at the dungeon huddle he placed his hands on his belt. "If this Draaga is too cowardly to stand up for his freedom like the rest of you…" he said to them which made them go into disbelief shock, "Then his existence is beneath my attention."
The surprised aliens looked at each other and the big alien said, "You won't be saying that when you fight him," he pointed out, "Mongul is probably gonna make you fight him for going up against him in the first place. He's already at the arena now. Draaga ain't no joke."
"That remains…" Vader responded to the warning, "To be seen."
As if the universe heard him, Vader felt another sense from the Force that he was about to be transported. Quickly he rallied in himself, creating a protective shield of force energy around him. He felt the transport energy come at him at light speed, traversing at incredible speeds just for him.
But surprisingly, it ignored the shield and took hold of him once more, his world becoming light.
***
When the light disappeared and his helmet's night vision activating to let his damaged eyes see where he was at, he was annoyed once again. The transporter beams somehow infiltrated his force shield and beam him across to wherever he is at now. It was beyond frustrating. Vader was not a scientist, not in the realm of physics or involving molecules. When stealing the skills of the once and great pilot, Anakin Skywalker, Vader has an amazing ability to pilot, understand Ship mechanics, and droids to even build one of his own but has no experience on whatever science transportation technology goes to. Perhaps he needs to strengthen his force shield if there is a next time.
When observing around him, it was like the cylinder chasm Vader and the ex-slaves found themselves after being beamed for the first time. This time though, it seemed smaller just for one individual. Like before, the platform he stood on rose and the doors of the ceiling opened to allow him to be out in the arena, where the crowd chanted out his name.
He expected the arena to be still full of blood but instead found it mostly clean. Floating cleaning droids vacuumed up puddles of blood and mounds of gore. Stench of death still lingered in the air. The crater Vader created was still there.
Mongul, still in his chair on the viewing platform, rose up and gestured for his subject's silence, "Friends! Darth Vader had proven himself as an esteemed warrior! But! But will he be able to defeat…" he pointed down at the pit, "Draaga?!"
A hatch opened and the platform that rose from it carried a massive humanoid. Taller than Vader and heavily muscled, the barbarian alien had gray skin, battle gauntlets, boots, and a codpiece made of the same metallic material. He has a metal helmet that protected all by the front of his face on his head, one lone shoulder armor pauldron on his right shoulder ran a thick heavy chain across to the lower left of his bottom torso.
The barbarian had a heavily scarred body, including the right side of his face where it seemed like he was burned at some point with his right eye completely white from too much damage. He stood still with his large battle ax while the crowd was chanting from 'Vader' to now 'Draaga', not that Vader really cared.
This Draaga, if Vader was correct, gave the Dark Lord an unimpressed look and spat on the metallic floor, "You don't look like much, cyborg."
Vader didn't say or move as an answer, only letting his breathing be heard. "Well 'Dark Lord of the Sith?'" Mongul asked with a mocking manner, "Anything to say before you're sent to fight Draaga?!"
Darth Vader didn't say anything.
"Silent treatment eh?" Mongul said, "…well, let's just see if you stay silent when Warworld been done with you!" The crowd wildly chanted 'Warworld' while the same annoying teleporter feeling was felt by Vader. This time, the Sith created a bigger and stronger force shield around him. Alas, the same thing happened and the Dark Lord of the Sith and the undisputed champion of Warworld disappeared.
***
Being reformed again, Vader's feelings on being transported against his will went from annoyed to angry hot. The audacity of Mongul doing such a thing to a Sith Lord will have to constitute a punishment on the warlord. Vader's approach to defend himself against the lightspeed beam of energy with a force shield had failed twice now. Impossible that it might be, it was a problem that seemed to have no countermeasure. Then he thought of another solution.
Perhaps he was doing it all wrong, perhaps instead of summoning a force shield against the ray of teleporter energy, he should instead catch and contain it with his skills of tutaminis. The force technique, in the right hands, can dissipate, negate, absorb, or redirect many forms of light, heat, energy, and radiation. If the same rules apply to the new form of energy Vader found, then he should be able to at least use it from getting himself teleporting. He would just need to be fast enough to do it and prepare himself when the time comes.
Observing through his Sith helmet and through the force, he discovered he was on an entirely different planet. Instead of an arena he thought he would be at, he was actually in the middle of a devastated city. Concrete and dura-steel like buildings and homes in total disarray or in complete ruin. Vehicles and bikes that once looked like they were civilian repulsor cars of some sort were reduced to nothing but scrap or empty frames.
The city looked as though a war rampaged through its once bustling streets and perhaps it was that so. He looked up at the red tinted sky and saw what might have been Warworld. The planet was a large orb that dominated the sky with its blue oceans and green continents to give it color. If that planet was indeed Warworld, then whatever Vader was standing on must've been a moon and the rubble he is in, a city.
Vader felt the presence of another and turned to that direction, seeing the Draaga warrior with his ax at the ready. "Well…" the large brute gladiator said, "You gonna make your first move?"
A floating droid in the shape of an orb and with one lone photoreceptor entered their vicinity and Vader assumed that it was recording for the masses and Mongul to watch the duel. The camera droid also had a speaker that recorded all of the noises of what the crowd was making, for he heard the electrical transmission sounds of the crowds chanting Draaga's name, and for a lesser extent, Vader's as well.
The Dark Lord gazed at the brute warrior for a moment and replied harshly, "I will do no such thing," he said, cold as ice, "A coward as yourself who is too afraid to fight for your own freedom doesn't deserve my attention in that manner." He pointed at Draaga who started to fume at the Sith's taunts, "You are beneath me, you are less than an animal, Draaga."
Draaga, blistering now with rage, was about to scream at Vader but stopped himself when he saw the Camera droid in view. He twisted his mouth, "You don't understand cyborg!" He loudly explained, "There is more to it than me serving Lord Mongul!"
"Your servitude to Mongul," Vader responded, "Says otherwise."
Draaga gritted his large and dirty teeth, "A cold and heartless cyborg as yourself wouldn't understand why I am in here!" He shook his head with purpose, "You will never understand…"
Darth Vader lost his patience, "The words of a coward who will not explain his actions are just as useful to me as dirt."
Vader's words provoked the barbarian into a charge with a loud war cry, raising his ax to chop Vader into two. Before he could do that, Vader simply waved off his hand and the charging Draaga was blasted to the side by force energy into nearby rubble. The large champion crashed and disappeared into large damaged slabs on concrete and a thick cloud of dust. What used to be that building he went into was even less now as the weak foundation crumbled to the ground, piling on Draaga.
The roaring voices of the crowd was silenced when the event occurred and Vader only took a glance at it and began to walk away. He took two paces away when he stopped when he heard and felt that Draaga was indeed alive. His vocoder sent out his annoyance when he turned around and saw the rubble move. Draaga erupted from the debris, green blood on his head and spat a tooth out. The crowd roared in his name.
"You are…" Vader voiced his annoyance, "an irritant."
"Irritant this!" Draaga cocked his axe arm back and sent the weapon towards the Sith. It swirlied in the air at its intended target.
Vader reached out his hand and caught the ax by the handle while the blade was inches away from hitting his helmet. Draaga's one good eye went wide. Then the Sith made the ax levitate, he closed his black glove to a fist, and the weapon was crushed into dust.
Draaga continued his assault by grabbing onto a large piece of concrete three times his size and hurled it at the Dark Lord. At the midpoint of the debris being in the air, Vader took his hand out and made the giant piece stop in the air. Draaga and the crows were surprised. Vader twitched his hand forward and the rock blasted back to Draaga faster than before. Draaga wasn't fast enough and so was battered away when the large slab crashed against him and made him go onto another rubble, destroying the semi-erect building into a cloud of dust.
Knowing now that Draaga was stronger and tougher than most sentients, Vader went to where Draaga crashed to while the floating eye droid recorded behind him. When he got to where Draaga was last seen, he stood in the rubble of what used to be a small apartment complex. Draaga bursted out of the debris, enraged and sending rubble across the area. Before Vader could attack, Draaga caught the Sith Lord by the cape and started to whirl him around, becoming a tornado with Vader unable to do anything. Vader's world becomes a blur. Draaga released his grip on the cape and sent the Dark Lord through a concrete wall.
Vader's fall was broken by another wall he connected with after he bursted through the first. His vocoder sent out his gasp of pain when he went onto the floor, his breathing becoming damaged wheezing. Kneeling on the hard ground, Vader was then picked up by Draaga's big hands and placed over the brutes' head. One hand on his legs and one on his chest, the warrior was prepared to rip the Dark Lord in half with his bare hands.
"YOU THINK I WANT THIS!" An angry Draaga yelled out while he was about to pull apart the Sith. "YOU THINK I WANT TO BE UNDER MONGUL?!"
Vader halted this brutal attempt as he quickly activated his lightsaber and cut off the brute's right hand. His hand with its gauntlet still attached clacked to the ground as smoke trailed from his stump of an arm. Draaga screamed in agony while the camera droid projected the audience's shock. Draaga threw Vader at a nearby concrete wall then grasped his cauterized arm.
Darth Vader got back up when he was thrown at the wall, when he moved his head, he saw an enraged Draaga pickup a large rubble with his only good hand and was charging at him. Vader, having had enough of these games, made a force grip on the large champion. Draaga was lifted off the air, dropped his makeshift weapon, and grasped his throat as he was being choked by the force. Draaga's legs dangled in the air, as though that would get him back on land and his face was turning white.
Though he was heavy and slightly harder to choke, Draaga's brute strength was no match for Vader's Sith powers. Wanting to get rid of the nuisance, he gathered force energy in his hand and when he thought it was enough, sent a powerful force push towards the champion.
The wave of force energy absolutely devastated the already destroyed city, making debris turn into dust, broken vehicles into pure heaps of scrap, turning the ruined buildings into debris and making Draaga disappear amongst the horrible whirlwind. The attack caused an enormous earthquake in that section of the city, which caused even more buildings to collapse. That section of the city now reduced to dust and had very little evidence that suggested that it was once a city.
When the dust settled and the quakes stopped, Vader sensed that that barbarian was surprisingly alive though barely at the threshold. It was remarkable that this being was capable of surviving such a devastating attack, but this was not shocking to Vader. Draaga's strength reminded the Sith Lord of the hardy and dangerous alien race of his galaxy, the Gen'Dai.
Consisting of nerves and muscles with no ounce of bone in their bodies, the Gen'Dai race has proven to his galaxy that they were very difficult to kill, even to those who have the force. But difficulty does not translate to impossible, and anything thought impossible can be done with those who have the force and the sheer power of the dark side at their disposal.
Now unchallenged, he walked to where the near-dead Draaga was at, who was flung across at least three city blocks. When Vader reached Draaga, his breathing apparatus returned to its normal rhythmic cycle. Vader was now standing tall against the now laying Draaga.
His feet buried in rubble and chest cavity cracked like an egg, gushing out green blood, Draaga's breathing was harsh and very much labored on his end. His right side of his body, including his face, now had no skin, his green muscle with oozing blood was exposed. Draaga looked up at the Sith and tried to speak but only spat blood.
Vader activated his lightsaber, "You've gotten a lot farther than you should have," Vader admitted down to the wheezing Draaga who was in indescribable pain. "But then you haven't met a Sith either. Your life is at an end, Draaga…" Vader raised his lightsaber, prepared to take Draaga's life. "It is time to meet whatever pathetic gods you believe in."
"W-wait," Draaga sent out a gurgling plea, "waaaait."
Vader didn't strike down his opponent, at least not yet. "Begging for mercy?" He coldy mocked.
Draaga summoned enough energy to shake his head side to side slowly and speak, "Yes…but not," he coughs up green blood, "of my own."
Vader, curious and sensing an opportunity that was whispered by the dark side, put down his lightsaber to his side. "Then speak, while you're still able to, Draaga."
The floating eye droid interjected by going in between them and the voice of Mongul came out of the droid. "Finish him, Vader, the people have spoken to get rid of Draaga for losing." Vader heard the droid transmit the sounds of the crowd wanting Vader to end Draaga. The Sith Lord will, but only because he wanted to, not because of Mongul's game or the rabble desire to.
"I kill…" Vader corrected, "not because you command me, Mongul. I chose who lives or dies whether they deserve it or not." He looked down at Draaga, "Draaga has proven himself to be a worthy opponent, so I will grant him the worthy of speaking."
"You can't refuse!" The angry voice of Mongul said through the droid, "I order you to finish him now!"
"You have no power over me, Mongul." Vader stated, "And I shall no longer suffer your presence." Before the droid could escape or Mongul could have any words, Vader quickly grabbed the droid with his free hand and smashed it. The droid sent out an artificial whine of pain then was turned into scrap metal. Vader dropped the remains on the rubble and lowered his head to Draaga, "Now speak before I change my mind."
Draaga breathed in and said in a labored voice, "I…don't fight…b-because…of me." He coughed again, "I fight…f-for…for my people. Mongul thre-," Draaga's eyes somewhat lowered as though death was taking hold of him to eternal sleep but he managed to gain the strength to fight against the urge, "Threaten my world's destruction...if…I don't…fight."
Vader understood now and has now newfound respect for the brute…almost but now entirely to change his mind of killing him. He also undertsood why Mongul wanted to him to kill Draaga before he said anything, before he spoke out his blackmail in front of the masses. "And what am I supposed to do with that information? What am I to gain from this?"
Draaga coughed some more blood, "Kill Mongul…if you do…" the warrior's exhaustion was taking a toll on him, "You'll be…warlords…ruler. He…has...a laser…to destroy…planets…kill…him…and…it's yours."
Vader considered this. "A ruler?" He asked himself. A ruler of a hive of ne'er-do-wells and mindless rabble, he noted. Before he was taken out of his galaxy, he was the second-in-command to the Galactic Empire. Going to one of the highest levels of power in the most powerful empire in galactic history to be ruler of a planet with no real significant value of any sort was not in Vader's plans. But he also knows his position at the moment and the information Draaga provided will be indeed useful.
"Your knowledge is noted, Draaga." Vader finally said before Draaga's life is on death's end. "Take comfort in knowing that I will take Mongul's life and your planet is spared for now, but only because I said so. To one warrior to another," he raised up his lightsaber, "To one servant to another, I release you of your bondage, and grant you a warrior's death."
Despite all of the pain and suffering Draaga felt, the warrior lifted up a smile on his damaged face and closed his eyes, with no hint of sadness on him. Only joy was seen. Whether knowing that his tormenter's death is at hand, he will be granted eternal sleep, his people saved, or all of those was beyond Vader. The smile was still on Draaga's face when Vader brought down the lightsaber. The smile was still on Draaga's head when it rolled off his shoulders. The smile was still on when Draaga's head lay motionless, forever.
Vader sensed the approach of another eye droid and four floating security droids that most definitely were under Mongul's control. The droids surrounded Vader in a circle, blaster arms at the ready. He also felt the approach of a combat freighter entering the atmosphere and now coming into view above the city.
"I had so much hope for you," Mongul's voice said, almost sad and disappointed. "But I'm afraid I'll have to make an example out of you." The floating eyedroid looked at the droid guards. "Kill him."
The droids' hands fired out a blue beam of killing energy, one at each hand, towards the Sith Lord. Vader, knowing that it would happen, summoned a force shield around him that made the laser fire bounce off the shield and back to their respective sources. The droids weren't expecting this to happen nor had the real computer strength to move out of the way in time, and so their own fire hit them and they turned into clouds of fire and droid parts.
The clouds of smoke vanished with Vader only staring at the eye droid, which he knew Mongul was behind. "The only one," Vader said, "that will be made an example of," He pointed at the silent camera droid, "Is you, Mongul. And the only hope you should have is a quick and painless death. But I will be truthful to you, for that will not happen."
"We'll see about that…" Mongul replied, "When you're teleported in space!"
Vader felt the force warning him that he was being targeted and that feeling will turn into him being teleported. Rallying in himself, he focused on the beam of energy that left Warworld and towards the moon at lightspeed. In a fraction of second, where it pierced the moon's gravity, the atmosphere, and above Vader, the Dark lord caught the beam of energy in his hands.
The energy was hard to contain at first, his hands shaking from the total concentration he needed. The energy was now encased in a blue orb of sparkling and chaotic light. After a moment, his will on the energy was constructed and the blue orb of teleport energy sat in his right hand as he showed it to the camera droid. "You have nothing to threaten me with, Mongul."
Vader extended his right hand and the energy dissipates and is absorbed to his body, The tutaminis technique channeled the energy and granted him more power now. Mongul responded through the droid, "I would like to see you try when my men blast that moon you're on!"
Vader looked up at the ship in the sky, seeing turrets and batteries turning in his general direction. He can feel the firing arcs and vectors on him in the moment. Vader replied back, "I have no concern for the actions of men who are already dead…" Vader raised his right arm, with his palm facing the ship and began summoning pure dark side energies.
Force destruction was among the many Sith teachings, techniques, and powers Sidious had taught Vader during the early years of his Sith apprenticeship. Though the energy can be and most often conjured through the practitioner's hand. However, through deliberate concentration, the awareness of that energy could damage his suit's electrical systems, and practice, Vader can summon the ball of deadly energy away from his hand while close enough to draw energy from his body. This, of course, adds on more focus than it is required to the already focused-intensive technique. With him absorbing the teleporter energy, he would have enough stored energy to use the attack while keeping his reserves untapped.
He was like a sculptor; his mind was like an invisible hands to craft, and the dark side were clay, all used to create a terrifying art piece of his design. The ball of dark side energy formed closed to his hand, swirling with power and eager to destroy. Once Vader thought that he had enough power, his hold on the red light ceased and the ball of dark side energy blurred to the middle of the ship.
The blast ruptured an explosion that shook the ship and snapped it in half, frames and beams melted from the explosion. The impact created a concussion shockwave that rocked damaged structures to the ground. The two parts of the ship fell from the sky, bellowing smoke from the sides that used to be connected, and the sections crashed onto the ruined city. The collision shook the ruins, sending vast gusts of wind, smoke, and dust across the streets. Buildings that still had the semblance of a structure fell from the shockwave and the extreme quakes.
When the chaos stopped, fires continued to, the ship lay in ruins and more so the city. Vader grabbed the droid and had the camera point at him. "Let this be our final conversation, Mongul." Vader coldly declared, "For the next time we see each, will be our last, for I will come for you, and I will have your head." Vader crushed the camera droid, done conversing with the fool, and dropped the parts to the ground.
Alone now, he was confident that whatever pathetic weapon, plan, or army Mongul could stall the inevitable. Vader will kill Mongul, that decision is already decided and in the works. His imagination of it will become reality. It has already happened, he could sense it, he just needs to know how.
Though he has discovered how to negate teleportation technology from taking him away without his permission, using said technology and energy to teleport himself would be a challenge to come up with. That could wait, for he will have to find a conventional means of travel. Vader had doubts that the ruined city he was in had no available ships of any sort. Either they were destroyed by the same event that took the city, scrapped, or taken by Mongul's men so that arena fighters wouldn't escape.
Looking at the ruins of what used to be a ship, the size of the craft looked like it had an hangar and therefore a small ship that could've survived the crash. He walked to the crash site, he will need to hurry and find the means of his escape; otherwise, Mongul will send his men to the moon. But Vader wasn't worried, for he was Sith, and he will kill Mongul.
***
Discord Server Invite if interested. https://discord.gg/ZbcfzxwK3a