Starkiller stands back up. He can't give up here and now. He needs to fight and he needs to win. If not, he would be a failure.
"You are outmatched, and Vader knows this. He sent you here to be defeated, to die. But lay down your weapon, and I will spare you," Shaak Ti says.
"You don't understand him at all. If you manage to kill me, then I never deserved to stand at Lord Vader's side anyway. I know now why you are still alive," Starkiller says.
"Is that so?"
"He knew where you were. Lord Vader could have easily come here himself, but didn't. The reason for this is that you wouldn't have provided him with a challenge."
"No, child. He was simply scared. Scared of facing his own past."
"No. I have fought him. And yet, I don't know what he's capable of. What you are showing me here is not even close to what he could do. You are outmatched, and so the perfect hurdle for me to train. I have looked into the abyss and shouted in fear; then I have turned that fear into strength. You have not even remotely dared to do the same, because you are also afraid. Afraid of what you might see. That's why you hide here, biding your time until you die. As for Lord Vader... he IS the abyss," Starkiller says and charges forward.
"Then this is truly where your journey ends," Shaak Ti says and attacks again.
They are fighting on the maw of a Sarlacc, that's what the Felucians call the Ancient Abyss. As their fight progressed towards the lower rings of the Sarlacc, Shaak Ti started to experience pressure. Starkiller is growing during hte fight, as he learns how to fight a Jedi better and more efficiently. She pushes him further, using the Sarlacc as a means of distraction, and it is working somewhat. Starkiller slices off teeth and then hurls them at Shaak Ti. He also slashes the ground and makes the Sarlacc quiver to give them uneven ground. Nevertheless, it doesn't work for Shaak Ti.
The experienced Jedi takes control of the Sarlacc's intelligence and controls it, sending its feeding tentacles towards Starkiller. They are near the centre of the pit and feel that the digestive byproducts from the Sarlacc's reeking maw make breathing difficult. Starkiller dodges the first two massive tentacles and slashes a third one apart. He jumps, trying to move closer to Shaak Ti, but is suddenly grabbed by more tentacles.
"No! I will not fail!!" he shouts.
Shaak Ti's conntrol over Plant Surge was impressive. She took control of the Sarlacc and entangled Starkiller. He tries to push them away, but he is not strong enough. But then, as he is about to be pulled into the gaping maw of the Sarlacc, he unleashes a powerful Force Repulse. This repulsive blast pushes all the atomic bonds apart, effectively disintegrating the Sarlacc's tentacles. Shaak Ti is affected by this blast and flies back. She manages to backflip and land on her feet again, resisting the blast using the Force itself. However, the blast damaged her.
She ignites her lightsaber again and charges at Starkiller. He strikes her with a massive Force Lightning, which she manages to block using her sabre. She can feel herself already dying.
"UNGH!"
"I promised Darth Vader I would not fail him."
"Then you are Vader's slave. But your power is wasted with him. You could be so much more," Shaak Ti says.
"You'll never convince me to betray my master."
"Poor boy, the Sith always betray one another... but I'm sure you'll learn that soon enough," she says and allows herself to fall into the Sarlacc pit. However, her body is grabbed by Starkiller, who uses the Force to pull her back up. Shaak Ti has a surprised look on her face, not because he did that, but because of how he looks at her as he impales her with his lightsaber.
Regret
.
.
*Kchch puuh*
"I am most pleased with your progress on Felucia."
"Thank you, master."
"It seems the Emperor's fleet has arrived."
"You lured him here to us? When do we strike?" Starkiller asks.
"I did not summon him. His spies followed you here," Vader says as the door opens.
The Emperor walks in and looks at the master and apprentice pair condescendingly.
"What is thy bidding, my master?" Vader asks.
"You have forgotten your place, Lord Vader. By taking this boy as your apprentice, you have betrayed me. Now you will kill him, or I will destroy you both," Sidious says.
"Master, we can- kkakk...."
"We do nothing," Vader says, who is Force Choking Starkiller.
"Do it, Lord Vader! Prove your loyalty to me!"
Vader lifts up Starkiller, overpowering him and his use of the Force easily and impales him with his lightsaber. Then Vader hurls him toward the window, breaking the window before Starkiller hits it and then shoots his apprentice out into space.
*THUNK*
A blast door closes the window right away.
"It is done."
Sidious looks at Vader for a moment and then disappears, as if he had never been there in the first place. The fleet outside also disappears like smoke in the wind. The only question now is whether the Emperor had truly been there or if it had all been an illusion.
.
.
Seeking answers to individual questions, Ezra Bridger, his master Kanan and Ahsoka Tano have arrived on Lothal at the Jedi Temple. For Ezra and Kanan, this isn't their first time here. They know that they must use the Force to levitate the great stone and reveal the entrance hidden deep underground. Master and Padawan combine their strength to use the Force and open the temple. However, instead of stopping like it did before, the stone rises further, revealing another entrance. Once inside the temple, the door closes behind them. So they do the only thing they know how to... they begin meditating.
.
Kanan spots a bright white light emanating from a doorway, which the others do not see. Knowing it is calling to him and that it is a path he must take alone, Kanan passes through the doorway and finds himself within a dojo. Inside, a Sentinel kneels on the ground with two lightsabers in front of him, a Jedi Temple Guard adorned in guardsman armour and a helmet.
"I wondered when you would return," the Sentinel says.
"A temple guard. I've come for knowledge. I need to know how to defeat Vader and his Inquisitors," Kanan answers.
The Sentinel stands up and takes his lightsabers into his right hand.
"Try to fight, and you will fail. The Rebellion will be destroyed. You will die, and your apprentice will become a servant of evil."
"What are you talking about?" Kanan asks.
"The Dark Side. It pulls at him, it calls to him. Eventually, he will be consumed by it," the Sentinel says and activates his lightsaber.
Kanan does the same.
"Stand aside. The boy must be eliminated before he embraces the darkness."
"I won't let that happen," Kanan says.
*TSSCHHHH*
The two engage in a lightsaber duel.
.
Ezra finds himself in a black void, standing on a platform. He was here before, so he recognises it.
"I know this place," Ezra says.
"Special to you it is, hmm?" a voice asks behind him.
"Master Yoda? You're here!"
"Or here you are, hmm," the old Jedi responds.
"Last time I couldn't see you."
"Ah, growing your abilities are. And with them, danger."
"Master Yoda, you're powerful. You must know a way to destroy Vader and his Inquisitors," Ezra asks, hopeful and naively still thinking that there are shortcuts and tricks to solve his problems.
*Sigh*
"Padawan, thousands of Jedi once there were. Then came war. In our arrogance, join the conflict swiftly we did. Fear, anger, hate. Consumed by the Dark Side, the Jedi were."
"Was it wrong for the Jedi to fight? Is it wrong for me to protect my friends?" the young Jedi asks.
"Wrong? Hmm. A long time fought I did. Consumed by fear I was, though see it I did not."
"You were afraid?" Ezra asks in disbelief.
"Yes, afraid. Hmm, surprised are you? A challenge lifelong it is, not to bend fear into anger," Yoda explains.
*Rumble*
The void begins to rumble and shake, as the air grows colder.
"What's happening?" Ezra asks.
"Found you, the enemy has."
...
"Indeed."
*Kchch puuh*
!!!
"No! How did you-" Ezra exclaims in surprise.
The old Jedi looks at Vader and waves his hand, pushing Ezra out of there and back to the Jedi Temple he was before. Then he looks at Darth Vader, who stands in front of him.
"Come for me, you have, hmm?"
*Kchch puuh*
"Naturally."
"Visions I have. Brought them to me, you did."
*Kchch puuh*
"Tell me, Jedi Grandmaster... do you believe in the visions now?" Vader asks.
"Talking about which visions, you are, hmm?"
"Anakin Skywalker."
"...Oh."
*Kchch puuh*
"Mistakes we made, the Jedi Order. And I, as Grandmaster, seen the signs earlier, I should have. Sorry I am, that I did not."
*Kchch puuh*
Great pressure descends on the area and the Grandmaster. Anger, hate, disgust and all kinds of negative emotions hidden behind the black armour that is Darth Vader are momentarily released, shaking this dimension and making space itself groan under some form of strain.
"And you believe that will save you now?"
Yoda, whose spirit is about to be crushed, looks at Vader in great sadness, regret and fear.
"No."
Yoda is choked and lifted into the air, rising in front of Vader and looking into the abyss that are his eyes.
*Kchch puuh*
*Kchch puuh*
Then the pressure suddenly stops, and Yoda is dropped to the ground.
"You know what to do... Jedi."
.
Ahsoka, meanwhile, has visions of Anakin Skywalker.
"Ahsoka, why did you leave? Where were you when I needed you?" Vision-Anakin asks.
"I was there... I had to help Mandalore... I made a choice," Ahsoka says.
"You were selfish."
"No!"
"You abandoned me! You failed me! Do you know what happened? Do you know... what I have become?" Vision-Anakin asks.
*Kchch puuh*
"No. NO!"
Ahsoka turns around and slashes her lightsaber at the voice. But instead of disappearing, the 'vision' stops her lightsaber and looks at her from above. And then, it stops, leaving a heavily breathing Ahsoka behind.
.
Kanan is fighting against three Sentinels and is losing. The dojo he is in also starts to shake and rumble.
"Even now, the servants of the Dark Side come for your apprentice. You cannot fight forever."
*Sigh*
"You're right. I can't protect Ezra forever. Not even from himself. All I can do is what I've done, train him the best I could," Kanan sighs.
The Sentinel raises his lightsaber and then brings it down to Kanan's shoulder.
"By the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, Kanan Jarrus, you may-"
*Kchch puuh*
Kanan looks up and sees Vader standing at the other end of the dojo. As usual, he feels massive amounts of fear, and a cold shudder runs down his back. The other two Sentinels attack the Dark Lord. But it's useless. Neither of them reaches him. They are lifted into the air and start to bloat...
*BOOOM BOOOM*
Both of their bodies implode as it is crushed from within by the Force. Kanan stands up and reaches for his lightsaber. But his hands are so cold, and he fumbles about, not managing to ignite it.
*Kchch puuh*
"Did you think you could leave your post, Grand Inquisitor?"
"I... I... how are you he---"
"You have failed me for the last time, Inquisitor. You will guard the Jedi Temple, I assigned you to eternity, or I will make it hurt far more than it ever has. Is that understood?"
"Y... es..."
Vader then makes him vanish and finally turns to Kanan.
*Kchch puuh*
"Run, Jedi. Run. The next time we meet, it will be the last."