Star Wars: Saviors of the Broken

Chapter XXXII

"There's a reason why our forebears turned their backs on the dark side. As Jedi, we must be mindful of our fear and our anger, and we must temper it if we do not wish to take our first steps on the path toward the dark side of the Force." - Mace Windu, from Collected Wisdom of the Jedi Masters

As Pete's lightsaber clashed with Brendon's, Mikey charged toward them, adrenaline rushing through his veins. He was eager to apply what he'd learned from Pete and Patrick, but there was more to it than that. He would destroy Brendon before he got another chance to make Pete cry. He would make him pay for what he'd done to Patrick. He and Pete would finally get their sweet revenge.

Mikey slashed toward Brendon, but he easily blocked it and counterattacked. However, Mikey knew exactly what to do. He effortlessly parried each of Brendon's attacks, and soon, he had the upper hand. He kept his distance, focusing on defending himself, but when he did attack, he got close to hitting him. He could tell that Brendon couldn't keep this up forever. Soon, Mikey would be victorious. Pete occasionally attempted to attack Brendon as well, but all he really did was disrupt Mikey's laser-like focus.

As Mikey went in for his next attack, Brendon raised one hand in the air and tried to pull Mikey closer using the Force. However, Mikey immediately figured out what he was trying to do, and he used the Force to push Brendon to the ground.

"Nice one," Pete said as Brendon struggled to get up.

"I think you taught me that," Mikey said with a smile.

"No, I'm pretty sure it was Patrick."

All of a sudden, Patrick started to stir.

"Speak of the devil," Pete whispered.

"H-holy smokes," Patrick said as he opened his eyes. "Pete?"

"Patrick!" Pete exclaimed. "You're alive!"

Pete stepped closer to Patrick, but Brendon somersaulted in front of him and blocked him with his lightsaber. "Don't you dare," he said. "If you want him to live, you'll have to get through me." When Pete hesitated, he added, "Or you could just turn to the dark side. Once I get rid of your little sidekick, you'll never be able to beat me anyways."

"No, Pete," Patrick said weakly. "Don't..."

"Don't listen to him!" Brendon shouted. "Pete, the dark side's fun. You can do whatever you want, and you never have to repent. Also, we have cookies."

"What kind of cookies?" Pete asked.

"Seriously, Pete?" Mikey said. All of a sudden, Brendon thrusted his lightsaber toward Mikey, and if he hadn't ducked at just the right moment, Brendon surely would have killed him.

"I was just kidding," Pete said, but Brendon and Mikey were too busy fighting to listen to him. As their lightsabers clashed, Pete snuck around to Patrick's interrogation chair. He sliced through each of his restraints, but when he was done, Patrick yelped in pain as his left hand tumbled to the floor.

"I'm sorry!" Pete exclaimed, panicked. "I didn't mean to..."

"Not again," Patrick mumbled as he stumbled to his feet. He was definitely in bad shape, but he was alive, and that was what mattered.

Meanwhile, Mikey slashed toward Brendon, trying to gain an advantage in the fight. Now that Mikey wasn't repressing his abilities anymore, he felt like he truly understood the power of the Force. He felt it flowing through him, and he used it to sharpen his reflexes, to make his strikes even more precise than they already were. He attacked Brendon again and again, but every time, he parried his blows. Nevertheless, Pete and Patrick looked quite impressed. It had only been a few weeks since Mikey first picked up a lightsaber, but already, he could hold his own in a fight.