The Guardians of Light( SW/KH crossover)

[Puck]

I do not own Star Wars, Kingdom Hearts, Dragon Quest, Radiata Stories, Musashi, Star Ocean, Final Fantasy, and Disney. They are owned by George Lucas, Lucasarts, Square Enix, and Disney.

This fic takes place after Kingdom Hearts 2 and it takes place after The New Jedi Order. It uses The Swarm War and the Legacy of the Force series as vague history, which means the fic is slightly AU. This is the first installment in a trilogy.

The main pairings: SoraxKairi, RikuxAllana, BenxJycella, JainaxJag, CloudxTifa, slight SquallxAerith
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WARNING: This fic is rated PG-13. It contains intense fantasy action violence, language, some blood, romantic sequences, and frightening images. It is recommended that some younger readers do not read this fic for it might be too scary.
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CHAPTER 1: Mystery on Pollis Massa


42-year-old Valin Horn, who had brown eyes and short straight brown hair, looked around at his rocky surroundings. The area he was looking upon should've been an active mining camp and while there were some mining equipment lying around on the ground, there was no sign of any miners in the camp.

He took a few steps forward as he gazed at all the mangled equipment. He suddenly stopped and frowned when he spotted a single miners helmet laying near a damaged rock incinerator, a laser gun used to mine rocks.

He strolled over, stopped, and picked up the helmet. The grayish helmet was all banged up but what really caught Valin's eye was the long streaking claw mark that had cut straight through the helmet. He squinted his eyes when he noticed a few dried blood stains around the edges of the claw mark. Unlike a nexu's claw mark, this one was more clean and perfect.

Valin scanned the area again with his eyes to see if there were any dead bodies. But there was nothing. No bodies. No remains. And not even a sign of life anywhere.

"Master!" Valin heard his apprentice cry from behind him.

He turned around and saw 18-year-old Cassie Yahact running straight at him.

"Did you find anything?" asked Valin.

The blonde and brown-eyed girl stopped, shook her head, and replied. "Nothing. I searched the perimeter of this camp and I found no sign of any miners. I did however find a few blood marks on some rocks and equipment."

"Well, I found this." Valin said as he handed his apprentice the helmet.

Cassie took the helmet and stared at the claw mark with a frown.

"Whatever did this," Valin said as he looked around the area. "It wasn't human."

"Then what was it?" asked Cassie. She gently tossed the helmet aside and added. "And if the miners are dead, how come there are no remains anywhere?"

"I don't know. Let's continue towards the outpost. Maybe we'll find more clues along the way."

Cassie gave a nod and followed Valin. They walked northeast for ten minutes and still found no sign of life anywhere. Usually at this time of day, Pollis Massa was quite active with miners drilling into the rocky ground, travelers passing by, and security troops patrolling on swoop bikes.

But at the moment, there was nothing. No miners, travelers, troops, or anybody. All there was, was an eerie silence.

Cassie looked over at Valin and asked. "I don't get this. Where is everybody?"

"I'm wondering that myself." replied Valin.

"You think we'll run into the strike team that the Galactic Alliance sent here?"

"Hopefully. Anything at this point would be better than discovering more-"

Valin ceased his sentence when he and Cassie suddenly spotted four blaster rifles lying on the ground.

"Rocks." he finished.

The two Jedi approached the rifles and immediately began investigating.

Valin, a frown on his face, picked up two halves of one of the blaster rifles and said in an almost whispered tone. "Sliced in two."

They looked at each rifle to see if there were any more clues. They didn't find much and were about to leave when suddenly, Cassie spotted something from the corner of her left eye. Something red.

She looked to her left and gasped. Valin immediately looked over to see what had startled his apprentice. He saw, a few meters away, a tall rock that had a huge smear of blood from top to bottom.

While Cassie just stood and stared in horror, Valin took a few steps towards the rock. He stopped and stared at the bloody rock for a second. He noticed that there were several other tall rocks right next to the bloody one and they all blocked the view from the other side.

He turned around and said to Cassie. "Cassie, stay here for a minute. I'm going to see what's behind these rocks."

"Okay." said Cassie.

Valin immediately began to make his way around the long line of tall rocks. As soon as he made it to the last rock, he walked right past it and stopped dead in his tracks. What he saw behind that rocky wall sickened and horrified him. Scattered all across the area were bodies. Dead bodies.

Men, women, and a few other types of species were all lying dead on the ground or sprawled out on top of rocks. Valin shook his head as he slowly walked through the rocky graveyard examining some of the bodies. He saw that every one of them had deep claw marks on their flesh.

He sighed and turned to make his way back to his apprentice. But he saw that she had obviously come to see what he had found. She stood right next to the tall rock with a look of horror on her face.

Valin walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Are they?" asked Cassie.

"Yes. They're all dead." Valin replied.

Cassie just shook her head slowly and didn't say another word.

"Something is definitely going on around here. And we're going to find out what it is." Valin paused and looked to his left. "Somehow I get the feeling that the answer too all this is at that outpost."

He turned his gaze back to Cassie and added. "Be on full alert. Whatever we're about to deal with obviously doesn't know the meaning of mercy."

Cassie nodded but Valin could see the worry in her eyes. He reached out with the Force and used it to help her relax a little.

The two Jedi turned and headed in the direction of the outpost. After five minutes of walking and running into a few more dead bodies, they finally saw the outpost in the distance. They proceeded toward it but as soon as they got close enough they heard someone scream.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

Valin and Cassie stopped, looked ahead, and saw a man running towards them. The man fell down and the two Jedi rushed over to assist him. They both kneeled down beside the man and were about to help him up. But the man immediately grabbed their arms and looked up at them with a terrified expression on his face.

The man shook uncontrollably and breathed heavily. Valin could tell by the man's uniform that he was a member of the strike team that the Alliance had sent. He also noticed that the uniform was slightly ripped and that the young soldier had cuts all over his body.

"What happened?" asked Valin.

"Get out of here! Get out while you still can!!!!!! Save yourself!!!!!" The man shouted.

"What happened? What did this to you?"

The man didn't reply. He just looked up at the sky.

Valin and Cassie looked at each other and then back at the soldier. They saw that the man had a deep gash near his lung area.

"How's his pulse?" Valin asked Cassie.

She touched the man's cut up wrist and replied. "Very faint."

Valin looked back at the man and asked. "Sir, we need to know this. What did this to you?"

The man looked at Valin and said in a whispered tone. "They wiped us out...all of my fellow troops...their dead...their all dead...they came through the walls...through the ground..."

"Alright, alright. But what did this?"

"The...shadows...the shadows...are alive....the shadows...are ALIVE!!!!!"

And that was the man's last words before death claimed him. Valin and Cassie frowned and slowly turned their gazes to the outpost. For a long time, they just stared at it like as if they knew that some unknown terror was awaiting them.
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[Puck]

CHAPTER 2: The Unknown Terror


Valin and Cassie cautiously entered the outpost. As they proceeded on through, they saw giant holes in the walls, debris everywhere, a few dead bodies lying around, and even parts of the ceiling caved in.

Cassie reached out with the Force to sense if there were any life forms around. What she felt sent a shiver down her spine and almost made her fall to the ground. She immediately broke her link with the Force and looked at Valin.

“There’s something not right.” she said. “I just reached out with the Force right now and I felt some kind of…presence.”

“What kind of presence?” asked Valin.

“It’s hard to explain...It felt like the same dark presence that you feel around a Dark Jedi. Only…ten times worst.”

Valin frowned and stared at her for a second. He looked away from her, closed his eyes, and reached out with the Force. He felt the presence instantly. The massive amount of dark energy radiating from the presence was so immense that it almost made Valin drop to his knees. And suddenly, he felt more presences just like it.

He opened his eyes abruptly, broke his link with the Force, and took several breaths.

“Master?” asked Cassie, a look of concern on her face.

Valin looked at her and replied. “Whatever it is that’s here…I do not believe it is of the Dark Side. No…it’s something else…something worse.”

“What could be worse than the Dark Side?”

“I don’t know... All I know is, it felt much stronger in darkness than any acolyte of the Dark Side. In fact, it was so strong it almost felt like it was…no, that’s not even possible.”

“What?”

“Nothing… Let’s continue on forward and find this dark presence.”

They were about to move when they suddenly heard a loud crash in the room straight ahead of them. Without hesitation, the two Jedi walked straight to the room’s entrance. Valin pressed the metallic door’s activation switch and saw that the door didn't open. He frowned and pressed the switch again. But the door still didn't slide open. He pressed it again and this time there was hissing cackle as sparks flew out of the switch. Cassie jumped back and Valin, a slightly startled look on his face, stumbled backwards.

“Well then,” said Valin. “I guess we’re going to have to do this the hard way.”

He pulled out his lightsaber, activated it, and plunged the hot glowing green blade into the metallic door. After about a minute, he had successfully carved an entrance into the room. He deactivated his saber and kicked the metallic door to the ground.

Valin and Cassie crept inside and looked around the rather giant room. They saw that one of the walls was in pieces, half of the roof was ripped off, all the windows were shattered, and there was debris all over the floor with four dead bodies lying underneath.

“Talk about a disaster.” said Cassie. “This one room looks worst than most of the outpost.”

The two Jedi continued scanning the area when suddenly they felt the dark presences again. The dark energy was emitting in the room and both Jedi looked around to see if anything was near them..... But there was nothing.

“They should be here. I feel their presence. Why aren’t they here?” said Cassie.

Valin frowned and quickly scanned the whole room again. The presences were so close that whatever they belonged to should’ve been looking them right in the face. That’s when Valin remembered what the soldier said: ‘the shadows are alive’.

“Master!” Cassie cried, pointing at the right side of the room where a wall used to be.

Valin looked over to where she was pointing and saw something quickly rising out of the ground. It wasn’t burrowing up from underground. It was just coming up out of the ground. In less than two seconds, the creature had fully risen.

It was black as night and stood four foot eleven in height. It had big glowing lifeless yellow eyes, black razor sharp claws, and big sharp black teeth. On top of its head were two long wavy antennae. Although it looked like a creature, it did in a way resemble a thick black shadow.

The creature didn’t make a move. It just stood there, twitched its antennae, and stared lifelessly at Valin and Cassie.

“What…is it?” Cassie asked, a slightly grossed out look on her face.

“It’s definitely not a life form I’ve ever seen.” replied Valin.

They both stretched out with the Force and they felt the dark energy again. It was definitely emitting from the creature. But as they tapped deeper into the Force, they soon realized that the creature wasn’t creating or emitting dark energy.

“It’s energy. That thing is actually made of some type of dark energy.” said Valin. “Now the question is, is it an intelligent life form?”

Valin used the Force once again to read the creature's thoughts. Suddenly, he cringed and clutched his head. Several loud hissing voices sounded in his head and he couldn’t make out what they were all saying. But the last one came in clearly:

Give ussss… your heart…we want your sooouuuullll…Give IT TO UUSSSSS!!!!!

Valin’s eyes widened and he broke his link with the Force.

Cassie put her hand on his shoulder and asked. “What is it?”

“It talked… it talked to me through the Force.” Valin said while staring straight at the creature.

“What!? What did it say?”

Valin looked at her. “Trust me. You don’t want to know.”

Just then, seven more creatures rose from the ground behind the other one. They all got into an attack position and in less than couple of seconds, they charged ferociously at Valin and Cassie. Valin and Cassie activated their lightsabers and prepared for the creatures' attacks.

One creature lunged at Valin but the older Jedi quickly sliced it with his blade. Surprisingly the creature completely evaporated the moment Valin’s blade sliced into it. There was no blood or anything; it was almost like slicing a very thick puff of smoke.

Two creatures attempted to attack Cassie but she quickly sliced them both with her pink saber. Another creature slashed at Valin with its claws, but Valin quickly dodged the slash. He swung his blade and the creature evaporated once the blade struck it. There were only four creatures left and two of them began to hover in the air. The two creatures started to spin rapidly while the other creatures stood still. It didn’t take Valin and Cassie long to figure out what had happened.

The creatures had somehow morphed their dark bodies into buzz saws and they were headed straight at Valin and Cassie. The two Jedi swiftly dodge rolled out of the way cleanly avoiding the spinning creatures. The other two creatures immediately leaped at Valin and Cassie with their claws raised. Before they could sink their claws into the two Jedi’s flesh, Valin and Cassie held out their hands and used the Force Push technique that sent the creatures flying backwards. They soared through the area where a wall used to be and slammed on to the ground.

Valin and Cassie turned their attention back to the two spinning creatures and saw that they were carving into the remaining walls, which wasn't good. Both Jedi knew if the other walls came down, the other half of the roof would also come down.

The two Jedi wasted no time and ran through the missing wall that lead them into yet another large room. The two creatures that they had Force pushed were also in the room and they immediately charged at Valin and Cassie. The two Jedi delivered a few quick saber slices that instantly destroyed the two creatures.

They rushed to the room’s metallic exit and began carving an entrance with their sabers. Since two people were carving, it only took a few seconds. The two Jedi kicked the metallic door down and entered another wrecked room. In the distance behind them, they heard the loud crash of the roof coming down.

The moment they started looking sround, six more of the same creatures rose up from the ground.

“Great.” Cassie said in a tone of annoyance.

All six creatures launched themselves at Valin and Cassie, but the two Jedi swung their blades gracefully and in less than a minute all six creatures were gone. But the battle wasn’t over. Five more creatures appeared from the ground and three came out of the wall. The eight creatures immediately attacked and the two Jedi, swinging their lightsabers at lightning speed, struck down five of the creatures. The other three suddenly ceased their attack and sunk back into the ground.

Valin and Cassie frowned, looked around, and gripped the hilts of their blades. When they saw that no more creatures were coming, they both deactivated their lightsabers.

“Looks like those things gave up.” said Cassie.

“I doubt it. They’ll be back. But in the meantime, let’s take advantage of their absence by searching for survivors.” replied Valin.

For fifteen minutes, they searched through the outpost for survivors. Sadly, all they found were more dead bodies. But the two Jedi didn’t give up. They stretched out with the Force to sense if there was anybody alive. To their surprise, they felt someone who was brimming with life. Unfortunately, it was only one person. They could not feel life emitting from anyone else.

“Well, at least someone survived.” said Cassie.

“Let’s find this person before those creatures do.” said Valin.

As they walked, they used to Force to find where the survivor was located. They could sense that the survivor was outside near the back of the outpost. The two Jedi were able to reach the back area without any opposition from the creatures.

It wasn’t hard for them to spot the survivor especially since the large metallic back door was on the ground in pieces. They frowned when they saw that there were at least twelve creatures roaming around the whole area and not one of them raised a claw at the survivor, who had his back facing the two Jedi.

Valin and Cassie also noticed that the survivor was wearing a utility belt and on it looked to be two lightsabers. They didn't sense the survivor to be Force sensitive, but they did feel some type of power radiating from him.

The creatures looked at the two Jedi and didn’t even attempt to attack. Slowly, Valin and Cassie walked towards the survivor and as soon as they came five meters away from him, the survivor spoke.

“Don’t make another move.” said the survivor who had a rather young, boyish voice.

Both Jedi stopped and saw the survivor slowly turn around and face them. The survivor was a human boy and to Valin and Cassie, looked to be only 13 years old. He had long silver hair, purple eyes, and wore a dark brown shirt and pants. His boyish face showed little emotion as he stared at the Jedi.

“We mean you no harm. We’ve come to help you.” Valin said to the boy.

“You are no pawns, so I doubt you’ve come to help. As expected, you are totally clueless on what’s going on.” said the boy.

Valin and Cassie looked at each other then turned their heads back at the boy.

Cassie smiled and asked. “Care to tell us what is happening?”

“Why tell one who lacks the intellect to understand anything outside a small box?” The boy replied.

Cassie frowned and whispered to Valin. “Not a very polite young man is he.”

Valin smiled a little at her comment comment then asked the boy. “Will you at least tell us your name?”

“Why tell my name to the dead?” said the boy. “All you need to know, old man, is that the Heartless obey me.”

Valin frowned at the ‘old man’ comment.

“The Heartless? You speak of these creatures?” asked Valin.

“Yes, gramps. And very soon you will meet your end the same way these small minded individuals met theirs.”

The boy raised his left hand and the creatures he called the Heartless immediately turned their attention to Valin and Cassie. Valin activated his saber and gripped the saber hilt tightly.

“So you’re the one behind this.” Cassie said, activating her lightsaber.

“You have some form of intelligence. Interesting.” replied the boy.

The boy flicked his finger and the Heartless charged at the two Jedi. Cassie and Valin knew that the fight was going to be much more difficult since they were surrounded and way outnumbered.

Valin quickly cut down two charging heartless and barely dodged a slash from another. Valin swung his blade at the Heartless but it quickly avoided the attack by disappearing into the ground and then coming up quickly in another location two meters from Valin. The heartless slashed relentlessly at Valin causng the older Jedi to take several fast steps backward. Just then, another Heartless came leaping at Valin but Valin gracefully struck it down in midair. The other heartless that was slashing at him quickly scratched his arm causing him to flinch. It was about to attack again but Valin dealt a death blow by stabbing it in the head.

Cassie swiftly cut down a heartless but immediately got sliced in the arm by another. Cassie gritted her teeth and used Force Push, which sent the heartless flying backwards and landing on top of another heartless. They quickly got up and lunged at Cassie. The young Jedi dodged rolled out of the way and immediately swung her blade relentlessly at the two creatures.

In a matter of minutes, Valin and Cassie defeated all twelve heartless. They had a few cuts and scratches but nothing life threatening. They turned their attention to the silver haired boy and saw that he was just staring at them with an emotionless expression on his face. The boy folded his arms and more heartless began rising out of the ground.

The two Jedi breathed out a sigh. No matter how many creatures they killed, more just kept coming. Ready for battle, they both gripped their saber handles tightly as several heartless began marching towards them.

“Halt!” cried the boy.

The Heartless stopped and stared lifelessly at Valin and Cassie.

The boy, a scowl on his face, took two steps forward.

He looked at the Heartless and said. “Be gone.”

The Heartless obeyed and immediately sunk into the ground. The boy looked back at Valin and Cassie and unhooked his sabers from his utility belt.

“He told me you Jedi guys would be tough. Frankly, I’m surprised. I would’ve thought that beings with such a small capacity of intellect would be easy to eliminate. Now I’m going to have to break a sweat.” said the boy.

He activated his two white lightsabers and twirled them both smoothly in his hands. He pointed both of his blades at Valin and Cassie expecting them to get somewhat intimidated. Instead of getting a serious reaction from the two Jedi, the only thing the boy got was a series of snickers.

“You’ve got to be kidding.” Cassie said in between a snicker.

Valin, a smile on his face, stopped snickering and said. “Boy, put those things away before you hurt yourself.”

“Aren’t you even going to try to defend your life!?” replied the boy.

“First of all, you’re not Force sensitive, which makes it very likely that you’re lightsaber skills are beyond sloppy. Secondly, my apprentice and I are both trained in the ways of the Force and know very well how to use a lightsaber. Which means we could easily beat you with one arm tied behind our backs. And on top of that, you're just a boy and we Jedi do not inflict harm on youth. So as much as we would want to teach you a lesson, we aren’t going to inflict harm upon you… But if you do not put those weapons down… we might just change our minds.”

The boy was silent for a second. He then smirked and replied. “Wow…you Jedi guys really are full of yourselves. And you’ve proven why you have such a small brain.”

The boy shook his head, deactivated the saber in his right hand, and attached it back on to his utility belt.

“Lesson one.” The boy said, his right hand glowing green.

Greenish energy enveloped the boy’s right hand and it began to cackle when he raised his hand.

“Never underestimate the wrath of a child.”

The boy pointed his right hand at Cassie and a ball of green light shot out of his hand and nailed Cassie straight in the chest. The greenish energy enveloped Cassie’s entire body but immediately vanished when she fell to the ground.

“Cassie!” Valin cried.

He knelt down beside his apprentice and saw that she was gasping for oxygen. Her whole body shook uncontrollably and sweat dripped from her forehead. Valin took her hand in his, felt her forehead, and found that she was burning up. She had all the symptoms of a fever.

He used the Force and what he sensed in her blood stream, put a frown on his face. She was poisoned. Whatever that energy ball was, it had somehow poisoned her.

He closed his eyes and used the Force again only this time to lessen some of the poison’s effects. It helped Cassie to breath but it wasn’t going to last long. The Force healing technique could only delay the poison’s effects for a short amount of time. Valin looked Cassie in the eye, squeezed her hand gently, and kissed her forehead.

“How touching. How disgustingly touching. Makes me want to gag.” said the boy.

Valin turned his gaze to the boy and stared daggers at him. He stood up and activated his green saber.

“So you want to fight me now?” The boy said, pulling out his other lightsaber and activating it.

“Only to disarm you…and to teach that warped young mind of yours a lesson. There’s just one thing I don’t understand.”

The boy smirked. “That’s a surprise. What is it you don’t understand, gramps?”

Valin stared at the boy for a second. “How a boy your age could be capable of such cruelty.”

The boy rolled his eyes and replied. “Oh please. The universe isn’t some perfect little place where all boys are little innocent angels and obey everything some scrawny old man tells them.”

The boy pointed his blade straight at Valin and finished. “There’s good and bad across this huge bubble we call a universe. And I, Venvarra, am bad to the core…oops; I wasn’t supposed to give my name out to the dead. Oh, well.”

Venvarra flipped forward and swung away at Valin. Valin quickly and easily parried the boy’s fast paced saber onslaught. They both swung hard and their sabers locked with a loud cackling hiss. Valin used his strength and pushed Venvarra backwards. Wielding his saber in one hand, Valin unleashed a series of saber attacks but Venvarra deflected each blow with his two white lightsabers.

Venvarra parried another saber slice from Valin with the saber in his left hand then attempted a stab with the saber in his right hand. Valin parried the stab and deflected a few more saber slices from Venvarra. They both swung at the same time and their sabers locked once again.

“Not bad, boy.” said Valin. “But just so you’ll know…I’ve been going light on you.”

“Really. Well, by all means stop holding back, old man. Show me what you got.” said Venvarra.

“Alright.”

They released their saber lock and that’s when Valin relentlessly attacked. Venvarra could barely parry Valin’s lightning fast saber onslaught. Every swing and slice forced Venvarra to take several steps backward. Venvarra tried to fight back but he couldn’t. Valin was not letting up on his fast and vicious saber slices. Their blades clashed and Valin pushed Venvarra backwards making the boy almost stumble to the ground. Valin took advantage of the moment by swinging his lightsaber and slicing the saber handle in the boy’s right hand in two.

Venvarra gritted his teeth and delivered three strong slices at Valin but Valin parried them with one hand. Venvarra threw one last swing at Valin, who deflected the blow with one hand. The older Jedi used the Force to send Venvarra flying backwards and knocking hard into a tall rock.

Venvarra, his saber dropping out of his hand, cringed as he fell to the ground. He was about to stand up when suddenly he saw that the tip of Valin’s green lightsaber was only a few centimeters away from his head.

“Get up.” Valin said in a dark tone.

Venvarra glared at Valin and slowly got to his feet. Valin kept his saber pointed straight at the boy.

Valin shook his head. “Young people. This is what you get when you show your elders very little respect.”

Venvarra swallowed hard and took a step backwards until his back was against the tall rock. Valin took a step forward but stopped when he suddenly felt something through the Force. He felt a presence from behind and it wasn’t Cassie. He was about to turn around when suddenly a bluish ball of light resembling fire nailed Valin in the back. Valin gave out a loud cry as the bluish energy enveloped his body. The older Jedi dropped to his knees and the blue energy disappeared. He clutched his chest and gasped.

Venvarra frowned at Valin then looked straight ahead to see who had shot the Jedi in the back. Venvarra knew who it was the moment he saw him.

Standing 10 meters away from Venvarra and Valin was a young man with long straight black hair and brown eyes. He wore a long gray robe and diamond gauntlets that both had two 2-inch sharp diamond claws sticking out. In his left hand was a duel sided sword that was planted straight through Cassie’s chest.

The man slowly looked from Valin to Cassie with an expression showing his disgust.

“Insolent girl.” The man said, yanking his duel sided blade out of Cassie.

The man slowly made his way to Valin. Valin cringed and growled as he tried to move. But every time he moved, an intense burning pain coarsed across his whole body.

The man walked past Valin, stopped, turned around, and looked at him. Valin, who was still on his knees, stared up at the man with a defiant look on his face.

The man just stared at him with a dark expression and said. “So brave…yet so stupid.”

He then pointed one end of his duel sided blade at Valin’s heart.

“You don’t fear death?” asked the man.

“No.” said Valin. “Jedi don’t give into fear. As death takes us, we become one with the Force.”

The man smirked and said. “Typical Jedi. So intelligent…yet so inferior.”

Valin closed his eyes and reached out with the Force. Through the Force, he cried out a message hoping that his loved ones would hear it.

Tahiri…Jysella…Never forget…that I love you both!

The man thrust his blade straight through Valin’s chest. He slowly pulled the blade out and Valin Horn fell to the ground dead.

Venvarra looked at the man for a second. He gritted his teeth then shouted. “Saeon! Why did you help me!!?”

Saeon looked over at Venvarra but didn’t say a word.

“I could’ve killed him!!! I had everything all under-”

“Silence!” Saeon told Venvarra with such force that it made Venvarra run backwards until his back was against the rock.

Saeon raised his duel sided sword in the air and it glowed a dark purple. The sword suddenly morphed into a black staff. Saeon slowly approached Venvarra and stared daggers at the boy.

“You will know your place, boy. Otherwise, I’ll give you a death far worst than the deaths these wretches suffered.” Saeon said at Venvarra, who was now slightly trembling.

Saeon turned around and said. “Now. Walk with me.”

Venvarra obeyed and walked side by side with his superior.

“So what have you found?” asked Saeon.

“I’ve searched this world and found nothing.” replied Venvarra.

“You mean to tell me that you begged me to give you extra time on this world just so in the end, you could tell me that you found nothing!”

“Searching a world takes time. Especially when you’re looking for a small crystal.”

“No excuses! You should’ve finished the search on this world days ago. Now the Jedi and the Alliance are alerted."

“But I-"

“Silence! Your search on this world is over. You will take the Heartless to another world and continue the search for the Kaiburr Crystal… It is one of the keys to our plan.”

“I know.” Venvarra looked down and added in a low tone. “I really am trying my best.”

“Oh stop with that sorrowful crap.” Saeon snapped. “Just get the job done. We need that crystal……… If I’m correct, an old enemy of ours is about to meet her end.”

Venvarra looked up at Saeon with an expression of interest. “You mean Maleficent?”

“Yes. One of our pawns informed me earlier that her mother ship, The Anima, was headed straight to the Radiant Garden moon with the Keyblade Masters hot on her tail.”

A thin smile appeared on Saeon’s face when he added. “I wish I could see the expression on her face when she finds out that she has no control over The Heartless. That all this time they’ve been doing my bidding.”

“Her death will definitely be a glorious moment.” Venvarra replied with a smile.

“Indeed. With her death, making our plan a reality will be much easier.” Saeon's face darkened when he looked back at Venvarra. “But, we can’t do much without that crystal. So find it.”

“I will. You have my word, Lord Saeon.” said Venvarra.

Saeon gave a nod, turned around, and reached his hand out. Suddenly a bluish portal that resembled a black hole appeared before Saeon. Saeon was about to enter when Venvarra spoke again.

“Um, wait, Lord Saeon.”

Saeon turned around and looked at Venvarra.

“What about the cornerstone?” asked Venvarra.

“Leave that to me or one of the other pawns. Just worry about the crystal. And make sure to drop by our sanctuary to update me on your search.” replied Saeon.

Venvarra gave a nod.

Saeon turned to enter the portal but he then stopped and snapped his fingers.

He turned around again and said. “Oh, Venvarra, there is one last thing you have to do on this world.”

“What?”

“Order the Heartless to find the entry point to this world’s core. Then tell them to send this world and everything on it to the dark abyss known as oblivion.”

“It will be done, Lord Saeon.” Venvarra said with a smile.

Saeon smiled, turned, and entered the dark portal, which instantly vanished once he walked through it.
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[Puck]

CHAPTER 3: Proposal for Peace


With elegance in his stride, Ambassador Orkas Zawn entered the Chiss Council Chamber. Like all the Chiss, the wise 50-year-old male ambassador had light blue skin and glowing red eyes. His short hair was dark brown with a few strands of gray and he wore a tan suit.

Zawn stopped in the center of the large dimly lit circular room and looked around. Seated around the room were the sixty members of the Chiss Council. They all wore either white or black suits and they sat straight and proud. They all stared straight at the ambassador waiting for him to speak.

Zawn bowed and like all the Chiss, he spoke in a calm but stiff tone. “Members of the Council. I know you’re probably curious as to why I requested this meeting.”

“We do have other business to discuss at this time. You, of course, know this. So we presume that the point of you suggesting this meeting must have some significance.” said one of the male Chiss Council members.

“It has a great deal of significance regarding our society and the progression of our future.” replied the ambassador.

He paused for a second then continued. “Councilors…for approximately 20 years, there has been a rift between our society and the Galactic Alliance. And as time goes on as we continue towards the future…the rift grows larger. What I propose…is that we close the rift.”

Several councilors looked at each other and even started whispering.

One of the members, an older female Chiss, looked straight at Zawn and said. “As you are well aware, ambassador, the Alliance has shown in the past to have no interest in terms of peace. Their actions have been hostile… and illogical.”

“I know of their past actions. We all do. Yet, may I point out, that over the years they’ve been attempting to make amends for their past deeds. The Correllia incident was resolved in a peaceful manner. And let’s not forget the whole situation regarding Utapaur.” replied Zawn.

“You’re forgetting one thing.” said another male councilor. “All those incidents took place in their half of the galaxy. The Alliance may have made amends with those acts…but they have yet to fully apologize for their rash attack on our fleet years ago.”

“Yes, I agree… it was wrong of them to commit such an act. In a way, it was wrong for us to retaliate, for it further increased the rift between our two societies,” said Zawn.

He paused, looked around the Council, and continued. “But that terrible incident was years in the past; the Alliance has changed since then. We have begun changing. I feel that the next logical step is to put the past behind us all. We should cease this cold war and attempt to unite as one. What I’m suggesting is that we speak to the Alliance and offer them a treaty…of peace.”

For at least two minutes, the Council was silent. They looked among each other and even whispered to one another. Zawn just stood there looking at them all.

The Council finally turned their attention back to Zawn.

“Ambassador,” said one of the male councilors. “Despite everything you have said, we, the Council, feel that it would be illogical to pursue a peace with the Alliance. Going by known facts, they have proven to be untrustworthy and care about nothing except to satisfy their own personal greed.”

“We are sorry, Ambassador.” said a female councilor. “But we will have to deny your request.”

Zawn stood silent for second and looked at each member.

He gave a bow then asked. “Will you at least keep it under consideration?”

“There is no need…our decision stands.” replied a male councilor.

With that, Zawn turned and made his way out of the Chiss Council Chamber.
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It was now evening on the icy planet Csilla and the snow began to fall from the cloudy sky. The buildings in the cities were specially built and designed to withstand the planet’s immense cold temperatures.

Zawn stood quietly by his office’s thick window and observed as the snowstorm picked up pace. What was once a gentle snowfall was now becoming a raging snowstorm.

His Chiss female assistant, Cawrnen, entered his office and said. “Ambassador.”

Zawn turned around and looked at her.

“He’s here.” said Cawrnen.

Zawn gave a nod then turned his attention to the man who was now entering his office. Cawrnen walked past the man, exited the office, and closed the door leaving the ambassador and the man alone in the office.

Zawn stared at the 48-year-old male human, who was wearing a black tunic, black pants, black gloves, and had on a black cloak with a hood that hid his face in shadow.

“It’s been a long time, Fel.” said Zawn.

Jagged Fel removed his hood revealing his manly face. Jag had blue eyes and short jet-black hair. Along his left eye was a scar. Not many knew how he got the scar, it is still somewhat of a mystery.

“I never thought I’d see this planet again.” said Jag. “I forgot just how cold it was.”

Zawn walked over, sat down at his desk, and made a gesture with his hand at the bottles of drinks that were on a nearby shelf.

“Care for a refreshment?” offered Zawn.

“No thank you.” Jag said bluntly. “I prefer we get down to the business of why you asked for me.”

“Very well.” Zawn said as Jag sat down in a seat near the desk.

Zawn leaned back in his seat and said. “Recently, I presented a proposal to the Council. The proposal was to offer the Alliance a treaty that would unite Chiss Space with Alliance territory. However… the Council declined the proposal and has refused to take it under consideration.”

Jag smirked and said. “That figures… But what does this have to do with me?”

Zawn slowly looked down. “What I’m about to ask of you… will most likely put my position as ambassador on the line.”

Jag, a look of interest on his face, leaned forward and rested his chin on his knuckle.

“I’m listening.” said Jag.

Zawn looked up at Jag and replied. “You were once a good friend of the Chiss, Jag…and a good military man. Now, all I ask of you, is to assist Chiss Space one last time.”

Jag raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his seat.

“The Council feels that a treaty with the Alliance would be illogical. I believe otherwise. Not also would it benefit the Chiss… but it would help out the Alliance as well.” said Zawn.

“So…what do you want me to do about it? I’m not a senator or some king; I’m just a retired mercenary.” replied Jag.

“Yes…but your also a good friend of the Jedi Order.”

“I know, I married a Jedi, but what does that.........heh, now I know what you want me to do.”

Jag stood up, folded his arms, and began to pace. “You want me to talk to my wife about this, so that she can persuade the Jedi Council to ask the Senate to consider a peace with the Chiss.”

“You always were quick in figuring things out.” Zawn said with a thin smile.

Jag sighed, shook his head, and said. “This is a very risky move you are taking. If the Chiss Council finds out you’re doing this, you will indeed be removed as ambassador.”

“I’m fully aware of the possible consequences. But sometimes, a risky move is the most logical move. You of all people know that.” replied Zawn.

Jag smiled thinly. “Heh, yeah.”

He walked to the office’s exit and stopped in front of it.

“I’ll tell my wife. But I can’t guarantee you that this will work.” said Jag.

“Hopefully, it will. For the future’s sake.” replied Zawn.
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There wasn’t a seat unfilled in the Jedi Conference Chamber. In remembrance of Valin Horn and Cassie Yahact, all the Jedi gathered together in the Conference Hall.

The 76-year-old Master of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker (who was dressed in black and had short gray hair with a few strands of brown), breathed out a long sigh and said to his fellow Jedi:

“After all these years; after witnessing so much death; so much tragedy…it still hurts when we lose ones we care about.”

Luke paused then continued. “Today…we have gathered here to remember two wonderful…and courageous human beings that we all had the honor…and privilege of knowing... Valin Horn had great wisdom and was always brimming with confidence. He always stride to help others and assist those who were in need of guidance…He was truly a selfless human being.”

Luke paused again. A single tear slowly slid down from his now dreary eyes. He briefly looked over at Valin's parents, Corran Horn and Mirax Horn. Corran was bent over and had his face covered with his right hand. Mirax was just weeping heavily.

Luke looked down for a few seconds then slowly turned his attention back to the rest of the Jedi. “Cassie Yahact… was a fine young apprentice in this Order… Though she made mistakes, it was her determination… and kind heart that made her shine out, not just as a great Jedi… but as a great person.”

He paused again and looked at 19-year-old Allana Solo, a good friend of Cassie and had only recently started to know Valin. She was sitting next to Cassie’s younger brother, 15-year-old Orgoth Yahact. Both of them had tears streaming down their eyes.

Luke sighed and spoke again to the Jedi. “Though, they are gone, we will never forget them… Though they have left the realm of the living, they have become immortal in the realm of the Force…In a way; they will always be with us…though we can’t see them, they will always be in our hearts…and we will never forget them.”

Luke looked around the room then slowly stepped down from the podium. As he was walking down, he looked over at his 28-year-old son, Ben Skywalker. Ben, a sad look on his face, was comforting Valin’s 32-year-old sister, Jysella, whom had recently married Ben. Sitting next to them was Valin’s wife, 43-year-old Tahiri Veila. Tahiri had her face buried in her hands as she wept.

Luke looked away and turned his gaze to the ground. He slowly shook his head and made his way over to his wife, Mara Jade. He stopped before her and she gently placed her hand on his shoulder.
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Several hours later, after the gathering in the Conference Chamber, Allana gently pressed the door bell button on the console near her master’s door. The attractive young woman had long reddish brown hair, gray eyes, and wore a somewhat revealing light blue top and a blue skirt that came down slightly above her knees.

As Allana waited for someone to come to the door, she pursed her lips and looked down at her feet. She sighed and rubbed her left arm slowly.

After about a minute, the door finally slid open. Standing before Allana was her master Ben Skywalker, who in the face looked very similar to a younger version of Luke. He had straight medium length red hair, blue eyes, and wore an olive green tunic and black pants.

Allana stared at Ben for a second.

“I, um…if it’s not a good time, I can come back later.” said Allana.

“Allana, you are always welcome into this home.” Ben replied.

Allana smiled as Ben offered her to come in. Once she entered, Ben closed the door, strolled over to the rather large living room, and sat down on the dark brown couch.

“So how’s Jysella doing?” Allana asked as she sat down in the dark brown love seat, which was only a meter away from the couch Ben was sitting on.

“The same as any person would be after losing a brother.” replied Ben.

Allana nodded slowly and asked. “Is she here?”

“Not at the moment.” Ben said, leaning back on the couch. “She went to visit Tahiri…who’s actually faring out worst.”

“Yeah, I could tell in the Conference Chamber…Tahiri, she’s… been through a lot over the years, hasn’t she?”

“Let’s just say a lot of bad things have happened in her life. She finally found some happiness and now…tragedy has taken it away from her again.”

Allana just turned her stare to the ground. She slowly shook her head and sighed.

“She didn’t deserve this…neither did Valin or Cassie.” said Allana.

“I know.” replied Ben. “But sadly…that’s how reality works sometimes: good things happen, but so do a lot of bad things.”

They both sat in silence for a minute or two until Allana broke the silence.

“Um…master?” asked Allana.

“Hmm?” asked Ben.

“I need to talk to you about something that happened earlier."

“Go right ahead.”

Allana waited a few seconds before speaking again. “Um…around thirty or forty minutes before I felt Valin and Cassie’s deaths, I felt something. Something dark.”

Ben frowned and slightly leaned forward.

“Go on.” said Ben.

“It felt like the Dark Side…only darker.”

Ben leaned back on the couch again and clasped his hands together.

“I didn’t know what to make of it,” Allana continued. “But then something else happened. I heard this voice and I believe it was through the Force.”

“Voice? What sort of voice?” Ben asked.

“It’s hard to explain, but…the voice sounded like something that belonged in a nightmare. It was like a thousand hissing voices combined into one. But what it said is what’s bothering me.”

“What did it say?”

Allana didn’t respond immediately. After a few seconds, she finally answered. “’Give us… your heart’.”

Ben frowned and didn’t say a word.

“I don’t know what it means,” said Allana. “But I have this feeling that what I felt and heard has a connection with Valin and Cassie’s deaths.”

“It’s very possible.” replied Ben. “Especially since your not the only one who felt this dark presence.”

“You mean…you felt it too!?”

“I did. And so did your father, mother, and aunt. I talked to them earlier after the memorial in the Conference Chamber. They said they felt some type of dark presence much darker than the Dark Side. They told me that they would be looking into it further. However… they nor I heard any voice.”

Allana smirked. “Great. I’m the only one hearing voices… It means it must have all been in my head.”

“No, it just means you were able to catch on to something that we couldn’t. I’ll make sure to make an arrangement so you can tell this to the Council.”

“The, the Council!?” Allana stuttered.

“Don’t tell me you’re still afraid to speak before the Council.” said Ben.

“Well…”

Ben smiled thinly. “I’ll be there so don’t worry about it.”

He then stood up and added. “In the mean time, I’m going to go make myself some much needed tea. You want any?”

Allana shook her head.

“Alright.” Ben replied. He then strolled out of the living room and into the kitchen.

Allana just sat there in silence thinking about the voice, the dark presence, and the deaths of her two fellow Jedi Knights. Deep down, she knew, without a doubt, that all three things were connected in some way. She didn’t know what the voice belonged to or what the presence was. But she was going to find out. And something told her that she was not going to like the answer.
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Chancellor Torgon Morgolith sat at his desk looking over several important datapads. Like all Twi'leks, instead of hair the 39-year-old male had two long tentacles called lekku on top of his head that ran down his back. He was much slimmer and more handsome than most male twileks. His skin was red, his eyes were gray, and he wore a dark purple shirt and pants.

Just as he finished reading through a data pad, his holopad suddenly gave a beep. He frowned and activated the holopad. A holographic image of a 37-year-old male human dressed in a military suit appeared before him.

“Admiral Hamner.” said Morgolith. “This is unexpected.”

“Sir.” Admiral Derek Hamner said with a quick bow. “I’m sorry to interrupt you during this time, but…I have some disturbing news about Pollis Massa.”

A grave look appeared on Morgolith's face. He sighed and said. “What now.”

“I don’t know how to tell you this, but…it’s gone.” said Hamner.

“Gone?”

“Yes, sir. According to our sources, Pollis Massa is gone.”

Morgolith frowned and replied in a tone that revealed his disbelief. “What do you mean it’s gone!? How can it be gone!?"

“I don’t know, sir. We looked at the location of where it’s supposed to be and it’s not there.”

Morgolith stared at the admiral for several seconds before responding. “Is there…any planetary debris that shows it was destroyed?”

“According to our sources, there is no debris. It’s as if the planet never existed. It’s just…gone.” said Hamner.

Morgolith, a worried expression on his face, leaned back in his seat.

“This is bad.” said Morgolith. “News like this will send the Senate into a state of chaos.”

“What should be done?” asked the Admiral.

“Nothing at the moment. Until the Senate and I can discuss the matter, nothing major at this point can be done. Plus we have no clue on what we’re dealing with. So what we need you and the military to do is find out anything you can about what is going on and what the hell is behind all this.”

“Yes, sir.” Admiral Hamner said with a nod.

[Puck]

CHAPTER 4: Preparations for War


It was nighttime on the lush, grass covered Radiant Garden moon, Balamb. The stars covered the sky and the only form of light was the shiny glow of the world Radiant Garden, which in the sky was only the size of a blitzball. It was the perfect night…for a final battle.

Earlier, the forces of Radiant Garden known as the Radiant Knights had engaged the Heartless army of the evil witch, Maleficent, in a massive space battle over the planet Radiant Garden. With the help of the Fantasia Force (the top military of the world Disney Castle) and the Army of Destiny (the very small military of the world Destiny Islands), they were able to force Maleficent and her army to retreat to Balamb. Now the three military forces have gathered on the moon to finish Maleficent off…once and for all.

Like all the male knights in the Radiant Knights, 16-year-old brown haired and brown-eyed Jack Russell wore elegant bronze colored body armor and a bronze helmet. Around his neck were black medium sized binoculars. It was the first time the leader of Radiant Garden, Squall Leonhart, had sent him all alone to scout for enemies. His job was simple: find out how many heartless were in Maleficent’s army of darkness and then report back to the camp.

As soon as Jack was a yard away from the hill’s edge, he gazed straight ahead beyond the hill. In the distance, he saw Maleficent’s tall and eerie looking mother ship The Anima stationed on the ground. The top half of the ship resembled a dark gray castle and the bottom half looked like a wide dark gray saucer. Surrounding The Anima were thousands of heartless forming up into separate groups. Jack’s eyes widened when he saw them.

“My goodness.” He said in a tone of disbelief.

He slowly took off his helmet, reached down, and grabbed his binoculars. He brought them up to his eyes and focused them in on the large army of heartless. He saw that the army was made up of 5,000 heartless. A hundred of them were wyvern heartless, light purple creatures that resembled winged dragons. But the majority of the army was made up of soldier heartless.

Soldier heartless were dark blue in color, had black pointy feet that resembled a jester’s shoes, wore a silver reptilian helmet, and had giant blood red claws. Embedded on their chest was a black heart shaped mark that was outlined in red. Jack looked even closer and noticed that each soldier heartless had a black mace in their right hand.

After about two minutes of observation, Jack put his binoculars away and placed his helmet back on his head. He turned around and immediately headed back to camp. After about fifteen minutes of walking and running, Jack finally made it back to the camp where dozens of blue gazebos were set up across the flat grassy area. Jack scanned the area as he strolled past a few knights and gazebos.

As soon as he passed by a couple of female knights, he suddenly heard a feminine voice say his name. “Jack?”

“Whoa!” Jack cried as he jumped and faced the direction the voice was coming from.

He looked straight ahead with his eyes widened and saw standing in a gazebo, a 16-year-old blonde haired and green-eyed girl wearing pink upper body armor and white tights. It was Jack’s good friend and comrade, Ridley Silverlake.

“Sheesh. Relax, knucklehead, it’s me.” Ridley said as she walked over to Jack.

A look of pure relief formed on Jack's face.

“Oh…hey, Ridley.” said Jack. “I thought you were a heartless.”

Ridley raised an eyebrow, placed her hands on her hips, and said. “Why would there be a heartless in a camp full of armed knights?”

“Well…you never know.”

Ridley shook her head. “Jack, they don’t even talk.”

“Hey,” Jack said as he pointed at Ridley. “Those things do a lot of strange things…who knows when they’ll get the ability to talk.”

“Probably on the same day when you learn how to stop acting like an idiot.” replied Ridley.

Jack frowned. “I do not act like an idiot…most of the time.”

“Whatever you say, gummi brain.”

Jack breathed out a sigh. “You know, Ridley, your constant insults towards me can really be annoying sometimes… And yet…”

“A part of you loves it.” She finished for him.

He looked her straight in the eye and said in a soft tone. “More like…three fourths of me loves it.”

There was a long silence between the two. Both of them seemed to be lost in each other’s eyes. Jack broke the silence by making a coughing sound in his throat.

“Anyway!” Jack said boisterously. “Do you know where uh…Squall is?”

“Uh.” responded Ridely, still looking into Jack's eyes.

She tore her eyes off of Jack’s, paused for a few seconds, and finally looked back at him.

“He’s seven gazebos away. He’s most likely discussing war plans with Mayor Musashi and King Mickey.” said Ridley.

“Cool…thanks, Rid.” said Jack.

He turned to his left, took a few steps, and stopped. He turned around and looked back at Ridley, who was still looking at him.

“Um…see you on the battlefield.” said Jack.

“Yeah…see you on the battlefield…knucklehead.” Ridley said with a smile.

Jack also smiled then turned his gaze away from Ridley. He turned around and headed down the long rows of gazeboes.
---------------------------------------------

Standing with his strong arms folded across his chest, 30-year-old Squall Leonhart looked at the large holographic map before him. The leader of the Radiant Garden system had straight medium length brown hair, blue eyes, and had a long thin scar across his face. He wore a white sleeveless shirt, black pants, and a black low-sleeved coat with white fur along the neckline. Around his neck was a silver chain with a lion shaped pendant, and strapped on behind his back was his shiny silver gunblade, a thick sword that could also shoot like a blaster.

Squall turned his attention to Mayor Musashi, the new leader of the planet Destiny Islands, and King Mickey, the heroic ruler of the colorful world Disney Castle.

“Alright… here’s the plan that I suggest.” said Squall.

He pointed at a section of land on the map that was surrounded by a horseshoe shaped mountain region.

“The Anima is located here, surrounded by the Wutai Mountains.” said Squall. “At the bottom of this U shaped region is Eegalon Hill, which splits the entry to that land in two… Now if I’m correct, there are heartless completely surrounding The Anima…in order for Riku and his team to get through and destroy The Anima’s engines and weapon systems, we need to draw out whatever number of heartless that is surrounding that ship.”

“Aw…now I see what you’re saying.” replied 33-year-old brown haired and blue eyed Musashi, who was wearing his usual dark blue sleeveless shirt and baggy beige pants. “Our armies will serve as a distraction.”

“Exactly.” replied Squall. “The Heartless will be so concerned about us that they won’t pay any attention to Riku and his team sneaking into The Anima.”

“I guess this is where Fantasia Force comes into play.” King Mickey said with a big smile.

The King was only two foot three in height, had big black beady eyes, large round black ears, and a big round pointy black nose. He wore a red shirt, black vest, red shorts, and big yellow tennis shoes.

“Yes…” Squall said with a nod. “After Riku and his team destroys The Anima’s engines and weapon systems, they will contact another small team via phone. This special team will quickly sneak near The Anima and activate a large flare that will shoot up in the sky. This flare will act as a signal for Fantasia Force. From there…it all depends on how long it will take Fantasia Force’s Squadron to launch an assault.”

Squall paused and looked at Musashi and King Mickey.

“So…who agrees with this strategy?” he asked.

“I agree with it.” said Mayor Musashi.

“So do I.” replied King Mickey. “Which means I better contact Buzz and inform him about our plan.”

Squall and Musashi each gave a nod as the little king leaped up on to the table where the holographic map was on. King Mickey looked at the circular holopad that was displaying the map and pushed one of the holopad’s buttons. The king jumped off the table and like Squall and Musashi, he stood and waited.

After about one minute, the holographic map image disappeared and an image of a heavily armored man instantly appeared. The man, who was the commander of King Mickey’s Fantasia Force, had a frown on his masculine face. His whole body minus his baldhead was covered with thick, shiny white armor that had a few traces of light green.

“Commander Lightyear.” King Mickey said as he looked up at the image.

Commander Buzz Lightyear's face brightened when he looked down at the little king.

“Your highness. I presume you and the other great rulers have come up with a good strategy.” said Buzz.

“We have…well, actually, it was mainly Squall’s idea.” said King Mickey.

He then told Buzz the whole plan. After Mickey was finished, Buzz smiled.

Buzz rubbed his chin and said. “Squall’s plan, huh? No wonder I’ve been hearing rumors of him being touted as Squall ‘The Great’. He’s a true leader and military man in every way. Kind of like you, your highness.”

“Indeed.”

Squall, a slightly annoyed expression on his face, breathed out a sigh and folded his arms.

“Well…” said Buzz. “Anyway, the plan sounds perfect. I’ll inform all the crew about it.”

“You do that, Buzz." said Mickey. "And we will-”

“I’m back, sir!!” The young man, Jack Russell, said boisterously with a big smile on his face.

King Mickey jumped with his eyes wide open. Everyone at the table including Mickey turned and looked at Jack.

Squall stared at Jack and spoke in a emotionless tone. “Russell…what news do you bring me?”

“I scouted at Eegalon Hill just as you told me, sir. And you’ll never believe how many heartless are in the army.” said Jack.

Squall kept his eyes on him and waited for him to finish.

“Approximately 4, 900 soldier heartless armed with maces and 100 heartless wyverns.”

Squall raised an eyebrow and shifted his eyes to the ground.

“That’s five thousand.” Musashi murmured.

King Mickey and Buzz’s brows crinkled as they looked at each other.

Squall looked back at Jack and said. “Alright. You did well, Russell. You may go and prepare for the coming battle.”

Jack gave a swift bow. “Yes, sir!”

Jack turned and strolled away.

Squall turned his attention back to the table and said. “That’s quite a bit. Much bigger than I expected.”

Musashi folded his arms across his chest and replied. “Squall…you only have 500 radiant knights in this camp and I only have fifty fighters in my group.”

“And my knights for some reason haven’t even shown up yet.” King Mickey said with a frown as he put his hands on his waist.

Buzz frowned and looked down at King Mickey.

“You mean, they still haven’t arrived?” asked Buzz. “How can that be? We dropped them off an hour ago near your location.”

“That maybe so, but they’re still not here… I don’t know where Goofy and those fellas are, but they sure are late.” said King Mickey.

“Maybe you should call them.” suggested Squall.

King Mickey stood blank for a second.

“Gawsh. I never thought of that.” The King then did his typical Mickey laugh and added: “I guess I forget that most of us have phones...... Excuse me for a sec, fellas.”

He walked over to the side and pulled out his little phone.

“Amazing.” said Musashi. “His knights have been missing for an hour and he never thought to call them.”

“Well…” Squall said as he scratched the back of his head. “He’s… a little slow at times.”
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King Mickey tapped his right foot on the ground as he waited for someone to answer. After about a minute of dial tone, he finally heard someone pick up.

“Uh…hello?” said the person on the phone.

Just by hearing that deep and sort of nerdy voice, King Mickey knew who it was.

“Goofy!” Mickey said with a frown.

“Your highness!!!!” Goofy shouted. “You’re alive!!!”

King Mickey raised an eyebrow as Goofy did his typical nerdy like laugh.

“Of course, I’m alive.” replied Mickey.

“But, but, we thought something terrible happened to yah. Like the Heartless gotcha or somethin.” said Goofy.

“Goofy, I’m fine, but…where are you and the knights?”

There was a long silence and Mickey could’ve sworn he heard a cricket chirping somewhere.

Goofy finally answered. “Gawrsh…I’m not sure.”

King Mickey just stood there silent and wide-eyed for a second. “What, what do you mean you’re not sure!?”

“Well…we headed north like you instructed us. But for some reason, we just can’t find yah.”

King Mickey’s left eye twitched. “Goofy…after Buzz dropped you off, you were supposed to head south… NOT NORTH!!”

There was another second of silence before Goofy responded.

“Gawrsh…I knew somethin’ was wrong here.” Goofy laughed then added. “That explains why we couldn’t find yah.”

Mickey, his eyes widened, slapped his forehead with his right hand. Suddenly, Mickey heard a loud duck voice sound through his phone in the distance. He knew automatically that it was his Royal Court Magician, Donald Duck.

“I told yah we were heading in the wrong direction, yah big palooka!!!!!” Mickey heard Donald shout.

“Uh…sorry, Donald.” Mickey heard Goofy say.

“Aww phooey!!” Mickey heard Donald reply.
------------------------------------------------

“It’s suicide.” Musashi told Squall.

“Never go by the odds especially in war.” replied Squall.

Musashi’s put his right hand down on the table and said. “What I’m going by is the fact that my fighters are about to be lead to slaughter.”

“Remember, we’re only suppose to distract the heartless army. All we have to do is hold them off long enough for Riku’s team to take down The Anima’s defenses. Destroying hordes of heartless isn’t the key to winning this battle. Destroying Maleficent and her ship is. If she’s destroyed, the Heartless will lose their focus and scatter.” said Squall.

“I know the purpose of this battle. But by the time they destroy Maleficent and The Anima’s defenses, all fifty of my best fighters could very well be dead.”

Musashi looked at the image of Buzz and asked. “Commander Lightyear, are you sure you can’t send down air support?”

“I would love to.” said Buzz. “But understand… in that last battle over Radiant Garden, this fleet suffered severe losses. I only have enough pilots in the Squadron to take down The Anima when its systems are destroyed… If I sent that Squadron down while The Anima’s weapon systems are fully operational, there would be no Squadron left.”

He paused then continued. “I would’ve called for reinforcements, but it would take hours for them to arrive.”

Musashi sighed and said. “I understand.”

He turned his attention back to Squall and asked. “What about you? Can’t you call for reinforcements?”

“We don’t have time, Musashi. We’ve already waited long enough. If we wait another hour or two for reinforcements, that gives The Anima plenty of time to power up and blast out of here.” said Squall.

Squall folded his arms and added. “We attack now. With…or without you.”

Musashi stared at him for minute then turned his gaze to the ground and shook his head.

“Squall. You and I are allies…and I will fight by your side to the end.” Musashi looked back at Squall and continued. “But even you have to admit…there is no chance that 550 troops will be able stop an army of 5,000 heartless.”

“On the contrary…there’s a high chance.” said a young man from the side.

Squall and Musashi looked to their left to see whom the voice belonged to.

Walking straight towards them with a smile was a 19-year-old male human with light brown spiky hair and sky blue eyes. He wore a navy blue sleeveless shirt, a black low sleeve vest, black shorts with red outside pockets, and black tennis shoes with yellow stripes. Around his neck was a silver chain with a silver crown shaped pendant. Covering his shoulders were silver armored plates and on his hands were black gloves with yellow stripes.

The young man was none other than the Keyblade Master Sora.

Sora stopped a few feet away from the table and said. “Five thousand…that’s only one tenth of what she used to have.”

The moment he finished his sentence someone else spoke behind him.

“Looks like three years of fighting weren’t in vain after all.” said the person with a deep manly voice.

Stepping right next to Sora was Sora’s best friend Riku. Riku had long silver hair and aqua colored eyes. The handsome 20-year-old male had slightly more muscle than his friend Sora. He wore long navy blue pants, a creamy white sleeveless vest, and black shoes. Like Sora, Riku was also a Keyblade Master.

“Listen, you two.” Musashi said to Sora and Riku. “Not everyone has a keyblade and can destroy a thousand heartless in less than ten minutes.”

“True.” said Sora. “But you do have good fighters that have the fighting spirit of a lion. Though the odds are against you…victory is not impossible.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself.” Riku said with a smile.

Musashi sighed and said in a tone of defeat. “Alright. We’ll continue on with the game plan…but I’m still uneasy about this.”

“Don’t worry, mayor.” said Riku. “No matter what the number, those little pieces of dung don’t have a prayer against the Army of Destiny.”

“Um…just a reminder to you guys.” Buzz said to Sora and Riku. “As soon as you give the signal to the flare squad, make sure you guys get out of The Anima in less than ten minutes.”

“Um…what happens if we don’t make out in ten minutes?” asked Sora.

Buzz didn’t reply until after a few seconds of silence. “Let’s just say that as soon as that flare goes off, Fantasia Squadron is going to hit that ship with every bit of fire power they can muster.”

He then added with a grin. “They’re going to make it one hell of a lightshow.”
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With a scowl on her face, the dark witch Maleficent stood before the tall window in her large and dreary throne room, which was on the highest floor of The Anima. Maleficent had pale green skin and wore a long black witch’s robe that totally covered her entire body. In her right hand was her bronze staff that had an olive green crystal sphere on top. But what made her appearance more frightening were her demonic yellow eyes and the two long black horns sticking out of her head. Because of her past cruelty and sadistic lust for destruction, she was given the nickname ‘The Mistress of All Evil’.

Maleficent heard a crashing sound in the distance and automatically knew that it was her bumbling and overweight servant, Pete.

“Um…mistress.” said Pete.

“What?” Maleficent asked in a annoyed tone.

“Since the damages on The Anima aren’t too critical, how come we aren’t, uh…leaving?” asked Pete.

“Because I’m through running.”

“Yeah, but, um…isn’t that the best way to stay alive?”

Maleficent turned around and stared daggers at Pete.

“Only to cowardly fools like you!” Maleficent spat.

“Hey. I’m not a complete… coward. Why I can be brave if I wanted to.” Pete said with a smile.

“Yeah, right.” said a sarcastic voice to the left of the throne room.

Standing against the wall with his legs crossed was Mortimer Mouse. Mortimer was only 3 feet tall and looked exactly like a brown mouse. He was currently wearing a yellow shirt and yellow pants. Long time ago, he used to be the king of the planet Disney Castle. But because of the tyranny he created, Mickey rose up against him and dethroned him. He was banished from the planet and now had an undying hatred towards King Mickey.

With arrogance in his stride, Mortimer walked towards Pete and said. “The day you get courage is the day I stop loving cheese, which ain’t going to happen.”

“Why you little…” Pete snarled as he raised his fist.

“Enough!” Maleficent shouted. “Both of you stop your squabbling! We don’t have time for this! Very soon, Sora and his friends will be arriving here to destroy this vessel.”

She turned around and added with a smile that revealed her teeth. “And they will die trying.”

She paused for a second then said. “Mortimer.”

“Yes, mistress?” Mortimer asked in a bored tone.

“Go to the lower levels and find Hook. Tell him I want to see him.”
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“You know, Madame. A man can’t finish his work if he is constantly interrupted every five minutes.” Captain Hook said with a frown at Maleficent.

Captain James Hook had a strong accent and wore an elegant red pirate outfit with a big red hat. He had long black hair and a thin black mustache on his manly face. What made him known as ‘Hook’ was that of his left hand being hand it was in fact a shiny, sharp hook.

“I have a job for you, Hook.” said Maleficent.

“What sort of job?” asked Hook.

Maleficent smiled. “Sora and that fool, Squall Leonhart, will be coming here with an army to destroy this ship… and us along with it. What I need you to do is lead the ground force.”

“What! Madame, that is preposterous. If you hadn’t noticed, I’m a first class captain… not some ruffian general of an army.”

“You will do as I say. Or I’ll send you back to Neverland. And I know there’s a certain crocodile there who would love to sink his teeth into your flesh.”

Hook’s eyes widened and his knees began to tremble.

“So when do I lead them?” Hook immediately asked.

“Very soon.” said Maleficent. She paused then continued. “And there is one thing I need you to do on the battlefield.”

“And that is?”

“I want you to engage Squall Leonhart in battle…and kill him.”

“Squall… as in ‘Leon’. Hah!”

Hook raised his hook, stared at it with a wicked look on his face, and added. “That will be simple, Madame. Killing that bilge rat will be easier than skinning a dead fish.”

[Puck]

Chapter 5: The Battle of Eegalon Hill


As soon as Sora and Riku were several meters away from the 180-foot tall Eegalon Hill, they stopped and scanned the area ahead of them. When they saw that there were no enemies in front, Riku gave Sora a quick tap on the arm then pointed to the right from Eegalon Hill.

“That’s the right entry. We’ll enter through there.” said Riku.

Sora gave a quick nod and that’s when Yuffie, a radiant knight, and two Army of Destiny fighters (17-year old blonde haired and brown eyed Zidane, and 18-year-old blonde haired and blue eyed Tidus), whom made up the flare team, came walking up behind the two Keyblade Masters.

“So when do we begin!? I can’t wait to bust some heartless heads!!” said the attractive 21-year-old black haired female ninja.

Yuffie Kisaragi had violet colored eyes, and wore very short tan shorts, a black sleeveless shirt that came down slightly above her belly button, and tall tan boots. Wrapped around her forehead was a black bandanna and around her slim waist was a utility, which held her two twelve inch long shurikens (sharp star-shaped weapons that are quite similar to boomerangs).

“Simmer down, Yuffie.” Riku said as he and Sora turned and faced her. “We can’t move out just yet. We have to wait for the right moment.”

“Ohhhh, I hate waiting.” Yuffie pouted. “Can’t we at least destroy one or two heartless before the knights show up?”

Riku rolled his eyes and breathed out a sigh.

“NO.” He replied. “We’re going to stick with the plan and wait until the armies are near Eegalon Hill. Then we make our move.”

Yuffie gave out a loud sigh, tightened her lips, and placed her hands on her hips. She then looked down at her feet.

“Don’t worry about it, Yuff.” said Sora. “Once we’re inside The Anima, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to slay some heartless.”

Yuffie’s face brightened.

“NOW that’s what I can’t wait for!” said the ninja. “Those heartless are going to rue the day that they went up against the Great Ninja Yuffie!”

Sora, a smile on his face, stared at Yuffie for a second then looked at the radiant knight standing next to Yuffie. The knight was definitely a woman because like all the female radiant knights, she wore shiny pink upper body armor and tight white tights. But this female knight, however, wore a pink helmet that had a mask section that covered her entire face. Sora could see a little bit of her long dark red hair but he just couldn’t see her face.

“Um, don’t mind if I ask but…who’s she?” asked Sora.

Even Riku, Tidus, and Zidane looked at the female knight curiously.

“Uhhhhhhh…” Yuffie replied, a look of unease on her face.

After a few seconds of silence, Yuffie finally blurted out. “Her name’s Natasha.”

Sora folded his arms while Riku raised an eyebrow.

“Natasha huh.” replied Sora. He smiled and reached out his hand. “Well, nice to meet you, Natasha.”

Natasha didn’t say a word. She just reached her hand out and shook Sora’s hand. As soon as he touched her hand, Sora got this weird feeling in his heart and gut. It was the same feeling he got whenever he touched his girlfriend. He didn’t understand why he was feeling this. All Sora knew was, that there was something strange about Natasha…and he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He shook the feeling aside and turned his gaze away from Natasha.

“It’s going to be an honor working with you.” Riku said as he shook Natasha’s hand. Natasha just gave a nod but didn’t speak.

Zidane, who was wearing light blue pants, tan boots, and a white sleeveless shirt, looked at Natasha and slightly wagged his lion like tail.

“Natasha…that’s a beautiful name.” Zidane said with a sly grin.

Natasha took a step backward and Yuffie just glared at Zidane.

“Don’t even think about it.” said Yuffie.

“Hey, I was just being polite.” said Zidane.

“Sure you were. I’ve only known you for a short time and I know that those little ‘compliments’ of yours always hint at something horny.”

Zidane smiled mischievously. “Now, now, ninja girl. No need to get jealous…you’ll always be the number one girl in my dreams.”

Yuffie’s eyes widened, her mouth opened, and her face turned red. She huffed and quickly looked away from Zidane, which caused him to snicker. She took several breaths before speaking again.

“Anyway!” Yuffie said boisterously. “Where exactly are we going to lurk as we wait for those baddies to clear out?”

“Yeah, WE especially need to know that.” said Tidus, who was wearing black shoes, black shorts, a yellow shirt, and had a shimmering blue sword strapped behind his back.

Riku looked over at the right entry near Eegalon Hill and pointed straight at it.

“See those tall rocks way in the distance?” said Riku.

Everyone looked closely in the distance and saw several tall rocks between Eegalon Hill and the Wutai Mountains.

“That’s where we’re going to hide while we wait for the Heartless to clear out.” said Riku. “Once most of them are gone, me, Sora, Yuffie, and Natasha will sneak into The Anima.”

“And Tidus and I will remain by the rocks to await your signal, right?” asked Zidane.

“Right.” replied Riku.

Just then, all six warriors heard the sound of marching feet and the soft cling of steel. They knew automatically that the Radiant Knights and the Army of Destiny had arrived and was preparing to make their stand at the left entry near Eegalon Hill. Since the army had come, it meant that it was show time.

Riku looked at all five warriors for a minute. A grin appeared on his face as he asked. “So…are guys ready for this?”

“We’re ready!” Everyone replied except Natasha, who just gave two thumbs up.

“Good.” said Riku. “Now let’s go send that witch back to the abyss!”
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Squall, a stern look on his face, marched on forward with his knights right behind him. Way to his right was Musashi and his fifty brave fighters, who were all wearing regular clothing instead of thick body armor. To Squall’s left and marching right by his side was King Mickey, who had his keyblade gripped in his right hand. King Mickey was also a Keyblade Master. His keyblade looked exactly like a key only the blade portion was gold and the handle was white.

As soon as they were right in front of the entry, which was the path between Eegalon Hill and the Wutai Mountains, Squall raised his hand and everyone came to a stop. Squall turned around and looked at his knights, who were splitting into two giant units and lining up. He saw that some of the knights like Jack and Ridley had glares on their faces while some were breathing rapidly or slightly trembling.

“Listen to me, my fellow knights.” said Squall.

All the knights turned their attention to their leader and listened.

“I know…that the odds are against us…and that some of us may not live through this day…But all I ask of you, my fellow knights.” Squall said.

His voice rose when he added. “Is do not let fear conquer you!! That is what the Heartless want…what that witch wants!! They want fear to overthrow you!! To cloud your judgment, so that if death takes you it will be without meaning or honor!!! My fellow knights…the time has come to step up against fear!!! To rid yourselves of it and to let these minions of darkness know, that if they’re going to take our lives it’s not going to be because fear brought us down!!!! But because WE fought to the last breath!!!”

Squall raised his gunblade in the air and in turn made all the knights draw their weapons.

“My fellow knights!!!! Citizens of Radiant Garden!!!!! If the end is truly upon us!!!! Then let us give these creatures hell before the end comes!!!!!!” shouted Squall.

All the knights and even King Mickey raised their weapons in the air and cheered.

Musashi smiled thinly at Squall and nodded slowly.

“He truly is Squall ‘The Great’.” Musashi whispered to himself.

He turned around and looked at his fighters, who had their weapons drawn. His two best, 25 year old Angelo and 20-year-old Hero, glared straight at the entry.

Musashi pulled out his shiny masamune blade and said to his fighters. “You know me…you know what I’m expecting from you…we’re here to aid our allies to the end…so let’s go and teach these sons of jackals a lesson they’ll never forget!”

Musashi raised his blade and shouted. “TILL DEATH!!!!!!!”

“TILL DEATH!!!!” cried all his fighters.

Musashi smiled, turned around, and prepared for the coming conflict.

Squall stared at the entry, then looked back at his knights and ordered. “Snipers!!”

As soon as he said that, fifteen knights equipped with sniper rifles came forth out of a unit and marched past Squall. They marched all the way through the entry and stopped when they saw the giant heartless army in the distance. The fifteen snipers aimed their sniper rifles at a group of soldier heartless way in the distance. They took several deep breaths and fired.

Nine snipers were successful in blasting nine soldier heartless in the chest. The other snipers weren’t as lucky. Their bullets bounced off the helmets of the soldier heartless. But nevertheless, they got the job done. The heartless army was now alerted and began marching towards the entry. The fifteen snipers immediately retreated back to Squall and the army and got back into their position.

Squall glared at the entry waiting for the massive army to appear. He along with everyone could hear the marching of the soldier heartless and the cling of their maces. Squall, Musashi, and even King Mickey took a deep breath as they heard the footsteps of 4,991 soldier heartless grow louder.

After ten minutes, they finally saw the wide frontline of the Heartless army slowly marching to them. Way up in the sky, they spotted the hundred wyvern heartless gliding and circling the whole area. Two of the wyverns for some reason retreated back to The Anima.

Every knight and fighter glared at the frontline of soldier heartless. Squall, Musashi, and King Mickey suddenly saw in the center of the frontline a man dressed in red and had a rapier gripped in his right hand. Judging from the hook that acted as the man’s left hand, the three leaders automatically knew whom it was.

“Captain Hook.” Musashi said in a dark tone.

Hook frowned and pointed his rapier at the knights and fighters.

“Since I’m merciful unlike the Heartless, I’m going give you bilge rats a fare choice: surrender your hearts to the Heartless…or…” Hook lifted his hook, smiled a smile showing all his teeth, and added. “We’ll take them by force!”

Squall frowned at Hook and replied. “You know our answer…if you want our souls, you’re going have to come and TRY to claim them…because we’re not backing down. Not to you! Or those little filths!”

“That’s right!” Musashi and King Mickey said at once.

All the knights and fighters shouted and gripped their weapons even tighter. Hook gritted his teeth.

“Very well.” said Hook. He raised his rapier then swiftly swiped it through the air and shouted to the soldier heartless. “Attack!!!”

The massive frontline of soldier heartless immediately charged relentlessly at the knights and fighters. Neither the Radiant Knights or the Army of Destiny moved. They just gripped their weapons tightly and prepared to strike the charging heartless.

When the army of soldier heartless got closer, Squall was the first to attack. Four soldier heartless attempted to attack Squall but he swung his gunblade and destroyed each one with a few quick swings. Squall wasted no time and immediately began attacking more soldier heartless as they continued to flood in.

Musashi, King Mickey, and the entire army ferociously swung their blades at the hundreds of charging soldier heartless. Musashi gritted his teeth as he parried three strong mace attacks. He then delivered series of quick swings and slices from his sword that destroyed five soldier heartless. Several of his fighters joined his side and they all swung away at 20 incoming soldier heartless, who parried some of their attacks.

King Mickey frowned as he flipped, dodged, and ran across the battlefield all the while swinging his golden keyblade at lightning speed. Ten soldier heartless charged him and swung their maces. No matter how many times they tried to hit him, King Mickey dodged all their attempts by either running around or flipping over their heads. He leaped, flipped at the ten soldier heartless, and with several quick slices from his keyblade, all ten heartless were destroyed.

Both armies were viciously swinging their weapons away at each other and parried some of each other’s blows. Everywhere in the area between Eegalon Hill and the Wutai Mountains, there were soldier heartless being sliced by radiant knights or destiny fighters, and radiant knights or destiny fighters being pounded to death by soldier heartless.

Squall parried a strong blow from a mace then swung his blade across the soldier heartless’s chest and the soldier heartless instantly evaporated. He destroyed two more soldier heartless with