The world of Lothal was quiet under the cover of twilight, its rolling hills and sprawling grasslands illuminated by the faint glow of its two moons. Anderous stood at the edge of a cliff, gazing out at the horizon, the weight of his conquests bearing down on him. Lothal had been a recent addition to his growing territory, yet tonight, something felt different.
A presence in the Force, faint at first, then unmistakable.
"She's here," Anderous murmured to himself, his crimson lightsaber hilt clipped securely at his side.
He turned toward the approaching disturbance, his senses sharpening. Within moments, Eva Taen appeared. The Jedi Knight emerged from the shadows of the surrounding forest, her golden blade igniting with a hum that echoed across the plains.
"Anderous," Eva called out, her voice steady yet tinged with determination. "You've gone far enough. The galaxy won't bow to your twisted vision of order."
Anderous smirked, unclipping his sabers and igniting both. The red blade glowed menacingly in his right hand, while the greenish-blue blade in his left shone with a light that seemed almost ironic against his Sith garb.
"Eva Taen," he said, his voice calm but laced with intrigue. "The Jedi Council finally sent their golden knight to stop me. Tell me, do you truly believe their dogma, or are you simply their obedient tool?"
Eva's grip tightened on her hilt. "The Jedi stand for peace, for justice. Your conquests have brought neither."
"Peace?" Anderous retorted, his tone growing colder. "The Jedi left my master to die in the name of their so-called peace. Justice? Tell me, where was justice when the Council chose politics over lives?"
Before Eva could reply, Anderous surged forward, his blades clashing against hers in a dazzling display of light and sound. The duel began.
The battle was fierce. Anderous fought with the precision and ferocity of a Sith, his dual blades weaving a relentless assault. Eva, however, was no ordinary opponent. She parried his strikes with skill and countered with swift, calculated movements that showcased her Jedi training.
"You're strong," Eva admitted between strikes, her voice strained but steady. "Stronger than I expected. But strength alone won't save you."
"And what will?" Anderous asked, deflecting a powerful swing and forcing her back. "The Jedi Code? Your blind faith in an Order that sacrifices its own?"
Eva hesitated for a moment, and Anderous seized the opportunity. With a surge of the Force, he pushed her backward, sending her skidding across the grassy terrain. She recovered quickly, flipping to her feet, but the brief pause had planted a seed of doubt.
"You're conflicted," Anderous said, his voice softening just enough to be unsettling. "You've felt it, haven't you? The cracks in their perfect ideology. The hypocrisy of their peace."
Eva's jaw tightened. "Enough. You've fallen too far into darkness to understand the Light."
The duel resumed, their blades meeting in an explosion of sparks and energy. This time, however, there was something different about Eva's movements. She fought with purpose but also hesitation, as if his words were beginning to chip away at her resolve.
After what felt like hours, both combatants stood at a stalemate, their breathing heavy, their sabers humming in the silence. Anderous lowered his weapons slightly, a gesture of truce that caught Eva off guard.
"You came here to stop me," Anderous said, his voice quieter now. "But instead, you've listened. Somewhere within you, there's doubt. Admit it."
Eva's golden blade remained ignited, but her stance faltered. "I came here to do what's right," she said, though the conviction in her voice had softened.
"And what if what's right isn't what the Jedi taught you?" Anderous asked, stepping closer. His words hung in the air like a challenge, daring her to confront the questions she had buried deep within.
Eva didn't answer. Instead, she deactivated her lightsaber, her expression a mixture of frustration and curiosity. "This isn't over," she said finally, retreating into the shadows. "You'll face justice for what you've done."
As Anderous watched her leave, he felt a strange pull in the Force, something he hadn't experienced in years. For the first time since turning to the Dark Side, he found himself questioning his path, not because of the Jedi Code but because of her.
That night, Anderous stood alone on the cliff once more, his dual sabers resting in his hands. The encounter with Eva had left him unsettled. She was unlike the other Jedi he had faced, relentless in her pursuit of justice yet not blinded by dogma.
"She'll be back," he muttered to himself, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Unbeknownst to him, Eva felt the same pull as she returned to her ship. The Sith Lord she had been tasked with defeating was not the monster she had envisioned. There was something more to Anderous, something that defied everything she had been taught.
Their paths were now intertwined, and the galaxy would never be the same.