The question is not how far. The question is, do you possess the constitution—the depth of faith—to go as far as is needed?
—The Duke, The Boondock Saints
Lightning and Fire is the thirty-fourth installement in the Untitled New Sith Wars series. Sith and Jedi are set on a collision course as the renegade Jedi Master Argus Z'dar continues his crusade to demolish the New Sith Empire by any means necessary.
Opening Crawl[]
Excerpt[]
Source: Lightning and Fire | Attribution: Sakaros |
Phront returned to the viewport, but as he immersed himself in a contemplative moment, he found his thick, three-fingered hands dropping from their folded position over his trunk and onto the lightsaber hilts on his hips. It was an instinct born of a lifetime of battle—a reflex that preserved life by bypassing thought. He did not draw the blades, but turned and commanded, "Sensor sweep." The Judicials were too disciplined to question the order, but after a moment, Goji's vigilance slacked and he shook his head. "Nothing, sir—not in the entire system." "The tactical team is on standby?" "Yes sir." It was routine procedure for any expected delivery. "Shall I order them to the hangar bay?" Phront took one hand off a lightsaber to bring his comlink to his wide, leathery lips. "Vaedin?" "Yes, Master?" "Have you ID scanned the delivery personnel?" "We verified the delivery itself, Master, not the crew." Complacency… "Check them now." Phront kept the comlink in hand, but drifted to the bank of terminals attended by the Judicials. Taina was one step ahead of him, and Phront peered over her shoulder at the view of the hangar bay on the screen. Armored Judicials moved down the line, scanning IDs. Though there was no accompanying audio, Phront sensed the change at the same moment Vaedin whipped around and yelled something. When the Judicials turned to follow her gaze, several of the newly-arrived delivery crew drew blasters and began firing, while a knife-thin woman among them drew a lightsaber; caught by surprise, Vaedin nearly died on the first stroke alone. |
Segments[]
Appearances[]
Characters | Creatures | Droid models | Events | Locations |
Organizations and titles | Sentient species | Vehicles and vessels | Weapons and technology | Miscellanea |
Characters
Dramatis personae
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Other characters
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Creatures
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Droid models
Events
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Locations
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Organizations and titles
Sentient species
Vehicles and vessels
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Weapons and technology
Miscellanea
Plot Summary[]
A Deep Core prison for Sith Lords and Dark Jedi, wardened by Jedi Master Phront Gurf, comes under attack by the New Sith Empire. Former Jedi Master Argus Z'dar arrives to assist, but determining the situation to be out of control and at too great a risk of Imperial triumph (which would result in the release of many high-level Sith prisoners), he reluctantly destroys the prison with a nuclear missile instead, killing everyone aboard both the prison and the Imperial cruiser.
Having received reports of the bombing, the Republic Supreme Chancellor orders Tirien Kal-Di and Narasi Rican to hunt down the bomb makers, while Darth Hokhtan charges Darth Alecto to assassinate Z'dar. Tirien and Narasi journey to Kwenn Space Station in search of information broker Sorin Ruy'the, where they ally with fellow Jedi Casparin Borador, Tirien's "cousin"—their masters were trained by the same Jedi. Tirien, Narasi, and Casparin successfully break prisoners out of a transport bound for the spice mines of Kessel, one of whom pledges to arrange a meeting with Sorin. Alecto, unaware of Tirien's presence, arrives at Kwenn half a rotation after he leaves, taking command of a heavy-handed Imperial operation on the system but infuriated that her own chances for stealthy action have been lost.
Tirien and Narasi journey to Nal Hutta, where they gain an audience with the Hutt Ruling Council, seeking permission to interview Runganna, the Hutt who tried to auction a nuclear bomb on Circumtore years earlier. Meanwhile, at the current Breld Syndicate base on Tenara, a Verpine mechanic shoots supervisor Selmatri Furne, attempting to cover the escape of his partner, who wishes to defect to the Republic. Furne survives the assassination attempt, and his partner, Darqyren Valt, sets a bounty on the escaped Verpine, Qerriz. Tirien and Narasi get their interview with Runganna, who points them in Valt's direction.
Alecto's disciples, Dolre Thyle and Crile Craetor, hear of the bounty, while Tirien and Narasi receive the same information from Republic Intelligence. Both parties wind up on Bogg 14, where Qerriz has taken refuge. Tirien and Narasi attempt to exfiltrate Qerriz, but are waylaid by a duel between a Jedi Knight and one of Z'dar's Crusaders. Alecto finds Qerriz's hideout, but only after Qerriz himself has been killed by mercenaries. Tirien and Alecto cross paths, but agree not to fight, as Tirien believes Z'dar is on his way and might sanitize the city rather than allow Qerriz's information to exist. The Crusader arrives as the Second Chance reaches orbit; Tirien pleads with Z'dar not to destroy the city but, believing the information must be suppressed so his mission can continue, Z'dar uses several nuclear missiles to destroy not only one city, but the entire moon, leaving Tirien and Narasi traumatized.
Alecto's disciple Zeff Rogu successfully feigns defection to the Crusaders and transmits their location to Alecto. At his meeting with Sorin, Tirien receives the Breld Syndicate's location on Tenara, but leaves Kenza Rowkwani to command the mission when he also receives a tip about the Crusader base: the ruins of Malachor V. The Crusaders, anticipating Zeff's betrayal, are prepared and capture Alecto, but Alecto herself brought along her Anzat disciple Voshkis for exactly that reason; he sneaks out of the Scourge and sets about rescuing his master. When Tirien and Narasi reach the Malachor, they successfully persuade Vol Aldauk to leave Z'dar; Tirien sends Narasi to free the imprisoned Crusaders, then sets off to confront Jylo Naki, who is torturing Alecto.
Narasi defeats Yan Razam in a duel and frees the "true Crusaders", including Farwel Jodurk and Trizane Caprioana. Tirien, unwilling to let Jylo mutilate or execute Alecto, frees her and overpowers Jylo; Alecto mortally wounds him in cold blood. Both realizing Z'dar's skills are beyond their own, Tirien and Alecto agree to a one-day truce, to which Narasi and the Crusaders concede begrudgingly. Tirien sends Narasi and the Crusaders to retake the Crusader itself while he and Alecto go to confront Z'dar and Voshkis rescues Zeff.
The Crusaders rally enough support to capture the flagship. Tirien and Alecto duel Z'dar and Jedi Knights C'niki Fereenil and D'Natragan; initially struggling, the two unite in a Force bond which enables them to kill D'Natragan and C'niki. Z'dar, horrified at the development, attempts to break apart their connection, but fails, and the allied Sith and Jedi kill him.
The "true Crusaders" use the last remaining nuclear missiles to destroy the Malachor Base and vow to reset their faction on the principles Shadeez followed. Both Darth Hokhtan and Supreme Chancellor Thini are ambivalent about the temporary alliance between Tirien and Alecto; while Narasi commits herself to training in case Aldayr Nikodon, like Z'dar, is beyond redemption, both Alecto and Tirien struggle with lingering conflict over their brief but powerful bond.
Behind the Scenes[]
Sakaros initially considered having what ultimately became Lightning and Fire be two installments (the first, tentatively titled Rubble or Fallout, ending at the destruction of Bogg 14, and Lightning and Fire picking up from there), but found the division artificial and merged the two into a single narrative.
Phront Gurf's observations about the view of the Deep Core were inspired by this image.
Shout-outs include:
- Narasi's second CQCT qualification test (a dark series of corridors alternating between flat red and strobing white lights, with dark patches) was inspired by the stalking scene aboard the Bothan-5 in the sixth episode of The Mandalorian.
- To A New Hope
- Tirien and Narasi's exchange about the Force obeying a Jedi's commands and controlling his actions reverses dialogue between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker.
- A second A New Hope nod at Kwenn Space Station: the Second Chance is assigned Docking Bay 94, the same bay the Millennium Falcon was assigned in Mos Eisley.
- Ells's formal designation, LL-2187, was chosen for Leia's cell on the Death Star.
- Crile Craetor's spacer outfit on Feriae Junction—open-collared shirt, black vest, pants, knee-high boots, and a blaster on his thigh—is cosplaying Han Solo's attire from A New Hope.
- Narasi's narration during the destruction of Bogg 14 ("Every voice raised in terror cried out to her for help she was powerless to provide, and when each was suddenly silenced, that horrible vacuum ripped a piece of her away every time.") echoes Obi-Wan Kenobi's description of the destruction of Alderaan.
- Z'dar describes Bogg 14 as "a hive of scum and villainy".
- Commander Haibrani is wearing Leia-style "space buns".
- Alecto observes (about Narasi), "She doesn't like me at all", to which Tirien replies, "I don't like you either."
- Tirien thinks that the Coronet's Jewel's hypermatter annihilator is "insignificant next to the power of the Force", the same comparison Darth Vader had for the Death Star to Admiral Motti.
- One of the proposed tourist sites on Lisal is Winter Island, named for a side quest location in Final Fantasy VIII.
- The almost-open-air chamber in the engineering level of Kwenn Space Station, where Narasi practices saber technique, was inspired by the inexplicably open-air deck of Glavis wherein Din Djarin reunited with his fellow Mandalorians in Chapter 5 of The Book of Boba Fett.
- One of the Second Chance's aliases is the Rift Ally, named for the Legendary Rift Alliance.
- Ivalo Cerwyn's observation that "Somebody always has to guard the guards" is a reference to Juvenal's famous quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
- Tirien's charge that Runganna "reneged on a bargain once struck" echoes dialogue between Calypso and Hector Barbossa in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.
- The Drifter's Boardwalk cantina was named for "Under the Boardwalk" by the Drifters.
- Zeff tells Jylo, "You'll find I'm full of surprises," a line Luke Skywalker delivered to Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back.
- Tirien pleading with Z'dar not to destroy Bogg 14 is an intentional inversion of the dialogue between Abraham and God in Genesis 18, wherein Abraham intercedes on behalf of Sodom. Where God vows to spare the city for increasingly low numbers of innocents among its people, Z'dar refuses to spare Bogg 14 even for progressively higher numbers of innocents.
- Kenza and Tirien's exchange in preparation for the assault on Tenara, wherein Kenza plans to "kick[] everybody's asses" and then, at Tirien's correction, revises to "capture[] everybody's asses", was inspired by a similar exchange in the third act of Spider-Man: No Way Home.
- Dahn Kee shouting his own name during the Rocky Roll Call is a shout-out to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
- The final duel is set in the war room as a stealth reference to Doctor Strangelove.
- Tirien's contemptuous "You're so full of shit" to Z'dar is taken verbatim from Wolverine's similarly disgusted reply to Magneto in X-Men.
- Z'dar's belief that Sith see everyone in the galaxy as either asset or threat stems from Count Dooku having the same belief in the Revenge of the Sith novelization.
- Tirien's observation about the falling seeds bringing forth new life in the Agamarian forest comes from John 12:24.
The hosteles sentientae omnum designation parallels the status of hostis humani generis, which is also traditionally applied to slavers and pirates.
Narasi's SMECS is based on the five paragraph order, though it reverses command and sustainment. Her actual mnemonic ("Sergeant Major Eats Christophsian Sugar") is based on a real-world U.S. Army mnemonic Sakaros learned from a fellow officer ("Sergeant Major Eats Sugar Cookies").
Narasi's struggles with Ionize were inspired by a conversation with MPK, who wondered why more Jedi did not use the power to simply disable droids. Sakaros decided some Jedi have a knack for it (Tirien because he is very strong in the Force, Casparin because of her general mechanical aptitude), but it requires a mindset to which many Jedi do not come naturally.
Writing the relevant scene two weeks after the 94th Academy Awards, Sakaros borrowed Will Smith's warning to Chris Rock to "Keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth" after slapping him, adapted the line, and gave it to Jylo Naki (about Rhosa Xei).
Lightning and Fire tied for Best Fan Fiction (with Ataru's Shadow Play) in the Eighteenth Wiki Awards.