Star Wars: Episode I: The Anarchism of the Jedi

"He...umm...." I stammered. How much should I tell him? Was there a risk of being reprimanded? He only looked at me waiting ever so patiently. I came to the conclusion that honesty was the best policy.

"He was like my brother. We grew up together. He and his family took care of me since I had no parents. We did everything together. We even practiced the use of the force together." I stopped to see his reaction to this, but he didn't move. I continued, "I was better at controlling it than he was, but not by a huge margin. I helped him the best I could. We were racing one day and I thought that then was the time to show him what I had found a few days before. I showed him the lightsabers. I let him have the Cyan one. It didn't fit to my hands."

I caressed the lightsaber at my side, the one I had had for many years. Vincere nodded for my continuance.

"Once I gave him the lightsaber, Imperial stormtroopers showed up and well... They won. We were separated that day and I haven't seen him since. I've only felt slight disturbances in the Force."

He sighed.

 

I leaned with my back against my door. I could hear Meer making his smart aleck comments and Ozean snapping back at him. I groaned, my hands on the lightsabers on my lap. All I could see were the lightsabers raised at Meer, at my precious boy. Something he had caused on his own.

“I’ll expect to see him, and you two as well, in two weeks time.”

And he would have to come back with us the next time we met the Emperor again. I angrily hit the door, and raised myself up, the lightsabers in my hand. The door slid open, my children quickly stood in front of me, grins on their face.

“Do we get to use them?” asked Ozean quickly, enthusiasm in her voice. My eyes were dark as I looked past her, stopping my gaze at Meer. He looked at me with his little grin that for once didn’t warm my heart.

“Meer.” I said, grabbing his shoulder and squeezing hard, “You know what I’ve taught you. You’re not a child anymore.” I snapped, the anger and concern colliding in a mess of emotion. He recoiled back, sitting in his seat.

“I’m sorry mother.” He mumbled, looking down at his feet. I went to my knees, dropping the sabers to the ground, and placing his hands in mine.

“You can’t do that!” I yelled, my voice full of helplessness, “You have to keep back that attitude, you have to respect him Meer!” His eyes reached mine but quickly withdrew.

“I know.”

“Obviously you don’t.” I snapped, recollecting myself and moving from him, sitting on the floor, “You won’t be learning to use that lightsaber until you learn to control yourself. Ozean and I will start training once we land on Geonosis. You will research Hoth and find out where those Jedi are, and you will do any mindless task that Danner asks of you.”

He looked at me, his eyes full of anger and stormed from his chair. He fled into his room, quickly turning back at me.

“I hate you too mother.” He snapped, the door sliding closed in front of him. I listened as he yelled and threw his tantrum behind the door. I winced at the sound of breaking glass.

I sighed, and gently slid the oldest of the lightsabers into my hand. The metal handle was dull, and scratched in many places. Dust covered most of its surface. I stood up, holding the saber away from me. Ozean stood back, watching me with round eyes as I pressed the button. A bright purple blade came out. I gently swung it, the power of the blade feeling good in my hands. I quickly pressed the button again, closing it.

“It’s so pretty.” She mumbled, grabbing one from the ground. She held it in front of her and pressed its button. Swiftly out came a bright yellow-green colored blade. She smiled and swung it around a few times. Her eyes glimmered as she quickly closed it, gently embracing the metal handle.

“I like this one.” She said, sliding it in her belt, “I’ll keep this one.”

I smiled and slid the old saber into my belt. It loaded my all ready full belt down.

“So that means I get that one?” I heard Meer’s voice say. I turned around and he motioned for the lightsaber on the ground.

“Do you think I was lying?” I said, as I bent over grabbing the lightsaber from the ground and placing it in my belt, “When I gave you the punishment.”

“Yes, actually.” He snapped at me.

I could feel the anger build up in me, but I let it go.

“I wasn’t. You’ll deal with the consequences of your actions and you will learn to hold your tongue. When we get back to the Emperor, if you don’t hold your tongue, it will mean more then just not being able to use the lightsaber. It will mean your life or your limbs.” I said, my voice level. I walked off, and let my words stew in his brain. I hoped they would sink in. I really did.

 

I sighed. This would be difficult for her. She wouldn't be able to complete this mission, I knew it. I looked up, and grinned. This would judge her true loyalty.

"He's on Coruscant." I said in a whisper. "Destroy him."

Her eyes widened, unsure how to answer. I looked at her; she looked away.

"I want his lightsaber. This cyan one you speak of. Retrieve it and any other he has."

She whimpered under her breathe. She wasn't sure what to do.

"Dismissed."

She stood and walked away, without another word, without bowing, without another glance. I merely smiled.

I turned around in the chair and looked out into the not-so-empty space.

This would be entertaining.

 

I didn't want to believe that my master would do this to me. I didn't want to believe that he could be that heartless. I didn't want to believe that I was just another pawn in his game.

But the truth was there staring me in the face, with merely a grin.

I left his study without another word or backward glance. F*ck showing him any respect after such a request. I strode to my ship quickly, force pushing two guards roughly out of my way as I went. The door to my ship slid open and I passed through, nearly knocking over Zzyzx as I entered. He looked at me with startled eyes and followed me to the cockpit.

"Is everything okay?" He asked as I sat down at the console. I just stared at the buttons, not really remembering what all of them did. That one took us into hyperspace. ...No, that one turned on the engine. ....Or maybe it did nothing at all but sit there and look pretty, like the Dark Lord did. In all honesty, what did he really do for the galaxy? What had he really, truly accomplished during his reign?

"Sylvana?" Zzyzx said, reaching out a hand to touch my shoulder, but refraining.

I lost it. I broke down completely. After all my training... After everything I did to become a Sith... I cried. Cried like a little girl. Tears gushed from my eyes as I leaned over on the console letting the waterfall of sorrow pour itself out. All my frustrations, all my anger, all my hate seemed to explode in one definite action, one that seemed below me, almost childish. I felt the sadness roll over me, making my shoulders shudder in defiance. Zzyzx looked on helplessly, unsure of what to do.

It felt like an hour. Maybe it was only a few minutes... I don't know... I don't even remember leaving the personal shuttle... But the next thing I knew I was flying towards Coruscant...

But Coruscant was so big... How could I find him on a planet with so many people? ...And I hadn't felt his prescence in so long...

This truly was an impossible mission.

 

Sinex walked onto the master's personal shuttle. Sinex just smiled inside his mind.
He feared nothing and he was proud of himself to proud of himself.
He could feel the Master's aprehension and frustration. It made Sinex proud that he could actually live in these situations.
These were only thoughts that went through his mind when the liquid rushed through his mind.
They weren't happy feelings.
He was remembering something from when he was younger. He hated memories. He would have to cute that liquid off.
"You need something Master," he said his mind turning back normal calm, dark, and nightmarish.
Just the way he liked. And then he laughed at himself in his mind. How silly had he been?
Oh, how silly.

 

He was fearless. I respected that. I could feel his mind float back into a memory. I looked him in the eyes. He met them for a moment before looking away. He had other things to think about, I supposed. It was better he held the respect still needed. I wouldn’t have to teach him any lessons.

I looked down at my screen on my study and smiled.

“You’re needed on Kashyyyk. The wookiees are causing an uprise against the Empire. There are NOCIS forces there right now.” I looked at him before turning my seat away from him.

“Have fun.”

 

"Yes, Master," Sinex said with a slight bow of the head.
Sinex walked off getting ready to do what he does best. He breathed in deeply not out of fear or any other emotional reaction. But more as if baring his grounds.
He wanted to make sure that everyone knew that he wouldn't take much crap from anyone.

 

I walked into the High Council room with TC on my back and R-7 close behind me, looking around at ten empty chairs. It took me a moment to circle the room, finally seeing the Grand Master, Geovanna Galactica and the fifth in command, Balnarco Frav. They both welcomed me with gentle smiles, though in their eyes, I could feel despair. After setting TC down besides the door and lifting a hand to halt R-7, I walked to the center of the room and bowed.

“Young Jedi,” Master Frav said in a sweet, old voice, “please stand fully erect. You are amongst friends.”

“Yes, Master,” I said, standing to full height and stared at them with full eyes.

I knew much of Master Frav’s past. A week after the Empire had come to Naboo, Frav and a team of Jedi had come to Naboo to help defend my planet. Imperial troops had killed my father and grandparents. I had been left with nothing but TC, who took care of me and healed the wounds that I had gotten from the stormtroopers in the fields. I could remember a time when he would worry about not being a medical droid. I owed TC a lot.

Master Frav had found me in my destroyed house, gripping my lightsaber, whispering nonsense to myself. I knew he knew what I had been saying, but he never told anyone. He trained me to be his Padawan. He would joke that I was his last, considering he had trained thirty or more Padawans before me. After completing the trials, he did retire from training direct Padawans. I had been his last. His tall, thin figure was hunched slightly due to age and deep blue eyes looked as strong and bright as ever, though the rinkles around his face were deeper than the last I had seen him and his white, long beard was becoming a duller aged color.

Grand Master Geovanna, however, was the mystery of the universe. She had been found on one of the moons of Yaven only a few years ago, only eleven years of age right now. Her powers were beyond that of any had seen. She was the one reason Vincere refused to come to Coruscant. I knew she didn’t enter battle, but she carried a cyan colored lightsaber much line mine, only shorter. She had become the Grand Master at the age of seven, after bringing together a new tactic for the war that the old Emperor had started and Darth Vincere had continued, and after proving her ultimate wisdom of the universe to the Council. She bested each and every one in sparing matches, though she was, as I said, never on the battle field. It was rumored by many that she was given the name she has not, because she never had one before. I didn’t know for certain.

“The Jedi from Taris,” I started, “Have they arrived?”

Master Frav looked down, shaking his head. “None have returned yet, and I’m afraid we may have lost Master Uta Von and Master B’rr.”

My eyes went wide, “What?!”

The Grand Master spoke from her seat. “It is true. Master Uta Von had been slain after protecting two younglings, and Master B’rr had been gunned down just moments ago. I felt his pain, I felt his signature disappear.”

“But…” I couldn’t finish the sentence. “Where are the rest of the Council?”

“They are going to collect the Padawan’s when they land.” Master Frav responded.

“I…”

“It is not your fault,” the young girl said silently, “Please do not fall into that deception. You did nothing wrong, and tried your hardest.”

I stayed looking at her.

“Now, Aaron,” she said, looking up at me with powerful green eyes, “I need you to retrieve something for me.”

“There are speculation that the Master Control Ship of the NOCIS has extensive plans of Darth Vincere’s personal shuttle, coordinates, and the possibility of his next plans. We do not know where they are located. We would like you to find the location of NOCIS and retrieve the data. You are a very skilled warrior, and I know how great you have become in your stealth missions.”

I nodded.

Master Frav smiled. “I recommended you, my old Padawan.”

I smiled.

“If you can do this for us, we would like to reward you with a position in the council after this war.” The Grand Master said, keeping her tone all the same and disregarding Frav’s last statement. “Darth Vincere must be stopped. He’s a master of organization, impetus, and deception, as well as power beyond any of the Sith. We need to stop him before he destroys the Republic.”

I bowed gently.

“May the Force be with you,” Master Frav said aloud. With that, I left.

I grabbed TC and motioned for R-7 to follow. I would repair TC when I could, but right now, I needed to find two things out.

One: find out where NOCIS was located.

Two: A ride off the planet.

 

They came one by one during what passed for night on the Destroyer. The ship’s internal lights were already reconfiguring to replicate the day and night patterns of Hapes, their next destination. They all knew the sudden shift in the light cycles would put most of their fellow stormtroopers off. So one at a time, each of the five made their way towards the loading dock. A few droids milled around attending to some routine ship maintenance, none noticed or cared as they gathered behind several large crates.

“Now everyone whisper,” said the first trooper.

The second cocked his head. “Well thanks, and here I was about to plug into the coms system so everyone could hear your wisdom.”

A third trooper hushed them both. “We don’t have much time. So what do we do?”

The other two remained silent. All five of them began to rub the spots on their armor where a bloody thumbprint once was.

“If we kept it, Stleen would have killed us. If The Bloodied One is all we thought, he might do much worse.”

“What can be worse than slowly being exposed to a vacuum?”

The fourth trooper jerked his thumb up towards the catwalk. “Whatever he can think up.”

They all turned upwards towards the chained figure. Thick tarnished chains held his arms behind his back. Water still dripped from his burlap robes. Two thick screws held a piece of scrap metal over the figure’s eyes. All five of the troopers shook as a chill ran down their spine.

“So what do we do?” asked one of them. They all looked at each other and then to C’Tzr.

Finally, the first smiled. “I have an idea.”

The cranial droids were still pumping hundreds of images into C’Tzr’s mind. The sedative that fool Stleen pumped into him were quickly loosing the battle against his own adrenaline and the stimulant dispensers connected to the implants.

“Stleen,” said C’Tzr. LT Stleen’s face danced before C’Tzr’s head. Stleen’s smiling, arrogant, weak willed face. The Sith’s hate rose. The images began to twist and reshape themselves until they all featured the Lt’s desicrated body. C’Tzr smiled. “The faces.”
Through the metal plate C’Tzr would begin to see the faintest outline of the psychic gargoyles that heralded the force.
“I need blood!” he said. His voice echoed through the docking bay and scattering the five storm troopers; each one terrified that the Sith would decide to take theirs. The blood would bring the faces to him. A smile crept across the knight’s face. The Bloodied One would return.

 

Coruscant

There were millions of people on Coruscant. Millions of different species crowded together to make one big moving blob that was the population. The air was thick with life. I hated huge cities. There was no room to breathe. I missed Naboo... The open fileds... The clean air... I sighed in despair.

I landed my ship at a local docking bay. As I stepped off of my ship, a docking bay employee walked over.

"Oye! It's 200 credits to dock your ship 'ere!" I merely grinned and waved my hand across his profile under my cloak.

"I don't need credits."

"'Eh, you don't need credits." He said, shrugging it off.

"I can keep my ship here as long as I need."

"Go ahead and keep your ship here as long as you need." He smiled and departed. I continued through the wayport into the city.

Pepole bustled quickly about. No one seemed to notice the Sith in their prescence. They only pushed roughly past, mumbling an insincere apology as they did so. I was slightly angered at the lack of attention, but my thoughts wandered back to the mission and I shook off my own personal issue.

I began by asking a few of the locals at a nearby cantina. Close, but no cigar. The locals there had only heard of Aaron, not seen him. I knew Airy wouldn't have associated himself with places like that.

I couldn't dare ask Jedi about him. They would recognize me as a Sith just by my appearance. Most Jedis didn't have black veins in their eyes and on their arms. ...Not like the veins in my arms were extremely noticeable. They were faint... But I digress...

I didn't know where to go at this point. I hated to admit it, but...

I was completely and utterly lost.

 

It was getting tiring. I had voyaged a long distance swimming, but I was not able to find out which way to go henceforth. I had used my telekinetic powers to fly a little, but I couldn't have balanced too long. I had had a little shock at the valley, but that was not long-lasting. Oh well, it was pointless to exert my head on such a thing.

I had, however, learned of something which interested me. The Jedi were looking for anyone willing to lay down their lives for the mission, yes. But the best part was - they were probably headed our way. Or was that some other planet? I wasn't sure. I had just heard a few people mumble about it. I doubt it was worth my time, but I had always been waiting for such an oppurtunity. However difficult, I had no idea where to look for support. I sighed as I found myself quivering in pain. The river was never-ending - I had never swum so far off.

I found myself walking on the banks of the river, heading towards city. I couldn've done that earlier, but that wasn't my way of doing things. 'To perish trying was better than to live dying', I'd say.

I found myself mixing in a crowd of people with grinning faces. I sighed and walked to the market where I had decided to pick up a few items. I tripped over a small toy of a boy and found myself falling towards a lady dressed in a black robe. I immediately straightened and spoke apologetically:
"S-sorry."

 

I glared at the woman who had fallen before me. The Force was strong in her, I could feel it. Her robes had fallen open slightly when she had fallen and I saw, attached to her hip, was a lightsaber.

A Jedi. I felt my hand move to my hip instinctively, but I refrained from producing it. There were enough people where there wasn't a need to cause a scene. Maybe somewhere quieter, more secluded from the public eye...

No. I needed to stick to the mission. Vincere was depending on me. ...Well, maybe not depending... He was completely capable of doing things for himself, he just preferred to have others do it for him. I brushed off the woman's actions.

"No harm, no foul." I said removing my hand from my lightsaber and refolding them under the sleeves of my cloak.

 

To Coruscant--Adam Morin

Adam had never set eyes on anything like the republic's capitol. As far as the eye could see, buildings stretched high into the sky and all the way down to what might have once been the planet's surface. The younglings and padawans who had never seen the place before, including Adam, all stared at their new surroundings in silent awe.

The close knit group of younglings and padawans was herded further onto the landing platform by what was left from the freighter's crew. A ripple went through the force and Adam looked ahead to see a group of powerful looking jedi in the robes of council members coming towards them. Unconciously, he gripped the hilt of Master Uta Von's saber.

He began to realize that this one ship had been the only one to make it off Taris. The others had probably died. A shudder went through Adam's body. It was something akin to anger, anger at the Yuuzhan Vong, at the NOCIS, and most of all at the sith.

 

In a see of people, it was only reasonable to feel a little bit claustaphobic. R-7 was having issues keeping up with me without being knocked around by passer-bys that could care less about anyone else, let alone a droid. I often looked back to make sure he was right there.

On my back, TC sat quietly in a broken heap. I remembered not to smile when I was looking back. I would occasionally whisper that he was sorry to me, though I knew none of it was his fault. I reassured him when the time was needed to.

After a few moments of aimless wondering, I had made my way to the Senate Building. It was much less crowded by the gates to go in. I moved up towards the doors where several Republic Guards stood. I smiled at one the guard nearest me.

“Aaron Leblanc, Jedi Knight.”

He shook his head and lifted his blaster rifle slightly higher against his chest.

“I’m sorry, Master Jedi, the Senate is in Session right now. We can not permit any entry.”

I looked up towards the Grand Convocation Chamber. Over two thousand senators all in one building. The security would be rather tight, I assumed. That only made me a bit angry though as well. Major interest groups were also in that room, such as the NOCIS. The reasons this war was having such issues. I shook my head and turned away from the building.

“Thank you, anyways,” I said allowed, seeing R-7 at the bottom of the steps.

I got to him and sat down, looking at his newest scuff marks. He beeped twice at me, TC making a slight laugh to himself. I smiled, rubbing at the first scuff mark, and then patting him on the top.

“I didn’t leave you behind, R-7,” I told him sincerely, “I wouldn’t do that. I was just gonna go check up with a few of the senators, but they can’t come out right now.”

There was a sequence of beeps and squeals that made since to me, but I had lost my attention. Something caught my attention. Something strong. Something I hadn’t felt in years. I stood up slowly, looking into the crowd of people that were walking around. The feeling wasn’t right there, but it was close. I narrowed my eyes and searched individual people quickly.

There were Sith roaming the streets, just like Jedi’s, and other types of people, but all was controlled. Nothing out of the ordinary. I looked back down at R-7, who had just finished his sentence.

“I’ll keep that in mind, okay R-7.” I said, my attention elsewhere. “Let’s get going. I have a bad feeling.”

We turned and walked away from the Senate Building with haste.
***

After a few hours of directionless walking, searching for a feeling I was trying to avoid, I made my way into a cantina on the far end of the main city. I had absolutely no plans to drink anything, or for that matter, really be there, but I remembered I needed a ride of the planet that the Empire wouldn’t find questionable. A republic shuttle or Jedi starship would give me up. I needed something that would less traceable.

I leaned towards R-7’s direction, and whispered gently to him, so quiet that absolutely no noise escaped my mouth. He beeped once, answering my question.

I had fifty thousand republic dataries, or galactic credits left after my last venture. I could afford to spend money, if the pilot was reasonable. I hoped for the best.

I walked in and moved around a crowd of Gartoggs that were having a rouse about the song that the Bith Band was playing. It wasn’t that exciting, since it was the same song they always played for the past several millennia.

I looked for a free table, finding one in the far left corner of the cantina. I took TC off my shoulder and laid him on top of the table. I looked briefly at his damages before realizing I would need more time to fix him. I sighed. I’d fix him after I found a pilot. I looked at R-7 and smiled.

“Now we wait.”

“Master,” TC said in response. “How do you know you’ll find a pilot here?”

I smiled, “Because, TC. It’d break a rule not to find a pilot in a cantina.” I winked at him, “Trust me.”

“But how do you know?”

I laughed, kicking my feet up and leaning back. “Because, TC. It’s cliché.”

 

Amaya Kento

Personal Introduction
Name: Kento, Amaya
Age: 26
Gender: Female
Birth Planet: Saijo (Planet given to the Nagai to settle after the Nagai-Tof War)
Race: Nagai
Language: Nagaian, Basic
Family

* Parents: Respectable workers back on Saijo, both living
* Siblings: none
* Spouse: none
* Descendants: none
* Genealogical Descendants: none

Appearance Introduction

Eyes: Grey
Hair: Long, black
Height: 5’10” – about 1.8 meters
Weight: about 130 lbs. / very thin, as is normal among her species.
Prominent Hand: Left, but can fight with both hands
Attire: Generally wears simple, tight-fitting clothing, mostly in black or other dark colors which accentuate the paleness of her skin – however, she dresses for practicality, not style. She keeps her two Tekh’la blades on her at all times (with rare exceptions while on the ship without passengers), either strapped to her legs or in the folds of a grey cloak she often wears in public.
Description: Amaya hires her ship out for money. However, she has a very strong sense of honor and is fiercely loyal to customers who treat her well and do honest business. She generally condones senseless violence, but is a very good fighter and accepts violence as a fact of life, and as a proper means of avenging damaged honor.

Association Introduction:

Job: Freelance Pilot

* *Non-Jedi and Non-Sith have all Strength Powers*

Weapon Introduction (Non-Jedi or Non-Sith Use Only)
Weapons: (Blasters, Blades, Bombs, Etcetera)

* Weapon One
o Rare Tekh’la Blade with a cortosis weave (resistant to lightsabers)
* Weapon Two
o Normal Tekh’la blade
* Weapon Three
o Blaster pistol

Ship Introduction:
Heavily modified SoroSuub Personal Luxury Yacht 3000
Name: Nagai Princess (mainly referred to as 'Princess' by Amaya)
Length: 50 meters
Hyperdrive: Class 1.0, backup class 14 (standard)
Navigation computer equipped, as well as shield generators.
Armament: Dual laser cannons
History: Began life as a personal craft for a senator from Saijo at the time of the planet’s original colonization by the Nagai; however, it fell out of use. A young, rebellious Amaya, eager to leave Saijo, stumbled across the ship in the junkyards and began to clean it up and provide modifications to update the old vessel for modern travel, and for less reputable uses.

 

I smiled as the lady herself stood straight. I then brushed my violet robe a little, a grin still on my face. I noticed her peculiar looks. For some reason, I felt uncomfortable at the look of her face. But I couldn't pinpoint. What I had assumed of her to be, at first, was something contradictory to her sweet attitude. How could it be?

I stuck to the optimistic approach and guessed that the secret behind her hard looks was probably a childhood injury.
"I take it that you're not from around here."
I didn't know why I said that - probably the way her robe was tied. Or was it just me trying to initiate a conversation. Bleh, regardless of that, I should be polite.
"I'm Anarbasti. May I help you in any way possible?"

 

I could see her eyes sweep my profile. I saw the hesitation in her eyes. Though, she was a Jedi, and it was the 'polite' thing to be friendly. Aaron was a Jedi. Maybe she knew him.

"Um, yes, actually. Do you know of anyone named Aaron LeBlanc?"

 

I didn't know how to explain, that I knew him, and probably knew where he was, but couldn't recognize him. Oh well, lending a helping hand was my moral duty.
"Well, Aaron LeBlanc..."
I purposefully acted confused, as to show myself as meek. I still wasn't sure of the lady.
"Yes, I do. In fact, I am heading his way. Or as I am trying. You seem to have some business with him, surely?"
I felt a tickle in my hands as folded my arms loosely.

 

Waiting. It's the first and hardest lesson of pit fighting. Your body will scream to lunge and attack. Your mind just wants everything to end and after a while it doesn't care if that means standing over a cooling corpse or drowning in your own lifeblood. And so, to survive, a pit fighter must reach deeper into the heart of their very being and force both mind and body to wait. This was a lesson C'Tzr had learned well. So, bound and blinded, he waited.

There is a special sound created when screws wind out of a skull. It can only be heard by the skull's owner. This sound now filled C'Tzr's entire being. As the last screw bounced off the catwalk, a metal plate dropped from the Sith knight's eyes. Several small streams of warm blood, ran down C”tzr’s face. The crimson wetness teased thin wisps of the force from various corners of the ship. In his mind’s eye, the Sith watched as the delicate tendrils wrapped around each other and twisted into small, hateful faces. As C'Tzr's eyes focused, he looked in Lt. Stleen's smirking face.

“We’ve arrived on Hapes. As you can see I made you more presentable” The lieutenant leaned in close.

C’Tzr looked at his bloodless body and growled. He needed more blood. As Stleen continued to talk, the Sith drew his attention inward toward his own beating heart. The Lieutenant's lips moved silently as all C’Tzr could hear was the rushing of blood through his veins. Slowly, the Sith settled his mind into the largest veins. He followed his blood through the winding and narrowing paths until he reached the tiniest of vessels just below his skin. One at a time, C’Tzr wrapped a small tendril of the force around the vessel and burst it. Slowly, he willed the blood outward.

Lt. Stleen stared into the former pit fighter’s silver eyes. “I don’t care what you do on that planet. But here on my ship, my word is law. Now I’m going to take the chains off.”

A bead of crimson droplets bubbled above C’Tzr’s head.

Stleen, lost in his own feelings of power, continued. “If you do anything but leave my ship, you’ll only end up stunned and chained again. Besides, I’m afraid I accidentally wasted two of the days the Emperor gave you.”

A pair of deep red tears ran down C’Tzr’s face. More tendrils flew to join the psychic faces wrapping around the knight. They were all screaming for Stleen’s blood. Slowly the blood ran down C’Tzr’s face and body. Stleen was staring blankly, fear written across his face.

“Leave. Just leave.” Said the Lietenant.

C’Tzr pulled the maelstrom of leering faces that he knew as the force into his body and out through his feet. The Sith was launched high about Stleen and the strom trooper’s below. He willed the troopers to only see his bloody covering. Some fired at him immediately. Some fired at the other troopers, fearing the bloody ghost, a few dropped to their knees and pried off their helmets.

The Sith dropped back down next to Stleen who was shouting unheeded at the chaos below.

C’Tzr stared into the Lietenant’s eyes and smiled revealing twin rows of implanted fangs. “I’ll leave you to your ship, Lt. Stleen.” Then C’Tzr launched himself over the chaos and to the docking ramp. He took two steps down and turned to face the five prostrated troopers. They had carved deep grooves into their faces in honor of The Bloodied One. “Who do you serve?” asked the Sith.

“Y…you Bloodied One,” answered the tallest.

“Then bathe this ship in blood,” said the Sith as he left.

 

"Yes, I do actually. Is there any way possible that you could take me to him? I'm... an old friend." I smiled in the friendliest manner I could muster up. It seemed to work.

 

I nodded, perhaps unconsciously. I was yet to intimate to her the fact that I was not sure of how to get there.
"I'm taking the next ship going to the second terminal in the area."
I then stopped, and guiltily finished:
"Of course, you must realize that I have never met him, and I've only heard rumors in the...underworld, that he's in the area."
I probably shouldn't have mentioned underworld - maybe she'd take it in a wrong way? After all, I just meant spying on my husband.

 

Damn. I needed a drink.

I stormed off the Princess, barely pausing to check security before exiting into the soothingly bustling streets of Coruscant. That was it. Men were pigs. Sure, some of them had their redeeming qualities. El had been a brilliant co-pilot; even I had been forced to admit that. But then I had been stupid enough to think that meant he was a halfway intelligent, decently compassionate being.

Ha.

Think again, Amaya Kento. Pigs, all of them. Selfish, filthy pigs.

I almost wished I had been talking to him in person, rather than on vidscreen. I grinned to myself as I walked towards my favorite cantina. The bastard would have been begging by the time I was finished with him. He had no right to treat me that way. No right to treat anyone that way.

My angry steps managed to find the cantina and I forced myself to calm down a bit. No sense in getting myself into trouble, something I had a tendency to do when I was this upset. I’d just grab a drink or three, flirt with whatever unsuspectingly cute filth happened to be around to reassure myself that my opinion of men was correct, and head back to my Princess to relax. Who knew; maybe I’d even find a job if I stayed long enough.

The familiar dark, drunken atmosphere greeted me and I immediately felt better. Ah yes, the world of affirmation: here there were pigs everywhere. Short, tall, smooth-skinned and green-scaled. I threw the grey cloak back over my shoulders and tossed my hair. Finally. I strolled up to the bar and ordered.

I scanned the cantina as I waited for my drink. There was a large group of Gartoggs, who looked as porcine as they acted. The band was playing its customary tune. A man in the far left corner, sitting with a broken protocol droid on the table in front of him and talking to an astromech droid, caught my eye: first because of his shock of white hair and flamboyant silver and red robes, and second because of the barely-hidden lightsabers at his waist. A Jedi.

“Your usual, ‘Maya,” the barkeep said in a bored tone.

I took the glass from him. “Thanks. Put it on my tab.” I rubbed my finger along the rim and looked back at the man with the lightsabers.

He was pretty handsome for a Jedi. Nice eyes. Blue. I had always been a sucker for blue eyes. They looked my way for a moment and I couldn't help but smirk.

I downed my drink in a single swallow and sauntered over to his table, seating myself on top of it with my legs dangling off to the side. “Little odd to see a Jedi here.”

He smiled, winked, and looked away. I stared at him for a second, running my tongue along the inside of my lower lip. Shy, perhaps? And yet… that wink. I could feel the alcohol beginning to calm my system. I was even more intrigued now. Before I could speak again, his astromech beeped at me three times.

I laughed. “Hi there,” I said, leaning over to be more at the droid’s level. Droids had always been my soft spot. “You look like you’ve been through a lot.” My gaze flickered back to the protocol droid on the table. “Though not nearly as much as your friend here.” I looked back at the Jedi. “A rough situation, and you’re not even having a drink?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

He laughed slightly again, looking at me. “Actually, we sort of had a crash landing. This is the aftermath.” He patted his protocol droid.

The droid said, “We didn’t crash, Master. We jumped. Remember?”

I laughed. The Jedi rolled his eyes. “True, true. Please, have a seat,” he gestured, looking at me again.

I eyed the seat next to him doubtfully. No way was he going to get close to me that easily; I wasn’t nearly drunk enough. Even if he was handsome. “That’s alright. I’m comfortable up here.” Besides, he might need a ride. “You’re sure I can’t buy you a drink?” Maybe he hadn’t gotten my initial subtlety.

"Thank you, but I'm okay." He looked at his astromech, who beeped a few times. He laughed. "I know, R7. I know."

He turned towards me. "Hello. My name is Aaron, from Naboo. I assume you're a Nagai, though please correct me if I'm wrong." He smiled. "And may I ask your name?"

I blinked at him. He was far too polite to be sitting in this cantina. I wondered if I should warn him that being proven wrong about men was definitely not on my agenda for the day. “Amaya Kento,” I said brusquely. “Yes, I’m Nagai.”

"Nice to meet you, Amaya Kento." His protocol droid was muttering in some weird language. "Now, now, TC. I'll fix you soon, I promise."

“I can help you fix him up, if you’d like,” I said before I could stop myself. “I know his type. Old, but dependable.” Just like my Princess. I smiled. It’d almost be worth it even if the Jedi – Aaron? – didn’t pay me. Fixing machines was a close second to alcohol on the list of things which eased my mind.

"Why, thank you." He smiled, "That'll be quite alright though. TC has some trust issues. Something in his circuitry." He laughed.

TC retorted, “That's not true, Master. I just…" He broke off into some unknown language again. "TC! That's no way to act." The Jedi said, obviously scandalized.

I laughed. I liked his droids, almost as much as I liked those big blue eyes of his, the ones which were currently searching mine. I tossed my hair to hide my shiver. Don’t get too silly, Kento. Just cause his droids are cute doesn’t mean he’s not a selfish pig. He smiled and looked away, his expression thoughtful.

"I could use you for something else though." He turned his face back towards me. "I'll pay you handsomely, but it's very dangerous."

Well, if that was a pick-up line, he had a mighty strange way of delivering it. I took the safe road and shrugged. I didn’t want to lose a potential customer by taking offense where none was intended. “I don’t mind danger now and then, where there’s money involved.”

His astromech was spinning in circles for no apparent reason. "And maybe an extra pair of eyes and hands will help when fixing up TC here," the Jedi added, grabbing the protocol droid and spinning him around in the same way. "Make sure he's okay in the end."

I frowned, the jarring sound of the droid he called TC’s quiet scream disheartening me. “Stop that,” I said. My hand had instinctively gone towards the Tekh’la blade on my left leg.

He stopped quickly, putting a hand on the droid’s mouth. I flinched as he looked me in the eyes, this time not hesitating to let my fighting side show. He looked at the protocol droid again, and he shut up. "Sorry about that,” the Jedi said.

I made myself calm down. “You’ve put the poor thing through enough already.” I shook my head. Time for business. “You said you might have a job for me?”

"I need a number of things. I'll need a pilot that has a very good ship that knows the galaxy very well. I need someone that knows a lot of the underground trade routes as well." He smiled. "Of course, I don't expect anyone to come up and tell a Jedi that they know those routes. But, I'll need someone that can... find them, easily."

Oh, so the Jedi wanted a bit of underground play? He got more interesting all the time. I smiled back. “Well, I’m a pilot, and my Princess is well-equipped to handle most anything. As for underground routes…” I winked at him. “I’m pretty good at finding things I set out after.”

He looked away – was he blushing, or just bracing himself? "Good." He winced a little.

"I need to infiltrate the NOCIS main battlestation base. I will need to you to pilot into the armada, get me to the leading starship, and when I have what I need, take me back to Coruscant." He laughed. "That is, if we aren't killed first."

I whistled. Jedi. I knew there was a reason I didn’t deal with many of them. “You’re crazy.”

He winked at me again. "There's a method to my madness."

“I’m sure.” I stared at him. A bit of danger sounded nice right about now, but infiltrating NOCIS? “Care to enlighten me as to just how much you’d pay for your insane adventure?” El would probably think I was going suicidal over his leaving me. If I took this, I wasn’t sure I’d have much room to argue.

"I have fifty thousand credits." He replied. "I'm willing to give you all of that if you get me there. Another fifty thousand if you get me back."

One hundred thousand credits? I tried not to react, but I’m sure the shock must have been visible on my face. The man may have been crazy, but he was rich. One hundred thousand. I needed another drink, but somehow I didn’t think he’d approve.

“I’ll do it,” I said.

He stood up, strapped his protocol droid to his shoulder, and smiled.

“Lead the way.”

 

"No, I understand. But in a city this big, with this many people, I need all the help I can get, even if it is vague. A small lead is better than no lead at all." I smiled. I could feel myself becoming warmer, more sincerely friendly. My Sith instincts stepped in, however.

What are you doing, Sylvana? Get a hlod of yourself! You're a Sith!

I shook my head a little, coming back to my normality. My smile faded and my voice became more business-like.

"Go ahead and lead the way. If you have other previous engagements, do those first. I have a few...uh...scores to settle with some rodians. Contact me or my Ewok, Zzyzx when you're ready. I'll meet you somewhere."

 

Eight Jedi Council Members stood on a large docking area. Each silent, each with panic. They looked up into the sky, only with high hopes that anyone made it off Taris. The bombardment had occurred, and it caused the Jedi much sorrow. The amount of deaths was high, just like the recent destruction of a planet that Darth Vincere had deemed undeserving to survive.

From space, one freighter ship after another started to come down towards the docking zone. Each one looked like it may have taken a little bit of damage on it's way out, but they were safe. Two of the Jedi Masters clapped, one of them just sighing with relief, and the remanding five staying quiet as seven freighters landed.

Only seven.

 

I felt something suddenly in the Force. I felt... a presence. He was near. I saw flashes of a scene in my mind. My eyes rolled back as the picture focused.

It was crowded. Someplace similar to a cantina. There was music and the smell of intoxicating beverages. I was seeing the scene through someone else... But who?

A white strand of hair fell in front of my face.

I was seeing this through Aaron's eyes.

This was strange. Nothing like this had ever happened before. I wasn't sure when this was taking place, or even if it was real.

"You okay?" I snapped back to reality. The Jedi was looking at me in concern.

"Um... yeah. I'm fine. Never mind about the rodians. They can wait. Is there a cantina of some sort near?" She nodded. "Lead me to it."

We walked for some time, occasionally knocking into people on the street. I couldn't get over the fact that Coruscant was so big....

The cantina was extremely crowded when we got there. I looked around, but the people were so thick, it was hard to see two feet in front of me. I stopped to try and sense him, but there was nothing.

I worked my way to the counter asking on the way if anyone had seen him and receiving denials in return. I made it to the counter and flagged the bartender's attention. He walked over to me.

"What do you need, ma'am?"

"I was wondering if you've seen a Jedi around. His name is Aaron LeBlanc. He had white hair, blue eyes...."

A look of deep thought crossed his face, then a look of recognition. "Yeah, we did have a guy with that description come in here. He sat over there," He motioned to the back left corner. "Don't know much more than that, though. Sorry."

"Did he talk to anyone?" I asked sharply.

"I don't know ma'am." He said.

"How long was he here?" I asked ever more sharply.

"I don't know ma'am, I just remember seeing him." He replied with more force than I thought was necessary. My temper was rising and it was reaching it's boiling point.

"Do you know where he sat?" I asked, my voice harsh.

"For the last time, ma'am, I don't have any information. Now if you'll excuse me, I have customors to tend to." I lost it. I pulled out my lightsaber in a quick motion and decapitated the man right there. The Jedi's eyes widened.

"Alright! If anyone has any information about the Jedi that came through here, they better tell me right now!" I shouted. The cantina was silent. I turned to a woman to my right.

"How about you? did you see him? Did you talk to him?" I said moving my blade just under her neck.

"No! No, I never saw him!" She pleaded, grimacing.

"Liar!" I shouted and decapitated her as well.