"Master Root, might we have a word?" "Oh? Yes, of course, but not now," Alain Root said, flapping his hand dimissively. "I have to put the ship into warpspeed and get us closer ot our destination before President Leia realizes Ben is missing and messages us. If that happens, she'll probably order us to make a detour to drop him off, and that'll throw off our entire time schedule. I plan for us to make it to the place where Luke went missing, Sector 006, in the course of three Earth days. Anything else would be unacceptable, we MUST find Luke." Master Root swallowed the rest of his drink and chewed on the worm that had floated inside it. He walked speedily into the cockpit and began turning knobs and pressing buttons on the ship's computer. "Uh, Uncle Root, should we take our seats before you warpspeed us?", Ben asked, looking around for an empty chair. "No, it's fine, we're already here," the Master Jedi replied casually. And it was true, when they looked out the port windows they could see that the constellations and the position of their galaxy's sun had changed. The Whisper X had traveled halfway across the galaxy at the speed of light without them even realizing it. Alain Root gave hihs crew a smug grin. "Told you the Whisper was smooth." He then dutifully turned back to the controls and became absorbed in his work. "Guess you'll have to talk to him later," Ben told Asa. He gently rocked on the heels of shoes and looked around the ship nonchalantly before his eyes stuck on the drinking bar. "If you need me I'll be over there getting a drink," he informed them before marching away.
Asa Green Asa frowned at Root's dismissive gesture, but didn't think too much of it. Later was good enough. When they'd warped, he followed Ben to the bar. He could use a drink of his own, to sooth his mind, and poured himself a glass of cold nectar. Sipping, he observed Ben, the kid had real panache, in a clumsy way. He turned to face the lad. "You're lucky with an uncle like that," he said. "My master Kaile used to kick me a lot harder for less," he grinned. A light frown came to his face, "I take it you're a padawan?" For all he knew, the kid had just dressed up in Jedi clothes to get near the Whisper. It was strange to sit next to a boy who's name was almost as famous as that of his father, or rather, because of his father. Part of him hoped the boy wasn't a Padawan just yet, for if he wasn't he sure wouldn't mind getting a master, and Asa knew exactly where to find one. The boy would make a powerful ally no doubt.
Xelas sighed at the boy's headstrong attitude. I will never be able to try out my healing with these people. They think they are so much tougher than they are. That being said, if they don't know that I healed them, it isn't a problem. If they suddenly recover, it worked! Xelas flicks his wrist out and follows Ben. "I think I need a drink too." Xelas mutters. "I found my last one hard to enjoy..." He grins. All of these interruptions were truly starting to frustrate Xelas. All that he wished was to improve his fellow man. Here it goes.
Ben & Asa Ben paused as he climbed onto a stool and gave Asa a piercing look. For a moment, his clear stormy eyes looked ancient and wise, and the presence of the Force in the teen boy was undeniable. "I see right through you," the young Skywalker said bluntly. Then he smiled a smile that could mean many things, but it was unclear whether he was joking or whether he was telling Asa the truth. Either way the moment of seriousness had passed, as Ben turned to the droid and asked for, "The strongest beverage that you have, please!" When a tall glass of bubbling crimson liquid was placed in front of him, Ben suddenly didn't appear quite so eager. Asa glanced over his shoulder, then turned back to face Ben. The kid's words unsettled him, but he masked his suprise. "The force is definitely strong with you, but it's scattered. You need to focus more." Asa forced pushed Ben's glass away and replaced it with an empty one as he talked to the boy, distracting him. If words couldn't impress the boy, then perhaps he'd have to get more hands-on. "Now give me a good reason why I should teach you about the force," Asa said with a smile. "Teach? Me?" Ben smiled and quirked one brow under his shaggy bangs. "I've got the best teachers in the galaxy, between all the lessons Leia, Luke and Alain give me. They're all my teachers, whenever they have time for me, that is." He pouted for moment, then grew bored of that and started chatting again. "Even Han shows me how to you guns, real big ones, too! My mom is a good shot, but my dad has her beat by far." He suddenly looked worried. "Uh, don't let her know I said that," he whispered. "Not a word," Asa promised. He sipped his drink, or Ben's drink really and tried to figure the boy out. Evidently his moment of seriousness had been an exception. "The galaxy is a big place kid, to think that your relatives are the best teachers around," he clicked his tongue. "There is so much more to the force than even your uncle would dare tell you. Besides, you're what? Thirteen? Fourteen? You should expect them to keep things secret from you, things they might consider...inappropiate," Asa said with a wink. "Master Root doesn't like your master," Ben interjected, completely ignoring Asa's conspiratorial whisperings. The little boy was inspecting his grubby nails closely as he puzzled out his thoughts. "And if Master Root thinks Kaile's trouble, then I think he is as well, and it follows reason that you are, too. Therefore, I'm not going to let you teach me a thing." Ben stood up abruptly and looked at his glass of red fluid. It slid down the counter and stopped in front of him, leaving a slick trail of condensation. "It was nice chatting with you, bub," Ben chirped before wondering off aimlessly. He did not take the glass with him; he had only moved it to show Asa that he could, and without the use off hand gestures, too. To be rejected by a child was much worse of a blow than he'd imagined it to be. Asa bit his lips, he was glad Caeleck wasn't around to see him struggling. He'd recognized part of himself in Ben, but that recognition was now shattered, replaced by a fistful of contempt Ben had let one thing slide though, and confirmed Asa's suspicions. Root still didn't trust Kaile, nor, by extent, him. He had to take a few deep breaths to let the words sink in. They'd struck a foul chord inside of Asa. He and Kaile had been through hell for the council more than once. They had fought for the Jedi's trust, and now it turned out, they were still considered outsiders. Even Sevren wouldn't talk with him. He was to be less trusted than an ex-Sith it appeared. For a moment, he saw himself raising his lightsaber and stabbing Ben from behind, but when he blinked, the bar was as calm as ever. With great effort, Asa managed to cloak the pain of rejection and he appeared as stoic as ever. On the inside he was boiling, he would contact Kaile as soon as possible for council. Perhaps, with their skills, living life as a bounty hunter would be more rewarding. They'd get more respect from lowly pirates than from the Skywalkers, that much was clear.
Taura Maymier Taura stiffened when she saw the smile that Asa sent her way, blinking several times. That had been unexpected. Oh well, i guess we all have our moments. "It was nice chatting with you, bub," the boy said before leaving abruptly, and Taura glanced back to where Asa stood, momentarily looking dazed and in pain before it was covered by a mask of stoicism. Had Ben somehow insulted him? Padding over, she sniffed at the red liquid, then snorted and shoved it away. Foul stuff. "Asa, are you alright?"s he asked, glancing at the padawan through the corner of her eye. She didn't want him to get angry -so she was careful of her body language and made herself appear as unintimidating as possible.
Asa Green He flinched when Taura stood beside her, how he could not have noticed the massive Tauntaun earlier eluded him. Bewildered, he returned her gaze. "I have no idea, to be honest," he replied. He fidgeted, no matter how he shifted in his seat, he could never get her full head in view. "Are you alright?" he returned awkwardly. The notion of adressing a Tauntaun still unsettled him, he'd seen many aliens by now and knew about their manners. Somehow, when they were known to be capable of speech, he had no problem looking at them, but it was different with Taura. "I saw you were covered in blood and..." he gestured mindlessly with his hand, unable to come up with anything else to say. Inside, he was happy to talk to Taura, it was a good distraction from his chat with Ben. "Sorry I have to go vent." He jumped up from his seat and stormed out of the cockpit. Chased by the echoes of his footsteps, he rushed himself through the many corridors. With lightsaber in hand, but not yet deployed, he walked past Caeleck's bunk. He stopped, she didn't know the stowaway had been identified. It can wait, he thought. But his body refused service and he caught himself knocking on her door.
"Gah!" Caeleck exclaimed, waking up suddenly. Her sudden entrance into wakefulness blinded her as all the auras on the ship flickered back to life in her eyes. She shook her head to clear it and quickly got her bearings. Her bunk was empty so she puzzled over what had woken her. Shrugging her shoulders she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stretched. Her feet somehow ended up bare but she didn't mind, she felt relaxed for the first time in ages and she intended to keep it that way for a little while. Caeleck stood up and walked steadily over to a mirror, all sign of her previous weariness erased from her body. My mind isn't all healed yet though, she thought worriedly, I should look out for Miraluka mind-healers, maybe I just might find one. she grimaced. Not likely. In the mirror, Caeleck looked like any other would see her. To her, however, and any other Miraluka she was enveloped in purple hues. Looking through a Miraluka's eyes was like looking through heat goggles, confusing sometimes, but still clear enough that she could tell certain characteristics. Caeleck redid her ponytail and straightened her blindfold before heading back to her bunk to sleep some more. A knock came at the door, insistent. So that's what woke me... Caeleck turned and walked towards the door, using her Force push to open it. She was a little surprised to see Asa standing there and she had a sudden urge to straighten out her rumpled clothes. Nonsense she told herself sternly. "What is it?" she asked him
"What is it?" He was glad that Miraluka didn't have human eyes, for if Caeleck would have, she'd undoubtely noticed his odd gaze. Distracted by her appearance, Asa snapped back into reality. "Master Root found the stowaway," he said. "Turns out it's Ben Skywalker." He shrugged. Concealing his frustration from Caeleck was hard, but this time he didn't even try. "I could use a distraction, things have been. Well, messy." Subconsciously, he tried to flatten his hair. A shy grin curled his lips, "I could use some practice with a lightsaber, now that you're awake," his smile widened, "I'd like to see how long you'll last." He poked her, "I am going to say; ten seconds."
Caeleck was amused, she's never been challenged before and she found it was pleasant to be so. She wasn't surprised to hear Ben Skywalker was on the ship, children have a habit to want to help in any way they can. It was even more expected of the child of such famous parents. I'm going to have make note of aura when I see it, she thought absently. A wry smile came to her lips. "Ten seconds? Hardly. I'll have you know I am perfectly well now," to prove her point she quickly darted to his left and had the but end of her lightsaber to the right side of his throat, "but i'm willing to give you chance," she said sweetly.She withdrew from him and padded lightly down the corridor with her bare feet. I feel very light, she thought curiously, That sleep must of done me better then I thought it would.
Everyone on the ship got to know each other better and talked amongst themselves. President Leia video messaged them to ask if Alain had any idea where he son, Ben, was. Alain responded that he had no idea, but that he would search his ship if she thought he was there. Leia must have sensed something was up, because she lingered before ending the communication. Ben was hiding behind a chair the entire time and he breathed a huge sigh of relief when his mother's face disappeared from the large screen monitor. An hour or so later, Alain announced over the PA system that they were approaching a place called Cloud City, a mostly floating metropolis of inter-connected platforms. The planet itself was enshrouded in deadly gases, but the higher altitudes were liveable. Alain was close to Lando Calrissian, the administrator of the planet who was also old friends with Han Solo. They would land there request an audience with Lando, to see if he had heard anything from Luke before his disapearance. "Ten minutes til we arrive," Master Root informed his crew. Ben Skywalker laid down on his back in the middle of the floor and stared at the celing, an expression of sheer boredom on his face. "When is the fighting going to begiiiiiiiin?" he whined pitifully.
Taura Maymier "I have no idea, to be honest," he replied. He fidgeted, no matter how he shifted in his seat, he could never get her full head in view. "Are you alright?" he returned awkwardly. The notion of addressing a Tauntaun still unsettled him, he'd seen many aliens by now and knew about their manners. Somehow, when they were known to be capable of speech, he had no problem looking at them, but it was different with Taura. "I saw you were covered in blood and..." he gestured mindlessly with his hand, unable to come up with anything else to say. Inside, he was happy to talk to Taura, it was a good distraction from his chat with Ben. "Sorry I have to go vent." He jumped up from his seat and stormed out of the cockpit. The human bolted before Taura could even manage to say one word, and the Tauntaun's eyebrow quirked, baffled. But the memory of being covered in blood stung. Ben Skywalker laid down on his back in the middle of the floor and stared at the celing, an expression of sheer boredom on his face. "When is the fighting going to begiiiiiiiin?" he whined pitifully. For the first time a thundering growl arose in the tauntaun's chest. Maybe it was the manner in which the boy had said it, but something dark arose in her mind. "You have never seen a real battle have you, fawn?" she snapped, glaring at the padawan. Striding over, she stood over him, giving him a full profile view of the dark stains on her head and throat. "See these? I killed a man not more than several hours ago -ripped him in half." her head lowered until her gaze was not more than a mere inch from his. "And i regret every second of it. Because i lost control, because of what i am, i killed again. Never take pleasure in fighting. That is the first thing that will have you falling to the Dark Side." Before anyone could respond, Taura backed off and stomped out of the room, tears in her eyes. Don't cry don't cry don't cry don't cry. Ignoring Asa and Caeleck as she ran past, she just managed to escape to her room, locking the door when her whole body started to shake. A torn howl escaped, and she listed against one wall, sliding to the floor with a thump. Another broken sound, close to a sob, and then she broke down, bawling. She couldn't take it. Having killed, she knew what would happen to the young lad if he knew her pain. She didn't want him to be broken.
They stepped into the dojo, it wasn't nearly as large as the practice rooms in the Jedi temple, but some thought had gone into it. The ceiling was high, the walls were cladded in a material that could resist the burns of lightsabers. There were boxes full of training material, sticks, mats to seat on, balls to practice telekenesis on and much more. "I'll try not to burn you," Asa said as he deployed his lightsaber, or at least, the one given to him by Kaile, he had yet to seek out a crystal by himself to make his own saber. "If you do it doesn't matter. I already placed a constant heal upon my body and yours, even potentially fatal wounds will heal quickly enough." She frowned, "Unless you trying dismembering in any way," she said sternly, "There is no hope for that." Without warning she lept into the air and deployed her lightsaber. Altering her course with force push, she perched herself on one of the taller pillars of boxes. She waited there croached, her lightsaber glowing a deep purple as it let out its familiar hum. She waited, still as a statue, "Your move," "Coward," Asa sneered playfully. He ran up to the pillar and scaled it with bounding leaps. In a single elegant flurry of motion, he hopped atop the small pillar. There was just a few feet of space between them. He glanced at the edge, "does it heal broken bones too?" He smirked, then lunged forward and bombarded her with a swift set of strikes, only to dart away before she could retaliate. Caeleck deflected his blows with ease, seeming to dance upon the pillar as she dodged and blocked his flurry of blows. When he sprinted away she remained unmoved from her perch and not a hair out of place. "Amateur," She used forced push to send his pillar of boxes flying out from under him. As he fell she lept from her own tower to follow him down, flicking a couple swips at him before using Force push to get her out of harms way again. Asa crashlanded into the ground, then stumbled back onto his feet. "Good one, but you've still so much to learn." He didn't attempt any fancy acrobatics, they were a mere distraction in his eyes. Speed was his greatest ally, not agility. He feinted left and right, combined low blows with backhanded strikes. He didn't cease his attack, Caeleck wasn't wavering, but at least he had her pinned down, forcing her on the defensive. Now the real game began, he tried to steer the fight into a corner where she'd have less space to dodge his strikes. Caeleck felt the wall coming closer and started looking for ways out of her predicament. He's good, she thought respectfully, dodging another flurry of blows from his end. She started analyzing his moves to see if she couldn't find an opening. When she saw it, she took it without a moments hesitation. Asa had raised his lightsaber and Caeleck dodge underneath it, using hers to shield her head as she dipped in close to Asa. She sprinted over to his left leg and came up behind him. As he turned she slid up his front, again deflecting another one of his blows. As he grabbed her wrist that held her lightsaber she grabbed his. They stood there like statues noses almost touching. "Good," Asa breathed. Sweat had darkened his hair even further, glueing the ends together into small spikes. He could count every little bump on Caeleck's skin. Altough he was taller, and thus had the advantage of pushing down, she held her ground firmly and didn't budge. Their moment of closeness didn't last long however as Root's voice announced that they were arriving at their destination. Asa backed off, still sweating and panting. He hadn't faced such a challenge since he'd fought Yuk'bac the Geonosian and his Killik hive. "You put up a hell of a fight," Asa remarked as he switched off his lightsaber, "for a girl." He wished he could take a shower before they'd land, but the odds of that seemed slim. "Let's head back." Caeleck panted just had hard as Asa. Her adrenaline had worn down and she felt drained again. "And I have never fought one such as you," she said breathlessly. "I look forward to our next fight," she said cockily. I don't plan on letting you put me on defensive so easily next time," She withdrew her lightsaber and dispelled the healing then turned with a flick of her hair, "I'm going to cool off and find some shoes," and she turned and walked away, disappearing through the doors of the dojo. Once out in the hallway Cealeck's carefree mood vanished and she walked quickly back to her bunk. She mourned not bringing her cloak but settled and rushing her trip instead. When she was almost to her dorm the anguished howl of Taura caught her attention. Without a moments hesitation she entered the TaunTaun's room. "Taura, what is the matter?"
"Never take pleasure in fighting. That is the first thing that will have you falling to the Dark Side." As the TaunTaun marched off, Ben had a mixed expression of shock and bafflement on his face. "What's her deal?" Alain Root swiveled in his chair and gave Ben a stern look. "She was only looking out for you, you should listen to her." "But I never said I wanted to kill someone or anything like that! I just want some action!" Ben threw up his twig-like arms in exasperation. "I'm gonna go talk to her..." "No, give her some space," Alain ordered the Padawan. "We're landing now," he said in a louder voice. "Everyone strap in." The ship started to rock gently and then it jerked so violently that many drinks in the bar went crashing form the shelves. "We're in the atmsosphere," Alain announced, pulling up on the throttle to even out the ship. "And there is Cloud City..." They emerged from a bank of clouds to see a sprawling network of hovering buildings and homes, some connected by bridges and others only accessable by flying craft. The odd thing was, no one was visible on any of the platforms and the Cloud City officers didn't fly up and order them to land. "I sense that something is wrong," Ben Skywalker suddenly announced in a calm, even voice. His eyes were keen and bright as he looked out a side window. "I think we should land as discreetely as possible." Alain didn't question Ben for a second, even though the Padawan was less than half of his age. Master Root just nodded and swerved the ship around and landed gracefully on the platform. "Everyone out and don't make a raucous," Alain whispered, one hand poised over his lightsaber. With the other hand, he pressed a button on his console and a ramp extended from the back of the Whisper to let everyone out. Ben took out his lightsaber and followed close behind, looking uncharacteristically calm and alert.
Asa waited for everyone else to file out before him. The larger the distance between him and Master Root was, the better. His exchange with Caeleck had both drained and energized him, and pushed the desire to speak with Kaile into the background. He tried to clear his mind as best he could, but many thoughts still rushed through his head. Unaware of their exact surrounding, Asa simply followed the ragtag group. He could stop, completely silent, turn around and take the ship for himself. That would drive a point home. But it also meant leaving Caeleck behind, and Taura. The Tauntaun seemed unstable and he'd begun to feel sorry for her. "I sense that something is wrong," "Could you be a tad more specific?" Asa remarked sarcastically. He didn't sense anything, his mind was far too stormy to even sense the Jedi that walked before him.
"Could you be a tad more specific?" Asa remarked sarcastically. Ben turned to Asa and blinked. "I sense traitorous thoughts. But that's not what you were asking, was it?" He smiled lopsidedly, his eyes glinting. Alain Root shushed Ben and Asa by putting a finger to his lips. "Ben, what did I tell you about sensing other peoples thoughts, especially your fellow Jedi? It's extremely rude." Ben started to protest, but Alain silened him with a look. "And Asa, I trust Ben's instincts, as I do yours and everyone else's on this team, which means you should, too." They were standing on a circular platform surrounded by rolling banks of milky fog. Besides the Whisper, there was also a small starship parked nearby. A thin bridge stretched from the platform to a main building, a tall, cylindrical structure. But that's not what attracted Alain's interest, he headed to the edge of the platform and peaked over the railing at a platform hovering far below. There was a squad of soldiers wearing outlandish flanged armor that was midnight black with emerald green spirals across the surface. They all wore spiked helmets with slits to see through, so it was impossible to tell what species they were. One of them was taller and larger than the others and he wore a long black cloak that whipped in the wind. The soldiers were rounding up a group of Cloud City civilians into a cargo ship. An old woman was lagging behind, but the tall soldier kicked her in the back and she went sprawling. Ben gasped and his face went white. "Those aren't Cloud City officers, are they?" Ben said quietly. Alain shook his head slowly, his eyes dark. "Master Root! Is that you?!" a voice cried out. Behind them a bald human servant wearing a blue and white uniform had emerged from the main building. He was bald on the crown of his head and had overgrown sideburns. He came running across the bridge, even though Alain motioned for him to stay back. "It's okay, Jedi! They can't hear us because of the wind!" "I would still feel better if you didn't yell," Alain said, stepping back from the rail. Ben stepped forward and said, "What is going on here? And who are you?" "I'm Governor Calrissian's manservant, Georges," the servant replied, bowing slightly. Then his face fell. "But Lando was shot dead right before my eyes. Those soldiers showed up and over-powered the Cloud City forces, and now their evacuating everyone from Cloud City. Supposedly, they're taking them to work in some kind of factory, it's horrible. I hid in the panic room til it was safe, and I was just about to go to my ship and try to reach help. Thank god you're here to save us!" Master Root was shaking his head, his expression gravely serious. "I'm sorry, but we already have a mission, to save Luke Skywalker, he's gone missing. This might be connected to his mysterious disappearance, but if we stay here and fight we lose the element of surprise." Georges' face fell and he looked miserable. Alain turned away and face the Padawans. "I think we should follow their cargo ship to see if it takes us to where Luke might be. How does that sound?"
Asa Green "Oh its not that I don't trust Ben's ins-" Asa cut off his sentence, Alain had beckoned them to be silent. Not that it made any difference, The Jedi Master wasn't listening to him anyway. He let his annoyance fly away with the gusts of wind that blew over the platform. The fog added an eerie atmosphere to what he'd otherwise have considered to be a marvellous city, a pinnacle of engineering. "Master Root! Is that you?!" He spun around. Having been the last to leave the aircraft, he now stood closest to the servant. The man didn't appear to be much of a threat, but Asa's hand lingered over his lightsaber regardless. Asa let the man's words sink in. It was far too easy to believe the man on his word. "I'm sorry, but we already have a mission, to save Luke Skywalker, he's gone missing. This might be connected to his mysterious disappearance, but if we stay here and fight we lose the element of surprise." "It would be most traitorous to leave the people of this city to their fates," he said coldly. "Perhaps you have a different notion of justice, Master Root." His gaze flicked between the servant and Ben. "I'd be a fool to trust you on your word. For all we know you abducted Luke Skywalker in precisely this manner. Ben, why don't you search his feelings, see if he speaks the truth." His eyes settled on the young Padawan, "you are quite adept at it, I gather," he added darkly.
Alain Root gave Asa a curious look. "Are you well, Asa? You feel different..." Ben interrupted him. "Georges has worked for Calrissian for over fourty years, I heard my father say so before. He's as clean as a whistle, he's not a traitor. I don't even think he's capable of deceit, Georges is too loyal. Right?" Georges nodded frantically, looking bewildered and frightened that he was being accused of such a thing. "And I'm not abandoning the people of this city," Alain continued, talking to Asa, but also Georges and the rest of the group. "Most of them look like they've been evacuated already, correct?" Georges bobbed his head in agreement. "Well, it would be futile to endanger our mission just to say one group of people, when we could follow them to the source and discover where the others are." He clapped his hands. "Alright, we have to move quickly so we'll be ready when their ship takes off. Everyone back onboard..." Before Alain could finish, Georges made a gargling sound and collapsed on the ground. On the far side of the bridge that connected the main building to the landing platform was a black-clad figure holding a metal pipe to his lips. He was the palest person they had ever seen, his head bald and shiny except for a long, thin jet-black braid that extended from the back of his head to his waist. The pale alien had beady red eyes that burned like fire and an icy, malevolent aura radiated from him. As the Jedi watched, the dangerous individual slipped away his silver dart-shooter and pulled back his robe to reveal a lightsaber hilt attached to his belt. He ignited the lightsaber; it was crimson red, the signature color of the Sith lords. For a moment, Alain didn't move, he just stared at the Sith and the Sith stared right back. "He knows where my Luke is, I can feel it," Alain said in a voice that was almost a whisper. Without another word, he reached for his lightsaber hilt and ignited the blue-white blade.
"I -I . . ." Taura buried her face between the bed and the wall, mortified that she had been caught in such a state. Her master had always told her to keep her emotions in check, and now they were going rampant. "I don't knwo what to think -I wanted to protect him but i lost control-" There was a disturbance suddenly outside the ship, and a choked sound escaped the Tauntaun, eyes going wide open as she sensed the Force crackle, then cave in on her mind. Death. Murder. Before she could even try to resist it, instinct took over once again. Every hair on her body rising, she blinked several times, then her nostrils flared and she rose up. Passing by Caeleck as if the girl wasn't even there, the Tauntaun rushed towards the exit and spotted Ben approaching the Sith, light saber in hand. He's just a fawn. He'll be killed. Instinct warned, Protect the young at all costs! They cannot afford to be lost! A deep, menacing growl throbbed in her chest, rising up into her jaws and then exploding into a massive roar. Eyes blazing, the Tauntaun used Force Run to shoot herself in front of the boy, gently bumping her with her forehead and knocking him into Alain's capable hands. Such force was the barest trace of her real strength, and the Tauntaun turned to glare at the Sith, haunches rippling with powerful muscle. Tauntauns were matriarchal in status, leaving the largest females to defend the herd, and the young. Even despite the fact that Taura was young herself, her size and instinct proved that she would have become one of the leaders of her own herd had she never been able to speak. Her nostrils flared again, catching the stench of blood, and then she locked eyes with the Sith. Dead. Murderer. Kill.
Asa Green A Sith. So they did still exist, they had survived. Would there be more? How had they survived? Asa wondered these, and many more questions, but above all, he wondered if the legend was true. The cruelty of the Sith preceded them. Still, he was curious. Sevren had done nothing to quail his thirst for the unknown. He stepped over the dead body of Georges without so much as looking at it. Adrenaline began to pump through his veins, slowly at first, but steadily increasing until every fibre in his body was electrified with barely contained energy. He held his lightsaber loosely in his hand, ready to jump into the defensive. Taura came rushing forward. Idiot! Asa thought, thinking she was trying to take the Sith on alone. He force pushed her back, trying to keep her from charging forward alone, protecting her from certain death. "Don't go at him alone!" he snapped. If they were going to dispose of this Sith, they'd have to co-operate. Her eyes betrayed untamed fury, he wondered how someone so emotional had achieved Padawan status to begin with. She truly was an exception on all accounts. He walked forward, placing one foot in front of the other as if balancing over a pitless abyss."We should split up!" he shouted over his shoulder. "He's alone and we can't lose that ship!" he glanced over his shoulder for support. Two or three of them should be enough to deal with the Sith, to capture him alive for interrogation. With a bit of luck he'd be able to talk to the Sith, and hear his account of history. If they captured him. If.
When Taura bumped Ben into Alain, the Jedi had to scramble not to accidentally stab the boy with his lightsaber. "Taura! That was wreckless, contorl your feelings, young Padawan!" Then Asa ran forward and Force Pulled the TaunTaun back out of the way of danger. Taura was too headstrong and careless, Alain made a mental note to speak with her in private later on. "We should split up!" Asa shouted. "He's alone and we can't lose that ship!" "We can't split up, you fodderhead!" Ben cried. "That's a Sith, it's gonna take all of us to fight him!" "Listen to the little one," the Sith said. His voice was dry and raspy, like a hot, desert wind. A pair of red-hot eyes pierced right through the Jedi Padawans, lingering on Alain Root. "It would be unwise to face me without your friends for back-up." As he spoke, the Sith shrugged off his robe and, just like that, he charged straigth at Asa.
Sevren The Sith charged at Asa with such brute strength, raising his lightsaber above his head and deafening all ears with a war cry. The blade came down like a stack of hammers, the red glow menacing in the mist. But out of nowhere Sevren appeared to parry the attack, pushing up with his orange lightsaber and giving the Sith a swift kick in the chest to shove him away. He hoped it would give a moment’s reprieve at the very least. “The line is here Sith.” Sevren scorched a mark across the ground and then pointed his lightsaber with venom. “Do not cross it, for you do not hold the advantage here.”
The Sith dodged Sevren's kick by executing an effortless backflip through the air. When he landed, he looked up at them, his wolfish teeth bared in a fierce scowl. When Sevren drew his line, the Sith barked a laugh, his beady red eyes bright with amusement. "I am Lord Shado, I do not fear mere Jedi Padawans," the Sith hissed. He took a step forward, but hesitated when Alain Root stepped forward. "I will not let you hurt any of my charges," Alain said in a cold, clipped tone. Lord Shado started to smile again, ever so slowly. "I have heard of you, Master Root. You're Luke's first student. It's a shame what happened to Master Skywalker..." Shado chuckled menacingly. Alain Root stayed calm, even though his face was like thunder, and spoke to his team. "I do not think this Sith is a master, he is merely a student. We can take him down if we work together. Capture him if you can, and dispose of him if not. And Ben? Go back on the ship." Ben sulked, but before Alain could make him leave, the Sith made another move. He cranked back his arm and threw his crimson lightsaber through the air. It spun in a red blur, headed straight for them. Alain tried to stop it with the Force, but either the lightsaber was moving too fast or the Sith's powers were too strong. "Duck!", Alain cried, just at the lightsaber flew towards their heads.
"Fodderhe-?" A blur of motion entered his vision, followed by a red hot light. Asa clumsily flicked his wrist upward, trying to parry the incoming blow. An orange lightsaber intervened just inches before his skin. Sevren? Asa refused to linger on his suprise. They had a fight to win. Sevren's kick was risky, with the speed of the Sith it could've easily resulted in loss of limb. Fortunately, the Sith chose to retreat. Asa stood guard behind the line, as if it was some invisible shield. "I am Lord Shado, I do not fear mere Jedi Padawans," He had heard that many times before. Still, he resisted the urge to talk back. Talking was a distraction and Asa knew that Shado only needed one tiny little distraction to end him. Alain tried to encourage them but Asa heard only a soft, muffled sound. His eyes were fixed on Shado. The Sith hurled his blade at their heads, Asa let himself drop to the ground and swinged his own saber up into the air, in a lazy, upward blow. The red and blue collided. But the power of Shado's throw had been reinforced. Asa's lightsaber was blown out of his hand, that of Shado whirled back to it's master like a boomerang. Asa leapt back onto his feet. Much too close, he thought to himself. "Ben. Tracker!" he shouted at the kid. If the boy wanted to help, maybe he could plant a tracker on the civilian ship before it would disappear into the vastness of space forever.
Lord Shado's lightsaber collided with Asa's orange one, but it was moving with such velocity that it knocked Asa's weapon out of his hand and continued flying over their heads, returning in a neat circle back to it's owner. Shado caught it in one hand, smiling. "Don't feel bad, Padawan," Shado taunted. "Much more experienced Jedi than you have fallen to their deaths by my blade." Alain Root gasped. Shado had killed Jedi before? Had he killed the Grand Master of the Jedi Order, Luke Skywalker, as well? This simple rescue mission was getting curiouser and curiouser by the day. Ben. Tracker! Ben headed Asa's call and sprinted to the edge of the platform to throw a tracker from his utility belt at the cargo ship. At the same time, Lord Shado raised his hand to throw his lightsaber once again, and this time he was aiming for one target: Ben.
"Don't feel bad, Padawan," Shado's sneering remark rekindled the old fire of hate and anger within Asa. It burst into flame, brightening his eyes and sending an electrifying tingle down his spine. Stripped from his lightsaber, he had only one weapon left. The Force. He leeched from his anger and frustration. He couldn't stop the lightsaber from being thrown, he couldn't turn and push Ben out of harms way. There was only one option left, one impossible for Shado to counter without wasting precious seconds. Asa channeled all his rage into a single force push and launched himself at Shado, using the force as his propellant. The wind whistled in his ears as he rocketed through the air in a clumsy, robed pile. He shot straight towards Shado, hoping that his effort would buy them a few precious seconds.
