[FIC] Star wars: Heart of the Guardian

[Diego Varen]

Bring on the Blood King. Good Chapter. I always prefered Handmaiden to Visas, I don't like her much.

[JediMaster12]

Chapter 27: Journals of the Front Part II

That battle was a hectic one, each with their own account. I have decided to let the journals tell this section.

 

-Darius-

 

Mandalore created his distraction to buy time for Jacen and Revan to get in and rescue Mara, the Governor of Avalon. It was rather crude but effective in that he played the whole ‘I got lost’ routine and then we ambushed them with cannon fire. That woke up the rest of the compound and sent the Rashikians running to the front lines.

 

We charged behind a barrage of cover fire and began to fight long and hard. The Rashikians fought back with equal determination. At one point a stray shot from one of our cannons struck the main building close to the caves. I could sense the exit blocked and realized that Revan and Jacen would need another way out. I sent some troops to the backup exit near the northern side of the compound while the main troops held the line. Atton, Mira, and the Cathar Juhani were holding that line. My Visas was with Bastilla and they led the clearing of the exit. I could see them by the bright glare of their lightsabers in the midst of the blaster fire and the glint of the swords. The Bushida warriors were charging like bull kath hounds but twice the energy and were swinging their blades. They were fighting like Wookiees, I think.

 

The field was riddled with holes from blaster fire and dirt was flying everywhere. It made a thick cloud that was like the morning mists that came that morning. The stench of death was like a sickness. It was terrible but we pressed on. I became aware that the dirt and sweat was clinging to my skin, adding to the sickly feeling. My second in command, Galados, one from the Academy kept in constant communication with all troops. The going was hard for the Rashikians fought equally hard swinging their own blades with equal ferocity. I just hope that the retreat will go much smoother.

 

 

-Carth-

 

The battle was like the others I have fought in but it took some getting used to. These people don’t really like to use blasters but rather fight in melee combat. They are a bit like the Jedi but not always the pacifists for they fight like any Republic soldier. After much arguing with Revan, I agreed to let her go with Jacen to rescue the Lady Governor. I had just gotten her back and I didn’t want to lose her again but she’s stubborn, more than me. I agreed to man the artillery line and reinforcements with Jolee helping the healers. I think Jacen put him up to making sure I didn’t chain Revan to a chair or something.

 

We created a barrage fire in front of the advancing lines to provide cover fire. Early on we found that it was quite effective and used it in most major engagements and few minor ones. We switched so it didn’t give the Rashikians a chance to counter. I was directing a change in direction per our plans when a stray shot hit the side that Revan and Jacen were supposed to exit the compound. I immediately wanted to panic but I relaxed when I saw Darius direct troops to an area and figured that they may be clearing another way out.

 

Mission was having way too much fun in the turrets but I agreed to let her be there, after Jacen interceded on her behalf. I swear he can be a sweet talker when he wants to. Other times he takes the attitude of a soldier, the tender part of him disappears and out comes this warrior that would make Canderous proud, if he let it dominate him. I was surveying the landscape when another explosion sounded near the cliffs above the caves. It looked like someone blew a hatch or something. I couldn’t really tell until I saw two figures emerge at the top fighting. I recognized one being Jacen by the color of his lightsaber. The other was someone else as the blade was red. I immediately began to worry about Revan.

 

 

-Revan-

 

Jacen and I had to separate after meeting the Blood King. I didn’t know who he was but through our bond, I could sense an intense fear, one that seemed as if it were buried. That feeling quickly changed to outright anger and hate but then they dissipated. I gathered that this person was reminiscent of a memory that was not pleasant. I noticed that Jacen adopted a semi aggressive state and his voice was strangely deep when he told me, “Go.” When I didn’t move, he said, with a little more force, “Go or I’ll run you through myself.”

 

I knew he didn’t mean it but it put my mind on the mission: get Lady Mara out. I grabbed her hand and we took off running for the northern end of the compound, the last available exit. We headed through the maze of streets within the compound; fighting off any Rashikians we came across. Lady Mara watched my back as I did hers and was a very good swordsman. I could tell that she may have been trained a bit in the Jedi arts. It made sense because her father was one.

 

At last we were home free towards the main bulkhead when a dark hooded person stepped in front of it and asked, “Where do you think you are going?” He lifted his head to reveal a face I only saw once but Mara recognized right off the bat. Her stunned expression was enough along with her voicing, “Eómeros?”

 

The figure laughed. It sounded familiar to the way how Malak laughed when I confronted him on the Leviathan and it sent a slight chill down my spine. He replied, “Not any more my love. Lorien is the name now.” His eyes glowed a strange and familiar gleam. I could see the evil in them, the familiar evil I once felt myself.

I forced the feeling from my mind. I looked at him square in the eye and said, “What do you want?”

 

“My love. My bride. And to hurt Jacen.”

 

Mara began to show tears in her eyes. Apparently she cared for Eómeros and it pained her to see him succumbed to the darkside. He had been missing since the initial attack at conclave. It was evident that he had been taken prisoner and turned to the darkside. It made me wonder if he was tortured as Bastilla had been over five years ago. The revenge part was more confusing. He had no quarrel with Jacen unless it was a single mindset from that Blood King. There was little time to wonder this for Lorien spoke gruffly, “If I don’t get what I am after then I will have to take what I must. I have no qualms about killing someone close to Jacen either,” and he drew a lightsaber that was a violent shade of purple.

 

My instinctive reaction was to draw mine. The orange blade glowed as I twirled it into position in front of me. Mara had gotten over her sadness and twirled her vibroblade as well. She knew that Lorien was not the one she fancied. It amazed me how well the Avalonian people could put their personal feelings aside and walk into battle. Lorien didn’t expect that she would fight him but he recovered from it well. He responded by coming at the both of us and juggling blows between the two of us. At one point, he kicked me in the gut, knocking me down and he used the Force to send Mara flying into the bulkhead, knocking her unconscious. He then turned his full attention to me.

 

He and I came at each other like two colliding asteroids. He came fast and hard, trying to get a blow inside my defense. The extra training I had underwent with Jacen and Darius kicked in and blocked as best as I could. I was being driven through the actual bulkhead and into the thick of the battle and sparks were flying where our blades collided and the smoke mixed in with the air. The others ignored us as we fought on. Once I tripped on a hidden piece of metal and Lorien struck my shoulder but missed doing serious damage. It burned and I was in pain but I staggered back to my feet and continued. All the while I was becoming distinctly aware that Jacen was attracting attention from the Rashikians.

 

 

-Darius-

 

I saw the northern bulkhead open and out emerged Revan and a figure clad in black. I distinctly remembered that Jacen mentioned that the dark clothed figure was Lorien but he was reluctant to share much. I guess he knew him. I didn’t press and neither did Revan.

 

When I didn’t see Lady Mara emerge, I began to panic. I left my second in command in charge and ran at full speed to find her. I used my lightsaber to push through the masses of Rashikians trying to get there. I tripped once but I was back on my feet. I ran past Revan and Lorien and headed into the compound. It was surprisingly empty as I scanned around.

 

I found Lady Mara crumpled against the bulkhead and bleeding from a gash to the head. It looked like she had been struggling to get to her feet but was too exhausted from pain to properly orient herself. I was confused as to how to carry her, as I needed a free arm. This was war however and there was no time for propriety so with as much care I could muster, I slung her over my left shoulder and adjusted under her weight. Keeping my left to hold her body in place and my right free, I grabbed the vibroblade she had been using and headed out the exit and back into the thick of the fighting.

 

I ignored Revan yet again so I didn’t notice that her arm had been nicked by a lightsaber. I met up with Visas and Juhani midway back to the healer station. Juhani volunteered to help watch my back as we made our way back. As we ran, I occasionally heard a whimper come from Lady Mara. It wasn’t pain from her head but an emotional pain. Whatever happened in the compound must have been painful.

 

 

-Jolee-

 

I saw Darius running with Juhani towards me carrying someone. I recognized her as the Governor we were supposed to rescue. I noticed the gash on her head, nothing that a little Force Healing can’t do. Bah, I’m getting too old for this.

 

The wounded are not serious. As soon as they are healed, the soldiers run back out and continue the fighting. Don’t they know that they have to rest after getting injured? Though I do admit that their zeal reminds me of my younger days when I was a strapping young lad with a full head of hair and smuggling supplies.

 

After healing the governor and leaving her on the gurney I turned to survey the fighting. I may be old but my senses aren’t dulled. I could sense that Jacen was facing what I suppose he is supposed to fight.

[Diego Varen]

Good Journal Enteries. They were all the same length and were a good read. Hopefully there will be more.

[JediMaster12]

Chapter 28: Battle of Fate

The smoke was thick in the air and the stench of death was on the winds. That didn’t matter as I fought the Blood King. We had managed to make our way up the stairs to the top of the cliffs overlooking the crystal caves. I could hear the waterfalls, the same ones that I had visited once before long ago. In front of me was the spitting image of Tvark, the Judge. He had been plotting since his father’s death to extract his revenge on me and he had been the one behind the war. I felt feelings of anger and hate but I pushed them deep down.

 

We had been fighting on precarious ground, as there were boulders and stones on the ground making an uneven ground. We had just clashed our blades together and pushing with equal force on both our ends. The Blood King decided to take the opportunity to try and bring out my hate. He said, “Use your anger. Only your hatred can destroy me and the very evil you seek.”

 

I felt my temper rising but didn’t give in. That seemed to make him mad for he broke the hold by freeing one of his hands and laid a punch that sent me flying into a boulder. I had let go of my lightsaber and it fell a few feet away. I slowly got to my feet and with all the strength I could muster, I sent a strong enough Force Wave to send him flying into his own boulder. I then summoned my lightsaber with the Force and came at him.

 

The Blood King was laughing as he got up and saw me coming. He had a few tricks up his sleeves and he used them against me. He just stood there but sent various sizes of stones and boulders flying at me. I managed to dodge a few of the large ones but a good sized one hit me in the side and broke a few of my ribs. I was lucky I had turned or I would have ended with a punctured lung. I tried not to cry out in pain but that hurt bloody hell and he knew it. I had to continue but I decided on a defensive stance.

 

Tired of throwing stuff at me, the Blood King came at me again with his lightsaber. I took my second one off my belt and activated it. I used both to try and drive him further away from me. He responded fairly well and managed to knock the second one out of my hand. I didn’t have the strength to summon it so I continued to fight with the one. At one point, I used the smoke through the Force to make it thick enough to allow me to hide amongst the huge boulders. I hid there to catch my breath and get a sense of my surroundings. I heard a taunting voice, “Come out, come out wherever you are.”

 

I was panting from fatigue as I glanced around. I looked down and noticed that Revan was fighting Lorien. She seemed to be doing all right, judging from what I could sense through the battle-induced fog of our bond. I sent a surge of encouragement through our bond before moving around and readying to continue.

 

I emerged from behind the structures to find no one in sight. It sent a warning through my brain and my senses became alert. I searched through the Force for him but it was to no avail. I didn’t let down but it didn’t do me good. He jumped behind me intending to run me through. I jumped away and landed a well-placed blow on his right arm. That made him mad for he growled and backhanded me in the chest that sent me staggering backwards and struck me in my shoulder. It wasn’t a serious strike and I got the distinct impression that he wanted to make me suffer.

 

The wound felt like when one got hit with a blaster bolt. I shrugged it off and stood up. I was exhausted but I wasn’t going to give up. The Blood King was waving his blade at me and smiling his evil grin. I just looked at him and breathed a heavy sigh. I distinctly began to hear voices from my childhood, from Zoran. In my mind I heard, Pride is keeping your head up when everyone else’s is down and courage is what makes you do it. I also began to hear the song of the Heart of the Guardian but it was too faint to be heard. My brain was slowly becoming muddied with weariness and distorted lessons from my childhood sounded through.

 

Then I recalled the vision that Inkosi Kanji sent me on. If anything, that image stuck with me and I felt a brief surge of strength. I was becoming aware that I was slowly opening my eyes to see a striking Blood King and in a sudden movement I brought my saber up to block it. I grabbed his wrists and we struggled that way with our eyes locked. He looked deep into mine and said, “You have strength, courage.”

 

It was more of a compliment than a means of attack to my character. It momentarily confused me but didn’t break my concentration. We continue to wrestle locked again when I gave him a knee to the chest and a punch that made him stagger back. The blood was up and we went at it again striking with our sabers. I landed one more strike to his right arm in the same spot. That made him overly mad and he came at me with a hard thrust.

 

I managed to avoid the brunt of it but he grazed me just under the ribcage and with a quick strike hit my right leg, making a deep cut. I couldn’t keep quiet about the pain and I fell to the ground. I thought it would be all over when he raised his blade to strike me down when an orange blade stopped it. I looked up and saw Revan with a grim look of determination on her pretty face. It was streaked with dirt and I noticed blood on her right arm.

 

“You are brave and foolish Jedi,” the Blood King said.

 

Revan responded, “Everyone says that about me.”

 

I took the opportunity to summon my lightsaber and I activated it. With a painful flip forward, I got back on my feet. I was a wreck but I wasn’t going to let Revan get herself killed. I had made a promise to myself to keep her safe and I was dead set on keeping it. I came out in front and took the lead, much to Revan’s chagrin. I said, “And you and I have business to finish.”

 

He laughed, taking in the pleasure that I was still on my feet and in pain. He responded, “It doesn’t matter. Two more in my book and two more bodies on my way to conquering this system.”

 

“I don’t think so,” I replied and I swung first. It shocked him slightly because I struck first and hard. Revan followed swinging when she could. At this point the barrage fire was dying down as Rashikians were retreating and firing at the same time. Ships were escaping to the main stronghold at Belos. That didn’t matter as we kept up the battle.

 

At one point I sent my own boulder flying at the Blood King even though I was near dead on my feet from loss of blood. He sent one in return but I stopped it. Revan stepped in and helped me get it spinning and together we sent it hurtling at him with astonishing speed. He jumped to avoid it and it shattered against the other boulders. The ground was littered with broken rocks and scattered pieces of metal from all the throwing around.

 

The last straw came when the Blood King backhanded Revan into a boulder where she fell semi conscious. I came at the Blood King with my blade swinging, letting my heart take over and not my head though I still had some sanity left. I ended up tackling him and we both fell on the ground extremely close to the cliff edge. He gave me a hard punch and then struck my injured leg, making me cry out and he pushed me to the side. I did a roll and used my arms to push me up while at the same time I summoned my lightsaber. All he did was grin at me and held up something dangling from a silver chain. He had taken my lifestone off in the process by ripping it off, causing a small gash on the back of my neck. He threw it to the ground and stepped on it, mashing it into the ground.

 

I was angry but I calmed down. It hurt that he insulted me by doing that but I wasn’t going to let it rule me. I just stood there and glared. I noticed Revan starting to stir as she was coming out of her grogginess and sent reassurance. Her eyes opened and she tried to take in the situation. Seeing that he wasn’t getting a rise out of me, the Blood King said, “Tis a pity that Tergis wasted his time on you. You are weak. You bring shame to the legacy of our people you sangtahut.”

 

I approached slowly, limping until I was within four feet of him and said, “I have shou, you don’t. You dishonor it.”

 

“We’ll see,” and he swung hard which I defended and attempted to punch me. I grabbed his wrist and struggled with the little strength I had left. We somehow got switched around till my back was facing the edge of the cliff. He kicked my shin on my bad leg sending a streak of pain through my leg. I nearly buckled over but I pushed hard and shoved him back and nearly lost my balance.

 

As I was regaining my balance, he sent a Force Shove that sent me flying off the edge of the cliff. I vaguely recall hearing a shriek or a scream as I plummeted down. I seemed to have hit every single jutted surface that projected out as I headed for the pool of water below. The last thing I remember was the flashing image of my wife and son. They were the last people I saw before I saw black.

[Diego Varen]

Battle against the Blood King. Great. Looking foward to more.

[JediMaster12]

Chapter 29: Thoughts of the Aftermath

-Revan-

 

I don’t remember much after I hit the boulder but that battle was imprinted to a degree in my mind. I remember waking up and saw Jacen and the Blood King on the ground. It looked like he had tackled him. I also remember the protective nature he took when I showed up after defeating Lorien. The healers took him after I wounded him gravely. What would happen to him didn’t matter then to me and I knew that Darius had taken Mara to safety. My immediate concern was then finding Jacen. I had sensed that he was in danger.

 

I watched as the Blood King struck him in the leg where a deep gash was and saw Jacen roll over in pain. He recovered quickly and I could tell that he was using the Force to sustain himself even though he couldn’t do it physically. I saw him push himself up and he spun to a standing position and summoned his lightsaber. It was an amazing feat for I had never seen any Jedi do that before. He just then stopped and stood there with his lightsaber ignited. I turned my aching head to see why.

 

The Blood King was holding his lifestone, the one that Lady Mara gave him. It matched mine except it was more aquamarine. It looked as if he had ripped it from Jacen’s neck. I watched in horror as he flung it down and stomped on it and pressed it into the ground. Jacen didn’t do anything. If anything, he was unnervingly calm. I watched them and they conversed in Avalonian, I think. I recognized the word for ‘blood traitor’ and realized that the Blood King was trying to incite Jacen to attack. Jacen responded with words and the Blood King struck with his lightsaber first. Jacen countered and gripped hard and they struggled as they had before but within Jacen’s tiredness, I sensed a slight anger.

 

The whole incident leading to Jacen getting pushed off the edge of the cliff was like a blur in my mind. I do remember screaming, “Jacen!” as he fell. The look on his face was that of a stunned surprise mingled in with the pain he was already in. After he went over the edge, the Blood King just watched with grin on his face. He then turned and looked at me and smiled maliciously. I was struggling to get to my feet when he walked by. I felt overwhelmed by the power of the darkside when he walked by. I was bombarded by images of the terrible things I did during the wars and they swamped my senses and made me pass out.

 

I woke up when Carth picked me up and tried to wake me a gently as possible. Apparently they came into the compound to check and see where Jacen and I were since we didn’t come back to the meeting point. It took me a brief moment to survey my surroundings and I remembered that Jacen had gone over. I scrambled out of Carth’s arms and stumbled towards the edge of the cliff where I had seen him gone over. I scanned down trying to find him but I didn’t see him except for broken brush he may have hit on the way down. Tears brimmed in my eyes and I turned from the edge and I noticed it. Jacen’s lifestone was in the ground where the Blood King had ground it into the ground. It was still in tact as I picked it up from the ground, the chain dangling between my fingers, and I looked at it.

 

Carth came and sat beside me and held me in his arms as I sat there with tears coming down my face. I had come up there to help him and in the end I wasn’t able to keep him from going over. I hadn’t cried since the day I saw Carth again but this was one time I couldn’t hold it in. I sobbed lightly into Carth’s shoulder as he hugged me close and whispered soothingly into my ear. I was still gripping Jacen’s lifestone and was rubbing it with my thumb. I was in a state of shock and didn’t want to move. All I could think about was that it was possibly my fault that Jacen went over and I was trying to figure out what I was to say to Michaela. Everyone else that was there seemed to have realized that Jacen had gone over the edge and didn’t know what to say. I had no feeling in my legs so Carth ended up carrying me back to camp.

 

I was still sitting on the bunk where Carth had sat me so Jolee could patch up my arm. I hadn’t stopped rubbing the pendant with my thumb. Instead my thoughts were diverted to the bond that Jacen and I shared. I was searching, methodically; a technique that Bastilla taught me. I concentrated hard and I felt cold and wet. I felt pain and a cry for help. I hadn’t even heard Jolee say, “Dammit you know him better than anyone. You can find him.” I then jumped up and asked, “How far does the river go?”

 

**************************************************

 

For three days we had been searching for Jacen along the river that led from the waterfalls. I was so persistent that I pushed everything else aside. That image of him going over haunted my sleep and sometimes he was replaced by Carth and then I would wake up in the middle of the night breathing heavily. Poor Carth. He had to put up with it but he would just hold me tight and reassure me that we would find him. I could sense that he felt the same way I did. I never realized before how much he and Jacen had conversed. It seemed that he had touched all of us in different ways.

 

I wanted to send for Kapu but I didn’t want to worry Michaela. She had enough problems already and she had Tulre to take care of. I decided to make best use of my Jedi senses as we kept the search. I didn’t want to give up on him. He was still alive somewhere. Oh Force, I need to find him.

 

The other day I went back to the crystal caves just to think. I came across the column we hid behind and I noticed something. It was a strange crystal glowing. I examined it and saw that it was perfectly square cut and faceted and giving a distinct glow. I touched it and the glow brightened. I just looked at it for a moment longer and then smiled sadly. I then slowly walked out of the cave just looking all around. My eyes drifted to the river and I followed its flow. I absent-mindedly pulled out Jacen’s pendant and looked at it. We were close I just knew it.

 

 

-Darius-

 

The Rashikians began to retreat after Jacen and his quarry had reached the top of the cliff. They retreated firing and getting in last minute slashes. They cleared out so fast that it made me wonder if it was all a setup but I couldn’t sense anything out of place. I saw that one of the figures at the top of the cliff had disappeared and figured that it might have been Jacen since I could see that a red blade was still lit. I saw medics dragging a body and recognized it as one of the tribesmen I had met before the first bombardment but Revan didn’t come back. I went to the meeting point along with Carth, Jolee and the other Jedi. When they didn’t come back, worry started to set in. I noticed three lightsaber blades on top of the cliff and I motioned to everyone.

 

The jaunt to the compound was rather difficult as the ground was slick with blood and littered with shrapnel and holes the size of mini craters. With Carth, I had never seen anyone move so fast. I couldn’t blame him. His wife was up there and he would be damned before losing her. I upped my speed to match his as we made our way through that junkyard of a compound. It took us precious minutes to locate the right set of stairs that led to the cliff top. When we got to the top, all we saw was Revan lying unconscious.

 

 

-Carth-

 

I saw her lying there crumpled on the ground. The ground was spattered with broken rocks and blood. I ran to her and ran a cursory look over her. I was relieved that it was only her arm that was injured. I held her trying to get her to wake up and make sure that she was all right. I also looked around for Jacen but didn’t see him anything and a sick feeling came to my stomach. Revan finally woke up and she looked disoriented and I thought that maybe she had hit her head or something. The next thing I knew she was scrambling out of my arms and she half crawled and stumbled walked towards the edge of the cliff.

 

Just watching her gaze over and looking over the edge, it made me realize that Jacen wasn’t going to come out with a good joke or anything. I think everyone else realized the same thing when they just watched her. I noticed that Revan was looking at the ground and fingering it. She picked up something with a silver chain. I recognized it as the pendant that Jacen had been playing with before he and Revan went on their mission. She just sat there looking at it with a strange and blank look. I went and sat by her and she shed a few tears.

 

I carried her all the way back so Jolee could patch her up. She just continued to just stare blankly. Not even Jolee’s comments could snap her out of it. I recognized that look she used to get when she remembered something but there was something else, like she was searching. For what I don’t know and to be honest and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know. Then she jumped out of her reverie and asked about the river.

 

That night she confided to me that she knew that Jacen was alive. She described the cold and wet feeling she felt. I was willing to believe her. I had no doubt of her Jedi abilities but to search that many miles of river seemed near impossible. I didn’t say this but she must have sensed it for all she said was, “We have to try.” I was then willing to do what she asked.

 

We searched for three days and for three nights she had nightmares that often had her wake up gasping for air, in tears or screaming. I tried the best I could to comfort her and she welcomed it like her life depended upon it. I think she felt guilty about whatever happened up on that cliff but she wasn’t talking and I had learned my lesson the last time and didn’t ask her about it. For her sake, I hope we find him.

[Diego Varen]

Good Journal Enteries once again. Is that the last Chapter or is there one more?

[JediMaster12]

Chapter 30: Dreams and Despair

-Revan-

 

At one point I felt ready to give up the search but that tugging through our bond kept me going. I was actually ready to abandon all the normalcy of eating and taking care of myself. Carth actually had to force me to do anything like eat. Thank the Force for his stubbornness. Bastilla, Juhani and Jolee would often join me for meditation so I could concentrate harder. One day I felt a change. Before there seemed to be a hovering near death but now there was more life. It was nightfall when the change was detected and I wanted to redouble my efforts but everyone convinced me to sleep.

 

That night as I lay close to Carth with my head resting on his shoulder and my left hand resting on his chest, I thought about the change. I was convinced that he was alive and well. It was just a matter of finding him. I slipped into an uneasy sleep and dreamed a different dream than the ones that I had before.

 

The people below looked small and unthreatening. They looked up expectantly though it was masked. Underneath was contempt and hatred in their faces. The adults had a murderous gleam in their eyes as well as a rebellious one. The children looked frightened, unable to say anything. They all continued to stare up.

 

The Rashikians entered the courtyard and forced the people away from the building to create a clearing. They were dressed in black, their armor sharp like the talons of the eagles and dripping in blood, fresh blood. Some of it was caked on as if they had never bothered to clean it in years. Their bodies stank of death and that mostly drove the people away. The other was that they brandished swords that were barbed with sharp points. The people responded with fear but with equal hatred. A gong sounded and they looked up.

 

There he stood at the summit of the palace. He was larger than the others and he wore an armor that gleamed in the brilliant sun. He was wearing a mask shaped as the head of an eagle and was decorated in blood and gold. He removed it to reveal his face. The Blood King stood looking at the people below with a look of sadistic pleasure and contempt. He waved his hand to one of his subordinates who disappeared back into the palace. He continued to look at the people below and he continued to smile but it was at the pleasure of a memory.

 

The subordinate returned dragged a half beaten person. It was the governor of the planet. The governor was caked with dirt and dry blood and sporting cuts all over. It was easy to see that there was no prejudice over where they had beaten him. The Blood King spoke to the people in Avalonian but I could easily understand it. He said, “You have chosen to resist and rebel against me. For that, there is a price.”

 

He then turned towards the governor and suspended him in mid air using the Force. He then looked deep into the governor’s eyes while smiling that evil smile. With a quick motion of his hand, he closed it into a fist. The end result was the crushing of the governor’s neck. Blood gurgled forth from his mouth as he remained suspended in mid air. The Blood King came forward and with two of his fingers, he wiped some of the blood gushing from the governor’s mouth and stuck them with extreme pleasure in his mouth. He looked almost hideous with that evil look of pleasure about him.

 

The governor looked like he was trying to speak but couldn’t, The Blood King just looked at him and then with a flip of his hand, he sent the governor over the edge and plummeting hard to the ground that had been cleared. No life issued from the governor but the blood flew freely. The people had a look of fear but the hatred was more intense than ever. They then looked up to where the Blood King stood looking at them grinning his sadistic smile. He then said in his booming voice, “That is what happened to your precious Kirabaros and your governor and it is the price you pay for disobedience. By right I will have what is mine.”

 

Then the image faded but continued to linger on the Blood King, he smile still on his face. Blood was coming down the side of his mouth but he licked it with his tongue. His presence was overpowering with evil, the very embodiment of evil.

[Jae Onasi]

It was fun to see Carth and Revan married.

What an evil little Blood King, especially his actions with the governor. Whew.

 

Your battle scenes with Jacen and the Blood king are pretty intense (which I think is a good thing.).

 

Hope the digs are going well!

[Diego Varen]

Battle scenes are better than what I write. Anyway that is a good Chapter.

[JediMaster12]

Yep. Jae: The Blood King was a name that I took based on the Scorpion King but this guy lives for bloodshed. He is worse than a war mongrel of a Mandalorian. His appearance I borrowed from the Aztecs with the warrior order of the Eagles.

Pottsie: I was surprised that my battle segments came out so intense. I was actually visualizing it as I was writing it. I was trying to live up to the ferocity of the Blood King as I originally saw him.

Well this segment I am posting is the last for Book 2. Book 3 will be posted when I return from another week at the digs. So here it goes:

 

Epilogue

They say that death is painful or painless. It is like a thousand knives stabbing throughout the entire body, at least that is what the icy cold water felt like after plummeting 300 feet into it. The darkness consumes you and drags you deeper into the abyss. You feel the Force flowing through you and its attempt to make one with it. You fall further and further away from the light that was life. You feel that you are free or that you are leaving business unfinished.

 

All of a sudden you are pulled out and thrust back into the light. You see white and the bright light. You are not sure if you are breathing or if anything is really real. You see faces staring at you and you struggle against it only to be met with an intense pain, as if every bone in your body is broken. The chaos becomes intense and you see images of death, memories, things that don’t seem real. Then you hear soothing words out of all the chaos. They become your anchor in a sea of torment as you struggle against the blinding currents of pain. Then you become calm and open your eyes and you see…life.

[Diego Varen]

Nice Epilogue, although it felt kind of creepy. Makes me want to read the next Part. What is it called?

[Jae Onasi]

I liked the Epilogue, though I think I would have liked to have you add in more about Michaela telling him to fight for his life--you kind of hint at it with the soothing words phrase (though it could have been Revan, too). You have a great opportunity to further develop his relationship with his wife that way. I'd like to know why he decided to live instead of letting go, too.

I did feel like I was tumbling through those feelings along with him, which was cool.

[JediMaster12]

The epilogue I was thinking in terms that he would be disoriented. You don't know if you are dead or alive. I was intending it to be ambiguous. To answer the question of why he came back, well, you can't finish the story without the main character. I'll I'll do is say wait and see. Book 3 should be up by Saturday. I'm about to embark on another adventure.

[JediMaster12]

Book Three: The Return of Kirabaros

It has been almost two years since the Blood King made his appearance with the death of Jacen Cirrus. He began a reign of terror beginning at Belos and attempted to conquer the people of Avalon and her sister planets. The Avalonians in turn resisted along with the aid of their new Republic friends under the command of Admiral Carth Onasi and the Jedi under the command of Revan Onasi.

 

Things were fairly dark for the Avalonians as they tried to keep their planets free. New plans of attack were developed some with success and others were not. Time seemed to be running out but hope was still there.

 

With the armies holding the line it seemed as if they were waiting for someone to pull them out of the pit of despair and lead them to victory. Our story continues as we take you to a villa estate near the plains of Jasilyn where a Jedi Knight is sitting on a bench with a small boy attempting to recover that which had been lost…

 

 

Chapter 1: Recovery

It had been almost two years since I fell into the river that flowed from the crystal caves on Mikkado near the old spaceport Garanga. I had suffered serious injuries and plummeted 300 feet hitting nearly everything jutting out of the cliffside. I was dragged down the river where I was fished out by none other than the Lordes tribe, Zoran’s tribe.

 

Near dead, I was brought back from that dark abyss through the combined efforts of the tribe’s healers and my Jedi friends. The one who kept a firm hold on me was none other than Revan Onasi, my Jedi sister and bondmate as she guided me back to my consciousness. The strongest anchor during my recovery was my wife Michaela. She was there right by me and it was her presence that kept me from going insane.

 

When I finally returned to a state that could comprehend my surroundings, I had undergone some serious Force Healing and a combination of herb treatments to repair my ribs and the various fractures I had received from the fall and my tumble down the river. My right leg was another matter. The gash from the lightsaber was deep and it looked as if it would seriously impede my ability to walk. I would have preferred being dumped in a kolto tank and sleep some more but I think they wanted my to stay alert, worry I guess. Jolee managed to do some amazing healing to relieve the pain and heal the damaged muscle and Revan and Michaela were by my side. It was mostly my wife. It was here that she would bring Tulre and we would sit together. It was here how I learned that Eómeros died and Lorien escaped and Lady Mara was taking things pretty well but she was still sad.

 

It took the better part of six months to recover my ability to be able to walk and even then, when I got too stressed, I suffered a slight limp. It took me even longer to regain a decent affinity to the Force. For some reason, I suffered a disconnection after I fell in the river and it disturbed me at first but at least one of my Jedi friends were there to help me. For the safety of my family and myself, Revan kept up the rumor that I was dead while I recovered. It bothered me that I wasn’t able to do anything to try and help but it gave me time to spend with my son Tulre. I think it bothered my wife greatly that she couldn’t find an easy way to explain to him why I couldn’t play rough with him but it didn’t seem to bother him. He was already calling me ‘Dada,’ something he would continue to call me even when he got older in terms of affection.

 

I was sitting with Tulre and telling him the story of the jasilyn blossoms on one of the cushioned stone benches at the villa that I was living at with my family and Revan’s family. T3 had stayed for company as well as Kapu who had missed me those three or four months and we were just enjoying each other’s company. Nothing made me happier than sitting there and being with my son. It’s ironic how my injuries cemented our bond. If I hadn’t been that seriously injured, I probably wouldn’t have been able to spend as much time with him. I just have to laugh at that.

 

During my two yearlong recovery, I noticed changes in my persona that disturbed me to a degree. I found myself becoming slightly more aggressive of late at least in terms of tactical advice. My temper was often short with people that seemed insistent on coddling me on everything and I had a propensity to start a shouting match over little things. Carth once compared my overreaction to his over when Revan found out that she was a dark lord of the Sith. I also felt something else. I had a surge of caring, love; the same emotions I had for my family that were at constant war with my aggressive nature. I felt I was myself but at the same time it wasn’t me.

 

My Jedi powers had changed as well. Jolee had been helping me through the basics that padawans go through when first learning about their abilities. Halfway through the initial training, I began to make things move uncontrollably and do things. At least that emotional thing that Tulre mentioned when I first met him at the Academy was not in overdrive and well under control. I had enough headaches with that. Often I would do strange things with the Force like create a ball of pure white light and just make it spin and gently float, much to the chagrin and worry of Jolee, Revan and Michaela but to great amusement to my son. This alone was rather up for debate.

 

I often despised myself for my current physical state but I couldn’t remember for the life of me who put me in that state. Often I dreamed of a man with the head of an eagle and blood dripping from his mouth but I could not remember who he was. That was how the other me felt. There are times that I do remember something but it was a base emotion, an extreme fear and hatred for that man and deeper lay a memory of a child crying, “You killed Manzibique!” I never said anything about it to anyone except my Tulre who just listened. It was comforting.

 

I was sitting there as I mentioned before spending time with my son when T3 beeped that someone was coming. I already knew who it was before he beeped. Another thing about being brought back was that it heightened my senses. I adjusted Tulre on my lap but didn’t turn around. As soon as the person was close enough I said, “What news from the front, sister?”

 

Revan didn’t flinch but instead sat beside me on my left. Tulre reached out to her and crawled into her lap and called her, “Reva.” I chuckled at his name for her. I stretched out my right leg to allow it to breathe while she smiled and adjusted Tulre. I noticed the way how she looked at him and smiled and thought that she would make a good mother some day. When I had settled into a comfortable position, she began, “The lines are still holding but we have taken heavy losses. If it weren’t for that tactical maneuver you suggested, we would have lost a whole division and the lines would have broken. Mira died at the last battle but she had no regrets helping the village that had been besieged. That is not why I wanted to talk to you though.”

 

“What is it then? I doubt it involves you asking me to join you on the front,” I replied.

 

“Actually that is what it is about. Jolee thinks you may be physically fit to begin sparring to get back into shape. Besides, your frustration at not being able to do anything except give tactical advice has been screaming through our bond lately. Besides I think Bastilla has been driven crazy by your moping around when she comes here,” she added with a chuckle.

 

I chuckled back. So nice of her to put it nicely. Lately I had taken to tease Bastilla every time she came to give a report. It helped relieve my boredom and frustration. Still smiling I replied, “Does the old man want me out of the way too?”

 

“You know Jolee. He is always complaining about how you plague him with your childish antics and he mentioned something about insulting his cooking.” She laughed at this. It was common knowledge that you never knew what Jolee was cooking. Mission once said that she was convinced one specialty was scampering around one of the storage holds and that put Jolee in a semi foul mood for the evening. It was a good laugh. Revan stopped it but had a hard time containing it as she said, “But he does think that you should be getting ready to get back into combat.”

 

“OK and I supposed he wants to teach me how to hold a lightsaber again?” I couldn’t resist the sarcasm.

 

It wasn’t lost on Revan and she replied, “Actually, he thought that a young ‘whippersnapper’ such as yourself didn’t need instructions on how to hold a lightsaber. He thought that maybe you should just jump right into it, after going through conditioning.”

 

“Just gotta stretch my old bones eh,” I said with a slight smirk.

 

“This is serious Jacen,” she replied in a voice that humbled me slightly. She continued, “We need more warriors on the front. It has been two years since the Lordes tribe brought you to us. More than ample time to recover. I kept it a fact that you were dead so you wouldn’t be hunted by the Rashikians or the Blood King.”

 

“I know, I know,” I replied and stood slowly and turned to face her. I said, “I am grateful Sister but I have my doubts about being able to keep up with everyone. I am afraid.”

 

She stood up and shifted Tulre to her left hip. She looked at me with her honey colored eyes and said, “You had another nightmare of falling of the cliff didn’t you?”

 

I had no desire to hide it from her. I replied, “Yes. I just can’t remember who pushed me off. Other times I remember feelings I used to have as a child. I feel like I am two different people.”

 

Her eyes bored right through me as if to see what I was thinking and see my very being. She had a look of concern about her face but chose not to say anything about it. She then said, “Maybe Petronius will have an answer. Right now I need to know if you want to start training again.”

 

I could tell that my revelation to her was a discussion for another time. In response I just nodded my head and said, “Yes.”

 

She smiled at me gently and her expression was a softened one. It was different from the other ones that I had seen her give. Something screamed at me in the back of my mind but I chose to ignore it at the moment. She used her free hand to give me a pat on my shoulder though she had to reach to do it. It was then I had a brief flash through my mind that made me understand everything. I said nothing but just smiled at her and accepted back Tulre. We turned to head back towards the house with T3 and Kapu following.

 

After giving Tulre to his mother, my wife Michaela, to be put down for a nap, I ambled towards the room that served as a meditation chamber and library. Jolee was there with Revan and Carth. Apparently they were discussing something pertaining to the war. They were so engrossed with their discussion that I chose to interrupt by saying, “Anything I should know or should I wait?”

 

All three looked at me standing in the door. I had on new Jedi robes that the Academy on Avalon had sent. I was comfortable in them and preferred them over the robes of the order on Coruscant. I walked in with an easygoing pace and stopped in front of them. I just stood there waiting for a response. Jolee spoke first, “I see you left your mouthy personality at the door. Revan told me that you were willing to start physical training. Are you certain that you are ready?”

 

“Ready as I’ll ever be. I’ll promise to be good and not make the semi aged Jedi cranky.” I had said this with such a straight face that it was comical. Even Jolee chuckled at my comment. Still maintaining my posture, I asked, “When do I start?”

 

“How about tomorrow? Bright and early,” Jolee responded.

 

I nodded my assent and mentioned that Michaela was cooking tonight. It was my hint that everyone was invited and not in danger of being poisoned by Jolee’s cooking. A giggle emanated from Revan who suppressed it as quickly as it came out. I started to walk out and was followed by Carth. I hadn’t seen him in a week and I was up for a good chat about everyone at the front. I wasn’t about to miss another opportunity to tease him about something. At least he could take a joke. I had the suspicion that Revan had played more practical jokes on him than I could count. I guess he knew what expect and took it with good humor. We headed towards the kitchens to plague Michaela and Mission, who happened to be there and was learning culinary skills. I led a banter on his frequent disappearances. We didn’t notice that Revan and Jolee had remained behind and locked in an intense conversation.

[Jae Onasi]

Yay! He survived! I figured it would be that way, but it's good knowing just the same. He's got a lot of training to catch up on, being off for 2 years.

[Diego Varen]

Ressurected two years later. Oh well. I hope they all stop the Blood King in this part.

[JediMaster12]

Chapter 2: Training

The next morning began my training and, for a change, I looked forward to it. I rose early as I usually did after having a nightmare. I dressed in a simple training tunic. I took a chance and glanced in the mirror. I looked at my face that bore the scars of battle, at least on my hairline and my left eye. I looked as if I were trying to see if I recognized the person staring back at me. My eyes drifted down to my lifestone. The stone was actually more polished than when I first received it. Revan had given it back to me after I had awakened from my deep slumber of death. I fingered it and looked at it briefly. I then looked again in the mirror and I didn’t recognize the person was me. I couldn’t bear it anymore and forced my gaze away. I grabbed my pack and kissed Michaela softly on the cheek, touched Tulre’s head while he was asleep in his crib and left.

 

The training courtyard was really a grassy field behind the house. It was actually and old enclosed paddock that used to house draigons. I made my way there with firm strides and listened to the morning sounds of the birds. Revan, Jolee and Juhani were there waiting for me. I climbed over the fence and headed right to where they were waiting. On the way there I froze. I heard something and stopped to listen. The three Jedi were just staring at me and wondered why I wasn’t coming.

 

I tuned out everything and concentrated on the sound I had just heard. I closed my eyes and let everything melt away. I could feel my muscles tense up as I reached out. After reaching out, I recognized the sound and smiled. I called out, “Mandalore, you need to be a bit more quiet. You too Naomi. You sound like a herd of stampeding banthas.”

 

They then appeared off to my right about six feet away. I wondered if Jolee had put them up to this. Jolee was always testing to see what new abilities I had. This was an old game, two years old to be exact. I continued towards Jolee and the others who looked at me with some pride. I smiled and teased, “I see you wished to start with a game early in the day Old Man”

 

“Just making sure nothing’s dulled your senses sonny. At least you never miss an opportunity to run your mouth in a joke,” Jolee replied trying to hide a smile. “Well, we will begin with basic conditioning and then progress in difficulty to sparring.”

 

I said nothing but willing obeyed. The first few days were hard on my legs, especially my right as I went through nothing but physical stretching and a lot of running to condition my body. In my spare time I worked my upper body redeveloping the muscles that I had conditioned before my fall. During those times, Tulre would watch me with an intent look in his little brown eyes. It was painful but it got better.

 

During my daily sessions, there was always a warm-up which was followed by a little jaunt through the forest or the plains. Then came the one on one sparring. I was surprised at how well I adjusted to wielding the lightsaber. My first opponent was actually Jolee himself. He threw more Force attacks on me than physical ones but underneath that, he was a formidable opponent. The duels were conducted in a controlled manner especially after the first battle with Jolee.

 

We were in the middle of a duel when I grew slightly more aggressive. We were supposed to be going half pace. I was complying when I accidentally lost control and gave more fierce and stronger attacks. I actually ended up singeing Jolee’s robes with my lightsaber. He took it rather good-natured but I could tell he was concerned. We continued and I kept my aggressive impulses in check so no one would get further hurt.

 

Juhani was next after about three weeks of conditioning. She showed no mercy when it came to sparring. It was here that I found the old lessons of Cronus useful and they fit perfectly. Where Jolee was straightforward and to the point, Juhani was lithe and graceful and she made battle seem like a dance at times. I could sense that she still struggled with her anger issues for she was exercising extreme control. I had never worked harder than when I was sparring with her for she had to make me think faster than she and react much faster. During one battle, she managed to knock me backwards onto my back. Without thinking except to react, I arched my back and did a forward flip and landed on both feet squarely and firmly. I felt a brief stint of pain but ignored it as I brought my bronze lightsaber up into a twirl and reposition myself. Afterwards I checked my leg out and saw that it was fine so I didn’t say anything to anyone.

 

After a month and a half from that first morning, Mandalore came to test me. I had been working extra hard on my body to make sure I could take pain to my leg. It actually made my legs a lot stronger and I no longer limped under stress. The duels with Mandalore I found particularly entertaining and I wondered why I had ever disliked them. In our last duel, it was my best and the most scariest. It reminded me of the first time I battled with Mandalore way back when on Duxn with the intensity and the heat of it. At one point he had kicked my legs out from beneath me and I fell flat on my chest. I then pushed myself up with my arms while drawing on the Force and I twisted in a circular manner and arcing my body I landed on my feet and held my saber in a front ready stance. I had done that move only once before and it came back in a flash as well as the memory of the Blood King, at least how he got me on the ground.

 

That produced an involuntary reaction of surprise from my audience. It didn’t matter as I had my eye on Mandalore. He came at me with a swing to my left. He had aimed for my head. My reaction was that I had bent backwards so far that it looked like I had bent myself in half. With my saber still lit, I placed my hands on the ground and brought my legs up and kicked at Mandalore’s hands. I followed through with a back flip that put me in a standing position. The vibroblade was sent flying towards my audience at a deadly manner. With my right hand I thrust it out and suspended it in midair when it was dangerously close. It was still spinning as I controlled it with my powers. I then directed it towards the post of the fence where it struck hard and quivered. I slowly lowered my hand and breathed deeply. I deactivated my lightsaber and just held it in my left. A noise broke the silence.

 

I had not noticed that Carth had come out to bring news that there was a message from the front until he said, “Uh, am I interrupting?” I could tell he was trying hard not to overreact as the vibroblade that I had sent flying had been heading towards his wife just moments ago.

 

He was waiting for an answer. I was too stunned to answer so Jolee answered instead, “No, we are finished here. Is there something you needed?”

 

Carth mentioned that a transmission had been received about mobilization of the Rashikians. I was half listening and my gaze was drawn to Revan. She looked slightly pale and I felt concern for her. Through our bond I used my own Force energy to restore the color in her face. It was subtle and I didn’t think anyone would have noticed. She gave me thanks with a smile but also she scrutinized me as if examining me like a sensor probe. I didn’t mind because I didn’t understand it myself. I had never before been capable of moves like that except for that one time. We said nothing as we went to the main house to view the transmission.

[Diego Varen]

Good Chapter JediMaster12. Nice to see Juhani (I don't think I saw her last time).

[JediMaster12]

No not really. I knew the others would come in at different points. Juhani plays a bit of a part in this third segment near the end battle. That's all I will say until I post the next chapter. Maybe tomorrow will bring a new one. Who knows?

[JediMaster12]

Chapter 3: Debriefing and Concerns

The transmission was loud and clear: the governor of Belos was dead as well as most of the family, the civilian populace is being terrorized by the dead that littered the streets and the Blood King had a new warship that is equipped with immense firepower. The Forbidden Stars was bursting with activity. Everyone was silent as Darius gave the report and all had various degrees of sadness and morale decline. I stood near the back with an indifferent expression on my face, one that would please Mandalore himself, but across my vision all I saw was the Blood King with his eagle headdress and the blood. I saw him looking at me with a look that said, ‘Come out, come out wherever you are.’

 

I was so into what I was seeing, I became distinctly aware that I felt a surge of determination, a will to destroy this evil being. He kept staring at me as if he knew me with that evil grin. I took a closer look and saw something in his eyes that I thought was familiar, I think. He then drew out a blood red lightsaber and waved it menacingly in my direction. My memory then just seemed to pop into place from that day on the cliff. He struck and I physically drew my own lightsaber and ignited it but reacted with a Force push that sent datapads flying all over the place making everyone jump. I stood in a ready position until the vision faded and I became distinctly aware I was standing in the communication room but was still in a daze. I was broken out of it when Mandalore said, “If you can do that in battle then we should have no problem winning.”

 

HK said, “Observation: It appears the Handsome Meatbag has achieved a new level of violence that sends a buzz through my circuits. May I test him master?”

 

I looked around at everyone and noticed the datapads strewn all over the place and saw that my lightsaber was ignited. I deactivated it while still looking. I saw nothing but looks of shock on everyone except for the Jedi. My eyes lingered on Revan to make sure she was okay. She actually was looking at me intently but her eyes were full of concern. I briefly wondered if she had seen what I had seen but I was getting too uncomfortable with all the staring. I just said, “Sorry,” and turned around and walked out of there with powerful strides.

 

I headed towards the jutted rock that overhung the river that ran by the villa. I had found it before on one of my excursions with my son and came to it often when I wanted to be alone. I found just how I had left it and scrambled up the side to the spot where it had been worn smooth and sat there with me legs dangling over the edge. I just sat there in that position and stared at the river, following its flow occasionally with my eyes. Most people would have considered it crazy to be near a river after I fell 300 feet into one but I had always found the river comforting and nothing seemed to deter that love for it. I just sat there thinking about what I had just seen and some of the things that I had done that day. Mostly I concentrated on the eyes. I had seen something or someone and it felt like I had known or met it before. I closed my eyes to deepen my concentration and drew my left leg to my chest and held it with my arms. I didn’t know I had been followed until a gentle voice came to my ears, “That was impressive. Your reflexes I mean.”

 

I almost fell off when I heard the voice but I managed to steady myself. I turned to find Revan standing there looking at me. She had a slight smile but it was masking her concern and confusion. I adjusted my position so I could look at her clearly. I replied somberly, “I don’t know what came over me.”

 

“That’s what you said when you started making your little balls of light and when you singed Jolee’s robes about two months ago. You want to talk about it?”

 

“It’s nothing,” I replied rather brusque.

 

“Don’t shut me out like you did with everyone else except Michaela and Tulre,” she shot back. It was gentle but firm. “We, I want to know if something is wrong.”

 

I didn’t know what to say. Since I had noticed the changes in me, I had been keeping people at an arms length from me and our conversations bordered on politeness. I had not achieved that with Michaela, Tulre was too young to understand and with Revan, I couldn’t hide everything from my bondmate. I decided to let her in on what I had been telling Michaela. I sighed and slid off the rock to the ground. No way was I going to let her climb things. I motioned for her to follow me to the orchard and gardens. Once there I explained my suspicions and the feelings that I had experienced. When I got to the recent event I instead asked a question, “Who is Naga Sadow?”

 

I think that stunned her. She explained that he was an ancient Sith Lord and that he was the thing that she had released when she was Darth Revan. Every piece of information she told me added to the bigger picture. After she told me everything we had actually came to the water fountain in the middle of the gardens. I then asked, “Is this why you wanted me to get ready in my training? To go to the front again?”

 

“Yes mainly because you are a skilled warrior and,” she paused, “Jolee told me about your ‘revelations’ through the Force and I wanted to see if it affected your physical abilities.”

 

“Always watching out for me, my Sister,” I replied with a slight chuckle and we headed back towards the house.

 

 

Dinner was rather quiet due to the transmission and the little sideshow following that. Everyone was respecting my privacy and I guess it was out of fear that I would get angry and start doing strange things. I was quiet but I would reach under the table and squeeze Michaela’s hand. I had told her of my intentions and she gave me a worried look but she told me that she supported my decisions. I teased her about her cooking and gave her a kiss and left her to finish dinner. I was working up the guts to say something at the table when I noticed the occasional stares in my direction. I avoided it by keeping my head down and concentrated on my plate. Mission was visiting with Zaalbar and she started a conversation about some things she found strange and funny that the Bushida warriors were doing.

 

I slipped into a deep thought and tuned her out. I was weighing my options and responsibilities in my mind and missed a question. Mission asked again, “J.C., can you pass the salt?”

 

I snapped my head up and said, “Sure.” I looked at the saltshaker and it moved across the table towards Mission. I was oblivious to the looks from everyone.

 

Mission replied, “Thanks.”

 

I said, “No problem,” and went back to my plate. I continued pushing food around with my fork not looking at anyone. I finally broke the silence and said, “I’m going back to the front. I just need an update and not just my general tactical advice.’

 

I didn’t see Revan heave a sigh but I heard it and felt the relief. It was clear to me then her hidden reason for wanting me to be ready to fight. I sent a feeling of understanding but I think she was confused by it. There were things that I could keep remarkably hidden but when she tried to do the same I had the bad habit of breaking the barriers down. It became a joke between us but I tried to respect the barriers unless it was important. I was contemplating the range of emotions when I felt Michaela squeeze my hand and I returned it.

 

After that initial silence, Carth was the one that broke it by saying, “Alright. Uh, we were planning on leaving in two days. Can you be ready by then?”

 

“Yep.” I continued eating. I said nothing more but I could feel a wave of concern from Jolee and Juhani. I swear it seemed as if they were waiting for me to do something like a battle maneuver. Afterwards I went to my room and waited until Michaela came. We then had a long talk.

[Diego Varen]

Things look bad on Belos... Anyway good Chapter. How many Chapters will this Part be?

[Darth_Nihilus]

good story

[igyman]

I've got a little extra time on my hands, so I've decided to check out a few FanFics here and I've got to say this is very, VERY good. JM12, you might consider being a professional writer, if you aren't one already.

 

P.S. (Yeah I'm kinda gathering readers) If you have the time check out my first FanFic, ''Heir of Darkness''. Right now there's just the prologue, but the first chapter is coming tomorrow.

[Jae Onasi]

Very interesting new powers.

One technical detail--when someone is badly injured, the medical folks start working on rehabilitation as soon as possible (and they'll even have someone come in and stretch out the hands and arms and legs--if uninjured--of the patient while the person is still unconscious. The longer you wait, the less you're able to get back.

I'm almost surprised that Carth isn't jealous of Revan's relationship with JC. And I look forward to JC whupping the Blood King.