[FIC] The Adventures of Jolee Bindo

[JediMaster12]

Yep. I enjoyed it to. Being the sap I am for a good kiss I liked that tender moment before the battle. My tender moments would end up being too mushy. Still great chapter Jae and I liked that reference to the singed hair bit. Keep it up.

[Jae Onasi]

Chapter 32: The Command Center

 

“I think the party’s just getting started. What do you think, Jae?” Jolee asked, as our lightsabers all ignited as one.

 

“I think they’re mad because we didn’t send out invitations. We’ll have to remember to do that next time.”

 

The dark Jedi’s face turned red with rage.

 

“Gentlemen, we’re more than willing to have you join us if you’d like,” Talin offered, projecting calm. “This doesn’t have to end up in a battle.”

 

One of other dark Jedi smiled thinly, the kind of self-satisfied, treacherous smile an assassin might use as he looks into the eyes of his prey while killing him. “I think they mock us, Master Xerel.” The quiet restraint of his tone warned me how dangerous he was.

 

“I think bringing their charred bodies to our Lord would make him very happy,” the third one said.

 

The dark master smiled as bolts of electricity snaked from his hands towards all of us. Talin and I repelled the electrical strike with our lightsabers, while Jolee deflected the current back towards the last dark Jedi who spoke, stunning him instantly.

 

Out of the corner of my eye I saw the grenades that Bernecki and Geordel launched fly overhead towards the troopers behind the dark Jedi. Shrapnel exploded out, taking down several troopers before the firefight began in earnest, the two sides trading a hail of blaster fire as the smoke started to fill the air around us.

 

The two remaining dark Jedi charged us, hate emanating out in waves of heat. Talin and I took on the master while Jolee engaged the other one, their sabers whirling in a brilliant light show.

 

The dark master swiped sideways at us, and I jumped out of the way as Talin made the block and then tried to trap his blade. I slashed down to take advantage of the opening to his head, but he was too fast. He caught my saber with his in a shower of sparks. His blade slid down the edge of mine as he tried to clip my arm, but Talin attacked. Xerel had to break off to deflect Talin’s blade in time. I saw his open arm and lunged for him; Xerel whirled his blade to catch mine and almost stopped my progress. I nicked his shoulder, and he howled in pain and fury.

 

A fire ignited in his eyes, and he threw a flurry of blows, blindingly fast. Talin and I were pressed back by his aggression, both of us on the defensive parrying his attacks and simply trying to stay alive as the blaster fire flew around us.

 

I willed myself calm to allow the Force to flow better. A thin link formed between Talin and me as I concentrated, and it broadened to bridge our thoughts and feelings. I could feel the moves he was about to make against Xerel and adjusted my attacks. We stopped his press, and Talin took the offensive, swinging his blade with an efficient grace that prevented Xerel from finding any openings.

 

Just as Talin caught his blade against his, I lunged forward. Xerel was forced to step back to break the blade lock and parry my blow. Talin knew through the link where I would attack, and during the split-second opening that Xerel had, speared his lightsaber through the dark master's chest. Xerel’s eyes and mouth opened wide more in surprise than in pain, and then the life-light in his eyes went blank as he fell to the ground.

 

There was no time to rest. I turned around to see how Jolee was doing with the last dark Jedi, and our enemy was lying in a pile of robes on the ground, lifeless. Jolee had run over to help Bernecki and Geordel take on the Sith troopers.

 

Talin and I ran after them and entered the fray of shouts and lightsabers clashing against vibroswords. Our link stayed, and we fought together against the troopers, often times with one of us parrying a blow and the other driving in an attack before the trooper could free his blade to guard himself.

Geordel’s agonized scream ripped through all the other battle sounds, and I couldn’t help but look over at him as he collapsed, badly injured by a vibrosword strike.

 

“Focus. Stay on our target. We’ll help Geordel when we stop the troopers,” Talin said through the link.

 

I grit my teeth in concentration and tried to ignore the cries of pain. We all worked our way through the rest of the enemy fighters, and when they were all dead or incapacitated, I dashed over to help Geordel. He was lying on the ground in a pool of blood, shaking from the pain and shock.

 

Bernecki ran over to help his fellow soldier. “Oh, Force, Geordel, you have to hold on,” he said to the fallen man.

 

Geordel turned his pale face slowly to look at Bernecki. “I’m cold, sir.” He could only manage those few words in a broken voice.

 

“Shhh. Hold still. We’re here to help now,” I said in a soothing voice, placing a hand on his forehead and sending a healing force through him to stop the bleeding and mitigate some of the pain. Talin applied one of the lifepaks, and the kolto it contained helped stabilize his condition.

 

“That cold feeling will go away soon, son,” Jolee added. “You’re going to be OK.”

 

“We need to get him back to the ship,” I said.

 

“Blue 2-0, this is Blue 1,” Bernecki called to Gadaitis. “We have a casualty. I need several troops and the corpsman to section 1-5-6.”

 

“Blue 1, Blue 2-0 acknowledges troops and corpsman to 1-5-6. ETA 3 minutes. Out.”

 

“Blue 4-2, Blue 1.”

 

“Blue 4-2 here,” MacFinlay said. “We’re warming up to come get our buddy.”

 

“Hold till I give the order.”

 

“Aye, Blue 4-2 will hold position until orders to move are received. Just make it fast, please.”

 

“He never pays attention to my comm lectures,” Geordel smiled weakly.

 

Bernecki gave a small squeeze of encouragement to his uninjured arm. “When we get back, I’ll make sure he has to sit through a lesson, just you and him. It’ll be fun watching him squirm trying to sit still for more than half an hour.”

 

We waited the few minutes for the other team members to arrive.

 

Bernecki said, “We’ll take him to that spot just outside that first room. Once Sal’ton has all the charges in place, she’ll give us a fifteen-minute count. Then we’ll all evac out as a unit—we’ll have a better shot of making it across the open section that way.”

 

Jolee added, “We’re getting to the point where we Jedi should go it alone, Bernecki. We’ll meet you near the front of that building as soon as we get Sal’ton’s signal, if we aren’t busy. Don’t wait for us.”

 

“May the Force be with you, then,” Bernecki saluted.

 

The teammates rolled Geordel carefully onto the stretcher and lifted him away towards safety.

 

“If you both have any injuries, now’s the time to heal them,” Jolee advised, applying a medpak to himself. “Damn, but that dark Jedi I fought was one tough guy. Smart, too. Reminded me of Revan when he was storming the galaxy. But we don’t have time for stories right now. Like you could copy them down in the middle of a battle anyway.”

 

Talin and I exhaled.

 

“You don’t have to sigh that loud in relief, you know. At least wait till I turn around so you can do it behind my back,” Jolee snorted in mock annoyance. He tapped on the datapad, pulling up the schematics of the building. “Looks like we have one more section before we get to Miraxton’s quarters. Let’s get moving.”

 

We stood to the side as Talin tapped the control to open the doors. We peered around the corner of the doors. The long, sunlit corridor was empty, except for someone lying on the floor, a victim of the Scourge. The unmistakable scent wafted towards us.

 

“I’ll never get used to this kind of senseless evil. The Sith have many ways to kill, but this is one of the most cruel I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen plenty,” Jolee said, shaking his head.

 

The victim moaned and moved a bit before falling silent again.

 

“Oh, Force. He’s alive! Jolee, we have to save him!” I called out and started to move down the corridor.

 

Talin and Jolee each grabbed one of my arms.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“Wouldn’t be a trap now, would it?” Jolee asked Talin, a wicked glint in his eyes.

 

Talin replied, “No, not at all. Who’d expect a Sith Lord who’s a spy to be sneaky and plant traps?”

 

“I hope you’re wrong,” I said to both of them, frowning, but knowing they likely were right and that I nearly had done something very foolish.

 

“So do I. However, none of us wants to find out the hard way if I’m right,” Talin said, looking at me with warmth, and a touch of…fear?

 

“I’ll be more careful. Promise,” I told him, giving his hand a squeeze.

 

“How about you two quit making moony eyes at each other and help me find the damn traps—ah, I think I found it. Or rather, them.”

 

I squinted, looking down the corridor, trying to find anything unusual. Jolee went back and picked up the empty lifepak container.

 

“Stand back,” he said. He tossed the package at a particular spot on the floor about eight meters away, halfway between the Scourge victim and us.

 

It landed on the floor, and the floor exploded, sending the remnants of the shredded lifepak and shrapnel in all directions. We were far enough away not to get hit, as was the victim.

 

“‘I’m just a new floor tile, not a plastic explosive or anything,’” Jolee said in a falsetto, reaching down carefully to one of the floor tiles that was slightly shinier than the others. He concentrated through the Force, and I heard a click. He lifted the tile, and underneath was a pressure sensitive explosive device.

 

“Good catch. Where’d you get that line?” I asked.

 

“Some movie. Hilarious one. It’s about this guy trying to get some tunnel animal out of his lawn. I saw the new floor tiles and realized they’d just laid these things down, and the only reason could be to lay traps. At least they’re not hard to disarm.”

 

We searched the rest of the corridor, top to bottom, looking for any other surprises. Once I stretched out through the Force, the energy signatures of the floor mines started to shimmer slightly, just at the very edge of my sight.

 

“The mines are there, there, and there,” I said, pointing out all the dangerous tiles. “I don’t see or feel anything else,” I said.

 

“Neither do I,” said Talin.

 

“Looks clean except for all these little bomblets in the floor. Let’s disable these fast so we can get down to the poor guy,” Jolee said, finally seeming satisfied that nothing else posed a danger.

 

“It’s possible that he’s booby-trapped,” Talin warned.

 

“Wouldn’t put it past Miraxton to do that. Jae, go around the tiles and see if you can help, but don’t move him at all. Try to touch him as little as possible. I’ll check him over carefully before we pick him up in case Miraxton’s left us another nasty little present.”

 

I picked my way rapidly around the mined tiles, which had been laid out to be in the spots where we would have most likely walked.

 

“Please, don’t hurt me anymore,” the man moaned as I approached. His face was so swollen and cracked that he couldn’t see.

 

Something in his voice registered, and I scanned my memory, trying to place it.

 

“Jaxin? I'm not going to hurt you. I’m the Jedi who helped you with your arm.”

 

If Jaxin had been able to cry, he would have. He said in a broken voice, “Leave, ma’am, please. Miraxton’s back there. I don’t want you to end up like this. You’re too nice.”

 

“I’m here to help, Jaxin. Hush now. You have to save your strength.”

 

The Force flowed as I concentrated, and the healing started.

 

“I’m dying. Leave me.”

 

“You’re not going to die.”

 

Concentrating on all the techniques I’d learned from the holocron, I started to counteract the effects, but he had been lying there for some time after being struck down. I found him fading faster than I could keep up with the healing. I pulled out the stim that Master Supat had given to all three of us. Master Vrook’s warning about Jedi risking themselves unnecessarily floated through my thoughts, but I shook off that image. Looking at the stim and then back at Jaxin, I scanned his body for a big enough patch of skin to inject it.

 

“Jae, don’t!” Talin called out. I heard him run towards me.

 

I found a spot and applied the stim. Nothing happened.

 

“What are you doing?” Talin asked, a flash of anger flaring on his face. “You’ll be in more danger fighting Miraxton now. You needed to keep that stim!”

 

“He had no chance without it. I had to try. I couldn’t let him die and neither could you, Talin,” I answered, closing my eyes once more in concentration and trying the healing techniques again. I smiled as the drain of his life force stopped, and his body started to heal.

 

“It’s working!” I cried out.

 

Jolee finished his work with the floor mines and joined us to evaluate Jaxin. With our combined healing, his condition started to stabilize rapidly, though he would still need extensive treatment.

 

“Not bad. Old Supat knows what he’s doing. He’ll be happy to hear that it’s working so well. Jae, you sure you had to do that?” Jolee looked at me, searching my intent.

 

“He had no chance any other way,” I insisted. “At least we know it works.”

 

Jolee took a few steps away to call Bernecki for the corpsmen once more.

 

Talin pulled out his stim. “You have to take this one,” he urged, holding out his hand.

 

Closing his fingers back around the stim and putting my hands around his, I looked at him and told him quietly, “No. If my vision is right, you’re going to need it. You have to keep it, and I won’t take it, no matter how much you insist.”

 

I pushed the hand with the stim back to him gently.

 

“And I’m not taking yours, either, Jolee, so don’t even bother,” I said, as I saw him reach for his. “I’m the one who has the healing techniques down best. I’ve practically lived with that damn holocron the last couple weeks, you know.”

 

Jolee snorted and then grinned. “True. You said in your vision your hands were Scourged, though. You need to keep this stim.”

 

“The vision also shows it’s not spreading. Whatever happens, it must have been a mild hit, because it stops there. You’re the one that’s down, Jolee. If you don’t keep yours, I’ll be worrying about it the whole battle. You don’t want me distracted, now do you?”

 

“Don’t give me that coy look, missy. You shouldn’t be worrying, anyway—that’s a sign of fear.”

 

“I see you lying on the ground, Jolee. You won’t have any way to escape his attack. You have to keep it, and you know it.”

 

Jolee grumbled, “I hate it when young people think logically. I don’t like this idea one bit.”

 

“I’m right, and you know it. If it comes down to me or you, you have a better chance of taking him out. I’m not going to take it anyway, even if you order me to.”

 

Jolee had just enough time to say, “Humph! We'll see about that,” before Bernecki arrived with a small group of soldiers, including the corpsman.

 

We searched Jaxin carefully for any booby-traps, and found none.

 

"We're lucky he's arrogant enough to think the tiles would do the job," Jolee commented.

 

“Sal’ton’s about three-quarters done,” Bernecki informed us as we all helped put Jaxin on the litter and the corpsman continued the treatment we had started.

 

“Miraxton’s past that door,” I said. “I don’t think we’re going to be too long.”

 

“You all stay safe. We don’t need any more casualties. Captain would be very upset if I don’t bring you back safe, ma’am.”

 

“Captain would get very upset if someone looked at me the wrong way for a millisecond, Bernecki. But I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

Bernecki grinned for a moment before he returned to a more serious look. “We’ll see you shortly after you get rid of that fregging schutta, then. Strike him once for me and everyone else he tried to screw over.”

 

“Get in, get him, and get out. Got it,” Jolee said.

 

“Yes, sir, you do.”

 

“We’ll be along as fast as we can. Now get him out of here. We can’t go forward until you’re gone and in a safe place,” Jolee ordered.

 

I wiped my sweaty palms on my robe and meditated briefly on the Jedi Code to calm my beating heart as they hurried off, carrying Jaxin. I could feel Miraxton behind the door, his evil presence extending even this far out.

 

Jolee looked at both of us. “Clear your minds of any worry, anger, and fear. Peace and calm. Concentrate. He’s strong, but there are three of us. All our skills complement each other. Together we are more powerful than three separate Jedi, and we’re certainly more powerful than he is. We know his strengths and weaknesses, and we have our little surprises on our side. Now we all know what to do, and we’re going to do it well and get out of here. Am I clear?”

 

“Yes,” Talin answered.

 

I breathed deeply and released the anxiety. “Yes, Jolee.”

 

“What are we waiting for, then? Let’s go get him. We’re not getting any younger, you know.”

 

We positioned ourselves, and Jolee opened the door to Miraxton’s quarters.

[Diego Varen]

Good Chapter Jae. Looking foward to the next one.

[Jae Onasi]

Good heavens, Pottsie, how'd you read all that in 3 minutes?

[Hallucination]

I’m just a new floor tile, not a plastic explosive or anything

Was that inspired by Caddy Shack?

 

It's good, but -5 cool points for cutting it off there. <_< But I'll give you +10 cool points if you get the next chapter up within a week. >_>

[Snafu7]

Great chapter Jae, I really enjoyed it. Can't wait for the next one.

[Jae Onasi]

Was that inspired by Caddy Shack?

 

It's good, but -5 cool points for cutting it off there. <_< But I'll give you +10 cool points if you get the next chapter up within a week. >_>

 

Jimbo and I are having an attack of Caddyshack fever lately, so I couldn't resist.

 

Well, I _could_ leave you all hanging several weeks waiting for The battle, but it would make _me_ crazy waiting that long to write it.

And with the -100 Mojo points from RedJohnnyMike, I'm really in the hole now. Guess I'll have to work on that next chapter really soon, then.

 

Thanks folks!

[Arátoeldar]

Excellent chapter Jae. I can't wait for the show down.

[RC-1162]

i just read through the first three chapters of your fic Jae, and i can't believe i've been stupid enough to miss it. i love the way you capture Jolee's fake-ittiation and stuff of the like. the fic is extremely enjoyable and i'm gonna keep reading it till the last chapter for the next hour.

great work once again.

 

PS: and if thy wouldst be so kind as to grace my humble fic with thine wise words of approval, i shall be indebted to thee forever. [/shakespeare-geek-syle]

[Jae Onasi]

Oh, RC, the later chapters are better than the first 4 or 5. If I get a chance, I want to go back and overhaul the first part, because what it started out as in concept changed quite a bit when I hit about chapter 10 or 12 or something in around there. The first 5 or 6 chapters probably could be condensed down into 2 or 3 without too much trouble.

 

Yes, I can read your fic, but I may not be able to get through all of it and make comments until after this weekend and possibly into next midweek. My dad's having a retirement party this weekend, and I have a lot to do to help out. It's supposed to be a surprise open house, but when you have several hundred people trying to keep a secret, the surprise thing is totally blown out the window because someone always spills the beans, so my dad told me yesterday "I'll just pretend to act surprised for my wife."

[RC-1162]

^^^

well, at least he's happy

Take your time, Jae. I don't mind, though i think they'll be pretty short and straightforward. I don't ahve trouble finishing it in 10 mins. but then again, i know what i wrote .

 

BTW: wish your dad a happy retirement day from us

[JediMaster12]

Yes say so for me Jae. I liked the chapter. That booby trap bit I thought was kind of neat. Since when did Jae get a stubborn streak?

[Jae Onasi]

Yes say so for me Jae. I liked the chapter. That booby trap bit I thought was kind of neat. Since when did Jae get a stubborn streak?

 

She's learning that stubborness from her master. Hubby made the floor tile quip and I just had to run with it.

[Char Ell]

Some very good stuff here, Jae Onasi. I very muchly liked the link Talin and Jae established between themselves during combat, fashioning themselves into an even more formidable fighting tandem.

"That's the power of love!" -Huey Lewis

 

Looking forward to their confrontation with Miraxton...

[Jae Onasi]

Thanks!

 

"That's the power of love!" -Huey Lewis

 

Looking forward to their confrontation with Miraxton...

 

Hehe, now I'll have that song running through my head for the next week or so.

[RC-1162]

i just finished up to chapter 24, Jae and i have one word for you:

 

AWE-SOME!!

 

i love the story and the way you capture the characters so well. Jolee stealing Vrook's saber had me giggling for some time, especially the "eyes almost popped out" thing

and i think Talin's idea of getting permission of highly placed people is really intelligent. (maybe i should try that with my Head Boy campaign but then again, i was already Head Boy last year )

most of the Bindoisms really had me laughing in fits out there. i almost choked on my lemon soda about the "flies taste terrible"

 

EDIT: i just finished 25 and 26 and i was laughing my a$$ off at the firaxan prank. man, that was good

and that reminded me of something:

Jaws, anyone?

 

EDIT2: I FINISHED IT! at least all that you wrote, and i must say, i'm not sleepy in the slightest, it's 1:32 as i'm writing this

i love the story, and it looks like i read it just in time for the climax, eh? great job!

 

great work, Jae. i'm progressing through your fic and reading it every opportunity i get.

 

and please do try to read my fic whenever you can

[Jae Onasi]

Thank you! I'm very pleased it kept you interested til that early in the am!

 

Heh, the firaxan story was based on a story a friend of mine told me, and yes, he had been watching Jaws. I wish you guys could have seen my friend telling the story. We had just finished a day long meeting for developing the by-laws for the organization I'm in, so I was ready to relax and do something that didn't require serious thought. We were sitting over dinner with a couple other friends when he started telling this story, and when he described his buddy's reaction after he grabbed his leg, I laughed so hard I was doubled over. I couldn't breathe and my eyes were tearing so bad I couldn't see. I think I actually pulled a stomach muscle that evening from laughing.

 

I promise to read your fic, RC! I haven't forgotten. I just had my dad's party today (about 100 people showed up) and I have another project that has to get done for church tomorrow. I'll be able to tackle it tomorrow at the earliest and by Wed at the latest. I work, take care of my family, volunteer at church and in our history re-enactment group, and do taekwondo and fencing and run one of my kids to baseball, so I have a lot on my plate before I even start with writing and enjoying folks' company here at LF.

 

Believe it or not, I'm not satisfied with the 'asking permission to court' thing, so I'm probably going to alter that substantially when it goes up at kotorfanmedia.

 

Here's a question for all of you--do you want to see the revised version of each chapter? I'd pop it in the same spot (i.e. the revision of ch 14 would be put in the same spot where the current ch 14 is). Jiara, bless her, has started helping beta the chapters I put up at kfm, and her suggestions have helped me make them better. I'm not offended in the least if you don't want to go back and re-read. I just want to know before I take the time to do that.

 

I do appreciate you all taking the time to read the story and to make comments.

[RC-1162]

i think the choice is up to you, Jae. If you really think you should change it, then go ahead.

 

and you're one active person, i see . take your time with my fic, i have no worries

[Jae Onasi]

i think the choice is up to you, Jae. If you really think you should change it, then go ahead.

 

and you're one active person, i see . take your time with my fic, i have no worries

 

The changes are/will be already made, actually, for the kotorfanmedia version. The question is if you all want to see those as well.

 

Yes, I'm active. Crazy active. Suck the marrow out of life.

 

 

And I'm about halfway through the next chapter, so hopefully you all won't have to wait too much longer.

[Jae Onasi]

Chapter 33: The Battle With Miraxton

 

 

The door slid open slowly, almost as if it was reluctant to admit us into Miraxton’s quarters. Miraxton was facing away from us with his hands lightly clasped together behind his back, standing at the window in a casual stance. I couldn’t decide if that was because he truly felt confident enough to turn his back against three Jedi or if he was using it as a subtle psychological ploy.

 

“Welcome,” he said in an even voice, as if he’d just invited us in to share coffee. “You’ve made a great effort to come to me today.” He slowly turned around to face us. He peered at each of us with his amber eyes, trying to impale us with a mere gaze.

 

“You haven’t made it easy for us,” Jolee replied. “The tile trap was quite ingenious. My Padawan nearly became splatter on the ceiling.”

 

Miraxton smiled thinly and chuckled to himself. “Yes, I rather liked that one. Jedi always want to help, you see. And I knew your Padawan would be unable to resist the urge to try to heal poor Jaxin.”

 

“Why did you do that? What did Jaxin do to you?” I asked.

 

Miraxton shifted his gaze slowly from Jolee to me. “Why, nothing at all, my dear. He just happened to be the slowest of the mercenaries I sent out to greet you.”

 

I forced back the bile that started to rise up my throat. “How can you do such a vicious thing?”

 

“Steady,” Talin thought to me through our link. “He’s just trying to throw you off balance. Concentrate on his stance, his demeanor, and the way he moves, not his words.”

 

Miraxton replied, “Vicious? Hardly. I bore no malice towards Jaxin. He simply was unfortunate enough to be there. My former master preached utilizing one’s assets as fully as possible, and he would have been pleased by my efficiency. Sadly, he’s not here to see that.”

 

“What a surprise,” Jolee said sarcastically. “A Sith Lord dying at the hands of his apprentice.”

 

“That’s so pedestrian. Chilopos died when his ship was destroyed. He was flying into Nar Shaddaa to meet with some Hutts. Somehow the Navy got information that he would be there, and they attempted to capture him. An ensign misread a sensor, and the Navy thought his weapons were powering up when he was standing down. These things happen from time to time, you see.” The thin smile widened as a smug look crept into his eyes.

 

“I can tell you were deeply affected by the loss. You must have spent hundreds on funeral flowers. I suppose that ensign got removed from duty for that. Did they ever find the sensor you rewired?” Jolee shook his head in disgust. “Betraying someone under your command to further your ambitions. How very Sith.”

 

Miraxton’s chuckle chilled the air. “Betrayal, eh? I’ve studied your career quite carefully, Jolee. Hypocrisy was never mentioned as one of your traits. I suppose there’s always a first time.”

 

He pressed a button and a holovid played. It showed Jolee sending off a data chip to Coruscant. I looked over at Talin and saw his set lips and the anger sparking in his eyes. The fury rose in me and made my face redden with its heat. I allowed it to build.

 

“I arranged to get a copy of that data chip,” Miraxton said. “It showed a rather passionate evening between Talin and your Padawan, Jolee. I wondered why someone would want to send that to the Jedi temple, and I could only conclude that it was betrayal.”

 

Jolee looked at the holovid looping through the action repeatedly as if Miraxton was hammering on the point. “Remarkable likeness. My compliments to the actor. Or did you find some footage somewhere and slice me into the spot where your lackey was?”

 

I poked my finger in Jolee’s chest and went nearly nose-to-nose with him, shaking in outrage. “I knew it. You sent that holovid and turned us into the Jedi Council. You were the reason the Council wants Talin and me to leave the Order. Of course, we’re supposed to help you take out a Sith Lord and then leave, so you can get all the glory. You betrayed me, you lying piece of bantha schutta.”

 

“Jae, calm down. You’re giving in to your anger,” Talin urged.

 

“I didn’t send it, Jae, and you know that,” Jolee insisted. “You need to get control of your emotions, Padawan.”

 

“Padawan? I’m no longer a Padawan, because I no longer have a master,” I fumed. I pulled out a small dagger and cut off my Padawan braid. I threw it down and ground it into the floor with my boot. “When Vrook showed all three of us that holovid, you even pretended to act sad when they pronounced their sentence and ordered us to leave after this mission. How dare you act like you weren’t responsible. I suppose now you think you’ll get a place on the Council, old man.”

 

He took my hand in both of his, and looked at me with his deep brown eyes, willing me to believe him. “Come on. You know it’s all Sith lies. I didn’t send it, and I’m sure not doing anything to get on the Council,” Jolee said.

 

Something stung on my arm momentarily. I glanced down. Jolee had palmed the stim when I wasn’t looking and had just injected me with it. He flashed a wink so subtly, only I could see it. I allowed a look of dismay to break through before I immediately put my hard face back on.

 

Glaring at him, I said, “That’s right. You’re not going to do anything to get on the Council. I’m going to make sure of that right now.”

 

I gathered my Force strength, and with a wave of my hand, I sent Jolee flying. He crashed into a wall and then fell to the ground in a heap. He was very still. Slowly, I walked over to him and knelt to feel for a pulse.

 

“Jae! What are you doing?” Talin exclaimed, stunned.

 

I stood up and looked over at Miraxton. “He’s dead,” I declared, and then I was able to let the anger flow out to let the calm return. Turning to Talin, I continued, “I’m preventing him from betraying any other Jedi.”

 

Talin just stood there, eyes wide and jaw slack in amazement.

 

Miraxton’s surprise and pleasure played across his face. “What a very interesting turn of events. When I saw the holovid, Jae, I knew you were a woman of passion. Obviously, I underestimated how deeply that passion runs.”

 

“You don’t know me at all,” I said.

 

Miraxton ignored the edge of warning in my voice. He sauntered towards me, and I found myself suddenly unable to move, gripped by his stasis field.

 

“I know you quite well, my dear. Perhaps better than you think,” he said, circling around me once. He stopped, facing me, and smiled. He fingered a lock of hair that had escaped from the band holding it off my face. “Such a lovely color. I wonder what it looks like loose. I bet Talin likes it loose, cascading over your bare skin.”

 

He untied the band and my hair tumbled down.

 

I felt the anger rising in Talin.

 

I thought to him, “Calm, Talin. He’s trying to bait you. He’s not going to do anything. I’m fine.”

 

“He does and he’ll find a lightsaber up his--”

 

“Talin!” I smiled slightly, which was about as much movement as I could make besides breathing while in the stasis field. “He’s all talk. ‘There is no emotion....’”

 

“There is peace.” He exhaled his ire.

 

Miraxton misinterpreted my smile as pleasure at the touch of his hand running through my hair.

 

“I see you enjoy that,” he said. He had the look of a voracious panther, one who hadn’t eaten in days. While still peering at my face, he said, “Tell me, Talin, do you think when she’s my apprentice that she and I will share that passion, too?”

 

Talin and I both heard the tiny beep from our comlinks. Bernecki was giving everyone the 15-minute count.

 

“You not going to have a chance to find out. You won’t leave here alive,” Talin answered, his voice calm, but ringing like hardened steel.

 

Miraxton ignored Talin’s answer. He slid his hand slowly from my hair all the way down to my waist and pulled me in hard against him. He locked his amber eyes with mine once more as a small smirk played across his lips. “I won’t even have to use force, Talin. She’ll beg.” When he saw the anger in my eyes, he just laughed. “You don’t believe me. Let me give you a little taste, my dear.”

 

He tipped up my chin and placed a kiss on my lips that was curiously soft even in its power. There was some reason for that, and I searched. I reminded him of…a woman he had loved? I followed that faintest thread of light through the twisted morass of darkness that was Miraxton, past the hate, the murders, the anger, and even the hurt. The flash of insight startled me.

 

“He is not going to get away with that,” Talin thought. “While his hands are occupied I’m going to attack.” He tensed in preparation for his attack.

 

“I think they’re probably occupied enough, dear.”

 

I felt Miraxton’s arm shift at the same time Talin made a dash towards him, lightsaber glowing.

 

“It’s a trap, Talin!” I told him through our link.

 

The duel had begun.

 

Talin stepped slightly to the side at my warning, and Miraxton’s thrust towards his chest missed him by less than the thickness of spider silk. Talin’s lightsaber swung around and clashed against Miraxton’s in a sizzle of sparks. They circled away from me, trading attacks and parries.

 

I concentrated, and the iron grip of the stasis field broke. Igniting my lightsaber, I ran at the pair, taking a powerful swipe at Miraxton just as he tried to attack Talin. Miraxton broke off his lunge at Talin to block my attack. He looked almost disappointed that I was fighting alongside Talin, but the hard gleam of hate returned to his eyes, and he stepped forward, sliding his blade along mine and pushing it away as he thrust his blade toward my heart.

 

I jumped back to escape the attack while Talin countered with another whirl of his blade, trying to take advantage of the opening. The tip of his blade caught Miraxton on his cheek, and while it was a very minor wound, it infuriated him. He jumped and used his momentum to bring his blade crashing down on Talin’s head.

 

Talin blocked high, but the power in Miraxton’s attack pushed both their blades down, threatening to slice down into Talin’s head. I threw my blade up to help Talin keep Miraxton from pushing down further. The blades stopped dropping and we held that position for long moments, arms shaking in our efforts to break the stalemate.

 

The link between Talin and me strengthened again, and we coordinated our attacks. Talin disengaged his blade and dodged while I whirled mine in the opposite direction, both of us trying to catch Miraxton on his flanks. Miraxton jumped back. He caught Talin’s blade with his as my attack swished through the air, missing him. His anger and frustration drove him to make fierce attacks, and it took every bit of energy for both of us to counter the power of his blade as it pounded against our sabers in loud crackles. We traded blows back and forth, sparks flying everywhere, dancing sabers carrying the promise of death at any moment.

 

Then Miraxton saw the opening. He caught my lightsaber with his, and I pushed against the blade, trying to break the lock. He shifted his lightsaber abruptly, and my blade shot out away from him as he swirled his blade to attack Talin. Talin parried the attack. Miraxton held that parry and gave me a brutal kick in the stomach that threw me back several feet and knocked the breath out of me. I curled up on the ground in pain, trying to catch even the tiniest bit of air for a few minutes until my stunned lungs could recover.

 

Talin and Miraxton continued to trade blows, circling and whirling their blades, the loud hums of the lightsabers echoing throughout the quarters. They locked their weapons together once more. I saw the little wave of the fingers on one of his hands, and Talin went flying back. He hit the ground with a loud thud and lay still. I was relieved when I saw him take a breath.

 

Miraxton saw it, too, and took a step towards Talin to finish him off. I scrambled to my feet to try to cut him off before he could reach Talin.

 

“Tell me who Constance is,” I yelled across the room.

 

Miraxton stopped. He turned abruptly to glare at me, eyes narrowed. “How do you know about Constance?”

 

“Tell me who she is,” I insisted, taking slow steps towards him.

 

“I never want to hear you speak her name again! You defile it,” His knuckles were white as he gripped the lightsaber and pointed it at me. He shook with fury.

 

“She’s the reason you’re what you are today. You were just a young boy when you watched her murder. Who killed her? The Exchange? The Hutts? Or was it Chilopos himself?”

 

Had I not put a mental block up, Miraxton’s howl of pained rage would have flattened me.

 

I pressed the questions. “Who killed her, Miraxton? Who gutted her while you were hiding behind the pantry door, praying they wouldn’t smell your fear or see the puddle on the floor when you wet yourself? Who butchered her so badly that you could hardly recognize your grandmother when they finished?”

 

“The Hutts killed her, the bloody sons of fregging schuttas,” he screamed.

 

The fragile constructs in his mind connecting him to reality were starting to break down as he relived the long-suppressed memories.

 

He took a moment to collect himself and then continued in a more normal tone of voice, “Chilopos heard my cry through the Force and arrived while they were still hacking on her, even though she was dead. He cut them down in seconds, and when the authorities came, he told them the Hutts had killed her and the Exchange had killed the Hutts in a gang fight. Mind tricks work very well on the unsuspecting.”

 

“What happened after that?”

 

“Chilopos found me in the pantry and took me in. He saw my Force potential and made arrangements for me to be trained by the Jedi. We would meet now and then and discuss how I would get my revenge and how I could hide my true feelings from the Jedi. Jedi, just like everyone else, see what they want to see many times. They wanted to see a smart but compliant child, and I showed them that side.”

 

“But then you killed a Hutt one day.”

 

“I killed many Hutts, and I killed anyone in the Exchange who tried to collaborate with them. Chilopos fed me the information until I learned enough intelligence techniques from my Bothan master to find it myself. He made sure to teach me Force techniques that the Jedi would never teach so that I could avenge her one day—one of the filthy giant slugs for every cut they gave my grandmother. I still have hundreds left to go.”

 

“And then you had a lightsaber duel with a Padawan who happened to also be a Hutt.”

 

“I didn’t control the rage. I killed him. At that point, I left the Order and joined Chilopos as his apprentice.”

 

“I don’t understand why you joined the Navy.”

 

“It’s very simple. If I control enough ships, I can destroy Nal Hutta. With the combined ships of the Navy and the Exchange, I command enough fire power to take out any planet I want. Then the slimy quivering bags of schutta will finally be exterminated.”

 

“You need to know something,” I said to him in a quiet voice.

 

“There’s nothing more I need to know except how many more of those Hutts I have to kill before they’re extinct.”

 

“The Council found a record of Chilopos meeting with Hutt bounty hunters just before your grandmother died. They never found out who he had put the death mark on. Now I know it was your grandmother. Chilopos ordered her death and made sure you were there to see every last stab that they made. You must have found out, too. That’s when you had his ship blasted out of space. You did it because you knew he was the one guilty of your grandmother’s death.”

 

A tidal wave of both sonic and psychic sound crashed in all directions as he screamed his pain and hate at both the Hutts and Chilopos. The brittle grasp he had on sanity strained with his howls.

 

He drew up his Force strength, and streams of a greenish-yellow light flew from his hands. It hit me, and the pain nearly dropped me to my knees. I gasped as my hands started to blister and the skin began to crack as the Force Scourge took effect. My mind scrambled to find the defense techniques just to stop the agonizing fire burning through my hands. It was all I could do to keep hold of my lightsaber. The blistering got only as far as my wrists before the defenses and the stim were fully active, but the pain was overwhelming enough to make me nearly want to cut off my hands. The streams kept flowing, but the effects went no further.

 

“Oh, no, Jae!” I heard Talin yell. I realized he hadn’t seen what Jolee had done with his stim.

 

“NO! Talin, don’t do it!”

 

Talin launched himself into the air, throwing himself between Miraxton and me in an effort to break up the stream between us. The Scourge hit him full force, and he dropped to the ground, breaking out in the lesions, skin splitting everywhere. His throat was so cracked he couldn’t even scream. The stim flew out of his hand and clattered away. He could only lay on the ground, quivering as the pain coursed through him.

 

Miraxton picked up the stim. “What’s this?” He started laughing. “Stims don’t work. I know, I’ve tested them many times.” He tossed it down on the ground, like so much garbage, and then looked at me again. “You must have studied the holocron extensively to protect yourself like that. Too bad your precious Talin was too foolish to do the same. When he dies, you will be mine.”

[Diego Varen]

No Jae, don't give in to anger! Good Chapter and I'm looking foward to more.

[RC-1162]

whup his ass, Jae!!

 

Great chapter, Jae. hope Talin doesnt die.

[Snafu7]

Great chapter Jae, the story keeps getting better and better, can't wait for the next one.

[Jae Onasi]

Thanks everyone.

 

It was a bit darker than I anticipated when I started that chapter, but then again, it does directly involve a Sith Lord. You can't get too much darker than a Sith Lord.

[Arátoeldar]

Excellent chapter Jae. The only thing I cannot see is a Hutt being a Jedi. To me they seem physically incapable of doing such a thing.