[Fin] Star Wars: Tython Ties 1: The Great Schism

[Ztalker]

Star Wars: Tython Ties Episode 1: The Great Schism

 

Prologue:

Datapad Entry:

For thousands of years, we have been allies, friends, and fathers of the Republic. All is coming to an end now in these Dark times. Many have fallen, and the greatest of heroes has fallen to the dark side. The one that was to help us save the Universe became our demise.

Never have we been this close to extinction. Never have we felt such hatred, rage and desperation. All is lost.

The temple is breached. Thousands of Jedi are dead. I can feel Jedi in pain all over the galaxy. But what happened here is too horrible. Even the younglings have been slain by the Son of the Suns.

But before I go into exile, there is something you should know. They can harm us. They can wound us. They can even kill us. But never will our knowledge and way of life be lost. For we are Jedi! If you read this…please secure this. My time has almost come. The Clone troopers are bashing on the doors.

You are now the last keeper of the Tython Ties. The last journal of an ancient family. The last Jedi family.

You can’t possibly understand now. We have to go back to the source. Tython itself. We won’t do that though. We will go back to 6920 years ago, near the end of the Great Schism that spawned a faction known as….Sith.

 

Leviathan

Jenos of Tython sat down in the bunker. All eyes in the room were searching his. It was a difficult decision to make of course. The Dark Jedi, or Followers of Bogan, were severely outnumbered. But desperate people make desperate decisions. Several years ago, they were on the brink of annihilation when they created the Leviathan, a monster, created by the Dark side itself. But now, this day, a new monster had shown itself. A huge Kraken, Tentacle-monster, or something like appeared in a cave several clicks North of the base. The Jedi called it a Silan. It wasn’t a problem, if it wasn’t for it’s location: Directly in front of the enemy forces. It was practically the only defence line left for the enemy.

“What are we going to do, General? The council suggests we attack.”

Lieutenant Bayel was a good man, but without fear. He would gladly go on a desperate mission, just to do the right thing.

“I think we should press through. It’s only a matter of time before those Dark Jedi fall.”

While Jenos said that, he felt that everyone else in the room agreed. They had been fighting for nearly hundred years. The Republic was getting tired of these ‘Force Wars.’

“It’s settled then. Send me regiment of Knights. I will lead them myself.”

“Right away, sir.”

Bayel left the bunker. The other Jedi officers left as well, leaving Jenos alone.

He quickly got his gear ready. His armour was heavily damaged after years of fighting. Jenos had been fighting since he entered Knighthood, not too long after his 26th birthday.

He sighed. 12 years away from Coruscant. It felt so much longer.

He left the bunker, and walked into the warm air. He never really liked these warm, rocky planets. There were places to hide everywhere, and conquering a planet like this could take months, if not years.

He was just walking towards Bayel, when the young Jedi turned around and saluted:

“Your men are ready, sir.”

Jenos looked to his left. Several hundreds of Jedi were standing there, ready for action. Some of them were even younger then he was when he was plunged into the war. He straightened his back, and looked at the men and women in front of him.

“Today is the day, fellow Jedi. We are going to break their last line of defence. A monster called the Silan is guarding the only road available to their base. The Dark Jedi hide deep underground, with their precious monster protecting them. It’s up to us to clear it, hold the cave, and wait for reinforcements. After that, we win this war!”

The Jedi roared. They wanted to go back to their homes as well. The war had been very depressing. Casualties were rising since the Leviathans were introduced. Most of the time they were fighting those beasts instead of Dark Jedi. There were simply to little of them to form a threat. But their monstrous creations were.

“Follow me!”

Soon after, several hundreds of Jedi were marching out of the encampment, heading for the hills. They we’re not the only ones seeing the group march out. So did the Dark Jedi.

 

The Jedi reached the notorious cave several hours later. They couldn’t travel there by ship, because of all the anti-air launchers hidden in the rocks. They once tried to destroy them all, without result. They were replaced less then a week later.

But there were others tasks at hand. Breaking that last wretched defence line.

Jenos climbed on a little hill, overseeing his soldiers.

“Jedi! Today, we fight. Tomorrow, we defeat the followers of Bogan, next week, we will be home!”

All the soldiers yelled ‘Yes Sir!’ Together.

“This monster is surrounded by Leviathans, Dark Side Zombies, and possibly even Dark Jedi! Some of you will not make it out of here alive. But rest assured that you will have contributed in the Dark Jedi’s demise. Today, we FIGHT!”

Jenos pulled his lightsaber out, and activated it. Although the modern lightsabers where way better and more elegant then the previous semi-siege weapons, they still required a cumbersome belt-worn power generator attached to the saber by a cable. He saw the green blade emitting from his hands, and smiled.

He then ran into the cave, followed by his comrades. But what they saw scared the living daylights out of them. A huge monsters turned their way, with ten- if not hundreds of tentacles. The first tentacle swiped towards Jenos, but he jumped over it. The Jedi behind him wasn’t that lucky, and got split in two by the sheer force of the monster.

Slowly, more and more Jedi were entering the cave, like a wave. They circled around the monster, searching for an opening in it’s defence. A Zabrak Jedi jumped towards the monster, but got hit by a tentacle and was slammed to the ground, dead. A human Knight quickly jumped on one of the tentacles, and force sped himself along it. The monster foresaw it, and quickly put his huge mouth at the end of the tentacle, and lifted the other side. The Jedi tried to jump, but fell down into the huge mouth.

But the monster was getting tired. Several Jedi managed to cut of it’s tentacles, and some even damaged it directly.

Right at that moment, a loud rumble emitted from the other side of the cave. Jenos looked at the passage leading deeper into the cave, but had already felt who- or what they were. Leviathans. And many of them.

“Leviathans on the way! Get into stance! Bravo Squad, kill that monsters for the sake of…”

He couldn’t finish his phrase. The Leviathans stormed the cave, and started to tear the Jedi apart. A young female human got bitten in the face. Jenos readied his lightsaber and rushed towards here. He quickly swiped at the monster, instantly killing it. The women stood up, with her battle helmet heavily damaged. Jenos saw who she was.

It was Nada Bil’sen. She served under him on Nabulous 7 as well.

“Are you all right, Nada?”

“I’m fine, WATCH OU---“

But Jenos had already stabbed his sabre backwards, cutting another Leviathan in half.

“The force is my ally, and a strong ally it is, Nada.”

Jenos and Nada raged towards the frontline, were several Jedi were holding back the Leviathans.

“Can you use Force pull, Nada?”

“Sure…what’s the plan?”

“The usual…”

He force jumped on a ledge, while Nada was helping the Jedi in the frontline.

He now oversaw the cave. It was nothing more then a huge room, with an entrance, and a long hallway leading to the Dark Jedi base. And it was now crawling with Leviathans. He made a quick calculation. He had lost about a third of his soldiers already. Most were still alive though, but simply in no state to fight anymore. They were force-lifted to the entrance were several healers were busy mending their wounds.

“Gamma Squad, Frontline, holds your positions, and wait for my command!”

They were now lining up, forming a wall for the monsters, while several others squads were attacking the Silan behind them.

“Bravo squad, give them a ceiling! Frontline, be ready to jump back, and attack the Silan!”

He awaited the right moment…the Leviathans were now in formation.

“Go!”

He pulled with all his power, and so did several other squads. Several seconds later, the ceiling collapsed, right above the tunnel and the frontline.

“Frontline, retreat!”

All jumped back, awaiting the result.

The ceiling came down with a thundering sound. Most of the Leviathans got crushed beneath it. The survivors were now trapped between a wall of Jedi and the debris, and got killed easily.

Jenos jumped of the ledge, and ran towards the Silan. He quickly yelled “Attack!” and all the Jedi were again attacking the huge monster. Several minutes later, he called for Aplha squad.

“That monster has to go down ASAP. Do you understand? In a few minutes we will jump on that beast, and kill it, got it?”

The Jedi nodded. The got to the back of the cave, to make way for their jump. Jenos stood right in front of them.

“At my mark…go!”

The next second, eleven Jedi were running towards the monster, with drawn lightsabres. All other Jedi looked at them, and everything seemed to be in slow-motion. They jumped. They seemed to be airborne for minutes before they landed. Two or three were smashed against the walls by the monster, but most of the team made it. They quickly began stabbing the beast, until it finally gave in to the pain. The Jedi made it.

[Ztalker]

The Road to War

“Yes. This is general Jenos…no, we haven’t beaten them yet. No, the beast is dead. What! No support? Are you crazy? I lost a third of my soldiers here! I promised we’d get reinforcements! Morale is low!”

He was looking at a hologram that was emitted from a large so-called ‘contact droid.’

The women that was shown was skinny, with grey hair waving across her shoulders, and a lightsaber hanging on her belt, with the power coupling attached to it.

“We need all the forces we can get at Corbos. We suspect all the Rogue Jedi are hiding there.”

Jenos was furious. He lost many comrades at the attack on the Silan. Apparently, for nothing.

“We KNOW there is a base down there, hell…our scouts have even spotted more Leviathans on the way! We need to bring them down!”

The old Jedi looked at him:

“You, a mere Knight, you wouldn’t understand.”

“But I do. You are responsible for the death of dozens of Jedi! You ordered me to conquer this planet, and agreed on attacking the cave. Your little pet Bayel even agreed!”

The old Jedi from the hologram sighed.

“Okay then. You get one week. If you haven’t landed on Corbos a week from now, you will be in big trouble..”

“Thank you Master.” Jenos said, with as much sarcasm he could draw from his battered body.

“Jedi master Edriss’sa out.” The Old women sighed.

Jenos walked through the base. He gave the Jedi a day of, so that they could rest for the task to come: War. Until now, they had only battled some Leviathans and zombies. But the council insisted on pushing through. And right at the moment war would start, the council wanted him to retreat. It bothered him, this lack of tactics. It was their idea to send a “Jedi only” squad to this planet in the first place.

He walked into the tactical command bunker, where he had met the officers the last time. Everyone was there again, including Bayel, Master Fiyuun, General Lap-Lans. He already regretted the comment he made about Bayel. The man was simply doing what he was told.

Jenos activated the central holo-emitter using the Force. It showed the cave. The large round room where the Silan had lived was clearly visible, and the large tunnel leading to the enemy as well. The end of the hologram was darkened though.

“This, gentlemen, is unexplored territory.”

The old Bothan general Lap-Lans was the first to respond:

“Would you mind telling why it’s unexplored then? It’s clearly a passageway to the enemy. Every single enemy activity of the last three months comes out of that cave, including the beast your man have slain.”

Jenos looked at the old Bothan, with his long manes.

“Because the council wants to retreat from this planet. Their last order was to claim the cave, and now they want us to leave.”

Everyone in the room was silent. They fought so hard. Lost so many people. For what?

Bayel was the first to talk after the silence:

“So…why are we still here?”

Jenos smiled. He knew Bayel was eager to fight.

“Because I negotiated. We got a week to clear this mess, before we go to Corbos. That’s where the last battle of this Era will be fought. At least, that’s what the Council suspects.”

The officers looked at each other. Finally, after a hundred years of darkness, the war would come to an end.

Lap-Lans responded:

“But…are we the last unit that isn’t on Corbos yet?”

“Correct. The Dark Jedi are gathering at Corbos for one last fight. All their strongholds have been breached, with only the one on Ibrus C-3 remaining, where we are now. So when we win here, we win the war. Otherwise, the dark Jedi will have at least one more stronghold left, next to the one at Carbos, of course.”

Jenos already knew what Lap-Lans was going to ask:

“But…Jenos…why did the council want to retreat then?”

“Because they don’t think there are much enemies here. They already think everyone’s at Corbos. But we know better. Hell, we fought dark Jedi monsters yesterday!”

He looked at the holo-emitter. He pointed at the end of the tunnel.

“We need to go through. Easy enough. But we don’t know what’s on the other side. Sending scouts won’t work because of all the Leviathans. Their life energy would be drained instantly.”

Bayel was playing with his lightsaber.

“So you suggest? Send droids?”

“No. We go in there ourselves. Finish the job, and get of this damn rock, and join the other Jedi. I know it’s a risk. But we have to take it. We already bested the Silan. Whatever’s out there, we can beat it. So…I want a plan of attack based on this holo and eye-witness reports. Make me happy.”

 

The next day, Bayel entered Jenos’ private bunker to report. He made a simple battle plan, and started explaining, while Jenos listened carefully.

“Basically, we form a wedge, until we reach the end of the tunnel. Every soldier will then place it’s custom shield generator to create a frontline we can defend. From there, we will create a command point, and move on.”

Everything he said was properly illustrated by a holo made of the tunnel. Bayel smiled:

“Twenty persons can easily walk next to each other in there.”

Jenos looked at the holo. This plan looked good. Whatever was out there, the Jedi would have some shelter. Whether they would be attacked by Dark Jedi, Leviathans, Walkers, even Silans.

“Your plan is fine, Bayel. Ready our comrades.”

“Yes sir, thank you sir.”

Jenos equipped his armor, and grabbed a lightsaber power pack from a load point. He stuffed the second power pack in his robe, as he connected the wires, power pack and lightsaber.

“Man…they have to solve this. Those sabers are draining energy like a Tythonian Day-Bat.”

Several minutes later, he marched out of his quarters, towards the central courtyard where all Jedi were assembled.

“Fellow Jedi!” He spoke: “Today is the day we beat the last Dark Jedi outpost. We will write history. Our names shall be written down in the Jedi Library. We will be heroes.”

He sighed.

“It was an honour to fight with you guys. I don’t think we will be stationed together on Corbos again. May you live a happy life, one with the Force. Today, we fight one last time! Together! Side by side, my comrades!”

All Jedi roared. And they slowly started marching towards the dreaded cave where they fought the Silan.

[Ztalker]

Extinction

Corbos was an Outer Rim planet near the Yavin System which was rich in ores. Several mining stations were spread along the deep canyons that were spawned across the planet. There wasn’t any sound, any signs of life. But several miles beneath the surface, a group of Jedi scouts were eagerly searching for any sign of the enemy: Dark Jedi.

“Captain, take a look at this!”

“Silence, Mil´c, you idiot…”

The young Jedi captain called Simirac turned around, looking at the even younger Jedi Knight called Mil´c. The young man was gazing at the wall. Simirac marched towards Mil’c.

“What’s the problem? We’re not supposed to draw the enemy here, and your shouting is perfect for doing the opposite.”

“But sir…look!”

Simirac looked at the wall, expecting to see nothing. But he was wrong. A blood red sign was painted on the wall. The captain turned around, facing the other three Jedi.

“People, how could we, for crying out loud, MISS that?”

Mil’c looked up:

“Because it wasn’t here when we first passed it, Sir.”

“You have to be joking. How can that be? I only know one type of symbol that can disappear and reappear, and…”

The young captain turned pale. Sweat was pouring from his forehead.

“We---we have to get out of here, NOW!”

Simirac suddenly remembered that the Dark Jedi used a chemical to give each other orders. They would simply paint a spot on the wall, and any Dark Jedi nearby could form it into a symbol, using the Force. Seeing this symbol ‘active’, it could only mean one thing: The Dark Jedi were near!

 

“Hold your positions! Lap-Lans, where are those blasted shield generators?”

Jenos was fighting several Dark Jedi, while shouting. Most of waist-mounted shield generators were down, and he saw many comrades struggling to hold their ground.

All of a sudden, he was lifted in the air, and he felt his throat was slowly being put tight.

“Bay…Lap…help…”

Several Dark Jedi were closing in on him now, and is carefully created perimeter was slowly filled with grinning enemies. And all of a sudden, he saw him. Standing on a ledge several feet away: Krivor Vernuli, one of the leaders of the Dark Jedi. He got direct order from the real leader, Xoxaan, personally. Jenos knew he was being Force Choked. The world around him started to get blurry, when all of a sudden Nada jumped towards Krivor. He lost his grip and Jenos was released. He fell down toe the ground and landed on his knees.

Red and Blue lightning flares were emitting from the duel in front of him.

From his position he could see Nada was in trouble. She was a very talented Jedi, but in no way a Battlemaster or anything alike. Her performance of Soresu lacked speed.

His own Makashi style was far from perfect, but at least he got the Experts degree in it, whereas Nada only had the ‘Practitioners’ degree in Soresu.

Jenos quickly used a technique to get his focus back. He stood up, ignited his lightsaber again, and force jumped to the plateau where Nada and Vernuli were fighting.

He then realised the platform wasn’t a platform at all. It was a building! From the outside the wall had looked like stone, but the material below Jenos feet was definitely some kind of steel. He rushed towards the middle of the plateau were Nada was trying to hold her ground. The ferocious attacks of Krivor Vernuli were draining her fatigue. Jenos force speed towards the duel. Krivor lifted his hand and purple lightning flashed out of the tips of his fingers, causing Jenos to fly backwards in pain. Smoke was coming from his chest. His eyes felt heavy, so heavy….

 

Simirac rushed outside, followed by Mil’c. The three Jedi that completed the party were killed inside the maze of caves below. The second after they found the Sign of Boga former friends attacked them from every direction. Mil’c had used force Pull to pull the ceiling down on the first group of Dark Jedi surrounding them, leaving only two groups to deal with. One of their Jedi comrades had jumped into battle, getting killed instantly by a flurry of Vibroswords and lightsabers. Simirac and another team member then managed to take out three of four Dark Jedi by charging into one group using Soresu. The Dark Jedi weren’t able to respond to the defensive stance and got killed in seconds. Mil’c and the last team member were using a combination of Force Push and pull to freeze the enemy after which they attempted to kill them. The Jedi was too eager though, and got his arm severed by one of the Dark Jedi. He was then stabbed through the chest, which left Mil’c facing the last three opponents.

Simirac rushed towards his friend, who stabbed up his lightsaber just in time to block a possibly lethal slash. The three of them, Simirac, Mil’c and the lost comrade then proceeded to duel the three remaining enemies. It didn’t take long, because the Dark Jedi reinforcements decided to throw some huge rocks using the Force, killing their Dark Jedi comrades and one squad member in the process. Simirac and Mil’c could just jump away from the storm of rocks.

They then rushed towards the exit, where several other Jedi and Republic troops were waiting for their return. He could hear the footsteps and shouts of enraged Dark Jedi behind him as he was running for his life. Passage after passage, hallway after hallway the two Jedi came closer to the exit. After running for almost an hour, Simirac had to use the Force to sustain him. His legs weren’t capable of carrying his body anymore. Mil’c wasn’t doing any better. Sweat was dripping from his forehead, and it seemed he could pass out any minute.

But then, all of a sudden, familiar voices echoed through the cave. They were close!

And after a minute or two, they saw several Jedi standing near the entrance looking like they had seen a ghost. Simirac and Mil’c jumped out and landed on their feet, in front of their surprised comrades. Simirac controlled his breath using the Force and said:

“Close…cave..close…Dark Jedi…killed rest…close cave!” After which he fell down in fatigue.

The Jedi rushed towards the entrance. Republic soldiers quickly threw in some grenades, after which the Jedi made the cave ceiling come down. Afterwards, they lifted a huge stone from nearby and placed it above the now ruined entrance.

One of the Jedi turned around, facing the two exhausted Jedi:

“Don’t start the battle yet, kids. We are not ready for a full scale battle yet. Master Jenos is on his way and the fleet isn’t in position yet. No more cave exploration!”

“I’m fine, thanks for asking.” Simirac cursed at Master Edriss’sa.

[Ztalker]

Inner Demons

Jenos was struggling to keep his eyes open. He felt his body was in quit a bad shape. He tapped into the Force using it to pump adrenaline into his battered body. He used to force to remove the armour guarding his torso. It was worthless against that Dark side technique and would only slow him down. Not to mention the fact his chest hurt like hell. It took considerable effort to get back up.

He felt his legs were shaking. The combined power of the choke technique and lightning left him damaged. He then tapped into the Force, looking for that one place in his mind he wasn’t allowed to use: His anger.

Fresh adrenaline rushed through his veins. He quickly attached the full power pack to his belt to make sure the sabre would last long enough in the battle ahead. The hatred towards Edriss’a was fuelling his muscles. He tapped into the Force and rushed towards the duel.

Below him, hundreds of Jedi were fighting each other. He could see the Jedi were doing well. Bayel’s idea of equipping shield generators to form a living wall was working quit well now. The Jedi who’s shields were still fully charged were leading the pack, with others behind them. Jenos was running harder now. He saw Nada and Vernuli jump through a hole in the centre of the plateau. Jenos followed.

As he jumped down, he could see the inside of the massive building he had been fighting on. It was some kind of temple. It was very plane, but impressive nevertheless. It contained a massive statue of some kind of alien species. The alien didn’t look familiar though. It’s head was cone shaped, with eyes placed at the side of it’s head.

Jenos landed on the ground. Nada and Krivor Vernuli were now fighting in front of the statue. Nada had taken some damage. Her signature helmet had fallen of and several armour parts were missing.

This was it. Jenos tapped into the Force again, assembled all his hatred, ignored his burning wound, and jumped into the duel.

He quickly deployed a series of horizontal slashes to fend of Vernuli, who was still focussed on Nada. Vernuli blocked all his slashes with ease, after which he proceeded to have a go at Nada again. The first powerful vertical slash cut her lightsaber in half, the second one missed her head by an inch, but hit her shoulder nevertheless. Nada cried out in pain, when the last strike was coming at her. Jenos quickly Force pushed her away and managed to hit Vernuli’s shoulder pad. He felt Nada pass out.

“So it’s the mighty Jenos of Tython who dares to challenge me?” Vernuli laughed.

“I already finished of your precious Jedi girl, so what makes you think you can win?”

Vernuli deactivated his lightsaber and stared at Jenos.

Jenos smiled: “Because you were a Jedi once. But you have forsaken that path. You hide behind Leviathans, zombies and what not. You are weak. The light will always prevail.”

Vernuli put his hands together in sarcasm.

“Bravo. Spoken like a true puppet of the Jedi council. If you’d only knew the power of…”

He suddenly smiled.

“But you DO know it. That’s what driving you right now. The legendary Jenos of Tython brushes with the Dark Side? Why not join us right now, comrade?”

Jenos went into the opening stance of Makashi, ready for the duel.

“Because I am a Jedi, like all of my family before me!”

Jenos charged at Vernuli without hesitation. Vernuli ignited his lightsaber and the duel started.

Jenos made some diagonal slashes using the controlled movement of his stance. Vernuli, on the other hand, used the physical power of his Djem So stance to break Jenos’ defence.

The duel raged through the temple, destroying several display cases. Lightsaber crystals scattered around the floor, statues were cut in two.

After several minutes Jenos was losing his strength. The force of Krigor Vernuli’s blows was siphoning his strength. Jenos anger was slowly ebbing away as well.

Suddenly, another Jedi jumped from the roof, with an activated blue lightsaber. It was Bayel.

The young Jedi quickly pulled Krigor away from Jenos.

“Are you okay!” He asked. Vernuli was getting up, so Bayel quickly deployed his Form 1 stance. Jenos used a meditation technique to regain fatigue. The pain of the burning wounds on his chest came back.

“I’m okay…I’ll join you in a second. Let me check on Nada first!”

He sprinted towards the Jedi girl, and touched her hand. He then used a technique to measure vital body values. She was only unconscious it seemed.

Jenos quickly turned around. Bayel was having trouble against the Dark Jedi. Again, the brute force of Vernuli was successful against the simple Jedi stances. Jenos tapped into the Force once more, only to feel he was nearly exhausted himself. He quickly joined the duel again.

Vernuli was now facing two opponents. His stance was powerful, but not fast enough to counter both Jedi styles. Jenos and Bayel were winning ground. But then, all of a sudden, Krigor jumped up to the roof again.

Bayel looked at Jenos. “He’s fleeing. Pursue?”

Jenos looked the young man. “You go and support the troops outside. Keep and eye on Nada too. I will follow Krigor Vernuli. And kill him.”

Bayel nodded. “Understood. Good hunting, Master.”

Jenos jumped up, and was just in time to see a glimpse of Vernuli running inside a little schism at the left side of the plateau. Jenos followed, ignoring his pain.

[Ztalker]

Duel of the Fates

Jenos ran into the schism, following the Dark Jedi. He ignored the shouts from below. After running for a few minutes he found a passage were cool wind was blowing through. Using the Force, he sensed Krigor took the passage. Jenos activated his lightsaber, knowing his opponent had the edge in the for Jenos unfamiliar area.

The second he stepped outside, a red lightsaber blade flashed towards him. Jenos quickly bashed his lightsaber up, blocking the incoming Vernuli.

Jenos quickly leaped over the surprised Dark Jedi and landed a few meters behind him. Krigor slowly turned around. In the sunlight, Jenos could clearly see the red glow of his eyes.

“Do you really believe we will be gone after this war, Jenos?”

Krigor looked at Jenos with an almost amused smile on his face.

“Maybe not…but knowing the light prevails is enough.”

Krigor started laughing maniacally.

“You don’t know, do you? You who has touched it doesn’t know!”

“What do I don’t know, idiot?” Jenos replied.

“We will NEVER be gone. Because we aren’t an order, organisation or army! Bogan is a believe, a feeling, a guideline and many things more. Every time you lose one of your precious Jedi to the so called ‘dark side,’ we welcome a new recruit. Every time someone in the galaxy who can touch the force gets angry, we have a new warrior at our side. Every time, EVERY TIME, a war rages people will turn. To us. Our power dos not lie in numbers, but in individual motivation and power.”

Krigor was still laughing like a madman.

“Nice little speech there, Vernulli. But Xoxaan is already on Corbos. The Jedi order is there too. Your leader will soon be a footnote on a gravestone, not the leader you speak of!”

Jenos entered his Makashi opening stance, and ran towards the maniacal Dark Jedi. Vernuli blocked his quick vertical strikes, answering them with hard horizontal slashes.

The two man ran across the surface of the planet, constantly blocking and striking at each other. None of the two left an opening in their defence as the duel raged on.

The two were now fighting at the top of a small cliff, with the entrance to the cave below. Sounds of hundreds of footsteps were coming towards them.

The two battled on, sparks flying anywhere. Suddenly, Jenos used the Force to push Krigor back. Krigor fell down in a hole in the ground. Jenos jumped down, with his lightsaber aimed down for Vernuli. The latter was just in time to use a force push himself, and threw Jenos out of the hole from mid-air. Jenos put his knew down and slided a few metres back across the surface. Krigor jumped out, with several wounds on his face.

“So, the stones back there didn’t like your face? Then I have something in common with them!” Jenos laughed.

“Still funny as always, Jenos? I thought you would be more of a challenge…but you disappoint me. You’re getting old!”

“At least I’ll get the chance to do so. You’ll die in a minute!”

The two ran towards each other, blades drawn. For a few minutes Jenos was capable of holding his ground. But soon after, Krigor pushed him back to the edge of the cliff again.

Krigor suddenly slashed down with all his power. Jenos could only block and hope for the best. Their lightsaber were locked!

Sparks flew around the two duellists, as they tried to overpower one other. Some of the Jedi were now standing at the entrance of the cave, looking in awe as the two went on.

With his eyes still focussed on the fearsome Dark Jedi, Jenos shouted:

“Status of the battle?”

One of the generals below, Master Fiyuun answered:

“We won the battle, Jenos. All the Dark Jedi are captured or incapacitated. Corbos awaits.”

“Good. Let me finish this.”

Without warning, Jenos let himself fall down the cliff. Krigor, still in a rage, jumped after him. Jenos used the Force to give him a safe landing, and with the little power he had left, bashed his lightsaber up, piercing an amazed Krigor Vernulli through the stomach.

“Smart move, idiot.”

“Dark….Jedi….Xoxaan…Ajunta…”

“Oh, will you shut up?! Jenos drew his lightsaber back and beheaded Krigor. The battle for Ibrus C-3 was over.

[Ztalker]

The Show must go on!

Simirac and Mil’c were present in the briefing room. With in front of them, an enraged Master Edriss’sa. The women’s hair waved up and down as she fired insults and threats at the two Jedi.

“How COULD you! No one asked you do explore those caves! You stole an unit and got them all killed!”

Master Edriss’sa pointed her finger at Simirac.

“Why? Why did you do this?”

Simirac looked at his companion next to him.

“Mainly because we were eager to find out about the enemies strength. All the Jedi are here, it’s a matter if time. Who knows what they have in stock for us?”

Master Edriss’sa sighed.

“We outnumber them two to one!”

“Is that including the animated death, Leviathans, Silan and Dark Jedi?”

Mil’c’s words were out before he realised what he had said.

“You little brat!”

Edriss’sa slapped him in the face.

“You know all to well this war is almost over! And you DARE to insult the ones responsible for ending the war?”

“I was under the illusion that the Jedi Knights and soldiers do the fighting, instead of the arrogant Masters in their tower!” Simirac responded.

“Carefull boy, anger leads to the…”

“Dark Side, and so does arrogance….”

Jenos of Tython entered the bunker. With battered armor, torn cape and wounded face.

“Ibrus C-3 has been conquered, Master. The enemy commander, Krigor Vernulli, is dead.”

Jenos sat down on a chair, looking at the two young Jedi.

“I was just busy confronting these two with their deeds, Master Jenos.” Edriss’sa smiled.

“What did they do, Grand Master?” Jenos asked, far too politely.

Edriss’sa fell for the charms.

“They explored an underground cave without orders, killing a squad of fine men and women. It was irresponsible, immature and dangerous!” Edriss’sa shouted.

“And…what did they do wrong, Master? Jenos asked.

“They…they…scouted without order, almost killing…” Edriss’sa stuttered.

“So we know where our enemy is. We know they are here, we know they are strong, we know they could spare enough men to go after a mere scout group.” Jenos replied.

“So much about outnumbering them two to one, Master.” Mil’c smiled.

“OUT! Get out of my sight, fools!” The old master raged.

The two young Jedi walked out, while Jenos remained, sitting in the chair.

“You are making the same mistake again. We Jedi are so proud of our power, our status. But we are mortal. What will they think about over hundred years?” Jenos asked.

“They will hear about strong leaders that ended a terrible conflict.” Edriss’sa replied.

“No word about the soldiers, the knights, the casualties?” Jenos asked, while standing up.

“History only remembers survivors and heroes…sorry Jenos.” Edriss’sa calmly said.

“Then we are done here. I will lead my company once more…but after this, it’s over! I’m SICK of this arrogance! I’ve seen people die at Ibrus C-3. I have survived. But I led those knights into battle! I was the first to kill a Dark Jedi in the battle! That’s how leaders should be! Not afraid to die or see their legacy lost!” Jenos shouted.

He then walked out of the bunker, finding Simirac and Mil’c waiting for him.

“What’s up boys?” Jenos asked.

“Well…we’d just like to thank you. We just did what we thought was right.” Simirac replied.

“I know. That’s why you guys will be good Jedi Masters some day.” Jenos smiled.

“What was that all about, Master?” Mil’c asked.

Jenos sighed: “It’s an old discussion, really. It basically comes down to this: What do we do with the powers the Force has granted us? Do we use it for control and peace, or only for the necessary things in life? Do we massively use the force to fight our wars of send out single Jedi who also help the beggars in the streets?”

Simirac looked at Jenos. “I think it’s…unreasonable to say we aren’t stronger then the average citizen of the Republic. But…more important? No. I don’t think so.”

Mil’c replied: “But most of the wars in the past had Jedi winning the battles for the Republic. We have become some kind of army. Maybe it’s necessary to have such an army ready?”

The three walked across the central grounds of the base, going for the barracks.

Jenos was about to enter the private bunker next to the general barracks when Mil’c padded him on the shoulder.

“What should we do then, master?” He asked.

“I think…we should disarm. Lose the armour, lose the status of an army. And instead become a sort of…paladins of justice, half police half diplomat, for the Republic as whole. And you, Mil’c?”

Mil’c smiled: “Being a diplomat sounds better then the poodoo we’re in right now. Sleep tight, Master.” And Mil’c entered the barracks, following Simirac.

 

That night, Jenos couldn’t sleep. Although the bath did him good, the wounds of the strange technique were still painful and most of his bones hurt of the fight he had with Vernulli. When he finally fell asleep, he saw several shady figures standing next to each other in what appeared to be a huge cave.

He couldn’t clearly see their faces. In fact, only the shape of their body was visible. And they didn’t notice him. Suddenly, one tall and muscled man started talking….

[Ztalker]

Prophecies

“Well…Milros, what did you find?”

A hooded person answered the question.

“They are here with a huge army. And the base at Ibrus C-3 is lost.”

The tall, muscled shade seemed to think a few seconds before asking the next question:

“And…Ajunta? What did you find out?”

One of the smaller shadowy shapes answered:

“My Lord Xoxaan, we found a patrol. It was led by two young Knights. Only the two leaders, the knights, escaped but we killed the rest!”

The tall figure sighed.

“How many times…I think this side of the Force is not good for you, Ajunta! You are becoming unstable! Remember we only follow this path because we want action. But action doesn’t equal cruelty and random violence.”

The man called Ajunta backed of, obviously ashamed.

“And now….”

A blinding light flashed through the cave and everything turned white. The figures disappeared.

Jenos stood there in emptiness. All of a sudden, a figure appeared out of nothing with another blinding flash behind him. Jenos couldn’t see it’s face nor it’s clothes.

With a low voice, it started talking:

 

"…And in the time of greatest despair, there shall come a savior, and he shall be known as THE SON OF THE SUNS."

 

And Jenos woke up. Bathing in sweat. He couldn’t believe what he had seen. Was his vision happening at THIS time? Where they talking about the patrol of Simirac and Mil’c?

And that thing afterwards? What was it? What’s a ‘Son of suns?’ Was it some kind of alien? Or all powerful being? A god? He didn’t know. He didn’t want to know. Only the first vision was important. There were at least 4 or 5 Dark Jedi in that room. Leaders. And Xoxaan! The Lord himself! If there were so many commanders…what size would their army be?

Someone familiar entered his room. He could feel it. This would be…

 

The next morning, all Jedi generals were send into the main bunker, where master Edris’ssa would give them a short briefing for the upcoming week.

Jenos was there was well, together with Simirac.

“Why did you want me to come, Master?” He asked.

Jenos looked at the young man.

“I believe you should be a part of this too. We’ll get to your story in a minute.”

When all the generals were inside, Jenos used the Force to shut the bunker door and started talking.

“Several days ago, this young Knight named Simirac scouted the area west of us for any signs of enemy activity. And what they found wasn’t good. Not good at all.”

He made a gesture, meaning Simirac could finish the story.

“Well…we found…officers in there. And they killed my entire squad, save me and a friend.”

General Lap-Lans interrupted the young Jedi:

“Where did you encounter these soldiers? We’d like to know a location…”

“Oh…yes…of course…it was two miles to the west…near a small canyon. In a large, no, gigantic cave system. They’re very close.” Simirac replied.

Suddenly, everyone was talking. The news shook everybody up. How could they have come so close? How long was this tunnel system this Jedi spoke of?

All of a sudden, a young woman raised her hand. It was Nada. The room fell silent.

“I believe that we should try to end this. It has been almost one hundred years. Three generations of Jedi have been raised in war. It’s time for a generation of Jedi that isn’t. We should not avoid this fight, nor should we go in there with the plan of creating a bloodbath.

We should just…do it.”

Several Jedi nodded in agreement. And shouts as “Spoken like a true Jedi” and “Yes, let’s get on with it!” were common words from the younger Knights and Masters that minute.

Then, like waking form her sleep, Grand Master Edriss’sa stood up.

“Young Jedi…you spoke with courage. But why courage if we can, let’s speak military here, we can bombard these fallen fools to death? No Jedi has to die.” Now the older Jedi nodded in agreement.

“Because,” Simirac answered, “it wouldn’t be fun. They never denied us a fight.”

Master Edriss’sa just smiled. “War has changed you, my very young Knight, you should realise…”

Nada interrupted the Grand Master: “You just think that the old Jedi are better, don’t you? You think we were promoted far to early since the war needed us. Well, let me tell you something. It’s true many padawans were promoted recently, including me after the battle of Ibris C-3, since this war is coming to an end. It’s, however, not true that we aren’t skilled. Many of the young Jedi here were with Master Jenos at Corbis I-3 when Krigor got beaten! We aren’t exactly equipped with diapers and teddy-gungans, so to speak!”

But, to Nada’s surprise, none of the young Jedi were nodding and applauding. They were all looking at Master Jenos. Still relatively young, but not old enough for the council. And a bridge between generations.

“I…think…” Jenos started “that we should give both parties what they want. Let us ‘young’ people attack the Dark Jedi. The elder masters can provide air support and ready the bombardment Master Edriss’sa mentioned. If we fail (like you probably suspect, he thought) you can still bombard the place.”

Silence.

General Lap-Lans, the older General started the discussion once more:

“I believe Master Jenos is right. Our feeling about the younger generation could be nothing more then the depression of war hitting is oldies. Why net give them the chance to prove so?”

Everyone in the room nodded or whispered to each other. Slowly focussing on Master Edriss’sa, who would give her verdict.

“It’s settled then. Master Jenos, are you up to the task of leading the Knights into enemy territory, eliminating or otherwise capture Xoxaan, Adjunta Pal and other officers?”

All the eyes were aimed at Jenos, including Nada’s. Could he…no…NO!

“I…will lead the Jedi one last time, yes.” The old Grand Master was looking right through him, not having forgot their last ‘conversation’ about Jedi ethics.

“There are some conditions, however. You will get the plan tomorrow. I now need three volunteers to come with me. I have a little idea that needs the army to split in four groups.”

Several Jedi raised their hand. The Bothan Jedi Lap-Lans raised his hand as well, along with Simirac and Nada. The others weren’t very familiar to him.

“Right. General Lap-Lans, Simirac. I welcome you aboard. And Nada, you too.” Hiding the terrible feeling that was slumbering in his gut when seeing her.

[Ztalker]

Preparations (1)

Something wasn’t right, Jenos thought. All were here….he could feel the other three transports. One was led by Simirac, one by Nada, one by Lap-Lans, one by himself and Mil’c. He became quite fond of the young knight in the days before, the days filled with planning and discussions. But he couldn’t shake the feeling he was going to lose it all. That the powers the enemy possessed were greater than theirs.

 

In a few minutes he and the group led by Lap-Lans would enter the right above the presumed underground base. Right before flying in, an aimed orbital bombardment would weaken the stone enough to show it’s underlying tunnel system. And show the way to the base.

They had all agreed there was no way to scout this. They had a close feeling to where the base was, but no lay-out of the base. It would be a big surprise. And some risk.

 

Several miles away, Simirac was meditating in his transport as well. His first big assignment since his promotion to knight. His skills were unquestioned…only his maturity.

His mission was simple though. Enter the cave he went in before and slay everything coming towards them, which were possibly the fleeing dark Jedi and soldiers from the battle Jenos led. It was easy. A fleeing enemy. Together with Nada. No problem.

 

Nada was at ease. She knew Jenos would want to protect her, but was amazed he had let her lead a group into battle. They had been together for years. But constantly separated as Jenos was needed elsewhere. She knew it was forbidden to love as a Jedi, but still…

 

Main group:

All four ships landed on the same time. Jenos and Lap-Lans led their Jedi out into the now revealed tunnel system. The first soldiers were already running out and Jenos slowly deflected all blaster bolts back to them. These weren’t the people they were after. He aimed the bolts back to the legs and arms of the attackers, not willing to kill them.

Behind him, Bayel was easily fending off the attacks, talking with Mil’c who was fighting beside him. Jenos had never expected Bayel to come along as well. He was so well-connected with the older masters! He would probably be a council member if he had followed their plans. It brought a smile to his face. Some Jedi still had honour. The honour to fight one on one with an opponent. To meet an equal in battle.

The Jedi grouped together around Jenos, who knew it was time for his signature battle encouragements.

“Several days ago, I said we only had two battles left to fight! This is the last one! Today, we DO write history. A young generation of Jedi can END it all! Do you need more encouragement? I think not! Show those old Bantha’s above us what you’re made of and we might see each other on the high council…or in the netherworld of the Force. Either one, we WILL meet again!” And with thunderous shouts, the Jedi poured into the tunnel systems, like ants into their holes. Lap-Lans just smiled. “Old Bantha’s….I’m a Bothan you know! And the ‘old’ part isn’t right either!”

 

Second group:

Simirac and Nada were waiting near their ships. They waited for Jenos to give the signal. Then the enemy defence would be attacked from two sides and would seem more menacing.

“We got the green light!” Nada screamed. She was near the communications relay. “All right brothers and sisters!” Simirac shouted. All Jedi surrounded him. “I know we have a tough battle to fight out there. I wish you all the best of luck! One way or the other, we WILL meet again. One last thing. Last one that’s down in the tunnel is a Kowakian monkey-lizard!”

The Jedi ran into the tunnels, laughing.

 

Main Group:

Jenos was fighting his way through hordes of animated bodies and other dark-side spawns. His coordination was strengthened by general Lap-Lans, an expert of Battle meditation and other support techniques. Which was the main reason for letting him lead the second group. And his skill would come in handy when the main group would split up once more.

*brrrrr-i-i-ing*

Jenos belt communicator went of, signalling that Simirac had entered his side of the tunnel system as well. His group would split too.

“General?” Mil’c asked, “This is honestly not the time for your mother to call us.”

Jenos laughed out loud, slicing through another animated dead.

“It was actually your mother. You seem to have forgotten something.” Jenos replied whilst duelling a dark Jedi, one of the few around.

“No diaper jokes Master Jenos, you know I’m 23 years old already.” The young man replied whilst dodging incoming blaster bolts.

Jenos grinned: “No, she was referring to your underwear. You should switch more often, you know.”

“I KNEW I smelled something funny the way up here!” Bayel shouted from afar, whilst beheading a Leviathan.

“No, that was just you!” Mil’c replied, laughing.

[Ztalker]

Preparations (2)

Jenos and his comrades rushed through the tunnels. After their previous skirmishes, nothing else had happened. Strangely enough, he began to feel restless. Something was wrong here.

Several shouts from the rear grabbed his attention. He gestured a halt and moved to the back of the group, through lines of Jedi.

He saw Bayel and Lap-Lans standing over a small hole in the ground. Approaching it, he could already see the cold fear on the young faces. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good.

He then realised what was wrong. He saw none of the Jedi were moving. In fact, none seemed to see him. And all of a sudden, a raspy low voice started talking. In Jenos head…

 

Second group:

Simirac slowly turned off his lightsaber. The yellow blade slowly withdrew into the cold metal. He had just fought his way through twelve or thirteen soldiers, nothing more. It was the first battle his and Nada’s group had seen since they had entered the tunnels. Something wasn’t right. Simirac’s team was supposed to draw in further, while Nada’s team was supposed to stay a bit behind, guarding the ship and entrance. But…they didn’t see any action! And Nada hadn’t either. Almost as if the Dark Jedi weren’t after them…

 

Main Group:“Master Jenos. I applaud your conviction. Taking an army of Jedi into the Depths of Corbos. It’s not very Jedi-ish, so to speak. But take a look down the hole first.”

Jenos did. He didn’t feel comfortable in this…sterile…strange…situation… he despised these eerie ‘dark side’ techniques. Just like the technique with the lightning that hit him on Ibris. The wound were still there!

He slowly walked towards the hole.

Several hundred feet below he could see a bunch of dark shapes in the shadow. A moment later, all torches in the now visible giant cave below were lit.

And they showed an army. An army of Jedi, Leviathans, Zombies…even a Silan to the back of the cave, apparently tamed and chained. They numbered at least hundreds. Maybe even a thousand. And Jenos had only 250 Jedi with him. Nada and Simirac had the other 250 of the total army. And to his shock, he realised his plan wouldn’t work. Lap-Lans’ group was supposed to split during the raid and search for Xoxaan, Ajunta Pall and other military leaders, whilst Jenos would lead the main battle. Now he saw all those leaders were already down there, expecting a confrontation.

“You see, Master Jenos. There is honour in the way you fight. You wanted to meet us face to face. And you shall have the chance to do so. The others at the entrance shall not be harmed. This is between the leaders of this war.” The raspy voice claimed.

“I don’t suppose you like to introduce yourself? Or explain how you are doing this?” Jenos quipped.

“Giving in to your emotions is a pathway to many abilities the Jedi consider to be…unusual. You could say I froze time…or created a vacuum. But that’s not important right now. I offer you a chance. To walk away.”

Jenos laughed. “No. I see you already have quit the numbers on your side. Do you care to surrender yourself?”

Silence.

“It’s settled then. If you walk past the next corridor, you will find a ramp that leads you down. We will be waiting. Farewell, Jenos of Tython.”

All of a sudden, the vacuum disappeared.

“Look Jenos, it’s a huge army! What…” Mil’c said.

“And we will fight it. They are waiting for us. Waiting for a chance to face their equals.” Jenos replied.

Lap-Lans nodded: “He contacted you, didn’t he? It’s good you held your own. This fact doesn’t make this a suicide mission. Just a bit harder.”

“…with a high probability of death.” One of the Jedi behind sighed.

“We will fight. No-one ever said this would be a walk in the park!” Jenos shouted. He marched to the front once more, his cape waving behind him. The group followed.

 

Second group:

“Did you feel THAT?” A Zabrak Jedi asked.

“Holy Hsssis. This is big. They have revealed themselves!” Simirac sighed.

He felt the sudden appearance of the enormous army. And the army four times as small that was going to face it. Jenos didn’t stand a chance. He reached out and tried to contact Nada.

“Nada! I feel Master Jenos is in trouble. Although I can only give him about a hundred Jedi, it might turn the tide. Can I go?”

“The council doesn’t approve, Simirac. They say you…have to withdraw in case they…have to bombard the cave?! Are they insane?” Nade was shouting through the communicator now.

“They say they feel it’s too risky to send in another patrol. Jenos has to do this himself.”

Simirac felt cold inside, like stone hitting his stomach.

“Nada…I am going after him.”

He opened his eyes. All the Jedi were looking at him.

“Allright. I just got word all the Dark Jedi are awaiting us. The council says we should wait and let Master Jenos deal with it. While he’s outnumbered four to one. I say we rush to their aid. We learned to use the force for speed for a reason. I think this must be it.”

He looked around. Looking at the faces of his brothers and sisters in arms.

“So bottom line is…who’s with me?”

[Ztalker]

Finale (1)

This fight was hard. All around him were people dying.

To Jenos left, a young Jedi was stabbed through the chest by an enemy. He quickly leaped forward and sliced the opponent in two from shoulder to waist.

Half an hour ago they engaged in battle. There weren’t many casualties in that first hour, but they were mounting now.

Chaos was everywhere. Leviathans, Zombies, dark Jedi were running everywhere, followed by or fighting with Jedi. He had slain about ten dark Jedi himself. But the Leviathan storming towards him now was different. In a reflex amongst the chaos, he could just avoid the beast half. He felt the burning sensation of broken bones in his left arm. His ribs weren’t feeling fantastic either. He slowly got back on his feet, switching his lightsaber to his right hand. The Leviathan made a turn and was coming straight for Jenos once more. At the best moment, Jenos rolled aside and stabbed the beast in the gut. It didn’t rise from it’s feet.

But Jenos didn’t feel well. His left arm was hurting terribly and he almost couldn’t breath.

Luckily, Mil’c came to his aid. He grabbed the wounded Master by the waist and dragged him away from the centre of the battle.

The young Jedi opened his robes and drew a little package from it. He slowly removed Jenos arm guard and started opening the package. It included a bright blue salve.

“It’s a substance called Bacta, sir. It’s much stronger then that stupid Kolto. Although sir, it’s quit hard to come by…”

Jenos felt the warm feeling was drawing away from his arm, making place for a cold sensation now. His ribs still felt sore, but they seemed to be better as well. Combined with his healing trance, he might actually be capable to continue fighting with both his hands, ignoring the pain.

But then, a red sparkly light emitted from the chest of the young Jedi. Behind him stood a large figure. It was Xoxaan. With Ajunta Pall right behind him. Behind them was a trail of bodies.

He withdrew his lightsaber as the boy fell towards Jenos. Jenos leapt up and grabbed the young boy by the waist. Mil’c whispered something in Jenos’ ear:

“It…was an honour…fighting with you sir….show them what you’ve got…”

Mil’c’s eyes closed. Jenos laid him down and grabbed his lightsaber, but to his left, hell broke loose!

 

“STAND FIRM!”

Simirac rushed forward with all his power, followed by his complete battalion of Jedi. The surprised dark Jedi were flanked and their casualties were mounting. To his right, he saw Jenos lay someone down. He knew it was Mil’c. Without hesitation, he changed his way to the right, cutting everything down on his path. He saw Jenos was already engaging the two fearsome enemies. He was amazed by Jenos’ proficiency with Makashi. The two dark Jedi had a hard time defending themselves.

But Simirac knew Jenos couldn’t hold this forever. He felt Jenos was already tired, now only fuelled by the death of Mil’c.

Trying to rush to the old man’s aid, he found Bayel, with several burn wound on his arms, fighting of two Dark Jedi. With a swift horizontal stroke he eliminated one of them and continued his run. Behind him, he could hear Bayel shout ‘Thank you.’

 

Jenos felt the pain return to his left arm. Although the substance had done it’s work, he needed much more of it. He did feel the bones were connected again though.

Xoxaan was giving all he got, with heavy vertical blows aimed for Jenos’ chest. Behind and around him Ajunta Pall was protecting his superior from being stabbed accidentally or falling under friendly fire.

“So this is how it works, Xoxaan? Have others do your dirty work?”

The tall figure dealt a sideways blow which Jenos easily parried before answering:

“No Jenos. It’s not a ‘Dark’ way as you like to call it. It’s about taking opportunities. Do you sense corruption in me?”

Jenos made a signature Makashi forward stab before slowly reaching out.

His opponent was right. This one felt different then Krigor Vernulli. Or, for that matter, Ajunta Pall, the man behind him! What an…intense hatred!

“Your followers don’t seem to have the amount of control you seem to have, Xoxaan!”

Jenos spun around aiming for Xoxaan’s shoulder. Xoxaan parried, but a bit too late. Jenos sabre touched the metal and Xoxaan let out a cry of pain before launching Jenos away with a Force Wave. Jenos was knocked out cold by the stone wall.

 

Bayel instantly felt it. Jenos was unconscious! Several metres in front him was Simirac, fighting his way towards Xoxaan. Ajunta Pall now made himself loose of his Master, staring at Bayel.

Bayel kicked his opponent against the shin and quickly stabbed the women through the chest.

Before him, the Jedi seemed to realise one of the most feared opponents was coming for Bayel. They pushed all their opponents away and attacked Ajunta Pall.

Bayel could feel the young man tapping into the Dark side. The determination and control their leaders, like Xoxaan, had wasn’t there. He had respected the opinion of the followers of this path. But this was no opinion but pure aggression! Without control, the followers of this Bogan became monsters! He hadn’t sensed it before, but almost every enemy in her had the stench of corruption around them.

A Rodian Jedi rushed towards Pall, flourishing his blade. Pall simply lifted his right hand and the Rodian hung in the air, grasping for air. Pall then slowly walked towards him, stabbing his lightsaber through the Jedi at point blank range. A second Jedi, a female Twilek, responded in rage and leaped towards the Dark Jedi, who severed her while she was still airborne.

A male Zabrak (who had been with them at their first fight with the Silan) held out a little bit longer, but was ultimately beheaded. Now ten Jedi made themselves loose of their opponents and all ran towards the murderer.

Pall aimed his fingers at the first few. Sparks emitted from his fingers and the first four Jedi fell down, dead. The six survivors all avoided the next wave of lightning. Pall then closed his eyes. The lightsaber of a women was suddenly ripped from her hand and stabbed two comrades in the back before killing it’s own wielder.

Bayel, shell-shocked, now made his way for the dark Jedi as well. The man had killed ten Jedi in the blink of an eye! Even from this distance he could see the yellow gaze of Ajunta’s eyes.

 

Simirac sensed the fear in Bayel. He sent him a small message through the Force: “Stand firm, you can do this!”

He then raced for the unconscious body of Jenos, prepared to defend it to the death, even against someone as strong as Xoxaan.

He saw Xoxaan closing in. Simirac quickly stabbed an enemy Leviathan in half, before leaping up and landing right in front of Xoxaan, only a few metres away from Jenos.

 

“Ah. The knight who defies a Master. You’re noble, but let me pass. This is a thing between Masters, young one.” Xoxaan spoke.

“I’d say ‘over my dead body’ but that’s something you were planning anyways, so you’ll get to choose between ‘Bugger of, Batha fodder’ or ‘Go tickle a Hutt.’ Choice is yours.” Simirac replied.

“If your skills with a lightsaber are as good as your insults, you’ll make a fine kill!”

[Ztalker]

Finale (2)

Two knights had already fallen. Only General Lap-Lans and Bayel were now fighting Ajunta Pall. The Dark Jedi who had just made twelve combat kills in little under a minute.

Lap-Lans was greatly improving the battle morale in the cave with his skills. A battle stat started as 4:1 was now about 2:1. And Simirac had come with reinforcements!

But if Lap-Lans died…the odds would be worse…

He changed his fighting style a bit, to draw Pall to him. The enraged opponent fell for it and left Lap-Lans to his left, only deflecting Lap-Lans slashes.

He silently sent a message through the Force: “Lap-Lans, get out of here. Your battle meditation is needed!”

Suddenly Pall turned around an slashed the Bothan master in half. The master fell down with a huge gash on his stomach. Eyes wide open, his last words were “Get him…Bayel…”

 

Simirac felt it too. The sudden loss of motivation amongst the Jedi ranks. It could only mean one thing: The death of Master Lap-Lans. But before his focus turned on Xoxaan, the tall man had already dealt the first horizontal blow. Simirac rolled backwards, smelling the scorched his scorched hair. “Too close for comfort!” he thought.

He responded with a frontal stab, deflected by Xoxaan, followed by a spin. Xoxaan easily deflected these.

Simirac threw in a series of Force pushes to keep Xoxaan busy. He then clicked one of the buttons on his lightsaber to increase the length of his blade a bit. Against such a long and strong opponent, distance was everything!

A series of flourishes got him back into his starting position. Xoxaan already responded with a very high horizontal slash. Far too high! Simirac knew this was his chance. He duck down an pushed his sabre into Xoxaan’s stomach…but the blade shut down!

“An exotic material called Cortosis, kid. Poisonous, that’s why I wear it as an overlay and not as gauntlet. You see? Every day you learn. But your school is out.”

With a powerful vertical strike Xoxaan was ready to end another life, but a green lightsaber blocked it’s path. It was Jenos:

“But the teacher says this student has to stay in school a bit longer!”

 

Bayel lifted his arms in hopes of blocking the flurry of blows. Thirteen Jedi had been slain by this monster, and he wouldn’t like to become number fourteen. Their sabres crossed, when all of a sudden, he received an order telepathically…this…what?

 

Simirac and Jenos were now facing Xoxaan. The tall figure was tired, having fought the two for a long period of time. He never expected to face the two without the help of Ajunta.

All of a sudden, Jenos and the other knight held back.

All around him, the Jedi quit fighting. He quickly send the order to the Sith to stop fighting too.

Jenos strengthened his voice by the Force:

 

“In name of the Galactic Republic, Jedi Order and free people of the galaxy, I ask for the unconditional surrender of the Dark Jedi. You have fought brave. But there are….about a thousand Jedi bombers in orbit right now, receiving the last instructions to take this place down. You will be killed.”

Xoxaan couldn’t believe his ears:

“But…so will you! The Jedi will kill their own men!”

“Not exactly…do you surrender, Xoxaan?”

 

From a distance, Bayel and Ajunta were listening, still with blades drawn.

“You can’t do this, Jedi. We promised you an honest fight! And you repay us THIS way?” Ajunta shouted.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures. But know that you created these despereate times by causing this shischm!” Jenos replied.

 

“DO YOU SURRENDER?” Jenos asked, for the last time.

“Never.” Xoxaan answered.

 

That was the sign for the bombers to bomb the surface of the cave. Stones fell down, the ceiling collapsed. Every Jedi and Dark Jedi was trying to get to safety or to avoid the debris. Following the debris, Nada flew in with the transport, together with Simirac’s original transport, now piloted by someone from her own crew.

The ships landed in the middle of the now arena like battleground and started pouring Jedi in.

The fresh Jedi from Nada’s group jumped out, safeguarding their comrades. The Dark Jedi, enraged, targeted the ships but the debris and Jedi wouldn’t let them. Amongst the debris, Jenos and Simirac waited.

“You know you have to go, Simirac.” Jenos said.

“I know sir. I felt it. Nada is…” Simirac replied.

“Yes. And a young man should help her through this. Not an old coot like me. I have to stay here. Xoxaan WILL attack the ships when he has the chance and you know I’m the only one here capable of stopping him.” Jenos responded.

“But sir…what if…” Simirac tried.

“Do or do not, Simirac. There is no such thing as trying.” Jenos quipped. “May the force be with you, Master Simirac. I recon these extraordinary events here will get you into the council real quickly. Make a better universe.”

With those words, Jenos sprinted away through the debris, on his way for Xoxaan and possibly, Ajunta Pall.

Simirac ran for the ship with Nada and saw Nada near one of the doors, helping wounded Jedi in.

“Where is he?” She asked him.

“He’s…not coming Nada. He tells me…we need to…” A sad Simirac answered.

“No…no…NO! I’m going after him!” Nada tried to jump out of the vehicle, but Simirac pushed her back.

“No. This is his choice. We have to respect it. I’ll stay here to defend the ship. You can continue to load in the wounded.”

 

From orbit, Edriss’sa could see the council members and masters make their way to the planet. She had to admit; the young Jedi and Jenos had made a fine last stand on Corbos. One worthy of the Jedi cause. It seemed the Jedi morals and ethics had been adapted by this new generation of Jedi as well. Her fears were finally pushed aside. Finally this war would end and the Jedi could rebuild. And some of the knights below would make excellent Masters and council members for the future. For the first time in years, a smile sired her face. Jenos had convinced her. He would be invited for the council as soon as possible.

 

Jenos saw the tall figure of Xoxaan gesturing for the ships. Several of his followers tried to rush for the ships but were held down by the fresh Jedi sent in by Nada.

“XOXAAN! This isn’t finished!”

Xoxaan turned around, Ajunta Pall beside him.

All the dark Jedi turned around looking at Jenos. His distraction, or opportunity for the dark Jedi to slay a Jedi Master, worked.

In a split second, all Jedi jumped aboard the ships. The doors closed. Only a handful of mostly older Jedi remained behind. Those who wanted to make this final stand.

Now 10:1 outnumbered. To safeguard the rest of the order.

From the corner of his eye, Jenos saw the face of Nada in the main seat of the transport, her face full of tears. He blinked and sent her one last message through the Force:

“You will always be loved. I will be there.”

He then turned his eyes on the Dark Jedi:

“Today, we die! Today, we show those bastards who’s BEST!” Jenos shouted. All Jedi engaged the huge group of shocked dark Jedi.

In the middle Bayel and Jenos duelled Xoxaan and Ajunta Pall. Blue and red blades flashed, all knowing it would end in minutes.

 

The masters were on the planet, making their way for the coordinates now. They saw the two transport ships coming their way. All communications fell silent as every Master realised what sacrifice the Jedi had made. Deep respect for the young Jedi who had given their life. Silence was the only appropriate thing.

 

Jenos felt the bombers were seconds away. With all his might, he engaged Xoxaan one last time. Aiming for Xoxaans lightsaber, he slashed the tool in half. And pushed Xoxaan into a wall. He needed time now!

He then rushed for the middle of the building.

With all his might, he pushed the Jedi to the sides of the arena shaped crater. And then, while on his knees, drained of power, drew all the dark Jedi towards him. With his last ounce of strength, he sent the incoming bombers a message:

“Aim for the middle.”

 

And the bombers did.

[Ztalker]

Epilogue

The Jedi stood around the few prisoners. The last days had been hard. As casualties reports came in, everyone had at least one comrade to mourn for. And now, it was day of judgement.

Edriss’sa stood before the chained prisoners who were ripped of their weapons and armour, only clad in standard clothing now. Edriss’sa took the word:

“Although many of your kind have died in the battle for Corbos, some of you still live. Some of the more…coward like, I might add.” looking at Ajunta Pall and Xoxaan, who had pushed their own comrades away at the last moment so they could get hold of the wall and stay alive.

“Anyways. On this day, I have a rule to follow. Jedi don’t kill their prisoners. Jenos understood this and destroyed as much of you as he could. All Jedi did. Now you escape through a, as you would call it, ‘flaw’ we Jedi have. We care.”

All the Jedi around bowed their heads. They knew this was the only way. They couldn’t kill defenceless prisoners without touching the dark side. What Edriss’sa did was the right choice.

“And thus,” Edriss’sa continued, “You shall be banished from known space. We have prepared one of these vehicles. You will go aboard. And we have programmed it to crash-land as for to the Unknown Regions as possible. There you will find the solitude to rethink your deeds. And hopefully die there alone.”

-2 years later-

Simirac and Nada were walking through the temple corridors. Nada had a small child on her arm. An ‘adopted child’ with the name of Jessir. They ‘found him’ on the temple steps. Soon afterwards, Master Nada had returned from her ‘ one year vacation’ and asked the council permission to raise the incredible force sensitive child. Seen that Nada found her rest after the death of her former master, they allowed it, with Simirac strongly voting for it. And since the baby had to have a name, they decided to name it after one of their famous Masters. Jenos of Tython. No-one objected. They must have felt the child was related to Jenos. But how?

And so, now one year later, the two Jedi and Jessir of Tython were walking down the temple corridors.

“You know they will find out eventually, Nada.”

“I know, I’m planning to leave the order when he’s old enough.” She looked at Simirac.

“Because I know there’s a very nice and strong Master waiting for him. To support him an teach him the ways of his family.” A tear slowly made his way over her cheek.

Simirac looked at her.

“You know you can always have contact with him once he’s older. We will…we can…”

He held out his finger and softly picked away the teardrop.

Nada looked him straight in the eyes.

“And that’s why Jenos knew you would be a Master. You’re everything he ever was.”

Simirac grinned.

“Except for the fact that I’m funnier.”

 

Datapad Entry:

Ah. Here you see the birth of the Sith. They crash landed on Korriban, bred with the original Sith species and became ready to overthrow the Jedi and Republic time and time again.

Did the Jedi make a mistake? Probably. Did they do the right thing? Absolutely. And that leaves us with the question: What if the Sith had won? Would they show the same mercy? We can only guess. Or better, read the next story. It’s all about Sith mercy…

Jenos of Tython is still remembered. A statue of him is erected in the temple I’m in right now actually. I just hope the clone troopers leave it alone.

Nada’s statue is one of the lost twenty busts in the library. After the council found out about the child, they were actually very mild. She expected to be exiled. But her and Simirac’s plan was good enough. She just went back to her home world, waiting for her child to become an adult and visit her.

But she refused to take up her laser word again though. A Jedi in her own right, a shining beacon for the people of Naboo. The council nevertheless created a statue for her. Since only great Jedi masters leave the order as a sacrifice.

And Simirac? Who doesn’t know him. Your typical legendary council member. He’s a standard subject of Jedi history for our students here and an inspiration for us all.

 

But of course. This is only one of the stories that tie is back to Tython. As you could read, the family name survived and continued to be strong. Although…strong?

 

MENU – TYTHON TIES 2: DEATHPACT - EXIT

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Author notes:

I tried my best to create this ‘old’ universe. But halfway through, I already realized I had failed at one point: the humor. That’s when I wrote Simirac and Mil’c in, for comic relief. I hope the last chapters reflected that. George Lucas himself always made sure there was comic relief in a droid form (HK-47, 3PO, Proxy). I’ll keep that in mind for Part 2 of this trilogy. Which will take place in a time we all know too well. Speaking of HK-47…

 

Thanks for reading and your support!

 

PS: I’m eagerly awaiting responses. I’m still learning to get the hang of writing. But help is always appreciated!