Streaking through the mottled sky of hyperspace, the Shadow Chaser drew nearer to its destination. Sev’rannce Tann sat in the pilots seat watching as the time scrolled off. In about one minute they would be at Yaga Minor, where she would get her new ship. The proximity alarm went off and Tann’s ship exited hyperspace. Before her stood the shipyards. The Shadow Chaser landed and Tann walked out, followed by her SithDroids. She called out to the man sitting behind the main desk, "Ensign, where do I go to pick up my starfighter?" She could have gotten the information just as easily by using the dark side to look into his mind, but as an Imperial General she had to follow procedure.
"Right this way, General Tann," the young man replied. He led her along a hallway until they arrived at a docking bay. In it stood a single TIE Defender. "If I may, General," he said, "this is the finest fighter ever built here at Yaga Minor. It has a military grade hyperdrive and can make nearly .6 past lightspeed. It has a full battery of laser cannons and several banks of Predator-class concussion missiles. The shields are of the finest class and it has been fully covered in Quantum Armor. In the hands of a skilled pilot such as yourself it will be invincible." Tann looked approvingly at the sparkling fighter. "Very good, ensign." She spoke in the cultured accent that most Imperial officers learned and fine-tuned. "I will also require a pilot to bring the Shadow Chaser and these droids to Bastion."
"Yes, General. I will get one for you immediately," he answered
"See that you do, I have a tight schedule," Tann said to the receding figure.
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All across Bastion, and especially in the Imperial capitol, there was a great stir. Today, Grand Admiral Pellaeon and General Sev’rannce Tann would put Wedge Antilles, the legendary rebel general, on trial. Everyone knew that he would be found guilty of treason among other things, and then executed. Already crowds were waiting at the spaceport when the Shadow Chaser, accompanied by Tann’s Defender, landed. They all watched as the ten sparkling SithDroids emerged from the shuttle and Tann exited the fighter. They walked along the road to the Imperial Palace, where the trial would take place. As they walked along, no one noticed two small freighters land at the spaceport.
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Wedge Antilles sat in his cell, waiting for the sound of footsteps that meant he was going to his death. He was strangely calm for someone about to die. "At least I made them kill me, and I didn’t tell them anything" he thought. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps and two stormtroopers opened his door.
"Alright, time to go, rebel," one of them said as the other put stuncuffs on his wrists. They led him out, none of them speaking again. They went through many passageways and, after a long walk, they exited a small door. The two led him up a stairway and they emerged onto a balcony. A large crowd was gathered in the street below, and on all the surrounding balconies people were up, watching what would happen. Suddenly, with a blast of trumpets, the doors on the grand balcony of the Imperial palace opened and several stormtroopers came out. Behind them were four Imperial Guardsmen, followed by Grand Admiral Pellaeon, with three more Guardsmen bringing up the rear.
A herald called out, "Grand Admiral Pellaeon, ruler of the empire, commander of the Imperial fleet, and the high judge of the Imperial court." The herald stopped for a minute as cheers and applause rang from the street. Then the trumpets rang again. This time on the opposite balcony, where Wedge was, a door opened and a single Chiss woman walked out. She wore long robes, like a jedi, except instead of the normal brown, they were coal black. All that was visible under the hood she wore were her blazing red eyes.
The herald spoke again, "Supreme Commander, General Sev’rannce Tann, Commander of the Imperial Army and Dark Lord of the Sith." Again, cheers rang from the crowds. The herald continued, "We have, on trial today, Wedge Antilles, general of the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, formerly the Rebel Alliance. Mr. Antilles, as a citizen of the Galactic Empire, you are subject to Imperial laws and enjoy the privilege of Imperial rights. As such, you have your choice of trial by jury or trial by judge."
"I am not a citizen of the Empire, and as a citizen of the Federation, I demand you release me," Wedge said, knowing that it would be useless to try, but doing it anyway.
"Very well," the herald said, "You shall be tried before the high judge of the Imperial court, Grand Admiral Pellaeon. And now, let the charges be read." He took up a large datascroll and began. "Wedge Antilles, you stand charged with treason to the empire, murder of Imperial and Thyferran citizens, resisting with arms the spread of Imperial Law, withholding Imperial protection from peoples of the galaxy, terrorism against Imperial troops and citizens, and encouraging officers of the Imperial fleet to desert. What is your plea?"
"Not guilty, all of those were done while I was at war with you," Wedge answered.
"That plea does not exist, but because of the overwhelming evidence against you, the court recognizes it as a confession of guilt. Grand Admiral Pellaeon will read your sentence," the herald spoke again.
Pellaeon began, "As high judge of the Imperial court, Commander of the Imperial Fleet, and Protector of Imperial Law and Imperial people, I cannot let crimes of the highest magnitude get away with anything less than a punishment of the highest magnitude." He paused for the cheers to subside and then continued. "Therefore, Wedge Antilles, under Imperial special order number 4985672.1, issued by Emperor Palpatine himself, I condemn you to death by Sith Lightning. General Sev’rannce Tann will administer your punishment, but first, do you have any last words?"
"I do," Wedge said. "Even if today I die, as it appears I shall, I will die knowing that, though you kill me, you will never kill the ideas I stand for. Even though I am going to die, Freedom, Truth, and Democracy will endure. The tyranny of the Empire will never conquer. If I die, others will take my place until you have either been beaten, or exterminated the---" At that his words were lost to jeers and boos from the massive crowds. Tann stepped forward, extended her hands, and fired a burst of lightning forward. At that point several things happened at once. Wedge threw himself to the side, a blaster shot rang out, and three people leapt from the crowd. They were obviously jedi, as they made the fifteen-foot leap easily. Two of them charged at Tann, lightsabers drawn, as the other cut down the stormtroopers and released Wedge. Tann’s yellow blade flashed and the jedi all took off running through the building.
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Luke Skywalker sprinted through the building, with Corran Horn, and Mara Jade Skywalker at his side. "We have speeders waiting in the back streets, with some others. Hurry," he told Wedge. They emerged from the building and jumped onto the three speeders, they sped off in the direction of the spaceport. Already they could hear the sound of pursuing speeders. Mara looked back and saw the Sith with ten droids all riding speeder bikes chasing them.
"faster, they’re gaining on us," she called to the others. Several more Federation commandos on speeders swooped in and formed a circle around Wedge and the jedi.
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As Tann and her people chased after the escaping prisoner and his rescuers, Pellaeon was sprinting through the Imperial Palace to the VIP docking bay where his shuttle was. As he ran, he ordered the airbases to scramble all fighters and the Star Destroyers in space to interdict the planet. No one was getting in or out until the rebels were caught. Pellaeon arrived at the docking bay a full yard before his guards, and in a second they were all aboard his personal shuttle. They launched the shuttle and it went quickly through the atmosphere. Soon, Pellaeon would be where he worked best, on the bridge of the Chimaera.
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Corran watched as the eleven speeders chasing them continued to grow. Now a full thirty droids and stormtroopers were after them, not to mention the Sith. They would need to go quicker still to reach the spaceport in time.
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On a rooftop on over the street, an Imperial sniper took careful aim with his Xerrol Nightstinger. The blaster would be soundless, and clear. He would make all five shots count. He took aim at the jedi and fired.
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Mara’s danger sense suddenly flared. She ducked to the side as the trooper beside her gave a cry and fell over. Her speeder went out of control and she jumped off as it crashed. She looked up to see Luke, Corran, and Wedge also on the ground. Five troopers lay dead and the others were unable to jump from their bikes in time. The Imperials kept coming, and some of them emerged from alleys to block off all escape for the four fugitives.
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Excellent Tann thought. Those snipers have done their job. Now I have them. She stopped her speeder and got down. Her SithDroids got off around her. Suddenly, blasters fired and a group of rebel commandos attacked the Imperials that encircled the prisoners. They all went off to fight the rebels, and she motioned the SithDroids to step back.
"A well-done, but foolish rescue, jedi," she spoke. "Return the prisoner to me and save us all the trouble of me having to take him from you."
"Never, you’ll have to get him," the red-haired woman jedi retorted. Suddenly, Tann sprang forward, her lightsaber activating. The three jedi drew their weapons and received her attack. Tann slashed furiously and then dropped back into a defensive position. The jedi attacked, all of them swinging their blades. They were good fighters, but Tann blocked every stroke. They kept on fighting, and time seemed to stand still as the three of the most powerful jedi pressed their strength against the might of Sev’rannce Tann.
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Luke could feel himself sinking into the force, allowing it to guide his motions. He could feel Corran and Mara doing the same. The three masters fell deeper and deeper into the force, until they could barely even feel what was happening. They became like three different outlets of one mind, their attacks as coordinated as they could possibly be, the lightsaber blades rising, falling, and striking as one, in perfect sequence and order. They seemed impossible to stop.
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The yellow blade of Sev’rannce Tann moved faster than it ever had before. Just as the jedi fought as well as they ever had, completely giving way to the force, Tann also was fighting her best ever. Her blade was moving as fast as it possibly could, moving faster than any eye could ever see. It moved to and fro, blocking the jedi blades and striking out in return. Tann knew, however, that even she couldn’t keep up this pace of action forever. She called out a strange signal, and her SithDroids moved forward.
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Once again, Mara felt her danger sense spike. She turned and saw the ten droids moving towards her. She called to Luke and the two of them moved against the droids, leaving Corran to handle the Sith Master that had resisted the finest fighting they had ever used.
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Corran knew they were in trouble. Luke and Mara had left off to stop the droids, and he knew they would be done if the Sith got past him. Then an idea popped into his head. They haven’t cut us off from that alley yet, and it leads to the spaceport! he mentally called to the others and yelled to Wedge. RUN, FOLLOW ME AND RUN!!!!! They took off at a full dash down the alley.
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Not even stopping to catch her breath, Tann motioned the droids to follow and took off running after the jedi. They couldn’t be allowed to escape. The chase continued for a while before the escapers cut open the walls to the landing bay and killed the guards that blocked the way into their freighter. They took off as Tann rushed to her defender and launched off after them. Thinking quickly, she radioed Pellaeon in the Chimaera with the location the jedi were likely to emerge. Then she allowed herself a tight smile. She had them now.
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"Luke, we have a Star Destroyer moving to intercept us." Corran called to the leader of the rescue.
"We were planning for something like that. I have the freighter programmed to blow when they get a tractor lock. Our X-wings are hidden and we should be able to launch as soon as they get a tractor-lock," Luke answered. The escapers got into their fighters, and felt a shudder as the Chimaera got a tractor lock on them.
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Pellaeon watched in dismay as the freighter burst when the tractor beams locked onto the enemy ship. He saw four starfighters emerge. The Chimaera launched TIEs as more Imperial fighters emerged from the planet and from the interdictor cruisers guarding the planet.
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Wedge smiled in satisfaction as the enemy launched fighters. He was happy to be back in a cockpit again, and having Imps to blast made it even better. He targeted a defender that was leading the flights coming up from the surface and fired. The TIE easily dodged his shot and came back up firing. Wedge circled around to get on the enemy starship's tail, only to find that it was back on his. He tried desperately to shake it, but the Imp seemed to know exactly what he was planning to do before he could do it. He simply could not shake the defender. Suddenly, an alarm wailed. The defender’s lasers had cut through his shield.
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Sev’rannce Tann laughed in victory as the X-wing lost its shields. She fired another salvo and watched in satisfaction as the fighter burst into flames and plummeted toward the surface of the planet Bastion. No one could survive a fall from this height with their fighter in flames. She turned to attack another X-wing, only to see that the remaining three had escaped into hyperspace.
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Grand Admiral Pellaeon watched from the Chimaera’s viewport as Wedge Antilles’ fighter plunged to a fiery death. He smiled in victory at the fall of the rebel hero. Wedge Antilles, the finest pilot the galaxy had ever seen, had fought his last dogfight, and he had lost. One of the most troublesome foes of the empire was gone forever.
Nathan, please no additions. I will deal with this storyline
Darth Slintronius paced angrily across his mighty warships bridge . Somehow that fool Chiss woman had managed to overcome him in this battle for rule of the galaxy .She had also somehow gotten a hold of Wedge Antilles and had killed the esteemed general . Slintronius whirled and stalked back toward the opposite bulkhead, thinking its time to bring out the big guns .
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Ul Duo Urshann sat up and then stood . On his communications panel across the room, a red light was steadily blinking . That specific light had not been activated in over a decade . The tall lizard-like humanoid walked across the room and stopped next to a bed, on which lay his son and apprentice, Ul ran fortul . Ul Duo shook the bed with a simple wave of his natural right arm and said " Rise my son . We have been summoned ." Ul ran sat up and his single lightsaber floated to his hand and he asked in his child-like way ," Will we get to kill Jedi, my father ? " Ul Duo laughed at his son's innocent but yet so evil face, the sound coming out as a series of hisses and clicks and said ," Yes my son, Slintronius would not waste my talents on mere soldiers, but would instead reserve me for Jedi extermination ."
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Rorn slipped the new crystals into his lightsaber and re-attached the outer shell . " Bad droid ." he snarled at R4-Z9, who earlier had destroyed the old crystals by shooting the lightsaber with a ion cannon during training . The crystals had melted and the lightsaber shorted out . Rorn screwed the power pack back onto the weapon and levitated it away before twisting his wrist and activating the lightsaber . He had heard of several incidents where lightsabers exploded after being repaired and he wanted to be careful . He sighed in relief as the twin blue blades flashed out, and called his weapon back to his hand . " Not bad ." a unfamiliar voice called out . Rorn spun , his lightsaber swinging into a defensive position and adrenaline rushing throughout him . " Whoa now, I'm friendly ." Dennez Wangzu said hastily, holding his hands high . Rorn recognized the small man as a trainee who had been promoted to Jedi Knight over a year before Rorn came to Yavin 4 ." I just came to see if you wanted someone to duel with ." Dennez said , pulling a pair of lightsabers from under his long tunic . Sure." Rorn agreed, raising his lightsaber and circling the older man . Wangzu held his weapons like a policeman's billy club and activated them, causing orange blades to ignite and glow against the multiple shadows in the large hangar bay . Rorn leaped forward and caught both blades on his own and kicked upwards, catching Dennez under the chin and launching him into the air . Dennez hit the wall and slid down to the floor where he stood rubbing his chin and gazing ruefully at his lightsabers which had been knocked away . " I don't suppose I can go pick them up now, can I ?" and at Rorn's shook head , said ," Fine ." and leaped toward his weapons, while at the same time drawing them toward himself .Rorn jumped, swinging his lightsaber madly . Dennez swung up into the incoming blow and blocked it, knocking it harmlessly into the deckplates beside him .Rorn snarled in annoyance and struck with his other blade, even as Dennez pushed him back with the Force . " Stop ." a commanding voice sounded across the giant room and they both looked up to see Luke standing in the doorway, a worried look on his face ." Have either of you seen Kyp or Jarlath . I need them to get a message to Leia and communications are down . This message might be intercepted by one of these Sith that seem to be popping up everywhere if we use the Force ." Dennez nodded and turned to Rorn who said ," Saraan has been missing also, it might be that she's with Kyp and Jarlath ." Luke nodded thoughtfully, " I have asked a meeting of all of the advanced trainees and Jedi . I guess this would include you Rorn . Come to the mess hall at sunset tonight ."
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Ul Duo's custom-made fighter slipped out of the hidden hangar bay on the large asteroid . Ul Duo had set up base here twelve years ago while waiting for a summons from Darth Slintronius and when Slintronius had contacted him a few days ago via. holo, Ul Duo had thought for sure he would have a mission, but Slintronius had just wanted them to be ready . Now though the message was clear . GET'CHER BUTT HERE AS FAST AS POSSIBLE !!! His ship Death's Claw would get him there faster than most other ships in the galaxy . The ship was just small enough to be considered a fighter, but large enough to be considered a yacht or freighter . The ship had been designed by Ul Duo himself, and he had built it . The weapons were considerably powerful but nowhere near as powerful as the engines . The small ship was as fast as a X-wing and as maneuverable as a TIE fighter . The shield generators had been stolen from a military shipyard over thirty years ago, but were still more powerful than most of today's .
Ul Duo piloted his ship past a derelict freighter hull floating in space . The smuggler ship had gotten too close and had been blasted by the peremiter defense guns . Ul ran shouted down from the gunwell saying ," That space slug has moved an asteroid closer, Father . Shall we get rid of it before we go ? " Ul Duo looked at his weapons readouts and thought that they allready needed to steal some proton torpedoes ." Yes my son, prepare yourself . We shall kill it before it eats our base ." He smiled a fangfilled grin as his son let out a exultative battle roar through the intercom . Death's Claw turned and dove deep into the tunnels of a asteroid . A huge gray slug turned its massive hideous head toward them and flinched as Ul ran opened fire from the gunwell . Red streaks of light flashed out and buried themselves inside the slugs thick hide . " My turn, Ul ran ." Ul Duo shouted, sqeezing a trigger twice and sending a pair of Arakyd concussion missiles straight into the cavernous mouth facing them . The resulting explosions visibly hurt the monsterous creature as black blood or slime oozed out of its mouth . " Your turn my son ." He yelled . he felt the ship shake as Ul ran ejected a siesmic charge directly toward the slugs open mouth . " Come my son. " Ul Duo shouted." We leave this place ." Death's Claw accelerated roughly , shooting out of the asteroid cave just as the seismic charge exploded, sending a wave of energy out on all directions along a flat plane . Cutting the slug, the asteroid and all surrounding objects into pieces, the deadly wave traveled outward . Ul Duo pushed a lever forward and Death's Claw shot into hyperspace , avoiding the energy wave by mere seconds .
Dagmar stepped into the large Imperial Bank and looked around . All around him were symbols of Imperial power and wealth . Over to his right stood a huge art gallery filled with images of Emperor Palpatine . He stepped inside and stared at a lifesize statue of Palpatine from his days as a senator . The statue appeared to be made out of living ice and was quite priceless . Any other man would have thought about what he could have done with that sort of money . Dagmar couldn't have cared less . Pulling his lightsaber off of his belt , Dagmar stepped over the short partition surrounding the statue ." And now to attract some attention . Now how may I improve this priceless art piece ? " he mused . A quick slash of red light and Palpatine no longer had a right arm ." Oh much better, but maybe this will be even more so ." Dagmar laughed gleefully , chopping the top of the statue's head off ." Ah, this just keeps getting better and better ." he chortled . " Stop or die ." a commanding voice rang throughout the room . Dagmar turned to see a group of stormtroopers aiming their rifles at him . Bad move . " Nobody points weapons at me . I am Dagmar , dark lord of the Sith . Fear me ." He shouted . No visible response besides the release of safety mechanisms on those blaster rifles ." I warned you ." he roared, leaping toward the stormtroopers, his lightsaber knocking blaster bolts out of the air . He landed in the midst of the Imperials and whirling , cut down over half of them with the first attack . A trooper with a repeater blaster fired and tried to get Dagmar in his sights, carelessly sweeping the blaster around, blasting bits of slag from the walls and the artworks . Dagmar reached out in the Force and ripped the man's consciousness from his body , quite literaly tearing the life out of the man . He then absorbed the energy and used it in a long burst of lightning from his fingertips and killed the remaining stormtroopers .Dagmar picked up a small hand grenade off of a dead Imperial and activating the detonator, threw it back inside the art gallery as he walked out . The resulting explosion sent bits of flaming matter sailing past Dagmar as he stood in the doorway and surveyed the citizens inside the bank . To the frightened people inside the large front room, Dagmar looked like some sort of demon as he stood in the door with the explosion and fire behind him .At first they thought that the fire was reflected in Dagmar's glowing eyes, but then they saw that he the fire in his eyes was fueled by his insanity . " Its playtime ." Dagmar said in a childlike highpitched voice that was no less dangerous for its appearance .
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Rorn and Don jogged through the jungle . Luke had said to get some excercise before the meeting that night so they had gone for a run . As they ran , a sound began to get louder. Not a natural sound of the jungle but a sound of machinery . Rorn slowed and pulled Don into the bushes just as a sort of exoskeleton plodded by, a stormtrooper piloting the thing . It was like a giant droid with an open front . Smaller than the AT-ST's, it was lurching through the jungle at a rather speedy rate . The stormtrooper was sitting on the front of the torso and had two joysticks, with which he was making it move . Two large repeater blasters rested on the end of each arm . Don reached for his lightsaber only to remember that he and Rorn both had left their weapons back at the Temple . He looked over at Rorn and saw him crawl into another bush . Don followed him and saw a small encampment filled with stormtroopers and a couple more of those exoskeleton things . Rorn crawled around behind a stormtrooper and slowly stood . Grabbing the white helmet he twisted the Imperial's neck until the man collapsed . Rorn tossed the blaster rifle to Don and took the trooper's vibroblade . He motioned to DOn to follow him and slipped inside a free-standing tent . Grunts and a single groan emerged as he took care of the inhabitants . Don sidled inside as Rorn picked up a rifle of his own and peeked out . A large Imperial in different armor from the others walked out of a large ship and stood on the exit ramp giving a stormtrooper sergeant orders that Rorn couldn't hear . Rorn gapsed as he recognized one of the weapons hanging from the commander's belt as a lightsaber . This strange stormtrooper was either a Jedi or a ... Sith , Rorn didn't even consider the possibility that the Imperial had simply killed a Jedi and taken the weapon . Rorn ducked back inside and whispered to Don what he had seen . Don answered by flicking the safety off on his blaster . Rorn grinned and did the same before looking out and scoping out the locations of all the stormtroopers . " Ok, we're gonna need some bigger weapons and soon if that guy is a Force user ." Don nodded and began to size up each Imperial as to number of weapons and what types . He noticed several troopers carrying imperial repeaters and pointed them out to Rorn .Rorn grinned and reaching , grasped their minds and subtly suggested they enter the tent . As each walked in , Don would grab their ankles while Rorn twisted their helmets and tossed them to the side . Now armed with bigger guns, Rorn stepped out and blasted a group of troopers into oblivion . All over the camp stormtroopers fired at the tent . A few wary troopers walked forward and nudged the tent flap open , revealing the bodies of three dead Imperials . The culprits had flown and left ... a imperial issue thermal detonator . BOOOOOMMMMM .
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Stcomm felt the ground shake and then heard the explosion . He walked angrily out the doorway, thinking Those idiotx have gone and blown themselves up . He stopped as he saw every stormtrooper in the camp pointing their guns at . . . a hole in the ground . Stcomm stomped cautiosly up to the smoking crater and stared at the remnants of white Imperial armor . He pulled out his pistols as he turned and faced the rest of his garrison . Stcomm gasped as four more troopers collapsed, smoking holes in their armor . He whirled and fired at a pair of dark shadowy figures behind at tent , nearly hitting one but missing by millimeters .
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Rorn fired at the tall stormtrooper and watched him jump behing a large piece of machinery . " Quick , into the ship ." he whispered to Don .
******************************************************************Stcomm stared at the two people behind his ship and thenfired a long burst from his blasters and dodged as they fired back while running into his ship . " Get them ." He screamed, shaking in fury .
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Rorn jumped inside a cabin and felt the hot edges of three furrows in his shirt . That stormtrooper had'nt missed him by much . Don came in and looked around ," Wow." he said . Rorn looked with him and saw hundereds of weapons on the walls and in racks . And on the far wall , a rack of lightsabers . Rorn grabbed one and tossed another to Don . Acitvating them, a green and a blue blade sprang out . " Lets get busy ." Rorn said, letting the green glow light up his tatooed face .
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Stcomm froze as he heard the sound of lightsabers." Everybody get ready ." he shouted through his helmets amplifier . Two blades appeared, blocking every laser sent their way . One by one troopers fell as blaster bolts were deflected right back at them . One Jedi leaped behind a tent into a swarm of stormtroopers and Stcomm smiled, thinking that was the end of that Jedi .Finally, only the two Jedi and Stcomm were left . Stcomm raised his blasters, just to have them ripped away by the Force . He went to his last resort and grabbed his lightsaber .
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Rorn watched the Sith , he was sure of it now, activate his lightsaber and then Rorn attacked, Don at his side . The sith blocked his first blow awkwardly and retaliated with a slice at Don's knees, which was blocked easily . For all of this guy's prowess with pistols, he could barely use a lightsaber , Rorn thought . And then with a blast Rorn was thrown backward, a secret weapon in the Sith's armor had grazed him . Don attacked with a vengeance and cut through the top layer of armor on the Sith's breastplate, destroying the weapon .The tall Imperial retaliated with a shove of his shoulder, knocking Don back a few feet , but he didn't suceed in knocking Don down . Don leapt up and sliced at the Imperial's weapon hand, taking it off at the wrist and with another slash , the sith fell, two feet shorter than before . Don knelt beside Rorn and saw that the wound was barely a burn, but had succeded in knocking Rorn unconscious . Don picked Rorn up and threw him over his shoulder . It was a long walk back to the Academy .
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Slintronius stated in surprise . STcomm's death was reverberating through the Force, he had failed in his mission to destroy the Jedi Temple .
Rorn stood just inside Saraan's room in the Jedi Temple . He needed to find something that would explain why she was missing . Rorn walked over to a small stand on which sat a small pile of crystal shards . Rorn recognized them as the remains of Dart Heaths's memory crystal , the one that a new student or ward had broken . Some attempt at repair had been tried, he could see, but the crystal was shattered beyond recognition of its former beauty . Rorn straightened up and looked for anything else , suddenly he stiffened and a shiver ran up his spine . On a rack hanging from the wall, were two lightsabers . Saraan's own and the lightsaber of Dart Heaths . Saraan would'nt go anywhere without taking these two weapons, Rorn knew cause she had told him on more than one occasion that she wouldn't ever leave Master Heaths lightsaber if she went somewhere . The only reason she would leave one was if it was in need of repair .Rorn grabbed the two lightsabers and activated them . Seeing the working blades, Rorn ran to tell Don and Luke of his discovery .
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Jhon strapped his weapons and armor on, starting with his spider-silk vest and lowering a breastplate on over it . The spider-silk could stop many blasterbolts, but couldn't protect against a vibroblade the way this armor did . Next he strapped a gunbelt around his waist , tying each holster down to his leg the way that was needed for a fast draw .Then on his right wrist, a mini proton torpedo launcher, a new invention that he had commandeered from the ship of STcomm . The weapon was capable of firing four times before reloading was neccassary and had a targeting module that could be worn on the right eye ( Like a contact lense ) . Then in his right holster he placed a large automatic blaster pistol , the most powerful they made . In his left holster was placed a blaster rifle , the bore of which was several times larger than what was legal . Jhon slipped several power-packs into his ammunition belt and buckled it over his gunbelt . A long hunter's blade of the type used by Wookie warriors was strapped to the back of his armor and a dagger buckled to his belt . Both of the blaster pistols formerly belonging to STcomm was also now part of Jhon's arsenal and one was put into a shoulder holster and the other into a boot as a hideaway gun . Jhon put the mini proton weapon's targeting module into his right eye and blinked several times, trying to accustom to it . " Ready," he said dryly into a comm ." Good. Please proceed ."A voice said back . Jhon acknowledged and stepped into his large gunboat . Seconds later he was blasting through Yavin 4's atmoshphere and into space .
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Luke turned away from his comlink and bit his lip un-certainly . Maybe Saraan, Kyp and Jarlath had a good reason for dis-appearing, maybe sending Jhon after them was a bad idea . He motioned for Rorn and Don to come forward ." Thats it for now, I guess . I never knew that running the Jedi Order could be this hard." he confessed . Rorn looked at Don and said ," We'll be in our quarters ."
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Moments later , Don flopped down on Rorn's bed, saying . " I wish Saraan would have at least invited us along with whatever she's doing ." Rorn looked up from opening a large chest and asked ." You don't think she's in trouble ? " Don shook his head as Rorn opened the chest revealing a vast array of gleaming weapons . " Wow, where did you get all of these ? " Don burst out , staring at the shining insturments of death ." Most of them are from my time with the Iridonian Honor Guards . Others, I collected in search of many different types . Like this one." he said pulling out a short metal rod . Don looked puzzled and asked," What is it ?" In answer Rorn pressed a tiny metal stud and twisted his wrist . The rod telescoped out and at maximum length, two short blades popped out, one on each end . Don stared at the long spear , and speechless reached out and took it, marveling at the craftsmanship ." And my favorites ." Rorn said, pulling out a matched pair of long curved swords .( These swords are exactly like Arwen's from Fellowship of the Ring .) Rorn stood and whilred suddenly, striking out at a bowl of fruit , seeming to hit it right in the middle but leaving it un-changed . Rorn picked up the bowl and lifted the top of it off, sliced cleanly by the sword and all of the fruit within likewise ." As I said , my favorites ." Rorn polished his blades in silence for several minutes and then spoke up ." I can't just sit around here and do nothing .You want to try and see if any of your old contacts know anything ? " Don thought for a second and nodded, saying ." It means we'd have to go to Nar Shaddaa, you know . " Rorn cringed mockingly ." I think I can handle it if you can . " Don grinned at the not-so subtle challenge and answered ." You can't go dressed as a Jedi .Smugglers tend to clam up when talking to officials of any sort . " Rorn looked down at his black robes and grimaced ." They just don't recognize true style ." he complained . Don grinned and told him what type of clothes to wear .
" Meet me in the hangar at sunset ." he said , a gleam of excitment in his eyes .
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Don finised loading Rorn's blade-craft into his own ship and then stood back and stared at Rorn who had just walked in . " HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA . Is that the best you could come up with ." he laughed . Rorn looked down at himself and said ." I don't see whats wrong . " Don gazed at Rorn's black leather pants and vest over a red shirt and spacers boots . A holstered blaster and long knife completed the ensemble . " Wheres your lightsaber ?" Don asked, still fighting back a smile . Rorn reached up over a shoulder and pulled his new dual-blade lightsaber out of a stealth holster . " You look like Lando Calrissian . All you need is a cape ." Don said . Rorn flicked out a silky black and red cape with a flourish . " I thought so and I admire his style ." Rorn said with a bigger grin than Don's .Don waved him into the Asteroid Skipper . " I invited Wik Dalleeso to come along . We might need his help . " Rorn waved through the viewscreen at Wik's large fighter and said to Don ." Your're right . Good thinking ."
Coming into Nar Shadaa, Don piloted the Asteroid Skipper down onto a small landing lot . Next to him , Rorn charged blasters and wiped a little carbon-scoring off their barrels .
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Rorn, Wik and Don walked down the busy alley and watched the milling throngs warily . Don had noticed , much to his annoyment that Rorn's outfit fit in much better than Don's ragged pilot's coveralls . At least, he thought grimly , At least I'm wearing a blaster . Seeing that everyone was wearing the uniform weapon of choice, they had opted to not leave their guns in the ship . Wik more than fit in with his vast array of legal and illegal weapons . A customized blaster pistol rode his left thigh, while a long vibroknife rode his right . His belt was arrayed with several power-packs, another pistol in a cross-draw holster and another vibro-blade . Under his right arm was a tiny needle-beamer blaster , for use as a hold-out gun . On his back was holstered a very large blaster rifle , of the type illegal in over seventy known star systems . From a belt crossing Wik's chest hung a variety of explosive devices .Fragment grenades, thermal detonaters, remote charges . A few of each . Hidden in his gloves were dart launchers, and a tiny wrist rocket launcher . Wik was a walking tank . He wore a leather scarf over the lower half of his face just because he liked the arrogant, dangerous look in gave to him . Rorn walked up to a fruit vendor and selected three small fruits of the sort that the vendor assured him " were safe for humanoid consumption ." He tossed one to Don and another to Wik , and took a juicy bite out of his own as he tossed a deci-cred to the vendor . Don flicked a large worm off and ran his fruit under a fresh water spigot, gaining the threats and curses of the Devoranian owner . Wik gazed at his fruit and then tossed it to a group of beggars who at once began to fight over it . Rorn shrugged, thoroughly enjoying his own fruit . Don led them up to a dented and stained blast door ." Now whatever happens in here, just let it happen . Unless of course they're trying to kill you and don't let your're weapons out of sight ." He then ran a data card through an almost hidden slot and punched in a code on the pad that appeared . The door shuddered in a attempt to open and then slid back down . Don frowned and banged on the door ." Keldor, open up right now or my friends here will blast it open ." Rorn looked at Wik who grabbed a timed charge . Don waved a hand at them urgently," Not really, but he values his property too much to let it be damaged ." He smiled as the door shuddered once more and rose , revealing a passageway crammed with a motley assortment of thugs from different solar systems who grasped blasters, vibro-blades, thermal grenades, fusion cutters, and an atomic destabilizer ." Oh, it seems Keldor has upgraded a bit ." Don said a little uneasily . Rorn glared at his friend as they were roughly ushered inside the long passage way . " I thought you said he was a cheap no-good, ugly smelly idiot ." Don shrugged," I guess he's a rich, no-good, ugly , smelly idiot now ." Wik who hadn't said a word yet, slapped a groping Gammorean hand away from his blaster . As they were shoved inside a large amphitheater, Don raised his arms and said ." Keldor , hows everything been going for you ? Wow, you look as good as ever ." Rorn covered a smile as he recognized the alien sitting on a large throne-like chair in the center of the large room . Givin were not exactly the embodiment of beauty ." What do you want DonHalerrt ? Last time you were here, you decided to leave us for the Jedi . Did they reject you as well ?" Keldor said, his voice like the grating of nails in a grinder ." Oh no, I return as a Jedi initiate ." Don laughed ." Then show me your Jedi Lightsaber . Prove that you are Jedi ." Keldor demanded . Don looked to Rorn who shook his head very slowly ." Oh but I can't . Mere Jedi Iniates are not allowed lightsabers." Don lied . Keldor shook a limb warningly," Then why have you come here, DonHalerrt ?" Don stepped forward a bit and said ." For information regarding the whereabouts of several of our friends . Jedi, gone missing several days ago ." Keldor thought for and instant and said ." Twelve hundred credits, and come back tommorow ." Don nodded and waved for his friends to follow him out .
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Once on the street, Rorn grabbed Don's shoulder and yelled ," Twelve hundred credits ? You are going to pay him twelve hundred credits ?" Don nodded and held out a small banker's chit . " This holds a whole lot more than that ." he said, waving the plastic money back and forth before Rorn's eyes . Wik grabbed the chit and slipped it into a hidden pouch in his shirt ." That much money and your're waving it around on Nar Shaddaa ?" he asked , annoyed . Don paled and whipped his head around, staring at all the aliens around him . Rorn shook his head and said ," Man, I thought you grew up here ."
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Later, the trio sat in a small cafe that Rorn had suggested they try . Much to Don's chagrin, the menus were not in Basic or any onther language that he recognized . Wik and Rorn seemed to be having no trouble at all and ordered their food with ease . Don gulped and closed his eyes . With a blind stab of his finger down onto the menu, he told the Twilek waitress," I'll have this ." Rorn and Wik noticed with glee, the female Twilek's lekku headtails were shivering in disgust . " Don, wow . Your actually gonna eat rector kalblat ." Rorn said, trying to hide his grin . Don nodded and asked." Whats that ?" Wik pointed at the menu and said ." What you ordered ." After a few minutes, during which Don noticed every meal being served and imagned his food looking like that, their food arrived . Rorn's meal was a large sandwhich with a small serving of a multi-colored salad . Wik had a large plate of nerf stew with flatbread on the side . And Don 's food looked like a very large shovelfull of huge grubs and insects, lightly seasoned, and roasted to a slight brown . Rorn and Wik burst out laughing at the look on Don's face . Don saw the mirth suddenly wiped off their faces and asked smiling." Whats wrong guys? Did some of my food fall on yours ?" Wik shook his head and then nodded at something behind Don . Don slowly turned to see Keldor and about twenty of his goons . All didn't look happy . Don raised a hand weakly , " uh, hi Keldor . Hungry ?" he asked, indicating the plate of insect life . Keldor's all ready mournful expression lengthened even more." You lied to me . Sources say you are Jedi . Have been seen with a green-bladed lightsaber .How do I know you have not come to shut me down ?" Don looked to Rorn and Wik and sent a signal reverberating through the Force to Rorn and a hand signal to Wik . " Would a Jedi do this ?" he asked the Givin, grimly . Rorn's hand moved impossibly fast and brought up his blaster just as fast even as Wik's own weapons appeared to leap into his hands . Don grabbed the Givin's long neck and flipped him over his head . AS Keldor landed, his vision blacked out for a second and when he regained it, Don's blaster was pressed flat against his forehead . " Tell your boys to strip their weapons of ammo and to toss them into the pot over there . Don said pointing to a seething cauldron of stew . Rorn looked at Don from where he stood with his blaster against a Rodian's temple and his knife at a scruffy human's throat . " And tell them to hurry ." he growled . Wik had both of his blasters covering thugs and between his teeth was a tiny thermal detonater , so he didn't say anything , but the appearance of haste was there . Keldor waved a manipulatory limb at his thugs who , very hurredly , stripped their weapons of power sources and chucked them into the foul smelling concoction in the pot . Don grinned and motioned for Rorn and Wik to edge toward him, while still keeping their blasters trained on the vast array of sentient scum . Wik removed the detonater from his mouth and slipped it back into his arsenal . Don raised his blaster slightly and indicated for Keldor to rise and follow him . " Come if you want to live ." he said quietly .
By Jarlath and Tien
Jarlath Cadman walked down the central hall of the
freighter. He was going to interview the captive, the
strange elfin girl Sith. They were trying the gentle
approach first, and he was the only one able to talk
kindly to this being. He walked in and saw her, still
half visible, chained and hanging, but awake.
Mwynin came to slowly, her head pounded and every
joint in her body ached. Where in the Galaxy am I?
Mwynin blinked, trying to focus. Every thing looked
slurred, like a painting sloshed with water. At that
moment the door slid open and a Jedi stood there. Oh
no, not again...
"Hello, young one, I'm Jarlath, what is your name?" He
asked in a gentle voice.
"That's for me to know." Her tone was saucy and her
violet eyes snapped. "Now if you'd kindly un-hang me,
perhaps I'll tell you.
So this is the saucy attitude that Kyp mentioned
Jarlath thought. Well, she'll take some patience. I
hope, for her sake, that she isn't too troublesome.
"Come now, no need to be like that." Jarlath's voice
was still calm and soft. "Just start with your name."
"I said, un-hang me first." Her voice wasn’t as rude
as it had been a moment before. She spoke now as if
she were only stating a fact. "This isn’t a
comfortable position to talk in, in case you’re
wondering." She slowly became fully visible. "Well…?"
She'd cooperate if only she knew what Kyp and Saaran
will do to her if she doesn't Jarlath was now feeling
some sympathy for her
"I'm sorry, my young friend, I cannot do that right
now. Perhaps, though, we can work something out, if
you would be so kind as to tell us your name and
several other questions. Trust, me you don't want to
know what comes next. Just answer one question at a
time. Cooperation by you means more comfort."
"Hmph, really." She raised an eyebrow "Why should I trust you? You’re a Jedi." It was simply a question. Not angry, just a question.
"That is why you should trust me. I am a jedi and jedi never break their word. It's not something too difficult to answer, young one, just your name."
"But I don't trust jedi…" She looked significantly at her chained hands "This doesn't exactly give me confidence toward your kind…" She closed her eyes, and was silent for a moment. "No. I've never trusted Jedi." The girl faded from sight completely. "I don't want to talk to you."
Jarlath was not startled when the girl dissappeared. He knew about her invisibility powers. He just went on speaking to her. "Don't mind those, you will lose them if you cooperate. What is it about you, your name isn't too personal you know." He let some irritaion cross his face.
"Hmmm.... Well, my name is Mwynin. I suppose you ought to know that, It's rather hard to complain about how annoying some one is if they are nameless I've always thought. But I don't trust Jedi. Now you know my name, either unhang me or leave. I told you I don't want to talk to you."
"Mwynin, a rather interesting name. Are you from the outer rim than? It certainly isn't from the core, and your not human so it isn't colonies."
"I don't want to talk to you, will you go away?... Please."
"Come now, young one, no need to be sullen. If I leave, you won't like the ones who follow. One more chance. Where are you from? You don't look like anything I've ever seen.
"Because you probably HAVN'T seen any of my type before.... I'm from the middle of nowhere where you've never been before."
"What system then, what planet?" Jarlath pressed the issue. He needed more information to solve this puzzle, and a place to check on to see if this strange being really was a Sith.
"I won't tell you." a pause "I wont tell anybody. Now
go away."
"Alright, Mwynin, but I am warning you, if I leave,
you will dislike everything that happens once I walk
out of the room. Are you sure you want me to go? or
will you answer my question?" Jarlath said, making one
last attempt to get Mwynin to talk nicely. If she
refused, well, Saaran and Kyp had some plans.....
Yes go. Threaten all you like, I won't tell. Not you, not anyone, no matter what."
"Alright, I pity you, young one," Jarlath spoke one last time before exiting the room. Mentally, he called to Kyp. Her names is Mwynin, and that is all she has told. Go ahead, you and Saaran can begin forcefully extracting the information. He felt Kyp's affirmation and Saaran's dark anticipation. He passed them both, going to a nearby area where he could lend his force-presence to the operation.
Mwynin sighed as he left. GOOD! At that moment some one tried to read her mind and she shoved it back. NOSEY JEDI!!!
Kyp felt the young girl push his initial probe away. He tried again, harder, still probing her defenses. Jarlath's presence was near him and Saaran wore an evil smile as she awaited his command to join in the mental came of cat-and-mouse.
Blast these Jedi for a pack of snoops! And I thought I was courious!! Ugh! Mwynin shoved up the "shield" as Ryys called these, and sat to wait it out... I hate this...
The resistance was hardening, Kyp could feel, as he plied his mental strength against it. This must be some Sith, if she can keep me out of her mind for this long he thought. He called to Saaran and Jarlath to add some of their strength to the effort. The three of them combined their power to press against the mental barriers that seperated them from the information they so needed