FicWad

-Jex sat lazily in the cockpit pilot’s seat with his legs up on the console. His arms were crossed and his eyes were closed, but he was not asleep. His mind was flooded with concerns for his Ithorian friend and battle plans for when he faced Darth Malice. The only thing he knew about the Sith lord was that Master Frell had feared him, and that wasn’t a good sign.

-Darkana sat on the cargo bay floor in a meditative state while Alera sat at Jex’s workbench, staring at the Sith woman. It amused Jex that the Jedi still held a grudge, but her childish antics were beginning to irritate Darkana. She hadn’t said anything, but Jex could sense that she was restraining her anger just below her reserved surface.

-Jex found himself pondering the Sith’s origins. Darkana had unusual self restraint for someone who had embraced the Dark Side. She was no Jedi, but it seemed to Jex that she was forcing herself to do the things her master demanded of her, rather than enjoying them.

-The proximity alarm went off snapping Jex out of his mussing. Darkana gave a sigh of relief as Alera left her to go to the cockpit so she could have a look at the world they were now orbiting. Kadiff wasn’t the kind of place Jex would expect to find a menacing Sith lord; it was a rather peaceful world that didn’t even have an army to Jex’s knowledge.

-“You sure this is the right place?” Jex asked unconvinced.

-“What better place for a Sith to hide?” Darkana responded from the cargo bay. “Just follow the flight plan I gave you and we will be alright.”

-The Nomad landed without incident in one of the smaller cities, and the three of them disembarked. Jex waited at the end of the loading ramp, and when Darkana was about to walk by him, he held out her double-bladed light saber. She looked at Jex with surprise, hesitant to reclaim her weapon from him. “Your master isn’t going to be pleased that you led us here,” Jex explained.

-Satisfied with this explanation, Darkana took back her weapon and, after checking to make certain that it had not been tampered with, returned it to the folds of her black robes. Alera looked as if she would protest, but silenced herself, deciding that it would be a pointless argument. Darkana looked at her and then up at the horned crown on the Zabrak’s head. “You had better put your hood up,” said Darkana as if she were giving the Jedi an order. When Alera shot the Sith a indignant look, Darkana elaborated. “Non-humans tend to go ‘missing’ on this world, and we don’t want to draw attention to ourselves now do we?”

-“I thought this world was peaceful,” Alera said.

-“It is for the most part, but every world has some small shame that they try to hide. The government tries to keep it quiet, but they don’t do anything to stop it, so put your hood up and cover those horns.”

-Jex gave a nod to Alera, and she covered herself, glaring at Darkana. The three of them went out into the city with Darkana beside Jex to lead the way. Kadiff was a beautiful world with bright skies and greenery mixed in with the buildings and machinery. Its large market place invited tourism and trade, but Jex wasn’t fooled. The moment he set foot on the surface, he felt a deep disturbance in the force. It was like someone reaching into his stomach and squeezing his insides; it nearly made him sick.

-Jex looked over his should to see that Alera was affected by it even more strongly than he was. The young woman looked as if she were going to faint, but she took a deep breath and steeled herself against the negative energies. Jex had to admit that he was impressed; even Darkana tensed up under the pressure of malevolence around them.

-The group made their way through the market feeling on edge. Despite the undeniably strong Dark Side presence, all the people around them seemed to be happy and content. Jex had been to worlds influenced by the Dark Side before, and this looked nothing like them. There were no rotting trees, no twisted beasts, no menacing looks from passersby. Everyone seemed to be smiling pleasantly to each other, and several people even nodded at Jex and wished him a good day. It was so happy that it was starting to get on his nerves.

-“These people don’t seem like the sort to make me disappear,” Alera said.

-“I never said you were the brightest light saber around, little Jedi,” Darkana replied without looking back, but Jex could see a smile on her face as she walked beside him. “We should stick to the alleyways in case the authorities have received word about us. I suppose we should be thankful that our pictures aren’t hanging on every building.”

-“Yes, that’s what worries me,” Jex said as he looked around suspiciously. “I half expected to have to fight my way down here, but we were given permission to dock. The council must have sent out the Nomad’s ID codes to every world within the republic, so why haven’t we run into trouble yet?”

-“The local authorities are in my master’s pocket,” Darkana explained. “They often look the other way when they receive watch list updates. They probably assumed that the incident at the Jedi temple was orchestrated by the Sith.”

-Darkana led the group behind the buildings into the dark places where the scenery changed dramatically. Homeless vagrants huddled in corners, cloaked figures took refuge in the shadow, and what little light managed to sneak in past the building had a threatening aura about it.

-“This is the real Kadiff,” Darkana said as though the words left a bitter taste in her mouth. “This is the reality that the tourists aren’t meant to see, though they would probably just look away and feign ignorance even if it were right in front of them.”

-“How much further to your master,” Jex asked.

-“Not far, just stay close to me.”

-Alera followed along quietly behind Jex and Darkana, looking at the pitiful figures huddled about her. As she passed an offshoot into an even darker ally, Alera heard someone calling for help. She could make out a small figure about halfway down the uninviting passage.

-Despite the hostile environment, and Darkana’s orders, Alera approached the figure without the others. The hooded figure turned towards Alera with an outstretched hand and said, “Help me…” it sounded like an old, weak man, and Alera knelt down before him.

-“Are you hurt?” she asked, reaching out to take his hand.

-The moment their fingers touched, the man’s grip tightened around Alera‘s hand, and he began to chuckle. “Never better,” he said, no longer sounding either old nor weak. He flipped his hood up with his free hand, revealing a hard, unkind face with a cruel smile curling his lips.

-Alera and the man stood up at the same time, and she realized that more figures had come out from under the garbage that littered the sides of the alley. The laughing, menacing figures surrounded Alera and the man who had a hold of her. They held primitive weapons, mostly knives, chains, and clubs which they brandished threateningly as they closed in, eyes fixated on their prey.

-The man pulled Alera towards him and spun her around, twisting the arm he had hold of into her back. His free hand wrapped around her chest, pinning her other arm to her side.

-Alera glared back at the man, but that only made him smile more. “Oh I think we got ourselves a spirited one here boys,” he said. The men around him all laughed with each other. “So what shall we do with you?”

-“You shall let her go and leave.”

-The men all turned in unison to see Darkana facing them. Her eyes pierced them all with a cold stare. The tension in the air changed instantly. It became so quiet that Alera could hear her pulse in her ears. She turned to looked at the man who had a hold of her and saw sheer terror on his face. She looked around, and the other men were all staring at Darkana with the same wide-eyed, open mouthed look on their faces.

-“D-Darkana, what do you want with us?” the man holding Alera asked. Alera could feel his body shaking against hers.

-“I want what is mine,” Darkana answered as she walked toward him. “And you’ve got your hands on her.”

-The man released Alera immediately. He put his hands up in a pleading gesture to show he meant now harm. He gave Darkana a fake friendly smile of the guilty and said, “So sorry. We didn’t realize the Zabrak was yours.”

-Darkana came to stand directly in front of the man and said, “Obviously not.” She narrowed her eyes, and the man looked away from her, unable to meet her gaze. Seemingly satisfied, Darkana turned and began walking away. “Come,” she said. Alera realized it had been a command meant for her. She didn’t like the idea of taking orders from a Sith, but she wanted out of this alley and away from these men. She followed.

-Once they were around the corner, Alera said, “I could have taken care of them on my own.”

-“Yes, and then the whole city would know there was a Jedi on the planet.” Darkana answered without turning around. “I told you to stay close. Do I have to hold your hand as well?”

-“I am not your apprentice, nor your subordinate” Alera said, almost yelling. “And I can’t help but wonder why those men would know you, or why they were so frightened of you.”

Darkana stopped to turn and glare at Alera. “Because they are wiser than you are, little Jedi.”

-“Am I going to have to separate you two?”

The two women turned to see Jex leaning against a wall. He had his arms crossed over his chest, and an amused grin on his face as he watched them.

-“What are you smiling about?” Darkana asked, narrowing her eyes as if accusing him of something.

-“Oh nothing much,” Jex said as he pushed off of the wall. “I just found where Darth Malice is hiding.”