Categories > Movies > Star Wars > Rogue
-"What are you talking about?" Breck asked angrily as he rubbed his jaw. Three of the observing Jedi drew their own weapons, but Master Frell raised a calming hand to stop them from taking action. Jex paid no attention to them; his eyes were fiercely fixed on Breck.
"Please explain yourself, Jex," Master Frell said calmly. He was confused by the accusation but still managed to keep his head.
-"Gladly," Jex said with a smirk, "on our way here, after communicating with Breck, we were intercepted and attacked."
-"Did it ever occur to you that someone might have intercepted the transmission?" Breck interjected.
-"Yes it did; or a chance encounter with pirates, or any other number of scenarios that didn't involve you. But then I was attacked by two Jedi on the planet we landed on who knew about the artifact I was carrying and were under the impression that I had stolen it. Finally, on our way here a Mandalorian mercenary tried to kill us. The only person who was aware of our whereabouts in every instance was Breck!"
-"He's right," Alera said in disbelief, "I kept Master Breck updated on our progress in those instances." She had a distraught expression as she went through the events in her mind, trying to find another explanation. When she couldn't think of one, she gave Master Breck a hurt look.
-Master Breck clenched his jaw and looked at Jex with disappointment on his face. "I will confine myself until an investigation can clear me," he said as he turned and walked away, maintaining as much dignity as he could. Two of the Jedi that had been observing, accompanied him into the temple, leaving Jex, Alera and Master Frell alone together.
-Jex faced Master Frell and opened the satchel that had been concealed under his robes and took out the artifact. Frell gave a satisfied smile as Jex handed it over to him. "So this is what the Sith are after," Frell said as he looked the object over.
-"Part of it anyway," Jex replied, "without that, the Sith can't finish whatever it is they're doing. Just keep it safe and no more problem. So, about my pay..."
-"you'll get it," Frell assured him as he ushered them into the temple, "but first I need you to address the council and tell them of what has happened, and after that, why don't you rest and relax for the awhile. A room with a bed should be a welcome change over that cramped ship of yours."
-Jex was about to decline, but he had to admit that running up the Jedi's' tab appealed to him. he followed Master Frell and Alera up the long steps and into the Jedi temple. The steps were separated with a flat gap where several people stood talking. Several of them became abruptly silent and stared at Jex as he passed them. Jex could hear them resume their conversations in hushed murmurs as he continued on; he knew they were talking about him.
-The three of them passed through the large front entrance of the temple, and Jex looked around. The Jedi temple was vast on the inside: a high ceiling and open areas made it seem like a small city unto itself. There were a few dozen people, mostly Jedi, scattered around and talking in hushed voices. Some of them gave surprised looks to Jex while others ignored him, but he knew that he wasn't welcomed by any of them.
-Jex made a mental note of every little change that had been made during his absence as they walked through the hallways and up flights of stairs. Eventually they passed through a large doorway that led into a circular room where several Jedi masters were sitting in a large semicircle. Jex and Alera stood in the center of the room while Master Frell took his seat in front of them.
-Jex looked at all the faces that examined him. He noticed three new masters, which meant that three of the old ones that he had once known were now dead. His eyes drifted to the only empty seat in the room, the one that Breck should have been sitting in. He allowed himself a small grin as he thought of Breck being excommunicated from the order and probably arrested; it was what the bastard deserved.
-"I have brought the council up to speed on the nature of your mission already," Master Frell said. "please give us a detailed report on what has happened during you exploits."
-Jex sighed impatiently, but he knew that they wouldn't let him leave until he had told them everything. He calmly and accurately described the events that had occurred since he had left Toba'an. He told them of Darkana and what she had told him about her master, about the attack in space and his actions on Sosk. Several of the masters seemed disturbed by his encounter with hostile Jedi. Then he told them of the assassination attempt on Coruscant.
-When Jex had finished speaking, the masters quietly considered what he had said. Then it was Alera's chance to give her point of view. It differed very little from Jex's own account. she made no comment on events she herself did not witness; only mentioning that Jex had told her of them. Jex was pleased with her honesty, and when she was done the Jedi again quietly absorbed her tale.
-Jex couldn't help but feel nostalgic standing their before the council; it brought back a lot of old memories that he had tried hard to put behind him. the last time he had stood before them like this, he had thought it would be the last.
-The masters finished discussing the matter. one of them, a dark skinned human, addressed Jex. "I'm afraid there is one significant discrepancy in your retelling of events. You see, the two Jedi you encountered on Sosk...are dead."
-"killed by a light saber," added another master. "care to explain?"
-Alera shot Jex a surprised look, most likely thinking that he had lied to her. Jex fixed his eyes on the Jedi that had asked for an explanation, not caring for his tone. "obviously the Sith that are working with Breck silenced them after I left in order to cover their tracks."
-"A shame we have no way to confirm that," another Jedi said.
-Jex turned to face the male Twi'lek that had spoken up and shot him an arrogant smile. He took a threatening step forward and said, "If I had killed them, I wouldn't bother hiding it; I have no problem killing Jedi foolish enough to get in my way, and that includes you."
-"Peace, Jex," Master Frell said. "we will investigate the matter further to determine what truly happened."
-"In the meantime, I'm afraid you're going to have to stay here," the dark skinned human added. Jex shot a glance at Master Frell, realizing that the invitation to stay had been his attempt at avoiding conflict. The old Jedi had known that the others would be keeping Jex here, and he had hoped that getting Jex to stay voluntarily would avoid any problems. Unfortunately his compatriot had ruined that plan.
-Still, even Jex knew better than to take on eleven masters, and he had already agreed to stay for awhile. "I'll stay so long as it suits me," Jex consented, "but don't think you can keep me here should I find somewhere I would rather be."
-Jex turned and left the room without consent from the council, a blatant insult. Alera waited for Master Frell to dismiss her, but Jex did not wait up for her. He headed to the training grounds to blow off some steam and found several young Jedi dueling. There were a dozen square arenas interconnected. Several of them had Jedi sparring in them while others were empty. It taught the young Jedi to fight within closed spaces and to mind their surroundings, for if they weren't careful they could strike or be struck accidentally by someone in an adjoining ring.
-For a time Jex merely watched them, studying their moves and methods, trying to see if the Jedi had learned any new tricks since he had been away. He shook his head with a smirk, confident he could easily take any of them. then one of the young padawans caught his attention. He was a young meaty man with a with a flat topped hair cut. He had a focused look in his eyes, but it was his technique that Jex noticed.
-The padawan bested his young female opponent, and Jex stepped forward and said, "you're Master Breck's padawan, aren't you?"
-"Yes," the man said, standing up straight and catching his breath. "My master was killed, so Master Breck took me on after Alera became a knight."
"So Alera was his padawan." Jex said, confirming his suspicion. Jex could tell that the padawan knew who Jex was, but Jex didn't know what stories Breck had told him. Jex stepped into the square ring and drew Justice, pointing it at the younger man in challenge.
-"Let's see what he's taught you."
-The man activated his own blue blade and faced off against Jex. He took the offensive, trying to overwhelm Jex with an overly aggressive attack, but Jex staved off the assault easily. Jex made no aggressive moves, preferring instead to remain defensive. Jex scoffed at the young man's attempts to defeat him. eventually the padawan tired; sweat dripped off his chin and his breathing became hard and heavy. He came at Jex again, and Jex extended his left hand, fingers outstretched.
-When the padawan continued his charge, Jex tapped into the turbulent, violent darkness inside and allowed it to lash out. Blue bolts of energy shot from Jex's fingertips and lanced through the padawan. The young man cried out as he was lifted off the ground and thrown back from the attack. He landed on the ground, groaning in pain as smoke rose up from his clothes.
-All the Jedi present drew their weapons and watched Jex warily. Jex in tern deactivated his white blade and turned to leave, satisfied that he had made his point. He looked up and saw Master Breck scowling at him. Jex narrowed his eyes and the two of them glared at each other.
-"you might want to teach them how to defend against that little trick," Jex said with a grin.
-"are you so eager to convince others that you are a Sith, Jex?" Breck asked. His voice retained the tone of the disapproving teacher that Jex despised.
-"I am eager for people to stop confusing me for a Jedi," Jex said, stepping closer to Breck. "though it seems the council doesn't know a real Sith when they see one."
-"The council finds insufficient evidence against me, seeing as how it's all circumstantial. Though I must admit, it is a disturbing chain of coincidence, but I am not a traitor, Jex."
-Jex moved to within inches of Breck's face. "Tell that to my father." And with that last remark, Jex walked past Breck and left the room. As he walked away, Jex's anger blinded him to Alera's presence.
-She watched him leave, and then turned to Master Breck as he tended to his battered padawan. She knelt down and helped the man up. Then she looked at Breck and asked, "Why does Jex hate you so much?"
"Please explain yourself, Jex," Master Frell said calmly. He was confused by the accusation but still managed to keep his head.
-"Gladly," Jex said with a smirk, "on our way here, after communicating with Breck, we were intercepted and attacked."
-"Did it ever occur to you that someone might have intercepted the transmission?" Breck interjected.
-"Yes it did; or a chance encounter with pirates, or any other number of scenarios that didn't involve you. But then I was attacked by two Jedi on the planet we landed on who knew about the artifact I was carrying and were under the impression that I had stolen it. Finally, on our way here a Mandalorian mercenary tried to kill us. The only person who was aware of our whereabouts in every instance was Breck!"
-"He's right," Alera said in disbelief, "I kept Master Breck updated on our progress in those instances." She had a distraught expression as she went through the events in her mind, trying to find another explanation. When she couldn't think of one, she gave Master Breck a hurt look.
-Master Breck clenched his jaw and looked at Jex with disappointment on his face. "I will confine myself until an investigation can clear me," he said as he turned and walked away, maintaining as much dignity as he could. Two of the Jedi that had been observing, accompanied him into the temple, leaving Jex, Alera and Master Frell alone together.
-Jex faced Master Frell and opened the satchel that had been concealed under his robes and took out the artifact. Frell gave a satisfied smile as Jex handed it over to him. "So this is what the Sith are after," Frell said as he looked the object over.
-"Part of it anyway," Jex replied, "without that, the Sith can't finish whatever it is they're doing. Just keep it safe and no more problem. So, about my pay..."
-"you'll get it," Frell assured him as he ushered them into the temple, "but first I need you to address the council and tell them of what has happened, and after that, why don't you rest and relax for the awhile. A room with a bed should be a welcome change over that cramped ship of yours."
-Jex was about to decline, but he had to admit that running up the Jedi's' tab appealed to him. he followed Master Frell and Alera up the long steps and into the Jedi temple. The steps were separated with a flat gap where several people stood talking. Several of them became abruptly silent and stared at Jex as he passed them. Jex could hear them resume their conversations in hushed murmurs as he continued on; he knew they were talking about him.
-The three of them passed through the large front entrance of the temple, and Jex looked around. The Jedi temple was vast on the inside: a high ceiling and open areas made it seem like a small city unto itself. There were a few dozen people, mostly Jedi, scattered around and talking in hushed voices. Some of them gave surprised looks to Jex while others ignored him, but he knew that he wasn't welcomed by any of them.
-Jex made a mental note of every little change that had been made during his absence as they walked through the hallways and up flights of stairs. Eventually they passed through a large doorway that led into a circular room where several Jedi masters were sitting in a large semicircle. Jex and Alera stood in the center of the room while Master Frell took his seat in front of them.
-Jex looked at all the faces that examined him. He noticed three new masters, which meant that three of the old ones that he had once known were now dead. His eyes drifted to the only empty seat in the room, the one that Breck should have been sitting in. He allowed himself a small grin as he thought of Breck being excommunicated from the order and probably arrested; it was what the bastard deserved.
-"I have brought the council up to speed on the nature of your mission already," Master Frell said. "please give us a detailed report on what has happened during you exploits."
-Jex sighed impatiently, but he knew that they wouldn't let him leave until he had told them everything. He calmly and accurately described the events that had occurred since he had left Toba'an. He told them of Darkana and what she had told him about her master, about the attack in space and his actions on Sosk. Several of the masters seemed disturbed by his encounter with hostile Jedi. Then he told them of the assassination attempt on Coruscant.
-When Jex had finished speaking, the masters quietly considered what he had said. Then it was Alera's chance to give her point of view. It differed very little from Jex's own account. she made no comment on events she herself did not witness; only mentioning that Jex had told her of them. Jex was pleased with her honesty, and when she was done the Jedi again quietly absorbed her tale.
-Jex couldn't help but feel nostalgic standing their before the council; it brought back a lot of old memories that he had tried hard to put behind him. the last time he had stood before them like this, he had thought it would be the last.
-The masters finished discussing the matter. one of them, a dark skinned human, addressed Jex. "I'm afraid there is one significant discrepancy in your retelling of events. You see, the two Jedi you encountered on Sosk...are dead."
-"killed by a light saber," added another master. "care to explain?"
-Alera shot Jex a surprised look, most likely thinking that he had lied to her. Jex fixed his eyes on the Jedi that had asked for an explanation, not caring for his tone. "obviously the Sith that are working with Breck silenced them after I left in order to cover their tracks."
-"A shame we have no way to confirm that," another Jedi said.
-Jex turned to face the male Twi'lek that had spoken up and shot him an arrogant smile. He took a threatening step forward and said, "If I had killed them, I wouldn't bother hiding it; I have no problem killing Jedi foolish enough to get in my way, and that includes you."
-"Peace, Jex," Master Frell said. "we will investigate the matter further to determine what truly happened."
-"In the meantime, I'm afraid you're going to have to stay here," the dark skinned human added. Jex shot a glance at Master Frell, realizing that the invitation to stay had been his attempt at avoiding conflict. The old Jedi had known that the others would be keeping Jex here, and he had hoped that getting Jex to stay voluntarily would avoid any problems. Unfortunately his compatriot had ruined that plan.
-Still, even Jex knew better than to take on eleven masters, and he had already agreed to stay for awhile. "I'll stay so long as it suits me," Jex consented, "but don't think you can keep me here should I find somewhere I would rather be."
-Jex turned and left the room without consent from the council, a blatant insult. Alera waited for Master Frell to dismiss her, but Jex did not wait up for her. He headed to the training grounds to blow off some steam and found several young Jedi dueling. There were a dozen square arenas interconnected. Several of them had Jedi sparring in them while others were empty. It taught the young Jedi to fight within closed spaces and to mind their surroundings, for if they weren't careful they could strike or be struck accidentally by someone in an adjoining ring.
-For a time Jex merely watched them, studying their moves and methods, trying to see if the Jedi had learned any new tricks since he had been away. He shook his head with a smirk, confident he could easily take any of them. then one of the young padawans caught his attention. He was a young meaty man with a with a flat topped hair cut. He had a focused look in his eyes, but it was his technique that Jex noticed.
-The padawan bested his young female opponent, and Jex stepped forward and said, "you're Master Breck's padawan, aren't you?"
-"Yes," the man said, standing up straight and catching his breath. "My master was killed, so Master Breck took me on after Alera became a knight."
"So Alera was his padawan." Jex said, confirming his suspicion. Jex could tell that the padawan knew who Jex was, but Jex didn't know what stories Breck had told him. Jex stepped into the square ring and drew Justice, pointing it at the younger man in challenge.
-"Let's see what he's taught you."
-The man activated his own blue blade and faced off against Jex. He took the offensive, trying to overwhelm Jex with an overly aggressive attack, but Jex staved off the assault easily. Jex made no aggressive moves, preferring instead to remain defensive. Jex scoffed at the young man's attempts to defeat him. eventually the padawan tired; sweat dripped off his chin and his breathing became hard and heavy. He came at Jex again, and Jex extended his left hand, fingers outstretched.
-When the padawan continued his charge, Jex tapped into the turbulent, violent darkness inside and allowed it to lash out. Blue bolts of energy shot from Jex's fingertips and lanced through the padawan. The young man cried out as he was lifted off the ground and thrown back from the attack. He landed on the ground, groaning in pain as smoke rose up from his clothes.
-All the Jedi present drew their weapons and watched Jex warily. Jex in tern deactivated his white blade and turned to leave, satisfied that he had made his point. He looked up and saw Master Breck scowling at him. Jex narrowed his eyes and the two of them glared at each other.
-"you might want to teach them how to defend against that little trick," Jex said with a grin.
-"are you so eager to convince others that you are a Sith, Jex?" Breck asked. His voice retained the tone of the disapproving teacher that Jex despised.
-"I am eager for people to stop confusing me for a Jedi," Jex said, stepping closer to Breck. "though it seems the council doesn't know a real Sith when they see one."
-"The council finds insufficient evidence against me, seeing as how it's all circumstantial. Though I must admit, it is a disturbing chain of coincidence, but I am not a traitor, Jex."
-Jex moved to within inches of Breck's face. "Tell that to my father." And with that last remark, Jex walked past Breck and left the room. As he walked away, Jex's anger blinded him to Alera's presence.
-She watched him leave, and then turned to Master Breck as he tended to his battered padawan. She knelt down and helped the man up. Then she looked at Breck and asked, "Why does Jex hate you so much?"
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