Categories > Movies > Star Wars > Rogue
While Darkana busied herself with cleaning up what was left of the Sith, Jex sat quietly on Dag’s couch examining the artifact that his friend had been hurt over. It seemed that the blasted things caused trouble wherever they went. Looking at it, Jex could hardly believe that the sphere he held, no bigger than his fist, was worth so much suffering.
-His thoughts returned to the Sith he had killed. He had never even heard of someone using the force the way he just had. It had happened almost out of reflex, and the amount of power it took to do something like that should have left him feeling drained, but Jex hadn’t even broken a sweat. He thought back to the dogfight in space. He had let Alera believe that reaching out across space to sabotage a ship was something he could do, but that had also been beyond Jex‘s abilities.
-As he rotated the small ball in his hand, he remembered what Dag had told him: the artifacts, when joined, increased a force users power considerably, but could they do that even when they were apart? Jex didn’t feel any different holding the object; perhaps it only effected a person when they tried to use the force. If that was the case, Jex hoped the effect wasn’t cumulative. He only had one artifact, and the Sith had at least two, probably more, and Jex didn’t know how many pieces there were.
-In any event, Jex was glad to have one of the items. At least it evened the odds a little, and if he could find more, he might just stand a chance after all.
-Darkana returned from disposing of the body; she found a dark corner to stand in with her arms crossed as she watched everyone. Jex had noticed that it was a habit of hers which Alera despised. Darkana was adept at concealing her presence and enjoyed startling the young Jedi at every opportunity. Even Jex sometimes had trouble keeping track of Darkana’s movements.
-Alera finished making a pot of tea and brought it into the small den to serve to the battered Ithorian resting quietly in his chair. Jex had not left his friend’s side for several hours, and he showed no sign of doing so any time soon despite Dag’s assurances that he was alright.
-Alera poured a opaque, green liquid into a cup and handed it to Dag; she gave another to Jex. The Ithorian bowed his head in gratitude as he accepted the cup. Jex was less eager to sample Alera’s concoction. He smelled it warily before deciding it wouldn’t kill him.
-“What is our next move?” Alera asked after daintily taking a sip from her own cup.
-“We find Darth Malice, and I kill him,” Jex answered flatly.
-There was a long silence after that, broken only by Dag’s labored breathing. Even Darkana seemed to be made uneasy by the tension in the air.
-“How do we find him?” Alera asked at last.
-“Ask her,” Jex said without taking his eyes off of the small ball he continued to roll through his fingers. Alera gave him a puzzled look until Darkana spoke up and startled her.
-“I’m not sure where he is, but the coordinates I gave you are of one of his bases. Good a place as any to start.”
-Jex nodded in agreement before tossing the small relic into the air only to snatch it up again and return it to the folds of his robes. “You two go to the ship and get it ready; I’ll be there shortly.”
-The two women stood up and left Dag’s home without question, Alera in front and Darkana behind. Jex had noticed that Darkana refused to lead when walking. He suspected that it was a Sith survival trait: never show your back to anyone. Once they had left, Jex turned to his old friend and said, “I’m sorry I dragged you into this.”
-Dag waved a dismissive hand. “You can’t hold yourself responsible for evil people committing evil acts, my friend.”
-Jex let out a deep sigh before he got up to leave, but Dag gently grabbed his arm. “Don’t go into the darkness on my account, Jexel.”
-Jex stood frozen like a statue, Dag’s words twisting his stomach. He knew that Ithorians were pacifists, and Dag wouldn’t want to hurt anyone, but Jex had more than enough reason to kill Darth Malice. The fact that he had hurt Dag only meant that Jex would enjoy it more.
-“Thanks old friend,” Jex said in a hollow voice. “but I’ve come back before.” Dag let go as Jex walked away.
-Back at the sip, Darkana sat on the floor meditating while Alera nervously paced back and forth by the loading ramp. Irritated by the endless racket, Darkana snapped at the young Jedi. “Would you sit down and be silent! I thought the order taught patience.”
-“I’m worried that more of your compatriots that you didn’t tell us about are ambushing him as we speak,” Alera shot back.
-Darkana allowed herself a small smile. “I also thought the order taught not to hold a grudge.”
-Before Alera could reply, she tensed up as she sensed Jex approaching. Darkana sensed it as well, and she stood up, twisted, and leaned her back against a bulkhead with her arms crossed all in one, smooth motion.
-Despite Alera’s fervent greeting, Jex acknowledged her presence with a mere nod, as he did with Darkana. He made his way to the cockpit and found that the women had done as he had asked; the Nomad was ready for takeoff. Before they left Zaross, Jex sent a communication. A few seconds later, the com screen flashed on, revealing the rugged face of a one-eyed Mandalorian with a large scar running through the empty left socket.
-“Dark Blade,” the man said in a hoarse voice. “to what do I owe the honor.”
-“Darius, I have a job for you,” Jex said.
-“I am yours to command,” Darius answered in what was close to reverence.
-“Come to Zaross and look after an Ithorian friend of mine; I‘ll send you his address. The Sith have already attacked him once, and I fear they may come after him again. If they do, I want you to kill them and protect my friend with your life.”
-Darius bowed his head and replied: “I’ll leave within the hour.” and with that, the screen went blank.
-“Who was that?” Alera asked inquisitively from over Jex’s shoulder.
-“An old…acquaintance of mine,” Jex answered as he pressed the controls to close the cargo bay door and power the engines. “Now I don’t have to worry about Dag’s safety while I’m running around the universe.”
-Alera nodded, but Darkana seemed skeptical. “Do you really think a Mandalorian mercenary is any match for a Sith?” she asked.
-“Darius can handle himself against any Jedi or Sith,” Jex said with a dark smile as the Nomad lifted off of the ground. “on that you can trust me.”
-Far away in a dark bunker on a distant world, Darius was wasting no time in his preparations. He busied himself by loading and checking weapons of every size and caliber. He outfitted himself in his armor, sliding a dagger into his boot, a tiny pistol inside his bracer, and fitting on a utility belt filled with ammo, grenades, and other useful tools.
-He loaded up his cargo case and prepared to leave for his ship, but before he did, he picked up his Mandalorian helmet. He looked at the shiny piece of armor for a moment and traced a finger over the vertical gash in the left side that had cut through the eye piece. The edges of the mark were singed and melted. Darius had never repaired it; he had only placed a black piece of cloth on the inside. He thought back to how his armor had come to bare such a scar, and the debt that he owed the former Jedi.
-Darius snapped himself out of his nostalgia and donned the final piece of his uniform. After nearly two years, Jex had finally called upon him. At last he would repay the debt; at last he would be free of it.
-His thoughts returned to the Sith he had killed. He had never even heard of someone using the force the way he just had. It had happened almost out of reflex, and the amount of power it took to do something like that should have left him feeling drained, but Jex hadn’t even broken a sweat. He thought back to the dogfight in space. He had let Alera believe that reaching out across space to sabotage a ship was something he could do, but that had also been beyond Jex‘s abilities.
-As he rotated the small ball in his hand, he remembered what Dag had told him: the artifacts, when joined, increased a force users power considerably, but could they do that even when they were apart? Jex didn’t feel any different holding the object; perhaps it only effected a person when they tried to use the force. If that was the case, Jex hoped the effect wasn’t cumulative. He only had one artifact, and the Sith had at least two, probably more, and Jex didn’t know how many pieces there were.
-In any event, Jex was glad to have one of the items. At least it evened the odds a little, and if he could find more, he might just stand a chance after all.
-Darkana returned from disposing of the body; she found a dark corner to stand in with her arms crossed as she watched everyone. Jex had noticed that it was a habit of hers which Alera despised. Darkana was adept at concealing her presence and enjoyed startling the young Jedi at every opportunity. Even Jex sometimes had trouble keeping track of Darkana’s movements.
-Alera finished making a pot of tea and brought it into the small den to serve to the battered Ithorian resting quietly in his chair. Jex had not left his friend’s side for several hours, and he showed no sign of doing so any time soon despite Dag’s assurances that he was alright.
-Alera poured a opaque, green liquid into a cup and handed it to Dag; she gave another to Jex. The Ithorian bowed his head in gratitude as he accepted the cup. Jex was less eager to sample Alera’s concoction. He smelled it warily before deciding it wouldn’t kill him.
-“What is our next move?” Alera asked after daintily taking a sip from her own cup.
-“We find Darth Malice, and I kill him,” Jex answered flatly.
-There was a long silence after that, broken only by Dag’s labored breathing. Even Darkana seemed to be made uneasy by the tension in the air.
-“How do we find him?” Alera asked at last.
-“Ask her,” Jex said without taking his eyes off of the small ball he continued to roll through his fingers. Alera gave him a puzzled look until Darkana spoke up and startled her.
-“I’m not sure where he is, but the coordinates I gave you are of one of his bases. Good a place as any to start.”
-Jex nodded in agreement before tossing the small relic into the air only to snatch it up again and return it to the folds of his robes. “You two go to the ship and get it ready; I’ll be there shortly.”
-The two women stood up and left Dag’s home without question, Alera in front and Darkana behind. Jex had noticed that Darkana refused to lead when walking. He suspected that it was a Sith survival trait: never show your back to anyone. Once they had left, Jex turned to his old friend and said, “I’m sorry I dragged you into this.”
-Dag waved a dismissive hand. “You can’t hold yourself responsible for evil people committing evil acts, my friend.”
-Jex let out a deep sigh before he got up to leave, but Dag gently grabbed his arm. “Don’t go into the darkness on my account, Jexel.”
-Jex stood frozen like a statue, Dag’s words twisting his stomach. He knew that Ithorians were pacifists, and Dag wouldn’t want to hurt anyone, but Jex had more than enough reason to kill Darth Malice. The fact that he had hurt Dag only meant that Jex would enjoy it more.
-“Thanks old friend,” Jex said in a hollow voice. “but I’ve come back before.” Dag let go as Jex walked away.
-Back at the sip, Darkana sat on the floor meditating while Alera nervously paced back and forth by the loading ramp. Irritated by the endless racket, Darkana snapped at the young Jedi. “Would you sit down and be silent! I thought the order taught patience.”
-“I’m worried that more of your compatriots that you didn’t tell us about are ambushing him as we speak,” Alera shot back.
-Darkana allowed herself a small smile. “I also thought the order taught not to hold a grudge.”
-Before Alera could reply, she tensed up as she sensed Jex approaching. Darkana sensed it as well, and she stood up, twisted, and leaned her back against a bulkhead with her arms crossed all in one, smooth motion.
-Despite Alera’s fervent greeting, Jex acknowledged her presence with a mere nod, as he did with Darkana. He made his way to the cockpit and found that the women had done as he had asked; the Nomad was ready for takeoff. Before they left Zaross, Jex sent a communication. A few seconds later, the com screen flashed on, revealing the rugged face of a one-eyed Mandalorian with a large scar running through the empty left socket.
-“Dark Blade,” the man said in a hoarse voice. “to what do I owe the honor.”
-“Darius, I have a job for you,” Jex said.
-“I am yours to command,” Darius answered in what was close to reverence.
-“Come to Zaross and look after an Ithorian friend of mine; I‘ll send you his address. The Sith have already attacked him once, and I fear they may come after him again. If they do, I want you to kill them and protect my friend with your life.”
-Darius bowed his head and replied: “I’ll leave within the hour.” and with that, the screen went blank.
-“Who was that?” Alera asked inquisitively from over Jex’s shoulder.
-“An old…acquaintance of mine,” Jex answered as he pressed the controls to close the cargo bay door and power the engines. “Now I don’t have to worry about Dag’s safety while I’m running around the universe.”
-Alera nodded, but Darkana seemed skeptical. “Do you really think a Mandalorian mercenary is any match for a Sith?” she asked.
-“Darius can handle himself against any Jedi or Sith,” Jex said with a dark smile as the Nomad lifted off of the ground. “on that you can trust me.”
-Far away in a dark bunker on a distant world, Darius was wasting no time in his preparations. He busied himself by loading and checking weapons of every size and caliber. He outfitted himself in his armor, sliding a dagger into his boot, a tiny pistol inside his bracer, and fitting on a utility belt filled with ammo, grenades, and other useful tools.
-He loaded up his cargo case and prepared to leave for his ship, but before he did, he picked up his Mandalorian helmet. He looked at the shiny piece of armor for a moment and traced a finger over the vertical gash in the left side that had cut through the eye piece. The edges of the mark were singed and melted. Darius had never repaired it; he had only placed a black piece of cloth on the inside. He thought back to how his armor had come to bare such a scar, and the debt that he owed the former Jedi.
-Darius snapped himself out of his nostalgia and donned the final piece of his uniform. After nearly two years, Jex had finally called upon him. At last he would repay the debt; at last he would be free of it.
Sign up to rate and review this story