The hunted man ran through the crowds shoving people out of his way oblivious to their frustrated yells. He knew it was useless; no one escaped the man who was pursuing him now. Still he ran, his survival instinct wouldn't settle for anything less besides, there was always a first time for everything.
The hunter watched his prey through the blackness of his tinted visor. Various readouts of the prey's vital statistics ran across his eyes as the implacable hunter slowly made his way through the thoroughly annoyed crowds ignoring the stares and scared faces as they recognized just who he was. His boots thumped against the permacrete and his blasters bounced against his legs.
Dead end.
The man frantically scratched at the wall desperate for any way to escape. A shadow draped itself across him like a sodden blanket and he turned wide-eyed to stare at the imposing figure blocking the only entrance to the alley. The armor was battered and the paint had been scratched, cut, and burned off of it in numerous places, still the figure was as dangerous looking as any predator in the galaxy.
"P'please, what do you want? I-I'll pay you money! Double what the bounty is on me, just please…please let me go." The man sobbed his spirit broken as he finally comprehended how futile running was.
"You are Jaemus Orkels." The helmed figure stated slowly closing the distance between him and his prey.
"Y-yes I am." Jaemus cringed as he said those words feeling the last vestiges of his freedom slowly sliding from his grasp and disappearing into the fetid air. The hunter nodded slightly and drew a pair of binders from his belt. Jaemus sighed slightly and the hunter's eyes narrowed slightly behind the visor. His prey had suddenly gone from sobbing in fear to standing tall calm and centered. In his entire career such a transformation had never boded well. The hunter's empty hand strayed down towards his blaster, if the prey thought it could escape him now he was sorely mistaken. A distinctive snap hiss sound filled the small alley followed soon after by a steady humming sound. Jaemus Orkels Jedi in hiding held up his azure blade and calmly assumed a ready stance.
"Please leave me be I do not wish to hurt you." The Jedi said shifting his grip on his saber slightly.
The hunter nodded slightly sliding the binders back into their compartment on his belt. "Nor I you Sir. It has been too long since last I saw an activated lightsaber in the hands of a Jedi."
Jaemus cocked his head slightly then grinned, "Aha A clone trooper. Why aren't you trying to kill me? Wasn't that the last order of the War?"
"Yes sir. I followed that order to the letter, two good Jedi lost their lives on that day and they took far too many of my squad with them."
"Why do you not serve in the Empire's army?"
The hunter shrugged slightly dropping his hand away from his blaster. "After the deed was done I felt that I'd done a great wrong and put in my resignation."
Jaemus quirked an eyebrow, "Resignation?"
"Yes sir. As you know we clones were considered highly expendable even Arc Troopers like myself. A blaster wound and some acting was all it took."
"An Arc Trooper, I should have known." Jaemus muttered. The Arc Troopers were trained by Jango Fett himself and had quite a bit of his independence and stubbornness to go along with his skills and tenacity.
"Well then it appears we have no quarrel here. Take care Trooper." Jaemus said deactivating his lightsaber and walking past the Hunter back onto the street. Sighing slightly the Hunter drew his blasters lightning fast and pumped bolt after bolt into the Jedi's back. He holstered his blaster and hefted the body up onto his shoulder deftly shoving the man's saber into his belt and making his way back to his ship.
A figure cloaked in blackness greeted him in the landing bay. The steady sounds of his respirator gave away his identity before the Hunter's visor switched to infrared and he saw the last Lord of the Sith standing in front of the boarding ramp to his ship.
"Lord Vader."
"Well done Trooper." Vader's deep voice resonated through the bay as he stepped out of the shadows the light gleaming across his armor and helmed visage. The Hunter handed Lord Vader the deactivated handle of Jaemus's lightsaber and slowly deposited the body on the ground.
"Master Orkels we meet again old friend." Vader intoned as the stun beams wore off and the Jedi shook off the last effects of them.
"Darth Vader." He said by way of greeting shooting a look at the armored figure off by his side.
"It appears things are not as they were said to be Trooper."
The Hunter shrugged slightly his battered armor suddenly looking familiar to Jaemus. It was Arc Trooper armor. When the Empire had replaced the Republic the remaining clone troopers had been re-equipped with standard storm trooper armor. It had been so long since Jaemus had seen the original armor let alone the Arc trooper variety he hadn't noticed it at first.
"I wish it could have been different sir. Serving under the Jedi was an honor and a privilege." The Hunter said before turning his back on the two and entering his ship.
Vader tossed Jaemus's saber back to him. "Prepare yourself Jedi."
Jaemus deftly caught the hilt and nodded slightly to himself a slow smile spreading across his features. "It's not too late Skywalker. You can become the Jedi you were meant to be."
"So says every Jedi I come across Master Orkels and my reply remains the same. There is no turning from the path I follow." Darth Vader replied before surging forward his own saber blazing to life it's red blade humming a death knell for the old Jedi Master.
"So be it." The Jedi Master ignited his own saber only to deactivate it seconds later. Vader's aim was true and his saber sliced right through the Jedi. Empty clothes slumped to the floor and the hilt of the deactivated lightsaber thumped down amidst them.
"This is what you seek is it not Darth Vader?" A luminous being gestured to itself. Once more Jaemus Orkels, Jedi Master was garbed in his traditional Jedi Robes his lightsaber hanging proudly at his side.
"Eternal Life within the Force. The path of the Darkside doesn't end in this. Consider it Skywalker, you are never too deep in the darkness to return to the light."
The figure dissipated leaving Darth Vader to brood over the pile of clothing and discarded lightsaber hilt.
"I deserve no such redemption." Vader said finally leaning over and picking up the hilt. It would be added to the collection that was his greatest achievement and eternal shame.
Within the flow of the Force a forgotten man once known as Qui Gon Jinn sighed and shook his head tears slowly streaking down his face as he considered the plight of the man he had loved as a boy.
"Why do you torment yourself Ani?"