STAR WARS
DISCORD OF THE FORCE
The political war between the Republic and the Separatists rages on as the power of the Jedi order wanes. Although The Clone Wars continue, the heart of the galaxy is at a stand still, the eye of the storm.
But peace only lasts so long as an elite squad of clones lead by a Jedi master and his apprentice are dispatched to the city to investigate an area rumored to harbor a growing Separatist movement…
ONE
"Alright, thirty seconds boys!"
The clone commander signaled to his troops as he slid on his helmet, leaning against the hatch door behind him. The clone transport was disguised as to not alarm any eyes nearby. The back of the massive truck was filled with two dozen clones, each individually picked for their previous missions, while up front sat the two Jedi. Master Joran sat beside the driver of the vehicle, stroking his grey beard. His young apprentice Jian watched the old Cerean intently. Jian was barely seventeen with a full head of brown hair that just reached his shoulders.
The apprentice stroked his lightsaber and the old master stared at the crowded streets of Coruscant. The transport passed through the crowded section and slowly navigated through the pedestrians until they spotted the massive club, parking in the alleyway beside it. The old Cerean master adjusted his Jedi robes and stepped out of the vehicle, followed closely by his apprentice.
"Master Joran, this idea depends too much on luck and other factors beyond our control…I do not doubt your wisdom master it's just…"
"The Force will guide our fate, but your doubts are justified."
The two Jedi walked towards the back of the transport where the squad of clones readied their weapons and waited for the signal. The alley was dark and blank, strange how different it was just outside a bustling club. The clone commander gave a sharp salute to Master Joran as he approached.
"Master Jedi, we'll enter on your signal and wait to make our move."
Jian moved past the commander and examined the squad before turning back to the clone.
"Alright, we enter through the side entrance and secure the area surrounding the main hall to assure that my master doesn't run into a tough situation. We wait for our orders there and make sure not to be spotted. Let's go!"
The apprentice bowed to his master as they moved through the alley. One of the clones rushed to the door and began slicing the main frame.
"May the Force be with you my young apprentice."
Jian bowed as he slowly followed the clone troopers into the building. The Cerean master smiled as he lifted his hood and exited the alley, entering the bustling neon streets. The crowd was immense and fighting the current was near impossible to fight. The Jedi master stared up at the massive structure and knew instantly that the club was just a cover for something else that stirred in the city. Below the huge neon light, a Trandoshan bouncer tossed a ragged man aside, making way for the next group who tried to enter the club; obviously invitation here was very strict.
Master Joran passed through the long line causing more than a few mumbles and grumbles from the young club hoppers. The Jedi stood before the growling bouncer looking up as he spoke.
"I am the representative of the Republic here to speak with the owner of this establishment. We have reason to suspect possible terrorist activity towards the Republic."
The trandoshan growled before bellowing in his coarse, reptilian voice.
"If it's for the Republic than follow me."
The trandoshan was surprisingly accommodating as he led Master Joran through the chaotic dance floor. Multi-colored lights flashed as every young somebody on Coruscant moved to the beat of the holo-band. Passing by the bar, the Jedi and the bouncer ignored the threats of the drunks as they moved up a secret staircase. The two walked over a suspended walkway that hung over the grooving crowds below, some looking up knowing that something important was going on above while most continued to shake. The walk was silent, both the bouncer and the Jedi not knowing the intent of the other as they walked over the catwalks until they reached a dense steel door with a computer panel next to it. Pressing a few buttons, the trandoshan slid the heavy door open and smirked as he looked back at Janor.
"Right this way…"
"Watch the left side."
The clone commander signaled to his men as he spoke, crawling through a rather large ventilation shaft. Jian was no where to be seen as the line of clones crawled through, their large weapons pointed forward as they passed by a large opening to their left. As they passed over a screen, one clone signaled for the rest to halt as he pointed down.
Droids, hundreds of them. Obviously the suspicions were correct, whoever owned this club had to be affiliated with the Separatists to have such droids and in such a quantity. Then up ahead they heard sparks falling like burning rain. Quickly, the commander shuffled over to the next screen where he saw the Jedi hacking through a sentry droid in a large hallway. The commander drew his comlink from his wrist as the voice of the young master came through.
"FIZT Commander, I have confirmed the presence of Separatist battle droids in the facility. Meet me—."
"Roger that master Jian, we have visual confirmation and will be with you in moments."
The clone spun his rifle and bashed the screen with the stock, knocking the metal to the floor with a loud clang. The entire squad leapt through the narrow opening and fell before the young Jedi, as the glow of his orange lightsaber retreated into the black hilt.
"Awaiting orders sir."
The commander gave a faint salute as the clones behind him dropped to their knees, scanning the area for any immediate threats. Jian lowered his hood and walked closer to the commander, a worried expression hung on his face.
"We must work our way down this hall, there should be a blast door near the far corner. Just beyond it there should be the meeting room where my master will arrest the owner once he confirms their intent and identity. Go to the door, secure the surrounding area as quietly as possible and wait for instruction there."
Spinning the hilt of his lightsaber, Jian silently moved forward with the clones following closely behind, crouched and alert. Two droids stood by the doorway oblivious to the oncoming doom…
The trandoshan bouncer entered first, extending his arms trying to make a welcoming gesture. The room was long but slightly narrow, the huge silver table taking up the majority of the space. The five nobles who sat there suddenly silenced themselves and watched the guest intently.
"Masters, the representative of the Republic has arrived, Master…"
"Joran."
Master Joran quickly cut off the coarse growls of the bouncer as he moved to the unoccupied head of the table. On the left side of the table sat a finely dressed Nemodian and an equally exquisite Twi'lek. On the right side a thuggish looking man stroked the stubble of his chin while the seat next to him was empty. And at the head of the table sat a Quarren in fine red robes whose eyes narrowed at the site of Master Janor. Extending a hand, the Quarren motioned for the Jedi to sit down.
"Please Master Joran, please have a seat."
The Cerean bowed as he sat in the large cushioned seat. The table obviously displayed holo images but their business must have been very private. The Quarren whispered in his gurgling voice to the thug next to him before introducing himself.
"It is good to have a true man of the Republic in my presence. I am known as Lord Balthasaar and I am the leader of this fine establishment. But may I inquire about your business here? I am a business man whose intents lie with the Republic."
Joran lowered his hood and leaned his hands on the table, feigning a smile as he examined his surroundings.
"As you are aware, the Republic has been trying to uncover some Separatist activity in the city and after a few dead end leads, our search brings us here. Whispers throughout Coruscant tell us that there is some possible terrorist activity originating around your establishment. Do you know of anyone who has access to your facility who may have such a hatred for the great Republic?"
The Quarren tried to hide his fear as he cleared his through and leaned back a bit more in his seat, his associates watching on silently.
"Master Joran, I'm shocked. If anyone of my employees or business associates are involved with the Separatist movement I would be aware. I assure you that our establishment and our trade activities fall within the legal parameters."
Both the Jedi and the businessman were now fully aware of each other's position but continued to verbally dance around until an outside source interrupted them.
"Strange indeed that such an esteemed businessman such as yourself would be unaware of terrorist activity within one of his finest establishments. Our leads are very accurate though and the Republic is convinced that someone here must be--."
Suddenly, Joran's comlink buzzed, causing the nervous Nemodian to jump a bit in his seat.
"Excuse me…"
The Jedi walked over to the corner of the room where he drew the small device from his robes and spoke quietly.
"Yes Jian?"
"FIZT Master Joran, the clones and I have encountered Separatist battle droids and are currently behind the blast door of the meeting hall. We passed the droid shipment floor, there are hundreds. I await your orders master."
The Jedi glanced over at the Separatists who whispered amongst themselves, then looked back to the comlink.
"Make your move; I will take the leaders into custody momentarily."
Suddenly, Master Joran ignited his green lightsaber and as he turned, deflected the blaster shots coming from the trandoshan and the thug at the table, killing them both with their own shots. The Nemodian and Twi'lek quickly dropped to their knees and put their hands behind their heads. Just as this happened, the blast door behind Balthasaar slid open, Jian engaging his lightsaber and holding the blade to the throat of the Quarren businessman. The clones poured into the crowded room, poised to kill as the door slid closed again.
"Lord Balthasaar, you are under arrest for conspiring against the Republic. Follow us to our transport and no one gets hurt, your club is being evacuated as we speak."
The Quarren slowly moved one hand towards a large button beneath the table, smirking as he pressed down hard.
"It's not over yet Jedi!"
Balthasaar spun around in his chair as smoke slithered out from every vent, knocking the disoriented Jedi to the ground and concealing the entrance of another visitor. Then from behind the head of the table, a blue lightsaber ignited as two droids opened fire. The smoke cleared and Jian and Master Joran furiously deflected the shots as a renegade Jedi rushed towards them. The droids were quickly destroyed by the own fire, but the renegade Jedi chuckled as he ran across the table and stopped between Master Joran at one end of the table and Jian at the other end.
"Jian, go help the clones catch Balthasaar, I'll take care of this."
"Master, I can handle myself."
Just then, Jian leapt onto the table and clashed lightsabers with the renegade Jedi. Parry after parry, Jian's light style was filled with spins and twirls as the mercenary took a more straightforward approach. Then from behind the renegade, Joran spun his own saber into the fray.
"Jian, I order you to help those clones!"
The dark room was filled with the flashing lights of the lightsabers as the rouge Jedi was holding up surprisingly well against the Master Joran and his apprentice. Then, as the renegade and Joran were locked, Jian tried to capitalize the weakness and stabbed forward. The mercenary kicked Master Joran aside and thrusted backwards, stabbing the apprentice just above his hip. With a weak growl, Jian performed a back flip off of the table, disengaging his lightsaber and bowing to his master.
"Forgive me…for my reluctance master."
And with that the apprentice rushed down the hallway to help the clones…
The normal and tedious thump of music had ceased and the patrons and employees had been evacuated as quickly and quietly as possible. The clones had carved a path to the droid shipment dock where droids were being unloaded and examined by the hundreds. One of the clone technicians was working on the seal of the door as Jian rushed down the hall, breathing heavily as he leaned against the wall, one hand on his wound.
"You alright master Jedi?"
Jian just nodded faintly as he pushed himself off the wall and readied the shining black hilt of his lightsaber. Just then, the seal of the door flew open and the clones rushed in, guns blazing. The sound of blaster fire echoed through the air as Jian rushed into the room, deflecting dozens of blaster bolts as he ran forward leading the clones. The shipment dock was massive, a federation transport, carried in thousands of droids who were slowly being released. Then, Jian dove towards a large crate for cover, followed closely by the clone commander. Shots whizzed past as they crouched, taking a breath.
"We need to get a demolition pack up there, blast that ship to dust. They'll just keep coming unless we destroy it. I'll distract most of them; have all of your men give cover fire for you and the demo specialist."
The commander just nodded and motioned for the demolition specialist to move forward to his location. Jian readied his lightsaber again and jumped out into the fray, deflecting shots to and fro. The entirety of the clone squad opened fire, mowing down a long line of battle droids. The Jedi leapt forward and hacked another droid in half, the assault catching the droids completely off guard.
The two lightsabers clashed again, and then the Cerean master pulled away from the grapple and knocked the renegade Jedi off of the table with a swift kick to the gut. Jumping down off the table, Master Janor extended his hand with a surprising sincerity as he disengaged his lightsaber.
"Why did you abandon the Order young one? You can still turn back."
The renegade reached up but halted as the hum of a lightsaber filled the air. Master Joran turned and ignited his weapon as he stared into the cold eyes of another mercenary, wielding two green lightsabers. Throwing off his long cloak, the old Cerean spun the hilt of his weapon as he approached the second Jedi.
"Another? Why have so many turned from the Order? No doubt a lack of faith in your masters or a burning impatience to grow stronger. You can still redeem yourselves young ones, just put down the weapons."
Suddenly, the second mercenary began to spin as his two sabers spiraled towards Master Joran who parried the hits with a flick of his wrist. The lights illuminated the dim room as they clashed and whirred through the air. The mercenary spun faster, constantly turning and favoring one blade for attack while the other was used primarily for defense. The mercenary crossed his two blades and locked them with Master Joran's.
"You have promise...under the training of the Jedi masters your power will grow in time."
The renegade merely smirked as he flipped backwards, and then rushed for the blast door. Running down the halls, Joran leapt in front of the rogue and clashed sabers again. Exchanging stabs and swings furiously, the two walked down the halls and onto the catwalks. As their sabers clashed, they slowly walked up the steps as they fought over the battle in the droid shipment floor. Once again, Joran and the rogue were caught in a grapple, the mercenary struggling to keep up.
"Last chance young one, why throw it--."
The sharp sound of a lightsaber being engaged echoed on the steps behind Joran. The Jedi master turned to see the wounded renegade behind him, ready to attack. The blaster fire below seemed silent as the hum of lightsabers filled the tense air.
"So this is how it will be? Very well, you have made your choice."
The lightsabers clashed again, Master Joran suddenly showing a shocking amount of skill and finesse as he flung his saber back and forth, his back facing the younger, wounded Jedi.
Down below, the shots rang out as the clone commander and demolition specialist worked hastily on an explosive charge. Jian roared as he hewed another droid in half, sparks flying in all directions as the droid lines thinned. Then, the young apprentice noticed his master up above battling intensely with the two renegade Jedi. Jian rushed towards one of the droid dispensers, hacking through dozens of droids to get to the tall structure. Then, the clone commander's voice came in on the Jian's comlink.
"FIZT Master Jedi, we've almost got it but we can handle it from here."
The young Jedi clambered up, hacking droids as he climbed his eyes constantly on the duel above.
Joran spun with unmatched dexterity, his green lightsaber clashing with the other green sabers. Then, the master lashed out with the force, sending the more experienced renegade far back along the catwalks. Turning to face the wounded Jedi, Master Joran easily parried the blue saber before going on the offensive again. Clashing sabers, Jian spun his saber swiftly, slicing the top off of the rogue's saber. Dropping to his knees, the renegade clutched his wounded hand, screaming in agony as he tightened his grip on the bloody stub of a finger.
"You turned away from a life of honor and duty for this?"
Quickly, the stronger Jedi was upon Joran again. The crackling hiss of the lightsabers surrounded the catwalks as the fast paced duel continued. As they danced the lethal steps, Joran and the renegade suddenly halted as Jian leapt onto the catwalk and landed in a crouch. The orange light crawled out from his hilt as the young apprentice rushed to aid his master. Panicking, the Jedi outcast stepped to the side, fending off each Jedi with one saber.
The din of battle below grew ominously silent as the Jedi above fought with great fury. Suddenly…BLAM!
The massive explosion rocked the massive hangar, knocking everyone off their feet. Smoke filled the room as the large fire grew below, flaming droids fleeing in terror. Up above on the catwalks, the duel continued. The renegade locked sabers with Master Joran, then extending his leg and kicking the Jedi Master down. Turning his attention towards Jian, the outcast began his deadly spin, but the apprentice was ready for the attack and parried the blows gracefully. Then, Jian noticed an opening in the outcast's attack; the apprentice knocked one of the blades aside and spun his saber with his wrist, hacking off the rouge's hand in one quick swipe.
Despite the injury, the outcast, clenched his teeth and raised his other hand, ready to come down with full force but suddenly halted, his eyes widening. Jian pulled his saber from the rogue's gut, the fleshy wound gaping, causing the fallen Jedi to collapse to his knees. Blood dripping from his chin, the renegade smirked as he crumpled to the ground. Master Joran approached his apprentice, stepping over the body in shock.
"You did better than anticipated my young apprentice…you had no choice."
The master and apprentice bowed to each other before looking out at the chaotic scene below then to the gasping Jedi.
Guilt filled Jian, despite the necessity of his actions. The other outcast had gone willingly, the clones pushed the rogue Jedi and the Separatist businessmen into the back of the transport as they filed in. The local authorities had closed off the club; taking charge of the aftermath as the two Jedi took their own speeder back to the Temple. The ride back was silent, awkward even as the red speeder dashed through the night sky. Jian bowed his head, staring down at the lightsaber, he hadn't killed often, but killing a fellow Jedi, not even a darksider, ate away at him quietly. Master Joran looked over as they drew closer to the Jedi Temple.
"Death is a cruel but necessary part of life, you had to strike him down…he would have killed you as long as he had the ability. I am proud of your growing power and the council will be too."
"Of course master, I did what I had to. I appreciate your faith in me master."
The temple was now in sight, in all of its glory. Jian smiled, regaining his normal personality as he leaned his head back, a smile on his face…
The two Jedi returned to the temple, Master Windu awaiting their arrival. Master Joran lowered his hood as he and his apprentice bowed. A few younger Jedi watched the encounter from the massive staircase behind Windu.
"Master Joran, you and your apprentice did well in uncovering the Separatists that had been corrupting our city all along. We are trying to find a master for the lost Jedi you brought here, but the council and I have some doubts. Young padawan, congratulations on your success, but are you sure you caught the head of the organization?"
The young Jian lowered his own hood and stepped forward, his eyes wandering to a large pillar on the second floor. Quickly, he glanced back to the Jedi Master.
"Master Windu, I can assure you that the businessmen we apprehended were running the droid circulation to other possible Separatist sects."
The Jedi Master motioned for the two to follow him up the stairway as he spoke.
"Very well, padawan. I would like you to appear before the council tomorrow to discuss this in further detail."
Jian bowed as he stopped at the top of the large stairs, beaming a smile over to someone leaning behind a pillar. Master Windu bowing briefly before walking down the hall with Master Joran. Just as the two Masters walked off, Jian strode over to the column as a girl leapt out of the shadows onto him and kissed him passionately. Jian slowly let the young Twi'lek down and leaned her against the marble pillar, looking around if anyone was watching them.
"Ullinel, you can't be so obvious with this--."
"Oh, I missed you! I thought you'd died out there."
The light blue-grey girl interrupted Jian and kissed him again. The two Jedi broke away and began to walk down the hallway, Ullinel holding the brown haired Jedi close. The two held each other and smiled as the rogue Jedi watched from the stairs, an evil smirk on his face…