THE DARK HALF
To most people the force is something intangible, they can't see it, they can't smell it and they can't touch it yet they know it exists. It surrounds them, it binds them, it holds the world they know in balance.
For a few it is a means of power, a destructive tool to be used to gain what they desire, to elicit fear and control over people. For others it is a source of wisdom and those who wield it have a responsibility to use it for knowledge and defence, for the collective good of everyone.
To Joran Roth, it was both these things.
It was noisy, bright and crowded. Most unlike the rest of the Cantina's that Joran Roth had visited during his short stay on Cambrie. He slowly walked over to the bar that ran the length of the wall to the right of the main entrance and seated himself on a vacant stool. His gaze scanned the length of the bar taking note of the four people behind it who were busily serving drinks to the locals and the vast number of assorted liquor bottles that hung behind them in a dazzling array of multicolours. While his eyes took in the detail before him the rest of his mind scanned through the crowd that had gathered tonight, searching…
Through the force he was able to pick out each individual and gently touch their mind, human minds were warm and familiar and he had no trouble scanning their surface thoughts, the alien minds were different, some were so cold and dark he dared not touch them too deeply for fear of being overwhelmed by them. Others were just unreadable, like a book in a foreign language, but although he could not understand them he could still gage their mood and general awareness of things around them.
The mood in the Cantina that evening was tense, although outwardly everyone was calm, they were laughing and joking and pretending not to care about the people at the next table, inwardly they were jumpy. Most were just being cautious but some were scared, some were on a hair-trigger, waiting… waiting for him.
Rodian, Wee Quay, two Duros and a human. They were sitting at the far end of the Cantina and they were expecting someone, them, and… someone else, someone elusive and even as he tried to lock in on that one mind it skirted away from him as if disappearing into the shadows.
"What'll it be?" a gruff voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Lomin ale," he replied giving the bartender a quick once over, tall, muscular and more than capable of crushing some skulls if necessary. When the bartender brought his drink to him he paid for it and took a sip of the green frothy liquid idly glancing around the bar once more. Again he centred his attention on he group in the corner, yes they were defiantly the ones he was looking for, there faces clearly matched the pictures on the warrants he had been given. Well he thought, there are two ways to do this, the easy way and the hard way, standing up he decided that the hard way was always more fun.
Slowly almost casually he wound his way through the knots of people and tables in the cantina and strode up to the table in the corner before stopping dead. The group at the table had noticed his approach and he noticed had dropped at least one hand below the level of the table, all apart from the human. "Can I help you?" the human enquired.
"Are you Darven Felth?" Joran asked in an ice cool tone.
The dark haired human smiled at Joran. "Perhaps, if I am what can I do for you?"
Very slowly so not to trigger a premature light fight, Joran reached into his jacket and withdrew a pair of binders and a Republic warrant. "You can put these on and come with me back to Alderaan where you will stand trial for the murder of Aaron Nurbier," Joran told Felth throwing the binders onto the table.
Felth laughed, a deep throaty sound that threatened to all but drown out the rest of the cantinas patrons. While it was not as loud as the rest of the chatter coming from the various humans and aliens, it was loud enough that everyone stopped talking and focused their attention on Felth and his coterie. "Really?" he said sounding amused. "You and who else?"
"Me," a voice said from deep in the opposite corner of the bar.
Joran didn't turn toward the voice like the rest of the cantina, he didn't need to. The presence that he had first detected when he had entered the cantina a few minutes ago, the one he had not been able to pin down, it now became abundantly clear as to who it had emanated from. A Jedi.
The tall Dark robed figure detached itself from the opposite wall and slowly walked over to stand beside the table. Felth sat in the middle of the long rectangular table with his back to the wall; the Rodian and Wee Quay were on his left while the two Duros were seated on his right. "And just who are you?" Felth asked.
"Someone who wants to see justice done," said the figure pulling back the hood of his cloak and opening his robe much the way a gunfighter does just before he draws. The mans fair hair was short, only about a half an inch long and he had the sort of unblemished square jawed face that gave the impression of youthful naivety. His dark eyes however betrayed that fact somewhat, although Joran was relatively sure the Jedi was not much past twenty five standard years of age his eyes told him he had seen a lot in his time.
Felth took his time in looking the Jedi over, his eye's widening when he saw the sleek metal cylinder hanging from the Jedi's waistband. The Rodian's ears twitched and he babbled something at Felth in Rodian. Felth looked up at the newcomer, "It seems you have inspired fear in my friend here with that little trinket of yours," he said defiantly, although his eyes betrayed him.
"You don't think it's real?" the newcomer asked in a neutral tone.
Felth sat in silence for a second weighing his options, on the one hand if this stranger was bluffing and he was not a real Jedi then the fight would be over in short order, however if he was a Jedi… would death be preferable to a lifetime in prison? And even if he was a Jedi, the numbers were five to two in Felth's favour. "Let's find out," Felth said reaching his decision.
Before anyone else in the bar knew what had happened there was a double snap-hiss of noise and two brilliant shafts of light came to life as Joran and the other Jedi ignited their lightsabers. Less than a second later there was the bark of blaster fire and the flashing blades moved faster than anyone thought possible to intercept the bright scarlet bolts that appeared from underneath the table.
Acting purely on instinct Joran jumped up onto the table his silvery/purple blade at the ready and slashed at the Wee Quay who was even now binging his blaster up to bare on Joran. The sabers blade cut across the Wee Quays shoulder severing the arm that held the blaster, by this time the Rodian had brought his weapon above the level of the table.
Joran easily deflected the blaster bolt into the ceiling and getting a firm force grip on the Rodian he picked him up out of his seat and hurled him forcefully across the room to crass into the far wall. The Wee Quay, now minus one arm, was still recovering from the shock, but already he was scrabbling for his spare blaster with his good arm, Joran's swift kick to his head that lapsed him into unconsciousness put pay to that idea.
Spinning round he focused his attention on the rest of the occupants of the table. The mystery Jedi had done an admiral job of taking care of the two Duros and he saw that they were slumped in their seats, Felth however was hanging in midair, held tight in an invisible grip, his hands were bound to his side and his blaster lay shattered in pieces on the floor.
"Nice work," Joran told his ally.
"Thank you," the Jedi replied.
Suddenly Joran's Jedi senses began to tingle and a second before the eight men entered the bar Joran detected them. Four of them charged across to the far side of the bar finding what cover they could amid the chaos and panicking customers who were scrambling for cover themselves. The remaining four stayed by the door way and started pouring blaster fire in their direction.
Dropping Felth roughly to the ground the mystery Jedi spun on his heel and brought his silvery/white saber up to block the incoming volley of laser fire. "I'll take the ones by the door, the rest are yours," he told Joran before striding purposely forward.
Joran already busy deflecting blaster fire of his own didn't bother replying, jumping down from the table he too strode forward.
As what was undoubtedly Felth's backup continued to light up the cantina with scarlet bolts of death, a young women came up from behind an overturned table and made a run towards the exit. She didn't make it, a stray blaster bolt caught her in the lower abdomen and she crumpled to the ground.
Anger fired inside Joran as he saw the women go down, anger, hatred, aggression; the dark side of the force flowed through him and he wilfully let it guide his actions. Shifting his lightsaber to his right hand he extended his left and with a gesture crushed the rightmost attacker's larynx. Turning his attention to the next nearest aggressor, and while still blocking blaster shots, he took a firm hold of the aggressors blaster in a force grip and pulled, as a look of disbelief crossed the mans face the blaster sailed across the room and landed in Joran's outstretched hand. Closing his finger around the trigger he unloaded it into the man who it had once belonged to before discarding it.
The two surviving men seeing what had happened to their colleagues started to back off a bit but Joran was in no mood to give them that chance. Letting the force guide him he took a step forward then leaped into the air and somersaulted across the room to land in-between the two men. Later he reflected he could have almost felt sorry for them, almost. The purple blade slashed out once decapitating the man on the right, while a motion with his left hand sent the other man flying into the wall with such force as to break his neck and sever the spinal chord.
Panting and surprisingly short of breath Joran surveyed the carnage he had just caused and a shutter ran down his spine. Beware the dark side. Glancing across the room he saw the other Jedi had just as swiftly subdued his foes. "I see you let yours live," Joran commented.
"I see you didn't," the Jedi replied in a slightly strained voice.
Slowly Joran regained his focus, taking a deep breath he let the dark side flow out of him just as quickly as it had risen up, reaching deep down inside of himself he found a place that the dark side could not touch. A memory that was so pure it could never be corrupted. Carefully he crossed over to where the woman who had been shot had fallen and clearing aside the rubble of a broken table he knelt beside her.
"How is she," the Jedi asked.
"Not good, the wound's nasty. Do you have any skill with healing?" Joran asked.
"Very little I'm afraid," the Jedi replied regretfully.
"Then I'll do what I can. In the meantime make sure they've called a med team." The Jedi nodded his accent and then moved off leaving Joran alone with the women in the middle of the bar. The rest of the cantina's patrons had picked themselves up and were staring with interest at Joran.
Focusing as best he could, he reached out and placed a hand on the woman's
wound, closing his eye's he stretched out with the force, probing the wound. The bolt had caught her low in the stomach and had ruptured several arteries as well as punctured the stomach wall, the wound was still bleeding heavily. Reaching deep inside of himself he found his centre, the core of his being, his life force. Breathing heavily he focused that energy and then reached out to the woman, using the force he willed the wound to clot and slowly the blood flow ceased. Concentrating heavily he became one with the force, became one with the woman and reaching out he transferred a little of his life force over to her.
That done he sat back exhausted, and almost collapsed. He glanced up at the Jedi who wore a concerned look on his face. "I've done what I can, I think I've stabilised her condition enough so she should have a good chance of making it."
"The med techs are on their way, it shouldn't be long."
Slumping on his back he rolled up on to his shoulder and looked at the woman, she was slim and dark haired and despite her wound an almost peaceful look played on her face, only the rise and fall of her chest hinted at her being alive.
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Outside the Cantina the night was dark, very few lights were on and the moon cast a ghostly glow overhead. Joran Roth sat on the edge of the Cantinas roof, his legs dangling over the side and hoped that the women would be okay, as below him the medical transport lifted into the air and sped off towards the nearest hospital. The fact that she had been hurt gnawed away at him, it was his fault. He had gone ahead blindly, sure that he could handle whatever they were likely to throw at him, what he had not considered was the fact that the people who were shooting at him would not hesitate if a civilian got in the way.
For the past four years he had been on his own, thinking of himself, not caring about others, dwelling in the past, not living in the present. Although deep down he knew she would be angry with him for the way he had spent the last four years, he was not ready to join the rest of the galaxy yet, there is was something he had to do before he could start to live his life again. However that does not mean I can ignore the plight of others, he chided himself, especially those who have done no wrong.
This revelation surprised him, but not because of its message but because it had taken so long for it to come to light, and the fact that it had taken an innocent getting hurt to do that spoke poorly of what he had become. What was worse than that however was the fact that he knew that over the past years countless people had needed his help, his protection, but he had been too wrapped up in himself to notice. Idly he wondered why now, why was he realising this now, was it something to do with the force, was it a sign of some sort?
Shaking his head he decided it didn't matter, he should have protected her, it was his fault.
"No, it was our fault," a voice said from out of the darkness as if reading his mind.
"How do you figure it was your fault, you were at the other end of the cantina."
Stepping up onto the roof the dark robed figure strode over to Joran and took a seat beside him. "Because I am a Jedi, I am sworn to protect the innocent and the fact is that I helped precipitate that fight. I failed to take into account the fact they may have had reinforcements."
"What you're saying is like most Jedi you stuck your nose into someone else's business that didn't concern you," Joran said flatly turning his head to look at the man.
"The pursuit of justice concerns me," the Jedi replied.
Joran paused to consider this then smiled. "How is the woman?"
"The medical team say she'll make it, although she will be in a bacta tank for a while."
"Well at least she'll live from our mistakes. And by the way I do appreciate the help, really." Holding out his hand he introduced himself properly. "Joran Roth."
"Orin Vorn" the Jedi replied taking Joran's hand.
"Nice to meet you. But you'd better ask your question before it eats you alive," Joran replied.
"Are my feelings that transparent?"
"Only to force users," he said grimly.
"What are you Joran Roth?" Vorn asked. "You're not a Jedi, at least not anymore."
"No, not anymore," Joran replied with a touch of regret. "I am one who has fallen."
Although Vorn had clearly been expecting that as a possible reply, surprise still showed on his face, and puzzlement. "How long?"
"Four years now. I have been off the path for four long years."
Now Vorn was clearly confused. "You used the Dark side. You have in the past four years?"
"When needs must."
"Then you are corrupted… but… then how could you heal that women? The two sides of the force cannot exist side by side, at least not for that long without you bowing to one side or the other."
Joran gave a grim smile. "Can't they? Ask Master Dooran?"
"No, for if you start down the dark path forever will it dominate your destiny." Vorn protested.
"I never said it did not dominate my destiny," Joran said rising to his feet. Slowly he ambled over to the roofs exit before turning back to Orin who had watched him go. "However just because two things have never existed in balance before, does not mean they can't," And with that Joran disappeared from the roof leaving Orin alone to ponder what he had witnessed and just exactly who Joran Roth was.
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Coruscant, one of the most amazing planets in the galaxy. Almost every square kilometre was covered with a mix of ferrocrete and transparsteel; the planet was just one big city. Huge towers rose up thousands of feet into the air, balconies and walkways jutted out from them interconnecting neighbouring buildings, and above them a steady stream of traffic sped its way across the planet.
As Orin Vorn walked down a corridor of the Jedi temple he let his mind open up to the force and felt the flow of life around him. It was an indescribable feeling to be aware of the billions upon billions of humans and aliens who lived upon the city world, from those in the tallest skyscraper to those in the lowest depths who barely classified as human any more. And not only was he aware of the people of the planet, but of all life, plants, mammals, trees, pets, and even the great winged hawk bats that rode the thermals above the Manarai mountains.
If ever I am troubled then all I have to do is let the flow of life wash over me and I feel refreshed as if nothing in the galaxy can be so great that through the force cant understand it, he thought as he reached his destination. Before he could knock the door in front of him opened of its own accord and he found himself staring at a short green skinned alien.
A small smile played over the corners of the Jedi Master's face as he saw the slight look of surprise wash over Orin's face for a second. "Please come in," he said.
As Orin stepped into the Jedi Master's spartan quarters an embarrassed smile played on his face as he thought that the day when a Jedi Master is not aware of when his guest has arrived will be a sad day for the galaxy. Stepping to the centre of the room Orin took in the room's details, the room was not large and there was little furniture to be seen apart from a desk off to his left and one comfy chair next to it. What there was however were books, literally hundreds of books filled the rooms walls, crammed into bookcases or just sitting on the floor.
"As you can see I have a passion for books," the Jedi Master Akai Dooran said. "I find them preferable to a datapad, less impersonal."
Orin nodded his head understanding and was about to broach the subject that had brought him to Master Doorans quarters but Dooran continued.
"I trust your mission to Cambrie went well?"
"The mission was accomplished," Orin responded.
"But there was something about it that has troubled you?" Dooran said perceptually. "Something that has brought you to me."
"Yes."
Indicating the floor in the chambers centre Dooran sat cross-legged and Orin followed suit. Carefully Orin studied the Jedi Master, although Orin had seen him around the temple and in session with the council, they had spoken few times and Orin did not know Dooran well. The small green skinned alien was half as tall as Orin; he was humanoid in shape and had a roughly ovoid head with smooth skin and deeply set eyes the colour of night.
"Master," Orin began. "While on Cambrie I encountered another force user there, and he has perplexed me ever since."
"A force user, not a Jedi?" Dooran noted.
"Yes Master, he said he was one of The Fallen."
The short alien seemed to consider this for a few seconds before replying. "Dangerous are The Fallen, and unstable."
"Master, I have faced Dark Jedi before, I know what they feel like through the force, twisted and evil, like a disease ridden tree. But this one… he was different," Orin responded.
"Perhaps he has only recently fallen, perhaps there is hope of his redemption yet?" Dooran speculated although his eye's seemed to be out of focus as if he were in another time another place, remembering.
"No, he said he had renounced being a Jedi four years past." Taking a deep breath Orin got to the crux of the mater. "Also Master, he was able to draw on both sides of the force, I saw him take down four petty thugs then heal a woman who had been injured in the battle."
Slowly, deliberately, Master Doorans eye's locked with his and Orin saw the Jedi Master visibly sag.
"He said his name was…"
"Joran Roth," the Jedi Master interrupted.
"Then you know him?"
Pulling himself up a little straighter Dooran responded in a low pensive voice. "Joran Roth was one of my greatest students, but also one of my greatest failures."
Hesitantly Orin asked, "Why did he draw on the dark side Master?"
"He did what too many Jedi have done in the past, he let anger and hatred guide him. What I will tell you now Orin Vorn is for your ears only, you will not tell anyone else what I will tell you. Do you understand?"
"I do Master."
"Very good. You see Joran was my Padawan apprentice from the age of sixteen after his first master was slain. For the next five years I trained him in the more advanced ways of the force, I taught him to find his own path and follow the guidance that the force would give him. In that time he excelled and surpassed my expectations.
"However a great tragedy fell on us all a little over four years ago. We were sent to the edge of the unknown regions to track down a rogue Jedi called Vengus Lorn who had turned to the dark side and was threatening to set up his own little empire out there. We tracked him down to a sparsely populated world called Azure, where he had built up quite a following and attempted to bring him back to Coruscant for trial, but he resisted. During the fight Joran acquitted himself admirably for as well as the dark Jedi himself we had to contend with his followers, some of whom he had trained in the dark ways. Eventually Lorn was slain and we were ordered back to Coruscant, although his followers still followed the ways of their master even after his death."
The Jedi Masters eye's seemed to grow smaller and the lids of his eyes closed halfway down across them. "On our return from Azure Joran was reunited with Mira D'kkel his fiancée. They had known each other from childhood and although she was not a Jedi, Mira and Joran connected like they were two halves of a whole. They understood each other perfectly, they knew what the other was thinking, knew when to comfort them and when to leave them alone, if any two beings in this galaxy were made to be together it was these two."
"She died, didn't she?" Orin summarised.
"Yes," the Jedi said in almost a whisper. "Yes she did."
"You see, while we were to hunt down and if necessarily destroy Lorn, the council allowed his followers to go unpunished, after all it was their world and not part of the Republic. That mistake cost us dearly, for they came to Coruscant in search of us. In search of revenge."
"And they killed Mira."
"Joran and Mira were having dinner when they attacked, they used heavy blasters, grenades, rockets and what force skills they had devastating the restaurant and killing twenty people including Mira. Somehow Joran survived, although he was badly injured and spent several weeks in a Bacta tank. After the incident he was no longer the same, it was like half of him had died that night, and in a way it had," Dooran said closing his eyes in sadness at the memory.
"So what happened?"
"Joran went to the council to ask permission to return to Azure to track Lorn's followers down, the council refused. However there was no reckoning with Joran, he decided to go anyway, and as much as I tried to reason with him I couldn't get through. I told him not to give into to anger and hate or he would become as bad as the people who had murdered his beloved Mira, and I think that got through to him, but he still went.
"Somewhere along the way he got in too deep, could find no other solution and gave in to the dark side, and once you take the first step…" The Jedi masters voice trailed off.
"But he didn't fully give himself over to it did he, something stopped him turning completely," Orin stated.
"Yes, what it was I don't know for sure, but I suspect that it was his love for Mira, his memory of her spirit somehow anchored him to the light side of the force. And since then he has been able to use both sides of the force, when angered he unleashes his destructive side but beneath that is the will and the power to do good."
Hesitantly Orin asked, "Master, when was the last time you saw him?"
The short green humanoid smiled. "In person? The last time was shortly after he returned from Azure. He told me he had drawn upon the dark side and that he knew he could never again rejoin the ranks of the Jedi and that he must leave. Later that day he had collected his possessions and was gone."
"But Master," Orin asked slightly puzzled. "The council just let him go?"
"As far as the council are concerned he just walked away from his training after Mira's death and has not been heard from since. Until now?"
"I neglected to mention my meeting him on Cambrie when I made my report to the council."
"And why would you do such a thing?" Dooran inquired.
"It just felt right that I talk to you first."
"The will of the force young one, it is the will of the force. And what will you do now you know about him. Hunt him down; try to bring him back over?"
Orin sighed and shifted uncomfortably his eyes focusing on the row upon row of books that lined the wall before him. "I'm not sure, but I have a feeling that I will see him again."
"Through the force anything is possible," Dooran told him. "Anything!"
"What do you mean?"
"That you and Joran are very much alike, only his life deviated slightly from yours, but you have the same spirit, some would say the same soul and you share one thing that binds you more than anything else in the galaxy, the force. So yes young one, you will meet again, it is your destiny…"
To most people the force is something intangible, they can't see it, they can't smell it and they can't touch it yet they know it exists. It surrounds them, it binds them, it holds the world they know in balance.
For a few it is a means of power, a destructive tool to be used to gain what they desire, to elicit fear and control over people. For others it is a source of wisdom and those who wield it have a responsibility to use it for knowledge and defence, for the collective good of everyone.
To Joran Roth, it was both these things.
It was noisy, bright and crowded. Most unlike the rest of the Cantina's that Joran Roth had visited during his short stay on Cambrie. He slowly walked over to the bar that ran the length of the wall to the right of the main entrance and seated himself on a vacant stool. His gaze scanned the length of the bar taking note of the four people behind it who were busily serving drinks to the locals and the vast number of assorted liquor bottles that hung behind them in a dazzling array of multicolours. While his eyes took in the detail before him the rest of his mind scanned through the crowd that had gathered tonight, searching…
Through the force he was able to pick out each individual and gently touch their mind, human minds were warm and familiar and he had no trouble scanning their surface thoughts, the alien minds were different, some were so cold and dark he dared not touch them too deeply for fear of being overwhelmed by them. Others were just unreadable, like a book in a foreign language, but although he could not understand them he could still gage their mood and general awareness of things around them.
The mood in the Cantina that evening was tense, although outwardly everyone was calm, they were laughing and joking and pretending not to care about the people at the next table, inwardly they were jumpy. Most were just being cautious but some were scared, some were on a hair-trigger, waiting… waiting for him.
Rodian, Wee Quay, two Duros and a human. They were sitting at the far end of the Cantina and they were expecting someone, them, and… someone else, someone elusive and even as he tried to lock in on that one mind it skirted away from him as if disappearing into the shadows.
"What'll it be?" a gruff voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Lomin ale," he replied giving the bartender a quick once over, tall, muscular and more than capable of crushing some skulls if necessary. When the bartender brought his drink to him he paid for it and took a sip of the green frothy liquid idly glancing around the bar once more. Again he centred his attention on he group in the corner, yes they were defiantly the ones he was looking for, there faces clearly matched the pictures on the warrants he had been given. Well he thought, there are two ways to do this, the easy way and the hard way, standing up he decided that the hard way was always more fun.
Slowly almost casually he wound his way through the knots of people and tables in the cantina and strode up to the table in the corner before stopping dead. The group at the table had noticed his approach and he noticed had dropped at least one hand below the level of the table, all apart from the human. "Can I help you?" the human enquired.
"Are you Darven Felth?" Joran asked in an ice cool tone.
The dark haired human smiled at Joran. "Perhaps, if I am what can I do for you?"
Very slowly so not to trigger a premature light fight, Joran reached into his jacket and withdrew a pair of binders and a Republic warrant. "You can put these on and come with me back to Alderaan where you will stand trial for the murder of Aaron Nurbier," Joran told Felth throwing the binders onto the table.
Felth laughed, a deep throaty sound that threatened to all but drown out the rest of the cantinas patrons. While it was not as loud as the rest of the chatter coming from the various humans and aliens, it was loud enough that everyone stopped talking and focused their attention on Felth and his coterie. "Really?" he said sounding amused. "You and who else?"
"Me," a voice said from deep in the opposite corner of the bar.
Joran didn't turn toward the voice like the rest of the cantina, he didn't need to. The presence that he had first detected when he had entered the cantina a few minutes ago, the one he had not been able to pin down, it now became abundantly clear as to who it had emanated from. A Jedi.
The tall Dark robed figure detached itself from the opposite wall and slowly walked over to stand beside the table. Felth sat in the middle of the long rectangular table with his back to the wall; the Rodian and Wee Quay were on his left while the two Duros were seated on his right. "And just who are you?" Felth asked.
"Someone who wants to see justice done," said the figure pulling back the hood of his cloak and opening his robe much the way a gunfighter does just before he draws. The mans fair hair was short, only about a half an inch long and he had the sort of unblemished square jawed face that gave the impression of youthful naivety. His dark eyes however betrayed that fact somewhat, although Joran was relatively sure the Jedi was not much past twenty five standard years of age his eyes told him he had seen a lot in his time.
Felth took his time in looking the Jedi over, his eye's widening when he saw the sleek metal cylinder hanging from the Jedi's waistband. The Rodian's ears twitched and he babbled something at Felth in Rodian. Felth looked up at the newcomer, "It seems you have inspired fear in my friend here with that little trinket of yours," he said defiantly, although his eyes betrayed him.
"You don't think it's real?" the newcomer asked in a neutral tone.
Felth sat in silence for a second weighing his options, on the one hand if this stranger was bluffing and he was not a real Jedi then the fight would be over in short order, however if he was a Jedi… would death be preferable to a lifetime in prison? And even if he was a Jedi, the numbers were five to two in Felth's favour. "Let's find out," Felth said reaching his decision.
Before anyone else in the bar knew what had happened there was a double snap-hiss of noise and two brilliant shafts of light came to life as Joran and the other Jedi ignited their lightsabers. Less than a second later there was the bark of blaster fire and the flashing blades moved faster than anyone thought possible to intercept the bright scarlet bolts that appeared from underneath the table.
Acting purely on instinct Joran jumped up onto the table his silvery/purple blade at the ready and slashed at the Wee Quay who was even now binging his blaster up to bare on Joran. The sabers blade cut across the Wee Quays shoulder severing the arm that held the blaster, by this time the Rodian had brought his weapon above the level of the table.
Joran easily deflected the blaster bolt into the ceiling and getting a firm force grip on the Rodian he picked him up out of his seat and hurled him forcefully across the room to crass into the far wall. The Wee Quay, now minus one arm, was still recovering from the shock, but already he was scrabbling for his spare blaster with his good arm, Joran's swift kick to his head that lapsed him into unconsciousness put pay to that idea.
Spinning round he focused his attention on the rest of the occupants of the table. The mystery Jedi had done an admiral job of taking care of the two Duros and he saw that they were slumped in their seats, Felth however was hanging in midair, held tight in an invisible grip, his hands were bound to his side and his blaster lay shattered in pieces on the floor.
"Nice work," Joran told his ally.
"Thank you," the Jedi replied.
Suddenly Joran's Jedi senses began to tingle and a second before the eight men entered the bar Joran detected them. Four of them charged across to the far side of the bar finding what cover they could amid the chaos and panicking customers who were scrambling for cover themselves. The remaining four stayed by the door way and started pouring blaster fire in their direction.
Dropping Felth roughly to the ground the mystery Jedi spun on his heel and brought his silvery/white saber up to block the incoming volley of laser fire. "I'll take the ones by the door, the rest are yours," he told Joran before striding purposely forward.
Joran already busy deflecting blaster fire of his own didn't bother replying, jumping down from the table he too strode forward.
As what was undoubtedly Felth's backup continued to light up the cantina with scarlet bolts of death, a young women came up from behind an overturned table and made a run towards the exit. She didn't make it, a stray blaster bolt caught her in the lower abdomen and she crumpled to the ground.
Anger fired inside Joran as he saw the women go down, anger, hatred, aggression; the dark side of the force flowed through him and he wilfully let it guide his actions. Shifting his lightsaber to his right hand he extended his left and with a gesture crushed the rightmost attacker's larynx. Turning his attention to the next nearest aggressor, and while still blocking blaster shots, he took a firm hold of the aggressors blaster in a force grip and pulled, as a look of disbelief crossed the mans face the blaster sailed across the room and landed in Joran's outstretched hand. Closing his finger around the trigger he unloaded it into the man who it had once belonged to before discarding it.
The two surviving men seeing what had happened to their colleagues started to back off a bit but Joran was in no mood to give them that chance. Letting the force guide him he took a step forward then leaped into the air and somersaulted across the room to land in-between the two men. Later he reflected he could have almost felt sorry for them, almost. The purple blade slashed out once decapitating the man on the right, while a motion with his left hand sent the other man flying into the wall with such force as to break his neck and sever the spinal chord.
Panting and surprisingly short of breath Joran surveyed the carnage he had just caused and a shutter ran down his spine. Beware the dark side. Glancing across the room he saw the other Jedi had just as swiftly subdued his foes. "I see you let yours live," Joran commented.
"I see you didn't," the Jedi replied in a slightly strained voice.
Slowly Joran regained his focus, taking a deep breath he let the dark side flow out of him just as quickly as it had risen up, reaching deep down inside of himself he found a place that the dark side could not touch. A memory that was so pure it could never be corrupted. Carefully he crossed over to where the woman who had been shot had fallen and clearing aside the rubble of a broken table he knelt beside her.
"How is she," the Jedi asked.
"Not good, the wound's nasty. Do you have any skill with healing?" Joran asked.
"Very little I'm afraid," the Jedi replied regretfully.
"Then I'll do what I can. In the meantime make sure they've called a med team." The Jedi nodded his accent and then moved off leaving Joran alone with the women in the middle of the bar. The rest of the cantina's patrons had picked themselves up and were staring with interest at Joran.
Focusing as best he could, he reached out and placed a hand on the woman's
wound, closing his eye's he stretched out with the force, probing the wound. The bolt had caught her low in the stomach and had ruptured several arteries as well as punctured the stomach wall, the wound was still bleeding heavily. Reaching deep inside of himself he found his centre, the core of his being, his life force. Breathing heavily he focused that energy and then reached out to the woman, using the force he willed the wound to clot and slowly the blood flow ceased. Concentrating heavily he became one with the force, became one with the woman and reaching out he transferred a little of his life force over to her.
That done he sat back exhausted, and almost collapsed. He glanced up at the Jedi who wore a concerned look on his face. "I've done what I can, I think I've stabilised her condition enough so she should have a good chance of making it."
"The med techs are on their way, it shouldn't be long."
Slumping on his back he rolled up on to his shoulder and looked at the woman, she was slim and dark haired and despite her wound an almost peaceful look played on her face, only the rise and fall of her chest hinted at her being alive.
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Outside the Cantina the night was dark, very few lights were on and the moon cast a ghostly glow overhead. Joran Roth sat on the edge of the Cantinas roof, his legs dangling over the side and hoped that the women would be okay, as below him the medical transport lifted into the air and sped off towards the nearest hospital. The fact that she had been hurt gnawed away at him, it was his fault. He had gone ahead blindly, sure that he could handle whatever they were likely to throw at him, what he had not considered was the fact that the people who were shooting at him would not hesitate if a civilian got in the way.
For the past four years he had been on his own, thinking of himself, not caring about others, dwelling in the past, not living in the present. Although deep down he knew she would be angry with him for the way he had spent the last four years, he was not ready to join the rest of the galaxy yet, there is was something he had to do before he could start to live his life again. However that does not mean I can ignore the plight of others, he chided himself, especially those who have done no wrong.
This revelation surprised him, but not because of its message but because it had taken so long for it to come to light, and the fact that it had taken an innocent getting hurt to do that spoke poorly of what he had become. What was worse than that however was the fact that he knew that over the past years countless people had needed his help, his protection, but he had been too wrapped up in himself to notice. Idly he wondered why now, why was he realising this now, was it something to do with the force, was it a sign of some sort?
Shaking his head he decided it didn't matter, he should have protected her, it was his fault.
"No, it was our fault," a voice said from out of the darkness as if reading his mind.
"How do you figure it was your fault, you were at the other end of the cantina."
Stepping up onto the roof the dark robed figure strode over to Joran and took a seat beside him. "Because I am a Jedi, I am sworn to protect the innocent and the fact is that I helped precipitate that fight. I failed to take into account the fact they may have had reinforcements."
"What you're saying is like most Jedi you stuck your nose into someone else's business that didn't concern you," Joran said flatly turning his head to look at the man.
"The pursuit of justice concerns me," the Jedi replied.
Joran paused to consider this then smiled. "How is the woman?"
"The medical team say she'll make it, although she will be in a bacta tank for a while."
"Well at least she'll live from our mistakes. And by the way I do appreciate the help, really." Holding out his hand he introduced himself properly. "Joran Roth."
"Orin Vorn" the Jedi replied taking Joran's hand.
"Nice to meet you. But you'd better ask your question before it eats you alive," Joran replied.
"Are my feelings that transparent?"
"Only to force users," he said grimly.
"What are you Joran Roth?" Vorn asked. "You're not a Jedi, at least not anymore."
"No, not anymore," Joran replied with a touch of regret. "I am one who has fallen."
Although Vorn had clearly been expecting that as a possible reply, surprise still showed on his face, and puzzlement. "How long?"
"Four years now. I have been off the path for four long years."
Now Vorn was clearly confused. "You used the Dark side. You have in the past four years?"
"When needs must."
"Then you are corrupted… but… then how could you heal that women? The two sides of the force cannot exist side by side, at least not for that long without you bowing to one side or the other."
Joran gave a grim smile. "Can't they? Ask Master Dooran?"
"No, for if you start down the dark path forever will it dominate your destiny." Vorn protested.
"I never said it did not dominate my destiny," Joran said rising to his feet. Slowly he ambled over to the roofs exit before turning back to Orin who had watched him go. "However just because two things have never existed in balance before, does not mean they can't," And with that Joran disappeared from the roof leaving Orin alone to ponder what he had witnessed and just exactly who Joran Roth was.
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Coruscant, one of the most amazing planets in the galaxy. Almost every square kilometre was covered with a mix of ferrocrete and transparsteel; the planet was just one big city. Huge towers rose up thousands of feet into the air, balconies and walkways jutted out from them interconnecting neighbouring buildings, and above them a steady stream of traffic sped its way across the planet.
As Orin Vorn walked down a corridor of the Jedi temple he let his mind open up to the force and felt the flow of life around him. It was an indescribable feeling to be aware of the billions upon billions of humans and aliens who lived upon the city world, from those in the tallest skyscraper to those in the lowest depths who barely classified as human any more. And not only was he aware of the people of the planet, but of all life, plants, mammals, trees, pets, and even the great winged hawk bats that rode the thermals above the Manarai mountains.
If ever I am troubled then all I have to do is let the flow of life wash over me and I feel refreshed as if nothing in the galaxy can be so great that through the force cant understand it, he thought as he reached his destination. Before he could knock the door in front of him opened of its own accord and he found himself staring at a short green skinned alien.
A small smile played over the corners of the Jedi Master's face as he saw the slight look of surprise wash over Orin's face for a second. "Please come in," he said.
As Orin stepped into the Jedi Master's spartan quarters an embarrassed smile played on his face as he thought that the day when a Jedi Master is not aware of when his guest has arrived will be a sad day for the galaxy. Stepping to the centre of the room Orin took in the room's details, the room was not large and there was little furniture to be seen apart from a desk off to his left and one comfy chair next to it. What there was however were books, literally hundreds of books filled the rooms walls, crammed into bookcases or just sitting on the floor.
"As you can see I have a passion for books," the Jedi Master Akai Dooran said. "I find them preferable to a datapad, less impersonal."
Orin nodded his head understanding and was about to broach the subject that had brought him to Master Doorans quarters but Dooran continued.
"I trust your mission to Cambrie went well?"
"The mission was accomplished," Orin responded.
"But there was something about it that has troubled you?" Dooran said perceptually. "Something that has brought you to me."
"Yes."
Indicating the floor in the chambers centre Dooran sat cross-legged and Orin followed suit. Carefully Orin studied the Jedi Master, although Orin had seen him around the temple and in session with the council, they had spoken few times and Orin did not know Dooran well. The small green skinned alien was half as tall as Orin; he was humanoid in shape and had a roughly ovoid head with smooth skin and deeply set eyes the colour of night.
"Master," Orin began. "While on Cambrie I encountered another force user there, and he has perplexed me ever since."
"A force user, not a Jedi?" Dooran noted.
"Yes Master, he said he was one of The Fallen."
The short alien seemed to consider this for a few seconds before replying. "Dangerous are The Fallen, and unstable."
"Master, I have faced Dark Jedi before, I know what they feel like through the force, twisted and evil, like a disease ridden tree. But this one… he was different," Orin responded.
"Perhaps he has only recently fallen, perhaps there is hope of his redemption yet?" Dooran speculated although his eye's seemed to be out of focus as if he were in another time another place, remembering.
"No, he said he had renounced being a Jedi four years past." Taking a deep breath Orin got to the crux of the mater. "Also Master, he was able to draw on both sides of the force, I saw him take down four petty thugs then heal a woman who had been injured in the battle."
Slowly, deliberately, Master Doorans eye's locked with his and Orin saw the Jedi Master visibly sag.
"He said his name was…"
"Joran Roth," the Jedi Master interrupted.
"Then you know him?"
Pulling himself up a little straighter Dooran responded in a low pensive voice. "Joran Roth was one of my greatest students, but also one of my greatest failures."
Hesitantly Orin asked, "Why did he draw on the dark side Master?"
"He did what too many Jedi have done in the past, he let anger and hatred guide him. What I will tell you now Orin Vorn is for your ears only, you will not tell anyone else what I will tell you. Do you understand?"
"I do Master."
"Very good. You see Joran was my Padawan apprentice from the age of sixteen after his first master was slain. For the next five years I trained him in the more advanced ways of the force, I taught him to find his own path and follow the guidance that the force would give him. In that time he excelled and surpassed my expectations.
"However a great tragedy fell on us all a little over four years ago. We were sent to the edge of the unknown regions to track down a rogue Jedi called Vengus Lorn who had turned to the dark side and was threatening to set up his own little empire out there. We tracked him down to a sparsely populated world called Azure, where he had built up quite a following and attempted to bring him back to Coruscant for trial, but he resisted. During the fight Joran acquitted himself admirably for as well as the dark Jedi himself we had to contend with his followers, some of whom he had trained in the dark ways. Eventually Lorn was slain and we were ordered back to Coruscant, although his followers still followed the ways of their master even after his death."
The Jedi Masters eye's seemed to grow smaller and the lids of his eyes closed halfway down across them. "On our return from Azure Joran was reunited with Mira D'kkel his fiancée. They had known each other from childhood and although she was not a Jedi, Mira and Joran connected like they were two halves of a whole. They understood each other perfectly, they knew what the other was thinking, knew when to comfort them and when to leave them alone, if any two beings in this galaxy were made to be together it was these two."
"She died, didn't she?" Orin summarised.
"Yes," the Jedi said in almost a whisper. "Yes she did."
"You see, while we were to hunt down and if necessarily destroy Lorn, the council allowed his followers to go unpunished, after all it was their world and not part of the Republic. That mistake cost us dearly, for they came to Coruscant in search of us. In search of revenge."
"And they killed Mira."
"Joran and Mira were having dinner when they attacked, they used heavy blasters, grenades, rockets and what force skills they had devastating the restaurant and killing twenty people including Mira. Somehow Joran survived, although he was badly injured and spent several weeks in a Bacta tank. After the incident he was no longer the same, it was like half of him had died that night, and in a way it had," Dooran said closing his eyes in sadness at the memory.
"So what happened?"
"Joran went to the council to ask permission to return to Azure to track Lorn's followers down, the council refused. However there was no reckoning with Joran, he decided to go anyway, and as much as I tried to reason with him I couldn't get through. I told him not to give into to anger and hate or he would become as bad as the people who had murdered his beloved Mira, and I think that got through to him, but he still went.
"Somewhere along the way he got in too deep, could find no other solution and gave in to the dark side, and once you take the first step…" The Jedi masters voice trailed off.
"But he didn't fully give himself over to it did he, something stopped him turning completely," Orin stated.
"Yes, what it was I don't know for sure, but I suspect that it was his love for Mira, his memory of her spirit somehow anchored him to the light side of the force. And since then he has been able to use both sides of the force, when angered he unleashes his destructive side but beneath that is the will and the power to do good."
Hesitantly Orin asked, "Master, when was the last time you saw him?"
The short green humanoid smiled. "In person? The last time was shortly after he returned from Azure. He told me he had drawn upon the dark side and that he knew he could never again rejoin the ranks of the Jedi and that he must leave. Later that day he had collected his possessions and was gone."
"But Master," Orin asked slightly puzzled. "The council just let him go?"
"As far as the council are concerned he just walked away from his training after Mira's death and has not been heard from since. Until now?"
"I neglected to mention my meeting him on Cambrie when I made my report to the council."
"And why would you do such a thing?" Dooran inquired.
"It just felt right that I talk to you first."
"The will of the force young one, it is the will of the force. And what will you do now you know about him. Hunt him down; try to bring him back over?"
Orin sighed and shifted uncomfortably his eyes focusing on the row upon row of books that lined the wall before him. "I'm not sure, but I have a feeling that I will see him again."
"Through the force anything is possible," Dooran told him. "Anything!"
"What do you mean?"
"That you and Joran are very much alike, only his life deviated slightly from yours, but you have the same spirit, some would say the same soul and you share one thing that binds you more than anything else in the galaxy, the force. So yes young one, you will meet again, it is your destiny…"
