Last Knight

Chapter one

The Jedi...

Nalastood on a hillside as the battle raged on below. The temple was in ruins from all the cannon hits it had taken. Only a few Jedi even remained within. Master Picket was preparing a last ditch plan to evacuate with the younglings before the new Sith empire forces overran them. She had little hope that any of them would escape, but it hadn't stopped her from volunteering to stand with the rest and hold back the enemy forces. Overhead, the remnants of the republic fleet in system was making one last push to clear a path for the evacuation. No help would be coming. Those who were in system were on their own.

She was full of anger over having been abandoned by the republic and the Jedi order to fend for herself. More and more, over the last few months,she'd felt a darkness growing in her. Her master had warned her of the dangers of the darkness he sensed within her. She'd tried to hide it, but he'd known. Even her sister had known the last time they spoke. They'd parted in anger. And for that, she regretted it. Kayla was head strong, fearless, and set in her convictions to the order and what Kayla believed was right. She wished she could tell Kayla she'd been sorry for what was said. It was too late now. If the plan Master Wicket had come up with worked, she wouldn't be around to see her sister again.

She had left a holo recording with Master Wicket though. She hoped it would be enough.

Her focus returned to the battlefield as she felt another Jedi fall. She was now the last who stood in the way. The Sith master who lead the enemy had come into view. She knew her master would be disappointed in her as she drew on her anger and hate for power. Her master had died days ago though. She no longer cared how he'd react. She saw the Sith Lord smile as he spoke. "I sense darkness in you... So unusual for a jedi..."

She ignored his words as she heated her cross saber pike. She took up a fighting stance as she held the long pike and activated the unique weapon. Blue energy snapped into view as the three energy blades appeared from one end and a single blade appeared from the other.. One at the tip and one protruding from the emitters on the sides. She twirled the pike and pointed the deadly pike saber at the Sith. "Do all Sith talk as much as you? There will be a fight at some point, yes?" She said mockingly.. The Sith Lord sneered at her and ignighted his crimson lightsaber.

Three weeks earlier...

The Mandalorian...

He brought his ship down in a valley a few kilometers from.the Jedi temple. As he powered down his ship to avoid detection, he exited the cockpit and headed for the cargo hold. He stopped near the exit hatch and loaded up on weapons. He slipped his helmet on last and activated his heads up display. Pressing the button to open the hatch and lower the ramp, he took his first look at the forest around him. He'd never been to this world before, but knew it from the old histories. Yavin 4 had once been a military stronghold for some kind of rebellion. He couldn't remember all the details. It didn't matter though. His only concern was the mission. He moved into the forest, heading northeast. He'd circle around and approach the temple from the opposite direction.

He moved swiftly and silently through the trees, pausing only when he encountered predators that blocked his way. He attempted to avoid most, but occasionally it just wasn't possible. He'd dealt with them as quickly and quietly as he could. One however had proven to be far more difficult than he'd hoped. He carefully pulled the spin from his side. Needing to move quickly in case someone came to investigate the noise, he fired his blaster enough to heat up the barrel and used it to cauterize the wound. He'd tasted blood in his mouth as he'd bitten down on the inside of his cheek to keep from screaming out in pain. Breathing heavily as he recovered, he started on again.

Hours had passed as he continued to circle around the temple and approach it from the north. Night had fallen as the temple came into sight. He scanned the area with the enhanced vision of his helmet. Pushing a button on his gauntlet, he began to record what he saw. He took note of security measures and patrols. He'd noticed republic troops in the area as well. No doubt they were using the massasi temples as barracks. The war had been brutal the last few years since the lost Sith tribes had come out of hiding and begun their war of conquest. In the early days, the Jedi had been hit the hardest. The war had been good for him and his people though. Both the republic and empire sought the skills of every Mandalorian warrior. This war had been very profitable for him.

He'd been about to move to a new position to see where the republic forces were located when he heard the snap and hum of a lightsaber coming to life. He hadn't bothered to turn as he slept and rolled. He came to his feet facing the opposite direction with his blaster in hand. He fired instinctively as the hooded Jedi came into view. The blue blade of the jedi's lightsaber deflected his blaster bolts easily enough. He backed away as he used the flame thrower on his gauntlet. He saw the Jedi leap out of the flames and discard their robe as they closed the distance with him. It was then he noticed the dark hair and piercing blue eyes of the woman coming at him. He deflected her lightsaber with his gauntlet. If not for the fact that his armor was made from Beskar gam metals, he'd have been dead for sure. His armor however, was resistant to lightsabers. He'd knocked the blade away and attempted to land a solid kick to her abdomen. The Jedi seemed to flow from one point to another as she did some complicated acrobatic move that left him on the ground with his blaster cut in half and her knee pressed firmly on his neck. He stared at the tip of her lightsaber, inches from his visor. He looked past it at the woman. Her piercing blue eyes and serious face. She was beautiful. He'd considered attempting to throw her off balance and escape. That thought quickly died as he heard the snap hiss of multiple lightsabers come to life. He here a man speak just out of his sight. "What do we have here?" He saw the woman briefly glance somewhere above his head as he continued to look at her from the flat of his back. "A spy... Perhaps a scout of some kind..." He'd heard the woman say. He kept quiet though. He heard the man once more. "We'lltake him inside for questioning." He smirked under his helmet as he prepared to move. He wouldn't go without a fight. He'd been about to say as much when the woman put her hand in front of his face and everything suddenly went black.

Three days later...

The Jedi...

The masters here had been questioning the man for days. The man had proven to be harder to break then they had hoped. He was strong of will and simple Jedi mind tricks didn't work on him. At least not when done by a single Jedi. It had taken the combined force of three Jedi masters to get the man to talk. The masters had not spoken of what they'd learned. She noticed her master seemed particularly worried. She had begun to feel worried herself when she saw the alertness of the republic forces here. She'd heard the fleet above was mobilizing and preparing for an imminent attack. She'd wondered why they weren't just evacuating. That's when she heard a few of the master speaking about the system hyperspace routes having been cut off. They'd also spoken of Sith.

She'd wanted to know more, but her duty had been made clear. She was to look after their Mandalorian prisoner. She didn't know why she had to watch the man. He hadn't even been much of a threat as she'd bested him easily enough. She had wanted to argue, but her master's words were final. She entered the detention area as she carried a tray of food for the prisoner. Stripped of his armor and dressed in a simple jump suit, he seemed like just another man. She did think his Smokey grey eyes were attractive though. The dark skinned man had seen battle though, if the scars he had were any indication. Still, in spite of the scars, he was attractive. His strong features had a hardness to him. As did the rest of him, it seemed. The jumpsuit he now wore was rather form fitting. His sculpted muscle easy to see. She hadn't even realized she'd been starring until the man had spoken. "Like what you see?" She could see his smug grin and was suddenly irritated that she had found him even slightly appealing. She ignored his words and approached his cell. "My master thought you might be hungry." She slipped the tray of food through a slit in the transparastil door. She stepped back and watched as the man casually approached the door and took the tray. She watched him return to his bunk and casually sit as he relaxed. She cohhldnt help but wonder if he was somehow putting on a show to see how she'd react.

When they'd brought the man in, she'd been present the entire time. They'd stripped the man of his armor and clothing. Along the way, they'd discovered a good number of weapons on the man as well. She had tried to remain impressive and professional, but on occasion, she found herself staring at the man. He'd been sleek and well muscled. He'd had a number ofmscars that crisscrossed his sculpted ebony body. Surprisingly enough, she'd found itmstrangely attractive. As they'd stripped him fully, she found herself drawn towards his nether regions.

She had forced herself to look away more than once. She wondered if the man's sly smile as he seemed to be appraising her was due to the fact that he knew. He had woken up a few times, only to be quickly put unconscious again by one of the masters. Her face flushed again as she looked at him. "You should eat." She said, nervously as the man continued to stare at her. "The masters will want to question you again soon."

"Let them question me." He replied. "I've said all I am going to say." He continued to eye her. Do I make you nervous?" He asked.

There had been a slight hesitation before she answered. "No. Why would you make me nervous?" She bit her lower lip. She had a habit of doing that when she was nervous.

"You've never seen a man like me before. Have you? She could tell he wasn't really asking her that. It was obvious he could tell she hadn't. She found herself hating the man for being able to read her so easily. She wanted to hate the man, but found herself thinking about his body again.

She bit her lip again. She knew such thoughts were frowned upon. She shook her head to clear the thoughts away. The man must have thought it was her answer as she saw him smile a bit. "Did you like what you saw?" Do I haunt your dreams late at night while you pleasure yourself? The man spoke as though he knew she had.

Her face flushed in anger. Her eyes burned into him as she looked at him. Her jaw set in anger. "No. There are far better men to think about than you?" She said. She realized her mistake too late as the man smiled. " So you do think about such things." She hated the smugness in his voice.

She turned to leave when she herded the man speak. "Malcolm. My name is Malcolm. Remember it when you think of me tonight." She stormed out to the sound of his laughter as she headed for her room.

The Mandalorian...

The Jedi had been true to her word. The masters had come and dragged him away for questioning. He was strong minded, yet not strong enough as they used their force tricks on him. As it was, his mind felt like it was on fire. He was surprised they hadn't killed him with what they had done. His only saving grace was that it had taken four of them this time to make him talk. With the amount of pain he was in, he was sure they nearly tore his mind apart this time.

Even so, they'd gotten little from him. He however, managed to get a name while he resisted and talked back to them. The woman who'd bested him in the forest. The one who flushed and bit her lower lip when he spoke to her. He smirked. "Nala... Sleep well and think of me... "