This story takes place in the years 3,505 and 3,504 BBY

Chapter 1

The sounds of battle rang out around Alex Crome. He struck down an enemy with a thrust to the chest with his purple lightsaber. For nearly a year the Jedi Order had been at war with an army of Pau'ans led by Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Desolous. Desolous had once been a Jedi master named Aber but had been expelled from the order when he had started to fall to the dark side of the force. He then swore revenge on the Jedi. He was a Pau'an and had convinced the Pau'ans to join him. He started a Pau'an army. He armed them with vibroblades with cortosis weave(which allowed the blades to block lightsaber blows) and started the war. So far the Jedi had been losing.

This brought Alex to where he was today. Fighting a seemingly endless wave of Pau'ans on the planet, Khonji Seven. Alex jumped away from the swing of a vibroblade. He decapitated the Pau'an with his lightsaber. He then faced another opponent. He swung the lightsaber at him. The opponent blocked. Alex ducked under another swing and cut the opponent. in half. For a moment Alex took in his surroundings. The Jedi were losing. He saw a Twil'lek Jedi overwhelmed by two Pau'ans. Another was stabbed in the chest. He had been lucky that as a sixteen year old apprentice he wasn't taken as seriously.

Just as he had started to face another opponent his master, Rase Ekal call "Jedi retreat". Alex continued to battle his opponent ignoring his master's orders. "Alex I said to retreat" he yelled.

"Not yet", Alex called before stabbing the Pau'an and running to the ship.

He had gotten to the ship just in time before the ship lifted off. The Pau'ans rose their weapons in celebration. Alex caught a glimpse of the Pau'an who had killed the most Jedi that day. It was the infamous Darth Desolous.

"Alex, you must listen to my orders," said Ekal, a tall, skinny Cerean.

"Yes master, I will next time," said Alex even though he wouldn't.

The reason Alex had stayed wasn't because he was rebellious, it was because he felt he had to do more to prove himself. The reason he wasn't taken seriously wasn't just his youth but also his height.

Alex was short for his age and when he was younger had been made fun of by the other apprentices. He had shut them up with his proficiency in lightsaber combat. But he was still not taken seriously. Even with his great abilities Ekal had been the only master that would take him as an apprentice. When he was put on a mission with another apprentice they would usually complain that they "had gotten stuck with him".

This was why Alex was determined to fight longer and harder than the other apprentices. But still they thought he only won battles because his enemies underestimated him, and privately he wondered if they were right.

Master Ekal was the only one who had faith in him. He saw Alex for his abilities and not his height and while he didn't like Alex not following orders to prove himself, he at least understood it.

And as the ship approached Coruscant, Alex knew he had a great man as his master.

Meanwhile on Khonji Seven, Desoulus gave a speech to his army. "Winning this planet is a great victory for our cause. Soon we will push to the core worlds. We will eradicate the temple on Coruscant and with it the Jedi. Then it will be easy to overthrow the Republic and establish the Pau'ans as the leaders of the galaxy."

This was met with resounding cheers and the Pau'ans knew there leader spoke true. The Pau'ans would soon control the galaxy. And no one could stop them.