This is a one-shot story, based on a character I created named Hazin. This is an alternate universe story to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Here, none of the events happened exactly as they did in the normal universe, and here Revan never rises to power, and many of the Sith Lords before never took hold in the galaxy. That being said, all the characters here are characters I've created, rather than the canon ones. Still, I hope you guys find it enjoyable. Now fasten your crashwebbing. Destination: A long time ago in an alternate galaxy far, far away...
Star Wars Alternate Universe: Unlucky Confrontation
"You called for me?" Hazin stepped into the council room and stood waiting. A few of the Jedi exchanged glances without saying anything, and he suddenly realized his mistake. "Masters," he added quickly, bowing a little too fast. As he came back up he could feel the blood rush from his head as his vision momentarily blurred. Just in front of him, Master Jamayan shook his head with a sigh.
"Are you sure we shouldn't send one of the more… experienced knights?" a Togruta asked quietly. Hazin recognized the voice. Alanni was of the kindly sort, and usually looked at the concerns of any one of the Jedi. Still, he knew that she was concerned mainly because he didn't show as much ability with the Force… or a lightsaber… or diplomacy… that a young padawan might. So he always got stuck with the minor missions. Such minor missions seemed to escalate quickly, though the council rarely noticed.
"No. This one should do fine. It is probably no more than a pack of kinrath who have nested in the caves. If the Jedi there sense danger, they should send one of their own. But since they are busy dealing with the latest issues from Czerka-"
"We need someone else to go," Jamayan finished the Bothan's words for him. "Yes. Hazin, we are sending you on a scouting mission. You will take a shuttle to Dantooine and explore the caves there. Some civilians around the area have mentioned there are strange crystals in those caves. We think they might be lightsaber crystals. Do not disturb them unless they are already free from the ground. Such disturbances can leave very large impacts."
"Yes, Master Jamayan." Hazin bowed again, thinking bitterly that he hadn't even been given a respective title. Then again, his becoming a knight was almost by sheer luck. They gave him the benefit of the doubt and said the Force was with him. He doubted it. "I'll do as you say. Is there anything else?"
"May the Force be with you." Master Alanni smiled genuinely.
"You'll need it," the Bothan, Kemur, said shortly. Hazin cringed but nodded curtly. He turned quickly to leave, slowing only once he was out of sight of the door. Behind him he heard Kemur speaking, "He'd better hope that it's only a gizka infestation."
"Don't give Rashifa any ideas."
Then the door closed shut behind him and cut off the voices. Hazin let out a sigh. He'd better get to the shuttle. He didn't want them to think he couldn't get to places in a timely manner.
***
The shuttle dropped Hazin off at the closest spaceport on Dantooine, leaving him to walk the rest of the way. He didn't bother talking to the Jedi at the enclave there, already noticing the glares he received from the farmers who lived there. He didn't blame them. The Jedi had been fighting back any hint of Sith intrusions where ever they showed up- including in the middle of crop fields. Even though he didn't wear the traditional Jedi robes, he did wear the double-bladed lightsaber at his side. He probably could have slid it into the open part of his tunic, but he didn't feel like talking, anyway. Once this was over he'd see if there was anyone at the pazaak den. He didn't plan on gambling, but he enjoyed watching the players and trying to guess at the outcome.
When he finally arrived at the designated cave, he unhooked the lightsaber from his belt sash. Considering his skills, or lack there-of, he wanted to be sure to have the first chance to defend himself. The caves smelled damp and soon became dark enough that he ignited the lightsaber so that he could see in its green glow. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, still dripping mineral water onto the cold floor. In the distance he could see a pale red glow. That was odd; would the crystals give off that color?
"Hello? I come in peace," he called out, stepping forward timidly. If only he could sense things in the Force!
"Peace?" A voice called out from deeper within. It was deep and grating, and Hazin froze immediately. That voice was jeering, almost laughing at him. "Then why do you come with your lightsaber prematurely lit, Jedi?"
That couldn't be good. Whoever spoke obviously did not like Jedi, and that thought was reaffirmed by the sound of wet spit hitting the slick floor. "I couldn't see; I did not mean for this to be a weapon."
"Can't see in the dark? Why don't you come closer, Jedi? Let me take a good look at one who thinks he's worthy of wielding a weapon as dangerous as a lightsaber- wait- make that a double-bladed lightsaber."
"I think I'll stay right here, thank you," Hazin said, straightening his back. "I wouldn't want you to think I was cornering you."
"Hmm. So you do have a little spunk left in that backbone of yours. Very well. But one false move and your head will need to be reconnected to your neck."
Hazin swallowed hard, watching as a silhouette stepped forward from the shadows. Soon the form of a Nautolan took shape, and alien flashed a large grin at Hazin. Hazin shuddered, noticing that intricate tattoos covered the Nautolan's green skin with abundance, even across his hands that carried an unlit lightsaber.
He was Sith.
"So, now that we can see each other, I think it's time we get to know each other better. What's your name, Jedi?"
"Hazin."
"Ah, yes. Most interesting is your choice of a double-bladed green lightsaber. The crystal color suggests you are a Consular, though the choice of blade suggests you are a knight. Your scent suggests you are little more than a padawan."
"I'm… a knight. Let's leave it at that."
"Let's not," the Sith said as he stepped forward. Hazin had to steel himself to keep from moving backwards. Pack of kinrath- yeah, right. "Why aren't you stronger, hmm? I can sense that you have access to the Force. Have they held you back? Do they not let you learn what is your right to take?"
"I'm just not that good. It has nothing to do with what they've allowed me to do."
"Are you sure? Perhaps they've stifled your ability. Why don't I give you the chance to use the Force as I know you can."
"No thanks. I'm not interested in knowing what I'm missing if I can't have it."
"Oh, but you could!" The Sith strode just outside of Hazin's reach with the lightsaber, circling the Human Jedi. "Maybe you just don't have the means to do it on your own, but I know of a few artifacts that could let you reach your full potential."
"Let me guess: Sith artifacts? Ones that like to possess the wearer with dark side energies until they don't know themselves and try to dominate the galaxy? I've heard that one before. One of my friends is a historian, you know."
"Then perhaps she has seen what other artifacts can do. There are holocrons with ancient knowledge- knowledge that might even help the Jedi. Imagine the reward the council would give you for finding such things."
"Most of the historians who've tried to go that deep into Sith knowledge wind up falling to the dark side and destroying the very thing they were trying to help. Seems a little counterproductive, doesn't it?"
"Or perhaps they have come to see the light." He grinned at the irony. "You haven't asked me my name yet. Aren't you the least bit curious?"
"Fine. What's your name?"
"Lord Kasimlo. You should refer to me as your lord, by the way."
"But you aren't. I think I should be going now. I'm pretty sure it isn't an infestation of gizka that the Jedi should be worried about."
"Infestation of gizka?" Kasimlo laughed harshly, the sound echoing through the narrow cavern. "The Jedi are more insecure than I thought! Just for that, I'll tell you one thing. Ask me anything, anything at all."
Hazin thought a moment, watching the Nautolan standing there with a smug grin plastered across his face. He couldn't really think of anything, though he was getting more and more irritated with the Sith Lord's antics.
"Do you realize just how many times something a Sith does goes wrong?" he asked finally.
The smug look fell from Kasimlo's face. "What?"
"I mean, think about it. Most of the Sith who ever fell were tricked into becoming Sith, destroyed everything they ever cared about, then died an excruciatingly painful death- usually at the hands of some padawan learner. That, or they were Jedi put through such horror that the only conceivable way out was to use dark side energies. Problem is, once they use it, they find it increasingly harder to return to their Jedi ways and then decide that it's time to embrace the path to the dark side. In fact, I would bet you credits that something like this happened to you or a Sith Lord you know-"
Suddenly the Nautolan swung out his arm, an arc of lightening ripping through the air and slamming into Hazin's chest. The Jedi snapped against the rock wall of the cave, only briefly realizing just how bad everything hurt before he blacked out from his head catching a groove in the wall. He crumbled to the floor, lost in an expanse of darkness.
***
Everything hurt. It felt like a giant bolt of static electricity had punched Hazin directly in the gut. That, and his arms felt like they had been supporting him from the wrists for the last day. He felt pins and needles across his face and entirely down the left side of his torso. His right shoulder felt tingly, too, and not in a good way.
And it was drafty. Where ever he was, it was damp and cold. He slowly opened his eyes, trying to clear his blurred vision. Someone moved in front of him, staying close to his right side. What had happened? And why was he so sore? Had a kinrath attacked him?
No. He didn't remember seeing a kinrath at all. He did remember a Sith Lord.
A Sith Lord?
His eyes shot opened and he jerked forward. Instantly his shoulder felt a horribly sharp pain, and he turned to see Kasimlo glaring at him as he retracted a thin, sharp, now bloodied object from Hazin's shoulder. "You're up early, Jedi."
"What are you doing?" Hazin gasped. He didn't like pain. Pain hurt. He had almost no tolerance for pain.
"You fainted. I thought I'd do you a little favor and make you more attractive." The Sith snorted.
"What are you…" he glanced at his shoulder. Strange black tattoos now spiraled across his bare shoulder. As he glanced over to his left arm and up to the ropes that tied him to a column of a joined stalactite and stalagmite, he saw blue tattoos running entirely up and down his arm and down his side.
"What did you do?" he screeched, searching the room frantically for his lightsaber.
"Like them?" Kasimlo smirked. "Now hold still; I'm not finished."
"Oh yes you are!" he yelped as he spotted his lightsaber. If there was ever a time for him to move objects with the Force, now was it. "Come on," he begged. Suddenly the lightsaber flew upwards and ignited in midair. It slammed into the ropes above his head, singeing fine hair on his knuckles just before it turned off and clunked Hazin in the head. He winced, falling from the spot the ropes had held him for the past number of unknown hours.
He blinked, scrambled for his lightsaber, then took off running. Behind him he heard Kasimlo chuckle. "You'll be back!"
"I don't think so," Hazin muttered, still running.
He didn't stop running until he made it into his shuttle and took off safely into hyperspace.
***
Shuttles were cold. They weren't exactly known for good heating. And he didn't have a spare shirt. Now that he didn't think Kasimlo would be following him, he contacted the Jedi council. Master Jamayan's face appeared on the screen, at first mildly agitated, then in complete shock.
"What happened to you?" he exclaimed.
"What are you talking about?" Kasimlo frowned. The screen only showed his face; he didn't think the Jedi would be able to see his tattoo covered arms. "But I do need to tell-"
"You look like a Sith Lord's apprentice! We sent you to exterminate a pack of kinrath, not visit the tattoo parlor!"
"What-" Hazin's eyes widened and he took off running to the refresher. The moment he saw the mirror, he nearly fainted for the second time that day. The left half of his face was covered in blue tattoos, and the right was covered in black markings. "Oh, Sithspit," he murmured.
He walked numbly back the waiting master.
"Well?" Jamayan demanded.
"What do you know of a Sith Lord named Kasimlo?"
"What do you want to know about him for? I want to know why you're sporting Sith tattoos!"
"Just humor me, please."
"Kasimlo is a minor Sith lord known for his interest in Sith alchemy. Now, will you explain-"
"It wasn't kinrath it that cave, Master Jamayan," Hazin explained wearily. "I ran into Lord Kasimlo."
"And survived? I find that hard to believe."
"Me, too," he mumbled.
"I want you to come back to the council immediately. You will answer for possible crimes against the Jedi."
"Crimes?!" he yelped, bolting upright. "Wait a moment, all I did was tell off a Sith Lord!"
"From where I stand it seems more likely that the Sith Lord has found a new apprentice. If you want to clear your name you had best come to us immediately. Dismissed."
The blue image snapped off, and Hazin banged his head against the darkened panel. "Why me?" he complained, then gingerly rubbed his head. "And it itches!" he whimpered, trying his best not to scratch the new tattoos.
"This is going to be a really long night." He sighed, then tried to find something to occupy his mind for the next few hours.
***
"I told you we should have sent a more experienced Jedi," Master Alanni snorted, glaring at the Bothan across from her.
"Are you so sure a normal Jedi would have survived?" Master Kemur growled, sitting forward. "Of course, only a Sith apprentice could be sure to survive when encountering their master, so we can't rule out that possibility."
"Not everyone who survives an encounter with a Sith, without killing them, is a Sith as well. Have you forgotten about Master Amu?" Alanni pointed out.
"Amu is not your best example." The Bothan crossed his arms, tucking his hands into the folds of his robe. "Considering her recent excursion into unknown space to seek out answers to an unnamed, supposed threat, I wouldn't be at all surprised if she came back flaunting dark side powers."
"Erm, excuse me…" Hazin cleared his throat, still standing at the center of the council room. "If you're done examining the tattoos, can I put my shirt back on? It's a tad bit cold in here."
As all eyes suddenly snapped on him, he wondered why he had opened his mouth. When had he ever spoken back to the council in a way that wasn't a simple answer to a question? Odd.
"And even now he talks back to his masters," Kemur growled. Hazin had to keep looking away to stop from feeling like the Bothan was about to lunge at him. The last time he had met an angry Bothan, the alien was a dark-sider. Now he had a hard time not cringing every time he saw the Jedi.
Alanni frowned and stroked one of her head tails. "Not that I think this is of any consequence, but Master Kemur has a point. Young Hazin, regardless of your lack of formality, you have never spoken harshly to any one of us. Jamayan, what was the Sith's name that he encountered?"
The dark-skinned human sat back, looking at her curiously. "Kasimlo."
"And what is Kasimlo known for?"
"Sith alchemy. The few who have encountered him reported that his victims are often captured and somehow poisoned in a way that it causes their emotions to become out of control. It makes it easier for him to twist their mindset so they will fall to the dark side."
The Togruta made an indistinguishable sound to herself, then stood and walked up beside Hazin. Gently, she placed her hand on his shoulder. He tensed, feeling a sudden uneasiness. "And what's to say that Sith poison couldn't be placed using tattoos? We need someone with knowledge of such things to come and speak for this."
Jamayan and Kemur exchanged glances. "Is there anyone beside her?"
"Unfortunately, not that I know of. But despite her interest in the dark side, she has been very good not to stray so far as to test her theories."
"That we know of."
"That we know of. But lucky for him, she is here for the next couple weeks, and she does know more about Sith alchemy than any of us here."
"Fine. Send for Master Amu. Hazin, stay here."
"Can I have my shirt now?"
"No. Amu will need to be able to see the tattoos. Alanni, please find her now."
"Yes, Master Jamayan." She hurried off, leaving Hazin to sit uncomfortably under the harsh gaze of the two masters.
Hazin had heard of Master Amu, and briefly seen her walking through the halls. She was a proud, black and gold skinned Twi'lek, with lekku shorter than most of her kind. She, like himself, did not wear the traditional garb of the Jedi, and was often looked down upon for her choice of black and gold robes. The one time he had seen her, she was talking in whispers with her unofficial apprentice, Jade Macull.
What if she really did find poison in the tattoos? Would he die? Or would he slowly begin to lash out at those around him? He shivered, considering the consequences of any such thing. Somehow he doubted that Amu would know how to cure him, even if he had been poisoned.
But now the only thing to do was sit and wait, and hope for the best. Still uncomfortable, he finally sat down and crossed his legs, attempting to meditate. Still, the sounds of everything around him distracted him, and he was unable to keep his focus long. He would just have to wait it out.
***
Master Amu arrived faster than Hazin expected. The door opened with a hydraulic hiss, and he nearly jumped from surprise. He spun around to see the tall creature walking in, followed by Master Alanni.
"Where is he?" she asked, just as she looked down at him. She blinked in surprise and froze. If it hadn't been for Jedi reflexes, Hazin was sure Alanni would have crashed into the Twi'lek. "Where did he get these?" she demanded, evaluating him from a distance.
"I take it you recognize these?"
"Only in an off-hand way. Where did he get these?"
Jamayan shifted in his seat, watching her warily. "Yesterday he was sent to the caves on Dantooine to explore a possible Kinrath problem."
"I seriously doubt that a Kinrath would have inflicted such precise damage," Amu said shortly, crossing her arms and glaring at the head of the council.
"Precisely. Coming back, he told us that he had a run in with a Sith Lord-"
"What species?"
"Nautolan," Hazin answered quietly.
"Kasimlo, then," she guessed, still watching Jamayan closely.
He looked taken aback. "How do you-"
"He's the only Nautolan Sith that I know of who would actually try tattooing his victim. Though, lately his wrath has been more deadly. Unless he senses some sort of potential in the victim, he'll simply kill them."
"Not helping here," Hazin muttered.
"What kind of potential?" Jamayan asked. "Dark-side energies?"
"Not necessarily. He's a fan of finding those who have a connection to the Force that hasn't been fully developed. Usually it will come out in one particular area of strength."
Hazin started to object, then didn't. What if he actually was stronger in the Force than he thought? Maybe he would finally stop ending up in situations like these. Then again, maybe if he wasn't a Force adept he would be avoiding these situations altogether.
"I would like permission to test him for the possibility of a Sith poison," she continued. "It would be better to test for it now, when it might not have time to fully taken hold, rather than after the fact. I would also like to search his feelings for hints of the dark side within him."
"Do I get any say in this?" Hazin asked.
"No," Kemur growled.
"Is this going to hurt?"
"Only if the poison has taken hold."
"You say that like it's already proven!"
"I think it is." She laid a hand on his shoulder. "Now relax. It will hurt less if you don't think too much about it."
He sighed and attempted to control his breathing. He had hardly had the chance to begin reciting the Jedi code when he felt a sharp pain in his side. He gasped, trying to grab for something to hold onto, but instead stumbled to the floor as his legs gave way to the same pain spreading throughout his body. The Twi'lek didn't let go, and instead tightened her grip on his shoulder.
"Please stop," he drew his breath in ragged gasps. What was going on? Why did it hurt so-
He cried out in pain, his vision blacking out as he lost all control of his muscles and collapsed. For a moment the intense fire lingered. Then it faded, leaving him even colder than before on the floor. He tensed, trying not to let himself get teary eyed from the moment of pain.
Amu let go of his shoulder, standing back from him. The relief he felt was immense, and he could see Kemur looking at him, for the first time, in concern.
"What did you do, Amu?" Jamayan asked coldly.
She rubbed her temples. "That… wasn't quite what I expected."
"Then it is not a Sith poison?"
"No, it is. His reaction wasn't what I expected."
"You said I would feel pain if it was there. I did," he grumbled, rolling over onto his back.
She shook her head. "That's just it. You see, he didn't react for a moment. When I reached out to the Force, the first thing I felt was the poison. It should have reacted immediately. In fact, it was strong enough that it was starting to cause me pain. But he didn't seem affected. Then I realized I felt a barrier holding me back. It was crude, unrefined. It took a little work, but I broke past it. Only then did the poison affect him. That's when he reacted, and why he felt the pain. I did what I could to mend the barrier, but that leaves the question as to what the barrier was."
"And do you have any thoughts to that?"
"Yes. Many Jedi have learned how to do minor mind-affecting tricks. It takes a strong-willed Jedi, or a weak-willed target, to successfully perform the trick. It is my belief that Hazin here has a very strong will-power, only it's targeted at himself."
"What does this mean for him?"
"One moment." She turned to Kemur. "What are you thinking?"
He looked up solemnly at her. "I felt dark side energies when he finally broke under your test. Not from him, but you. You finally tested one of your theories."
"But did Hazin react at all violently, or did he simply take the pain?"
"No. He just reacted to his own pain."
"There you go." She looked back at Jamayan. "Yes, I did try to influence him using the dark side of the Force. He didn't react to it in the way a normal Jedi would. It is my belief that he cannot be influenced by the dark side, at least not easily."
"You actually tried to use the dark side of the Force on him. Why?"
"Because when the poison didn't affect him, I wanted to be sure my hunch for why was correct."
Alanni stepped forward. "The amount of poison that he received, if a Jedi like myself or any of the rest of us had received the same dosage, how would we react?"
The Twi'lek turned around and looked darkly at her. "Combined with the Sith symbols of the tattoos? Right now you would likely be either fighting for control over your emotions, or learning just how much rage it takes to create lightning. You would not be a Jedi for much longer."
"And for him, how long is he safe?"
"As long as his willpower doesn't change, the worst he'll do is snap at someone, or maybe in the most extreme situations, retaliate. He might not have very good command of the Force for anything else, but he has very good command at a personal mental block. Considering how crude it was, I would say he hasn't even trained himself to do it. Not beyond a padawan's level, at least."
"Thank you, Master Amu. You are dismissed. We will talk about your choice to use the dark side on him later."
Amu bowed to Jamayan, then took her leave.
The rest of the Jedi looked to Hazin, who was still lying uncomfortably on the floor. "What now?" he grumbled.
"Well," Alanni said, glancing at the other Jedi. "I think it's time to teach you more about how to construct mental shields. That would explain why his other encounters with Sith adepts rarely led into any problems for him."
"Lucky me."
"Lucky you, indeed." Jamayan stood. "Master Alanni, please take him to a healer and see what they can do about those tattoos. In the meantime, start teaching him what you know about mental blocks, and find someone who has training in that area."
"Sir…"
"Yes, Kemur?"
The Bothan sighed. "There is one padawan I know who seems very good at blocking her mind from intrusion."
"And who might she be?"
"Jade Macull, Amu's apprentice."
Jamayan sighed. "See if you find another Jedi first, please. I'd rather he didn't get any more influence from Amu."
"Yes, Master. Come on Hazin, we'll see about helping you feel better."
"Thanks," Hazin mumbled, taking the Togruta's hand so that he could stand weakly and lean against her shoulder. "Only next time, can you send a partner with me?"
"We'll see about it."
"Good. I think I'd rather face a gizka infestation instead next time."
"Well, I guess it is past time that we got Rashifa's pet gizka out of the library."
Hazin cringed. Why did he have to open his mouth? Now he would have to clean the entire library of the bouncy yellow creatures. And if he missed one…
He didn't want to think about it.
The End