This is set after the events of "The Force Awakens". Title inspired by a novel of Jin Yong. The main character will be an original one. Hope you enjoy the story.

Laughing in the Wind

Chapter 1 - Broken spirit

"You are exiled!"

It was a winter night in the planet of Aurizur. The wind was chilling cold and it was snowing. A lone man was walking on the streets of Aurizur's metropolis, which was dominated by high skyscrapers. Snowflakes were falling all around him. He was wearing a long black robe and his face was hidden by a hood. He had blue eyes, long black hair and light beard. He was thin and tall, with a sturdy stature. His name was Kane.

"You are exiled!"

Past memories and words echoed in his mind. He was walking in a dark alley, holding tightly a jar of wine with his right hand. He was sipping some wine from time to time as he journeyed towards his destination. He was a heavy drinker and never got drunk. Wine was one of the few joys he had; gambling was the other.

As he was walking, he saw two Rodians pointing their blasters at a lone woman. The woman was crying and had a terrified look on her face. Kane looked at her and the two thugs and after a moment of silence he continued walking.

"Hey!", one of the Rodians said, pointing his blaster at Kane. "What are you doing here?"

"Please help me!", the woman screamed.

Kane was silent.

"You imagine yourself as defender of justice when you only bring harm and death to others!"

"You are exiled!"

"Do not worry.", Kane replied to the Rodian. "I will not intervene in your business. I am just passing by."

And so he walked away, leaving the woman to her fate. He was no hero. He was just a gambler and drinker. Stopping injustice was not his business. A few minutes later he reached Han's Casino. As he was about to walk inside, he heard some screams. He turned around and saw a man being beaten by the casino's security guards.

"You can't take my wife from me!", the man was shouting.

"You should have thought about it before using her as collateral for your debt. If you repay your Pazaak debt, you will get her back. Until then she will work in the whorehouse. Now get away!"

Kane clenched his fist. But he did not intervene. He sipped a bit of wine from his jar and walked into the Casino. It was not his job to help the man. If he was smart enough, he would not have gotten in trouble.

'I already have enough troubles of my own', he thought.

Once inside the Casino he walked towards a Pazaak table. He saw a frustrated Rodian swearing and walking away from a match with another player, a sturdy and muscled man.

"You!", the man said, pointing his finger at Kane. "I am Alex. Will you play a Pazaak game with me?"

Kane smiled. "I am always in for a good Pazaak game."

"You will not remain happy though. I predict that you will soon run away crying like that Rodian. I am a quite good player."

"So am I."

Alex laughed. "Interesting. How many credits will you bet?"

"100!"

"You either are very rich or very stupid. I will bet 100 as well!"

Back in the dark alley the Rodians were stripping the body of the dead woman from any valuables and credits. Thankfully for them, the woman was carrying quite a few credits. Suddenly they heard the sound of footsteps. They turned around and saw an old man walking towards them. The old man had long white hair and beard and was wearing a long white robe.

"You are?", one of the Rodians asked.

"My name is of no concern to you.", the man replied. "I just need some info. Either you will give it to me peacefully or you will suffer the consequences."

As he was talking, the old man managed to secretly work a number of darts into his right palm.

The Rodian laughed. He pointed his blaster at the old man and said, "Do you think you are in a position to threaten us?"

Before the Rodian could fire with his blaster, the old man flung the darts at the Rodian. The darts were poisonous and the Rodian instantly fell on the ground; dead.

"Now, will you give me the information I need or do you want to suffer the same fate?", the old man asked the remaining Rodian.

"I..I..I will answer what….what I know.", the stuttering Rodian replied.

"Good. Tell me, have you seen a tall thin man holding a jar of wine walking in this alley?"

"Yes. Yes, I saw a man like him only half an hour ago."

The old man smiled. "Do you know where he went?"

"I am not sure, but I suppose he is in Han's Cantina. Most people passing through this alley usually head there."

"Thank you for your assistance."

He swiftly flung more of his darts at the Rodian, killing him too. He then activated a small hologram projector and the image of Kylo Ren appeared.

"Have you found the Jedi 'Blue Sky'?", Kylo Ren asked.

"I believe so, my Lord.", 'Blue Sky' replied. "I have been searching for him for months but now I am sure that I have tracked him down."

"You must make sure he dies."

"Do not worry my Lord. I have the reputation of the best assassin in the galaxy. I shall not fail you."

"19!", Alex shouted. "Beat that!"

Alex was sure he had won. Kane had used all of his predetermined cards and now would have to use a random one. And considering that the total of the cards Kane had already played was 18, Alex was sure that Kane would lose.

Kane drew a card. His hand was trembling until he saw the number of the card. He then instantly laughed. "It's 2!"

Alex was dumbfounded. He could not believe Kane's luck.

"I have a total of 20 and that means that I win.", Kane said and was about to grab the credits he had won and leave when Alex punched him on the face.

"I'm sure you cheated!", Alex shouted.

"Are you nuts?", Kane asked. "I won you fair and square. And now I want my damn money, okay?"

"Fair or not, no one gets money from me. Now leave or I will beat the crap out of you!"

Kane smiled. "Try it!"

Alex's left fist shot out and his right hand sliced across towards Kane's right shoulder. Then, in a flash, his left fist flipped over and aimed for the right shoulder while the right hand went for the chest. Kane retreated three paces and fend off the blows. Kane then stepped forward and swept his left leg across at Alex, who jumped clear off the ground to avoid it and countered with a fist aimed at Kane's face, which Kane was barely able to avoid. Before Alex could attack him again, Kane slammed his right fist on Alex's face, breaking his nose. He then kicked Alex's chest with a powerful kick which pushed Alex at the table.

Having won the combat, Kane grabbed the credits and walked away. As he was about to leave the Casino he was stopped by a middle-aged man. The man was blind and walking with the help of a cane. He was bearded and had short black hair.

"Quite impressive.", the blind man said. "Your movements during the fight indicate that you are no ordinate man."

Kane laughed. "How exactly did you see my movements?"

"The ears are usually more reliable than the eyes. I could hear you and understand your every movement."

"Look, I'm just a drunkard and gambler. I know a move or two to protect myself. All I care about is wine and money. I have no interest in anything else so unless you want to play a Pazaak game or drink some wine with me, do not bother me."

The blind man sighed. "The Abbot was right about you. You are a broken man. You have no spirit. You should come with me and meet Abbot Zhang. He sensed your presence and wants to speak with you. I am sure he will change you."

'Broken'

'No spirit'

Suddenly a flow of old memories flooded Kane's mind. He relived the most terrible day of his life.

"You disobeyed all of our laws. You acted based on emotions, you brought harm to others, you gave in to anger, you fell in love."

"You imagine yourself as defender of justice when you only bring harm and death to others!"

"You disappointed everyone. Me, your fellow Jedi, the woman you loved."

"You are unworthy to be called a Jedi!"

"You are no longer part of the Jedi Order!"

"You are exiled!"

"Don't know who this 'Abbot' is but he is right.", Kane calmly replied. "I am a broken man. And so I am of no use to you. Let me drown myself in wine and gambling, allow me to forget the past."

The blind man slapped Kane and spitted on his face. "You! How can you be so irresponsible? With your powers you could be a beacon of light in this dark era and yet here you are spending your time gambling. You are a disgrace. A disgrace!"

Kane smiled. "I know. I am a disgrace. And I've learned to accept this fact and move on. Not everyone can be a hero."

The blind man slapped again Kane, this time harder. "You will come with me. The Abbot will make sure you will come to your senses."

"You can hit me, kick me, spit on me as much as you want but I will not come with you. I don't care about the galaxy or anyone. The one for whom I cared has died. Now I can only try to forget my past."

"The Abbot said to me that he sensed that you have been wounded by love. He can help you achieve inner peace."

Kane remained silence.

"You do not have to help the galaxy if you do not want to but you can try to help yourself. The Abbot can make you forget all about the past."

'Forget all about the past'

'Forget'

"Alright.", Kane replied. "I'll come with you. But do not expect me to become a hero. I just want to forget the past and be once again carefree and without worries."