Disclaimer: I don't own rights to Star Wars, nor do I intend to profit from this work of fiction. Also it should be noted that my story takes place in a different time to the JKA game, roughly post Vong war.
Prologue
The Red Mane And The Sceptre
The tomb of Ragnos was filled with the frantic humming of light saber against light saber. A red haired woman with blue markings on her face, wielding an archaic scepter in her left hand and a red light saber in her other hand, parried and struck at the green single-hilt laser sword of her adversary. The enemy was a human clad in Jedi trappings which were underneath light armor plates that covered his shoulders, fore arms and upper body.
The red maned warrior Tavion, blocked the Jedi Jaden Korr's, downward strike with her scepter, before thrusting at him with her saber hand. Jaden turned the attempt aside with an extravagant spin - that marked out his stylish form that echoed Ataru - before moving a half step back and leaning backwards as he avoided the jagged head of Tavion's scepter, as she swung it with full strength at his neck attempting sai cha. Jaden quickly stepped inside the scepter's reach and swept diagonally at the opening on Tavion's left side. She spun the scepter outwards with force propelled speed and blocked the saber strike and then deflecting the next attack strongly with her saber.
Jaden was forced back by Tavion's fast, wide-arching attacks, as she deployed the full array of her two weapon fighting technique. Jaden dodged a light saber strike aimed at his head, blocking and evading Tavion's vicious attacks, defending himself with the same relentless spirit Tavion used to attack him. Jaden launched an impressive series of counters and double counters (even triple counters), forcing Tavion to employ more wild and unpredictable maneuvers.
She came on harder and faster as she kept trying to break the young Jedi knight's defensive wall. Tavion swung horizontally at his waist with her saber hand, looking to strike at Jaden's waist, a move that looked to set him up for an opening with her scepter - but Jaden quickly averted her saber with an outward parry to her inside, momentarily exposing her right side, and then followed quickly with an upward strike which the Cult leader was barely able to thwart.
Tavion made adjustments and bent down as Jaden came back high and lateral with his saber, avoiding the blade before standing up with an awkward thrust of her scepter at Jaden's torso aiming for a shiak. Jaden slipped the potentially killing strike by leaning backwards and then placing a foot under his new centre of gravity, twirling his body in his awkward bend-over-backwards stance, to make an impossible deflectionof the alchemically-strengthened scepter Tavion wielded.
The unconventional maneuver put several foot steps worth of distance between the two combatants. They stared at each other with grim determination as they shifted their footwork and stances. Jaden using a high guard stance, while Tavion adapted a back stance with the sceptre stretched out in front of her and her light saber overhead as her right arm formed an inverted "L" as she raised it above her shoulder.
"I can see you're not without your little Jedi tricks," Tavion commented, "but you know you can't win this battle."
"I mostly care about walking away with Ragnos' sceptre," Jaden replied.
"You may have tasted the dark side, but don't let that delude you Jedi, you don't know the dark side as I do," Tavion scoffed.
"Such pride, such confidence Tavion, but I stand here while your misplaced ambitions turn to nothing with every passing moment."
"You wish to lecture me Jedi?!" Tavion spat, her anger boiling.
"No. Only to make you understand that I fight for more than this," he gestured at the temple.
Tavion laughed, "And to think I considered you a potential apprentice, there is no parting a fool from his poorly conceived ideas. The galaxy will once again tremble in fear when the true Sith are reborn."
"You grovel at the feet of ancient ghosts and myth's, and for what, the dream of a new Sith Order?"
"Only the Sith can right the wrongs the Jedi and the alliance have created, only through them can the galaxy achieve true lasting peace."
"Then you're a bigger failure than Kyle thought you were, the Sith are dead for a reason and they should remain dead…"
"Shut up fool, the weakness of your beliefs will be made bear when you see me standing over your bleeding form."
Tavion rushed at Jaden in a rage, her two handed attack unrelenting. Tavion attacked Jaden with dogged persistence, always looking for an opening. Jaden evaded most of her power attacks and blocked her flurries while always searching for that critical moment to initiate a critical strike of his own, for Jaden knew if he stopped fighting with victory in mind, he'd be dead.
Tavion, hit him with a barrage of sceptre strikes and then got kicked in the mouth as she lost awareness that Jaden had other weapons, beside his saber. She scrambled to her feet just as Jaden leaped in the air with an offensive sai, to land a debilitating blow. Tavion was on her feet faster than expected and as Jaden landed on the ground he found himself quickly on the defensive again. Jaden dodged and turned aside saber strikes aimed high at his body, but as he pushed away another onslaught, Tavion using the back end of her sceptre, took out his legs from under him.
Tavion - now with a clear advantage - launched a saber strike at his prostrated body, but he rolled away as the first swing missed him by an inch. Jaden was in deep trouble as Tavion intensified her strikes, as she rained blow after blow at the floored Jedi, not allowing him time to get back on his feet. Tavion struck at Jaden's lightsaber arm but her attempt was thwarted by a firm block.
A heavy swing of her sceptre followed, dislodging Jaden's grip on his lightsaber, but it also sent the sceptre careering to the back of the tomb, all the way to the middle of the steps just under the Sith Lord's statue. A weaponless Jaden looked panicked, as he perceived the overwhelming finality of death, as an infinitely red streak of light arcing downwards to take him.
The light saber came down to claim its victim, and that victim was found to be a hard, stone floor. Jaden rolled away from the saber, just when it looked like the fear of dying had paralyzed him. He rolled quickly but not fast enough to avoid the red maned fire storm that was Tavion, she came close to the inevitable death stroke when Jaden, suddenly began rolling towards her, instead of away.
Tavion, maddened by her desire to be rid of the pesky Jedi didn't notice the oddity of the tactic; Jaden stopped rolling and began instead, to seemingly float in the air. He had elevated himself off of a cork-screw leap from a prone position and with the momentum of the roll carrying him; he landed a kick squarely on Tavion's belly. Utterly stunned, her saber dropping instantly from her hands, she was sent flying backwards onto the bottom step of the stair case, below the sarcophagus and statue.
Jaden called on to his weapon and used it to slice through the hilt of Tavion's light saber. He walked up to the beaten dark Jedi as she scrambled backwards off her feet. Jaden didn't need the force to read the shame that crossed Tavion's disposition. Bettered by a whelp…, the dark side has betrayed me, forsaken me to my enemies just like it did the Masters before me. Although Jaden had his saber pointed at Tavion, he knew he didn't have a resigned enemy in front of him.
Tavion crawled backwards making her way closer to the stair cases at the back of the large temple.
Jaden closed in on Tavion slowly, letting Tavion's fear escalate, basking in the elation of having power over his foe. Suddenly, Tavion began scrambling quickly towards the base of the stair case. Jaden reacted quickly and leaped in the air over Tavion, and landed a firm foot on the sceptre just as it had began moving at the prompting of Tavion's telekinesis.
He was satisfied by the loud "No" that emanated from Tavion's throat just as he landed on the sceptre. Jaden stared at Tavion with a cold stare, before effecting shiak, plunging his saber through the chest of his unarmed opponent.
He turned to retrieve the sceptre but was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a Jedi, his former mentor Kyle Katarn.
"Don't touch that Jaden," Katarn warned.
"Or what Kyle?!"
"The dark side only leads to destruction, trust me I know."
"You fear for me because you fear the dark side, I don't."
"Listen to me Jaden, don't do this don't forget who you really are."
"I haven't forgotten, I've chosen this willingly, I wounded Rosh deliberately, to teach him the lesson of sacrifices and courage not because of any temptation of the dark side."
"And you think you're the first person to think you can control it Jaden? There's still time, I know the temptation of the dark side, but it never turns out great, it's its nature…, it's a cancer."
"The Jedi's fears don't concern me, neither do your narrow perceptions, stand down Katarn there are matters I must attend to."
"You should know that I can't do that Jaden."
"Listen to me Master Katarn, this sceptre it is a tool, a tool with the potential to end conflicts before they turn to wars, a chance for the Jedi to become true preservers of the peace instead of stand-in generals in some meaningless war or another."
"I wonder Jaden,... your reasons seem noble enough yet you didn't consult with me or the council."
"I'm only doing what I must, as a true Jedi, a true peace keeper."
"So am I Jaden."
"How is that? By coming here looking for a fight?!" Jaden's nose flared a little, a slight twinge of anger showing despite his neutral mask.
"No, by making sure no one ever threatens the Jedi and the galaxy with that sceptre, and to bring you to your senses."
"The sceptre will be in safe hands, you needn't worry."
"And how many dark Jedi will come looking to own that sceptre? Think Jaden, if the safety of the galaxy is your only concern."
"How stubborn, you choose not to acknowledge the merit of my reasoning, didn't you once tell me that no technique or power is inherently good or evil?"
"I did, but that sceptre's purpose was defined by it's creator long ago, it is of the dark side and must be destroyed."
"You turn into a hypocrite Katarn and no convenient excuse will change that, the sceptre goes with me."
"Can't let you do it Jaden, though it pains me to see you cling to your defiance," Katarn said
"So this is what you choose?! To oppose me, your student, me a Jedi like you; my only crime being that I care enough to brave the dark if I must."
Katarn ignited his saber in a strong stance.
"You're a coward, a hypocrite and a fool, you'll rue this day, you'll rue the day you let a mere code make the decisions for you!" Jaden said, he's anger welling up, to excite his arms and his legs, to assail Katarn's spirit with the force of it's intensity.
Jaden leaped at Katarn saber readied. Katarn leaped in the air in turn and met Jaden in mid-air. As they both landed on the ground Jaden aimed swift strikes at Katarn who met his adversary with expert defensive technique. Jaden on an awkward angle, spun at Katarn with an advanced jung, turning back handed to land a strike on his side after pushing Katarn's saber to his right but Katarn pulled his saber back towards his right shoulder to make an effective block.
Jaden followed that with a two handed vertical strike that was smothered again by Katarn's weapon. Jaden pushed the offensive, trying to end the fight quickly but Katarn was equal to his every effort.
The wizened Jedi Master began testing Jaden's defensive skills, with a varied attack of precise deft strikes and strong aggressive strokes. He prodded Jaden with what looked like a tame stab, and as Jaden meant to turn aside Katarn's light saber, the Jedi master brought his saber hard and quickly on his former student.
Jaden stepped back in surprise as the force of the move almost caught him out. Jaden circled away defensively and as Katarn moved towards him he unleashed a telekinetic blast of the force. Katarn defended against the force offensive adequately but was unprepared for what Jaden did next.
Jaden realizing that he couldn't end the fight soon enough leapt forward and to his side, rolled on the ground and called to the sceptre with his left hand. Katarn had recovered quickly from the force attack, but the momentarily delay it allowed was enough for Jaden to get his hands on the sceptre uncontested. Katarn moved quickly accelerating his body with the force, closing the distance quickly between him and Jaden but not quickly enough;
Jaden called on the force, focusing his will on the sceptre and in a flash the sceptre hummed with dark side power, projecting a beam of energy that landed squarely on Katarn's torso as he rushed to intercept his former student. Katarn was sent sliding several feet on the ground by the concussive force of dark side energy. Jaden pointed the sceptre on the high ceiling of the temple directly above Katarn's stunned frame, and a powerful charge of energy emanated from the sceptre shattering the old stones of the ceiling and sending a large number of boulders down on Katarn.
Jaden sensing a group of Jedi coming into the tomb through its one entrance had little time to savor his victory over Katarn. He called on the dark side of the force once again and the sceptre responded to his prompting and unleashed another stream of force energy this time directed at the wall, the stones within a meter of the point of impact gave way, unveiling a new exit. Jaden run through the exit leaving his old master trapped beneath a pile of boulders.
His ambitions had taken one large step to their completion, the sceptre was his to do with as he pleased.