Alright fictionites! Here's chapter three! I got a recomendation and I used it so here it is! Last time, Mady had just met her handler Ben who seemed very friendly towards her. However, she was still torn about whether or not to stay at the enclave or strike out on her own. Keep leaving reveiws and maybe your path will be chosen next time! So on to chapter three!

Mady stood from the bed and sprang for the bag on the floor. She began to pull the sweater she had been wearing this morning back on. This was the right thing to do. No longer would she be the Council's punching bag. For years of her childhood she groveled at the feet of men and women who were no better than cowardly bullies. Never again would she be subject to such degradation. She would not spend one more instant in this hole in the wall they called a room. She was a child no longer. She would not hide here like a cowering mouse. She would stand.

She crept out into the hallway. Empty. Perfect. She stuck to the shadowy areas and before long she had reached the hangar. She entered the great doors and found her way to a modest looking ship. The console was easy enough to slice and the hangar doors were already open. The boarding ramp unfolded with a sound that made Mady cringe. Why was everything always louder when it absolutely had to be quiet? She entered the ship and sprinted for the cockpit. She leap-frogged the back of the pilot's seat and fired up the engines. The ship lifted off the hangar floor. She raised the loading ramp and blasted full speed out of the hangar. Not a security checkpoint in sight. Why would they need one? This was one of the most stable systems in the sector. She barrel-rolled past a few buildings and then she was clear. She pulled the ship skyward and blasted for the atmosphere. The instant she was in blackspace she began to set hyperspace coordinates for Tatooine. That would probably be a good place to get some information about whoever was trying to track her down. The flashing lights indicated that she was clear. She blasted away from the core world and headed for something more her speed. She set the auto pilot to automatically pull out of hyperspace when they were in range of Tatooine. It would be an hour or so by her estimation. So, for now, she leaned back and rested her hands behind her head. She began to think about something the council had said. Why had the giant not killed her the other day? If his plan was to capture her, why hadn't he? Mady was too exhausted to think about it now. For the time being, she would have to chalk this one up to the blindness of a Sith bent on revenge.

Her eyelids were slowly starting to droop when suddenly they shot wide as Mady was surprised by a loud clang coming from back somewhere in the ship. She quickly fished her lightsaber out of her bag and ignited it. Slowly she proceeded down the halls.

"Who's there?" she asked sternly. She paused at the edge of a doorway before whirling into the room quickly. Nothing. She proceeded.

"I'll tell you something, nerf-herder! You picked the wrong ship to stowaway on!" she nearly shouted at no one. She halted at the edge of another doorway. She threw herself again into the room. Nothing.

"If you make one move at me, you son of a bitch, you're dead! You hear me?!" she threatened. Suddenly, she felt strange. Nearly as a wind would rustle from her rear. She felt him.

She whirled around with a mighty slash that sliced no more than the wall of the corridor as he ducked. He stood back up and blocked her downward slash at him. Mady's eyes widened.

"Mady, stop! It's me!" Ben said in a panic. Her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Ben? What—" she began. She shook her head slightly and deactivated her lightsaber. He did the same.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked angrily.

"I could ask you the same thing." He replied.

"I asked you first." She fired back through clenched teeth. She was furious. This could ruin everything.

"I was ordered to protect you, Mady." He said.

"I don't need your protection!" She returned, disgusted. Ben sighed and looked down at his feet.

"Alright, that's not all of it. I-" he stopped, almost as if he couldn't say it.

"What?" she asked, curiosity partially taking the place of anger.

"I want to help you. That is…I want to find those guys that jumped you the other day." He said.

"Why? What do I matter to you?" she asked.

"No, it's not that. I just…well, I feel like something big is happening. Way bigger than any of us have ever seen. I feel like those people are part of it." He explained.

"You're using the word 'feel' too much, Ben. What does the Council think about this theory?" she asked, crossing her arms and cocking her head patronizingly to one side.

"Whenever I try to tell them, they say that I have nothing to worry about…that all is well." He said.

"Surprise, surprise." Mady replied, as she headed back for the cockpit.

"I have a feeling they might know more than they are telling me…than they are telling any of us." Ben said, as he followed.

"So why are you doing something about it now?" she asked.

"Because, now I have an excuse." He replied gesturing at her.

"You were just doing your duty…" Mady insinuated.

"Exactly. And now that I am out here I am going to track those men down and stop this thing before it starts." He said, determined.

"Look, that's really noble and all, but I am hunting these guys down to make them pay for what they did to my friends and so I don't have to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life. If you join me in that, the Jedi wouldn't have you back. Revenge is 'frowned upon' you know." She said, sitting in the pilot's seat.

"I'm not in this for revenge." He said. "I'm here to fight the Dark Side. Just as any Jedi should. Let me join you. We're fighting the same enemy."

"I don't work with partners anymore. Besides, how do I know you won't just contact the Council the second I leave you alone?" She asked.

"It's best the Council doesn't know about this at all. How they find out that I ended up on a stolen ship with an escaped exile Jedi will be irrelevant. Playing the duty card will only get me so far. Don't you think?" He questioned.

"I suppose so." She replied.

"So it's a deal?" he asked.

"Sure." She replied. What harm could this do? She didn't sense any deception from him and two is better than one in nearly any scrap.

"So where're we headed?" he asked.

"Tatooine." She replied.

"Why Tatooine?" he asked.

"Because it's a good place to start when you're trying to track down scum." She replied.

"Well first thing we gotta do when we get there is get you some new clothes. You'll stick out like a purple nerf in those." He said. She looked down at her clothes. It was strange for her to imagine. Those were the very clothes that she was wearing in class that morning. The very clothes that she had been bored stiff in. The same outfit that had seen the death of her love. No. No thought of that now.

"Yeah, I guess I do need something to blend in more." She said.

"That's right. We'll hook you up when we set down." He said.

"Great. Uh…thanks." She said.

"No problem." He said.

"Um…hey, Ben." Mady asked.

"Yeah, Mady." He said as he tinkered with a few switches on the panel.

"I…well…It's just that you don't seem too bothered with…well, what the Luskex and the Council have told you about me. I—um…" she stuttered.

"Yeah. So?" he said dismissively. Mady rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

"So, you know…are you? Bothered?" she asked. He suddenly looked at her very seriously.

"Mady, the truth is I'm not sure I trust the Council like I used to. Lately, they've seemed a lot less omnipotent. More and more flaws seem to come out all the time and, well, after I heard what they did to you…you know, why you got exiled, I didn't know how to feel anymore. I think that you are a good person, and frankly I don't give a shit what the Council says about you." He said. Mady couldn't believe what she had just heard. When she first saw him, he had struck her as so clean-cut…so squeaky clean. Had she done this to him?

"If you think that I'm a good person, Ben, then I think you give me too much credit." She said, shamefully.

"I don't think you give yourself enough." He said. She shook her head.

"Look, Ben. I am only gonna say this once. If you are really in this to halt the root of some evil force, then that's fine. But if I get one whiff that you are doing this in anger or spite of the Council, I will drop you at the nearest fuel depot, understand? I don't want you to be like me! I won't lose—I won't let you be like me! I won't!" she said, anger seeping back into her voice.

"What did you say?" Ben asked.

"Are you deaf?" Mady shot back.

"No, you said 'I won't lose'…something. What is it?" Ben asked.

"Ben, I can't talk about that with you." Mady said, almost regretfully.

"Why not?" Ben asked, sympathetically.

"I just can't, alright. Not…not yet." She said.

"Okay, Mady. It's alright." He said.

"Thanks." She said. She stared blankly for a few seconds before Ben snapped her back again.

"Hey, you look like you could use some sleep. Why don't you go get some and I'll put us down on Tatooine." Ben suggested.

"Can you fly this thing?" she asked. Ben slapped a hand to his chest and staggered backwards slightly feigning a deep hit.

"Can—can I fly this thing? Can I—oh, Mady. Oh, I can fly anything." He said, in a prideful tone. Mady smiled.

"Alright, alright there, Solo. Just land the ship." She said, jokingly as she walked back towards the bunks. She was more than happy to collapse on one of the cots the instant she spotted it. No more than twenty seconds later, she was asleep.


"You have directly disobeyed Orders of the High Council and were indirectly responsible for the death of your partner Lon Pofrin. Have you anything to say on your behalf?" Master Yurick asked. Mady stood there, tears not yet dry from her eyes.

"Have you anything to say for yourself?" Yurick repeated.

"I-I didn't mean for this to happen, Master. It…it all just went wrong. I'm very sorry." She said, voice shuttering uncontrollably.

"I'm sure you are. I'm sure you also know that your actions cannot go without punishment." Yurick said. Mady only stared at her feet.

"We find you unfit to bear and mark or signification of the Order. Therefore, we, the Masters of the High Council of the Jedi Order sentence you Madylyn Conway to exile to planet in a distant galaxy to be determined. Probationary examinations will be conducted every fifteen years to determine whether or not you are fit to return." Yurick explained. Mady's jaw dropped.

"Exile? Master, the Jedi have not exiled anyone since the Mandelorian Wars." She said.

"Your crimes fit the punishment." Luskex spoke up.

"This was an accident! Sweet Force, I didn't kill him!" She said, getting more and more persistent.

"But he is dead." Spoke another Master.

"AND NO ONE IS MORE AWARE OF THAT THAN ME!" Mady shouted, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Watch your tone, Mandelorian!" Luskex said, standing up. Mady's eyes widened in recognition. She had pushed the thought of such a thing away for so long. The High Council…were they really capable of this bigotry?

"Oh, I get it now." Mady said.

"There is nothing to get, Madylyn." Yurick said.

"No! No more! You all have hated me from the second Master Pytnol brought me here! Don't think I am too naïve to notice!" she accused.

"That's not true, Madylyn!" Yurick said.

"I just regret we can't strip you of your Force affinity like we did in the old days." Luskex said sitting back down.

"If you tried that, you'd all regret it." Mady said darkly.

"Your sentence is life-exile, Madylyn Conway! Nothing will change that!" Yurick said, standing up. Rarely did she see such emotion from him.

"Guards! Remove her from the enclave!" he ordered. Guards moved in from Mady's left and right and grabbed her arms. Something in her snapped.

"NO! Get the hell off me!! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!!" she screamed at Yurick and the rest of them.

"Get her out of here!" Yurick ordered again. The Guards pulled her towards the door.

"I won't forget this!! YOU HEAR ME?! Get off me!! NO!!" she screamed. She sat straight up in bed. Her breathing was quick and she was drenched with sweat. Her head and eyes darted around trying to remember where she was. She sighed then as her heart-rate began to return to normal. She pulled her knees up and rested her elbows on them. She put her head in her hands and sighed again.

"Oh…damn it." She whispered to herself. Suddenly, Ben burst into the room.

"Mady, are you alright?" he asked frantically. Mady's eyes shot up and she put her pazaak face on.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" she said, nonchalantly.

"I thought I heard you scream. You have a nightmare or something?" he asked, still catching his breath.

"I don't have nightmares." She said.

"Oh, well, I guess I was wrong then." He said. Mady rubbed her eyes.

"How long was I asleep?" she asked.

"About five hours. It gave me some time to get you some clothes." He said as he reached for a hanger her had hung outside her door. He revealed the clothes and Mady cringed.

"Ben." She said.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Those are men's clothes." She said. Ben apparently hadn't noticed the straight cut of tunic or the slightly baggy fit of the pants. He rolled his eyes.

"Mady, we're on Tatooine. I don't think it matters. I got you the smaller ones. Make it work." He said tossing them to her.

"Thanks." She said, as sincerely as she could. He smiled.

"No problem." He said. Mady quickly changed her clothes and met Ben near the boarding ramp.

"Hey. That doesn't look too bad!" he said. She smirked.

"Well, you don't look awful yourself." She said gesturing at his disguise.

"Thanks. I do look good in the ruggedly handsome apparel." He joked, as he struck a heroic pose. She laughed. What was happening to her? She hadn't laughed so much in a long time. Given the tragedy she had witnessed, it felt weird somehow. Was it too soon to be feeling this way? Was this normal?

"Well, let's get moving. I figure the cantina would be a good place to start." Ben suggested.

"Good idea. Let's go." She replied. They sauntered into the cantina as if they had done so thousands of times before. They were blind for a few seconds as their eyes adjusted to the darkness. As soon as they could, they walked over to the bar and ordered two "Courulog Grog". Ben had never drank before, but this had been one of Mady's favorites before she was sent away. The ales of her world of exile were watery, tasteless, and bitter. CG was sweeter and more filling. As they sat there drinking their drinks, Mady called the bartender over.

"Need something?" he asked. She motioned him to lean in closer.

"Yeah, I was just wondering if you had heard any whispers of Sith activity around here." She asked.

"Sith?!" he said, shocked. The bar went quiet. Mady looked around quickly and then managed a laugh.

"Yeah, the one about the two stupid Sith who walked into a bar, and the third one who didn't duck! That's great!" she said. No one else laughed, but they did return to their own business which was good enough for Mady. He look then shot back to the bartender.

"Nice work." She said sarcastically.

"Sorry about that. It's just that, I have heard about some Sith stuff lately, but I didn't think that it would make it this far out." He said, nervously.

"We don't think it has yet." Ben jumped in.

"Well, that's good." The tender sighed.

"What worlds have you heard stuff's going down on?" Mady asked.

"Oh, I don't know specific worlds. You'll have to go to Boska or Yozzi for that." He said.

"Where are they?" Ben asked.

"Boska is the Hutt who owns the swoop track and Yozzi owns the hunting lodge." He answered.

"Well, thanks." Ben said.

"One thing though. Folks around here are pretty choosy about who they give information to. If you was anything from either of them, well, you'll want to be a hunter or a swooper." The bartender explained.

"Thanks for the tip." Mady said as she finished her drink. Ben painfully gulped the last bit of his down as well and the two walked out into the street. Mady put her hands on her hips and looked up and down the street. To the left was Boska's and to the right was Yozzi's. Ben stood behind her.

"Well, Mady…what's it gonna be?" he asked.


So readers, what's it gonna be? Will Mady try her hand at swooping or hunting? You decide and keep watching for more chapters of "Choices from a Dark Past"!