Chapter 2

Forming Bonds

Marek Bonteri, still reclining in his windowsill, was totally seething in anger.

'A Jedi attacks me, and I get blamed for it! My mother must really hate me.' he thought.

He swivelled, and hopped off the ledge, into his quarters. He pulled his lightsaber off his belt, and activated the blade. Taking a battle stance, legs spread just beyond shoulder width, with the saber raised upside-down behind his back, he began an exercise. Mentally commanding a pair of training drones to activate, he backed up slightly. Quite unexpectedly, however, instead of their usual moderately paced firing rates, the droids began firing like repeater blasters.

'Lux, you bantha-brained fool.' he thought.

Moving rapidly, he flipped his blade into his usual reversed grip, with his hand along the choke point that connected the blade emitter to the main hilt, and twisted rapidly, attempting to deflect the bolts away from his body. His brother, damn his soul, played pranks such as this occasionally. Reaching out mentally, he attempted to deactivate the remotes with the Force, without any effect. The fool had included a de-deactivator, which would prevent the remote from being switched off once active. He was reluctant to destroy the drones, as they were the last two he possessed, but, seeing no alternative, he lunged. Taking them by surprise, he bisected the first laser ball straight down the middle. He attempted to swing at the second, when it swerved out of the way before he even came close. Turning to face it, he failed to notice his custom made humanoid droid emerge from a closet, and fire a pulse-burst at him, sending him through a wall, into an adjacent room.

"Rikhe, what are you doing?" The snowy haired boy roared.

Although he knew the droid had heard him, he could clearly see his best friend had not registered Marek's sentence. He heard the droid mumbling to itself.

"Detected program anomaly. Attempting to purge. Purge failed. Switching to backup memory core. Backup memory core infected..."

Lux had really outdone himself this time. Getting up, he engaged the focusing crystal in the steel cylinder in his right hand, and an aquamarine blade of pure plasmatic energy burst from the hilt with a distinctive snap-hiss. The remote opened fire again, sending out bursts of red ionic energy at an alarming rate. He latently noticed a comm panel beeping, probably the occupants of the lower floor, wondering what all the ruckus was. Jumping back and forth, he expertly deflected each and every bolt, but was helpless when Rikhe tackled him, sending out another pulse-burst directly downward, sending the infuriated fifteen year old through six layers of wood, wires, and plasteel.

"AHHGH!" he screamed in pain.

He burst through the final floor, and landed directly on the conference table that the two Senators, his brother, and the Jedi currently sat around. Bringing his only flesh hand to his torso, he felt for broken bones. He cried out when his ring finger came into contact with his fifth left side rib. Badly bruised, but no fracture or break.

"Marek, what happened?" Ahsoka asked, as the younger boy got to his feet.

Shooting out his mechanical hand, the lightsaber that had gone flying when he landed came spiralling into it. A snap-hiss, and the blade was at his brother's throat.

"You moron! You went WAY too far this time!" Marek yelled, just as the grey and blue droid known as Rikhe emerged from the ceiling. "Take cover!"

Whipping around, he rapidly twirled the blade, blocking every bolt from the blaster that Rikhe held, as well as the bolts from the remote, that came his way. He intentionally let one past, and it struck Lux in the shoulder, burning him.

"Lux, shut him down!" Marek ordered.

"Fine! Protocal droid, remote droid, shut down, authorization code Haroon-Gamma-45-11-38." Lux shouted, practically sneering.

Both Rikhe and the remote fell to the ground, inactive.

"Marek, what the hell happened?" Mina asked, obviously extremely irritated.

"Your bantha of an older son decided to reprogram Rikhe and my remotes, that's what!" Marek yelled back, fuming.

"Don't blame your brother for the thousands of credits you just cost me!" Mina retorted.

"Why wouldn't I? It's his fault!"

"I refuse to believe that Lux could engage in such juvenile activities as these!"

"ARRRRGHH!" Marek roared.

He raised his right hand, his lower fingers still curved around the hilt of his saber, drawing upon his anger, and threw the large conference table through a wall. He raised his other hand, and plucked Lux off the floor through the Force, hurling the older boy toward him. He stopped his brother a millimeter from being sliced in half by the energy sword in his hand.

"Someday I will make you pay." Marek threatened through gritted teeth.

He flicked his wrist, and Lux went flying into the back wall.

"How dare you!" His mother screamed.

"Quite easily!"

With that said, Marek stalked out of the room, his posture giving away the fact that he wished desparately to kill someone. Ahsoka, being the Jedi she was, followed him out of the room, once again descending the stairs into the outside garden.

...oOo...

"AARGHH!" he roared, as he slashed a tree in half.

"Marek, be calm. You're going to hurt someone." she said.

The green eyed teenager whipped around, shooting Ahsoka a look that could have killed.

"You have no authority over me, Jedi!"

"Maybe so, but it would be in your best interest to calm yourself."

Marek considered this for a brief moment, before purging his anger into the Force. He sat down on the bench that had been in the shade of the tree he had just cut down.

"You let your anger flourish itself far too much." Ahsoka reprimanded.

"My anger is under my control at all times. Notice I practiced restraint, and didn't kill Lux, despite the fact that I would very much like to." Marek responded.

...oOo...

Ahsoka was heavily irritated at the younger boy, not only for nearly killing Padmé, but for tapping into his anger to attain power.

"You may have restrained yourself, but that doesn't excuse the fact that you tapped into your anger to enhance your powers." she said.

He propped his elbows up on his knees, and dropped his face into his hands.

"Why do you care?" he asked, sounding dejected.

"I care because I'm a Jedi. I care about everyone."

He chuckled lightly.

"What?" she asked.

"My father was killed in a Republic attack led by a Jedi. I know that that Jedi is responsible for the death of the only one who treated me as an equal to my brother. He was heartlessly killed by a lightsaber, and someday I will make that that lightsaber's weilder pay." Marek replied.

Ahsoka, now feeling rather sorry for the boy, sat down beside him on the small wrought iron bench and draped her arm across his shoulders. She felt him tense up from the touch, but he didn't move to escape it, either.

"I had no idea. I'm so sorry." she all but whispered.

He lifted his head from his hands and gave her a smile that, in her opinion, could have lit the Galaxy. She felt her heart beat a little faster.

"It's okay. I can tell you had nothing to do with the operation." he said.

She didn't hear him, however, as her head was too busy processing her feelings that were related to this white haired boy.

'What are you thinking? Not only is he a Separatist, but it's a violation of the Jedi Code to form attachments.' she thought.

Lines of the Code kept repeating in her head, chief among them being, 'There is no attachment; there is indifference.'

She barely registered a gunmetal grey hand waving in front of her.

"Hello? Is anyone in there?" she heard Marek ask.

She blinked rapidly, coming out of her chaotic jumble of thoughts.

"Hmm?" she said.

"I was just asking a bit about you, like where you come from. You know, stuff like that." he replied.

"I was originally from the planet Shili, but I was raised on Coruscant at the Jedi Temple. I was taken as an apprentice about two and a half years ago, during the first battle of Cristophsis." she said, sounding somewhat distant.

"Hmm, interesting. I was born here, on Raxus. I've only been offworld once, but that was when i went on one of my mom's diplomatic trips just over five years ago. There was an incident just over a year and a half ago, that caused my dearest mother to forbid me to leave this rather dreary place." he said, gesturing with his left hand up at his home. "I hope that I will get to leave soon."

"What kind of incident?"

"Well... I kind of shot up a bar."

"Well why in the name of the Force wold you do that?"

"I only pulled my blaster in self defense. They attacked me."

"Ah. You should be careful about those kinds of places."

"I try."

The door at the top of the steps opened up, and Padme stepped out.

"Ahsoka!" she called, "I need you in here for a bit!"

The Togrutan girl shifted slightly on the bench, as the door slid shut again.

"You should probably go." he said, his face once again the picture of impassiveness.

"Yeah." she agreed.

She rose to her feet, and swivelled to face the emerald eyed teenager on the bench. Before she had really thought through what she was doing, she pecked him lightly on the cheek, before turning, and rushing inside, leaving a heavily confused Force adept sitting on the bench, ruminating.

...oOo...

'Why did I just do that? Are you a fool? Did you just have some sort of strange brain haemorrhage that causes you to kiss Seppies?' all these thoughts, and more, flowed through Ahsoka's mind at once, not giving her any time to work them out.

"Good news, Ahsoka." Padmé said, "Mina has agreed to suggest a vote to extend a hand of peace to the Republic."

Ahsoka's expression brightened a bit, and she exclaimed, "That's great, Padmé!"

"There is a meeting of the Separatist Senate in an hour or so. Mina will put the vote on the floor then."

Ahsoka smiled, and turned her eyes to the windows that broke the back wall of the room. Beyond them, she could see Marek, still on the bench, turning his lightsaber over in his hands.

"Well then, let's go."

...oOo...

Marek could sense him approaching from a mile away. It wasn't the best idea for Lux to walk right up to Marek after doing what he had just done, but the green eyed boy was too happy to care about it at that particular moment. He would kill Lux when he needed to be cheered up.

"What do you want, Lux?" he asked, with a little less hostility than he normally would have.

His brother stopped a few feet in front of him, and made a grave mistake. He said the wrong thing.

"She's mine." he stated simply.

Marek looked up, truly confused, before asking, "What are you talking about?"

"The Jedi. I saw you two together, and I'm saying 'Stay away from her.'"

Marek rose to his feet, standing a good five centimeters above his brother's height, and said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Lux pushed him, and the backs of his shins slammed into the bench he had been occupying. "Lux, when are you going to learn that your word isn't the only word. If she likes me better, it's your fault. You got the arrogant politician personality, but I got the good looks." Marek goaded.

Lux huffed, and stalked back up to the mansion.

Marek sighed, before turning toward the center of the garden. He pressed a button on his wrist controller, and the ground began to recess. The soil was thrown all over, as an iris door opened in the ground, and his personal starship, the Aeon, rose up from the underground hangar. Although the ship had been grounded for some time, it was in near perfect condition. He had extensively modified all of it's systems, and had added a more efficient navigational computer, and a deadly baradium torpedo launcher. He lowered the ramp, and entered the ship.

"Honey, I'm home!" he called.

Loud beeping could be heard, followed by a crash, before an R-5 series astromech service droid zipped around the corner of the hallway leading from the engine room.

"Get the engines fixed, Homer. when I finally get permission to leave the planet, I don't want to waste any time." he told the stark white droid.

It bleeped several times, and then turned back the way it came.

...oOo...

"How many lives must be lost, on both sides, before we see the futility of this war?" Mina asked, adressing the full Senate, "Surely there is room in the galaxy for Republic and Confederate planets to peacefully coexist. I move to immediately open peace negotiations with Chancellor Palpatine on Coruscant."

A green woman scowled, before snipping, "The Corporate Alliance will never allow this to happen!"

A man stood from his seat and shouted, "This is a democracy, and, unlike the Republic, corporations do not rule us!"

Ahsoka looked down upon the proceedings, a cowl pulled over her montrals to conceal her face, and leaned slightly closer to Padmé.

"They're so much more efficient than the Senate back home, huh?"

Padmé smiled. "That they are, my friend."

She once again diverted her attention to the scene playing out before her.

The hologram of the Separatist Head of State, Count Dooku, raised its arms.

"In accordance with the bylaws of independant systems, a voice vote is demanded. All in favor of opening a diplomatic dialogue with Chancellor Palpatine, say 'aye'."

Dozens of representatives stood and shouted out.

"Aye!"

Dooku spoke again, "All opposed."

The green skinned woman raised her hand, and called out, "Nay!" no others, however, spoke out against the vote for peace.

"The 'ayes' have it." Dooku declared.

Ahsoka noticed Padmé and Mina shoot each other a smile, before smiling to herself and exiting the chamber. She didn't, however, hear what came next. Mina raised her hand, and the chamber fell silent.

"I will go to Coruscant as representative of the Confederacy." she declared.

The silence did not last. The chamber erupted into a cacophony of protests.

"Silence!" Dooku shouted.

"Thank you, Head of State." Mina bowed, and continued, "We will look as if we are not sincere if we attend the meetings by hologram. Therefore, I shall depart for Coruscant when the Senate deems it time."

Dooku nodded. "Very well, Senator Bonteri. I will extend an arm of peace to the Republic, and you shall depart at dawn tomorrow." he said.

Mina nodded. "Very well, Head of State."

With that, the various representatives of the Confederacy rose from their seats, and filed out of the chamber.

...oOo...

"What do you mean, the hyperdrive motivator is damaged?" Marek shouted over the sound of his plasma cutter.

"I mean, Master," Rikhe said, "That the hyperdrive motivator has been fused into the engine housing."

"Yeah, yeah. I heard you."

"Then why did you ask me again?"

"Oy, I've really got to update your humanity programming."

"Why would that be, Master? I seem to be operating normaly now."

"Never mind, just get me a new motivator. Better yet, take one from Lux's starship."

The droid walked away, leaving the fifteen year old alone to his thoughts.

"Damned motivator. Lux probably did it."

Then his mind drifted in another direction, to the Jedi who was visiting.

"She's a Jedi. Enough said to make you hate her. Yet she seems kind, and just. I sure hope she's not affiliated with that Skywalker bastard. That would be bad. Lux is acting like a possessive fool, all because he likes the way she looks. Come to think of it, she's not bad looking. Why would she kiss me. She barely knows me. Actually, barely is an understatement. Not at all would be more accurate."

So engrossed was he in what he was doing, that he failed to notice the orange skinned figure standing over him.

"Boo." she said simply.

He jumped, his head slamming into the engine housing, before responding, "Sneaking up on me, bad idea. If you're not careful, I might Force push you into or through a wall." he said, failing to execute the 'bad joke' miserably.

She furrowed her brow and gave him an incredulous look. 'Damn, shes cute when she does that.' he thought.

"Heh, like you could." she said.

"I probably could, actually."

She turned her attention to the engine.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

He pulled his legs out from under the engine, and stood to his full height, standing several centimeters taller than the Togrutan Jedi.

"Lux fried the hyperdrive motivator. I sent Rikhe to steal his ship's motivator, so I can get this beauty working again." he said.

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I intensely dislike him."

"I see."

They stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, before she spoke again.

"Guess what."

"Ooh, My brother moved away?" he asked mockingly.

"No, you get your wish. You're finally leaving this 'rather dreary' place!" she exclaimed, quite obviously excited.

He simply stared at her, completely shocked.

She continued, "That's right, you are transporting Padmé, your mother, your brother, and I to the Republic capitol, Coruscant."

"Well then, I'd better get the ship fixed." he said, just as Rikhe stepped into the engine room.

"Master," he said, "I stole the motivator, and have finished installing it."

Marek smiled. "Rikhe, sometimes I wonder what I would do without you." he said.

He leaned out the doorway, and shouted, "Homer, get this baby prepped for flight!"

Hope you all liked it. I'm still looking for a good Sith name, but I'm leaning in the direction of Darth Malus. If you've read this, you should know I've revamped the first chapter, and I strongly recommend you go and read it again.

Please review.