Captured

Kes was not as strong in the Dark Side as he would have liked.

His training was still incomplete, so even though he could feel a sort of Force-warning, what the threat was or where it came from was a mystery to him. He crept forward silently, holding his lightsaber at the ready, and trusting his natural eyes to reveal the threat his Force vision could not discern. With a surge of energy that gave way to a dull hum, the red plasma blade of his lightsaber came alive in his hand.

The sense of warning increased. Drawing in a deep breath, Kes pushed his entire will into the Force, searching his senses desperately. As other sounds faded, a sudden footfall reverberated through the Force.

Kes spun to face to face the sound. As he turned, he heard the electronic snarl of a blaster firing. His sword arced upward, neatly parrying the blast. With a low snarl of his own, he dropped into a low guard and awaited the next attack. He didn't have to wait long.

Two more shots fired in quick succession. Kes parried the first and dodged the second as he darted forward toward his attacker.

A broad-shouldered Trandoshan stood up from behind a low pile of rubble, continuing his barrage even as he backed away from the charging Sith.

Drawing on the force beneath his feet, Kes let out a roar as he leapt through the air. His saber slashed downward – and hit nothing.

Kes dropped to the ground where the Trandoshan had stood a moment before and grit his teeth in frustration. He had forgotten how fast Trandoshans could move. A powerful, predatory species, the reptilian humanoids prided themselves on their martial prowess. Kes could sense no Force abilities emanating from this warrior, but that didn't mean he wasn't dangerous.

Recovering quickly from his landing, Kes leapt to his feet and spun to meet the next attack, slashing outward. It was too late; the hulking Trandoshan had closed the distance.

The butt of the blaster rifle struck his wrist. His lightsaber flew spinning out of his hand. He reached out through the Force to call it back; but before it could return, a powerful fist connected with his temple.

His head spun and his vision blurred with the impact. His lightsaber clattered to the ground and shut off. A second blow crashed into his chest, driving every molecule of air from his lungs. For a moment he felt completely weightless, as the ground rushed up to catch him.

But, even flat on his back, Kes was confident of victory. His master had taught him more of the Dark Side than just how to use a lightsaber. He raised his hands, and electricity sparked between his fingers.

The arrogant smirk on the Trandoshan's face turned to an expression of genuine fear as the lightning danced in the hands of the Sith.

Then Kes felt a jolt pass through his body that numbed his muscles and severed his connection to the Force.

A second figure – this one a diminutive blue-green alien whose ears were his most notable feature – tumbled through the destruction and landed on stubby feet beside the Trandoshan. A crooked smile lit up his wrinkled features, and his one good eye looked at the paralyzed apprentice with a hint of pride. In his three-fingered hands he gripped a blaster rifle, clearly set to stun.

They had wanted to take him alive.

With that thought, he felt his consciousness slipping from him. He was only vaguely aware of a powerful hand – with large, talon-like fingers – dragging him away from the sounds of battle and into the shadow of some large building. How could he have been so careless? Why hadn't he sensed the big-eared midget with the cybernetic eye?

And with that question unanswered, the young Sith blacked out. When he came to, he was chained in a cell with restraints that somehow blocked his connection to the Force.

Panting heavily through his bio-mask, Kes struggled against the restraints. As he pulled and twisted trying to get free, he thought he felt the floor moving underfoot. He looked down at the dingey iron plates. Even with his Force abilities blocked, he could tell he was on a ship. It seemed like a transport of some kind, and not a very big one at that.

While his captor had left him his mask, the lightsaber he had built as a child was nowhere to be seen. He could only hope his captors had been too greedy to leave the weapon behind: if it was on board, he would need it later.

He heard the muffled roar of the ship's engines coming online. The ship began to shake and vibrate around him. The restraints jostled and bit into his wrists. Kes grit his teeth, trying to use the pain to reestablish a connection to the Force. But he felt nothing except the rumbling of the ship as it lifted off the ground. Like the master who had taught him to wield it, the Dark Side was nowhere to be found in his moment of need.

His only thought as the ship lifted into the air was that he had made the exact same mistake as the people of Coruscant. The mistake his teacher had cautioned him so often against: he had failed to anticipate his attacker. His defeat at the hands of a common thug was humiliating, and he felt his rage growing as he thought about it.

The ship seemed to hover for a moment. The next instant, it felt as if every molecule in Kes' body was being pulled apart. The ship's hyperdrive engines had engaged. Leaving the ruins of Coruscant behind, the Trandoshan was taking the captive Sith even further from home.