Chapter 7-The Swoop Race and Escaping Taris

The next morning I awoke feeling sick to my stomach with what I presumed were nerves from the upcoming race. I quickly got out of bed climbed into the shower and stood there for a good five minutes before washing and drying my hair. After showering I got out and wrapped my towel around my waist. For the first time since arriving I took a look in a mirror, my unfamiliar jaw contorted into an 0 of shock. I was definitely a lot older than when I had left. My previously athletic chest had become far more muscular and toned, with the most toned six pack I had ever seen in my life. My jaw dropped open and I staggered out towards my bed. I grabbed my shirt and realised how tight it had gotten. I decided not to wear my armour as I though it would be too conspicuous. I strapped my own vibrosword to my back grabbed a moisture packet and set off to the track. I met Darius on the way nodded at him, he clapped me on the back and through his shirt I could see a concealed heavy blaster. We split off as we reached the swoop pit. I nodded at Bastilla who was being held in a cage at the other end of the pit, he nodded back and I headed over to the Ithorian who had trained us. He told me to go and start one of my heats. Without a word I headed over to the starting pit at the very end of the swoop pit. Passing Bastilla on the way I looked over, she was wearing an outfit similar to the one from the game but much more revealing. I quickly looked away and walked down to my swoop bike.

As I started my engine I could immediately feel it had more power, I took a deep breath again and felt the same effects as in training. I started and was done in the fastest time that swoop track would ever see. I ran out of the track and into the pit and saw Matt look at me with a look of pride I smiled and ran over to the announcer.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMAN it appears as if we have a winner, this rider has logged the fastest time ever seen on this track. Give it up for Angus McWilliams and the Hidden Beks winners of this years Taris opener!"

The pit erupted in applause and cherring, "and now to present their prize the leader of the black Vulkars Brejik"

"I'm afraid no prizes will be given today, you see this republic officer is not just a soldier. But a jedi! And the Beks rider cheated using a prototype swoop accelerator stolen from me!"

Matt piped up "Brejik you fucking liar!"

"Vulkars to me kill them all!"

A battle erupted, with my still heightened senses I saw Matt pull his blaster out and nail two of Brejiks bodyguards before focusing on the ones around Bastilla, I pulled my blade and charged Brejik and his last bodyguard. I easily parried a blow from one before ducking and cutting the backs of his knees making him fall to the floor, I just as easily dodged another blow and felled the last bodyguard leaving Brejik as the last standing in the swoop pit. He pulled a blaster and shot at me from point blank range. By this time Matt had freed Bastilla and they were both watching with baited breath. The shot sounded and they gasped.

I had lifted my hand instinctively to cover my face and when I realised I wasn't dead I looked to see why, The blaster bolt had stopped right before hitting me! I nearly fainted in shock, but realised I had no time to ponder this as brejik was still alive. I waved my hand and the bolt dissipated. I sprinted at Brejik and tried to decapitate him but he had already pulled his sword and parried it easily, He swung at my legs but I jumped and cut down onto his left shoulder, slicing his arm completely off. He screamed in pain and nearly fell to his knees bit carried on fighting with his right arm. Then we locked in a grapple and I sliced down chopped his hand off. His weapon flew up into the air and I grabbed it before turning on the now kneeling Brejik. I put my swords across his neck in an X shape and despite cries from Bastilla cut his head off. The blood spurted into my face but I didn't recoil, and without noticing it I had a faint smile on my face as I took the final cut.

As I was cleaning my face off Bastilla came storming up to me. " What the hell did you do that for?"

"Um he was trying to kill me, I thought it would be the best thing to do"

"Its not the jedi way to kill an unarmed prisoner"

"You think he would have been as kind if he were in my position?"

"No, I suppose that's true. Anyway how did you block the blaster shot?" she said with steely eyes as if she were trying to reach into my head.

" I have no idea, was just instinct I guess…."

"Remarkable for one so old to have such force affinity" Bastilla mused to herself.

"WAIT WHA! Are you saying I can use the force?"

"Yes, you and your friend here with the proper training….I'll need to speak to the council on Dantooine, come lets go. I hear Carth is waiting for us"

When we returned to the apartment Carth indeed was waiting for us, along with Mission Zalbaar, and Sian fully revived by the looks of it. There was also a huge man with his back to us in the corner.

Carth said first "Thank god you guys are alright, we were worried, and Bastilla you're alright. Well we have a plan to get off of this planet isn't that right Canderous?"

The big man who I previously hadn't recognised turned around and it was Canderous Ordo. "Yes, in fact I do have a way of this planet but it wont be easy"

He went into his speech about the Sith base, whilst he was doing this I started to feel woozy and I tried to get to one of the beds along the wall. I just managed to make it to one before collapsing in a heap on it.

I was automatically transported to what looked like the bridge of a ship. I was by some kind of computer terminal reading things off a datapad, whilst talking to what looked to me like a sith officer! "Has Malak's ship arrived yet?"

"No sir, his estimated time of arrival is 2 minutes"

"Very good soldier back to battle station"

He snapped off a salute and ran back to his station, I turned and walked up to the window of the bridge. I saw two republic capital cruisers with their guns firing at the ship I was on. My hand fell to my side and started fiddling with what was there. I looked down and realised it was a lightsaber. I heard a door opened and whipped around. I saw a man wearing a robe and a mask with his hood up. I realised to myself it was Revan. For some reason my character bowed. Then the door smashed open and six Jedi ran onto the bridge with their sabres ignited. I sprung to my feet and ignited mine, followed quickly by Revan. Just then I felt a rumble followed by a crash and something fell on top of me I collapsed to the floor and the last thing I saw was a woman with a yellow lightsaber standing over me and Revan. Then my vision went blurry and I passed out.

My eyes blinked open, and I was in a different place completely, I was in a bunk on the side of a small room with very dim lights. I jumped out of my bed and nearly fell over before recovering my footing and walking down the strange corridor into what I presumed to be the main lobby area, before I realised that I was in the ebon hawk and we must be in the air above Taris. I walked into the cockpit and found Carth and Bastilla on the controls and Matt standing behind Bastilla. Matt noticed me " Oh you're up, goodo we are gonna need you to get on the gun turret and take out the sith fighters, we'll fill you in later"

I nodded and ran off down the corridor, I looked up and saw Canderous looking down at me "get on that damn turret kid!" I shimmied down the ladder and sat in the chair I was tilted forwards and I grabbed the joystick. I presumed it would be pretty simple…point and shoot, spray and prey all the way I though smiling to myself. I didn't have long on this thought as I heard Canderous' voice through a headset in front of me, I pulled it on and began scanning the sky for sith fighters. "Okay kid, we need to hold these fighters off till we can make the jump to lightspeed, you up for it?"

"Of course ive been waiting for this part!" I said happily down the mic before realising what I had said and shutting up.

"What do you mean? Ah never mind first group coming in fast take em out!"

I swung the joystick around and looked for the fighters, I saw one whizz past my vision and squeezed on the trigger. Damn I was too slow! I turned and the same happened again. A voice from the other end "Come on kid I'm on three already"

I laughed "Okay Canderous you're on!" I took a deep breath and tried to call on the same power I had at the swoop track. My hand reached out to the stick and I snapped to the closest group of fighters and fired off three shots it left a pile of smoking rubble in space. "Neck and neck Canderous" I said joyfully. Before snapping off two more shots and finishing off the last of the fighters just as the stars and lights blurred into lines across my vision "WOOHOOHOO" I screamed down the microphone "we did it Canderous!"

"alright don't get cocky kid" he said with an air of resent as he knew I had five fighters shot down to his four. We climbed back to the main corridor and walked to the main lobby of the hawk talking about the battle. "Cmon kid it was beginners luck" Canderous exclaimed.

"Okay okay, it was just luck" I said with a wink at the end.

We got to the lobby and and took our respective places around the table to hear what Carth or Bastilla had to say. I took my place to the right of Matt, with Carth to my right and Bastilla to his left. Bastilla spoke first "We need to get to the Jedi enclave on Tatooine I have some…questions to ask them about the events of the past few days"

"That's a ridiculous idea, we need to get back to Courascant and tell the republic to mobolize! What do you think Matt?" Carth retorted

"I'm not sure, I think we need to go to Dantooine, I want to know more about this 'force affinity' Gus?"

"I agree with Matt"

And with that Carth stormed off to the cockpit followed by Bastilla and Matt, Canderous wandered to his place in the garage, Zalbaar took his place by the central rotunda and Mission walked off towards the east dormitory gesturing for me to follow her. I did so with a surprised expression on my face still thinking about the vision I saw on Taris. Taris. By now it would have been destroyed, I must have missed the whole sith base and the fight at Daviks. But thankfully I hadn't been up when the Sith had started bombarding the planet. Just then I remembered Taris was Missions home. I walked up to her and before she could start talking I pulled her into an embrace. She started crying and hugged me back. After I don't know how long of this we went and sat on one of the bunks in the wall.

"Are you okay Mission?" I asked, genuinely concerned about her.

"I'll be alright, thanks Gus… anyway what I wanted to talk about was you, what happened back on Taris? You just passed out in the apartment"

"Well yeah, about that" I told her about what happened at the swoop track and then about my vision.

"Well, that sounds very strange, I don't know how I could help I don't really know a lot about Jedi and Sith. Oh my god I almost forgot, we picked up another person on Taris. He's out cold in the medical bay"

I drew in a breath, and let it out slowly. Could it be James…. Could the same fate have befallen him as it had me. All these thoughts were whizzing round my head. Mission must have picked up on this and said "Do you want to go see him?" I nodded and followed her out of the dormitory.

When we got to the med bay there was a figure on the bed in clothes that looked a lot like mine. I turned him over and sure enough. There he was James, my best friend.