(Showdown on the Docks)

Li'Rinna watched from the vents as Areeva screamed and silently cursed her, not that she'd expected anything other than this to happen. Khi-Tyn had told her that her plan on the docks would end in with Nidrass's blood on the terminal, Xe'kor would walk away unscathed, and darkness would cloud the mind of the Jedi. The Weequay came pouring in through the doors and Areeva leaped at them twirling her lightsaber effortlessly through the air.

"She sure knows how to put on a show," Li'Rinna said squinting her eyes at the Twi-lek, "Too bad it's her last act."

Li'Rinna sighed as Kradok became distracted by Areeva's cry for help and Xe'kor got the better of him, she pulled out her blaster rifle and took aim, she knew Xe'kor would pause just long enough to say some final victorious line and then blow Kradok's head off. She shot straight for the blaster; it went flying from Xe'kor's hand as he crumbled to the floor. She'd hoped he'd gotten a thick pair of gloves. A wail erupted from Nidrass as he screamed at his guards even as Areeva cut them down. She knew there was no way he'd tell Kradok what she needed him to hear now, so she aimed right between his eyes and pulled the trigger.

As the bolt struck Nidrass face I turned my attention to the vents where the blaster shots were coming from and even though I couldn't see her I could feel Li'Rinna's presence through the force. I didn't know if she could see me but I hoped she could sense my gratitude. I glanced over to see that Areeva had overcome the swarm of Weequay guards that had been causing her trouble only moments before and I could sense both anger and relief pouring seething from her in waves. I quickly bent down and looked at the charred left side of Khi-Tyn's body; he seemed to be slipping in and out of consciousness due to the intensity of the pain.

"You know if you'd been wearing clothes like Areeva and I have suggested multiple times this would've been much less severe," I tried to lighten the mood.

"Is not it unbecoming for a Jedi to say, 'I told you so'" Khi-Tyn retorted. His breathing was shallow and pain contorted his soft features but there was no doubt some semblance of a glint in his eyes.

I chuckled softly to myself as I thought of Cha'risma, she was exactly the kind of Jedi who would say 'I told you so', "Maybe, but I'm not a Jedi yet so it doesn't count," I replied smugly.

Khi-Tyn's eyes widened slightly as he grabbed my shoulders and rolled the two of us over with impeccable speed, briefly I wondered just how strong a connection Khi-Tyn had with the force. I glanced over and watched a blaster bolt fry the ground where I'd been kneeling a fraction of a second before. I swiveled my head to see Xe'kor had recovered from his injury but he was holding his blaster in his opposite hand and I surmised that while the gloves he was wearing would protect his hands from any permanent damage the pain must have been unbearable or at least enough to affect his aim.

I could feel spasms of pain radiate throughout Khi-Tyn's body from moving his injury to keep me from harm and I watched his eyes went blank and he passed out, I swiftly rolled him off of me and leapt up into fighting position. I momentarily wished Shi'ka and I had gone over lightsaber forms in our training more intently, I could still hear his words ringing in my ears, it was like he was standing right next to me and maybe he was. Maybe Master Teradid was reaching out with the force guiding me from across the stars, I prayed I was right.

"Your talent lies not with the blade," Shi'ka had said during our training under the waterfall outside the temple on Tython, I could almost feel the water beating down upon me like it had then, "but in your ability to bend the force with your will," he said as he knocked my saber from my hands and into the water, "as long as you trust in yourself and your own strength no opponent can best you in battle."

Xe'kor pulled out a second blaster, gripping it in his injured hand, I guessed even though it was a struggle for him to use it he figured two chances at hitting his target were better than one, and he opened fire. I barely had the time to deflect the barrage of bolts so strong they were pushing me back into the corner of the room, I was beginning to doubt whether or not I'd be able to maintain my grasp on my lightsaber. Ever bolt seemed determine to dislodge my grip and I knew it was only a matter of seconds before the blade would take flight and leave me defenseless.

"Let the force flow through you," I could hear Shi'ka saying, "trust in the force and you will succeed."

I opened myself up to the force and cast my lightsaber to the ground beside me. Xe'kor's onslaught of blaster fire seemed to hit a force field in front of me and ricochet in all directions. I saw the panic flash across his face and I could almost sense his thoughts, or more probably the emotional state of his mind, I could sense fear, and doubt, he believed he was going to lose. I was not about to disappoint him.

A dark presence seeped its way into the room and a chill washed over my warm body. My resolve faltered as darkness seemed to cloud in around me; none of the others seemed to notice. Areeva had completely dispatched the guards and Khi-Tyn was awake, they were both staring at me with awe and wonder, Xe'kor appeared to be growing more terrified by the second. There was a feeling surrounding me, emptiness, a sense of hatred and longing. Two dark hands seemed to come out from behind me and a grasp the sides of my face as a deep-seated hunger began to gnaw at my insides. A primal, bestial scream that reverberated along the walls filled my brain as Nihilus consumed my thoughts and desires, every fiber of my being urged for me to run from here, return to my ship, and… put on the mask.

"NO," I screamed at the top of my lungs as I collapsed to the ground, Shi'ka's calming presence had deserted me, in its stead was fire and darkness, an insatiable hunger, torturing my every sensation.

Even as I crumbled to the floor, anguish lit aflame in my soul I could still see Xe'kor, he wasn't aware what was happening in my head but he knew I was down so he seized the opportunity to take me out, I watched as he raised his blasters and knew there was nothing I could do to stop him. Something struck him from behind and Xe'kor fell forward his head slamming against the floor. Li'Rinna stood behind him, she'd obviously hit him with the butt of her blaster rifle in an attempt to render him unconscious. I thought she was successful.

"Khi-Tyn," Li'Rinna said nodding from him to me as she slunk over toward us stepping over Xe'kor's unconscious form on the floor.

I felt Khi-Tyn's warm hands on my face, they were like fire on my skin, I tried to shrug him off but was too weak, "Look into my eyes," his voice was soft in my ear, I didn't want to open my eyes for fear of everything else I would see but when I did all I could see was a bright orange light, and slowly the pain washed away and the hunger died down to an inaudible rumble in the back of my mind.

"Well isn't that romantic," Li'Rinna said mockingly her voice full of condescension and her usual seductive tones.

"Now," Li'Rinna said her voice becoming oddly serious as she turned to Areeva, "we have a score to settle."

"Don't you dare," Areeva bristled as she came to stand by my side. I became concerned that my best friend and the woman I owed my life to were about to kill each other.

"Now, now, now, Areeva, that's hardly the Jedi way," Li'Rinna mocked, her lips doing their strange circular seductive inflection, "and you wouldn't want anyone to doubt your convictions, now would you," Li'Rinna was about to say something else, even as Areeva was about to reach for her lightsaber, when a distinct sound pierced the air. A blaster shot. I watched as Li'Rinna crumpled to the ground and her eyes close, as steam fizzled off the back of her black armor coated cat suit. Xe'kor kneeled holding one blaster with both hands, he'd shot Li'Rinna at point blank range in the back.

Areeva's lightsaber was unhooked in a flash as she leapt through the air and had his blaster sliced in half in a split second. She took her foot and roundhouse kicked him across the room, he slid a few yards of his back after landing. She raised her blade and started toward him.

"We never take a life unless there is no alternative," Shi'ka's calming voice whistled in my ears, "Remember that." As Areeva raised her blade ready to deal the final blow I reached out with the force and grabbed hold of her weapon and sent it hurling with unmatched speed into the wall behind me.

"Why would you do that!" Areeva screamed at the top of her lungs

"We're Jedi Areeva, we don't kill people, we are keepers of the peace, not executioners."

"He's a member of the Genoharadan," she pointed at Xe'kor who was writhing in pain on the floor, "He'll never stop hunting us, hunting you, we have to take him out."

I stretched out with the force and used my healing abilities on Xe'kor's hand, I stood up and walked over to where he lie motionless on the ground and watched as the pain faded from his red eyes, "I know you have a job to do, and I know you'll come after me again, but know this, every time you strike you will fail, and every time you fall down I'll pull you up, I am a Jedi, and I will not kill, now leave this place and tell Drakkus to man up and come after me himself."

I pulled Xe'kor off the ground and he smiled a cold smile at me, "You didn't kill me this time, because you lacked motivation, the 'dagger in the back' if you will, but I predict that should we ever meet again, your behavior will be quite different," Xe'kor eyed all of us, his gaze lingering on Areeva first and then Li'Rinna, he laughed at something as he looked her and shook his head, and then he turned and left.

After Xe'kor left I went over to the terminal and moved Nidrass's body off onto the floor and crossed his arms in a way to honor the dead, I then stepped onto the terminal and began to copy the files, they were all encrypted of course but I was confident that 3C-FD would be able to decode them, I noticed that Areeva was standing over Li'Rinna's unconscious form, so I hastened the download and made my way over to them.

"Areeva, help Khi-Tyn back to the ship will you," I asked her as nicely as I could as I picked Li'Rinna off the floor and cradled her in my arms; I owed her so much today. Khi-Tyn leaned on Areeva for support and slowly the four of us made our way out.

"Rarsk must promise Ssravek that Rarsk get Jedi to help Clan," Ssravek gargled, the Jagganath point earned on Tython were no longer a worthy amount to please Scorekeeper, his warriors needed to be able to travel through space and seek worthy challenges, bring honor to Scorekeeper, but they had long since lost any means of interplanetary travel, means that only the Jedi possessed, "Must get Jedi to allow Clan to use star ships, Rarsk Clan need to bring greater honor to Scorekeeper."

"Rarsk understand," Rarsk nodded, "Rarsk will fight for Ssravek, fight for Clan, Rarsk will help all Clan bring great honor to Scorekeeper."

"Ssravek is glad, Rarsk have the Clan's approval to train as Jedi," Ssravek smiled, "Go earn many points, and earn your way back among your brothers, Ssravek live for day Rarsk return to us."

And with that Ssravek turned off the holochannel leaving Rarsk alone. He could hear 3C-FD tinkering below with the engine. Rarsk was excited when Kradok returned Rarsk would ask for his friend to train him in the ways of the force, of the Jedi, and he had little doubt his friend would say yes. In fact, Rarsk could smell Kradok now; Rarsk let a wide smile split his face. Suddenly, Rarsk was a little suspicious, he could smell Kradok, but he could also smell that he wasn't alone.