A/N: Had a little problem with my computers, so that's why this took so long. As some of you have pointed out in the e-mails, it seems that Raynar had what appeared to be an OOC moment in the last chapter. After learning that Durrei had caused several wars all over the Galaxy and didn't warn his superiors. Well, let me assure you that he did alert them, but I wasn't going to mention this until a later chapter. I didn't want anyone to get the wrong impression that he wasn't acting heroically, so that's why there's this message.

Please let me know if there is anything I need to change. Thanks in advance and please enjoy.

Chapter 20

Herios sector, K749 system, Pzob

1

Zomil fired his blasters at Tiu Zax, who dodged them and leapt into the air and sent a wave of Force energy toward the Defel, who recognized the attack instantly and dove to his left side, avoiding it completely. Snarling, Zomil shot at her again when he got back up, but all of the blasts were deflected by Tiu's lightsaber, which she had not used in the fight until that moment.

A rage filled Zomil's mind, and he slowly found himself tapping into base desires that he had long suppressed during his time away from Reuss VIII. The fury would not be sated by mere battle, but by finding a way to reach to his opponent and slash out her vocal cords, this robbing her of the chance to scream when he bit her neck and drained her of blood so that he could—

—NO! Zomil reprimanded himself. Must not give in to this. Is bad to lose control again. Must find way to move past faults and then save at least Tiu Zax. Is good, no?

Instead of attacking him with her lightsaber during the momentary reprieve, Tiu brought out her weapons and shot at him, forcing him to blast the first one away with precise blaster fire and allowing the second shot to graze the fur on his right shoulder, the site of a past injury that he had sustained during a brief misunderstanding with an Ergesh. Howling in pain as he felt the impact of the blaster bolt, Zomil closed his eyes, as he heard the crowd cheer at his injury and gained a new hatred for members of the Tasari species when one cursed at Zomil for causing him to lose credits on who would strike first blood in the duel, as his Nalroni companion laughed.

Falling to the ground, Zomil could hear the crowd begin to chant the phrase, "Finish him off! Finish him off! Finish him off! Finish him off!"

He looked up at Tiu, who was standing away from him, pretending to be wary of his fall, as a means to give him some time to get back up again to buy them some more time. Zomil then turned his eyes to find Malinza Thanas looking at him with terror in her eyes. He could tell that she was there to save him, but that she had fallen victim to Gumbrak's machinations, just like he had when Tiu and he had been so easily bested by members of the Exchange.

Pain is too much, he thought. Is losing mind. I am losing my mind. Too late now.

Struggling against his instincts, honed from years of dueling, Zomil roared into the air as he ripped off his upper garments, revealing his black-gray fur, tattered from his lack of being able to maintain its natural luster due to recent events. Tiu noticed his sudden change in attitude and ceased moving, as she studied his eyes, which glimmered in the night with a crimson malice.

"Zomil cannot stop himself, Tiu Zax!" Zomil cried out. "Kill me and go free!"

"I would never do that!" Tiu screamed at him. "A Jedi fights to preserve life, not to kill it! We'll think of a way to get out of this together, Zomil, just hang on!"

"Is too late for Zomil. I am sorry."

Rushing at her with his claws prepared to slash her, Zomil leaped as he gave out a large shriek, a customary Defel move to make during battle, one that he had not used in years, not since he had killed a young Riileb along with her Rishii, Vernol, and Srrors'tok companions on one of the many illegal dueling rings he had fought in on Ukatis. Tiu reacted by faltering to her right and then pushing Zomil away with the Force into one of the nearby rocks. Shocked at her actions, she went to investigate the body, but she found out almost too late that Zomil had been largely unaffected by the attack, barely getting past him once again to prevent her fragile neck from becoming exposed at the hands of the crazed Defel, who was beginning to foam at the mouth from some sort of mental degradation that had occurred the moment that he had lost control of his mind. Zomil snarled at her and began to move toward her once more, so she leapt away from him in order to obtain the chance to get some sense into him.

"Zomil!" Tiu shouted out as she took out her lightsaber and ignited it. "You must regain control of your mind or all is lost! You are not a killer! You are a force of good in this Galaxy! Please don't make me kill you! I don't want to harm you!"

The crowd booed Tiu for her declaration, and she found herself the target of more thrown food, this time from an Ubese crime lord and his Ukian bodyguards. Angered at the repeated use of tossed food, Tiu picked up a collection of stones with the Force and hurled them toward her assailants, who scattered in different directions, leading to a Multopo bodybuilder to send a small Carosite flying into the stadium itself, where he yelped and scampered away to avoid being apart of the fight, just as Tiu felt a pain in her neck when her choke-collar restricted her windpipe.

"Naughty, naughty," Gumbrak Hoxz's voice said from the Battle Yard's speakers. "Now I would think that a Jedi Knight would know better than to cause civilians to be hurt. Just for that you two can feel the pain that will result in your deaths if one of you doesn't kill the other."

Cursing herself for letting her emotions get the better of her, Tiu watched as Zomil fell to the ground with her, in as much pain as she was from his collar's grip. However, she noticed that his was being released sooner than hers was and panicked.

Seeing his prey on the ground, Zomil lunged at her, slashing her left leg, and causing the Omwati to cry out in furious agony. Seeking to attack her once more, Zomil brought his claws in for her windpipe, but Tiu rolled on the ground and managed to use her good leg to leap away from him and situate herself on a rock formation.

I have to stop this somehow, she thought, watching as Zomil circled around the formation and waited for her to come back down to where he could reach her. But how?

2

I'd rather fight the Ssi-ruuk and P'w'eck again than watch this, Malinza Thanas thought as she dared to keep watching the duel between Zomil and Tiu Zax. Hell, I'd rather go hand-to-hand against a Vaathkree Teräs Käsi master with a Lafrarian swordsman than watch this.

Malinza turned her gaze over to Gumbrak Hoxz, who was watching the fight with his face full of enjoyment, at least as much as could be shown by a Mon Calamari. The former Jedi turned crime lord was not afraid of them, even though they outmatched him three times over, all because he had the advantage in this fight. No matter what they did, all Gumbrak had to do was threaten to activate the choke-collars and both Zomil and Tiu would die.

What can we do? Malinza asked herself. What hope do we have of getting them out of this place alive? Gah, I hate having to go through these things! Zomil's gone feral! I've never seen him act this way ever before! What could have triggered this response? How would it happen?

"Isn't it magnificent?" Gumbrak asked, causing Kunra and Danni Quee to turn to face him as well. "Such brutality, such a show of true force, not this aberration some of us wield."

"What do you mean?" Malinza asked. "Some of us? Who else here besides Danni can?"

"He can," Danni said, eyeing him closely. "He's had some prior training, and was able to mask some of it from me, but I found him out. Who are you working for? The Sith?"

Gumbrak laughed and threw his head back. "The Sith? No, I would never associate with those unkempt slugs. They're the whole reason why I was forced into this life in the first place! I hate them as much as you do. However, that would be the last point where we could ever agree on anything. You see, I hate the power I wield almost as much as I hate those who use it."

"That's preposterous," Danni said. "And hypocritical. You use it yet hate it?"

"Preposterous?" Gumbrak repeated. "You are the second Jedi to tell me that in recent days. The first was Shul Vaal; I'm sure that you've heard of him."

"Indeed we have," Malinza said, "and we want him back. Where on Ylesia did you put him? The Mountains of Faith? Peace City? Colony Two?"

"You ask this as if you expect to live out the next few minutes. I wonder, is this human arrogance, or just the foolishness of a deranged mind? I've seen Akwin with better mindsets."

"Foolishness or not, I want answers, Gumbrak. Now, or you'll see why the Eklaad banned me from ever setting foot on their world ever again when I rip out your throat."

"Of course you do," Gumbrak said, returning to watch the fight and ignoring her threat. "Shul Vaal has been placed in a working zone near Peace City where he is no doubt mindless now thanks to the wonders of Exultation. Perhaps you will be meeting him soon, although I have to say that you and Danni would make excellent additions to the dancers for and old associate of mine named Hirth. He's a nice Aramandi employer, good upbringing as well, with a rather large disproportionate love for females of other races in his harems. Does that sound tantalizing?"

"You will take back what you have said," Kunra said, amphistaff near Gumbrak's face.

Danni reached her hand over to Kunra's shoulders and said, "It's okay, Kunra. I don't care what he said about me or Malinza. You don't have to worry about my honor, although it's sweet of you to want to do so for me. Besides, we have Zomil and Tiu to worry about if you end up killing him. I'd rather be taunted for moments than grieve over lost allies for my entire life."

Grunting, Kunra returned his amphistaff to his side and stood in silence.

"Good, perhaps now we can continue this in silence for the—" Gumbrak started, but he paused when he heard the sound of an approaching vehicle. "What now?"

Looking out to where he was staring at, Malinza found herself facing an airspeeder, with Ken and Tash at the helm. Jumping down from the airspeeder, the two somersaulted over to the others, while a command code sent the airspeeder careening into the stands of the Battle Yard, causing the audience to leave for the last time. The Gamorrean guards attempted to keep the peace, but a large group of crowd members led by a small Mrlssi bounty hunter and her Shatra, Kalduu—held in the air by a transportation tube—and Sljee companions, who shot at and killed the Gamorreans in their way, allowing the crowd to flee from the Battle Yard permanently.

Malinza watched as Ken and Tash dropped near Gumbrak and held their lightsabers at his neck, with the Mon Calamari showing no signs of any fear or being intimidated.

"This party's over," Ken said.

3

Zomil felt the rage reaching its zenith in his mind and continued to fight against his foe. In the back of his thoughts, Zomil attempted to regain control of his body, but his old self pushed his feeble efforts away. Tiu was his prey and he was the hunter.

No, he thought. Must be free again. Help is needed. Is sorry, Tiu, for own weakness.

Tiu placed her lightsaber back on her utility belt and fired at him with her blasters, still missing him as she had intended from the start.

"Zomil," she called out. "Help me to help you! Fight back! I need you to fight this!"

He snarled at her and bared his claws, lunging at her once more and missing yet again. Tiu moved to another boulder, but this was one smaller than the last and it allowed Zomil the chance to reach her, and he grasped some of her feathery-threads, and ripped them out, which made her cry out in pain, but she managed to jump away in time before he could attack her once more. Trembling as she felt the wound bleed, barely missing her eyes as it flowed down.

She watched as Zomil stood on the ground staring at her, while a Bosph crowd member yelled at them to hurry it up and finish each other off. Tiu felt Malinza's presence nearby and noticed that she was with a woman she recognized as Danni Quee and a void in the Force that she figured had to belong to a Yuuzhan Vong. She surmised that they had arrived to help them, but had discovered that Zomil and she were forced to fight thanks to the choke-collars.

As she pondered this, Tiu watched as Zomil stood in silence, swaying back and forth every now and then, as if he were fighting himself and forcing his body to stay in place.

Just as she realized this, Tiu felt the presence of other Jedi in the vicinity. Extending her presence in the Force, Tiu recognized the mind of Ken Elegin, but not the other Jedi with him. Looking up into their direction, she saw an airspeeder headed right to them, and watched as it crashed into the stadium, while Ken and his companion jumped to where Gumbrak was.

Confused, she looked back down at the ground, finding that Zomil had managed to get next to her without her knowing about it. He stared at her, the malice gone from his eyes.

"Is sorry, Tiu Zax," Zomil said, "but Zomil must do this. Rules clear: Other must kill, and not self-kill. Forgive me, because I cannot control myself any longer."

Grabbing Tiu's hands, Zomil placed her index finger next to the trigger of her blaster and fired, falling to the ground instantly, dead.

4

"I see that you have me under your control now," Gumbrak said.

"Release them now," Ken said, a stern tone added to his voice.

"I think not, Jedi. They are perfectly fine where they are now."

"Ken!" Danni shouted. "Don't do anything yet! He's got choke-collars on them!"

"What?" Tash asked, still holding her lightsaber to Gumbrak's throat.

"Choke-collars?" Ken repeated. "You monster."

"No, you and all like you are the monsters," Gumbrak said. "The Force is an aberration that is calling out to be killed by those who wield it. But for now, let's watch the fight."

Deactivating their lightsaber, Ken and Tash reluctantly turned to the fight, just as they witnessed Zomil using Tiu's fingers to shoot himself, deactivating the choke-collar on Tiu's neck and making it fall off of her.

"Zomil!" Malinza cried out, rushing to the side of the observation post and screaming out his name again.

Ken watched as Tiu witnessed Zomil crumpling to the ground, lifeless, and then yelled out her sorrows at being the one to end his life. Realizing that a criminal was still near him, Ken reactivated his lightsaber, but was surprised to see that Gumbrak was no longer near them and had Force jumped onto a nearby platform, holding out Shul Vaal's lightsaber.

"You have ruined everything!" he bellowed. "My men are dead and you have destroyed everything that I have worked so hard to achieve! Now die, Jedi!"

Leaping at Ken, Gumbrak held the lightsaber in a wild stance, a telltale sign that he had not used one in years, allowing Ken the opportunity to stab him near the Mon Calamari's heart. Staring at one another, Gumbrak dropped his blade, which shut off and was taken by Danni, who watched from afar as Ken deactivated his lightsaber and brought the Mon Calamari to his feet.

"What have I become?" Gumbrak asked. "I had so much promise, yet I fell."

"All of us have our shortcomings," Ken said, still holding him upright.

"I was a Jedi, one of many trainees. I had promise. I barely survived on Essowyn, where I had helped the Saurton resist Palpatine's might. But Vader came, and scarred me. I was broken. That was when I fell. I escaped his wrath and remade myself into this twisted form."

"You can remake yourself again, Gumbrak. The wound isn't fatal unless you give up on yourself. You can live and fight with the Jedi once more. Join us and live."

Gumbrak shook his head. "I don't deserve it. Beware of the man called Durrei. He will lead the Galaxy to ruin, just like I wanted. Stop him, and give me my overdue rest."

Ken attempted to begin a rebuttal, but he felt Gumbrak's presence in the Force diminish, and watched as the Mon Calamari's body slowly fell down to the ground, dead.

Grimacing, Ken looked up and placed Gumbrak's corpse to the side, as he stood up and said, "Tash and Danni, go retrieve Zomil's body and see if you can help Tiu. Kunra, I need you to take Gumbrak's corpse to the side for now. Malinza…" Ken stared at Malinza, who was still looking at Zomil's body, with tears now flowing down her eyes. "I'm sorry this had to happen."

Danni and Tash jumped down to the Battle Yard, checking Zomil's body as Tiu looked at it in horror, while Kunra placed Gumbrak's corpse away from them.

"I met him on Corwin, only it was Bridin Anchorage then," Malinza said, still looking at the body. "He helped me then. I was by myself and he saved my life there. We were inseparable after that, working together to make this Galaxy a better place. We were going to save Shul and then track down a man named Durrei. Why did this have to happen?"

"I don't know, Malinza, but I can tell you this: We're after the same man," Ken said.

Malinza turned to face him. "Durrei?"

"Yes. He's a Dark Jedi that plans to recreate the Galaxy in his image. He's the reason that all of this has happened to us. As you know, I was led here by a vision to bring anyone that I met to follow me and stop him."

Malinza watched as Danni and Tash returned with Zomil's body and a wary Tiu. "And you think that we are the people you need to do this?" she asked.

"Now more than ever, Malinza."

"Then I'm in. No one arranges my co-pilot's death and gets away with it."

"But where do we go now?" Kunra asked.

"Ylesia," Tiu said. "That's where Shul is. I go nowhere without him by my side again."

"Then Ylesia it is," Ken said, as he walked away and led them back to their ships.

A/N: Chapter 21 will return to Ylesia, with Palazidar plotting with Durrei, while Shul, Garindan, and Maber work to save the people Maber left behind. It should be written fairly soon. Until next time...