Chapter 21: Shadowhunt

"The blaster...need it, you do not."

Jas glared up at the tiny alien, it did not move from its perch, content to simply sit there while he held his sidearm pointed at its green head.

Even as he did so, he realized how foolish he was being.

This was not some smuggler or mercenary he was threatening, this was a Jedi Shadow! Shadows were the order's executioners, they were trained to hunt and slay rogue Force users, and what was Jas Dar Bynn if not a rogue Force user?

The realization made him shiver.

The only reason why his head was still attached was because the little alien did not wish him dead, at least…not yet.

If he attacked, the shadow would be on him in seconds. The Jedi would draw his yellow blade, and that would be it. Jas could resist, try to fight, but he did not like his chances, not one bit.

This is how I die, he thought morosely, no trial, no real chance to defend myself.

My death is here, and it has come in the form of this strange little creature.

The Jedi shifted slightly on his perch, small clawed feet dangled off the edge of the book shelf, it did not look dangerous, but that was what made such agents of the order so effective.

How many people would look at this Jedi and not see a threat?

Quite a few, he suspected, at least until the little being drew his lightsaber.

It was then that you would see just how fearsome a shadow could be.

All the stories he had heard as a child about the shadows came back to him in that moment. The order's hunters had been the bogey men of the younglings, the ones that would come for you if you misbehaved in any way.

Jas took a deep and cleansing breath.

He was not a child anymore, and there was something far more important to him than his own life.

He focused on the alien, trying to keep his voice cool and even.

"Where is Prynn?" he demanded, "What have you done with her?"

The little Jedi sighed; he looked more insulted than angry.

"Harmed the woman, I have not," the shadow replied, "Gone she was, when I first arrived."

He shook his head.

"Too late to help her, I was."

Jas blinked

He had not done this?

He had not torn Prynn's apartment apart?

Of course he didn't, the rational side of his mind chimed in, a Jedi would not need to result to such tactics. As a Jedi he could have simply asked for Prynn's help, she wouldn't have refused him, not given her history, and had she decided to resist, he would have used the Force to compel her to help him, Shadows were said to have the most powerful wills of any of the order's agents.

Few beings could resist their Force persuasion if a shadow desired something, they would usually get it.

No, Jas realized, the shadow had not done this.

But if not him…then who?

"What happened to her," he asked the Jedi, "Do you know?"

The Jedi nodded.

"See for yourself, you should."

He pointed down at Prynn's dinner table, the place where Jas had sat twice before, where he and Prynn had sat and simply talked.

It had been nice.

It had been right here that they had shared their first kiss. They had been cleaning up after eating, she had leaned into to scoop up one of the empty plates, and he had moved in to push it closer to her. They had been too close, their noses had touched, and then, after a few giggles and awkward smiles, their lips had met.

The memory now made him shudder, that first kiss had been so shy, and yet…so inviting. It had been a taste of things to come. They had gone out again the very next night, Coop had scheduled the Folly to leave for Balmorra the next day, and Jas had not wanted to wait, he had needed to speak with Prynn again, he had been curious if she had regretted the kiss. It had been a self-conscious fear, but he could not help it. He had come over, so that they could talk, not that they had done much talking.

They had been out together three times, before that, and Prynn had not wanted to wait anymore. She had pulled him into her apartment, and that had been it. They had spent the next two hours in her bed making slow passionate love. The lessons that Jas had learned from Char Valenthyne had come in very handy that night. He had more than satisfied her. Prynn had cried out in ecstasy several times…he had been more than a little smug about that the next morning.

Those memories brought him no comfort now, all he felt was worry, fear for the beautiful young medical student, the woman that he had chosen…the woman that he might...

Just three little words and he had not been able to say them.

He reached out with the Force, noticing a small round metal object sitting on the table, the only thing that had not been tossed on the floor like it was worthless. He pulled it to him, and as soon as he had it in hand, he knew what it was, recognized it.

No, he thought.

No…not like this.

He tried to keep from throwing up.

Why now, after all this time…why now?

It was a puck, a bounty puck. Basically an electronic wanted poster, the Bounty Hunter's guilds handed them out like candy.

The bile rose in his throat.

Oh Prynn, he thought.

I'm so sorry.

He pressed the button on the side of the device, a small hologram activated. The image was grainy, but clear.

It was him or rather, him as he had been five years ago; fifteen years old with a lightsaber in hand, trying to defend Coop, Ellis, and Mother Nuna back on Kuat.

Your fault, his conscience whispered.

This is all your fault!

The image had an audio recording attached to it. It activated the moment that Jas switched the puck on.

"You are a hard man to find, Jedi," the voice was cruel and dripping with arrogance.

Jas had no doubt that he was hearing the voice of one of the kidnappers.

A dead man, the angry little voice in the back of his head, growled.

You are hearing the voice of a dead man.

Jas tried to ignore that voice, to focus on Prynn, finding her, and getting her safely.

He listened to the recording.

It might just be her only chance.

"Here's how this is going to work," the recording continued "we have the woman, so from this point on, you may consider us your shot callers. Come to the coordinates listed on this puck, alone. Do so in one hour. If you do not, we will start sending you pieces of the girl to hangar that you call home."

There was sound like a laugh, a cold ruthless chuckle.

"You have under an hour, Jedi, don't be late."

There was a blast of static, followed by the sound of a woman crying, whimpering in fear or pain.

"Jas! Jas please help me! I don't…don't know what is going on, but please. PLEASE!"

He winced as Prynn's screams got cut off.

"One hour Jedi," The recording repeated, "We'll be waiting."

The image of his face faded, replaced by the location that the hunter wished him to come to.

Jas shook his head.

It's all my fault.

While the message had played the shadow had not moved, he remained on his perch, watching his quarry.

Jas turned to him, feeling a surge of anger for the first time.

"Looks like you are not going to have to kill me," he said bitterly, "I'm guessing these hunters will do the job for you."

The shadow shook his head.

"In my custody, you are," he said, "Go alone, you cannot."

"You can't stop me," Jas shouted, knowing that that was a lie, if the little Jedi wanted to stop him; he likely had several ways to do it.

He glared at the alien.

"Does it really matter how I die?" he asked, "Do you really have to be the one to end my life?"

Jas pulled his lightsaber from his sleeve, he did not ignite it, but he could in a second if needed.

"Prynn is an innocent victim in this; it's my fault she is in trouble. I'm not abandoning her."

"Giving yourself up, meaningless, it will be. Save the woman, you will not," the Jedi said, "Leave no witnesses, these hunters will, take you in, yes, but kill the woman as well, leave no loose ends, they will."

"Then what the hell am I supposed to do, shadow?" he demanded, "I can't abandon her!"

The little Jedi snorted.

"Shadow is being my title, not my name."

He sat up a little straighter.

"Mondar, my name is. Help you, I can."

Jas paused.

What?

Help me?

"You…you want to help?"

"Yes," the shadow said nodding.

"Innocent, the woman is, as you said. Deserve this fate, she does not."

Jas was confused, he…he did not know what to say.

"I thought you were sent to kill me," Jas said, "Isn't that what you do with Dark Jedi?"

The shadow, Mondar, did something strange then.

He laughed; his little feet shaking with mirth.

"A Dark Jedi, are you?"

The little alien shook his head.

"Fear, I sense, yes, and anger too, anger at the hunters, yes. Seek to punish them, you do. Hurt them, for hurting her, you will."

Jas took another deep breath.

"I don't care what happens to them, all I want to do is bring Prynn home safe. You want to kill me once she is out of danger, fine, but until then; I'm not going to stop until I know she is safe."

If he was insulted, the Jedi did not show it, if anything, he seemed pleased by what Jas was saying.

"Yes," Mondar said with a smile.

The hunter did not seem very threatening in that moment, he seemed…curious if nothing else.

Jas got the feeling that he was being tested, that the little shadow had not made his mind up as to what needed to happen with Jas Dar Bynn.

He continued to smile.

"Fear and anger, in you, yes, but contained, controlled, courage as well, resolve, yes. Care for the woman you do? Die for her, would you?"

Jas looked down at his lightsaber; he knew this would likely be a one way trip, if the hunters did not kill him and take his head in for the bounty, this shadow likely would.

"I will try for her," Jas proclaimed.

Mondar tilted his head slightly, his pointed ears rose.

"Love her, do you?"

Jas swallowed hard.

That was the real question wasn't it, it wasn't something he wanted to discuss with the little Jedi, still if it guaranteed his help.

Those three little words, they could change the galaxy.

Jas sighed.

"I'm…attracted to her, I care for her, and…I enjoy spending time with her. That…I think that is how I feel, those feelings they…they are turning into something more, maybe, it could become love, it might become love."

He shook his head.

"This is my fault, I'm the reason she is in this mess. I need to get her out of it, regardless of how I feel.

He glared at the Jedi.

"So what if I love her or not; I know how the Jedi feel about such attachments; I don't expect you to understand."

The alien's expression turned sad. He looked down, not wishing to meet Jas' gaze.

"Understand better than you might think, I do," he said nodding.

He rose from his perch and leapt into the air; he bounced from the wall to Prynn's table, and finally with a flip, landed on Jas Dar Bynn's back.

Jas winced, feeling the claws on alien's bare feet dig into his back. The shadow leaned in; Jas could feel his warm breath on his neck.

"Go, we should," Mondar said, "Not long does the woman have."

Jas nodded.

Yes, he realized.

They needed to go, they didn't have much time.

We need help, Jas thought, I could contact the Folly on my communicator, the crew could...

That thought died before it was finished.

I can't call for help, he realized, the hunter's know about the Folly, what if they have someone watching it right now?

No, he was on his own, just him, the hunters, and this little Jedi that believed he was his prisoner.

Jas sighed.

In that moment, he felt a sense of fatalistic certainty.

I will likely not see the dawn he realized, but for now, at least…

He gathered his courage.

Did he love Prynn, he was not sure, but he would not let her be hurt.

He would bring her home.

He would do it. He wouldn't simply try.

Tonight there was no try.

He would succeed.

She would come home.

IOI

Jas did not dare take the tram or an air taxi. He had no idea how far the hunters' reach might be.

Their best bet was to approach silently, catch the hunters off balance; rescue Prynn and then deal with the threat once and for all.

The location given by the Bounty Puck was inside one of Coronet's larger industrial areas. The age of expansion had increased the need for ships five-fold. The constant improvement on ship design had rendered some of the industrial sectors around Coronet obsolete; at least until someone decided to pay the credits to upgrade them.

Such sectors could sit abandoned for weeks or months at a time. It was in one of these abandoned areas that Jas had been told to go, and so, for Prynn's sake, that is what he would do.

He would go, just not in the way that the hunters expected.

Jas made the bulk of that journey on foot. He used the Force to enhance both his speed and his balance. He leapt from one building to the next. He moved from roof top to roof top, with the little Jedi Shadow still griping his back.

For Jas Dar Bynn, this was a taxing way to travel, it had been a long time since he had used the Force to move in this way, it was not something he did normally, pushing his connection to the limit. It was like exercising a muscle that he had not used in a while.

The result left him winded, but still…he remained determined.

He would not leave Prynn to suffer.

He was going to get her back.

His passenger said little as they made their way. Mondar seemed content to simply watch and wait. After an especially long jump, Jas paused to catch his breath, and gather his strength anew.

"I don't see why I had to carry you all this way," he told the Jedi, "Surely you could have kept up on your own."

Again, the little Jedi laughed.

"Far longer legs, you have, Jas Dar Bynn," the shadow reminded him, "Speed is what is required now, the best way to reach your lady, it is."

Jas nodded.

The shadow was not wrong, still…

He feared he would not arrive at their destination in the best of shape, even if he did rest before going into battle, he feared his strength would not be enough.

He feared that Prynn might already be lost.

He tried not to think about that.

She had to be alright, she had too.

How did this happen, he found himself wondering, I've always been so careful.

Yet, he had said nothing when Coop agreed to relocate their base to Corellia. Being in the core was dangerous for someone like him, especially with such a high price on his head. The Kuati had long memories and large pocket books; they could afford to keep a bounty live, even if the Republic decided to shift a suspect to the ranks of the common criminal.

He had not even really considered the Jedi shadows finding him either. Though a member of the Republic, Corellia's native Jedi were…unique to say the least. After the war of Exar Kun, and the destruction of the Jedi world of Ossus, the Jedi had been reorganized, passing reforms to make the rise of a man like Exar harder to occur. No more would Jedi Masters have multiple Padawans, a master's focus would be on a single student at all times. Kun's master had been distracted, and it had allowed the fallen Jedi to explore things that he should never have had access to. The other reform was the decision to forbid the Jedi to marry. Such attachments were a distraction, and the strong emotions that they inspired could be dangerous, after the war, too many Jedi, who had lost loved ones during the conflict had sought to pay back the few survivors of Exar's fledging Sith Order, the desire for justice shifted quickly to a hunt for revenge.

Not all Jedi agreed with that, the Corellian Jedi had always had their own way of doing things, and they did not intend to stop now. Corellian Jedi had nurtured Force Sensitive bloodlines for years. The green robed Jedi married without fear, and watched over each other, shielding their fellows from the call of the dark side.

The rest of the order had come to see them as radicals, and did what they could to isolate the Corellians. For the most part, the Jedi who wore the green robes kept to themselves, they carried out their duties and reported to the council, but beyond that, they lived their lives and minded their own business.

It never occurred to Jas that one might sell him out.

"How did you find me?" he asked Mondar.

"Watched you for several weeks, I have," he confessed, "Sensed you a passing Jedi Master did. The sense of one growing strong in the Force, but not known to the Order. Contacted me, the master did. After that, not difficult to track down, you were."

Jas nodded grimly.

"If you have been watching me, you know that I have not done anything beyond my work with my crew. I'm no threat to the order."

The small Jedi sighed.

"Not my decision to make, that is. Recognized you have been; your image sent back to Coruscant, it was; believed dead Jas Dar Bynn was for many years."

He felt the little alien shift against his back.

"No threat, are you? Determine that, the council must."

"And if they say I need to be dragged back in chains?"

"Believe that to be your fate, I do not, but do as the council says, I will."

Jas sighed.

In other words, he was out of luck and out of time.

Whatever the council said, that is what would happen to him.

He hated to think that his fate would be determined by people that had not even tried to find him after he had been lost. They had not even looked to see if he had not died.

You have no time for that now, his conscience chided.

Prynn needs you, you remember Prynn don't you?

He nodded.

Yeah, he did.

He would not abandon her.

He continued on, pushing himself through the Force, focusing only on what lay ahead.

They were getting closer to the industrial area; the frames of many ships in the various stages of construction sat both below him, or hovered overhead.

Not so different than Kuat, he thought.

My life with Clan Nuna ended at a shipyard, now my whole life may end in one.

The thought both annoyed and frustrated him.

He was not afraid to die, there was no death, there was only the Force, but the thought of dying because of events far beyond his control, that, he did not like.

He found himself thinking back, remembering the cold voice on the bounty puck; the sick amusement that the hunter had taken in his predicament.

He would not be laughing long.

No.

As he had said many times, he was no Jedi.

The shadow might not like it, but Jas could not say what he would do to the hunters when he caught up with them, he wanted to say that he would let them go when Prynn was safe, but…

Jas shivered.

He felt the darkness again, its slippery presence hiding right at the edge of his consciousness, offering him the power he needed to not only save Prynn but to punish the hunters, and escape the little shadow that now had him at its mercy.

The darkness offered much, and for the first time since Kuat, Jas was willing to take more than a passing look at it.

Do what is necessary, it whispered.

Just let the darkness in, and all that you desire will be yours.

Jas swallowed hard, and turned away…

…For now.

IOI

The hunters awaited him near the hull of a scrapped Republic cruiser.

Jas leapt down from across the street, using the Force to slow his descent. To those that did not understand the Force, it might have looked like he was flying.

The waiting bounty crew was not impressed; they stood in a tense circle watching him closely as he approached.

Jas' eyes narrowed.

They were a rough bunch to be sure.

There were six of them. He saw four humans two male, two female, a large male Weequay, and an Aqualish, all armed and armored.

So far they had not drawn their weapons, yet. He sensed their amusement, the sense that they had things under control.

How little they truly understood.

One of the hunters stepped forward, he was a squat ugly human with a bald head, and a cybernetic cap covering his left ear; perhaps some form of prosthetic.

He flashed Jas an oily smile, a smile filled with dirty teeth.

"I guess you care about your little plaything after all, eh Jedi?"

His fellows chuckled

Jas did not so much as twitch, his eyes and the Force were all focused on the hunters; trying to keep the focused on him...

Keep them distracted, he thought.

Keep them talking.

Mondar had taken off before he had leapt down here. The shadow had promised to locate Prynn and get her to safety

Jas Dar Bynn hoped the Jedi was being honest.

He hoped his commitment to helping an innocent woman was genuine.

All I have to do is buy time, simple.

He smiled coldly, a smile that did not touch his eyes.

"Okay, I'm here," Jas called out, "Let the lady go, you have no more reason to hold her."

Bald head smirked.

"Once you've secured, we will call our friend; he will…let her go."

Jas' eyes narrowed.

That pause before saying they would let Prynn go was quite telling.

Don't think about it, focus!

Mondar will get her out.

Keep them busy; keep them talking, buy time.

He could do that.

Bald head smirked, and threw a set of binders at Jas' feet.

"Cuff yourself; keep your hands where we can see 'em."

Jas used the Force to retrieve the cuffs; they rose up and flew into his hands, several of the hunters tensed.

Jas smiled coldly.

Let them see that I'm not some beaten bail jumper. They have to be careful around me; they have to stay focused on me, and only me.

Buy time.

Keep them talking.

Keep them occupied.

He regarded the hunters thoughtfully, keeping his expression bland, almost bored.

"So there are at least seven of you then," he said, "Last time I checked the bounty on my head was still sitting around thirty thousand."

Jas shrugged.

"Not much profit to be made for a team of seven.

"You would be surprised by what kind of money is out there, Jedi." Bald head said.

Another of the male humans, this one a heavy set man with greasy black hair and a beard stepped up and grinned.

"Lot of people died when you hit that shipyard, nobles had friends and family in those yards.

Greasy hair laughed.

"We will be holding an auction for you, merchandise, see how much the wealthy want to pay for the chance to end you proper, pay you back for death of their loved ones."

Jas nodded.

So this was about revenge, not justice.

He should have figured.

Not all hunters obeyed the guidelines the Republic set down; many took side jobs for the Hutt cartel and other underworld groups. Their prey, or hard merchandise as their victims were sometimes called, was just as likely to catch a blaster bolt as be taken before a magistrate.

It all came down to profit.

Jas shook his head.

He should have expected at least a few private bounties on his head after Kuat, the wealthy families of the planet had the money to spare after all. These hunters would probably do quite well if they held an auction.

Not a bad plan, he had to admit, the Republic wouldn't like it, but it was unlikely that any law enforcement would raise any complaints...

Who would begrudge some rich noble the chance to avenge a slain family member?

"So you are the one that blew up the Kuat Drive Yards?" a third hunter asked, this one was a woman, tall with fair skin, and blond hair that looked quite ragged, like it had been chopped off by a butcher's knife. Her black armored coat contrasted greatly with the crimson skirt she wore, slit up one side to give her more movement.

She stepped forward showing one long shapely leg; Jas looked down, he noticed the girl had a lightsaber on her belt, that, and what looked like a Padawan braid hanging behind her right ear.

In his surprise, he reached out, and the girl reached back. What he sensed in the Force from her was a blend of arrogance and excitement.

This was no Jedi he realized, he could sense the Force within the hunter, but it felt…chaotic, undisciplined.

Another lost soul, he wondered.

She flashed Jas an evil smile.

"Personally," she said, "I think we should forget the whole auction thing, Lief," she said those words to bald head, who frowned at the use of his name.

The lady hunter did not stop there.

"I remember hearing that Targo was looking for this guy. He's got to have plenty of credits stashed away by now, especially after that Possodum job.

She glanced over at her fellows.

"We can sell this guy to Targo Sei, he is sure to pay for him."

"That is not your call girl," Greasy beard growled.

She gave him a savage grin.

"I think that choice is up to the group, don't you?"

Jas listened to what she was saying; she was actually helping him by offering this alternative plan, getting her fellow hunters talking about it, but …

What she had said hit home.

A chill ran down his spine.

Targo Sei, she had said his name.

Targo Sei was alive, he had somehow escaped exile.

Jas' heart quickened at that news, and not in a good way.

Targo was alive.

SHIT!

Jas had given up his old rival for dead years ago, the chance of escaping the rock they had left him on had been remote, the world the clan had abandoned him on had been dangerous, and it should have finished Targo off.

Apparently, that had not been the case. Targo was still alive and loose in the galaxy again, likely a bounty hunter himself...

May the Force have mercy, Jas thought.

He could imagine what would happen to him if he fell into Targo's tender mercies.

Targo had never been the type to forget a grudge, and Jas had given him a reason to hold a big one.

He tried not to think about that now, Targo or no Targo.

He still had to give, the Jedi Shadow more time.

He had to stall.

Keep them talking, maybe get them arguing.

"Is the lady the boss then," Jas asked, "Maybe I can negotiate with her?"

That comment made bald head frown.

"Fallenstar is just hired muscle," he replied, "If you get out of line, she will use her powers on you."

The girl, Fallenstar, smirked.

"I'm pretty sure he is going to get out of line," she said dryly.

She flashed Jas a friendly grin.

"Tell me, merchandise, do you think that little shadow has freed the girl yet? He is a quick little frog I will give him that?

Jas tried to hide his surprise.

Oh no!

He tried not to show any emotion, appear like he did not know what she was talking about, but…

Please, he thought, reaching out through the Force, touching the girl's mind.

Please don't do this.

If she heard his plea she did not acknowledge it, she just kept flashing that shark-like grin of hers.

"What are you talking about, Fallenstar?" Greasy beard growled.

"What shadow," Bald head demanded, "What is going on?"

"There was a Jedi watching the girl's place, likely waiting for this one," she informed her fellows, "Jedi are not the type to let "innocents" suffer."

The girl laughed, the way she said innocent made it seem like a swear word.

"While we have been talking, I'm willing to bet my share of this hunt that the little beast is even now trying to reach Virg, he might even have freed the girl by now."

Bald head looked back and forth between Jas and Fallenstar, her expression morphing into something ugly.

"I warned you Jedi," he hissed.

He started to raise his comlink to his mouth…

"NOOOO!"

Jas threw out his hand, the strongest Force push he could manage slammed into bald head sending him flying. The hunter screamed as he flew back.

The screaming stopped as he struck the back wall head first with a wet crunch.

Time seemed to slow; Jas saw weapons starting to come up.

He pulled his lightsaber, the blade lit, filling the room with violet light.

The girl, Fallenstar, sprang forward, her own blade flared to life; a beam of aqua colored fire.

The two lightsabers hissed as they clashed; Jas found himself staring eye to eye with the female hunter, her eyes were wild and hungry for blood.

"Yes," she hissed, "Fight back, please."

Jas snarled.

As you wish, he thought.

He pushed her back and drove forward thrusting at her head with his blade.

She parried the strike as all hell broke loose.

Blaster fire filled the air, the hunters opened both on him and their ally.

Jas back pedaled, he parried several of the bolts away, but one did manage to catch him in the thigh, making him stumble.

The Weequay charged; it wielded a vicious looking vibroaxe, the kind of weapons that a Hutt enforcer favored.

Jas stumbled back, trying to find his footing, his leg barely responding, he could smell the burned cloth and charred flesh.

He tried to bring up his weapon to block the weequay's attack.

He was too slow.

The weapon started down.

Fallenstar was there. She beheaded the large bounty hunter with a single stroke.

Jas' eyes widened.

The girl had killed one of her own teammates!

"MY BOUNTY!" she shouted, "MINE!"

She laughed hysterically.

"I'm the hero here! I'm the good guy!"

Jas stumbled and went down.

"BLAST THEM BOTH!" Greasy beard shouted

Weapons fire continued, but now it was focused on the girl as much as it was him.

Fallenstar parried the blaster bolts; one caught the Aqualish in the neck.

The other female hunter turned, tried to run. The girl sent a rogue blaster bolt into her back; she fell with a choked cry.

Greasy beard screamed as he tried to retreat, firing his own weapon, still smiling the girl lunged for him. Any scream the hunter might have tried as the blue blade cleaved through his head.

He died with barely a sound.

The factory was silent, only the hum of two lightsabers remained.

Fallenstar looked down on her dead team with disgust.

"Filth, unworthy of hunting a Jedi, much less killing one," she spat.

she turned back to Jas.

She gave him another smile, her eyes flashed with a mix of amusement and madness.

"A Jedi deserves another Jedi, don't you think?"

Jas stumbled to his feet, despite the wound on his leg; he tried to return to a Makashi style guard.

"I'm no Jedi," he said flatly.

"Really, too bad," the girl said with a pout.

Her smile returned a moment later.

"At least you can DIE like one."

Jas Dar Bynn did not try to run; he stood his ground, hoping that Mondar had had enough time, hoping that these hunters had not hurt Prynn.

He would not put it passed this one; he was not sure what she was, but…

He didn't care, she had to be stopped.

He would stop her.

"You want me," Jas said.

"Oh Yeah." Her voice was a hungry hiss, the sound of a snake eager to strike.

Jas readied his sword.

"Come on then."

The girl laughed and lunged forward.

Jas met her blade again, blue and purple collided.

He used all his strength to push her back, push her back and advance.

"YOU WANT TO KILL ME! COME ON!"

He swung at her head, making her fall back, he advanced, his blade spinning faster and faster. The two Force users became a blur, their movements too fast for the naked eye.

She parried his blows again and again, laughing and crying at the same time.

"COME ON!

For Prynn, he thought.

Come on!