Chapter 46: Blood Debt

"We've picked up the transponder signal again, Master Jedi. We are calculating the next jump now."

"Very Good, lieutenant," Sy Dar Bynn said with a confident grin. He had been more than pleased since this mission had begun. The arrival of the Republic Cruiser Defender had given Sy the chance to play hero again.

"You see, brother," he said turning to Jas, "I told you that there was no place in the galaxy that this culprit could hide. He will be in custody soon, and the hostages will be returned safely to us."

Jas said nothing as he stared out the viewports of the Republic ship; watching as the stars elongated, as the ship executed the jump back into hyperspace.

He shook his head.

He wished that he shared Sy's confidence, but in truth…it didn't feel right, none of this felt right.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Something…was off, he could feel it.

This matter would not be settled as easily as his brother thought.

Sy's overconfidence would be his undoing one day. Whoever had kidnapped Vess and destroyed the Righteous was no fool; they had proved that in the ease of their escape.

What was happening now…it made little sense.

Sy Dar Bynn had been extremely excited when they first detected the transponder signal from Vess' shuttle. The ship's hyperdrive was not designed for long range travel; which meant that the kidnapper needed to exit hyperspace to calculate the next stage of their jump, and to give the drive time to recharge.

Every time the ship emerged, it broadcast its location to the Republic fleet. They had had no time to intercept, but they had a trail to follow, leading out into the outer rim.

Jas' brother believed that the man who took Vess and Val likely didn't know this, why else would he have left a trail so easy to follow.

"His first and last mistake, brother," Sy had said.

"We have him."

Again, Jas didn't buy it. It was too easy.

Someone didn't pull off what this person had done, and make such a basic mistake, and if it wasn't a mistake, that meant that it was part of a greater strategy.

That thought didn't fill Jas with confidence.

We're still dancing to the tune this person is calling, he thought to himself, if the shuttle's transponder is still online, it is because it is part of this person's plan. They want us to see something, and if so…what was it?

Jas hated to admit it, but he was afraid to find out.

He tried not to worry, but he couldn't help it.

Vess…Val…

He frowned.

I'm so sorry.

IOI

It had taken almost five hours after the destruction of the Righteous for the Defender to arrive, but that was all it took.

It was all the time that was needed for everything that Val and Lady Dorma had set up to fall apart.

The suitors that had flocked to Alderaan fled, no doubt believing their one and only chance at the throne was now gone. Senator Albin Ross had left with one of them, likely offering a chance to get back in the good graces of his queen.

A wise move on the Senator's part, Queen Adira was the most likely suspect in the kidnapping. House Rist knew that.

Had he stayed, he might have faced some very tough questions, and perhaps…a bit more.

House Rist was nothing if not vengeful to their enemies.

Which had left Sy Dar Bynn alone. Vice Admiral Rakkas had perished with his ship, leaving Sy the only one left with ties to either the Republic or mining guild.

Both Jas and Errol Rist had been extremely hard on Sy. They had questions.

They had demanded answers.

"Was this all part of your plan, Master Jedi?" Errol Rist demanded, "Did you always intend to have my daughter taken?"

"That is not the Jedi way, Lord Rist," Sy Dar Bynn had responded, "I would never…"

Jas had not been so diplomatic, his ship had only just touched down, and he had still been frustrated with his failure to stop the ship from fleeing.

He had grabbed his brother by the collar, and pinned him up against the wall."

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW OF THIS?" He had snarled.

"WHO DID YOU HIRE TO TAKE THEM?"

"Brother," Sy had said, showing fear for the first time, "Control yourself."

Jas had taken a deep breath, but he was not angry, or out of control. Any fury he felt was firmly held by his sense of Jedi calm.

"Who did this," he said coldly, "They had to come from your ship."

He glared down at his twin.

"Is this your greater good, brother? Was this some failsafe you had in place if I didn't deliver on what you wanted?"

"You have my word that I knew nothing about this, Jas," Sy responded, "I would never agree to anything like this."

Jas considered what his brother said, but he didn't entirely buy into it.

Sy had been in a state of near panic at the thought of failing in his mission to deliver Vess' abdication, and in that panic, he might have turned to someone that he didn't entirely understand.

They had little information on what had happened, but what they did know allowed them to piece together a theory. The Righteous had been late in its arrival to Alderaan, they had needed to stop at a shipyard, mechanical trouble.

It was likely there that the kidnapper had first come on board. Alderaani security had discovered the remains of a boarding pod attached to one of the Righteous' escape pods. The ship had broken apart on entry, but its armor had shielded enough to leave some evidence.

Boarding pods were a fairly common technology, single person craft, with a small ion drive and just enough fuel for short hops. It was likely that the person who did this attached to the Righteous, and from there cut their way into the escape pod, and thereby gained access to the ship. They would have needed some kind of icebreaker to slice the ship's computer to prevent any alarm from going off, but that wasn't hard to come by. From there, the intruder would have had the run of the whole ship. The person was likely wearing a Republic military uniform, which would explain why they weren't detected. The Righteous had recently gone through a refit and taken on new crew, so a stranger onboard would not have been suspicious.

What they knew next came from the few survivors of the doomed ship. One of the officers that had managed to make it off confirmed that engineering had discovered several discrepancies within their computer logs. Someone had accessed the crew roster, and made some changes. Once again, this was likely the kidnapper, making sure that he was logged as the pilot for Vess' shuttle. Rakkas had gone to an alert status, but still hadn't locked down the ship, he had been confident that they could contain the intruder, and that his presence would not affect their mission.

Rakkas…had been wrong.

Jas could guess with some certainty what happened next. The intruder had managed to disengage one of the sedative tanks from the Righteous' defense systems, and installed it on the shuttle, rigged it to disperse shortly after take-off; if he had sealed off the pilot's compartment, he would have been safe from the gas while he secured his two prizes. It was also safe to say that some time in his journey he had rigged the two escort ships with explosives, and primed the ion drive on his boarding pod, turning it into an ionic charge, that would disable the ship when he needed it.

The skill that this was done suggested a professional, someone who was not only skilled in sabotage, but knew Republic protocols and procedures. This intruder had also been well informed about the Righteous and its systems, which suggested that they had been hired by someone very high up.

It could have been Senator Ross, or another member of the mining guild, at this point, it didn't matter.

The damage had been done.

Whoever did this was both smart and ruthless. They could have triggered the ion charge at any time and disabled the Righteous, but they had waited until Rakkas had tried to engage, when he was coming down into the planet's gravity well.

That decision had cost the fish both his ship, and his life, and the shuttle had managed to escape in the chaos. The Righteous had been almost a total loss, only a handful of pilots and crewers had escaped.

They had just been lucky that the ship had not come down in a populated area, or the death toll might have been far higher. It had come down onto one of the many plains that dotted Alderaan's surface. The ship had exploded on the way down breaking into several pieces and striking like meteors. It had not been a pretty sight.

The Republic had received a major bloody nose today.

Sy Dar Bynn would never have agreed to that, but as Jas had thought, if he was the one who hired this person, he may not have realized just who he had taken into his employ. A skilled assassin or bounty hunter may not have shared the full plan with Sy and allies.

Jas had hoped that Sy would give them something, a name if nothing else, but it seemed he had been kept in the dark, he knew nothing of any plot to kidnap Vess. He showed no sign of deception through the Force.

Jas shook his head.

So, he thought, my dear brother played the role of useful-idiot.

Sadly, he was not surprised. Sy had let his pride blind him, he should have sensed this intruder, how could he have missed such a dark presence on his own ship? He was a Jedi; he should have felt something!

Sy Dar Bynn's arrogance had been his undoing, the intruder had slipped past him without a glance.

Now that person was away, who knew where they might flee to.

Jas had hoped that Sy would know, that he would give up what he knew.

It might be the only way to salvage something from this tragedy.

Sadly, his brother knew nothing.

They were back to square one.

Fallenstar had not returned with him, she had plotted a pursuit course for the shuttle. She would stop at any planet or station along the ship's last projected trajectory. She still had hope that she might be able to catch it, but Jas wasn't so sure.

Once the kidnapper was away, he wouldn't need the shuttle anymore, if he had a larger ship waiting along that escape vector, he wouldn't need to stop at any planet, or station. The shuttle could have been easily abandoned.

Jas had let his brother go; he could still help. He let Sy reach out to his Republic contacts, they still needed help. Jas tried to contact Tup Secura, the Jedi Watchman needed to be informed about this outrage, he might even have some idea how to proceed.

Jas had tried to speak to Dorma Rist, but she was in seclusion, choosing to stay close to her other children. Rehanna Rist was gone, likely hitting up her own contacts within the Republic; trying to figure out what had happened.

Which had left Jas to work with Lord Errol, he had not spent much time with Vess' foster father in the two weeks he had been here, but he quickly came to see that that man did love Vess as if she was his own. His worry and concern radiated out through the Force.

"Our little ones are only five and six," he told Jas, "Vess was a good big sister to them, they will not understand what has happened."

Jas had no words of comfort for the man. He had not really spent much time with the rest of the man's family. Val had kept him fairly busy.

Plus, he was blaming himself, he had felt something was amiss.

He should have stopped them.

Now, all he could do was try and make up for it. He would do what he could to help Vess' family.

"I'll find them, my lord," he promised, "You have my word on that."

Lord Rist had nodded.

"You care for my daughter, don't you, Sir Jas?"

He turned away quickly, hoping that the Alderaani would not see the flush creeping up his neck.

Did he care for Vess? Yes. He also cared for Val too, and that was the problem.

"I do care for her," he admitted, "And for Val, I won't let you down. I'll find who has taken them."

He had been worried that the lord might push the issue further, but he didn't, to which Jas was grateful.

"Do you think they are both still alive?" the lord asked him.

"I do," Jas replied, if the people that had taken Val and Vess had killed them he would have felt it through the Force. His connection to Val would have confirmed it.

No, she was still alive.

How long they would remain that way, was unclear.

It depended on who had hired the kidnapper, and yes, Jas was fairly sure that the man had been hired.

What they had seen up to this point suggested this had been a professional job. Whoever had done this was well-funded, and very slick.

The only question now, was who paid for it, and what was their intentions concerning Val and Vess?

If this was a matter of ransom, the demand would come soon. If this was a contracted job, they should hear the results soon enough.

If Queen Adira was behind it, she might make an announcement that her niece had been killed, in a tragic accident, of course, but then again, she might not.

Perhaps it would be better if Vessaria simply vanished, never to be heard from again.

If the mining guild was behind this, Jas couldn't imagine them leaving Vess alive for very long. She was a threat to their business, but again, they would try to make it look like an accident, and they would likely seek to remove the person who carried out the job, they knew too much.

Whoever was behind this, the sad fact was that Jas and his allies now had to wait. It would do no good to flail about blindly. As hard as it was to admit, they had to be patient.

They needed…to wait.

It had been while they had been waiting for more news that Sy had informed them that a Republic vessel had picked up the ship's transponder signal. It was moving away from the core, and out into the outer rim.

Sy, being Sy, had taken charge of the investigation and the pursuit. Perhaps he hoped to win back some favor with his allies, they would likely not be happy with the loss of a Republic cruiser.

Jas had insisted to accompany him, he would not leave Vess and Val's safety entirely in his brother's hands. Sy Dar Bynn had accepted, if only to lord over the fact that he was the one who would save the two women.

Jas cared nothing about that, all that matter was Val and Vess.

Finding them, and keeping them safe, was his first, and only, priority.

Sy could have the glory.

He just wanted to get the women back.

It was all that mattered.

It was all he cared about.

IOI

Again, The Defender exited hyperspace, only this time it was not in some random empty system.

Ja Dar Bynn frowned.

A small planetoid floated before them, a rough looking world, and…strangely familiar.

"Report," the Defender's captain called out.

"We are picking up a clear signal from the transponder, sir," the comm officer informed him, "It is coming from the planet's surface."

"Then we have finally run our quarry to ground," Sy said confidently, "Open a channel to the surface, let them know that we have found them."

"I believe that caution would be wiser, brother," Jas said interrupting him, "If they know that we are up here, they might harm the hostages."

Jas pinned him with a cold look.

"Let me go down to the surface, I can find them, and get them out. Then you can do what you want with the kidnappers."

Sy frowned as he considered the offer, he had to know that it was the right call.

This still makes no sense, Jas thought, it was too easy.

The planet had no defenses, and appeared uninhabited, it was a jungle world, and that was about it.

Once again, he got the feeling that they were being manipulated.

We shouldn't have made it this far.

"Very well," Sy said with a nod, "I'll go with you, together we will free the hostages, and end this crisis once and for all."

Jas said nothing, he merely nodded.

In truth, he would have rather handled this matter on his own, he didn't entirely trust Sy in this. He still had a lot to gain should Vess turn up dead.

Yet, I have to trust him, it was not a pleasant thought, especially considering that they were brothers.

Jas shook his head.

You don't get to choose your family. It was sad that Jas trusted Coop far more than he did his own flesh and blood. When he thought about his clan brother, there was both love and respect.

Jas didn't feel that way towards Sy, not knowing what he had done.

He could only hope that his twin didn't have some greater agenda in helping try to save Val and Vess.

Jas nodded.

So be it.

Sy grinned triumphantly.

"Captain, keep the ship in high orbit, block the hyperspace exit point. We will be taking a shuttle down to the surface. We will send word once the hostages are safe."

"As you say, Master Jedi."

"Come brother," he said motioning Jas forward.

"Justice awaits."

They had said little to each other as the ship made its way down to the planet. Jas continued to reach out with the Force, trying to sense Val's presence.

He felt almost nothing, only the merest sense of the protector. She was likely still unconscious, either that or…

No!

He wouldn't think that.

Sy, who was flying the shuttle, looked over at him.

"Fear not, Jas," he said confidently, "We are the blood of Dar Bynn, scions of the Force."

"We will not fail in our mission."

Jas wished that he could be so confident, but he wasn't.

He couldn't shake the feeling that they were walking into a trap.

He didn't sense anything from their quarry down on the planet, it was a rough place, dark and full of predators, and again…

…strangely familiar.

Jas had a brief sense of Deja-vu.

Something about this place…it was…was…

he couldn't put his finger on it.

The shuttle broke through the clouds, revealing a harsh and thick jungle. The transponder signal was coming from a small clearing a few hundred clicks up ahead.

Sy put their shuttle down, far enough away that they wouldn't be detected.

The twins emerged and drew their lightsabers. Sy in his Jedi robes, Jas in his pants, shirt and leather jacket.

Sy Dar Bynn grinned at his brother, the light from his emerald-colored blade illuminating the shadowed jungle.

"We move in fast and quiet," he said, "Our quarry will never know what hit them."

Jas nodded.

"I hope you are right, brother," he said, not really believing his words.

I pray that you are right.

IOI

For the first time in a decade and a half, the two Dar Bynn brothers moved as one, and that was a good thing.

The jungle was a fierce some predator in its own right.

The two young men were dearly tested.

They had only just entered the jungle when they fell under attack, strange blue-faced simian creatures swung down from the trees and tried to stop their advance. The aliens' mouths were wide and full of sharp teeth, their fingers tipped with sharp yellow claws. They were carnivores most definitely. Jas and Sy used the Force to speed them past the troop of beasts, but they were pursued in spite of it, the creatures' howling cries alerting others of their kind.

They had only just made it passed the simians when a creature slithered out of a burrow before them, a blend of reptile and slug, it had massive jaws that snapped at the two Jedi, nearly forcing them back into a patch of what looked like some kind of cactus.

The needles of the plants flexed outward, trying to stab the two men.

Jas and Sy danced around the creature using the Force to shove it forward and down upon the strange plant. The lizard-slug hissed as it hit, but was quickly tangled in vines that seemed to rise up from the plant's base.

Jas shivered at the sight.

The creature's struggles quickly ceased as the tentacle like vines pulled at its flesh dragging great hunks of it into pedal like protrusions that seemed to double as mouths for the plant.

The two Jedi fled quickly, they could already hear the distant howling of the simians, the lizard-slug might have kept them back, but now that it was gone…

"This way," Sy cried out, pointing with a hand scanner, pointing in the direction of the stolen Republic shuttle.

They moved quickly, but also carefully.

Killer plants, lethal apes, slug-lizards...

Jas shook his head.

Why would anyone come to this place?

It was a death trap.

As they finally cleared the jungle, and found the shuttle. They came to understand.

Jas came to understand.

IOI

The Republic shuttle had been brought down in a large clearing; an open area that had been turned into a camp of sorts.

Neither Jas nor Sy sensed anyone around, only the shuttle and the distant sound of the jungle and its many predators.

The clearing had been surrounded by a makeshift stockade; a fence formed from large trees dragged into place to make a defensive barrier. Every so often, along the fence, Jas could make out bleached skulls on pikes.

The simian creatures he realized, someone had piked up the heads as a warning, perhaps a means of scaring off others of their kind.

The two Jedi slipped through the fence with ease, within sat the Republic shuttle, its hatch wide open.

It took all of Jas' self-control not to run up to the shuttle, to see if he could find any clue to Val and Vess' whereabouts.

He approached the shuttle carefully, noticing something else laying on the ground not far from where the shuttle had touched down.

Jas frowned.

He recognized the item in an instant, it was badly rusted and covered with mold and plant life, but he knew what it was.

It was an old weapons case, a Mandalorian designed weapons case.

He shivered.

It still bore the signet of Clan Nuna.

Things were starting to make sense.

He called out to Val, hoping she would respond. Sy called out to Vessaria, no response to either.

They approached the shuttle; Jas kept his blade at the ready just in case, the dangers of this world were making it hard to sense individual threats through the Force.

Everything was threatening here.

Sy beat him to the shuttle, and nearly paid for it.

An animalistic yowl came from within, and something leapt out, Sy dodged, but lost his footing falling to the ground.

He started to bring his blade around, to slice through the fur covered thing.

"NO! STOP!"

Jas's words pulled his brother up short, but also drew the attention of his brother's attacker.

It was Vess' loth cat, it was Claude.

The tiny animal mewed when it saw Jas; it abandoned its attack and went to hide between his legs.

It looked at Sy Dar Bynn and hissed angrily.

Jas almost smiled.

The animal could clearly tell the difference between them.

Vess' pet was the only thing within the shuttle, Jas could still smell the gas used, it made his head swim for a moment, but that was it.

He could see the damage done to privacy screen in the shuttle, it had been badly dented struck hard several times.

Val had tried to save them, he thought, but in the end, she was too late.

They were gone, both of them weren't here.

He shook his head.

The only question now was…where were they.

"Jas! Over here!"

Sy's words drew his attention. He placed Claude back in his pet carrier, promising to come back for him.

The only other thing in clearing was a small military style prefabricated structure, the kind used by the Republic army on hostile worlds.

The two Jedi approached, neither sensed danger, but that meant little in this place.

Once again, someone had gone to a lot of trouble to draw them here.

It was not impossible to imagine that that person still meant them harm, and...

…Jas was starting to get the feeling that he knew who that person was.

Who else could it be?

He frowned.

He prayed to the Force that he was wrong.

The sandy floor of the clearing showed signs of being exposed to extreme heat, perhaps from a larger ship taking off.

Did that mean that the people behind this were gone, or that they had brought friends?

Jas sighed.

Only one way to find out.

A blue light flickered from the structure, there was also a slight hum, it seemed that the barrack had power. As for the glow, it reminded him of a hyper-comm signal, a holo transmission.

Jas kept his distance as he used the Force to trigger the door. He readied himself to jump back if he needed.

The door hissed open, no one emerged, and nothing blew up.

Jas let out a breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding.

Sy advanced first, with Jas covering him. If the enemy did have any surprises planned, they would find two Jedi more than up to the challenge.

They slipped inside; a pair of holograms flickered before them.

Jas' breath caught in his throat.

Char Valenthyne and Vessaria Istillo lay on what looked like two examining tables, they were both motionless, their eyes closed. Each of the women wore a metal headband with a set of blinking lights. Jas thought to call out, but he feared it would do no good.

They were so still, he could barely sense Val in the Force, even with their connection.

A cruel voice emerged from the holofield, it was filled with malice and sick amusement, it was one that made Jas' eyes narrow.

"A pair of pretty little whores you have here, Runt."

A second hologram activated behind them, Jas and Sy both spun, expecting an attack, but it didn't come.

Jas glared at the man staring back at him over the holo, the ghost from his past.

He wore a Republic military uniform, but had never served in the Republic navy to Jas' knowledge. He wasn't as big as Jas remembered, but he was still quite bulky, broad shouldered, and with a thick neck. His brown receding hair was graying at the temples, and his nose was crooked from being broken years ago, broken and never fixed. As for his face, the left side was puckered with scar tissue, it looked like some kind of chemical burn, and his left ear was missing. The damage done to his face gave him a permanent grimace, an even uglier sight considering that he was trying to smile.

The worse was the man's eyes they were a deep blue, cold and as pitiless as the void of space. Jas had only seen them once, before that, they had been hidden behind a helmet.

A Mandalorian helmet.

"You," Jas hissed, "I should have known! What happened to that Republic Cruiser, it reeked of you!

His old enemy laughed.

"Who else would it have been, Runt," Targo Sei growled. Who else would have brought you back here?"

Jas nodded.

Now he remembered how he knew this place. It was the planet they had exiled Targo to ten years ago. The exile that he had escaped.

Jas Dar Bynn shook his head.

The day he had feared had finally arrived.

Targo Sei was back.

The former second of Clan Nuna sneered at him.

"I told you we would meet again," he said coldly.

Jas looked at the holo, back at Val and Vess.

"Let them go, Targo," he said, "You want me, I'm right here."

"Are you challenging me, pup? I don't do honor duels any more, but I gotta say, you look a bit more formidable than the last time we fought."

"You mean when I defeated you? A fifteen-year-old boy ended the short violent rule of Targo Sei."

The Mandalorian sneered.

"You trying to get on my bad side, Jas? Too late, kid, you're already there."

Targo moved forward, he vanished from the holofield only to appear next to the unconscious pair of women.

He smiled as he drew a vibro-blade from his belt.

He put it to Val's throat.

"NO!"

Jas tried to reach out with the Force, stop Targo Sei.

The warrior paused, but still managed to draw a drop of blood, it ran down Val's neck.

She didn't even flinch.

She couldn't move, she might not even have been aware of what was happening!

Targo chuckled.

"Wow," he said, sheathing his dagger, "I actually felt that! I'm not even on planet, and you somehow managed to get me with one of your Jedi tricks."

He shook his head.

"I'm impressed kid. Mom would have been too."

"You don't deserve to say her name," he hissed, "Traitor! Murderer! Kinslayer!"

"I've been called worse," Targo shrugged.

He looked at Val and smirked.

He leaned in and licked her across the cheek.

It took all of Jas' strength not to reach out with the Force and try to snap his neck!

He didn't know where Targo was, and he didn't care.

Don't you touch her!

You stay away from her!

He could once again hear the dark side whispering in his ear, offering him power, offering him the means to crush the Mandalorian traitor once and for all.

Targo frowned.

"I would not try anymore of your tricks, kid," he warned.

He opened up his shirt, showing more scars, but also some device rigged to his chest.

"Know what this is?" he asked, "It is a dead man's switch. My heart stops beating, it sends a lethal electrical discharge through the neuro-disrupter bands I've fitted on these two whores. They will be dead in seconds!"

Jas froze, he could still imagine reaching out with Force, he imagined killing Targo Sei, snapping his neck like a twig…

…but if he did?

Targo's eyes narrowed.

"I'm not bluffing kid. You wanna test that, be my guest. I'll be dead, but so will these two…"

Targo smirked.

"Who has more to lose here? Certainly not me."

Jas frowned, but hearing what Targo's death would mean…it did stop him.

Again, the Mandalorian gave him that crooked grin.

"Nice to see that some things don't change," he said, "You're still a weakling, Jas. You always were."

He shook his head.

"Can't believe Mom coddled you all those years."

Jas was almost speechless, he was so angry that he couldn't form a word, but he couldn't act on that anger either.

Val and Vess would die, and he would become something horrible, something worse that the man standing before him.

"You're a bounty hunter?" Sy Dar Bynn asked.

Targo turned to face him.

"I am, but I've always preferred the dead or alive contracts, the type where the merchandise is worth enough…dead."

Targo looked back and forth between the two brothers.

"I was a bit surprised when I saw this one aboard the Righteous, kid. I thought about including him among my prizes, but that wouldn't bother you much, would it?"

Targo sneered at Sy.

"Heck, you might even be happy if I killed this one. Good thing I left him alive."

Sy ignored the comment, he still wanted to be a hero, he still thought he could talk his way out of this.

"Mister…Targo is it?" he continued, "I'm sure that we can come to some kind of arrangement for the hostages. Surely, the Republic could meet any price you wish to set?"

"Oh, this isn't about money, Sy Dar Bynn, it is about justice, a justice long overdue."

Targo sneered at Jas.

"You stole my life, Runt. You kept me from taking my rightful place as head of Clan Nuna, took my helmet, and exiled me to this rock."

Targo nodded.

"It is payback time, pup."

"Payback," Jas hissed, "PAYBACK! For what?! You aided the Sunset Collective in attacking the Kuat Drive Yards. You murdered your own brothers and sisters. You murdered Mom!"

Jas pointed at him.

"You did this to yourself, Targo!"

The bounty hunter shrugged.

"Maybe, maybe not," he went up to Vess, and ran a finger down her chest, stopping just below her waist.

He turned to Jas.

"Maybe I'll take what you owe me out of these two, their pretty little flesh might go a long way in making me feel better about what I've lost. I've…urk!"

Jas' eyes narrowed.

Targo coughed; his hand went to his throat.

He glared at Jas.

"Stop it, kid," Targo gasped, "Remember the rules."

Jas took a shuddering breath.

He let go with the Force.

Targo rubbed his neck and smirked.

"You want these two back? Come and get them, Runt. I'll enjoy watching you run, and if you do manage to find me, these two will live just long enough for me to kill them in front of you."

He glared at his old clan mate.

"You will know what it is like to lose everything. You will know what it is like to watch your dreams die."

Again, Jas could say nothing, he could just stare…helplessly.

Targo was still smirking; he was clearly enjoying himself.

He turned again to his two hostages, his hard merchandise.

"You could always decide to do nothing, I suppose. I think I could get a good price for these two on Nar Shadda, sell them to the dirtiest, cruelest brothel on the moon? Or maybe I could sell them to a spice den, the addicts love their comfort slaves there, and the syndicates pay top creds for healthy females?"

He smiled pleasantly as he looked at Jas.

"Oh," he purred, "How long I've waited to see that look on your face, Runt. I've already paid Ellis back for his role in my fall, and once Coop sees what a wreck you are when we're done, he will know what is coming for him. He will know the price of crossing Targo Sei."

Jas continued to stare at him, trying not to give into the darkness, and not think of what might happen to Val and Vess."

"Got nothing to say Runt? Aren't you gonna' beg me for the lives of these two?"

Jas shook his head no.

He took a deep breath, and then…

…he smiled.

"Thank you," he said in a calm even voice.

Targo blinked.

"Thank you?"

"Yes."

"For what?"

Jas's smile turned cold and predatory.

"For reminding me who I am. I'm not just a Jedi, or a smuggler…"

Jas returned Targo's sneer.

"I'm a son of Clan Nuna, I may never have sworn the creed, but Mom taught me how to deal with my enemies. She taught me how to deal with traitors."

Jas looked at Val and Vess.

"You want me to chase you, Targo? Fine. I'm coming, but it won't be as a Jedi, it will be as a son of Mandalore. I know about your life as a bounty hunter, tried keep track of your comings in goings, just in case."

Jas leaned in.

"I'm going to destroy everyone who ever hired you, Targo. I'm going to destroy anyone that ever worked with you. You are going to find the galaxy a very empty and naked place; you won't be able to hide for long."

"Big talk, kid," the bounty hunter replied, "But we both know…"

Jas had heard enough.

He used the Force to crush the holo comm unit.

Val, Vess, and Targo winked out.

"What are you doing, brother?" Sy said, "We have to negotiate! We can't just…"

Jas stopped his brother with a single cold look.

Sy was not from Clan Nuna.

He wouldn't understand.

The second holo clicked on again, Targo appeared looking not so confident as he had earlier.

"You don't scare me, kid."

"We will see, Targo."

"You will never arrest me, and you will never save these two girls!"

"I'm not coming to arrest you. That is not how we did things in the clan."

He nodded respectfully to Targo Sei, the kind of nod you gave an enemy; the one you gave another warrior before a duel.

"Put some tea on, Targo," he said using the old Mandalorian threat.

"We will be seeing each other soon."

Targo seemed stymied, he had likely expected Jas to beg or try to negotiate.

Jas wouldn't do that.

The time for negotiation was long past.

"This won't end the way you want."

"We'll see, Targo. Run little womp rat!"

Jas crushed the second hyper comm unit, Targo Sei vanished.

Go on, Jas thought coldly.

Run!

Sy looked at him like he had lost his mind, and perhaps he had.

Jas didn't expect him to understand, this was not something that someone born outside the clan would have understood.

Jas sighed, he felt tired, but determined at the same time.

He turned to his brother.

"Let's go, Sy," he said taking one last look at the where the image of Val and Vess had been.

I'll find you, he thought, I promise.

Something in him clicked.

I love you, he thought, not sure if he meant Val or Vess.

Did it really matter?

Of course, this was not the time for love, or words.

There was nothing left to say.

They needed to get back to the ship.

They were done.

He was not wasting any more time.

It was time…to hunt.