Chapter Sixty-Four

Qui-Gon hammered with his lightsaber at the shield surrounding Rukal. He also struggled to defend himself against the spinning and whirling weapons which Rukal hurled at him, none of which touched the priest within his dark side shield.

Some, however, had gotten through to Qui-Gon. He bled from both arms and there was a cut across his forehead. Some of the blood dripped into his eye.

Qui-Gon knew his only hope lay in getting through to Rukal so, even as he battled to ward off the weapons circling and wheeling and spiraling towards him, he continued to beat at Rukal's shield. Scarlet flashes of energy erupted from its surface as Qui-Gon sought a breach in it.

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As Neeshin and Obi-Wan made their way through the citadel, Neeshin was impressed by the young Jedi's fighting skills. However, he also noted Obi-Wan went out of his way to avoid killing anyone.

Neeshin, on the other hand, had no such qualms. He coolly jerked his dagger across the throat of one of the mercenaries who had attacked him. The man's lifeless body slid to the floor. Neeshin stepped over it and followed the Jedi down the corridor.

Another mercenary jumped out of a side door and fired at Obi-Wan. He easily deflected the blast with his lightsaber, then Neeshin ran up and shot the mercenary in the head.

Obi-Wan continued down the corridor. Two of Rukal's acolytes leapt at him from opposite ends of the hallway. Rolling, Obi-Wan dodged them, jumped up in the air and kicked them both sharply in the face. They crumpled soundlessly to the floor.

Neeshin ran next to Obi-Wan and looked down at the unconscious acolytes.

"Nice trick," he said.

Obi-Wan smiled slightly. Suddenly his eyes widened.

"No, master, don't!" he cried.

"What's wrong? What's happened?" Rukal asked, shaken by the look of horror on the young Jedi's face.

Obi-Wan didn't answer. He turned and ran down the corridor, his robe flying out behind him. Neeshin followed.

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Qui-Gon called upon the Force as he continued to strike at Rukal's shield. He sensed the shield was weakening, but not enough for him to get through. Qui-Gon grimaced as sweat poured down his face. Rukal was using the dark side against him and, as the Jedi Master knew all too well, the lure and the seduction of the dark side was that it was often much stronger than the light.

Rukal grinned at him through his shield, his eyes crazed. As Qui-Gon continued to strike at it, his only thoughts were of Cian's rape and torture at the hands of this mad man, his only emotion an overwhelming despair at his having failed to protect her, and his only desire to destroy the thing that had harmed her.

Suddenly an image flashed in Qui-Gon's mind; it was of Cian smiling up at him the night they had arrived at Shiro's villa, her lovely face glowing with delight, her beautiful dark gray eyes mirroring the stars which had shone above them. Then that image was replaced by the way she had looked in that bleak grim cell Rukal had put her in; her face bruised and battered, her eyes empty and lifeless.

Rage swelled within Qui-Gon at the harm which had been done to her and it swept him along on a colossal wave of anguish which was comprised of all the years he'd had to watch as the innocent suffered and the guilty went unpunished.

With his grief and fury roiling within him like a storm-lashed sea, Qui-Gon gave himself up to the rage that seethed within him. With a strangled cry, he drew upon the dark side of the Force.

A torrent of power surged through Qui-Gon. His lightsaber was a blur as it ripped through Rukal's dark side shield, cleanly severing the priest's left arm.

Rukal screamed and fell to his side. He clutched the stump where his arm had been.

The weapons which had been flying about the room clattered to the floor.

"Do it! Do it!" Rukal shouted, as he stared up at Qui-Gon, spittle flying from his mouth.

Qui-Gon raised his lightsaber above his head.

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Rukal huddled on the floor, pain arching through him. He looked up as the Jedi stood above him, his breath ragged, his eyes pools of blue lava. Rukal realized then that he had underestimated the strength of the Jedi and the depth of his love for the woman. The Jedi was going to kill him.

But, Rukal knew that if the Jedi killed out of anger, he would turn completely to the dark side and become an agent of evil. Perhaps, Rukal thought, as he waited for the death blow, though he had failed with the woman, he might still have a gift for Lord Sidious after all. A Dark Master of the Jedi.

"Do it! Do it!" he shouted.

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Obi-Wan entered the room where he had sensed Qui-Gon was in trouble. The sight before him made his mouth go suddenly dry.

His master, his face burning with rage, stood above Rukal, his lightsaber raised above his head and poised for the killing blow. Obi-Wan could feel the dark side energy swirling about the room.

He ran over to Qui-Gon and grabbed his arm.

"Master!" he cried. "Don't! Don't do it!

Qui-Gon turned and looked down at Obi-Wan. When he saw who it was, the dark madness fled his eyes.

"Obi-Wan?" he said softly.

"Please, Master. Don't. She would not want it."

Qui-Gon shuddered, took a deep breath, then slowly lowered his lightsaber. He powered it off, then dropped heavily to his knees. Obi-Wan knelt next to him and put his hand on his arm.

"Obi-Wan?" he whispered. "What have I done?"

"It's all right, Master. It's over now."

Neeshin ran in, his blaster in hand.

"Is he all right?" he asked Obi-Wan as he looked down at Qui-Gon.

"Yes, he'll be all right now." Obi-Wan jerked his chin to where the priest lay moaning on the floor. "Check on him."

Neeshin holstered his blaster and walked over to Rukal. He gazed down as the priest glared up at him, his right hand clutching the stump of his severed left arm.

Glancing over at Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, Neeshin saw the young Jedi was busy helping his master to his feet.

Neeshin turned back to Rukal. He knelt next to the priest and pulled his dagger from its sheath. He showed the blade to Rukal and was pleased when he saw froths of fear foaming in the man's eyes.

Neeshin stared at Rukal for a moment. Then, with a feral smile, he quickly thrust the blade into Rukal's heart.

"This is for her, you bastard," he said softly.

The priest groaned, his eyes widening from the pain.

"No!" Obi-Wan shouted when he saw what Neeshin was doing.

Neeshin held the knife in and twisted it. He then pulled it out and wiped it on Rukal's gown.

He stood and gazed calmly over at Obi-Wan.

"Why did you do that?" Obi-Wan cried.

Neeshin looked over at Qui-Gon. The two exchanged a long look. Then Neeshin shrugged and put the knife back into its sheath. He gestured with his head towards Qui-Gon.

"Ask him. He knows why." He walked out of the chamber.

Obi-Wan looked up at his master.

Qui-Gon's face was set in stone, his blue eyes like ice as he looked over at Rukal's body.

"Let's get out of here," he finally said. The two men turned and left the chamber.

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From his vantage point on the ridge above the citadel, Darth Maul looked through his electrobinoculars as the two Jedi and the Jalatan soldier came out of the citadel. Maul had just landed on Jalat but, when he had received no answer from Rukal through the comlink, he'd decided to reconnoiter the area before making his presence known.

He watched as the three made their way to a shuttle. The shuttle then took off and headed east. Maul clipped the electrobinoculars to his belt and made his way down the ridge. He entered the citadel.

He soon found the Jalatan priest. He walked over and looked down at him. His arm had been severed, apparently by a lightsaber. He could also see the priest was dead, stabbed through the heart but, just to be certain, Maul kicked him viciously in the side.

Rukal did not move. His eyes gazed sightlessly up at the ceiling. Maul grunted. Good riddance, he thought. He had never liked the arrogant priest.

He turned around and took a deep breath. It was obvious the woman was gone and his master's operation on Jalat compromised. Soon the Jedi and the Jalatan military would return to ferret out what Rukal had been up to and who he had been working with. Maul knew what was required of him.

He left the chamber and moved swiftly through the citadel, killing any of the remaining mercenaries and acolytes. He then returned to his ship.

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When Maul had finished placing the bombs about the citadel, he left. When he gauged he was safely enough out of range, he pressed the button on the remote controller.

The citadel exploded. Maul waited until the dust and smoke had cleared to be sure nothing remained of it.

He then got into his ship and took off and, as he flew away from Jalat, he thought about the two Jedi he had seen coming out of the citadel; the tall one with the long graying hair and the younger one with the braid signifying he was still a padawan.

A master and his apprentice. Maul had itched to confront them, for he was eager to test his skills against the Jedi. However, as he took his ship into hyperspace, he recalled Lord Sidious' words to him whenever Maul would press him on the matter.

Patience, my young apprentice, patience. Soon we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi.

Maul smiled as the starlines streaked about him.

Yes, soon, my Master. And then we will have our revenge.

To be continued...