KNIGHTS OF THE LIGHT:
THE FIRST JEDI
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Star Wars whatsoever. George Lucas does. I do, however, own the original characters (some I don't, though ^_^.) and the fic all of this is in. That is all.
CHAPTER NINE: Two days later
"I know you probably don't trust us now, Mica. But you have to." Ja'rof Venn's voice said from behind her. Mica did not answer her brother. Instead, she kept her eyes closed and her body ridged. "Say something, damn it. You have been sitting there for the last few hours without moving or speaking. I am beginning to wonder if you are part of the forest."
"Ja'rof, there is nothing I have to say to you or Al'het." Mica said coldly, not even blinking her eyes open.
"What about mom?"
"Nor her."
"Why her? She did nothing to you or did we."
"She let father kill my twin. She stood by while he slaughtered my master. You two helped him destroy what I had worked so hard for at that time. Now you are going to do it again."
"Mica, we had to! It was either that or banishment!" The Twi'lek Jedi took that moment to open her eyes so that she could stand up, open her eyes, and turn to face her older brother.
"You bastard! You were only thinking about yourselves! You have lived your lives on Ryloth while I managed to survive out here. I nearly killed myself in the last six years because I though I was the one who killed my sister and my master!"
"Mica, listen." Ja'rof whispered, climbing over the log and to his sister. Mica kept her hardened gaze on him, her eyes narrowed. "We didn't go along with father because we wanted to."
"Let me guess. You were forced, right?" Ja'rof shook his head.
"We went along with him because we had to cover up where you had gone in the last few years. Mica, he knew about the force running through your blood. He knew even before you were born. That is why he didn't want you to be a Jedi. That is why he killed your master."
"Sure he did."
"Look. Father is also Force Fused. He never got the training he needed so his power ran cold. He can't even lift a pebble without the use of his hands."
"If you say that he was Forced Fused, why wasn't he trained?"
"You know how rare Twi'lek Jedi's are, right?"
"Yea."
"Most Twi'leks do not leave Ryloth much less the Outer Rim. In order for him to be trained, he had to be sent to the Jedi Council on Courscant. Our grandparents did not want to lose a son to the Jedi's because they did not want to lose their power on this planet. Most Force Fused Twi'lek children are not realized until it is too late. By the time he was realized by others, it was too late for him to be trained."
"Did he know?"
"In a way, no. Grandfather did not tell him he was fused. He only told him that the Force skips every other Venn family member."
"Why tell him that?"
"Grandfather knew that father wasn't the one who is to bring peace before this universe. He was only thinking of greed and power." Ja'rof took several more steps towards the other but she backed up.
"Don't come any closer. I can, and will, kill you if you do." She said, quickly placing a hand on the silver hilt of her saber. Ja'rof stopped, watching her closely.
"Don't you trust me?"
"Why should I? You could be lying about whole thing. In fact, you probably are. Father has you under his spell."
"Mica, you seemed so trusting only a couple of days ago. Why did you change so suddenly?"
"You really think that I would get all untrusting on you in front of the other Jedi?" Mica spun around, on her heels and started walking towards her Temple.
"Really? You think that I would automatically tell father where you are? You think I would go in search of you and just find you like that?" The Twi'lek stopped for a moment, her lips pursing together. She turned her head around to look at the other.
"I am sure that father knew where I was the whole time. He probably just didn't want to come after me cause he just wanted to delay."
"Mica, you are so wrong. We were looking for you but in the wrong places. We had an idea as to where you were but we could not show our thoughts to father. He would have come here instantly and killed you. You should know that by now."
"I am sorry, Ja'rof. I can not trust you now or ever. That is one thing that you do know." With those words, Mica turned her head around and walked towards her Temple. Ja'rof sighed and sat down onto the ground beneath him, the night sky glittering above him.
***
Tien Rienheart stared up at the ceiling, his hands behind his back. A light blanket covered his body as the moonlight shone in from the open window that was next to his bed. The rest of the room was bathed in darkness around him, though there was a burning candle on top his nightstand. A few shadows played on the walls but not enough for the Jedi to hide under the covers.
He was thinking about things. What had happened several days ago. It was not the fact that there was something about Mica's past that kept him awake. Sure, he had something's that he did not want the other's to know. Hell, most of the Jedi's at the falls had something that they did not want to share with the other's. But, it was the fact that the Twi'leks past had caught up with her. Even though Tien was sometimes overwellemed about his own past, there was other things that he had to be worried about.
A soft clicking sound made him come out of his daydream. He sat up and looked out into the clearing. Standing only a few feet away, Katie Kenobi stood, her arms crossed over her chest. From what he could sense, she had been standing there for a while. Tien growled something under his breath and opened the window.
"Katie, what are you doing here?" He hissed out.
"Come out here. There is something that I need to talk to you about." Katie answered, not moving.
"Can't it wait until light? Jedi's need their sleep too, you know."
"I don't care. It's important." Tien sighed and climbed out of the window. He quickly jogged up to her, a pissed off look on his face.
"What is it that you want to talk to me about that couldn't wait?" The younger Jedi pointed up to the sky. "What?"
"He's here."
"Who's here?"
"Mica's father. I can sense him. I can tell he is ready to come down here. He may be on the planet by light." The other smiled.
"Ah. Finally." Katie placed her hands at her sides, tilting her head as she did so.
"Why are you so intent on protecting Mica?"
"She is one of us. I would do the same to anyone else."
"All except for me." Tien glared at her.
"What do you expect me to do? Hand her over and say 'Here she is, sir. Do what you want'?"
"That is a option that should be considered."
"First off, I don't care what options you have to offer. Second, you may be of Kenobi blood, but that does not make you any less of another Jedi on this planet. Third, Mica as more power then all of us combined. After all, her spirit in the wrong hands could be fatal."
"That is a chance I think we all should take. Don't you?"
"No."
"Damn it, Tien."
"Why do you hate her so much?" The Jedi asked, his face hard.
"Why? I'll tell you why!" She shouted out, balling her fists. "I can see what you too have. I can see it in your eyes. You love her."
"Love her?" He asked, confused.
"Yes. That is what I said."
"Maybe I do. Maybe I love Mica. There, I said it. Happy?"
"Well, then. Now that is in the open, don't you think you should have considered other people's feelings?"
"Katie, are you saying that you have feelings for me?" He inquired.
"Ah, the great Tien Rienheart finally figured it out. It only took you six years to do so." She spat out, glaring at him. She turned around, stomping away, leaving Tien to wonder what the hell just happened.
***
Kage Venn stood at the bridge of the ship, his clawed hands clasped behind his back. He stared out of the window that sat in front of him, a hateful expression on his face. He watched the stars twinkle in the black blanket, his eyes narrowed. There was no one moving behind him as he was the only one on the ship. At least, at the moment.
The Twi'lek knew more then what he was told. He had figured out that his two sons and his wife had gone down onto the planet that was just below him. He had figured that they had told his only daughter already. He knew that they would be prepared for him or whatever he was about to do. At least, what they thought he was going to do. In fact, he hoped that they would.
Kage smirked, his eyes gleaming with the knowledge of finally finding his daughter and being able to revel what he had kept inside of him for many years.
CHAPTER TEN:
As first light came to the Planet Bob, things were tense. The forests, lakes, flowers--everything felt the mists of battle that was about to take place. The winds blew lightly and the shades of night slowly faded away to the light of dawn. The creatures of the planets peeked out of their homes, some not venturing out of their havens. They understood what was going on in the outside world and chose to watch from the comforts of their own homes.
Once the dews of the morning dried, and the mists of the fog started to lift, six figures were seen walking from the forests. Mica, Kloud, Crysta, Domi, Siri, and Tien walked in a straight line next to one another, their faces hardened with their tasks that laid ahead. Each had their lightsabres on their belts and held their heads up high, walking towards their destiny. Dark clouds were in the far distance, far enough to allow some early sunlight filter in. Yet, even with this light, there was darkness. In the shadows of the forests, a lone figure waited. He saw the line of Jedi's stop in the middle of the clearing, their eyes staring straight ahead. As they did, the dark one did not move. He waited patiently, his eyes trained on one of them.
"Where is he?" Domi whined, looking around nervously, placing a hand on her lightsabre. The rest did the same, their eyes moving around some as they looked upon one another. Mica stepped forwards, unclipping her own sabre from her belt. She didn't say a word to anyone as she started to walk towards the forest, a set goal on her mind. Crysta looked at everyone else and then started to follow her. The Twi'lek stopped and turned around, her eyes narrowing.
"No. Do not follow." She told them, putting a hand up. The Jedi stopped, looking confused. "I want to do this on my own."
"Mica......" Siri said in a warning tone as she shook her head.
"No. I have to. It is the only way I can know what my father really thought all those years ago." With those words, Mica backed up, and turned around, her arms at her side as she disappeared into the forest. Crysta watched her go, gulping back the tears.
"She is stubborn." Kloud commented, watching what space the Twi'lek had occupied before. "She is going to get herself killed."
"No, she won't. I have complete faith in her. She just needs to find the truth behind her past." Tien said, his eyes gleaming with pride. "If she needs us, she knows how to call. She knows we are here to help."
***
Mica Venn walked along the forest ground, her eyes staring straight ahead. Her body did not flinch as she ducked under low branches and climbed over fallen logs. The Force guided her to where she needed to be, even though she did not know exactly where that was. She had a feeling as to where that might be but she was not certain. After all, this was her father. Someone who would kill her if he had the chance. And, he might take it while he was on the planet.
The Twi'lek stopped in her tracks, her eyes moving to the side. In a instant, before she could do anything, she was pulled back and a sharp blade was at her throat. She put her claws on her attackers arm, her sabre dropping to the ground and her eyes still to the side.
"Well well. Look what I found." A voice hissed into her ear, snickering at the present predicament. "Thought you would be harder to catch."
"Go ahead. Kill me. You have the chance to, father." She hissed out, baring her teeth some. Suddenly, she was pushed forwards and found herself trying to stay on her feet. Quickly grabbing her sabre from the leaves, Mica spun around to face Kage Venn, who had a smirk on his face. "Why didn't you kill me?"
"I figured you'd want that. But, that is too easy. I want to see what you have learned while you were here."
"Really? And why is that?"
"Simple. You were the only child of mine to have any Jedi Training. You should know that by now, Mica."
"Yea, so?" Kage growled something under his breath, bearing his sharp teeth some.
"You know Ryloth law. No female is to be a warrior of any kind." Mica had to sneer at that.
"You are such a fool, father, to realize that Ryloth law does not reach out here."
"At that time, you were living on the planet." The Twi'lek glared at him.
"If you had not found out, I would have been off of Ryloth within the next two months. Once I went past the Outer Rim, you couldn't do anything to me. I doubt any sane Bounty Hunter would go after a seasoned Jedi with a fully trained Padawan. Even if one did, I don't think he would have lasted long."
"If you don't notice, your master is dead." Mica's eyes flared up with anger as her chest began to move up and down with the same emotion flowing through her veins. Kage smiled at her. "Seems like I have hit something."
"You bastard. I know you killed him."
"You are correct. Yet, there is something else you need to know." With swift movement of his arm, the other Twi'lek pulled a hilt of a lightsabre out of his cloak and ignited it. The black blade came to life and illuminated his face. His daughter backed up some, surprise now appearing on her face. "Yes, I am a Jedi too. Actually, a Dark Jedi because I never really like being a total Sith."
"How? You had to have training....."
"It was easy. I knew I was Forced fused when I was a child. My parents didn't know about it at all until it was too late to be realized. But, by then, I had been around enough traveling Jedi's to learn how to lift things in the air, do some good enough Force moves at the time, and learn how to use a lightsabre." Mica growled something under her breath as she ignited her own sabre, the while blade sliding upwards. She twirled it around several times, her eyes on her father, who still had the smirk on his lips. "I would love to see what you can do, daughter. I have spent many years getting my own strength and powers to what they are now, probably longer then what you have been doing."
"Let's go...." The girl sprang forward, her eyes blazing.
***
Scarlet Venn flew from her own ship on the other side of the cabins, her eyes wide with fear. Behind her, Ja'rof and Al'het were close to her and feeling some sort of panic inside of them. They ignored what was around them, only caring about what had already started. All three had to get to Mica before anything happened to her.
Scarlet took in a deep breath and ran a little faster, the fog now totally disappeared from view. All that was left was enough visibility to see almost into the approaching forest and the Jedi's that were standing several feet in front of it. A couple turned around to see the Twi'lek female rush past her and towards the forest. One went after her and pulled her back to the rest of them.
"Don't go in there." The one who had her, named Kloud.
"I don't care! My daughter is in there! She could get killed!" She shouted out, struggling to get free. Her son's slowed down to a jog then stopped altogether. They took in deep breaths as they breathed hard at the same time.
"I know she could. We all do. But there isn't much we can do without her signaling us to help her." The one called Domi said as she stepped in front of her.
"I was the one who trained her. I have faith in Mica. She knows what she is doing." Tien spoke up from next to Crysta. Scarlet kept struggling, not listening to what the other's were saying.
"Kage is stronger then her! She is only a child!" She screamed.
"Strength isn't the only factor to being a Jedi, Scarlet. You also have to be smarter then the other and know what you are doing with the abilities that you have." Siri said, walking up to her. The Twi'lek stopped moving and looked up at the Jedi. "Kage has the Force running through his body, just like the rest of us Jedi. But, it is not the Light nor the Dark side. It is in between in what we refer to as the 'Dark Jedi'."
"What's that?" Al'het breathed out.
"A Dark Jedi is not of the Light or of the Dark. He or she has both sides of the Force running through their bodies at the same time. While he or she may help either side whenever they chose to at a certain point in their lives, they are being pulled between both Light and Darkness. Each side tells them to do one thing while the other tells them to do something totally different.
"As a Dark Jedi, Kage can feel the hatred of a Sith but the compassion of a Jedi. He can allow certain things to go by him but he has to somehow force himself to overpower the opposite side. This is where Mica's abilities come into play. Since she is a full Light Sided Jedi, she can use that to her advantage. She does not have to listen to both sides of the Force like her father does. But, she is not immune to everything Kage throws at her yet she has the upper hand in the fight."
"Why is that? If Kage is a Dark Jedi, and has both sides in him, why does she have the advantage over him." Tien took in a breath and answered for Siri.
"I say this for all Jedi's, Dark Jedi's, and Sith, past, present, and future. I may be wrong in time, which will tell us the truth. But, there is only one side a Force fused child, man, or woman can listen to at once. Whatever side that person chooses, then that is the side that person is on. Kage has both in him and both are telling him what to do. He has two things raging a war inside of him."
"I'm confused. What the hell do you mean?" Ja'rof demanded fiercely. Tien looked at him solemnly.
"How old is your father in Basic?" The Twi'lek shrugged.
"Well, by Twi'lek, he is about fifty. In Basic, I don't know. Human's rarely come to Ryloth so there is little reason to use the language or anything to do with it." Kloud took in a deep breath and let his grip on Scarlet drop. The other's looked at him, confused. "What?"
"My guess is that he is near a couple of hundred of years old or older." The Jedi shrugged. "That's by Basic years, I think I could be mistaken, give or take thirty or forty odd years Maybe a hundred or so." He looked at Tien. "Why do you need to know?"
"Normally with a Dark Jedi, both sides beckon him to do whatever the hell they want to do with him. Basically speaking, a Jedi in between can live a normal life, helping either side as they choose. The Force is strong in them but it isn't like if he or she was a full Jedi or Sith. They do not have full power if they were. But, after time, the war between the sides get's a little rough on their bodies after a few decades."
"Meaning what?"
"Meaning, Kage could die wither or not he brings Mica down with him." Scarlet dropped to her knees and took in several breaths. She looked around, a single tear going down her cheek.
"No matter what, one will die. I may loose Mica again." Tien looked towards the forest, his eyes piercing the darkness. He could feel the heat of the battle yet he did not go in. Not yet. Mica had not called for their help.
"Scarlet, listen to me." The Jedi turned around to face her. "Mica will not die. She has a lot of power in her. She just doesn't know it yet. Her heart won't let her. The truths that she upholds won't allow the death blow to harm her. She can do it. She is a Jedi. She is a Knight of the Light." He sighed, his eyes closing. "May the Force be with her....."
CHAPTER ELEVEN:
Sweat dripped down Mica's face as she stared intently into Kage's eyes. The blades of the sabre's clashed together in a spectrum of Light and Dark as their bodies moved together like a dance. Light spiraled down onto the two, spinning into a web of vines and branches. Whatever was in the way of the two were pushed back with their bodies or the Force, barely giving either scratches.
"Give up, damn it. You can't last much longer." Kage growled at her as they backed off. Mica took in a deep breath, disigniting her sabre. She clipped it back onto her belt, a light smile on her lips. The other looked at her, tilting his head and showing a hint of confusion. Then, he laughed. "Silly girl. What are you planning on doing to me?"
"This...." She whispered, closing her eyes. She started to pull the Force into her body, a light of blue starting to engulf her body. The Twi'lek did not open her eyes as she continued to pull it into her body, the aura becoming more of a darker shade of blue.
"What the hell are you doing?" She could hear Kage's own sabre retracting. Then, the sound of pounding feet came towards her as Mica suddenly opened her eyes. She jumped out of the way and onto a log just as Kage flew past her, not letting go of the Force that was in her body.
"I may not see you but I can still sense your presence." She closed her eyes again, pulling the Force into her body even more. The aura started to go even darker as she scrunched her nose some at the motion of the Force that was in her body. Another ring of laughter came to her ears.
"Foolish. That is what you are. I think you are using the Force to make your body stronger so that you can beat me. It won't work." Mica snapped her eyes open and raised her right hand up. She opened her palm and narrowed her eyes, the aura spinning all around her. Kage laughed some more, shaking his head. "Nice, Mica. Very nice. But, this is the end for you." His face became serious and he stopped laughing. "You have failed again. You couldn't save your sister. You couldn't save your master. Now, you can't save yourself. It's your fault that they are dead. It's your fault you are killing yourself."
"You don't know how wrong you are, father. I have learned a long time ago that their deaths weren't my fault. I have learned to live with my past and the fact that I can't change it. Kitt once told me that the Force is the same inside of us, wither we are Jedi, Sith, or a Dark Jedi. But, I can see where the flaw is in that. It does not include you. You are not the same."
"Shut up and let me end this now so you can die."
"You are right about one thing father."
"And that is?" Kage laughed out.
"This will end." Mica smiled and let go of the Force that was pent up in her body. Like a fireball, the Force flew from her hand and screamed towards Kage. He stopped laughing, his mouth dropping open. His eyes went wide as the flame pushed his body backwards, not giving him a chance to jump out of the way. He was forced back at a fast rate, hitting some smaller trees before he was finally jammed into the trunk of a tree.
Mica stopped the flow of the Force as she jumped down from the log and took in a deep breath as she went to her knees. The blue aura faded from around her as she let out the rest of the Force on her own. Her hands went to the ground as well, trying to keep her body from falling. She managed to raise her head up to see where her father was at. The Twi'lek shakily stood up and started to limp towards the tree where her father had been forced to.
By then, Kage had slid down to the forest floor and was laying there, motionless. A trickle of blood was going down the side of his mouth as Mica walked to his side and kneeled next to him. He looked up at her, some anger still inside of him as he tried to sit up but could not.
"Wha....what have you done?" He choked out. The Jedi did not answer as she closed her eyes and gently placed both of her hands over his chest. She stared to bring the Force back into her body and a white aura engulfed her. Instead of using it for attack, Mica let the energy flow into her father, the aura now surrounding him. Kage let out a cry of pain but that died down as soon as the Force left his body. He continued to stare at his daughter as the white totally faded and the girl opened her eyes. She did not look at him as she stood up and placed her hands at her side.
"I do not want to see you again. I do not want to hear your name in my mind. After this moment, I am not your daughter and you are not my father. I want you to go back to Ryloth and live there. You will die, knowing that your only daughter is a warrior and is stronger then you. I have healed your wounds. Now, leave." Mica turned her body around and started to walk away. Kage sat up the best way he could and got into a kneeling position. After a few breaths, he glared up at the back of his daughter with hatred gleaming into his eyes. He quickly pulled out a dagger and stared at it for a split second before he stood up. Mica stopped walked and moved her eyes towards one side. No one moved as a gust of wind went past them. "Leave, damn it. I know what you are going to do."
"Really?" Kage, with lighting speed, ran up to his daughter and to the front. He looked at her, no emotions on his face. He got closer to her, their eyes meeting. "You know, you are a warrior."
"Thank you for finally realizing that."
"A warrior of the dead...." He whispered into her ear. Mica's eyes went wide as she felt something cold go into her stomach and fast. She placed her hands there, feeling the hilt of a dagger jutting out. Kage smiled at her and pulled it out quickly, watching his daughter stumble backwards as she looked at her blood stained hands. "Goodbye, Mica. Tell Kitt I have sent his Padawan to join him."
"Not if we have a say in this." A voice snarled from behind him. Kage spun around to see Al'het and Ja'rof standing before him, snarls on their faces. Their father smirked at them.
"You're too late. I have already given her the death blow." The Twi'lek nodded his head backwards. Al'het looked past him as Mica fell to her knees, her eyes looking at him with tears at the base of them. A hand was on her wound, a white aura surrounding it. I see what she is trying to do, he thought to himself, smiling. Mica, don't stray for too long. You will get yourself killed.
"I see you have, father. But, you won't savor this moment for long." Ja'rof growled at him, his eyes flaring up.
"You think I won't? Ha."
"Just.....leave. You no longer are a part of this family."
"If you haven't noticed already, I am still on the head clan. You can't banish me."
"Not anymore." His eldest son said, smiling as he placed his hands behind his back. "I took the liberty of removing you from the head clan before we left."
"You can't do that. The only way to be off of the head clan is if I die. I am still pretty much alive, thank you every much."
"Brother, head clan members don't like Twi'lek Jedi's too much do they?" Al'het shook his head, the smile still on his lips. "It was simple to do, really. I figured you had some sort of secret that you didn't want to tell us. Our sister's twin figured it out before she did, so you killed her. Mica's master found out as well, so you killed him."
"It wasn't the fact that Mica wanted to be a Jedi. It was the reason that you were Force fused yourself and someone found out about your little secret. So, you killed them and had Mica banished, figuring she knew and would be dead by the time she got out of the Outer Rim." His young brother finished for him.
"Very good, both of you. I commend you for doing something I would never thought you would have the courage to do so. But, now that you know, I have to kill you so I can go home." Kage hissed out, taking several steps towards his sons. They did not move. Instead, they tried to hold back their laughter. The Twi'lek stopped and glared at them. "What the hell is so funny?"
"Well, it's a couple of things really." Al'het said, biting down on his bottom lip. "See, you can't go back home. We personally had you banished from Ryloth for disloyalty to your family by going after another one who was banished."
"WHAT?!?" He screamed out, fuming.
"And, another thing..." Ja'rof said, leaning forward. "Look behind you."
"If this is trick...."
"Oh, it's not. I think you will be pleasantly surprised." Kage let out a snort and spun around. There, standing perfectly still and holding her lightsabre in her hand, Mica Venn stood, her pink eyes glazing over with anger. She walked over to him, giving him a harden smile.
"You are the foolish one, father. I can heal myself too, you know, not just other people." She said smugly. "So, try as you may. You can put as many wounds in me as you can but you can not kill me. I have learned how to use the Force for more then just fighting."
"You little bitch." Kage growled out, about ready to lunge towards her.
"I wouldn't do that if I was you. Don't forget, there are other Jedi just outside the forest. I just need to give the signal and they will come running in here like a hungry rancor." Kage looked over his shoulder at his sons then back at his daughter, a look on his face that showed more anger in him then that was inside his body.
"What are we going to do with him now?" Ja'rof asked her, wondering. Mica thought for a moment before she answered.
"Easy. We send him back to Ryloth, tied up. The head clan will know what to do with him."
TO BE CONTINUED.......