Yes yes I know … terribly late rnt I? I'm sorry! But to make up for it… I gave ya two chaps this time…

Set Backs

Sage looked up at Mace, who was once again climbing up the cliff towards what they had spotted earlier that day before the attack.

She tried desperately to keep her concentration, but the pounding in her head just wouldn't go away.  She closed her eyes and drew in a breath to calm the pain.

"Sage you alright?" Adi asked putting her hand on he shoulder. "You should have stayed back."

The Master shot a glare at her friend. "You should know me better than that Adi.  Z is my first priority and nothing will stop me.  Especially when I can still walk."

Adi sighed. "Honestly. You are about as stubborn as your Padawan."

"You very well know that isn't where I got it from."

Sage shrugged and looked up at Mace who was now looking down at the object they had seen earlier.  He picked up a piece of it and looked at it, his face frowning.

"It is a crushed comlink." He yelled down slowly.  Standing up looked at the piece in his hand and shook his head. "How in the blazes did that get her?"

Hearing this Sage stepped forward. Adi shot a hand out but the teal eyed Master shrugged her friend off and began to ascend the steep surfacing towards Mace.

"What in the stars is something like that doing out and up here?" She asked once she had reached him. She sighed looking down at Adi and Qui-Gon who were whispering to each other about something.

"What in the stars and moons are you doing up here?" Mace asked coolly before handing her the piece he was holding. Bending down he picked up another larger piece. "Well it proves someone was out here. And not to long ago."

Sage nodded. "It is still cool from the shade it was in.  That means that it was dropped or thrown here by someone recently. But how did they manage to crush it?"

Mace looked at her in curiosity. "I think someone crushed it themselves. It does not appeared to be sliced and there are no dent marks from being hit."

"So you are telling me that someone squeezed this thing into tiny little pieces like that."

"I think so…"

She looked around and climbed up onto the top of the cliff and searched the surface.  She swayed slightly as she pulled herself up to the top Sage rubbed her head.

Just keep going… She told herself. Gathering the Force she let the pain go and straightened herself.

Looking around there were a number of out of place things that were easy to notice. A scorch mark from a speeder, fresh footprints, tools…

"Hey Mace…" She called down behind her. "There is a puddle of fresh fuel up here…"  Not getting answer and feeling unease suddenly in her friends Sage walked back to the edge of the cliff.

Walking back towards her partner Sage felt a tremor in the Force a moment before she watched something fly through the air towards Mace.

The Council member whirled around and shot a hand out to catch the round object and his other ignite his lightsaber in a purple blur.

As the small object landed in Mace's hand and bright streak of green electricity could be seen running down the unsuspecting Jedi.  The small stunner was dropped to the ground and clambered down the cliff side as his lightsaber too was dropped to the dirt as well.

Sage bolted out to try and reach for her friend that twisted around stunned from the electricity that ran through him.

"Mace!" She screamed as he stumbled and the collapsed off the high cliff face.  She raced to the edge and looked down at her falling friend. "Come on Mace…"

Reaching out with the Force she tried to slow the falling Jedi.  She could feel Adi and Qui-Gon doing the same from the ground. They gathered it around him in a sling trying to slow the fast free fall. The three slowed his ascent slightly, but not enough.

Mace slammed face down into a small out cropping from the rocky edge with a cry of pain.  Cringing at the fire in his chest and still dazed he slowly tried to raise himself onto his knees.  He seemed pained by every flex of a muscle as he began to rise.

"Mace do not get up!" Adi yelled from the ground. She began to walk towards the cliff, but stopped as she saw the Council member slowly pushing himself up with all his strength. "I am serious Mace! You could hurt yourself more!"

He shook his head and was almost to his knees when his assailant who had jumped after him the Master's lightsaber in his tight grip suddenly flattened him. 

Sage looked down in horror as the red haired man slammed the injured Jedi with his own lightsaber in the head knocking him out.  Mace fell to the ground with a heavy thud as the dirt and sand around his head stained a deep maroon.

She jumped from the top of the cliff anger welling up inside and landed behind the young man standing over Mace's sill form.  The man whirled around startled by the sudden company.  His face was marked with sweat and fear at the furious Master in front of him.

Desperately trying to keep her anger to herself the teal eyed Master lit her lightsaber with a low hum and advanced on the scared assailant.  Her pail skin reflected the glow of the weapon as she quickly dashed after the retreating man. 

The young man stumbled backwards and dropped Mace's lightsaber.  The red slick blood on the top of the hilt picked up the sand as it rolled towards Sage.  He reached for his belt and brought out another stunner ball. Tossing it at Sage he bolted as fast as he could back up the cliff. A swoop's engine roar to life and could be heard taking off and fading out as it speed towards the distance.

Sage spun around and sliced the small stunner in half with a small pop as it connected with the radiant heat from her saber. She turned back to her fallen friend and rushed to his side. 

Bending down she noticed that he was gasping for air…

She stretched out with the Force and could easily tell a few broken ribs were going to be a problem, but one rib was displaced. The Master cursed to herself quietly. She stood up and looked down at her worried companions. "He is not breathing properly. We need to get him help. Now!"

Once the three Master's had gotten Mace down from the cliff the three of them crunched up in the front of their speeder while the Council member lay out in the back still desperately gasping for air.

Sage glanced back worriedly as Qui-Gon took off for town. "We have got to hurry.  He is the one that has more than a bump on the head now."

Qui-Gon nodded. "We knew something like this would happen."

"And we didn't bother to pay any attention to it." Adi finished for him. "But it still was necessary. We know that Showdow must be around that area.  All the clues point to it."

"I just hope we do not get any more set backs then we have had so far." Sage sighed. "We have not had the best luck with anything lately."

She watched the changing scenery as the landscape went from barren dessert to green trees sprouting up and small ponds lay peacefully all around. The city finally came into view as the cracking buildings became larger as they slowly drew closer to the ancient town.

Qui-Gon stopped abruptly in front of the small white medical building and leapt out.  Adi and Sage raced up the steps behind him after the graying Master, with quite a bit of difficulty, picked Mace up out of the speeder.

Sage stopped at the door and peered in before entering.  Something was telling her they better hurry.

Their Padawans needed them… they were once again in pain…

They were connected to the Force…

Adi motioned her inside. "I feel it also, but we must stay here until we know about Mace."

"I know." Sage said dismally. "I just cannot stand the notion that we could be there with them now instead of here of all places with Mace."

"I know." Her friend nodded in agreement. "You know Mace though. This may not be too long to a visit."

"I only pray so Adi."

What Came To Pass: Part IX

Showdow sat in the same chair, staring out the same window, at the same singed field from the relentless fire, under the same pale sun and the same magnificent crescent moon, with the same event replaying in his mind.

They are all gone.

The first blaster shot fired.

Not to be seen again.

His dad running from the table at the sound of his younger son scream.

Burnt to the ground his town was.

The line of carvers defending their families and home.

Condemned to a slow painful, merciful death his family had been.

The howling of the aliens as they were killed or their loved ones shot down.

The Jedi did nothing to help.

The moon rose as the suns last rays flooded over the bloody battle.

They ran, one was hurt.

The crescent's dim light cased down on the dead carvers, the burning houses, and a younger carver watching his family burn.

Jedi said they would return.

Smoke rose from the ashes of what remained.

The Masters never did return. New ones came. It was too late.

They were dead.

Under the moon they died in the fire.

He was the only one left. His clan was dead.

Burnt.

Dead.

Another family took him in.

He needed vengeance. The ones responsible would pay of course. It was the only way he could go on with his life.

His family's ashes were all that remained.

It was all their fault. The Jedi's.

He would be leaving this home soon.

They did not care about anyone, but themselves.

He would get his revenge.

It was all the Jedi's fault…

"Showdow, please." Came a soft voice from the doorway. "You need to eat something."

"I'm not hungry." He spat out angrily.

"You have been saying that for the past two days. It's unhealthy."

"I don't care if I die." The eleven year old turn around in his chair and glared at the elderly carver standing in the door a sympathetic look on her face. "Leave me alone." He said flatly.

"I know it is tuff." She said taking a step forward.

"They all died…" The carver looked back out the window holding back tears. He wouldn't cry. Crying was for the weak ones that could never have control. No tears would fall. He had control.

The other carver went to the door and smiled. "Please come out and eat Showdow."

Shaking his head the young alien stared back out the window at the moon.  The black sky was littered with millions of little stars and in the center of the mix was Zantria's single moon.  The huge crescent cased a crystal light onto the sparsely populated planet. Never did it leave its spot in the endless sky or change it's shape. It would stay like it was forever. Beautiful.

But under the light that shimmers down there would never be a same again. Never would the blackened field be the home Showdow always new. It was now a graveyard. One that held is family. His entire clan except for himself. The ones he loved. Friends, family, Dria…

A happiness turned to short. At a mere eleven years old he was in love with her.  At a mere eleven years old his life was destroyed.

"Why?" He asked the cold air around him. "Why did they have to run? Why did I have to trust them?"

His first mistake. One he would never make again.

"I trusted those damned Jedi! Trusted they would make everything alright!" Showdow fought desperately to keep tears from falling down his pain filled face. "Qui-Gon said everything would be fine. That the threat was merely a way to scare us…" he faded out thinking of the graying Jedi Master. He had put trust into the man immediately.

And the other two Jedi. Adi and Sage.

The two girls for some reason were not as trusting. They were not as open and sure of the assignment they had.

They always were telling the other Jedi it was not all that it seemed. That the other blood carvers were planning something.

They were not to be trusted.

The others were right.

"Why hadn't we just believed them?" The young carver could no longer hold back tears. They streamed down his face staining his dark complexion. He was wrong. The one he trusted.

"One of these days…"

Anger welled up.

The Jedi had betrayed his family.

Boiled in his soul.

Trust was lost forever.

Anger forever in it's place.

The tears would not stop.

They will pay.

Falling to the floor shattering like his heart and life had.

Revenge will be had.

Hatred filled the spots of the tears falling.

Thinking had to be done. Planning of his vengeance. The way he will prove that not even Jedi can get away with murder. No one can.

Water hit the floor. Shattering staining the light wood as the tears had the past nights since the attacks since all was lost to the fire.

Things had to be plotted. Painful things… memories the hurt would be brought back, agony would be felt.

One last tear. Representing the last of his weakness. The last drop held his warmth for anyone or anything. The black in his heard was all that was left. The ice the flowed through his veins crept in and the fire that flamed in his eyes marked the start of his now only way of life.

The Masters will regret their actions. One was hurt they said. They had to get help. They couldn't help the dying cause a Jedi was all but injured.

They were left to die like animals. Inferior beings to the Force sensitive ones. The 'Masters'.

The Jedi would pay.

Sooo how was that lil trip into Showdows mind?? Hehe I luv making up the character… wait does that say something about me?? ::evil grin:: than again I did just clamp out Mace… Till Later~

Peace Out