Chapter Two~ The Dark Jedi
Coming into Alderaan space, a dark sleek ship scanned for where its destiny lied and its new destination. He knew he wasn't expected and perhaps even not wanted, but he had to do what he had to do. He was a dark shadow in the living world. Not many people have heard of him and those who have either looked upon him with suspicion or feared him. He was purely an enigma, a mystery that asked for no solution.
As the small black transport ship lowered to the surface, sand like particles were kicked up in a minor fashion, compressed air pressing downward as the landing gear extended downward, the Class-B repulsor lifts gently resting the ship on the surface. The ship touched down on a landing platform that was near Alderia, the capital city of Alderaan.
From the back of the ship, the gangway lowered under hydraulic pressure, and as soon as it had firmly made contact with the ground, a single figure slowly descended. His leather sandals, strapped snug to his feet, allowed air to pass while protecting them from the heated metal on the platform. The straps on the sandals wrapped a quarter of the way up his lower leg, only to keep them securely fastened. With his black cloak, made of a semi- rough but breathable fabric, which reached down almost completely to the ground, seeing his feet was a very rare occasion; with his rarity of appearance anywhere, it was even more so. The sleeves of his cloak covered his arms down to the wrists, and with his arms crossed in front of him, both hands through the opposite sleeve, you couldn't see the scar across the top of his right hand nor the golden ring that adorned his left ring finger ~ a subtle sign of a long-disavowed past.
The hood of his cloak came up and over his head, and with the slightly bowed fashion he generally held his head at, seeing his face was also a rarity. He had a semi-dark, reddish-blonde mustache that wasn't very thick at all, but certainly not thin, and came down to the corner's of his mouth. Probably one of his more adorning features, at least as was told to him long before the Dark Side has befriended him, was his deep blue eyes. Those eyes would, on occasions of extreme anger or hostility, turn to a very dark red with a lightness to them, almost as if a fire were burning in his eyes. His hair, which is also rarely seen, except when he removes his hood, is short, blonde, and combed straight back but as if teased slightly to give it a short, jumpy, and semi-wet look.
On his belt, which is also black, are located a few of his necessary objects. First and foremost is his lightsabre, a double-bladed handle that emits two red blades with a hint of gold in them. The handle itself is made of a silvery durasteel with grayish lines over it, making a sort of a decoration that only is meaningful to the Dark Jedi himself. Also on the belt is a small black colored datapad-like device, useful for getting necessary information on nearly anything he could want. A few small tubular pouches are also attached to his belt, with things such as compressed air tubes, extra-small charges, or other similar devices used for multiple purposes. On the left side of the belt is a small pouch that holds small documents, identification, and other important datapad chips.
He scanned the white city looking around the bright surroundings and adjusting his eyes to the light glittering off the rounded high buildings. He then noticed a man approaching him with the dignified poise of a Jedi Master. The dark one straightened up as he was greeted with controlled dignity from the other robed character.
"Dark Jedi Knight Xekral Prydon, I presume?" the accented man in the brown robe asked.
Likewise accented, the man in black affirmed, "And you are Jedi Master..."
"Obi-Wan Kenobi."
"Pleasure," he said with a bite. The Dark Jedi and the Jedi have not usually gotten along, and Xekral was the only known Dark Jedi in existence at the time. They were not usually welcomed with open arms but with suspicion. This suspicion was of course due to the Dark Side in the Dark Jedi, but the Jedi had not really encountered this use of the Force or this group before. These Dark Side wielders had always stayed lurking in the shadows and secluded and out of reach.
Until now.
Obi-Wan shifted his cloak upon him and folded his now sweaty palms in front of him as he led Xekral on their way towards the meeting room in Bail Organa's palace near the center of Alderia. It was there that they would be getting their orders on how they would assist the Republic in this time of war. Obi-Wan glanced behind him and tried to ease his breath and slow the beating of his heart. He found it curious that the Dark Jedi would decide to come out of hiding and side with the light after years of just hostile silence.
"To answer your mind's questions, the Dark Jedi hate the Sith more than they could ever hate the Jedi."
"So you will assist us?"
"Yes."
Obi-Wan furrowed his eyebrows and sighed. He then shook his head and walked on without question.
For this, Xekral was grateful. He had been through a lot. He had been trained as a Jedi long ago, but then he fell in love and decided to leave the Jedi Order so that he could marry. That eventually turned into hell on earth. His wife, Jolande, had been left back on Corellia when Xekral was needed for something else off planet. It was then that loyalty had been tested and thus betrayed when this man named Osiris came into the picture. He used this chance to jump in on Jolande and offer her the universe that Xekral could not afford. She took the bait claiming that she needed someone that was there. She then cheated on her husband. Enraged upon the hearing of this, Xekral lost all control and reserve. Upon meeting Osiris, the now Dark Jedi had took no thought about it and killed him on the spot. He had not seen Jolande since, but maybe that was for the best.
No one knew of what had caused Xekral to go Dark, but the important part was that he was. There was still a sense of good within him for the Dark Jedi are not as extreme as the Sith, so that was probably what brought him back to assist the Jedi on the side of Light.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~written by Xekral himself~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The anger in his heart and his mind couldn't possibly be match by any facial expressions known to man... or to even a Wookie. He'd ran over the conversation hundreds of times in the past twenty-four hours, but even so, it didn't make sense. Sure, he wasn't there, but was that an excuse?
No manner of training from the Jedi Council could possibly calm him now. His cheeks were a very dark red, matching the newly-changed colour of his lightsabre blade. Now was not the time for niceness, or diplomacy... he'd done enough of that many times before with all the missions he'd been on. And with this last one having been a reconnaissance mission, him not knowing what would happen, the results of life back home really had hit him exceptionally hard.
I really hate to be the one to tell you this, but she did cheat on you. I didn't even know he was going to be there.
Who? Who was there?
His name is Osiris. Very little is known about him, but I do know that he works in the same sector that she does, and apparently he came over one day when she was feeling sad.
Sithspawn....
So he set out after Osiris, having seen him once before, when he'd gone to visit his wife where she worked, and Osiris had been at her desk, showing her some printouts on a datapad, apparently of some water samples. He had had the feeling that this guy was slightly out of place, like he didn't belong there, but he hadn't been able to put his finger on it. And this was over a month before this affair had occurred. But first, he had to go home. He knew his wife was there, and she'd act completely innocent, as if she didn't know anything. And as his transport skimmer reached his house, he knew exactly what he was going to tell her, exactly how he was going to put it. And then he received the ultimate shock.
There he stood. Dressed in what appeared to be a mock-down of an Imperial officer's uniform, Osiris stood near the front of the house, apparently leaving the house. The six-foot tall man wasn't very bright, obviously. He had to know that he would be found out sooner or later. And when Jolande saw Xekral step out of the skimmer, she quickly ran inside and closed the door.
"OSIRIS!!" the Jedi bellowed.
"What the....", Osiris didn't even finish the sentence, but looked dumbfounded.
The Jedi took a few steps forward and threw his cloak to the ground. Whatever control he had left was clearly gone. This man had treaded too deeply on the ice, and it was going to break under him. "Why you sniveling, imperialistic, gungan-face, nerf-herding sliver of Rodian crap...," Xekral started, "how dare you show your face anywhere near this place. I know exactly what you've been doing, and believe you me, the death you will receive is far from the punishment you truly deserve." He took his lightsabre off of his belt, twirled it for a second, and then depressed the button on the side, causing the 1.5 meter long darkish-red blade to extend from the handle, making slicing sound which was quickly replace by a low humm. Osiris backed up a few steps.
"I don't want any trouble, especially not from a Jedi. I had no idea..."
"..that what, you'd be caught?" Xekral cut him off, then shook his head. "You really are dumber than I thought." He extended his hand out toward the man, using the Force to propel him backwards and into the ferrocrete wall behind him.
The response, though, shocked him rather completely. The man stuck his own hand out, negating the "push", and reached behind with the other hand, revealing moments later a lightsabre with a slightly different handle, from which extended a blade of the same colour and length as his own.
"What in the name of..."
"...Sith? You'd be right, you slime bucket. Your woman, Jolande, as far as I'm concerned she was just another conquest of mine. She cheated on you because you weren't here, because she was lonely and she needed some action from a real man, not one in some sissy robes following some ancient order that should have been dead long ago. One of these days, you will all be purged, all be wiped out of existence, and I will be sitting back in a seat of power laughing at what used to be."
The inhumane scream that emitted from the Jedi's mouth probably would have scared himself quite badly had he even had the mental notion to realize it. Xekral lurched forward, bringing his blade down at Osiris in a power-drive that would have snapped anything in its path. The Sith rolled out of the way, bringing his blade around and driving it straight at the Jedi. It was parried, and then the fight truly started.
Each well-crafted maneuver, slice, jab, and use of the Force by each of them was countered almost perfectly by the other. The match couldn't have been better, nor more harrowing for the woman named Jolande who watched the fight from behind a transparasteel window. Xekral flipped forward now, bringing his blade towards the shoulder of Osiris, which was blocked, but only for a moment, as the latter of the two lost his footing from a well- timed "push" from Xekral. The Sith hit the ground, rolled, and rose into the air still spinning horizontally, landing on his feet and deflecting three quick and sudden slashes.
The tide was beginning to turn for Osiris, who had decided to employ Force lightning earlier and now did so again, jabbing his lightsabre down and against the leg of the Jedi, only prevented from continuing by the sudden extension of a second blade from Xekral's lightsabre which knocked the blade away. The blade disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Xekral rolled backwards, the searing pain burning across his leg. He felt, and looked, flustered.
But suddenly a wave rolled over him that he hadn't ever felt before, something that was far from the Light Force that he'd felt in the past. His eyes suddenly glowed a bright red colour - he could feel it - and the look on Osiris's face suddenly went from an evil grin to total shock... where it would stay. The Jedi invoked the full power of the Force, dashing forward with near lightning speed, both blades on his 'sabre now extended, and sliced. Again. And again. The Sith only had time to block two power swings before one of the blades penetrated his arc of protection, slicing into and through his lower left leg, completely dismembering it from the rest of his body. The second blade had retracted again into Xekral's handle, the first blade now doing the trust damage. Up the leg it spun, slicing off inch after inch it seemed, but in reality only slicing three times, the second just below the knee and the third half-way up the thigh. The next slice was an upward one that removed the Sith's right arm, the lightsabre falling in the grasp of the man's arm, clamoring onto the ferrocrete ground accompanied with the thud of the flesh. The scream that emitted from Osiris's lips were ear-piercing, but Xekral could barely hear them.
After a few seconds, the screaming stopped, with Osiris now on his back, and trying to push himself up with the remaining arm, as the blade to the Jedi's lightsabre retracted into the handle.
"My guess is that is the position you were in when you did whatever it was with my wife. And in this position you will die." The Jedi spit at the man, the wad landing on his cheek and dripping off slowly. "I hope you remember me in hell, because that is your destination on this final hop into hyperspace. Best wishes."
The look of utter shock returned to the Sith's face, the man known as Osiris, as the blade to Xekral's lightsabre ignited once again. The piercing scream returned to the Sith's lips, emitted for a split second, interrupted forever by the quick and deadly slash of the red blade, which penetrated the side of the neck, cauterized the left carotid artery, slicing through the throat and then through the right carotid artery, and finally exiting on the other side. The entire wound was cauterized as the blade left it, the pure energy and heat of the red blade doing its job at the same time. For a second and a half, the body remained upright and rigid, the head not moving, but then it slowly slipped backwards, falling off the back of the neck and thudding against the ground, followed by the rest of the body.
Jolande rushed out of the house as the blade retracted for the final time into the handle of the Jedi's lightsabre. Xekral turned and looked at her, the red glow still in his eyes. She stopped in her tracks.
"Jolande," he started, "ever since I met you, you were the best thing that ever happened to me. But the moment your lips touched his, I died. Now, to you, I am dead... as dead, if not more, than your slain lover." He let the last word come out harshly and poison-tipped, and the look on her face registered it as having been received as such. "What you choose to do with your life is clearly your choice, but know this - not all are as forgiving as I am." With that, he walked the three steps over to her, kissed her lightly on the cheek, and stepped back. The fire in his eyes had faded, but the feeling from before was still there.
With that, Xekral turned and walked away, disappearing into the dusk that was slowly enveloping the entire city as it did every night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~end Xekral's flashback~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They entered the stately room and were greeted by two men of high importance. Xekral took five more paces from whence they first entered the room and then stopped. He looked at the figure of the Jedi Master in front of him, didn't pay much attention to the Senator beside, but didn't speak yet.
"It is good of you to come as promised, Xekral Prydon," the man said.
"I keep my promises," the Dark Jedi replied plainly.
"Of course, I didn't mean to imply anything else." The man could hear the words sure... whatever echoing through his head in the Jedi's voice-tones. "Now shall we get on with business?"
The Dark Jedi looked at him from underneath the hood, the plain look unchanging. "What else would there be to do?" he replied, simply, letting the tone dictate his thoughts that the comment was so unnecessary as to be trite.
Jedi Master Mace Windu wasted no breath in getting right to the point. "Why have you come to help us?"
Xekral understood why the Jedi didn't seem to be able to find him trustworthy. He had to earn their trust. "Osiris, as you know, was an agent of the Sith. So therefore I hate the Sith and everything they stand for."
"Hate is..."
"I am a Dark Jedi, Master Windu, no question about it. I am who I am and it would be wise to just accept it, and seek not to alter me."
Mace bowed respectfully despite his caution. "I am sorry. We are not accustomed to an alliance with one of the Dark Side, but Master Yoda seems to have hope."
"It will work to your advantage to trust me. I am not clouded to the Sith as you are."
Obi-Wan looked up at Mace and they shared a look. "What other information can you provide us with?" the elder Jedi asked.
"The Sith are rallying the Hutts to their cause and thus making the Hutts less forgiving than they already were. They are on the side of the Separatists. They have also hired a podracer from Ando Prime as their replacement for Osiris." Every time the Dark Jedi spoke of the name Osiris he spoke it with intense hatred flowing through him.
The younger Jedi's ears perked up. "And who is this?"
"His name is Keldin Hiswe."
Obi-Wan rose an eyebrow and looked over at Mace who had cocked his head. "How did he get pulled into a side? He never seemed to care for things like this," Mace asked curiously.
"He was seduced. For the longest time he's been pissed with or about, whichever one it is I'm not certain, the Jedi called Anakin Skywalker. I believe he is your padawan, Obi-Wan?" After an affirmative nod, the Dark Jedi continued, "He wants nothing more than to have him killed." Silence filled the room as Xekral took the time for a strategic pause. After about two minutes, he continued, "Supposedly Lord Tyranus has claimed he will get his wish."
The two Jedi Masters shared a look that the Dark Jedi could not comprehend. No questions there were asked.
Senator Bail Organa then stepped up and brought things to the more present issue. "Dark Jedi Xekral is here to aid in the Clone Wars and he needs something to do that would best benefit everyone," he stated, "Any suggestions?"
There was silence for a while and then Xekral himself spoke up. "I can be a spy or an assassin, whichever is needed. That way I would stay out of the Jedi's hair."
"Subtle, hidden," Mace commented, "The way you've been before. I have no objections to this. Senator Organa?"
"Fine with me."
It was a decision that benefited everyone present. But the other member of the meeting had yet to arrive...
Coming into Alderaan space, a dark sleek ship scanned for where its destiny lied and its new destination. He knew he wasn't expected and perhaps even not wanted, but he had to do what he had to do. He was a dark shadow in the living world. Not many people have heard of him and those who have either looked upon him with suspicion or feared him. He was purely an enigma, a mystery that asked for no solution.
As the small black transport ship lowered to the surface, sand like particles were kicked up in a minor fashion, compressed air pressing downward as the landing gear extended downward, the Class-B repulsor lifts gently resting the ship on the surface. The ship touched down on a landing platform that was near Alderia, the capital city of Alderaan.
From the back of the ship, the gangway lowered under hydraulic pressure, and as soon as it had firmly made contact with the ground, a single figure slowly descended. His leather sandals, strapped snug to his feet, allowed air to pass while protecting them from the heated metal on the platform. The straps on the sandals wrapped a quarter of the way up his lower leg, only to keep them securely fastened. With his black cloak, made of a semi- rough but breathable fabric, which reached down almost completely to the ground, seeing his feet was a very rare occasion; with his rarity of appearance anywhere, it was even more so. The sleeves of his cloak covered his arms down to the wrists, and with his arms crossed in front of him, both hands through the opposite sleeve, you couldn't see the scar across the top of his right hand nor the golden ring that adorned his left ring finger ~ a subtle sign of a long-disavowed past.
The hood of his cloak came up and over his head, and with the slightly bowed fashion he generally held his head at, seeing his face was also a rarity. He had a semi-dark, reddish-blonde mustache that wasn't very thick at all, but certainly not thin, and came down to the corner's of his mouth. Probably one of his more adorning features, at least as was told to him long before the Dark Side has befriended him, was his deep blue eyes. Those eyes would, on occasions of extreme anger or hostility, turn to a very dark red with a lightness to them, almost as if a fire were burning in his eyes. His hair, which is also rarely seen, except when he removes his hood, is short, blonde, and combed straight back but as if teased slightly to give it a short, jumpy, and semi-wet look.
On his belt, which is also black, are located a few of his necessary objects. First and foremost is his lightsabre, a double-bladed handle that emits two red blades with a hint of gold in them. The handle itself is made of a silvery durasteel with grayish lines over it, making a sort of a decoration that only is meaningful to the Dark Jedi himself. Also on the belt is a small black colored datapad-like device, useful for getting necessary information on nearly anything he could want. A few small tubular pouches are also attached to his belt, with things such as compressed air tubes, extra-small charges, or other similar devices used for multiple purposes. On the left side of the belt is a small pouch that holds small documents, identification, and other important datapad chips.
He scanned the white city looking around the bright surroundings and adjusting his eyes to the light glittering off the rounded high buildings. He then noticed a man approaching him with the dignified poise of a Jedi Master. The dark one straightened up as he was greeted with controlled dignity from the other robed character.
"Dark Jedi Knight Xekral Prydon, I presume?" the accented man in the brown robe asked.
Likewise accented, the man in black affirmed, "And you are Jedi Master..."
"Obi-Wan Kenobi."
"Pleasure," he said with a bite. The Dark Jedi and the Jedi have not usually gotten along, and Xekral was the only known Dark Jedi in existence at the time. They were not usually welcomed with open arms but with suspicion. This suspicion was of course due to the Dark Side in the Dark Jedi, but the Jedi had not really encountered this use of the Force or this group before. These Dark Side wielders had always stayed lurking in the shadows and secluded and out of reach.
Until now.
Obi-Wan shifted his cloak upon him and folded his now sweaty palms in front of him as he led Xekral on their way towards the meeting room in Bail Organa's palace near the center of Alderia. It was there that they would be getting their orders on how they would assist the Republic in this time of war. Obi-Wan glanced behind him and tried to ease his breath and slow the beating of his heart. He found it curious that the Dark Jedi would decide to come out of hiding and side with the light after years of just hostile silence.
"To answer your mind's questions, the Dark Jedi hate the Sith more than they could ever hate the Jedi."
"So you will assist us?"
"Yes."
Obi-Wan furrowed his eyebrows and sighed. He then shook his head and walked on without question.
For this, Xekral was grateful. He had been through a lot. He had been trained as a Jedi long ago, but then he fell in love and decided to leave the Jedi Order so that he could marry. That eventually turned into hell on earth. His wife, Jolande, had been left back on Corellia when Xekral was needed for something else off planet. It was then that loyalty had been tested and thus betrayed when this man named Osiris came into the picture. He used this chance to jump in on Jolande and offer her the universe that Xekral could not afford. She took the bait claiming that she needed someone that was there. She then cheated on her husband. Enraged upon the hearing of this, Xekral lost all control and reserve. Upon meeting Osiris, the now Dark Jedi had took no thought about it and killed him on the spot. He had not seen Jolande since, but maybe that was for the best.
No one knew of what had caused Xekral to go Dark, but the important part was that he was. There was still a sense of good within him for the Dark Jedi are not as extreme as the Sith, so that was probably what brought him back to assist the Jedi on the side of Light.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~written by Xekral himself~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The anger in his heart and his mind couldn't possibly be match by any facial expressions known to man... or to even a Wookie. He'd ran over the conversation hundreds of times in the past twenty-four hours, but even so, it didn't make sense. Sure, he wasn't there, but was that an excuse?
No manner of training from the Jedi Council could possibly calm him now. His cheeks were a very dark red, matching the newly-changed colour of his lightsabre blade. Now was not the time for niceness, or diplomacy... he'd done enough of that many times before with all the missions he'd been on. And with this last one having been a reconnaissance mission, him not knowing what would happen, the results of life back home really had hit him exceptionally hard.
I really hate to be the one to tell you this, but she did cheat on you. I didn't even know he was going to be there.
Who? Who was there?
His name is Osiris. Very little is known about him, but I do know that he works in the same sector that she does, and apparently he came over one day when she was feeling sad.
Sithspawn....
So he set out after Osiris, having seen him once before, when he'd gone to visit his wife where she worked, and Osiris had been at her desk, showing her some printouts on a datapad, apparently of some water samples. He had had the feeling that this guy was slightly out of place, like he didn't belong there, but he hadn't been able to put his finger on it. And this was over a month before this affair had occurred. But first, he had to go home. He knew his wife was there, and she'd act completely innocent, as if she didn't know anything. And as his transport skimmer reached his house, he knew exactly what he was going to tell her, exactly how he was going to put it. And then he received the ultimate shock.
There he stood. Dressed in what appeared to be a mock-down of an Imperial officer's uniform, Osiris stood near the front of the house, apparently leaving the house. The six-foot tall man wasn't very bright, obviously. He had to know that he would be found out sooner or later. And when Jolande saw Xekral step out of the skimmer, she quickly ran inside and closed the door.
"OSIRIS!!" the Jedi bellowed.
"What the....", Osiris didn't even finish the sentence, but looked dumbfounded.
The Jedi took a few steps forward and threw his cloak to the ground. Whatever control he had left was clearly gone. This man had treaded too deeply on the ice, and it was going to break under him. "Why you sniveling, imperialistic, gungan-face, nerf-herding sliver of Rodian crap...," Xekral started, "how dare you show your face anywhere near this place. I know exactly what you've been doing, and believe you me, the death you will receive is far from the punishment you truly deserve." He took his lightsabre off of his belt, twirled it for a second, and then depressed the button on the side, causing the 1.5 meter long darkish-red blade to extend from the handle, making slicing sound which was quickly replace by a low humm. Osiris backed up a few steps.
"I don't want any trouble, especially not from a Jedi. I had no idea..."
"..that what, you'd be caught?" Xekral cut him off, then shook his head. "You really are dumber than I thought." He extended his hand out toward the man, using the Force to propel him backwards and into the ferrocrete wall behind him.
The response, though, shocked him rather completely. The man stuck his own hand out, negating the "push", and reached behind with the other hand, revealing moments later a lightsabre with a slightly different handle, from which extended a blade of the same colour and length as his own.
"What in the name of..."
"...Sith? You'd be right, you slime bucket. Your woman, Jolande, as far as I'm concerned she was just another conquest of mine. She cheated on you because you weren't here, because she was lonely and she needed some action from a real man, not one in some sissy robes following some ancient order that should have been dead long ago. One of these days, you will all be purged, all be wiped out of existence, and I will be sitting back in a seat of power laughing at what used to be."
The inhumane scream that emitted from the Jedi's mouth probably would have scared himself quite badly had he even had the mental notion to realize it. Xekral lurched forward, bringing his blade down at Osiris in a power-drive that would have snapped anything in its path. The Sith rolled out of the way, bringing his blade around and driving it straight at the Jedi. It was parried, and then the fight truly started.
Each well-crafted maneuver, slice, jab, and use of the Force by each of them was countered almost perfectly by the other. The match couldn't have been better, nor more harrowing for the woman named Jolande who watched the fight from behind a transparasteel window. Xekral flipped forward now, bringing his blade towards the shoulder of Osiris, which was blocked, but only for a moment, as the latter of the two lost his footing from a well- timed "push" from Xekral. The Sith hit the ground, rolled, and rose into the air still spinning horizontally, landing on his feet and deflecting three quick and sudden slashes.
The tide was beginning to turn for Osiris, who had decided to employ Force lightning earlier and now did so again, jabbing his lightsabre down and against the leg of the Jedi, only prevented from continuing by the sudden extension of a second blade from Xekral's lightsabre which knocked the blade away. The blade disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Xekral rolled backwards, the searing pain burning across his leg. He felt, and looked, flustered.
But suddenly a wave rolled over him that he hadn't ever felt before, something that was far from the Light Force that he'd felt in the past. His eyes suddenly glowed a bright red colour - he could feel it - and the look on Osiris's face suddenly went from an evil grin to total shock... where it would stay. The Jedi invoked the full power of the Force, dashing forward with near lightning speed, both blades on his 'sabre now extended, and sliced. Again. And again. The Sith only had time to block two power swings before one of the blades penetrated his arc of protection, slicing into and through his lower left leg, completely dismembering it from the rest of his body. The second blade had retracted again into Xekral's handle, the first blade now doing the trust damage. Up the leg it spun, slicing off inch after inch it seemed, but in reality only slicing three times, the second just below the knee and the third half-way up the thigh. The next slice was an upward one that removed the Sith's right arm, the lightsabre falling in the grasp of the man's arm, clamoring onto the ferrocrete ground accompanied with the thud of the flesh. The scream that emitted from Osiris's lips were ear-piercing, but Xekral could barely hear them.
After a few seconds, the screaming stopped, with Osiris now on his back, and trying to push himself up with the remaining arm, as the blade to the Jedi's lightsabre retracted into the handle.
"My guess is that is the position you were in when you did whatever it was with my wife. And in this position you will die." The Jedi spit at the man, the wad landing on his cheek and dripping off slowly. "I hope you remember me in hell, because that is your destination on this final hop into hyperspace. Best wishes."
The look of utter shock returned to the Sith's face, the man known as Osiris, as the blade to Xekral's lightsabre ignited once again. The piercing scream returned to the Sith's lips, emitted for a split second, interrupted forever by the quick and deadly slash of the red blade, which penetrated the side of the neck, cauterized the left carotid artery, slicing through the throat and then through the right carotid artery, and finally exiting on the other side. The entire wound was cauterized as the blade left it, the pure energy and heat of the red blade doing its job at the same time. For a second and a half, the body remained upright and rigid, the head not moving, but then it slowly slipped backwards, falling off the back of the neck and thudding against the ground, followed by the rest of the body.
Jolande rushed out of the house as the blade retracted for the final time into the handle of the Jedi's lightsabre. Xekral turned and looked at her, the red glow still in his eyes. She stopped in her tracks.
"Jolande," he started, "ever since I met you, you were the best thing that ever happened to me. But the moment your lips touched his, I died. Now, to you, I am dead... as dead, if not more, than your slain lover." He let the last word come out harshly and poison-tipped, and the look on her face registered it as having been received as such. "What you choose to do with your life is clearly your choice, but know this - not all are as forgiving as I am." With that, he walked the three steps over to her, kissed her lightly on the cheek, and stepped back. The fire in his eyes had faded, but the feeling from before was still there.
With that, Xekral turned and walked away, disappearing into the dusk that was slowly enveloping the entire city as it did every night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~end Xekral's flashback~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They entered the stately room and were greeted by two men of high importance. Xekral took five more paces from whence they first entered the room and then stopped. He looked at the figure of the Jedi Master in front of him, didn't pay much attention to the Senator beside, but didn't speak yet.
"It is good of you to come as promised, Xekral Prydon," the man said.
"I keep my promises," the Dark Jedi replied plainly.
"Of course, I didn't mean to imply anything else." The man could hear the words sure... whatever echoing through his head in the Jedi's voice-tones. "Now shall we get on with business?"
The Dark Jedi looked at him from underneath the hood, the plain look unchanging. "What else would there be to do?" he replied, simply, letting the tone dictate his thoughts that the comment was so unnecessary as to be trite.
Jedi Master Mace Windu wasted no breath in getting right to the point. "Why have you come to help us?"
Xekral understood why the Jedi didn't seem to be able to find him trustworthy. He had to earn their trust. "Osiris, as you know, was an agent of the Sith. So therefore I hate the Sith and everything they stand for."
"Hate is..."
"I am a Dark Jedi, Master Windu, no question about it. I am who I am and it would be wise to just accept it, and seek not to alter me."
Mace bowed respectfully despite his caution. "I am sorry. We are not accustomed to an alliance with one of the Dark Side, but Master Yoda seems to have hope."
"It will work to your advantage to trust me. I am not clouded to the Sith as you are."
Obi-Wan looked up at Mace and they shared a look. "What other information can you provide us with?" the elder Jedi asked.
"The Sith are rallying the Hutts to their cause and thus making the Hutts less forgiving than they already were. They are on the side of the Separatists. They have also hired a podracer from Ando Prime as their replacement for Osiris." Every time the Dark Jedi spoke of the name Osiris he spoke it with intense hatred flowing through him.
The younger Jedi's ears perked up. "And who is this?"
"His name is Keldin Hiswe."
Obi-Wan rose an eyebrow and looked over at Mace who had cocked his head. "How did he get pulled into a side? He never seemed to care for things like this," Mace asked curiously.
"He was seduced. For the longest time he's been pissed with or about, whichever one it is I'm not certain, the Jedi called Anakin Skywalker. I believe he is your padawan, Obi-Wan?" After an affirmative nod, the Dark Jedi continued, "He wants nothing more than to have him killed." Silence filled the room as Xekral took the time for a strategic pause. After about two minutes, he continued, "Supposedly Lord Tyranus has claimed he will get his wish."
The two Jedi Masters shared a look that the Dark Jedi could not comprehend. No questions there were asked.
Senator Bail Organa then stepped up and brought things to the more present issue. "Dark Jedi Xekral is here to aid in the Clone Wars and he needs something to do that would best benefit everyone," he stated, "Any suggestions?"
There was silence for a while and then Xekral himself spoke up. "I can be a spy or an assassin, whichever is needed. That way I would stay out of the Jedi's hair."
"Subtle, hidden," Mace commented, "The way you've been before. I have no objections to this. Senator Organa?"
"Fine with me."
It was a decision that benefited everyone present. But the other member of the meeting had yet to arrive...