Chapter Thirteen
((((((((()))))))))))))))))Somewhere in the dark streets of Mos Espa(((((((((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))
He could hear the Spice-Lord. Shuffling feet and desperate turning to look behind him, that was Yurric. The spice-lord didn't know exactly who was chasing him yet, but soon he was going to find out.
Zekk walked slowly through the deserted back streets of the large city of Mos Espa. Grasping at his side, he held his lightsaber in his right hand. The humming lightsaber blade cast shadows on the building's walls. Already it was getting dark, and an eery silence had settled on the district outside the arena. It was as the creatures that crawled in the dark knew that a Jedi was on the hunt.
Turning a corner, Zekk finally saw the person he was chasing. It was more like slowly cornering than chasing, Zekk wasn't in any condition to run. The humming lightsaber was loud in the silence, and as Zekk had thought, Yurric was cornered.
Yurric turned to his pursuer, and his face became as white as ash. "Y-you!"
Zekk didn't let any emotion play across his features, he only cocked his head to the side and lifted his lightsaber. He was cold, like a ghost that wouldn't be banished to the underworld.
The spice lord grabbed at his blaster, and let fly a shot that should have landed squarely in Zekk's forehead.
With a simple move of his lightsaber, Zekk deflected the bolt, and continued to slowly advance.
Yurric looked into the eyes of the Jedi Knight, seeing no hesitance, or mercy. He decided to turn businessman. "L-look, I could give you anything you want. Just ask for it." Pausing, he took another shot at Zekk's chest, but the Jedi deflected it.
Zekk kept coming, slowly. He was constantly losing blood from his side wound, and it saped his strength. Still, he came forward, deflecting the random shots Yurric let loose.
Stumbling back, Yurric tried desperately to keep the Jedi at bay. "Wait, wait! Think of the consequences of you killing me, there'll be others sent after you."
Gritting his teeth, Zekk came even closer. "What others? They'll be glad to have you gone. The people under you will fight for what you have, and nobody would care less." His voice was low, and only above a whisper, however it was threatening like the growl of a fearsome beast.
Yurric looked up at the imposing Jedi. This Jedi that should have died in the arena, the Jedi that should have already be dying from the side wound, the Jedi that was after his life.
Zekk could feel fear radiating from the spice-lord, and it was disgusting. Yurric was a coward. Zekk raised his lightsaber, going into an attack stance.
Suddenly, Yurric threw down his blaster, where it lay in the drifted sand and rummage of the ally. "What about your Jedi ethics, huh?" He smiled nastily, his grey eyes showing their spite. "You can't kill an unarmed man. That would be murder."
Eyeing the blaster in the sand, Zekk looked up at Yurric, finally letting his anger show. "What will you pay me?"
"Anything you want." Yurric took in gasp of air. Perhaps this Jedi could be swayed. "More spice perhaps? You know you are addicted right?"
"What about money?"
"Everything that I have." Yurric took another step back. "Anything."
A sneer curved Zekk's lips, and his eyes took on the fury that was always dangerous for a Jedi. Swiping out with his left hand, Zekk backhanded the older man across the face. "What about seven years?"
Yurric fell to the ground, and looked up at the shadowed face of his attacker. Zekk kicked Yurric in the side, and the older man rolled away, but was stopped by the brick wall behind him. "How about my children looking at me like I'm a stranger. How can you repay me for that?" His voice was getting louder and louder as Zekk looked down at the man he had spent seven years in pursuit of.
As the Jedi delivered another crushing kick Yurric tried to block it with his hands but it was useless. The Jedi's foot broke several of his ribs. "Where's your mercy!" Yurric cried, desperately trying to get to his feet.
Grabbing Yurric's collar, Zekk dragged him up. He gazed into Yurric's face, which was now filled with fear. "You don't deserve it."
Yurric paused, reaching behind his back for something. "Fine then!" He muttered, blood trickling into his mouth from his broken nose. "Die Jedi!"
There was a glint of light reflected from a small blaster, and Zekk saw it. He had anticipated it. And he wasn't wrong. Taking his lightsaber, Zekk drove it as far into Yurric's chest as it could go.
After a sickening moment of silence, Yurric looked up at Zekk. The older man's eyes were filled with more surprise than anything else. The spice- lord still held the blaster in his right hand, but it could do little to help him now. Zekk released his hold on Yurric's collar, and the corpse that used to be a man fell to the Tattoine sand.
For a second, Zekk looked at the motionless body lying on the ground. Then, taking in a ragged breath, he deactivated his lightsaber and clipped it to his belt. Walking a few shaky steps, Zekk reached out to one of the walls, trying to support himself. Maybe now he could start to relax. Closing his eyes, Zekk rested his forehead against the wall's cool side. It was over now. Over. His head began to swim, and his knees buckled. Laying in the dirt, Zekk began to forget. Why was he there? Where was he? And most of all, who was calling his name?
"Zekk!" Jaina, followed closely by Anakin, ran down the narrow ally way. Instantly, Jaina spotted Zekk, while Anakin walked curiously over to where Yurric lay dead.
Anakin whistled, examining the lightsaber burn that was neatly going through Yurric's chest. "The old bantha fodder finally got what was coming to him."
Jaina hauled Zekk to his feet. "Anakin, help me."
Forgetting the dead Spice-Lord, Anakin rushed over to help his sister, and took Zekk's other arm. Together, Jaina and Anakin carried Zekk out of the ally, and toward the lights of the Millennium Falcon.
When the three of them finally got inside the Falcon, the landing ramp was raised, and in seconds, they were leaving Tattoine's atmosphere.
"Quick, get a medi-kit!" Jaina shouted, and immediately, it was given to her. Looking up, however, she realized that it was Shallin who had already retrieved the kit. Jaina looked at her little girl in surprise, then remembered the task at hand. "Thank-you." Reaching inside the kit, Jaina brought out a vestrbro healing pad out, and then hastily grabbed a tube of bacta. Squeezing the bacta onto the pad, Jaina let the jelly-like fluid pile on three inches thick. Taking Zekk's hand away from the wound, Jaina pressed the bandage against it.
Zekk winced, opening his eyes.
Taking a mending patch out of the kit, Jaina unwrapped it and then pressed it over the bacta-laden vestrbro pad, keeping the bacta close to the wound.
Suddenly, a very familiar voice came over the Falcon's com unit. "Are you alright my friends?"
"Tenel Ka?" Jaina glanced over her shoulder. "Is that you?"
"None other, friend Jaina."
Unwrapping some goz-tape, Jaina taped the bandage onto Zekk's skin. "I'm gonna put you on your side." She said quietly to Zekk.
Zekk nodded, his now pale face looking ghostly in the Falcon's inside lights.
Jaina proceeded to replicate the same bandage for his back. She looked over her shoulder toward the cockpit. "Are you in the Rock Dragon?"
"Of course." Came Tenel's confident voice.
Han came to the entrance of the cockpit. "Are you kids ready? We're gonna jump in about two seconds."
Jaina looked up at him. "We're ready, Dad. Punch it."
Nodding, Han retreated back into the Falcon's cockpit. In mere seconds, they had jumped into hyperspace, coordinates set for New Coruscant.
To be continued
((((((((()))))))))))))))))Somewhere in the dark streets of Mos Espa(((((((((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))
He could hear the Spice-Lord. Shuffling feet and desperate turning to look behind him, that was Yurric. The spice-lord didn't know exactly who was chasing him yet, but soon he was going to find out.
Zekk walked slowly through the deserted back streets of the large city of Mos Espa. Grasping at his side, he held his lightsaber in his right hand. The humming lightsaber blade cast shadows on the building's walls. Already it was getting dark, and an eery silence had settled on the district outside the arena. It was as the creatures that crawled in the dark knew that a Jedi was on the hunt.
Turning a corner, Zekk finally saw the person he was chasing. It was more like slowly cornering than chasing, Zekk wasn't in any condition to run. The humming lightsaber was loud in the silence, and as Zekk had thought, Yurric was cornered.
Yurric turned to his pursuer, and his face became as white as ash. "Y-you!"
Zekk didn't let any emotion play across his features, he only cocked his head to the side and lifted his lightsaber. He was cold, like a ghost that wouldn't be banished to the underworld.
The spice lord grabbed at his blaster, and let fly a shot that should have landed squarely in Zekk's forehead.
With a simple move of his lightsaber, Zekk deflected the bolt, and continued to slowly advance.
Yurric looked into the eyes of the Jedi Knight, seeing no hesitance, or mercy. He decided to turn businessman. "L-look, I could give you anything you want. Just ask for it." Pausing, he took another shot at Zekk's chest, but the Jedi deflected it.
Zekk kept coming, slowly. He was constantly losing blood from his side wound, and it saped his strength. Still, he came forward, deflecting the random shots Yurric let loose.
Stumbling back, Yurric tried desperately to keep the Jedi at bay. "Wait, wait! Think of the consequences of you killing me, there'll be others sent after you."
Gritting his teeth, Zekk came even closer. "What others? They'll be glad to have you gone. The people under you will fight for what you have, and nobody would care less." His voice was low, and only above a whisper, however it was threatening like the growl of a fearsome beast.
Yurric looked up at the imposing Jedi. This Jedi that should have died in the arena, the Jedi that should have already be dying from the side wound, the Jedi that was after his life.
Zekk could feel fear radiating from the spice-lord, and it was disgusting. Yurric was a coward. Zekk raised his lightsaber, going into an attack stance.
Suddenly, Yurric threw down his blaster, where it lay in the drifted sand and rummage of the ally. "What about your Jedi ethics, huh?" He smiled nastily, his grey eyes showing their spite. "You can't kill an unarmed man. That would be murder."
Eyeing the blaster in the sand, Zekk looked up at Yurric, finally letting his anger show. "What will you pay me?"
"Anything you want." Yurric took in gasp of air. Perhaps this Jedi could be swayed. "More spice perhaps? You know you are addicted right?"
"What about money?"
"Everything that I have." Yurric took another step back. "Anything."
A sneer curved Zekk's lips, and his eyes took on the fury that was always dangerous for a Jedi. Swiping out with his left hand, Zekk backhanded the older man across the face. "What about seven years?"
Yurric fell to the ground, and looked up at the shadowed face of his attacker. Zekk kicked Yurric in the side, and the older man rolled away, but was stopped by the brick wall behind him. "How about my children looking at me like I'm a stranger. How can you repay me for that?" His voice was getting louder and louder as Zekk looked down at the man he had spent seven years in pursuit of.
As the Jedi delivered another crushing kick Yurric tried to block it with his hands but it was useless. The Jedi's foot broke several of his ribs. "Where's your mercy!" Yurric cried, desperately trying to get to his feet.
Grabbing Yurric's collar, Zekk dragged him up. He gazed into Yurric's face, which was now filled with fear. "You don't deserve it."
Yurric paused, reaching behind his back for something. "Fine then!" He muttered, blood trickling into his mouth from his broken nose. "Die Jedi!"
There was a glint of light reflected from a small blaster, and Zekk saw it. He had anticipated it. And he wasn't wrong. Taking his lightsaber, Zekk drove it as far into Yurric's chest as it could go.
After a sickening moment of silence, Yurric looked up at Zekk. The older man's eyes were filled with more surprise than anything else. The spice- lord still held the blaster in his right hand, but it could do little to help him now. Zekk released his hold on Yurric's collar, and the corpse that used to be a man fell to the Tattoine sand.
For a second, Zekk looked at the motionless body lying on the ground. Then, taking in a ragged breath, he deactivated his lightsaber and clipped it to his belt. Walking a few shaky steps, Zekk reached out to one of the walls, trying to support himself. Maybe now he could start to relax. Closing his eyes, Zekk rested his forehead against the wall's cool side. It was over now. Over. His head began to swim, and his knees buckled. Laying in the dirt, Zekk began to forget. Why was he there? Where was he? And most of all, who was calling his name?
"Zekk!" Jaina, followed closely by Anakin, ran down the narrow ally way. Instantly, Jaina spotted Zekk, while Anakin walked curiously over to where Yurric lay dead.
Anakin whistled, examining the lightsaber burn that was neatly going through Yurric's chest. "The old bantha fodder finally got what was coming to him."
Jaina hauled Zekk to his feet. "Anakin, help me."
Forgetting the dead Spice-Lord, Anakin rushed over to help his sister, and took Zekk's other arm. Together, Jaina and Anakin carried Zekk out of the ally, and toward the lights of the Millennium Falcon.
When the three of them finally got inside the Falcon, the landing ramp was raised, and in seconds, they were leaving Tattoine's atmosphere.
"Quick, get a medi-kit!" Jaina shouted, and immediately, it was given to her. Looking up, however, she realized that it was Shallin who had already retrieved the kit. Jaina looked at her little girl in surprise, then remembered the task at hand. "Thank-you." Reaching inside the kit, Jaina brought out a vestrbro healing pad out, and then hastily grabbed a tube of bacta. Squeezing the bacta onto the pad, Jaina let the jelly-like fluid pile on three inches thick. Taking Zekk's hand away from the wound, Jaina pressed the bandage against it.
Zekk winced, opening his eyes.
Taking a mending patch out of the kit, Jaina unwrapped it and then pressed it over the bacta-laden vestrbro pad, keeping the bacta close to the wound.
Suddenly, a very familiar voice came over the Falcon's com unit. "Are you alright my friends?"
"Tenel Ka?" Jaina glanced over her shoulder. "Is that you?"
"None other, friend Jaina."
Unwrapping some goz-tape, Jaina taped the bandage onto Zekk's skin. "I'm gonna put you on your side." She said quietly to Zekk.
Zekk nodded, his now pale face looking ghostly in the Falcon's inside lights.
Jaina proceeded to replicate the same bandage for his back. She looked over her shoulder toward the cockpit. "Are you in the Rock Dragon?"
"Of course." Came Tenel's confident voice.
Han came to the entrance of the cockpit. "Are you kids ready? We're gonna jump in about two seconds."
Jaina looked up at him. "We're ready, Dad. Punch it."
Nodding, Han retreated back into the Falcon's cockpit. In mere seconds, they had jumped into hyperspace, coordinates set for New Coruscant.
To be continued