But as the trigger starts to pull back, the Jedi Master swivels around onto his back and slices the golden gun in half. The bounty hunter was in utter disbelief; it took nearly half a fraction of a second to do what he did. The creature backed away quickly as So'bal rose up from the floor, his lightsaber pointing out to the bounty hunter and stepping towards him slowly.

"Who are you?" Jin Wan demanded. "Who hired you for this? Answer me!"

The golden suited creature just stood there as stopped backing away. So'bal looked at him very carefully as he kept his lightsaber at him. The armor was nothing that he's seen before in his lifetime and judging on how this creature nearly got the best of him, he wondered if his kind has encountered the Jedi before. The weapon was clearly designed to take out an enemy of any size or strength, the sonic pulse is a weakness that no Jedi can out maneuver in time and if he had encountered their order before, perhaps he has more weapons like it at his disposal.

"Answer this...Jedi!" Kelborne says angrily.

Out from his armored back springs two shoulder cannons that quickly unfold and start shooting laser blasts at Jin Wan. The force helped him to block the shots as they rapidly came at him, but the machine-like weapon was increasing with intensity as Jin Wan tried to defend himself. The Razorclaw soon lifts off the ground and throttles sideways over to the two battling warriors, as Tinara tries to help her good friend escape from this unknown assailant. Jin Wan can sense the ship is close and with Jedi speed he jumps onto the small ramp that still remains open for him. The ship quickly thrusts out of the ship dock and blasts off into the sky. Kelborne watches them rise and soon has another surprise unfold from the back of his thick golden armor. Two small thrusters pop out and propel him up towards the ship as fast as they were ascending. The blue exhaust from the two small engines streaked behind him like a jet, he raised his right arm and opened a small panel that revealed a miniature missile. Tinara and Mort looked at the monitors and saw him coming up fast.

"Who the hell is this guy?" Tinara said.

Mort was shaking his head as he too was at a loss to explain this creature's origin. The furry companion turned to his side console and flicked a switch near by. Outside of the small Razorclaw, a gun turret opened up and shot at Kelborne as he tried to take aim at them. But one of their laser blasts manages to knock him out as he soon tumbles downwards back to the planet's ground. Tinara pats Mort on the shoulder and smiles at him for his quick thinking. As the Razorclaw now exits into space, Kelborne frantically gets his small thrusters to work again and hovers in the sky. With the ship gone from his sight, the bounty hunter sighs and looks over to see his own ship coming over towards him. The golden ship opens the front part like a split door and Kelborne hovers safely back inside of it. As soon as the doors shut again, the bounty hunter rises into his seat and notices a holographic image of his employer.

"Is it done?" The raspy old voice of Darth Bane speaks.

"No." Kelborne responds with hesitation. "They felt my presence before I had the chance...the small one sensed me too quickly."

"Interesting." Bane says as he looks away for a second.

"I didn't even have time to put on a tracer." The bounty hunter grumbles.

Bane looks back at him and taps his cane as he speaks.

"You assured me you could do this. You told me you were the best at what you do...and you didn't even manage to place a homing beacon on them?"

"I am the best." Kelborne proudly states.

"I'm beginning to seriously doubt that Kelborne. However, seeing how far you managed to get close to them proves to me that you're at least good at stealth. Very well, second chances are very rare with me Kelborne...so don't fail me again. Otherwise I shall have no choice but to send another out to do the job...and to have your head on a bounty as well."

The golden armored creature hisses at Bane as he makes the threat. But believing the old man and his warning, Kelborne sets course for space immediately after the holo-image disappears.

••••••••••••••

The Razorclaw continues to speed into open space as the ship flies past the orbiting moon of the planet. Tinara and Mort flick switches and check navigation equipment as they prepare to make the jump into lightspeed.

"Looks like we're in the clear, nice thinking on your feet Mort. Guess I picked the best co-pilot after all." She says laughingly.

Mort nods and snickers as he agrees with her. Yoda sighs with relief and travels to the back where Jin Wan is resting from his encounter. The narrow corridor of the ship soon leads out into a slightly bigger room where a table, a few stool type seats and a small work bench lay. Yoda smiles as he sees So'bal slumping onto the stool and breathing heavily.

"Master! Alright you are!"

Jin Wan nods to his young apprentice and places his lightsaber back on his magnetic lock utility belt.

"So it would seem my young Padwan."

Sitting down at the table with him, the small green boy folds his arms on the surface of it and rests his chin. His eyes curiously stare at his teacher and asks him a rather obvious question.

"Meant for us was he?"

"I don't know...I couldn't see into his mind. A curious fellow to say the least. It's almost as if he has a personal grudge against the Jedi order. There was a feeling of great hate...and then...his mind became shut tight."

Yoda sighs and lowers his eyes with shame.

"A burden am I. Threat to the order I have become...yet...no not why, do I."

Jin Wan tussles the child's hair and smiles at him.

"Only to the likes of me young one. You are special and others will try to stop you no matter what...every Jedi has enemies lurking around corners, but remember there are always twice as many friends to the order and many respect us for what we do."

"Like Tinara!" The young child says as he perks up.

"A good example Yoda." Jin Wan laughs. "But I'd hardly call her a friend to the Jedi order."

"Why?" Yoda inquires.

"They don't like her sort." Jin Wan says as his laughter dies down. "Jedi aren't supposed to embrace pirates or thieves. That would make the Jedi look evil by many and consider them just as bad as the Sith. The Republic Senate relies on the Jedi Order to maintain the peace in the galaxy, so maintain order we must. They feel that criminals are supposed to be brought to justice and not wandering the galaxy for profit."

Yoda thinks about it for a second and looks at him with those curious eyes again.

"But...master, friend to you she is?"

"Yes." So'bal says calmly.

"Then..." Yoda says to him with concern. "Breaking the Jedi code you are."

So'bal sighs and rubs his hand over his face, as the pressure of Yoda's comments seems to trouble him.

"I've bent the rules a bit I will admit young one. But I am in no way betraying the Jedi Order by using her to come home. Sometimes we must do what is necessary to complete a mission. Alternatives are always around us. But I do not embrace Tinara's lifestyle...nor her criminal ways. We had some dealings in the past and that is how I've come to know her..."

Before Yoda can ask, So'bal holds his hand up and looks at him.

"Don't ask me how young one. The past is a thing I do not wish to talk about with you yet, in time as we train...I will explain how this is possible. If not me, then the Jedi council."

Yoda closes his mouth from trying to speak and blinks from his master's statement. There is a secret the Jedi instructor is hiding from him, something that seems almost too painful to mention, Yoda continues to rest his chin and stares at his mysterious instructor.

"Get ready for lightspeed." Tinara's voice says over the intercom. "Five...four...three...two..."

The ship's glowing blue engines flare up to full power and the ship quickly stretches and slingshots into deep space as the bright flash of light snaps from the back of the ship.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Back on Coursant, the veil of night has fallen on the part of the planet where the Jedi Temple sits. Wandering the outer streets beyond the temple, Jedi Master Bin Col Daus strolls calmly as he thinks in the night air. The view above him is full of traffic of flying vehicles and transports coming through, the stars are barely visible as they peer through the polluted air above and narrow streets he is wandering are empty of any being. An imposed curfew around the temple at night insures that no visitors disturb the Jedi as they meditate before the next day. Daus thinks about everything that has happened while his friend and former student Jin Wan has told him, even the events at the Jedi council have concerned him greatly as word of a rebellion within the Order is happening. He always felt the young needed more training, more deeper spiritual teachings to enrich their beliefs and even to help them cope with their solitary lives. But as always, his cautious words where dismissed by his peers and always stating he was over reacting. The only one that ever understood his reasoning was So'bal, the only Jedi he could talk to about the matter and share each other's thoughts on how to incorporate them into the training.

Bin Col Daus sighed as he mulled it over in his head and then suddenly felt something in the darkness of the alleyway he was entering.

"I feel you...whomever you are." He says out loud with his eyes looking around.

No one replied. Stepping further into the ally he once again raised his voice.

"I said step out! This area is forbidden to anyone at night...who goes there?"

Then a human looking silhouette steps out as the light from above gives him just enough to make out his form. The person is dressed darkly and wearing a brown cloak, the hood is draped over his head and conceals his identity perfectly.

"Join us Master Daus..." The male voice now sounds out from the mysterious person. "Join us in our cause."

"And what cause would that be my son?" Daus says sternly as he continues to walk slowly to him. "The hour is late to be wandering around and making unfounded demands."

"You know of which cause I mean Master Daus." The cloaked figure snickers. "The council has become too old in its ways just as you have once stated before. We agree with your assessment and want to change the Jedi for the better."

The old man now stops as he realizes this is no mere tourist or lost young Padwan. His mouth twitters with frustration as he listens to the man standing in the overhead light.

"Change is one thing...but what good is a revolt within our own order? There must be progression my son...not aggression. That is the way to the dark side and I will not join you to that dark place. If you want things to change then speak your mind in front of the council...let them see that you unhappy with the way things are, then together we can hope to bring about a gradual change to the ..."

"Never!" The man shouts as he interrupts Daus. "The council wouldn't listen to what a mere student would say. They care very little about change; they only want things to remain the same...to live in a world of constant ritual and balance. How many times have you gone and told them of this? How many times did they reject your proposals? This is the only way they'll learn...the only way things can change."

The old Jedi Master shakes his head in disagreement as he listens to the man rant on.

"No. I shall not travel this path my boy. What you want to do is against all our beliefs, it will only make us divide and become as corrupt as the Sith were. No...no I won't join you in this insane quest. This must not happen to our order..."

The man raises his hands and takes off his hood slowly. Underneath the dark shadow of the cloak came a face covered in a pale mask. The white mask covered his features but had an opening for his mouth. His skin color was Caucasian and his hair was slicked back and clearly that of brown in tone. As he revealed his face with the mask, he looked at the old man and sighed with displeasure.

"It has already begun...Master Daus."

Soon other human and non-human shadows appeared out of the darkness. They seemed to surround him as he turned to look and see. All of them where dressed the same as the man in front, all seem to have the mysterious masks covering their faces. Bin Col Daus took a defensive posture and reluctantly took out his lightsaber as a precaution. Looking at the various individuals, he could sense danger looming for himself and finally looked over at the man who now stood in the circle with him.

"If you will not join us...not support us...and not be a hand for change, then you must not be allowed to warn the others."

Daus's eyes grew wide with panic as the threat came to him.

"Do you hear what you just said my son? Is this the path you have chosen? All of you..." The old man now points to the group standing silent. "Is this where you want to bring the Jedi? You will become the new Sith! And then nothing...nothing can stop the chaos that is sure to follow!"

The man in the white mask turned on his lightsaber and stared at the Jedi Master.

"We are not going to be Sith. We will be the new Jedi order! One that will not be so inflexible and give us the chance at a better life!"

Turning on his sword as well, Daus stands erect and raises his lightsaber half way.

"You will bring about our doom. And change the balance of the force."

As the two stand there, the others all around turn on their sword in a domino effect of various colors. Each one prepares to take on the Jedi Master as the lead figure rushes in to battle him. Clashing swords with skill and a quickened pace, both seem to be very good at counter attacking one another. But Daus uses the force to protect himself from the deadly strikes the masked man tries to inflict. Spinning and leaping with grace, Daus shows his wisdom in lightsaber maneuvers, the white masked individual seems a poor match for the master swordsman as he runs out of defensive positions against him. With one swift twirl of his weapon against his, the masked man's orange-lit sword flies from his hand and into the dark ally. Daus holds his pulsating green lightsaber over the man's head and gives him a choice.

"This can end either way my son. We can walk away together and try to fix this the right way...or you will end up dead by my hand and never know what might have been."

Soon the crowd of followers begin to move in closer and closer, as Bin Col looks around he notices them lowering their swords at him and move in cautiously. The Jedi Master looks bewildered by their actions and looks back at the masked man who now rises to his feet calmly.

"No Daus...this is where the old ways die and the new order begins."

The tension in the air now fills the Jedi Master's mind with a nervousness he's never known, with his lightsaber still pointing at the masked leader, he looks at the others through the corners of his eyes and begins to notice their pace is increasing. The old man then suddenly turns around and screams to the top of his lungs as the crowd now rushes in together with their swords. Pulling away from the dark ally, hanging over the city full of rushing vehicles and ships. His lone scream carries through the night air as the glow of the city lights mask any lightsaber activity in the small ally way deep below the forest of buildings. Then as his yell dies down, the only sound is the traffic buzzing overhead.