Jacen rushed at me, but I used the Force to open a cabinet in his way. I felt that dark satisfaction as he ran into it face first and fell to the ground, a large gash across the bridge of his nose.
I flip over the autopsy table that I had been leaning against, putting it between Jacen and myself, and ignited my saber.
Jacen was already standing by then, his blade in a high guard. I assume a mid guard, my blade going left to right across my chest. I look at him. "Why Jace? Why did you kill them?"
"Because they were in the way, and needed to be eliminated."
We slowly began to circle the autopsy table.
"And Tahiri?"
"Tahiri is mine. And I will find her again to posses her once more. But that is the future, for now your releasing her is enough to ensure that I will make you suffer."
As he talks I can feel my anger and rage at the things he did to her. Jacen smiles at me and said, "Yes, give into the anger. Of course I have to wonder why you are so angry, maybe Little Ben wanted Tahiri for himself. I must tell you cousin, she might be a little too much for you to handle."
His smile turned cold and predatory as he continued talking. "Of course it's a moot point now, isn't it Bennie, you're the one that set her free. Maybe since you let my toy go, I'll just have to take yours. She is kind of pretty."
I could feel the heat of my anger as it slowly settled into a cold rage. "You know Jace, I saw Anakin in a vision. He told me to remind you that you never did kiss Tahiri for him."
"That's funny, because I distinctly remember kissing her. Here want to see?" As Jacen said that, he reached out with the Force and pumped his memories into my head.
I screamed, because it hurt, both physically and emotionally. What I saw, what he poured into my head, I don't think I'll ever get over.
I could feel the pleasure that Jacen took in Tahiri's pain. I could feel how much he enjoyed the power of possessing her. I saw the things he did to her, felt them, and felt his emotions and pleasure at doing them. I saw the weeks of torture and violations. All the degrading things he dreamed up and then made her do.
I understood the hate that was in her voice the last time Tahiri had spoken to my dad. I was disgusted, and found myself on my knees.
I threw up the remains of my last meal.
Kneeling there on the ground, chest heaving, trying to catch my breath, my danger sense went off. Before I knew it, I was moving, rolling away, moments before Jacen landed where I had previously been.
I swung my saber at his legs, but he jumped up and landed on top of the autopsy table. Holding my saber out in front of me I stood up once again. "How, how could you do those things?"
As I looked at Jacen's eyes I noticed that they had a distinctly yellowish tint, giving them a reptilian look. "Tahiri is mine to do with as I wish."
I swung at Jacen, but he jumped out of the way. We took up our circle again. I still had questions that I wanted answers to. "What is it about that icon?"
Jacen laughed.
"That? That silly icon was just something Tahiri clung to for support. I carved it on Valin because he had the audacity to try and get her to spend time with him, to try to kiss her. You know, I think he actually snuck to Dagobah a couple of times to visit her. It was only after I found out that you had given it to her that Lumiya thought it needed to be added to every body. And it was fun to tell her how we used it on all those bodies."
I struck, my blade shot in while he was laughing. Jacen jumped up and over me, striking down at my head. I threw my blade up and caught his. I used the Force to push myself back towards him, and I collided with Jacen and we both went tumbling.
My elbow shot out and connected with Jacen's stomach and he made that 'oof' sound. Then I reached over my head, and used a combination of strength and the Force to flip Jacen over my head, throwing him against the autopsy table.
Jacen stood and rushed at me, we collided, our sabers crackled as they struck one another.
We broke, and then he swung again. Our blades locked, with Jacen pushing his closer and closer to me. Then he removed one of his hands, and our blades went to the side away from us, at the same time he grabs me and flings me against the cabinets.
As I start to stand, Jacen is there again, picking me and throwing me once more across the room. I slam into some diagnostic equipment doing thousands of credits in damage in one loud crash.
I stood and put myself into a defensive stance and prepared myself for Jacen's inevitable rush.
Jacen smiled that cold, predatory smile of his, and disappeared.
I reached out with the Force, trying to find him. His voice seemed to be coming from everywhere. "What I did to Tahiri, will look like a walk in the park compared to my new toy."
My concentration slipped as my anger and hate bubbled out of control. A small buzz in the Force was all the warning I received, and I was just barely able to get my blade around in a parry in time.
Then the pressure of Jacen's blow disappeared and I turned around, once more hunting for him.
The warning buzz appeared again, this time mere moments before Jacen's fist collided with my cheek. Either he was stronger than he had ever displayed during practice sessions or he put the Force behind the blow, because I found myself on the ground without a clear recollection of how I got there.
I stood up, my rage still a fire in my gut, and settled into a defensive posture again. Yet Jacen was still playing with his Force Illusions, making himself invisible. I turned, looking for him, and barely got the warning buzz as he once more punched me, this time right above my kidneys.
I sank to my knees, holding my side, and got another warning from the Force, at the same instant Jacen's foot connected with my stomach, bending me over. The force of the kick convinced my body it needed to throw up again.
I closed my eyes and sank into the Force.
I let go of the rage I felt at his threats against Jysella. I found my center.
I shut down my saber, stood up, kept my eyes closed, my focus on the Force, and could feel Jacen coming in to strike again. This time I twisted and grabbed his hand, and then wrapped it behind him. I spun him around, and with a loud bang, smashed his face against the cabinets. I placed the emitter of my saber against the back of his head and leaned in close to his ear. "You didn't listen to me Jacen. I said you never kissed Tahiri FOR Anakin. Everything you have ever done has always been about you."
I could feel the tears as they began to slide down my face. "What you wanted. The secrets you had to keep. How you think things should have gone. You killed Jedi, you blinded your sister, and the things you did to Tahiri, now I have all those things you did to her floating in my head."
The sorrow over all the things that had happened filled me. The good times we had together a bittersweet memory. I just continued talking, "All the pain, and the secrets. What you did to my parents, to Jysella, to me. What you did to all those Jedi. What you did to Tahiri. It all ends tonight."
"Remember this cousin; I've currently got your parents under the Krath mind control. There they will stay until I allow them out. And we can't forget that revenge is of the Dark Side."
I laughed at him. "This is not revenge. I'm just being pragmatic. That's what a good Jedi is, right? If you are not stopped, then you will do this all over again. You'll hurt someone else as badly as you hurt Tahiri. I can't let that happen. Pragmatism and expediency, those are the traits you wanted the Jedi to cherish above all others. As for my parents, don't you remember what you arranged to be the standing order for the Jedi?"
My voice came out as a harsh, pained whisper. "The Order comes first."
I turned on my lightsaber.