Star Wars Fan Fiction

Force Wanderer

By Kraven Ergeist

Chapter Three

Kim went back to her ship and continued monitoring all of Serge's activity. Beyond that, she spent her time at the Jedi archives in Coruscant, reading over the manuscripts, particularly those that dealt with Light and Dark Jedi. All accounts seemed to point in the same direction: once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. So how could this Jedi be any different? How could he walk the razor's edge and not fall?

Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Kim had been monitoring Serge nonstop, and was beginning to grow weary. Was he going to continue living like this, simply sleeping the day away, only to drink all night long amidst the jovial bar folk?

It came as a great surprise to Serge when he saw the red Twi'lek enter the bar. He was unconcerned, already on his third round, and welcomed her with a smile.

"Kim," he practically sang, his cheeks red from drink. "So nice to see you here. Bored already? I thought you said you were a patient Jedi."

Kim sat down in front of the man, noting with no small amount of disdain his continued lack of hygiene. "Patience is one thing. What you're doing is just plain sad. Don't you have a life?"

Serge held his arms out, a bottle in one hand. "This is my life, Kim. You don't like it, give up and go home."

Kim sighed, shaking her head. "You insist on living a life of indulgence, yet you never accept any of the invitations you get from the local ladies. You've turned down every offer you've received since I've been on Coruscant."

Serge raised his eyebrows. "Wow, you really have been keeping tabs on me." He knocked back his tankard, emptying it. "Well, for starters, there's no telling what kind of diseases these women carry. Secondly, you'd have to have pretty low standards to call these people 'ladies.' And lastly – Waiter! Another round, please!"

Kim turned to see a bearded waiter come by to take his empty bottle. "Will the lady be having anything?"

Kim shook her head, smiling. "No thank you."

Serge smiled. "Oh, come on – I'm buying."

Kim threw the man a meaningful look. "No you're not."

Serge crossed his arms behind his head. "Tough love. Alright, no that'll be all. Anyway, lastly…" he took a sip from his new drink. "Lastly, have you reached out to these people? Every woman you see, you feel the twisted, burning sadness and loss inside of them."

Kim frowned. "I'm surprised you can sense anything at all in your state."

Serge shook his head. "Pain this deep doesn't hide easily. Their emptiness, their loneliness, their confusion, their hopelessness…it's all too much for me to bear. I could never take pleasure in the arms of someone like that. Simply being in their presence makes me want to slit my wrists. I give them my money in the hopes that it might help them."

Kim nodded. "A very Jedi thing to do."

Serge acted like she hadn't said anything. "I would never even consider such women. Now, someone like you…"

Kim furrowed her brow. "I beg your pardon?"

Serge shook his head. "No, there's a great sadness in you as well. You've experienced a great loss, haven't you?"

Kim gaped. "You…you felt that? You actually…? I…I was hiding it! I know I was! You felt it, even in your state?"

Serge shrugged his shoulders. "You spend all your time amongst the depraved, you become familiar with the way they feel."

Kim nodded, lowering her head. "It was…it was my master. She was killed by a Sith. I've never forgiven them for it. Ever since then, I've taken mission after mission that involved hunting down Sith. Now, I've become an assassin of sorts. Someone for the Jedi order to do their dirty work."

Serge nodded. "That explains your devotion. But I also sense kindness. A deep, affectionate kindness in you…"

Against Kim's red skin, the blush was hard to see, but she turned her face away anyway. "I…I don't know what you're talking about."

Serge frowned. "Why did you come here tonight, Kim? Were you just bored? Or were you looking for something?"

Kim sat back. "I guess I was looking for an answer."

Serge nodded. "Have you found it?"

Kim let a slim smile grace her lips. "I think I'm on the right track."

xxxxx

It was hours before Kim finally dragged Serge out of the bar. It was nearly dawn as she dragged the dirty, smelly Jedi down the street, still busy even at this hour.

"So where exactly do you live?" Kim asked through gasps of fresh air. It had clearly been a while since this Jedi had bathed.

"You're looking at it," Serge mumbled, his speech slurred and uneven, gesturing to an alleyway. Almost all his weight was supported on the Twi'lek. "Home sweet home."

"You must be joking," Kim gaped. She hadn't had anything to drink, but the late hours might have been clouding her judgment. "Come on, you nerf herder, you can spend the night on my ship."

Serge smiled, widely. "Why, thank you, Kim. That's the first generous thing-"

"Don't thank me just yet," Kim smirked. "Before you set foot in one of the sleeping areas, you're going to take nice, long bath."

Serge held up his hands in protest. "That's perfectly fine, Kim. You don't need-"

"I'm not asking, Serge," Kim said, dragging the lazy bum towards her ship. The hatch rolled down and she stepped into the ship, depositing the Jedi in the protocol droid's arms.

"Dee, have him cleaned up," Kim ordered. "And put his clothes through the wash cycle. He'll be sleeping in one of the holding chambers. Have it fitted for passengers. I'm going to bed."

The droid nodded its metallic head, hauling the sorry laggard in its arms.

"And who is this fine young lady?" Serge asked, delirious.

The droid decided that he had been addressed. "I am D-4P0, protocol, maintenance and assisted living droid."

"Wow, you're awfully nice," Serge muttered. "Wanna come back to my place?"

The droid decided not to respond.

In the meantime, Kim had flung herself onto he bed, exhausted. All her Jedi discipline, and she was still getting tired by a late night out. She could remember when she could go for three days without sleep. The job was getting easier and easier, either because she was getting better and better, or the Sith were fewer and weaker. Now, all of the sudden, the job required some effort, and she was straining. She needed to get back on the ball.

She began changing into her night robes. As an afterthought, she bolted her door.

xxxxx

Kim awoke before noon that morning and found Serge sleeping away. Despite his slovenly nature, his haired was trimmed, he was clean-shaven and his clothes were looking fit for a king. All in all, he looked rather handsome.

Kim shrugged it off, giving him a shove to wake him up. Kim rarely had such thoughts and when she did, she ignored them.

Serge woke up, his eyes not entirely open and he placed his hand on his head in response to the throbbing in his skull from the night before.

"Kim, I was never meant to see daylight before noon," Serge pleaded. "Let me sleep."

"I was up as long as you were," Kim shot back. "Now get up."

"Says the woman who doesn't have a rancor-sized hangover," Serge grumbled as he swung his legs out of bed.

"You should have thought of that before drowning yourself in that froth," Kim piped, walking off.

Serge grudgingly got out of bed and made his way out of the tiny passenger chamber he had been sleeping in. He shook his head and took a deep breath, glancing out the porthole. "Nice day at least. Feel like some breakfast?"

Kim shook her head. "I ate already."

"Jedi aren't good liars," Serge crossed his arms. "Usually, they get around a question by replying in half truths."

Kim smirked. "Okay then – I only half don't want buy you breakfast."

"Alright, then," Serge grinned. "I'll buy."

"For the last time," Kim laughed, "I know all about you persuading the waiter for a discount."

"I figured that much," Serge shrugged, "When you paid for all the drinks last night."

Kim widened her eyes. "I'm surprised you were conscious enough to remember that."

Serge held his arms out. "What's wrong with a little breakfast? It'd be a good chance to get to know your target a little better. That's why you stopped by last night, isn't it? To learn a bit more about me while I was liquored up."

Kim fought back a look of shame. She shouldn't feel guilty for doing exactly what she'd said she'd be doing – tracking him, learning about him, until she was convinced he was no threat.

Serge shook his head. "Breakfast. That's all. I'll even pay for it – I've got a bit saved up."

Kim took a deep breath. "Keep your money – the Jedi order supplies my funds for their missions, I've got more than enough."