Thanks for reading this story. If you are interested, I have published original fantasy novels on Amazon.

I am looking for reviews right now, so if you would like a free copy of my novel and are willing to leave a review on amazon, please send me a PM and I can hook you up with a free ebook.

My first novel is "The Scepter of Amon." Because fanfiction doesn't allow direct links, you can search amazon for "The Scepter of Amon," and it should be the only story that comes up. If you like my writing, you will probably like my original works as well.

Diamonds Are Forever

(This story takes place while Jacen is about 25-years-old. It was written in 1998, so it doesn't include any of the "Dark Jacen" storylines that came out later.)

Chapter 1

"Are you sure this environment doesn't clash inconveniently with the strict adherence to your religion?"

The environment was one of utter luxury. Music was played from different areas of the room and filled the majestic banquet hall with the gorgeous sounds of string, wind, and brass instruments. The walls were immaculate in their color, design, and function. The towering structure enclosing the enormous area seemed not to dwarf the hall's inhabitants but to draw them into a more intimate union with the architecture around them. The dazzling chandeliers spread light evenly throughout the gallery, giving the people below the perfect atmosphere in which to mingle. The people were dressed in exquisite clothes, carrying an air about them that reeked of perfection, yet not one of them was overdone. They talked to each other about sincere topics rather than the meaningless drivel that often filled similar gatherings. They conducted themselves with utmost care in handling the food and wine that was distributed freely throughout the hall, not wanting to soil the perfection present in the room. It was a luxurious environment.

"Huh?"

The man cleared his throat with only a slight hint of annoyance. "Are you sure this environment doesn't clash inconveniently with the strict adherence to your religion?"

Jacen had heard him the first time but had not followed his lofty speech, and instead of putting forth the extra effort involved with translating it, he had merely wanted it repeated, hoping for a looser expression the second time. Not getting one, Jacen had to go with what he understood, which was about the last three words. "I don't know, Wiggy. I wouldn't really call it a religion."

Sten Wiggem sighed only slightly at Jacen's casual reference to his name and then again at Jacen's apparent lack of attention to the original question. But like a good diplomat, he was flexible, and he could change gears for a little while as long as he could regain control of this precarious conversation. "Religion: a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code for the conduct of human affairs; a specific, fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects; the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices; or something a person believes in and follows devotedly."

Jacen took another sip of wine, inhibiting his ability to converse effectively even more than before, and leaned back in his chair slightly, considering this new bit of information. "I don't know," Jacen repeated, showing off his incredible vocabulary. "I don't think we have any ritualistic observances."

Wiggem was unwavering. "Regardless, sir," Wiggem flinched slightly at having to address this young man with such respect, "are you sure that you aren't contravening any of your Jedi beliefs right now?"

Jacen swallowed even more of the glorious liquid and leaned back a little further. "I don't know." Jacen thought back to what his uncle had told him. "Excitement, adventure, a Jedi craves not these things." "Hate, fear, aggression, these are of the Dark side." Jacen couldn't remember his uncle ever speaking out against gluttony or the idolatrous saturation of the senses. "I don't know. I hope not."

Wiggem, for the first time in his long life, gave up. "Indeed. If your curiosity is piqued about anything, anything at all, don't hesitate to bring it forth to my attention, and I will try to expound upon its meaning." Wiggem turned his attention away from his young guest and began to attempt to enjoy his evening.

If you have any questions, just ask, Jacen thought to himself. Why didn't this guy just speak plain Basic? Jacen calmed himself by draining the rest of his glass and looking around the room again. Sure the guy was eccentric but wasn't that the point. They should have named the planet Eccentrica instead of Estassia. Although he disliked the mission of sorts that his mother had sent him on to get a feel for the world agreed that this planet would be a great addition to the New Republic. He thought about his reason for being here and then about the relationship he had developed with Wiggem over the past two days. He wasn't worried that his attitude jeopardized the New Republic's chances of union with Estassia; he was just there to get a look around.

Leia knew that her son had a gift for understanding other living creatures. Though most people saw his ability with the Force through his odd collection of exotic animals, Leia understood that his understanding of life was not limited to the animal kingdom. He was there simply to get a feel for the people. Were they greedy? Were they timid or frightened? Did they value power more than morals? In general, would they make an excellent addition to the New Republic? After Jacen's report, Leia would better understand how she should proceed with the official negotiations, leaving her son and his carefree behavior as far away from the proceedings as possible.

Jacen smiled to himself at this last thought. He knew that Wiggem must think him a spoiled brat and that petty baby-sitting was far below the old diplomat's abilities. If Jacen had simply acted artificially, then how would he be able to judge these people's true nature? He looked at Wiggem idly sitting in a chair opposite him at the table, slowly taking in his surroundings.

There was the buffet at which people filled their plates with exquisite food. There was a dance floor where a select crowd of people moved to the music. There were musicians positioned around the room. And there were many other tables where people simply sat and enjoyed themselves. Jacen had never been to the Hapes Cluster, but he guessed that the perfection of people must be similar with one exception: these people were eccentric. They focused on one aspect of life, maybe two, and excelled at that and that alone. While they might be off-balanced as individuals, as a whole, they were the most efficient people Jacen had ever run into. He knew that Wiggem was perhaps the most scholarly person in existence, but he knew that if he ever ventured onto the dance floor, he would probably be the most uncoordinated man in the whole hall.

The food was incredible, and the music was impossibly good. Still, Jacen had come to understand in his short time on this planet that if the musicians attempted anything culinary other than perhaps the simple heating of water, they would likely burn down the entire building, and any tune the chefs tried would probably more closely resemble the screeching of a gundark than anything remotely musical. Jacen looked again at the positioning of the musicians around the room, noticing for the first time that they weren't haphazardly placed but were in the most optimal places in the hall. Jacen closed his eyes and felt the moving of the music through the Force. It flowed majestically from the instruments and moved along the walls in graceful waves. The angles in the walls allowed for the whole sound to be reflected toward the central area of the hall, drenching the crowd from every angle.

The idea of the society was simple. Though maybe lacking in other skills, the architects were the best in the galaxy. The mathematicians were likely to be less than adequately informed in biology but were the best number-crunchers anywhere. Many art pieces were placed throughout the hall, and while it would be torture to watch one of those artists attempting any type of physical activity, they produced the most incredible sculptures. And the women who concerned themselves with their looks "are the most beautiful in the entire galaxy!" Jacen finished the thought aloud and slammed his chair back down to all fours as his eyes fell on a woman across the room.

Jacen's statement brought Wiggem to attention. He heard what Jacen had said and followed his intense gaze, wondering what could so thoroughly capture the young Jedi's attention since he had failed in even coming close to simply engaging it. He turned in his seat and saw that Jacen was looking toward some of the art pieces on exhibit. The older man's hormones were not on the same frequency as Jacen's, and he somehow managed to look past the beautiful woman wearing a tight-fitting black dress and standing in front of a giant sculpture. On later reflection, Wiggem would realize that for Jacen to be this enthralled by a structure, no matter how well crafted, went against everything he had, up to this point, observed. Still, his specialty was literary knowledge, not deductive reasoning. "Ah," Wiggem said, happy to see that his young companion was an admirer of the arts, "you like what you see?"

Jacen didn't respond, and his eyes started to glaze over from the intensity of his stare and the alcohol level in his blood. He shook himself from the haze and allowed the Force to sober him somewhat. Wiggem was beginning to lose confidence in his original assumption that it was an art piece holding Jacen entranced. "Your keen observation is of the Hobr-" Wiggem started to say the artist's name but realized Jacen would have no idea what he was saying, "is of the gray structure with the intricate, winding angles?"

Jacen rose from his seat with a smile on his face at Wiggem's inability to recognize true beauty. "No, Wiggs. I have my eye on the black one with the great curves." Jacen put a reassuring hand on Wiggem's shoulder. "But nice try."

The older man was still unsure what Jacen was talking about but had a misguided idea that it had something to do with art. "Perhaps I shall join you. My knowledge on the subject is quite extensive. I am considered an expert, in all honesty."

At that moment, Wiggem reminded Jacen of Threepio. May I remind you that I am fluent in over six million forms of communication? "I'm sure you are," Jacen said as much in response to Threepio's age-old quote as to Wiggem's more recent statement, "but I think I can handle this one on my own."

Wiggem had tried to rise, but Jacen had kept his hand on his shoulder as he walked past him. Wiggem was amazed at the young man's strength that kept him in his chair. He began to wonder if there was something more to this visitor than he was initially told. He shrugged to himself as he watched Jacen skillfully weave himself around tables and avoid bodily contact.

Jacen tugged on the lapels of his eveningwear, confident in his neat suit and his father's inherited good looks. He realized he couldn't approach her empty-handed. Using his tall frame in the mostly seated crowd, Jacen spotted a waiter carrying drinks. Instead of calling the waiter or making his way to him, Jacen simply beckoned with his hand, and two drinks floated towards him. Any other waiter would have gone into shock at the sight of two wine glasses leaving his tray via nothing. This waiter never faltered in his debonair stature and merely readjusted his tray to compensate for the lost weight. However, his eyes did make flirtatious glances at the two anti-grav glasses, wondering if he had perhaps imbibed too much of his product.

Jacen caught the glasses and emerged from the dining area unscathed. The woman had not left her position in front of the sculpture. Jacen let his eyes drink their fill from this safe distance so he wouldn't be tempted to do so during any potential conversation they might have. She stood straight and tall a meter or two from the velvet rope that separated the walkway from the exhibit area. Her black dress was narrow and long around her legs with a slit along the side running up to mid-thigh. The middle was gathered around a very slim waist and followed her figure up into two thin straps over her bare shoulders. Her long blonde hair covered up the open back of the dress, and Jacen could sense that she must have the deepest blue eyes. He could also sense that she knew he was coming. He continued his approach as she kept looking at the sculpture.

Jacen walked up next to her and suddenly felt very silly holding two drinks. She eased his discomfort by relieving him of one of them. She looked up at him and smiled. She had the most beautiful smile.

"Aren't you a little young to be a waiter?"

Jacen smiled and laughed a little. "Perhaps, and isn't it too crowded in here for you to be standing all alone?"

She laughed back. "Perhaps."

The two lapsed into silence. Jacen looked at the art piece in front of him. It was positioned far away from the velvet ropes and too far to make the plaque beneath it readable. Too far for the average person anyway. "So, what do you think of Hobrith's work?" Jacen asked.

The woman next to him flinched more than a little. "You are familiar with his art?"

"I've seen a few things. I find that most of his earlier works are still mostly misunderstood," Jacen said, practically reading the plaque word for word. "Though this sculpture is a good transition from his abstract work to his more contemporary pieces." The plaque ended, and so did Jacen, but he had said enough.

"And here I thought I would be spending my evening with a whole bunch of old stiffs," she said, fully warmed to Jacen and sipping her glass. "I think this piece is all about transition. If you look at the angles and how each member weaves back and forth, searching for somewhere to go, it kind of gives the observer the idea that when their eyes are following the path, they're reaching some sort of goal, but the actual destination ends up right where you started."

Jacen was beginning to get a feel for the sculpture himself. "Kind of like his reaction to the public's misinterpretation of his earlier works. They say, 'Take us somewhere with your work,' so he gives them this: the illusion of travel. Isn't he really telling us that we will only see what we want to and that his more recent works will only seem to take us somewhere different when they are actually the same as what he started with? I think the key to his more recent works still lies in the interpretation of his earlier ones." Jacen held his breath.

She exploded in laughter. "That is exactly right! They say with Hobrith's work, the beauty is in the eyes of the beholder."

"Yes," Jacen quipped, "but rarely does the beholder have such beautiful eyes herself."

She turned to face him, blushing slightly. "Who are you?" she asked inquisitively.

"Jacen Solo," Jacen replied, extending his right hand and glad that this far away from Coruscant, his last name wouldn't be recognizable.

She took his hand in a surprisingly firm grasp. "Ariela Juwel," she responded with her introduction.

"What a beautiful name."

Ariela blushed again at the expected compliment. "Do I know you?"

"I don't think so," Jacen answered, "but we can change that if you like?" Ariela smiled at his direct boldness. She did have a gorgeous smile. Jacen nodded his head over to the dance floor. "Do you dance?"

Ariela was skeptical. "Do you?"

Jacen understood her doubt. Surely on this planet, no man who knew this much about art would be able to dance as well. "You'll find I'm full of surprises." He changed his grip on her hand and tugged gently on her fingers, leading her toward the main hall. "Shall we?"

She smiled again. "We shall." The pair made their way to the floor and wove through the aged group of dignitaries moving like prehistoric monsters, lumbering to and fro compared to the younger couple. Jacen led her to an open spot on the floor, and they fell into the rhythm of the three-step waltz that the band was playing. Jacen used the Force to enhance his already graceful form. He was a trained fighter, and he found that he used the same type of footwork and motions when dancing as he did when fighting. He smiled, thinking of one of the first jokes he told that had gotten a laugh from Tenel Ka. Fighting is like ballet, except the dancers are bigger, and they hit each other. Despite Jacen's attempt to impress Ariela with his dancing ability, she stayed right with him, their toes never getting more than six centimeters apart throughout the waltz.

The two plowed their way through the older couples like a parade making its way through a crowd. People parted for them, realizing grace and beauty when they saw it. Jacen and Ariela stayed on the floor for the following two numbers, which were more like ballroom-style dances. Leia had trained Jacen, so he didn't make a fool of her at the state dinners the children had to attend, but he still didn't know most of the dances. With the Force, he slowed everything down while he tried to learn the steps; he followed a half-second behind the first time through the motions and was then able to keep pace.

Ariela laughed in verbal applause for his ability to learn and adapt and was also glad to see that he wasn't perfect. When the next piece came, Jacen decided to lead and taught Ariela an old Alderaan dance. She learned just as quickly as he had, and they twirled around the floor like a couple of pros. The last song was much slower, and instead of the nervous tension Jacen had expected, Ariela closed in on him, and the two moved together in a smooth slow dance.

At the end of the final song, Ariela looked up into Jacen's eyes. "Thanks. I needed that. I was afraid I wouldn't have any fun at this thing."

Jacen was about to ask why she was here at all, but an unseen speaker system came to life, and everyone in the hall quieted and came to attention. "Ladies and gentleman, may I please direct your attention to the north end of the hall for tonight's special presentation."

Jacen followed Ariela's gaze, uncertain of which end was the north, and saw a tall older man flanked by an elegant woman in a stunning gown. Jacen was continuously being surprised by how everyone fit their jobs so perfectly. His mother couldn't have looked more fit standing in front of the gathering than this couple did.

"Thank you," the woman said to the unseen announcer. Her words rang out clear as a bell, but Jacen could detect no microphone on her of any kind. Once again, Jacen was marveled at the architectural structure that provided such acoustics. "As you know, we have all been invited here to witness the presentation of a new addition to this fabulous museum by the very generous Yerinthon family." She motioned her arms, indicating a lower portion of the platform where a couple that was almost out of view stood. Jacen could barely catch a glimpse of them and could see why they weren't more visible. Apparently, the Yerinthons had found their niche in this society by making money, giving expensive gifts to prominent museums, and not by participating in public appearances.

Jacen returned his gaze to the platform and noticed for the first time that there was a pedestal between the couple up on stage. It was covered with a silk sheet, and Jacen played with the idea of lifting the sheet prematurely with the Force but thought better of it. "I don't know if I can adequately preempt the unveiling," the man said. "I guess the best way to express the museum's gratitude for this marvelous gift is by not holding you in suspense any longer. And so, without further promotion, I present you with the Necklace of Festivilla."

The sheet went up by an invisible thread, and light immediately covered the jewelry. The hall was instantly full of oohs and ahhs that were in no way exaggerated. Jacen craned his neck to see over the people in front of him, who had suddenly all seemed to grow another 10 centimeters. The necklace was made up of about 15 diamonds, decreasing in size as they worked toward the back of the neck, with the largest diamond, about the size of Jacen's thumb knuckle, front and center.

The crowd began a systematic cycle, in which they rotated in front of the display platform, giving everyone in the hall a chance to see the diamonds up close. Jacen and Ariela waited patiently as they moved slowly in the sea of people until they stood before the display. The necklace was resting on a felt bust, almost as attractive as the necklace itself. The jewelry was covered in light, and it reflected a dazzling array of colors off the surrounding display stage. Everything was positioned precisely right.

Jacen and Ariela stood in front of the awed spectacle, simply staring. Ariela clung to Jacen's arm as if needing help to stay balanced in front of such a sparkling sight. She leaned her head against his shoulder and tilted her head upward to whisper in his ear. "Use that well-trained art eye of yours and tell me what you think."

Her voice sounded almost childlike. Maybe the wine and dancing had gotten to her. Yet through the melodic tone of her voice, there seemed to be an edge, as if this was his final challenge of the night before, . . . well, before whatever came next. Jacen stared at the necklace.

No one could stare too intently at it for long because the vast array of lights made even the sturdiest man dizzy. Jacen wasn't just anyone. He used the Force to stare past the lights, letting his eyes absorb the colors like a sponge. He might have winged it with the sculpture, but he was no slouch when it came to diamonds. He had tagged along with Lando plenty of times during his mining adventures and had been a quick learner. He had built several lightsabers and knew a powerful crystal when he saw one. Jacen's eyes began to focus into a new light, the light of the Force. He now saw energy. The light beams turned transparent, and he looked into the core of the central diamond on the front and saw, . . . reflected light. Jacen closed his eyes hard and looked again. Reflected light. High-quality diamonds reflected the light many times before releasing it, seeming to create their own energy as they throbbed with power. This necklace in front of him did none of that. The light came in. The light went out. Sure, the angles of the stone were such that the light was split into many different colors, but it was not real.

Jacen shook his head and stumbled back slightly as he shook the light from his eyes, blinking the splotches away. Ariela released his arm and looked at him curiously. He looked down at her. "It's glass. They're glass," he stammered.

"How did-" she stopped herself. "How can-" she stopped again. "Are you sure?"

"I just," Jacen stuttered, "I can tell."

The senior Yerinthon noticed the commotion and walked towards the pair in front of the display. "Does there seem to be some sort of problem?" he asked.

Jacen looked around himself. The whole hall had seemed to grow quiet, knowing that something had gone wrong. Jacen was way out of his league, but he knew what he knew. "Sir, I believe those diamonds are fake."

The people around Jacen that heard him speak began to laugh. "He's too young. What does he know?"

"Sir," Jacen said, staring straight into Yerinthon's eyes and trying hard not to use mental suggestion, "I strongly believe that you should examine those stones."

Something in Jacen's eyes told Yerinthon of the young man's sincerity, and he slowly nodded his head. "I will, son." The older man turned to look at the necklace, but the lights were coming in from all angles, and he couldn't get a clear look at the piece of jewelry. "Will someone please get those blasted lights!"

Jacen waited for a few seconds and realized no one was near the switch. He reached out to the bulbs with the Force, followed the flow of positive charge back down the wire, and flipped the switches. The lights went out, and Yerinthon and a few other dignitaries crowded around the podium. In about five seconds, one of them shouted, "It's glass." A shudder went through the hall. Those who had been laughing ceased such activity.

Jacen leaped gracefully onto the meter-tall platform and tried to work his way into the fray. "Sir," he managed to corner Yerinthon, "I believe I can help. How many exits are there in this building?"

"What are you saying? Do you believe the thief is still in the building?"

"If they left right after the crime, why replace the necklace with a fake?" Jacen explained his reasoning.

Yerinthon motioned to a nearby security guard and spoke quickly to him. The guard relayed a message through a hand-held communicator and then turned to address the crowd. "Attention everyone," the big man's voice boomed, making the hall seem quite small. "I'm sorry for this little inconvenience, but we ask that none of you try to leave the building. Please just sit down at your tables and try to finish all of this food we have left."

Jacen turned his attention back to Yerinthon. "Sir, the thief isn't going to try and leave through the front door. Is there any other way out of this building?"

Yerinthon shook his head slowly. "All the windows are unbreakable, and I don't believe that there are any back-"

"The roof!" Jacen interrupted. "He's heading for the roof!"

"Ah, that could be a-"

"How do I get there?" Jacen asked, growing impatient with the older man and the lead the thief must be getting.

"It's a 20-story drop."

"Where do I find the stairs?"

"You've done plenty, young man. Security can handle it from here. I'll make sure that you are rewarded for your help."

Jacen finally gave in to his temptation and used the Force. "Where are the stairs?" he asked with an eerie quality to his voice.

Yerinthon blinked at him at the oddity of the question, as if the answer was obvious. "Over there," he said, pointing to the west end of the hall, "behind the art exhibits."

Jacen turned to leave and found himself faced with the bulk of the crowd. He steadied his nerves and concentrated on the crowd. Suddenly people found themselves backing up unwillingly, opening an aisle for the Jedi to traverse. He threw his thanks to the confused people as he ran by. He emerged from the crowd in the art area and felt a tug on his arm. Jacen came up short, turning to see Wiggem standing there, looking quite confused.

"Excuse me, sir, but could you illuminate me as to what is transpiring, why you are involved, and the identity of the person with whom you danced?"

Ariela! He had forgotten about her in the confusion. Where had she gone? Jacen looked back into the crowd with no luck at picking out the gorgeous blonde. "I'll tell you what, Wiggly, I'll tell you all about it sometime, but right now, could you find that girl. She's yea tall," he held his hand shoulder height, "blonde with a black dress. Tell her I'll be right back."

"But sir," Wiggem started as Jacen ran away from him.

"And stop calling me sir," Jacen threw back over his shoulder. He leaped over the rope border and made his way to a service door along the back wall. Through the door, he stood on a small landing at the base of a stairway. Jacen paused at the bottom of the stairs and took a deep breath, slowing his pulse. Someone had been through here recently. They had been mad, or was it fear, or just plain adrenaline. He couldn't tell. The thief had a little bit of a lead, but Jacen could catch him. Jacen opened his eyes and leaped up the 12 steps in one jump. He pivoted 180 degrees and cleared the next flight. He made his way through the door at the top of the stairs and found himself in a small hallway.

Jacen paused again to get his bearings. His heightened senses picked up a slight whirring sound. He moved quickly to his left and found himself standing in front of an elevator. The transport had just stopped 15 floors up. Jacen was on the third floor. The thief had a 12-story lead but probably wouldn't be expecting to be chased by a Jedi, if at all. Jacen couldn't wait for the elevator to come back down. A little further down the hallway, he found the stairs. He took each flight separately, one leap apiece, trying not to overexert himself and letting the Force do most of the work. In a little over half a minute, he was on the fifteenth floor. He could sense the criminal about two, maybe three, stories up. He kept going. After two more flights, he began hearing the telltale pounding of feet. When he turned the bend after the next flight, he saw a figure dressed in all black make the turn up the next flight.

"Hey!" Jacen yelled, unsure of what the thief had planned for whoever followed him. Jacen didn't get an immediate response, but when rounding the next turn, he saw a tiny flicker of motion in between him and the thief halfway up the stairs. With his reflexes controlled by the Force, his hand moved under its own power, grabbing at the air in front of his chest. Jacen opened his hand to find a small dart. "Not fair!"

The thief was at the top of the stairs now, and Jacen eliminated the gap between them in one quick jump as he grabbed onto his adversary's ankle. The figure was wearing loose black pants, a black sweater, and a mask covering his entire face, save his eyes. The thief pulled in a futile effort against Jacen's iron grip. "You're not going anywhere, buddy."

The thief seemed to take a serious pause at Jacen's voice and looked back at him for the first time. Jacen relaxed a little and received a vicious foot to the head from the unsecured leg. He lost his grip and staggered back down the stairs. He hit the landing below, falling hard on his shoulder blades. Jacen sat up slowly, shaking the cobwebs from his head and cursing himself for his stupidity and lack of caution. All of his composure had been lost, and he didn't have time to regain it. The thief was surely on the roof by now. He scampered up the rest of the stairs and then the next flight with a bit of caution.

The last door brought him onto the roof, and he was greeted unceremoniously with a metal pole aimed at his head. Jacen ducked, and the bar connected solidly with the door, slamming it closed. Jacen rolled a few yards away, coming up facing his foe. The thief had a 150-centimeter metal pipe, which he held in the middle, and was slowly twirling it in front of his body. He had a pouch on his waist that Jacen assumed held the real necklace.

"I'll tell you what," Jacen started, trying to bargain, "You give me the necklace now, and I won't tell the police how easy it was for me to catch you." Jacen could imagine the smirk under the black mask but didn't get a response. Jacen figured he would have to fight this adversary one way or another. He didn't have his lightsabers with him and did a quick check around the roof for some type of weapon. He knew the thief hadn't been carrying that pipe when he was in the stairway. Jacen turned back to the man in black to see what type of pipe it was when he caught the end of a quick wrist motion. Jacen focused all his attention on the dart as it flew toward his face. With the Force, the dart seemed to slow down and creep toward him. His right hand came up smoothly and batted the projectile away only centimeters from his face.

Jacen readjusted his eyes to his surroundings and found that his opponent had followed his shot and was only a meter away. With no weapon, Jacen brought his forearms up to block the blows. They came quick and furious. Jacen moved smoothly, blocking the hits with glancing thrusts, trying to redirect the weapon rather than absorb the full brunt of the blows. The attacks didn't have much strength behind them, but they were so quick that Jacen started to feel the welts growing on his arms. He back peddled furiously, trying to keep himself out of the weapon's way. The swipes came just in front of his chest, nipping the lapels of his coat. Jacen couldn't help thinking of earlier that evening. Fighting was a lot like dancing: each person takes turns leading, they move in smooth, fluid motions, and if you don't do it right, you could end up quite sore.

Jacen stopped his retreat when he felt himself come up against the edge of the roof. He measured the timing of the attacks and slipped in between them, getting inside the weapon's range. Jacen delivered two quick chops to his foe's wrists on known pressure points. The metal pipe clanged to the roof, and Jacen continued his charge by bowling the thief off his feet. Jacen's opponent was quick and somersaulted backward, coming up a few meters away. The two combatants tensed for a few seconds before the thief turned and ran. Jacen followed with two quick steps before he realized the feint. He came up short as the black figure in front of him leaped straight into the air, executed a perfect half twist, and lashed out with his left leg.

Jacen tried to brace himself with the edge of the roof just to his right, but his sudden stop left him off-balanced, and although he got his arms up to block the kick, he careened precariously on the edge of the roof. The thief landed, executed another spinning kick, and Jacen went over the edge. The Jedi twisted himself in mid-air and caught on to the edge of the roof. He hung there briefly and watched as the black-clad fighter checked to see if Jacen had survived. Jacen thought the thief would try to crush his fingers, but he just turned and ran.

Jacen didn't fool around on the edge of the building for long, filling himself with the Force and launching his body back onto the roof. The black figure was running toward the far corner and had already gotten his repelling cord out. Jacen calmed himself, not letting the anger of his earlier carelessness get a hold of him. He glanced at the small building in the middle of the roof, from which the door had opened. Where were the security guards? He turned back toward his fleeing foe, who was now halfway across the roof. With a motion of his hand, Jacen sent a wave of the Force toward his legs. The thief went sprawling, his rope skittering out ahead of him.

The black figure looked curiously at his legs, expecting to see his metal pipe tangled about his feet. Seeing nothing, he looked up at Jacen with confusion concealed behind the mask. "No more games now, buddy," Jacen said as he walked up to the thief. He tried to scramble back to his feet, but Jacen knocked him down again with a wave of his hand. The thief was now near the small building in the middle of the roof, and he rose into a cautious crouch, expecting another wave of the unknown power. He found an old brick under his hand and hurled it at Jacen. Jacen waved it away like swatting a fly. The thief tried a desperate charge, but Jacen held up his right hand, and the black-clad figure stumbled backward into the wall. He tried to get away from the wall, but Jacen walked up quickly and placed his hand on the thief's chest, pinning the shorter opponent against the wall at arm's length.

The thief struggled against Jacen's arm, and Jacen could hear his heavy breathing from exhaustion. He could feel the thief's chest rising and falling under his hand. He paused. That wasn't the only thing he could feel under his hand. He looked at the thief's figure under the now taut black sweater, realizing for the first time the actual gender of his opponent. Jacen looked hard at the mask of his foe for the first time and found himself staring into the deepest blue eyes he had ever seen. Well, the deepest he had seen since earlier that night. "Ariela?"

"You'll find I'm full of surprises too," she said, and with her identity and gender known, she decided to make Jacen's gender more evident with a swift kick in between his wide stance.

Jacen was in total shock at this new revelation and was in no position even to attempt to block the kick that landed on him solidly. His entire body buckled in pain and was a sitting duck for the next two kicks that Ariela delivered into his chest and head. He fell to the roof, landing hard. He tried to get up and received another vicious kick to the temple. "Don't ever touch me again without my permission," she said as she delivered the kick.

Jacen's mind was clouding over fast. He concentrated hard, trying to keep himself conscious. The fog started to slowly clear, and he looked up to see Ariela at the corner of the roof. He reached out to try and stop her and received a dart in his neck. His hand came up to inspect the foreign object, and another dart slammed into his chest. Jacen felt the poison go to work immediately and knew he was in no condition to fight against it. He managed to flip over onto his back before passing out.