Starkiller's Rebellion
AN: I could still use a beta reader/co-author on this.
A Brighter Hope
Chapter 2
"You'd think they'd be a little bit nicer," Starkiller muttered to himself as he picked himself up off the rocks. His swoop lay in shambles behind him, a result of a well aimed blaster rifle. The war cries of the Tuskan Raider's echoed through the canyon. Knowing what it was that they wanted, he walked over to the wreckage of his bike and pulled his supply pack away from the flames. Holding it up so they would see, he tossed it down in front of him. Sitting down and crossing his legs, he waited.
He didn't have to wait long. First one came, then three more, followed by most of the rest. They held their grafi sticks at the ready, but Starkiller made no sudden moves. For all they knew, he could have been asleep. They slowly formed a circle around him and one of their own, whose red cloths betrayed his status and mechanical hand betrayed his knowledge.
"Do you speak, Offworlder?" the Tuskan leader asked in a challenging tone.
Starkiller let the Force flow through him, listening to what it told him about this negotiator before answering, "I speak as well as you do, A'shard Hett."
The Tuskans hissed and barked. Calling their leader by his true name was an insult of the highest form. Starkiller knew this, but he was more concerned by what he felt within their leader. A darkness that was all too familiar.
Just like the Emperor, he thought.
"What do the last of the Jedi want of me?" Hett demanded.
"What makes you think I am a Jedi?" Starkiller asked back.
"How else could you possibly know my name?"
"The Force," Starkiller answered, finally standing. "It is my ally, and through it, I know everything about your past. But I also sense your future. If you continue down the path you have chosen, you will become my enemy. The Force within you mimics that of the Emperor. It is corruption, a weed that must be removed, or the entire field is wasted."
"Who are you to judge me?" Hett spat in rage.
"Darth Starkiller, Grand Master of the Sith Order, the true Sith Order," he replied. "I can sense your intentions, and your desire to learn the secrets of the Sith places you under my jurisdiction. You can either heed my warning, or you can die."
"Liar!" Hett yelled. "You are a Jedi sent here to destroy me!" He then let out a series of yells that sent the rest of the Tuskans into a frenzy.
Order them to kill me? Nice move, Starkiller thought sarcastically as he activated his lightsaber. The first two Tuskans to move were cut down with mindless efficiency. He let out a wave in the Force to throw the others back, leaving only him and Hett standing. "One last chance. Don't make me destroy you," Starkiller warned.
With a yell, Hett surged forward, swinging his activated blade and cutting off Starkiller's head. He laughed in triumph as his opponent crumpled into a bloody mess. His laughter was cut short as the body at his feet disappeared and a blood red blade impaled his heart from behind.
"Your hatred clouds your vision," Starkiller said, standing behind Hett. He deactivated his blade, letting Hett's lifeless body crumple as he turned away from the impromptu camp site. "What a waste," he muttered.
The Tuskan Raiders stayed where they were. Their leader had been felled, and Starkiller was no longer their concern. Pulling out a holomap, Starkiller studied it carefully. Without his swoop bike or his surrendered supplies, he needed to head on foot to the nearest moisture farm for aid. Credits liberated from his last mark, one of the Emperor's most trusted Generals from the Clone Wars, would probably be enough to buy any swoop the nearest farmer owned. Closing down the map, he turned and headed towards Lars Homestead. If he kept it up all night, he would be there by morning.