Job Performance

Tristan stared somberly down the alley as he stood next to Granger. "You deal with the three on the left, I'll take the one on the right."

Granger glanced at his partner. "Those probably seem like good odds to you, but you sure about that?"

"Oh yeah," he grinned as he stared back at Myriam. "We've tangled before, I like her."

"You're the boss," Granger conceded igniting his lightsaber. "Don't say I didn't warn you… if you live."

"Let's dance," Tristan pulled both blasters, firing in Myriam's direction. Granger rushed Numa, Hector, and Iesha as they each ignited their sabers. After a few half-hearted blows, Granger maneuvered his party around the corner and out of Tristan's sight.

When they were a safe distance, Granger asked, "Why are you back so soon?"

Hector smiled in relief as much as in reply, "You had me worried for a second, Master."

Numa answered the question, "An evaluation team from the Council is coming to Syllian. They demand your presence."

Granger rolled his eyes and patted Iesha on the back. She looked up with relief and rekindled fondness. "Leave it to the Jedi Council to risk blowing a good cover to have a meeting. Very well, let's make this look good."

Myriam fairly easily deflected Tristan's shots. She wasn't quite sure that he was even trying to hit her. "Are you toying with me?"

"Well," Tristan grinned beneath the brim of his hat. "You haven't deflected any shots back in my direction. Who's toying with who?"

"You're not my priority at the moment," the normally even-keeled Jedi smiled back, "but since you want to get serious….." Myriam's blue blade moved almost faster than Tristan could track as he resumed firing, this time with more careful aim. Only one deflected shot even came close to touching him, although that was mostly due to his natural deflective Force reflexes and not any mercy from Myriam.

The gangster holstered one blaster and pointed at a nearby dumpster. Swinging his arm, the massive receptical flew through the air at Myriam. She also raised her free hand, stopping the massive object in mid-air and hurled it back at Tristan. He stepped just out of the way of the crashing dumpster. "Impressive," both combatants mumbled.

"Something's different about you," Myriam tried to get a sense of her opponent. "Your skills are growing. You're more focused this time."

"Guess your rogue friend is a bad influence," Tristan shot back with words and his blaster as Myriam easily deflected each shot.

"Come with us," there was almost a pleading sound in Myriam's voice that tugged at Tristan's gut as though he knew she was going to say it.

"Awwww, you really do care," he tried to hide the sincerity in his voice.

"You've obviously learned from Granger, imagine what you could learn if properly taught," Myriam tried to sound reasonable."

"I'm sure I'm too old to start training….." Tristan shot back sarcastically.

"Technically, I was too," Myriam deflected the words as easily as the shots.

"Who would train me? You? Or maybe you had something else in mind….." Tristan paused his fire and grinned.

"Attachment is forbidden to Jedi," Myriam dropped her playfulness as she glared at him from above the blue blade of her saber.

Tristan chuckled, "I'm too attached to this life."

"I can fix that for you too," Myriam prepared her stance for another assault.

Before either of them resumed the fight, the alley was rocked by a massive explosion from around the corner where the rest of the Jedi had moved. "Guess that's my cue to leave," Myriam blew her attacker a kiss that turned into a Force push and disappeared down the alley.

Tristan rounded the corner to find nothing but rubble. He wondered who he would task to sort through it and find whatever may be left of Granger. "Stupid Jedi and their disappearing tricks."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Relax Jedi Finly, Master Tarayzin reassured the young knight. "This is merely an evaluation, not a hearing."

""Which you have experience with," Oo'looku had already established himself as the most aggressive of the Masters on the review committee. "Just before you were transferred to this team, you were nearly suspended, if not removed, from the Order for," the antagonistic inquisitor paused to quote from his datapad, "'wrecklessness, if not gross incompetence.' Do you really think you deserve to be here?"

Finly stammered. He would begin a sentence then pause. He started to admit that the committee was right and the he had no good reason to be on this team or maybe even a Jedi. Then he thought of what Iesha told him on Markuria. He thought about the way Master Granger seemed to appreciate and even seek his input on missions. He realized that for the first time since youngling training, he actually felt valued and that he had a significant role to play. He felt his chest puff, just slightly. "As a matter of fact, I do. I feel that since I have been here, I have made valuable contributions to several missions."

"What makes you say that?" Oo'looku continued to press.

Finly paused in thought for a moment. "Master Granger does. I can't really explain it. He just has a way about him."

Tarayzin knew that any praise for Granger would get under Oo'looku's skin, but he did not mind that his fellow Master, who was often holding the opposite viewpoint especially when it came to Sylllian operations, was flustered. He covered his mouth to hide his grin. "That will be all, Jedi," Oo'looku quickly dismissed Finly. "Send in Jedi Hannibal."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hannibal and Finly sat around the meeting table in the main room of what had become the Jedi's Syllian headquarters when the others returned. Granger had since discarded his Markurian clothes for his Jedi robes and felt much more at ease and freer to move. "Master," Hannibal joked as the group entered. "I thought we would get to see you in your new get-up, but I see you've switched back."

"Too confining," there was still relief in Granger's voice. "What is the word around here."

"Organized crime, particularly that of the Vespucio Family, is steadily drying up on the planet of Syllian," Finly rose to greet his master with the good news. "But….. an evaluation team from the Jedi Council is here and…"

"I heard," Granger smirked. "They don't share your enthusiasm regarding our success, I take it?"

"Which makes no sense to me," Hannibal answered. "They see what we've done here and yet they are almost seem eager to point out our missteps."

"That's what an evaluation is," Granger reassured, "to make sure you are doing the great job that you think you are doing."

"Maybe," Hannibal answered, "but they've already questioned Finly and me. They seem overly aggressive, especially Oo'looku."

"Yes Master," Finly cut in. "Oo'looku is not your friend."

"Ah," Granger mused. "We have crossed paths before. Where are they? I suppose I should get in there….."

"Actually," Finly hesitated. "They want to see Numa next. They have listed an order that they want to see us all in. They saved you for last."

"Interesting," Granger looked around the room at his assembled team. Iesha noticed that there did not seem to be the least bit of worry in his eye. Even when faced with as formidable an opponent as the Jedi Council, Granger's confidence did not waver. "Well, I'll be in my quarters if anyone needs me. May the Force be with you all…..especially with you, Numa." Both of the senior Jedi exited the meeting room together.

As they left, Hector leaned towards Myriam, "I have a bad feeling about this."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"That will be all padawan," Iesha was a little taken aback by her abrupt dismissal. The questions had been fairly tame, but the committee was a little too probing for her comfort regarding the exact nature of her feelings towards Granger. She barely admitted to herself that they were complicated, but she felt that she dealt with them appropriately. Or had she? Maybe she was only hiding them. Or maybe she was not hiding them as well as she thought. The idea left her a little rattled, but the questions felt more like formalities than actual probes.

Myriam stood in the door, ready to enter as Iesha exited. She seemed completely unshaken as usual. "May the Force be with you," Iesha mumbled as they passed.

"It always is," Myriam whispered matter-of-factly as the door slid shut behind her. "Masters," Myriam nodded in greeting.

"Jedi Myriam," one of the quieter members of the committee was the first to speak. "Your reputation precedes you. You have a nearly impeccable record. This proceeding should not take long."

Myriam eyed Voudon who was uncharacteristically silent. Oo'looku spoke next. "Nearly impeccable," the head of the committee emphasized. "You tend to have a higher body count than most of your peers…."

"'A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense'," Myriam knew she could never go wrong with a quote from her former master. "However, the best defense is often a good offense….."

"Jedi Myriam's personal record is not in question here, Master Oo'looku," Tarayzin interrupted.

"Very well," Oo'looku conceded. "What is your opinion of Jedi Master Granger?"

"He is an outstanding leader. Very efficient at accomplishing his mission. And one of the best teachers I have ever encountered. Possibly second only to Master Yoda himself."

Tarayzin and the two less vocal members of the committee nodded slightly in agreement. Oo'looku was clearly offended. Voudon continued to sit unmoved. "So you agree that murdering a public official is in accordance with the Jedi way?" Oo'looku countered.

"Ah, the Magistrate," Myriam shrugged. "It was hardly murder. He ran the Vespuccio Family here on Syllian and was the source of most political corruption. Like I said, Master Granger is very efficient."

"We have already cleared Master Granger of those charges," Tarayzin seemed annoyed at Oo'looku's backtracking.

"Very well," Oo'looku changed tactics. "What of Granger's relationship with Zaekwon, the new boss for the Vespucio Family on this planet?"

"Zaekwon works for us. And through him we keep organized crime in check. It is nearly non-existent at the moment."

"Is that why Master Granger went undercover as a….. rogue….. and is now budding up to Vespuccio's second in command….. this….. Tristan?" Oo'looku pressed. At these comments, Voudon leaned forward in his seat.

"What are you getting at?" Myriam was tiring of the questions.

Oo'looku cleared his throat. "One could argue that when Master Granger….. removed…. the Magistrate, that he was simply taking out a rival. He has since put a puppet boss in place and is working his way up the line in the Vespuccio Family."

"That is ridiculous." Myriam snapped. "Syllian is a better place. What profit could he be reaping? You are right, he is working his way up the line and if he is allowed to do his job, then he will likely eliminate the entire Vespuccio Family soon enough. The rest of us should be moving deeper into the Outer Rim to ensure that crime does not return here. You are wasting our valuable time. I'm done with this." Myriam turned towards the door.

"You have not been dismissed, Jedi," it was Tarayzin who spoke up to stop her.

Myriam reluctantly turned back to the committee. "Indeed," Oo'looku nodded at Tarayzin and continued. "Tell me Jedi, have you encountered the Dark Side since your arrival here?"

Myriam thought of Hannibal and took a deep breath. "Of course."

The entire committee except Voudon seemed caught off guard by the answer. "Could you please clarify?"

"The Dark Side seeks all of us. Any Jedi who claims not to struggle with it is either blind or a fool….. or a liar." Myriam stood tall at her response and noticed a slight grin from Voudon.

The committee seemed satisfied with the answer and ready to dismiss her, when Voudon finally spoke up. "One more question Myriam. Would you describe the exact nature of your relationship with Jedi Hannibal?"

"The exact nature of my what with who?" Myriam nearly stumbled backwards.

"Jedi Hannibal," Voudon repeated and glanced at a data pad. "He mentioned what he called 'extremely volatile sexual tension' between the two of you."

"I'm going to kill him," Myriam gritted her teeth. The comment caused a stir amongst the collection of masters. "The only tension between us will be when I remove his flesh saber." The committee was clearly at a loss for words as Myriam glanced around the room at each of them. Her eyes came to rest on the only female member of the committee. "I can't help but ask if the male members of the team received this same line of questioning."

"We resent the implication, Jedi," Tarayzin interrupted, "but since it does not speak to the nature of our business here, we will overlook it. And I believe that is enough for today. You are dismissed."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Zeakwon listened carefully to the usual reports and complaints from his underlings. "We have to make some moves quick boss," the last one concluded. "People are getting restless. Money will soothe a lot of hurts."

"Money's getting harder and harder to come by," Jessie, standing just off to the right of the seated Zeakwon's shoulder spoke up this time. He only became slightly nervous when he glanced at Pierre, who was seated off to the side. "As long as the Jedi are here in force….."

Zeakwon cleared his throat, "The Jedi have a particular interest in our activities on Syllian at the moment. Any move against them would only bring more. They will leave when they are convinced they have been successful. We lay low until then."

"Boss, if we lay low too much longer, our rivals will take us for weak and our own people will continue to jump ship…" an underling attempted another protest.

"Any of our own who do not follow orders will be dealt with as usual. And our rivals will find the Jedi waiting for them just as we have. And the ones that don't…..we will deal with accordingly," Zeakwon grinned at the thought of some excitement.

"Then we will need to keep our people loyal. And they ain't gonna stay if they ain't getting paid….." another underling's concern was interrupted by a commotion outside followed quickly by the opening door. Numa, Myriam, Hector, and Finly stepped through the open door accompanied by Masters Tarayzin and Voudon.

"Get out," Numa seemed to hiss at the underlings. The group hurriedly made their way out the door.

Myriam gave Jessie a slight Force Push back towards Zeakwon. "Not you."

Pierre eyed Finly nervously as he filed out with the others. He tried to catch what he could of the conversation as he wondered why he was allowed to leave. The door promptly slid shut behind him.

"Zeakwon," Numa spoke with even more authority than usual. "In the name of the Jedi Council of the Republic, you are under arrest."

"What kinda bantha poodoo is this?" Zeakwon calmed his tone when all but Master Voudon's lightsabers ignited as he shot from his seat.

"I'm afraid your reign of terror on Syllian is over," Master Tarayzin stated rather proudly. "I would suggest you come quietly.

The door slid open to a startled Pierre as Zeakwon exited the room followed by six Jedi and five lightsabers.

"Catch ya later," Hector glanced back at Jessie as they escorted Syllian's crime boss out of the room.

Jessie almost looked like he wished he had also been arrested as the underlings filed back into the office. "What happened?" one of the underlings demanded.

Pierre pointed with his head at Zeakwon's empty chair as Jessie stammered for words. Reluctantly, Jessie accepted the promotion and sat in the empty chair behind the desk. "It appears gentlemen that our struggles here are not yet over."

XXXXXXXXXX

Hannibal and Iesha were waiting outside the committee's room when the others arrived. "You," Myriam gave Hannibal a cold stare and fought the urge to ignite her lightsaber and charge him when they returned with Zeakwon. Hannibal tried not to obviously hide, but kept his distance.

"We'll need everyone in the inquiry chamber," Master Tarayzin instructed as he proudly escorted the now restrained Zeakwon. The team filed back into the committee meeting room.

Oo'looku seemed almost ecstatic. "Bring in Granger." Everyone noticed his lack of the Master in front of their leader's name. Another committee member entered through a side door with Granger in tow. He was not in restraints, but his Jedi robe and lightsaber were noticeably absent. "Mister Zeakwon, your illegal deal with the Jedi is now void. You will be escorted back to Coruscant to stand trial for your crimes. Get him out of here." It was Voudon who escorted the prisoner out of the room. "And now, the man of the hour." Iesha thought that Oo'looku licked his lips as his attention turned to her master. "Master Granger, this review committee finds that you have violated the Jedi Code by murdering a public official, your arrangement with the head of the criminal underworld, and frankly your disregard for the proper ways of a Jedi. We have recommended to the Council and it has been approved that you are to be banished from the Jedi Order."

"No," Iesha voiced the opinion of her teammates. Numa took her arm to calm her protests.

Oo'looku continued. "You are to leave Syllian immediately and never cross the Outer Rim again unless summoned by the Council. Is this clear?"

Granger seemed to already be aware of his sentence. "Yes," he answered calmly.

"You are dismissed," Oo'looku could not help but grin.

Granger slowly turned. He nodded at each member of his team as he passed. He paused to pat a teary eyed Iesha on the shoulder. "The Force will be with you."

"That will be all Granger," Oo'looku called behind the former Jedi as to shoo him out of the room. He continued to speak when Granger was gone and the door was closed. "Jedi Numa, you are now the acting team leader. Each of you will be assigned to a post in the Outer Rim. You have done an admirable job in ridding Syllian of its criminal element. The time has come for us to push it farther away from Republic space. Padawan Iesha, you will remain on Syllian to coordinate their efforts and communicate with Coruscant. Jedi Numa will act as the supervisor for your training, but we are confident that you can function on your own and will be a Jedi soon enough," Oo'looku paused and glanced at the shocked team. "You are all dismissed."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

As he sat alone nursing his drink, Tristan had an unobstructed view of the entire cantina from his corner table. Even his entourage of guards and henchmen dispersed themselves around the bar. They kept an eye out for their boss, but no one worried. He could handle himself and lately he felt like being alone or at least as alone as the underboss of the Vespuccio Family could make himself. Only a couple of days had passed since Pierre had sent his update on Syllian affairs.

Tristan watched the holo-footage from a nearby shop of the fight. He engaged Myriam as the Jedi took on the others. Once they were around the corner, there was nothing more of him. Neither Tristan's people nor local security forces had been able to recover anything from the blast area. What had happened? Tristan paused the holo on a clear shot of Myriam. Something did not feel right. He had learned long ago to trust his gut. The Jedi had taught him that this instinct of his was actually the Force and that he was right to trust it. Tristan had also learned from the Jedi that he should meditate to clear his mind and open himself to the Force's guidance. He had to admit that he missed the Jedi. Sure he had been a powerful asset, but Tristan also felt something deeper, almost as though he had lost a friend.

Just as he was about to move from his couch to the floor, a beep from a communication channel interrupted his would-be meditation. Tristan glanced at Myriam's image one last time, turned off the footage, then opened the channel. Pierre's image replaced the more attractive of the Jedi. "Boss, I got some news."

"Yeah?" Tristan tried to be interested.

"The Jedi have arrested Zeakwon."

"OK," Tristan did not seemed shocked. "They get anybody else?"

"No. Jessie has assumed control….. for now, but he doesn't carry the respect that Zeakwon did. The natives are restless….."

"Back him up. We need to maintain at least the appearance of control. He'll lean on you because you have our backing…..my backing. You get to be the power behind the throne. Others will go along when they realize that," Tristan paused to let his words sink in. "Congrats. You are now the 'me' of Syllian."

"Miss me?" the words interrupted Tristan's memory.

Tristan's gaze rested on the figure in front of him who seemed to step from nowhere. His guards noticed as well. It should have been impossible for anyone to sneak up on him, but Tristan waved them off. "Master Granger is it?"

Granger grinned, "You've done your homework, I see."

"Of course," Tristan pushed back the brim of his hat. He eyed the lightsaber that hung from Granger's belt. "You know when I was a kid, I loved all those detective holo programs. Whenever someone was suspended or put off the force, they would take their badge and weapon. I'm surprised to see you still have that lasersword."

Granger unclipped the saber from his belt. He eyed it for a moment. "Nobody gets this from me unless I want them to have it." He extended his hand towards Tristan.

Tristan smirked, "Nah you keep that. I've learned a lot from you," Tristan lay his blaster on the table, "but, I prefer this." The underboss snapped at a nearby waiter and motioned for Granger to sit. "Let's drink."

Pierre stirred nervously for a moment before he continued. "There's something else."

"What's that?" Tristan raised an eyebrow.

"The Jedi….. our Jedi….. he's still alive and he's been officially banished from the order."

"You mean, he wasn't already?" Tristan clarified.

"Turns out, he was the one that killed the Magistrate. He was the leader of their crew here on Syllian. Granger's his name."

"Granger….." Tristan repeated. "I recognize that name. You find anything on him between killing the Magistrate and when he popped up here?"

"Nothing official," Pierre conceded. "He's pretty well known. Had a pretty good reputation until he come to Syllian."

Tristan chuckled. "Our influence has a way of doing that to people. Do you trust his story?"

The boss's trust in Pierre's opinion made him nervous. "It makes sense….. he would have had to flee to the Outer Rim. If he got tired of scratching around for ends-meat, he would have wanted to link up with somebody."

"Why not us?" Tristan followed the logic. "He would have learned about our Family on Syllian."

"So…." Pierre tried to sound reasonable. "Even if we trust that he's not working for the Jedi, how do we know we can trust him? What if he's….. ambitious?"

"So you trust his story, but you don't trust him?" Tristan continued to question his protégé.

"It makes sense, but almost too much sense," Pierre shook his head. "I don't know boss, it's an easy thing to overthink."

"Any word on where he is now?"

Pierre shook his head. "No."

"Keep your ears open. Stay close to Jessie. And if Granger pops up here, I'll keep him close to me."

Granger sipped what must have been his fifth drink. He sensed Tristan's uneasiness, but if he handled himself right, the mistrust would fade with time. "So you know that I can't go back now… even if I wanted to. What do you have for me, boss?"

Tristan raised his own glass. "We'll discuss business tomorrow. For now, welcome home."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Don't worry about anything, padawan," Numa reassured Iesha as they approached the ramp of the ship. "Mind your training. You'll be fine. We all trust you. I trust you."

"Thank you," Iesha almost felt at ease. Numa patted the padawan's shoulder. "May the Force be with you."

"And also with you," Iesha responded as Numa turned to enter the ship. A few minutes later, she was all alone, the only Jedi presence left on Syllian. She thought about her new responsibilities as she made her way back to headquarters. Her main job was to be the communication hub between her teammates and the Council, but she would also have to keep tabs on Jessie and be ready in case the criminal elements came flooding back to Syllian.

She entered the main room of headquarters to find Master Voudon sitting with his feet propped on the table. "Greetings, padawan."

"What are you doing here?" Iesha could not help, but feel disdain for the Jedi Council and all its members.

Voudon grinned as he put down his feet and leaned forward. "I have a surprise for you."

The side door slid open. Iesha rushed to give her Master an enthusiastic hug as he stepped into the room. "It's good to see you too," Granger confessed as he returned the hug.

"I don't understand," Iesha stepped back and glanced between her Master and Voudon.

"Officially, Master Granger is no longer a Jedi, but unofficially, he works for me now," Voudon smirked.

"I work for the Council," Granger clarified. "Just as the rest of the team has been assigned to various parts of the Outer Rim, I have been assigned to Markuria."

Iesha could not help but smile, "And the Council knows this?"

"Yes," Granger reassured. "Although they are not all in agreement with the methods."

Voudon smirked again, "My assignment. My rules."

Granger patted Iesha's shoulder. "And I need to be getting underway. Summon me a shuttle." He waited for his padawan to leave the room before turning to Voudon.

"I know you don't like this…. Or me, but trust me, this is the only way," Voudon sounded confident.

Granger ignored the comment. "Why did you arrest Zeakwon?"

Voudon cleared his throat. "I had to give Oo'looku something to get him off your back. Now we can operate properly."

Voudon was right. Granger did not approve of his superior or his methods. Fewer and fewer Jedi did. "I may have to report to you directly now, but my team still works for the Council. If you do anything to interfere with their mission….."

"You are still their leader, even if your padawan is the only one who knows it. They report to the Council. Nothing else is any different," Voudon's smirk did not change. "But before you go, you will need this." Voudon produced Granger's lightsaber from beneath the table.

Granger tried to hide his enthusiasm as he took the saber from Voudon. He passed it through his hands several times before returning it to his belt. Although he rarely used the weapon, it felt good at his side. "I'll be in touch." Granger turned to exit the room and board his shuttle.

Coming Soon: Jedi Posse 2