I don't own Star Wars or any of the characters.
Shikaakwa, the seventh planet in the Tython system, was the nexus between the outer and inner settled worlds. It was a frontier world, ruled by feudal gangsters from clan strongholds such as Ryo Fortress.
Ryo Fortress was home to the ruthless Ryo Clan, one of the most powerful and feared clans on Shikaakwa. Two Twi'lek males guarded the entrance to Ryo Fortress. The guards noticed a humanoid figure approaching the fortress. Upon seeing the red brown skin and horns sticking through the figure's helmet, the guards knew the traveler was a male Devaronian.
"Halt! State your business with Ryo Fortress and its lord, Baron Volnos Ryo!" commanded the guard.
The Devaronian only smiled at the guards, his eyes hidden from view.
"So. It's Baron Volnos now. In the old days he was just "Ox" Ryo, heavyweight champion of Shikaakwa! No worries—he's expecting his old friend, Jaris Kan." calmly explained Jaris.
The guards' hands inched closer to their slugthrowers. There had been no mention of the Baron receiving any visitors, one not of the Ryo Clan anyway. Something was off about this Jaris Kan and the guards would not allow him to defile the greatness that was Ryo Fortress with his unwelcome presence.
"The Baron is expecting no one!" stated the second guard.
"No one expects death. They die nonetheless." plainly told Jaris.
Faster than either of the guards could react; Jaris drew the sword that had previously been concealed by his pale green cloak. He cut down the first guard with ease, easily disarming and slaying the second. Both guards were dead before they hit the ground.
"Like you." said Jaris.
Cleaning his blade of blood, Jaris Kan entered the grand Ryo Fortress. Sticking to the shadows, the Devaronian went to find Baron Volnos and complete his current assignment. Instinct told Jaris this would not be like any of his past assignments, but he ignored the little voice in his head warning him to be cautious. He had done jobs like this over a million times. Why would this time be any different?
A few servants passed by Jaris when they didn't realizing he was watching them. He overheard one of the servants talking about the Baron meeting with someone in the fortress gardens. Glad to have saved precious time on a meaningless search for the Baron, Jaris headed for the gardens, determined to complete his assignment. None said the life of an assassin was easy.
XXX
Baron Volnos Ryo stood in the fortress gardens speaking with his daughter, Tasha. The massive blue skinned Twi'lek stared down his young daughter, barely sixteen years of age.
"You are my heir, Tasha! You cannot ignore your duty to your clan any longer! I allowed you to follow your mother! I allowed you to go off and play Je'daii! But playtime is over. It is time you served your people!" demanded Volnos.
"I am a Twi'lek—and of Clan Ryo—by birth, but the Je'daii are my people." insisted Tasha.
Volnos suppressed the urge to lash out at his daughter as he would have one of his subordinates. The Baron regretted allowing his wife to convince him to allow their daughter to undergo Je'daii training. She should have remained on Shikaakwa and prepared for the time she took over the Ryo Clan.
Volnos could easily observe the lengths his daughter took to distance herself from her birthright. She wore the flowing robes and light armour like those of her Je'daii mother, forgoing the traditional black armour worn by the leading members of the Ryo Clan, covering her slender lekku with a hat and stylized blue crescent shaped tattoos were applied to the white skin around her eyes. The way his daughter dressed was just one of the many signs that Tasha rejected the ways of Clan Ryo.
"Obligations to clan must be met! Do you think I wanted to be the Baron of Clan Ryo? I had to step up when both my father and older brother were in the Despot War. Just as you…" sternly spoke Volnos.
Tasha sensed a disturbance in the Force.
"Father—look out!" called out Tasha.
Tasha pushed her father back with a mighty shove of the Force. A slug flew passed where the Baron had been standing, avoiding its intended target.
"Take cover, Father! I will deal with this!" insisted Tasha.
Volnos did as his daughter said. The crime baron moved off to the side, ready to step in when his daughter had flushed out his attempted killer. Volnos wanted to deal with the assassin himself, whether or not his daughter approved of his methods.
Three more slugs were fired. Tasha easily slowed the slugs' kinetic energy with the Force, easily deflecting them with the palm of her hand. Letting the Force guide her, Tasha located the shooter. Summoning up all her strength, Tasha Force jumped to the ledge the shooter had been hiding on.
"Huuur! Wasn't expecting a Je'daii! Bad information!" muttered Jaris.
"I'll take that." said Tasha.
Tasha called the shooter's slugthrower to her hand with the Force. The Twi'lek Je'daii Journeyer tossed the slugthrower far from the shooter's grasp. Jaris Kan only laughed at the girl's foolishness, discarding the only weapon she had.
"Huuur, little Je'daii fool! You should have kept the slugthrower! You'll need all the weapons you can get against a Kallak assassin such as myself!" proclaimed Jaris.
Jaris drew a knife from his belt. The assassin thought he could easily overpower the young Twi'lek girl, even a Je'daii, but he was far overestimating his abilities. With one wave of her hand, Tasha sent the assassin to the ground with a concentrated Force push.
"My weapon is the Force. I am never unarmed. Or unaware…" stated Tasha.
Tasha sensed someone behind her. Whipping around, the Twi'lek girl came face to face with a dark armour clad figure. Adrenaline rushed through Tasha's body, her heart beating like thunder in a storm.
"There is another?" spoke Tasha.
"No. Just me, little Je'daii!" sinisterly laughed Jaris.
Jaris held the Twi'lek girl by the throat, a dagger at her back. Though Tasha did not care for violence, she was still Je'daii, not some helpless damsel in distress. She Force pushed the assassin off of her, sending him flying off the ledge. The assassin landed in the water bellow with a loud splash.
Volnos, who had watched the entire escapade from a distance, decided then to take action. The Baron of Clan Ryo found where the assassin had landed. It was no surprise to him when he discovered the assassin was Jaris Kan.
"Ah, Jaris Kan. Old comrade. Shame. Should've spoken with me first. I would've doubled Baron Garto's price. But you always were a little stupid." calmly spoke Volnos.
Screams echoed throughout the garden as the sound of a slugthrower shot slowly died. The Baron released the dead weight he held, letting it land back in the water with a soft splash. He would have some of his servants clean up this trash later. Volnos wanted to get back to having that discussion with Tasha before they were so rudely interrupted.
Killing him was unnecessary, Father! That assassin was no longer a threat!" sternly stated Tasha.
"My little Tasha—too long gone from Shikaakwa. Mercy is a weakness here! I cannot be seen as weak! You see why I need you. Garto wants revenge on me—on our clan!" exclaimed Volnos.
"Revenge for what, Father?" questioned Tasha.
"For what Garto would have done to me if he'd had the chance!" personally stated Volnos.
Volnos turned to look his daughter in the eye. Tasha met her father's hard gaze, remaining as calm and in control of herself as her mother had taught her.
"A Je'daii in the service of Clan Ryo will give us great status among the Clans—make others like Garto think twice before attacking us! I gave you life, Tasha… Don't you love me?" deeply spoke Volnos.
"I will never stop loving you, Father. But I am a Je'daii and you and the other barons are crime lords. A Je'daii cannot be involved with such things. You must see that." explained Tasha.
"Your mother has a powerful claim on you…" sighed Volnos.
"The Force has claim on me. It calls me now and I must go. Goodbye, Father. May the Force be with you." calmly said Tasha.
Tasha made her way to the ship that had taken her to Shikaakwa and headed back to Tython, leaving her father and his criminal ways far behind her, for the moment.
XXX
In the Silent Desert of Tython, the strange Force Storm had yet to reach Gigong Kesh, the Temple of Force Skills.
The Silent Desert was one of the great mysteries of Tython. Its golden sands had the natural ability to nullify all sound. Gigong Kesh is built within a natural rock cavern that was cut off from the effects of the sand. Je'daii seek the silence of the sands outside Gigong Kesh in order to focus on the Force skills all Je'daii must master. The Je'daii Code teaches that there is a balance between the light and the dark. A Je'daii seeks to find balance between the two.
In the training hall of Gigong Kesh, three young Je'daii Journeyers watched the training of a young male Sith. The three girls—a Devonian, Mirialan and blond haired human—quietly laughed as the Sith showed off for them.
"Sek'nos Rath told me that no one has ever done this before!" gloated the Devonian.
"Sek'nos can experiment with me anytime!" lightheartedly said the human.
"Hi, Seki!" said the Mirialan.
Sek'nos Rath smiled at the three lovely ladies, the thin tendrils on either side of his face moving slightly. The red skinned Sith favored himself an irresistible ladies man. He was strong and fit from his Je'daii training; only wearing pants, high boots and a black cape to show off his well developed arm and chest muscles. He kept his long brown hair tied back, helping to eliminate his bright yellow eyes.
"Keep watchin', ladies!" flirted Sek'nos.
Sek'nos stopped flirting as he began to concentrate.
"Keep focusing, Sek'nos… Focus…like out in the desert. Do the impossible." quietly told Sek'nos.
Blue sparks of energy danced at Sek'nos' fingertips. The sparks became larger and stronger, turning into bursts of lightning. Sek'nos glanced at the girls over his shoulder, pleased to see that they were enjoying his little show. Just as he was about to release the lightning at the target, an armour clad figure appeared before Sek'nos.
Sek'nos' concentration was broken. The lightning pulsed around the Sith, slowly electrocuting him. Painful howls erupted throughout the training grounds alongside the crackle of lightning. The three girls could do nothing to help Sek'nos, only watch helplessly from the sidelines.
"Sek'nos!" worriedly cried the girls.
Sek'nos forced himself through the pain. He grit his teeth, trying to retake control of the lightning.
"Focus! Use pain…Regain focus!" self commanded Sek'nos.
The Sith extended his hand towards the target. The lightning danced around Sek'nos' body, singeing his skin, cooking his flesh, calcifying his bones. Concentrating all his remaining strength, Sek'nos released the lightning. The lightning hit the target dead center, shattering upon impact. A weak laugh escaped the young Sith's throat. Sek'nos fell forward, exhaustion overtaking him. The girls were quickly at Sek'nos' side, fondling over him.
"Sek'nos! Are you badly hurt?" concernedly asked the human.
"Can I kiss is better?" asked the Devonian.
The Mirialan was the only one of the girls to notice two figures coming their way. Two elderly Sith approached the four Journeyers. The two Sith were Temple Master Miarta Sek and Je'daii Master Thok Rath, the maternal grandmother and paternal grandfather of Sek'nos Rath. Miarta and Thok had both lost their respective spouse and child during the Despot War, leaving them to raise their sixteen year old grandson by themselves.
Miarta glared at the three girls with her piercing yellow eyes. The Temple Master waved a wrinkled red hand at the girls, smacking her cane against the floor. Dark robes flowed about the Temple Master as she approached the girls. Miarta was getting too old for this. Sek'nos had already make her hair go white far sooner than it should have. She did not need any more stress added by unruly girls encouraging her grandson's dangerous antics.
"What is going on here? You three have lessons elsewhere that you neglect." scolded Miarta.
The girls quickly ran off. While Miarta was dealing with the girls, Thok was taking care of his grandson. Sek'nos avoided eye contact with his grandfather as the old master healed his injuries. Thok sighed, shaking his wrinkled bald head, stroking his graying beard and face tendrils. When the worst of Sek'nos' injuries were healed, Thok rose from the ground, black robes flowing about him as he stood.
"Your injuries are—fortunately—minor, grandson. How do you feel?" calmly asked Thok.
"It's nothing, Grandfather. Did you see him?" asked Sek'nos.
"See who?! Never mind. The real question is—what did you think you were doing?!" questioned Thok.
"No one's ever made a ball of Force lightning! Just wanted to see if I could." answered Sek'nos.
Having dealt with the students, Miarta turned her attention towards her grandson. The elderly woman taped her cane against her grandson's chest, looking up at him with a stern gaze from her shorter stature.
"Sek'nos! Force lightning calls on dark emotions only—nothing light! Why do you feel compelled to constantly test the boundaries of the balance? To satisfy your own pride?!" exclaimed Miarta.
"You've always said that the way to wisdom is through experience…" remembered Sek'nos.
"One must learn from experiences! You act without ever considering the repercussions!" sternly told Miarta.
"I want to follow in the footsteps of great Je'daii like you and grandfather! Forgive me, I must leave…" told Sek'nos.
Sek'nos hopped onto the hoverboard he had taken down to the training hall.
"Where are you going now?" asked Miarta.
"Going to get some wisdom, Grandmother. May the Force be with me!" said Sek'nos.
Sek'nos flew off, going on yet another of his crazy adventures. Thok smiled at his grandson's enthusiasm. It reminded the old master so much of his own son, only Sek'nos was far more flirtatious and cocky than his father ever was.
"Don't smirk, Thok. It doesn't suit a master. You indulge Sek'nos too much. Mark my words—he's going to end up on Bogan, like Daegen Lok!" stated Miarta.
Unknown to the Temple Master was at that very moment on Bogan, Daegen Lok saw a vision. It was the same as the three Journeyers had experienced. A vision filled with darkness.
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