Chapter 9: Justice

He never saw it coming.

Jas was fairly sure that was on the epitaph of many a dead being throughout the galaxy. That far too many people had leapt, before they looked, and ended up becoming one with the Force before their time.

He had been on his way to joining that group.

When he had seen Bobb, heard Targo's old apprentice's mewling voice, something had snapped. The desire to take something from Targo, the knowledge that Bobb had somehow survived the massacre at the Kuat Drive Yards, he couldn't say for sure.

All he knew was that he lunged forward with his lightsaber, with blaster bolts sizzling the air around him. He had been prepared to take the Togarian's head, desired it more than anything else in that moment.

The Force screamed at him, it cried out in warning as he was in midleap, he felt death and danger on the back of his neck as he launched himself, unable to stop…unable to…

"UGHHHHHHH!"

His flight stopped, he was yanked back as if he had a safety tether attached to him, all forward momentum ceased as he was pulled back into the hallway.

Back…and out of the path of the sword blade that would have taken his head.

Time slowed down as it often did when he used the Force, and with it came the realization.

Damn.

As he flew back; he saw it, the blade swinging in his path. A path that would have taken the weapon through his neck, and ended his life.

Stupid, he thought.

So stupid!

He had been a fool, so focused on getting to Kelek Bobb that he had forgotten about the fact that the Togarian was talking to someone, someone who had not responded to his words.

As it turned out, there were two them.

Jas felt the bile rise in his throat.

He recognized the two immediately or rather…the garb they were wearing.

The robes and masks the two men wore marked them both as Words of the Faith, two of the six priests that served the First Speaker of the Sunset Collective. Jas had slain one of the six when he was a boy, back on Kuat. These wore different masks, but they felt the same, the memory of that battle was forever burned into his mind.

Two of the Collective's priests were here, and Bobb was working with them.

He should not have been surprised. The Togarian had been in on the plan to kill Mother Nuna and seize control of the clan. He had killed several of his brothers and sisters that day, including Hylla and Quire's older brother, before Jas and Coop had sent him falling from the hover platform they had been riding.

He should have died that day, but instead…here he was.

Here…he was.

Jas had hoped that Bobb would be either killed or captured by KDY security, and that he would spend the rest of his life in a penal colony or in a shallow grave.

He had been wrong; his former brother was here.

It didn't take the Force to guess the reason why.

Jas turned his backward flight into a controlled tumble and came up to his feet. He ended up next to Miri and V'Lek, both had their blades out and lit.

Fallenstar was glaring at him.

"And people say that I have a death wish," she spat, "Don't pull a stunt like that again!"

Jas felt chagrined.

So…it was Miri that saved him.

He would need to thank her later.

Blaster shots continued to fly back and forth. Jas' party exchanged fire with Bobb and several other armed cultists. The Force around them screamed as the chaos of battle broke out.

YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE!" the Togarian wailed over the fire of many weapons.

"YOU CAN'T BE HERE!"

Jas and his two allies parried the bolts away, striking several cultists. Overhead, an alarm began to wail, any chance of stealth faded as the Collective safehouse came alive, aware of the fact that their security had been breached.

They would have more company soon. Any other cultists here would hear that and coming rushing to help.

No more reason to do this quietly, Jas thought.

Time to do things the noisy way.

Jas tried to advance, using the blaster shots of his enemies to clear a path. The cultists started to fall back, Jas could not see Kelek Bobb anymore, the Togarian was no longer in his line of sight. He could still hear him though, his frightened yowls.

Jas shook his head.

Once a coward, always a coward…how the creature survived the early Mandalorian trials, he never knew.

Maybe that was why he had stuck so close to Targo, and why the other man had kept Bobb as his apprentice.

He knew he had nothing to fear of the other hunter, if Bobb lost the edge in battle, he fell apart.

The flash of weapon's fire behind them briefly drew Jas' attention, more collective agents had tried to come in behind them, catch them in a pincer. Jas and his allies had good cover though, and as soon as they emerged into the larger part of the facility, they would be able to bottle neck this hallway, turn it into a killing zone. First though, they had to deal with Kelek Bobb and his allies, they needed to push them back and out.

It was working, they were able to move forward, but…

There was still a problem.

Yes, the cultists fell back, all…but two.

The two priests didn't move; the blasts seemed to flow around them, not hitting the two masked men.

Both were armed, one carried a nasty looking curved ax, while his fellow wielded a short sword with a wicked serrated edge. The same sword that would have taken Jas' head off, if not for Miri pulling him back.

He shook his head.

He never would have seen it coming.

Rocket propelled grenades flew over Jas' head, ordinance fired by one of the Ko. Again, the priests didn't scatter or try to run. One gestured with his off hand. The weapons rolled over and began heading back down the hall, towards Jas and his allies.

The sight didn't surprise him, as a boy he had faced another Word of the Faith, that man had been Force sensitive too.

He was not surprised to find that the others were as well.

Jas reached out with the Force as well, and grabbed the explosives, flung them past his group and further down the hall, the grenades exploded in the middle of the collective's reinforcements, the blaster fire behind them stopped.

It was just the opportunity that Jas had been waiting for.

"Forward," he cried out, "Into the main chamber!"

"ATTACK!"

V'Lek stayed back to hold off any surviving reinforcements while the rest of the group rushed forward. Jas and Miri took the lead while Burr and the two Mandalorians fired from behind the cover of the two lightsabers. It was important that they secured the room in front of them…

…which meant they had to move quickly.

They needed to deal with the two priests.

"You take the one on the left," he called out to the bounty hunter.

"Got it," she replied.

The two Jedi met the two dark side priests.

The battle began.

Jas' opponent swung his ax, forcing him to duck underneath the weapon, he tried to get inside the masked man's guard, but the priest proved too fast and back pedaled, his weapon sparked as it parried Jas' blade, another cortosis weave weapon. Again, Jas wasn't surprised.

The Collective had proven to be a well-prepared enemy. They knew how to confront Jedi opponents.

Miri met her opponent's blade and pushed him back. The former padawan turned bounty hunter snarled out a battle cry as she slashed wickedly at her opponent. Jas might have cautioned her about giving into her emotions, but he had his own issues to deal with. The ax-wielder was no novice, he clearly had had some training in using the Force in combat.

Miri and I have to deal with these two first, he realized, the rest of the group would be in trouble if the priests managed to engage them. They could be…

His eyes widened as he caught sight of something behind him, the prize that he had hoped to see in this chamber, the source of the power drain Shusk had detected earlier.

They had found one of the two stasis pods that the cultist captain had mentioned in his log. They could…

An energy blast cracked as it struck the pod, the control panel on the side sparked and the lights on the side flickered.

No, Jas thought with a frisson of terror!

NO!

"DESTROY IT!" Bobb shouted from a doorway behind them, the Togarian had rallied several cultists, they had formed a small but effective firing line, but their target was no longer Jas and his allies.

"DESTROY THE POD!"

"NOOOOOOO!" Jas roared as he raised his hand. The Force responded to his emotions.

A wave of Force energy rolled out and struck not only the priest he was engaging, but the other cultists, and the Togarian as well.

The blast sent his enemies flying back. Several hit the back wall hard, hard enough to break bones. Bobb's armor likely saved him from serious injury, but the creature was still left dazed.

As for the priest, he recovered the fastest, he had turned his backward flight into a controlled tumble and came up quickly. His weapon still at the ready, still ready to engage his opponent.

Off to the right the pod began to hiss coolant and steam, alarm lights began to flash. No doubt heralding a system's failure within the pod.

"SHUSK! SEE TO THE POD!" Jas called out, hoping the Chadra Fan would be able to reach it, he would have gone to help himself but he was still tied up with his opponent.

The Ax-wielder charged in again, only this time he gestured with his off hand, sending a hail of debris before him, trying to break his enemy's concentration and land a killing blow.

Jas cut away several of the missiles and straight out dodged the others. Though possessing some skill with the Force, the priest was no Jedi, he lacked the training and skill to truly give himself over to the Force, and let it guide him.

It wasn't much of an edge, but it was what Jas had to work with. He used the Force to increase his speed, he ducked another flying missile and parried away the masked man's ax.

Jas' lightsaber caught the Word of the Faith on the right shoulder, he cleaved through the darksider, his blade coming out just the man's left hip. A bit vicious perhaps, but he had no more time.

He could sense it now, life nearby flickering.

The pod was failing!

Whoever was inside was in danger.

They had to save them!

"Somebody, get over here!" Shusk squeaked, "HELP!"

Jas glanced over, the alien engineer had reached the stasis pod, and had plugged his data pad into it. Red lights continued to flash, and an alarm was wailing from the pod's internal systems.

Jas didn't have to guess what that meant.

He could feel it.

He knew.

Burr rushed to Shusk's side, still with a blaster in hand. From what Jas could tell the battle was all but over. The remaining cultists had fled down the hall that Bobb and his allies had fired from. A quick glance around made Jas realize that the Togarian himself was not among the dead, he had managed to flee too.

Not for long, Jas thought with a narrowing of his eyes.

Not for long!

The only enemy still standing was the sword wielding priest, but his time was short. V'Lek must have dealt with any reinforcements in the hall, because he had now joined Miri, and, between the two of them, had dark side warrior backed up into a corner.

He showed no sign of surrendering, despite the fact that Jas could sense his fear of eminent defeat.

If he has one of their suicide implants, he will use it, Jas thought. If the common soldiers of the collective didn't want to be taken alive, he couldn't imagine the officers and leaders of the cult would want too either.

The man was already dead, he was just hoping to take one of his enemies with him.

Finally, the swordsman lunged at V'Lek, perhaps seeing the Padawan in full Jedi robes as more of a threat, Miri got in behind him and stabbed him through the back, the sword fell from the priest's dying hand, but even then, he tried to reach out through the Force, tried to attack V'Lek.

The Whiphid snarled and took both the offending hand, and the priest's head. The body toppled over, no longer a threat.

V'Lek hissed through his large nostrils as he looked down on Miri.

"I had him," he said, "You didn't have to intervene."

The bounty hunter shrugged.

"This isn't a sparring session, padawan. We're in combat, and in combat you take any advantage you can."

She gave him that slightly unstable smile that Jas had come to know quite well.

"We've taken enough risks with these people. I saw a chance and I took it. I won't apologize for that."

The large alien hissed and turned away. As a member of a warrior species, it probably bristled his pride to have the fight end that way, but as Miri had said, it was for the best.

Their group had survived intact, none of them had been lost.

In Jas' eyes, that was a win.

He would take what he could get.

He hurried over to the pod, both Shusk and Quire Ko were there. The Chadra Fan had interfaced with its computer, he tapped quickly on his data pad, trying to seize control of the system. Quire had meanwhile plugged into one of its secondary ports.

Jas turned to the young Mandalorian.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Trying to save the life of whoever is in there," he replied quickly.

Jas winced as he looked at the pod.

Val?

Vess?

He wondered which one was inside.

He looked down at the burned and sparking connections on the pod itself.

It didn't look good.

Jas didn't like how the pod was beeping, he feared that it would go dark or he would hear the sound of a flat line any moment.

"I'm trying to isolate the pod from the rest of the facility," Quire said quickly, "Even if Shusk can stabilize the system, and we can get it open, Targo, or one of his allies, could still trigger an overload remotely, fry the nervous system of whoever is inside.

"Work quickly," Jas said, reaching out with the Force, trying to get a sense of who was inside, but again, the stasis was interfering with his senses, either that, or he was too emotional to focus.

Quire looked up at him, his T-Visored gaze settling on Jas.

"That was Kelek Bobb wasn't it?"

"It was," Jas said coldly.

"Right," Quire said with a cold nod.

"You need to go after him."

Jas blinked.

"I'm needed here."

"No, you aren't, not right now."

Quire reached out and touched Jas' shoulder.

"Bobb may know where Targo is, brother," he said, "And there is something else, as well."

The Mandalorian gestured around the room.

"You said there was suppose to be two pods here."

"Where is the other one?"

Five words, Jas thought, and yet, they had so much meaning.

Where was the other one?

A good question, he thought, his hands curling into angry fists.

"I'll go ask, Bobb," he replied.

Quire nodded.

"A good idea," the Mandalorian replied, returning his attention to his work.

"Go on, Brother Jas, we got this."

Jas nodded and turned, heading down the hall that the Togarian had fled.

"Good hunting, brother." He called out as Jas disappeared down the hall.

Jas nodded, as he slipped deeper into the Force.

"You're not getting away," he murmured under his breath.

"Not this time."

IOI

Several of the cultists tried to stop his advance. They tried to set up ambushes along the way.

Jas had not even bothered trying to bypass them. The second one involved a group of them trying to lure him into a hallway where they had set up several anti-personnel mines. Jas had sensed the danger and noticed the trip mines in the light from his lightsaber. Rather than play around with the cultists, he had simply ripped the mines from their moorings and flung them into the middles of the cultists, they detonated and did his job for him.

Jas walked over the dead, not even caring if any of them were still alive.

The realization gave him pause.

Such an action is a little dark for you, his conscience chided, are you sure you are okay?

Dunno, he thought, dunno, and I don't really care.

All that mattered was the second pod.

Bobb would likely know what happened to it.

Jas took a deep and shuddering breath, trying to control his anger.

Targo's little henchman would spill everything, if he wanted to live, he would talk.

Now.

"FOR THE ETERNAL NIGHT!"

Five cultists were running down the hall, wearing suicide vests similar to what they had used back on Kuat.

Again, Jas had no time for them.

He pushed them back, and before they even hit the floor, used the Force to trigger the explosives.

All five detonated, shaking the hall around them.

Again, Jas didn't hesitate, he stepped over the bodies and continued on his hunt.

Where are you, Bobb, he thought, starting to get annoyed.

Where are you?

IOI

He finally caught up to his old clanmate near the back of the facility, Bobb had been trying to slice through one of the blast doors, if Jas remembered what he had seen on the schematics, he was guessing that the door led out to the landing pad, and likely Bobb's waiting ship.

Jas could have attacked, he could have reached out with the Force and brought Targo's henchman to his knees, but he did not.

He had learned his lesson after what had happened with the Collective priest.

He would not make that mistake again.

He paused a safe distance away from his former clan mate, and ignited his blade.

Bobb turned, he still had a Mandalorian short rifle in hand.

Jas glared at him.

"There were two pods here," he called out to his old adversary.

"What happened to the other one?"

He could sense the Togorian's emotions, they flowed from fear, to anger, and to hatred so quickly. Yet, under it all, he sensed embarrassment, the last time they had met, Kelek Bobb had been cowering before him, afraid of a fifteen-year-old boy with a lightsaber and a temper.

Jas was no longer that boy, but he still had the blade, and the temper.

He simply knew how to control it now.

Bobb stepped away from the door, Jas was well aware of the weapons the Togarian still had. Flamethrower, dart launchers, and who knew how many grenades and explosives.

Bobb raised his hands he didn't point the rifle at Jas in fact he wasn't even holding it tight enough to snap it into firing position if he needed.

Surprisingly enough, Bobb smiled at him, he smiled, and dropped the rifle, it fell with a clatter as he stepped back.

"Hey," he said with an arrogant smirk, "I give up."

Jas glared at him.

"What makes you think that I care about that?"

The alien shrugged.

"Two reasons, one: you still cling to that Jedi stuff you always practiced kid, and Jedi don't kill people who have surrendered to them, and second…"

Bobb's smile turned wide; showing a mouth full of sharp teeth.

"I know something that you don't. I think we can bargain…yes?"

Jas glared at him, in that moment, bargaining was the last thing he wanted do.

He could feel the darkness whispering in the back of his mind, begging him to make this pathetic creature suffer for what it had done, what it had cost him as a boy.

It took all his self-control to deny that desire.

Bobb kept his hands up, he still had weapons build into his armor, but had made no move to use them. Jas would have plenty of warning through the Force if he did.

He didn't lower his blade, but he did take a few steps closer.

"Targo isn't going to be happy with you," Jas said conversationally, "You giving up like this."

"He didn't say anything about dealing with you, again," the Togarian responded, "I was told to expect Cooper and some thugs, you weren't even supposed to be here."

Bobb shook his head.

Targo left to prepare some game for you. He's quite obsessed with the whole revenge thing, he really wants you to suffer, kid. Which, as far as I'm concerned, is not very smart. Even if he gets the revenge he wants, you are not going to let him live long enough to enjoy it. Me, I like living, I'm prepared to make sure that I continue to do so."

"So, you are going to spill your guts again," Jas said, not even trying to hide his disgust, "Some things never change."

If his old enemy was insulted, he didn't show it. Again, Bobb shrugged.

"What happened on Kuat, kid, that wasn't personal, not for me. It was business. I let it go years ago. You should too."

Jas pursed his lips.

He had no desire to be lectured about letting things go from Bobb of all people.

"Where is Targo?"

"I don't know, he didn't say where he was going."

Jas was tempted to lash out, but he felt no deception from the creature.

Targo is not stupid, he realized, he wouldn't risk sharing anything with Bobb, not if there was the slimmest chance, he would spill what he knew.

Damn, Jas thought.

He had hoped.

"Where is the other pod?"

"I'm guessing Targo took it. From the way he was talking last time we spoke, I got the feeling that he hadn't planned on selling either of them, yet, but…you know how it goes, Jas. The credits, sometimes, the price is just right."

Jas hissed, he was tempted to lash out with his blade, but again held back.

"You wouldn't happen to know who his client was?"

"Again, he didn't say. All he told me was that he was taking the most important piece of merchandise with him, and that if I made sure that the other pod didn't fall into Coop's or the clan's hands, I would be well rewarded."

Jas digested that.

The most important piece of merchandise?

Vess?

The thought horrified him.

Vess had many enemies, many who would offer any price to have her in hand, or see her killed.

The thought worried him.

That meant that Val was down stairs, it took all of his self-control not to run back and make sure that she was okay.

It is going to destroy her, though, he realized, knowing that Vess is out there somewhere, that she has been sold to one of her enemies.

He would need to use the Force again, make sure that she didn't try to kill herself for failing.

He would protect her, like he had done years ago, protect her, and then…they would go on the hunt, together.

They would do it, he knew, now that they were back together.

He and Val would be able to do it.

They would rescue Vess.

He tried not to get distracted. He still had a very slippery foe in front of him. He didn't believe for a moment that Bobb wouldn't try to kill him if he got the chance.

"I'm telling you the truth," Kelek Bobb assured him. "If you want to check the comm logs on my ship, you are welcome too. Targo didn't say anything about fighting Jedi, if he had, I wouldn't have taken this job."

"No loyalty to Targo then?"

"As I said," Bobb said with a toothy grin, "It was just business."

Again, the alien's smile turned wide and toothy.

"I'm prepared to give you my logs, they are encoded, but I will give you the passcode if you let me go. Once I'm aboard my ship and underway, I will send you what you need."

"I should take you in," Jas hissed, "You're a criminal."

"Aren't we all," the Togarian laughed, "Come on, kid, think! Targo already had a head start, are you just going to…"

PEW!

Jas spun around; his blade came up to block the next blaster bolt...

…There was no need.

One shot was all that was needed.

He looked over his shoulder. Bobb was in no shape to either run or talk. In fact, he was almost beyond doing anything.

The Togarian lay on the floor, holding his neck. The blaster bolt had caught him in the throat, right where his chest plate and helmet, had he been wearing one, should have met.

He coughed and frothed at the mouth, his eyes wide with shock, he couldn't speak, but if he could have, he likely would have said something like, but…Jedi don't kill unarmed opponents.

Jas shook his head.

Unfortunately, for Bobb, Hylla Ko was not a Jedi.

She had shot their old clan mate and now was advancing towards him. Her steps determined, her emotions as cold and as hard as Beskar steel.

She looked down on the whimpering thing on the floor, radiating only anger and disgust.

"Do you remember me, murderer," she asked, "Do you remember what you did?"

Bobb looked up at Jas, his eyes pleading for help.

Jas didn't move, this wasn't his concern, this was about the clan.

He wouldn't interfere.

"My name is Hylla Ko of Clan Nuna," she informed the dying Togarian.

"Digger Ko was my brother, he died by the hands of you and your allies."

She stood over him her blaster pointed at his face.

Bobb's eyes widened in fear, he let out a rasping gasp.

Hylla didn't care.

"Digger says: Hi."

PEW!

PEW!

Hylla fired twice, a double tap just to make sure.

The body jumped twice, and fell still.

Jas shook his head.

Justice, he thought, of a sort.

Mandalorian justice.

Kelek Bobb was no more.

Jas looked at the girl, he didn't judge, it was not his place.

The Mandalorians had their own way of doing things. Bobb should have answered for what happened on Kuat years ago.

Mandalorian justice was harsher than others, but that was how it was.

That…was the way.

Hylla looked up at him, her eyes hidden behind her darkened visor.

"Are you okay," she asked him.

Jas nodded.

He guessed.

They could mine the computers here for info, and check the logs on Bobb's ship, it would take time, but it might be worth it.

"The pod," he asked.

"Quire isolated it," she informed him, "Shusk just got it open before I left. The person inside, she was alive. She…"

Jas rushed off without a word.

Val.

He…he needed to get to her.

He needed to make sure that she was okay.

He ran, his mind not working, images of the beautiful sworn protector were the only thing that he thought about…he…

He paused as he stepped into the room.

He…he…

He blinked.

What?

The pod was open, as Hylla had said, Burr had gotten the person out, and she was now laying on the cold concrete ground he…

He had no words.

She was alive, thank the Force, he could sense it. Her skin and lips were blue, and there was a bit of blood on her forehead, Quire held the metal headband that Jas had seen when he had first learned that Targo had taken the two women, the one that had been fitted to their foreheads.

He leaned down.

He…he still didn't get it.

Targo, he thought.

Why?

Vessaria Istillo lay at his feet, she moaned weakly and shivered. V'Lek came up and covered the girl up with his large brown Jedi robe.

Vess? Jas thought with surprise.

Why?

Why Vess?

He was grateful to see her safe, but…

Val?

Jas shook his head.

Targo said he was taking the more valuable of the two, but if Vess was here?

Val"

More valuable, he thought.

To whom?

Why.

He had no answers.

Why Targo?

Why?