Chapter 16: Not A Jedi

It was an old nightmare; one he could never truly escape.

He was running down the corridor of the Jedi ship again, everything was shaking, alarms were blaring in his ears and warning lights were flashing.

Nine-year-old Jas Dar Bynn stumbled as the ship shuddered around him, he could hear it tearing itself apart, and worse, he could feel the fear and the panic in the Force.

Get up, he told himself, got to make it.

He gasped as he stumbled to his feet, almost out of breath.

Have…to get…to the pod!

Blast doors banged shut behind him, sealing off the way he came, the air was starting to get smoky, he was having trouble seeing…

Not fast enough…I'm not fast enough.

The thought almost sent him into a panic!

I'm going to be left behind!

I'm going to die here!

A blast door began to iris shut before him. He didn't think, he simply moved, trusting in the Force.

He dove through just as the door clanged shut, and in that moment…he saw it…salvation

The deck containing the escape pods.

His salvation was just ahead.

As he had done years ago, Jas had rose and began to run, he tried to shout as he saw the light up ahead, the smoke made him cough, stealing his voice.

Don't leave me, he had wanted to cry out.

Please…don't leave me alone!

He called on the Force again, asking it for more speed; he had to reach the pod…he…

His eyes widened when he saw the open door, when he saw who was inside.

Val and Vess stood at the entrance, their arms were pinned behind their backs, held in place by the Sunset Collective priests and the Hand of the Faith. His enemies were laughing at him, he could almost hear their taunts telling him all they were going to do to the two women.

No, Jas thought angrily.

NO!

As it had before, the pod slammed shut. He could do nothing as the deck bucked beneath him, as the pod blasted away, leaving him alone again…

…alone…

…always…alone.

He tried to get up, to stumble to his feet, but the deck beneath him tilted upward he found himself sliding down…

…sliding towards the airlock that was even now being cut open.

Jas knew what came next, but again, he was powerless to stop it.

Powerless…

…always powerless.

He hit door and barely had time to register what had happened before it slid open…before the massive hand seized him by the neck and lifted him into the air.

Targo Sei stood before him, like he had all those years ago, choking him…only this time…

…there would be no Mother Nuna to save him.

He stared down into that darkened T-Visor, to hear the humor in Targo's voice as he slowly strangled the life out of his old foe. The boy he had said was less than nothing from the very beginning.

"Pathetic, Runt," he laughed, "Pathetic…and weak."

In the distance, Jas could hear someone calling out for him, begging for help.

The fingers around his throat tightened.

"You're nothing, kid," Targo chortled.

"Nothing."

The Mandalorian's grip tightened, black spots began to swim before Jas' eyes.

Pathetic.

Weak.

Nothing.

"Mister Jas?"

He tried to scream; someone was calling out to him.

"Mister Jas?"

No!

He reached out with his hands and grabbed Targo, trying to choke him back; to make him stop.

NO!

Stop him!

Save them!

STOP HIM!

SAVE THEM!

NO!

IOI

"No."

Jas Dar Bynn opened his eyes, he gasped for breath, his heart pounding in his chest.

He…they…he didn't…

He took another gulping breath.

Where am I?

Someone was standing over him. His vision was swimming he couldn't tell…

Targo?

He grabbed the person, he tried to seize their throat, and heard a terrified yelp.

"MISTER JAS! URK! IT'S ME! PLEASE…AH…STOP! YOU'RE…YOU'RE HURTING!"

That cry…a voice like spice and honey, that got through the haze; he blinked and saw again, truly saw…

Vess Istillo stood over him, clad in the clothes of a lower-level Tarisian, she was battered and bruised…and…he was choking her.

CHOKING HER?!

NO!

He pulled back like he had been burned, letting go as the poor girl slumped down next to him coughing.

He was horrified.

What?!

What was I doing?!

"I'm sorry," he gasped, "I'm…I'm sorry…"

Vess shook her head, rubbing her neck.

"It's…it's okay," she coughed…

"I'm fine."

Her assurance did little to kill the panic.

"Did I hurt you?!"

"No," she replied, still rubbing her neck, "You…you just surprised me. You were having a nightmare. I tried to wake you, and…"

She managed a weak smile.

"You have a strong grip, Mister Jas."

She was trying to make like it was nothing, but he wasn't buying it.

He almost hurt her.

What was he doing?!

His heart was pounding both the nightmare and what he had almost done left him rattled.

Vess.

He…he could have hurt her, done more than that.

He took another shuddering breath.

He felt…ashamed.

He looked up into her blue eyes, there was no blame there, only a sense of joy, gratitude that he was awake.

That look, what she was feeling, it…it helped. It chased away the fear, the shadow, and the nightmare…

She…she…

He blinked.

Vess?

Had he not failed.

She was with him.

She was safe.

He took another calming breath.

Praise the Force.

He glanced around the room, at first, he thought they were back in the apartment, the one in the building they had been watching Caetus Shipping from…

It looked similar, but it was not the same place, this one had different furnishings on the wall. He saw a picture he didn't recognize, and an old tapestry.

Not the same building, he thought.

So…where are we?

He tried to sit up, and immediately wished he hadn't, pain lanced through his side. He looked down, he was bare chested, his ribs taped heavily, he noticed several kolto patches on his arms, the ones used to treat burns.

Vess' hand came to his shoulder, her touch was feather light.

"Easy," she said, pushing him back down.

"You…you were hurt in the crash."

Jas shook his head.

Crash?

What crash? He hadn't…

It was in that moment his memory started to come back. He remembered seeing Targo's ship arrive at Caetus Shipping, and then hearing the bounty hunter's voice on their comms.

His grey eyes narrowed.

He remembered the attack, the security probes that they had been avoiding; all descended on them at once. Jas had had a speeder bike stashed nearby; he would have used it to assault Targo's ship when they had verified that Val was onboard.

At that moment, it had been an escape vessel, and they had tried to escape, under heavy fire.

He remembered pulling Vess on and taking off, taking off under a storm of laser blasts. The Force had been screaming in his head, the entire group had been under attack. They had underestimated the enemy, and they had paid for it…dearly.

He remembered feeling Vess's arms around him, feeling her leaning into him as they had taken off. She had gripped him tightly, her trust in him cutting through any panic she might have felt in that moment.

Sadly, he had not proven up to the task, the probes were too many.

He had hoped to get above them, move out of their range, but a group of them had swept up from the lower levels, they had almost collided with the swarm.

The bike had been struck several times. Then…they were going down. Jas tried to use the Force to shield both himself and Vess. She had gripped him even tighter as they lost altitude went down below roof level, and then…

He took a deep breath.

…And then…nothing.

Vess rose from the bed. She stretched and rolled her neck, wincing slightly. He watched her closely, trying to sense any major injury. She reached over and filled a glass of water from a pitcher nearby.

She handed it to him.

"You should try and drink something," she said, "You have been unconscious for almost a day and a half."

He nodded, accepting the drink, carefully forcing himself into a sitting position.

"Are…are you hurt." he asked her.

"A few scrapes and bruises, I'll be fine."

She managed a weak smile again.

"I still can't believe that I managed to carry you from that wreck, you were trying to walk, but you were pretty out of it."

Jas tried to remember that, he…

He shivered.

It had all been so sudden, none of them had expected Targo to know they were there, much less have a trap waiting.

I thought we had gotten out of his net, Jas thought angrily, I thought we had the advantage. If I had known…

He looked again at Vess, feeling a sense of protectiveness that was almost frightening for one that tried to live by the Jedi Code.

Targo said they were coming to take her back.

Jas' hands curled into fists.

Not again, he thought.

Never again.

"Where are we?" he asked her.

"Another abandoned apartment," she replied, "I think we came down in the district next to where we were staying. It wasn't safe to stay near the crash. I get the feeling that Caetus Shipping owns the security forces that patrol this district, or at least pays them well to stay informed."

Unsurprising, Jas's thought, the Republic was using the corporations here to try and revitalize Taris, it was to be expected that they might be handling security as well.

Vess looked weary as she met his gaze, her expression sad.

"Our group has been all over the local holo-net. We're terrorists, apparently, the explosions that destroyed the buildings near Caetus Shipping…. that was our doing."

Not good, Jas thought.

"Do the local authorities have holos of us?"

"I don't think so, they're not searching this district for us, at least not yet."

That was something, at least, he realized, still…it wouldn't last.

They would need to get out of here, and soon.

"What of the others," he asked, "Did you manage to contact any of them?"

Vess shook her head.

"I was afraid to use our comm channel. There…there is a small eatery not far from here, they had a comm station."

Jas' eyes widened in horror.

"You were out on the street? Alone?"

She glared at him.

"Stop looking at me like I'm some fragile doll! We needed food and water, and I needed supplies to treat your wounds, the med pack I found in here was expired."

The girl's brow furrowed, that determined line appeared, the one he remembered from her childhood.

"I was careful, kept my hood up, no one noticed me."

She frowned.

"There is no reason to coddle me. I'm not THAT fragile, or inept, thank you very much."

He looked down at his wounds, the way the bandages had been applied, good field dressings, if he had to say so himself.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I'm…I'm just trying to protect you."

She shrugged.

"It is I that has been protecting you for the last few days, Mister Jas."

A hint of a smile came to her lips.

"You're welcome…by the way."

Despite everything, He managed one himself.

"Um…Thanks for that, and…and for getting us to safety."

The girl beamed under his praise, but quickly returned to business.

"I tried to contact the others' rooms but got no answer. I could have tried to reach the ship, but there were guards posted at the local tram stations, they were checking for identification. I didn't want to risk leaving you alone."

Vess' expression turned pained.

"I'm sorry, Mister Jas, I was too afraid to go any farther."

"No," he said shaking his head, "You were too smart to go any farther."

He nodded.

Vess…she had done well, considering what she had to work with.

Rehanna Rist had prepared her well, it seemed.

"The others have likely headed to our fallback spot by now," he said, "The one we set up if anything went wrong with the plan."

Vess gave him a worried look.

"You think they made it out?"

Jas pursed his lips, unsure what to tell her.

He remembered that last moment before they fled, he had felt a shift in the Force…death.

We didn't all make it out of Targo's trap, he realized, he wasn't sure who or how many people they had lost, but…

He shook his head.

This is my doing, he thought.

This is all my fault!

Pathetic!

Weak!

Nothing!

I should have sensed something!

I should have been prepared!

He had to make it right!

He tried to sit up again, and was rewarded with another fresh wave of pain.

"Whoa there," Vess said coming to his side, "You need to rest."

"We can't stay here," he hissed, "We have to keep going."

He gave her a determined look. He looked at the chrono on the wall, it was mid-afternoon, which should give him just enough time.

"I can use the Force to heal myself, I should be good to travel by nightfall."

"I think you might have cracked some ribs in the crash, maybe done worse," she informed him, "What you could use is a good soaking in a kolto tank."

"That will have to wait," he said dismissively, "We need to reach the others, figure out where to go from here."

He met her gaze; those beautiful blue eyes were both cold and determined.

"What kind of supplies do we have? Did anything make it with us out of the crash?"

"I have my blaster, and two bandoliers of detonators," she informed him, "One of the bandoliers has smoke bombs, the other is filled with standard explosives. We also have your lightsaber and my vibro-knife."

"So, we are not completely defenseless," he said nodding.

Once again, he tried to sit up, only this time, he did so more carefully, he managed to do it, with only a slight stabbing pain, that turned quickly to a dull ache. He could feel Vess' concern, but he brushed it off.

I can do this, he thought to himself.

I just need time.

I need to focus now," he said, "Meditate, and draw on the power of the Force. It can heal me."

She nodded, accepting him without question.

"Is there anything I can do?" she asked.

"Check our food and water stores, see what we can take with us. Hopefully, we can find a speeder to take us back to the ship."

Provided it is not being watched, he realized.

The thought made him frown.

The Gilded Claw had been in dry dock, if Targo and his people knew that, they might have already seized it. Rior might already be in custody. Plus, the ship had been damaged getting here; it may not even be flyable or space-worthy…

We could be stranded here, both with Caetus Shipping, and the local authorities looking for us.

None of those thoughts pleased him.

If that was the case, they might just have to try and steal a ship, a risky move, but they needed to get off world, contact Coop, and hopefully find out what had happened to the others along the way.

They couldn't stay here, Vess couldn't stay here.

She was still being hunted. If Caetus wanted Val, they might want Vess as well.

Jas found himself thinking about what Targo had said, about him delivering her back into his hands.

I won't let that happen; Jas promised himself.

I WON'T!

He glanced up at his young charge. He could sense her fear, but her resolve as well, that and her trust and belief in him. She seemed prepared for anything that might be coming their way.

The realization made him reevaluate the situation, look at it in a different light.

Vess…she had saved him.

His expression turned thoughtful.

Not just a damsel in distress, he now realized, the little girl he had saved had definitely grown into a confident and competent young woman.

A wave of protectiveness swept over him, that and sense of warmth…affection.

She is neither a child, nor weak.

Maybe he needed to just accept that.

"We need to keep a low profile," he said, "We can't afford to drawn any attention to ourselves."

"Yes, sir," she said, offering a little salute.

Now, he did smile, couldn't help it.

It was cute.

I've always preferred strong women.

The thought came unbidden, an opinion he had told Val about during a speeder ride back on Alderaan.

It was funny that he would think of it now.

"Keep an eye open," he ordered, "I'm going to focus on healing, when you need to rest, let me know, I'll keep watch while you sleep."

She nodded, happy that they seemed to have some direction, a plan…sort of.

"What if we are discovered here?" she asked.

"Then…we had best be ready."

She nodded grimly.

"Okay, she replied.

"We will be."

IOI

As it turned out they weren't able to leave by nightfall, or the day after that.

Jas' injuries had kept him where they were, he had suffered internal injuries that the Force was able to heal, but only with time, far more time than he had desired.

Still, it hadn't been all bad.

Despite the situation, he and Vess had settled into their hiding place and managed to function decently together.

While he healed, she searched the apartment, there was no trace of the original occupants, the last message received on the terminal in the place had been from a year and half ago, then there was the dust, no one had cleaned the place in months, if not years.

Still, it had power, and Vess had managed to slice into the terminal and get all the appliances up and working. Yet, another skill taught to her by Rehanna Rist.

"Making the best use of your resources is the sign of a true assassin," Vess had said, "Or so Aunt Rehanna says.

Jas had smiled at that.

"It seems that the assassins of House Rist and the Jedi had more in common than he realized.

Not that he felt much like a Jedi at that moment.

If anything, the situation was like nothing he had ever experienced before, not in the clan or with the organization.

It all seemed so…normal…mundane.

It left him confused.

In that moment, he and Vess were different people, they were neither a Jedi nor a queen in exile. They were simply a young man and woman living in an apartment in an industrial area of Taris. The credits they had on hand made it easy for them to purchase what they needed for their escape, and the people that lived around them asked no questions. Jas got the feeling that they weren't the only people squatting in the buildings of this neighborhood.

He was grateful for that, it made it easier for them to remain invisible, and that is what they needed right now.

No attention was best.

The Force did its work well enough that he was able to rise from the bed on their first night, allowing Vess to finally get some sleep. He stood guard while she rested. He watched over them with both his eyes and the Force. Before dawn, she awoke, and he rested, sleeping a few hours after another healing trance.

He awoke from that sleep hungry, and to find that Vess had prepared a meal for them.

The girl had beamed when she saw his smile.

"I figured we use more than simple field rations," she explained, "We need to keep up our strength, yes?"

He had nodded in agreement.

The greens she had prepared were a little dry, but not bad for someone not used to preparing her own food, the meat she had purchased was tasty, and the bread they had purchased fresh.

The two of them had talked at the apartments table, not about what they were about to do, but about mundane matters. He told her about his life in the organization a bit of his Jedi training. She told him about Rehanna's training, and what she hoped to do when she finally returned to Bantoon. Vess had some interesting ideas about how to improve her people's lives.

"That is a lot of plans for an eighteen-year-old," he had said with amusement.

"They are the plans of a queen," she said with a hint of superiority, and "For the record, I'm nineteen now."

"You are?"

She nodded.

Her nineteenth birthday had passed while she had been Targo's prisoner. It seemed for a three months period there was only a six-year difference in their ages.

Jas toasted her, a happy belated birthday.

The girl had smiled at that.

She also said, as far as presents went, being here, with him, wasn't a bad one.

Her words made him chuckle nervously.

Vess had that effect on him, and was having that effect more and more.

When he finally felt strong enough, the two had gone out in the street together, to grab a few things before striking out on their mission. Vess had found him some local clothes, allowing him to blend in better with their neighbors. She had also found some make-up in the fresher of their apartment. Make-up that helped her appear a few years older than she was, just in case the authorities had a holo of her.

They worked well together, the girl and him. They had had only one awkward moment; a shop vendor had asked if he would like to purchase something for his pretty young wife.

Jas had nearly choked when he swallowed wrong. Vess had giggled and blushed. Though amused, he also felt a slight sense of disappointment when he informed the stall vendor that they were just friends.

Perhaps saying such a thing had not been necessary, he regretted it later.

Regardless, they had gathered enough supplies to strike out for the Gilded Claw. Jas still hoped to find a speeder, otherwise the ship was a good two-day trek away from their current location.

It was doable, but risky, Taris was hardly the safest of places in the Republic.

As the sun finally set, they did one last check of their stores, just to make sure that they hadn't forgotten anything.

It was at that moment that they heard a voice call out over a loudspeaker, a voice from the street below.

It was in that moment, that everything changed.

IOI

"Good people of this district," the voice of a young woman boomed, "I regret to inform you that there currently a terrorist hiding among you."

The woman chuckled.

"We are here to find them."

Jas glanced out the window, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

Damn it, he thought.

Why couldn't have they showed up a few minutes later.

He cursed under his breath.

They had just been about to leave.

He counted a large force, twenty strong at least, men and women dressed in the uniforms of Taris security. The armored vehicle they had arrived in was the standard type of transport for a planetary militia. They were already starting to spread out, drawing people out of the buildings and businesses, lining them up under the cover of the transports heavy repeating blaster.

Overkill, he thought, this is a lot of people and weapons for a simple security search. Unless they know who, it is they are searching for…they…

It was then that he noticed who was leading the group, the young woman that had spoken over the loudspeaker.

The men in the uniforms were planetary security.

Their leader was not.

Tall and slender, she was dressed in a fine suit, Tarisian in cut and color. The voice that had spoken marked her as a native of this world, and her manner, not to mention the cruel arrogance that radiated out through the Force, suggested that she was a member of the noble class, one of the ones driving the attempt to restore this world. Her long black hair flowed down to her waist, and she wore tech glasses over her large brown eyes, glasses feeding her data from the men under her command, but that was not all.

Jas's frown deepened.

The woman wore a familiar necklace, her left hand played with it as her troopers rounded up the civilians.

He knew that necklace, had seen it many times before.

It was the mark of the Sunset Collective.

The sight filled him with rage.

Of course, he thought.

I should have known.

Targo was here, and his connection with the collective was well known.

Yet, a collective member's presence, much less one leading a security patrol hinted at so much more.

Caetus shipping provided security for this district, the fact that a collective agent, a local one, was leading them suggested that Caetus had some ties to the collective as well.

Jas flashed back to his time on Alderaan, his encounter with the Hand of the Faith.

There had been some question then if the collective's presence had anything to do with the Bantoon succession. He no longer had those questions.

The collective was here.

They were involved, no doubt.

No doubt.

Vess pulled him away from the window.

"We have to get out of here," she whispered.

"Now."

Jas almost hesitated, he didn't want to leave, he wanted to confront that collective agent, she had to know what was going on, might even have intel on Val and Targo.

Sadly, the mission came first.

Vess came first.

He had to get her out of here.

He nodded and helped her scoop up their supplies.

Hopefully they could slip out before they were noticed.

If those security forces didn't find what they were looking for, they would leave, leave these people alone.

It was their only move, their best move.

They had to go…now.

IOI

"WE ARE LOOKING FOR TWO PEOPLE; A BLONDE WOMAN AND A DARK-HAIRED MAN, TURN THEM OVER TO US AND YOU WILL BE WELL REWARDED!"

The collective woman's voice continued to boom from outside. Jas tried not to listen. He tried to stay focused on his job.

He tried not to think about the fact that a collective agent was daring to call him a terrorist.

He was trying even harder not to think about Val…or Mom.

They always show up, he though angrily, the collective…

They always show up and take everything I care about away from me.

Nothing.

Weak.

Pathetic.

They always hurt those that he loved.

He tried not to dwell on that, as he and Vess made their way to street level. They avoided a patrol of guards coming up the stairs, just managing to slip by them. By the time they made it to the street, they saw how the collective agent and her men had set up their little search operation.

The people of this district were lined up, crowded in front of the armed transport. The security men had formed up, forming a firing line.

The sight horrified Jas.

No, he thought, they can't me to…

There are women and children among them!

He also finally got a closer look at the collective agent, the noble woman that led this raiding party. He guessed she was in her early twenties. She had the sneer that most nobles here on Taris had, that, and a heart filled with boredom and resentment.

The type of person that the Collective attracted, fools, or the ambitious looking for power.

She continued to fiddle with her Collective necklace, while in her right hand.

Jas blinked.

Three small metal training globes floated above the girl's hand. They orbited each other, with one occasionally leaving the girl's hand and making a quick pass around her before returning to the others.

Force sensitive, Jas realized, perhaps a Word of the Faith in training.

The girl raised her commlink to her lips, her voice went over the armored vehicles loudspeaker.

"THIS SILENCE IS A CRIMINAL ACT! CRIMINAL! BY NOT GIVING US WHAT WE WANT YOU ARE PUTTING YOUSELVES IN JEOPARDY!"

The crowd still refused to answer, from the limited time that he had spent here, Jas knew these people had little love for the nobles of this world, the ones who wanted to bring Taris back to the good old days so they could lord over the populous.

Jas could sense the resentment the people felt, he guessed that Caetus shipping had done little to make itself popular here.

Finally, a single man broke away from the pack, older, yet muscular, he was held back by two armed guards, but that didn't silence his mouth.

"GO BACK TO YOUR FATHER, TEMM YIMM," he spat, "HE MAY BE ON THE BOARD BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN HE RULES US!"

The collective agent, Temm Yimm, turned and gave him a cruel smile.

"Hello, Guff," she said sweetly, "Still trying to find work?"

The man was about to respond, but the girl struck first.

She struck hard.

Two of the training globes flew from her hand. They struck the man in each eye, struck him and went out the back of his head.

The man fell without a sound.

Some woman in the crowd screamed. A scream that was silenced by a blaster shot, the people almost stampeded in panic, but the guards and the heavy blaster held them in place.

The girl, Temm Yimm, laughed.

"I guess Papa doesn't have to worry about Guff causing problems anymore, does he?"

She laughed again, perhaps hoping that her men would laugh with her, they didn't; they merely held the people back.

Whether they approved of her actions or not, was irrelevant, they were still helping her.

They were just as responsible as she was for the murder of two people.

Jas watched from the shadows, Vess was trying to pull him away before they were noticed, but he couldn't move, he was caught up in the scene before him.

A dark sider had innocent people in her grip. These people were about to suffer because of him.

This…was all his fault.

The flicker of anger inside him continued to grow.

Weak.

Pathetic.

Nothing!

All his fault!

The girl turned back to the people; the two bloody globes continued to orbit her.

"As you can see, I've grown into something great since I was last here. I've made powerful friends, and this district WILL respect me."

She batted her eyes and smiled sweetly.

"Seriously, my dear people, this is for your own good, these terrorists, the ones that have come from off world are here to hurt you. Only Caetus and planetary security can protect you…"

The girl snapped her fingers.

One of the security troopers, the one manning the turret on the transport, tossed something down into the street, there were several gasps and cries of shock.

Jas froze. Vess stopped trying to pull him away, her blue eyes widening in horror.

She had seen it too!

Jas blinked, not wanting to admit what he was seeing.

No!

NO!

"See what happens to those that threaten the rebuilding effort," Yimm said gesturing down…

Gesturing at the two heads that had landed in the street.

The first was a mess, but even from a distance, Jas recognized it, recognized the scarring even over the damage.

Burr…

Jas…Jas couldn't believe it.

Burr…his head was lying in the street.

He was dead.

The second head was not a head at all, but an empty helmet, it was pitted and damaged, given the history of Taris, the Collective agent likely thought it would win her more support seeing it.

A Mandalorian helmet, a male trooper's helmet.

Quire's helmet.

Jas couldn't breathe…

He…He…

His heart pounded in his chest.

Burr and Quire Ko were dead!

And this Collective Agent, this spoiled noble brat named Temm Yimm was laughing about it, she was laughing!

It was almost too much.

Yimm spoke into her commlink again.

"CAN YOU HEAR ME, JAS DAR BYNN! TARGO SEI SAYS HELLO! IF YOU AND YOUR ACCOMPLICE DO NOT COME OUT BY THE COUNT OF THREE, WE WILL EXCUTE ALL THESE PEOPLE AS ACCESSORIES TO YOUR ACTS OF TERRORISM! COME OUT, OR INNOCENTS WILL SUFFER! YOU DON'T WANT THAT, DO YOU JEDI PUP! THAT IS WHAT BROTHER TARGO SAYS!"

The people in the crowd began to shout, but they were surrounded by both rifles and a heavy repeating canon.

They had no escape.

Jas and Vess stood there, watching in horror.

My fault, Jas thought.

Pathetic!

NOTHING!

WEAK!

MY FAULT!

"Mister Jas?" Vess whispered.

He glanced over at her, he saw the pain in her eyes, the anger.

Something passed between them, something that went unsaid.

She nodded.

She…she knew what needed to be done, he didn't have to tell her.

She knew what they had to do!

"TIMESSSSSS UP!" Yimm shouted again.

Jas nodded, letting the bag fall from his hand.

Yes, it was.

Vess dropped her own bag. She had a blaster in one hand, a detonator in the other.

Yes, she understood.

"I'll deal with the vehicle," he murmured, "And the bitch, you stay back and mop up the survivors."

Vess didn't balk, she had been trained to kill by Rehanna Rist, and she had lost two friends today.

She wouldn't hesitate.

He couldn't afford too either.

"Are you strong enough to do this?" she asked him, "You are still hurt."

The comment had stung at first, but it was not because she thought him weak, she was worried about his injuries, but they weren't bothering him, not now.

He had found a new well-spring of power.

And now, thanks to his anger, it was ready to be unleashed.

He had been scared of it in the past, but at that moment, he felt no fear.

He was not afraid.

He would not hesitate.

Jas nodded.

Was he strong enough?

Yes.

Today…I am.

The collective had killed so many, laughed at their deaths, content in knowing that the Jedi Code would always work in their favor, save them from what they truly deserved.

Today, in this Temm Yimm's case, she was wrong.

Dead wrong!

"ONE!"" Yimm called out, her troopers took aim at the civilians.

Jas looked at Vess, she looked as cold and as angry as he felt.

"Ready?" he whispered.

Vess nodded as she slipped into the shadows.

"TWO!"

Jas didn't hesitate, not in that moment. He stood up, and called on his power.

For Burr.

For Quire.

For Val.

For Mom!

He reached out to the Force and let the darkness in, it gave him all the power he needed…

…all he would ever need.

He roared as he jerked his hands over his head.

The Force responded.

The assault vehicle, it flipped it over, and it came down hard, but not at random.

It came down on the Collective girl's firing line. All ten troopers were crushed instantly.

The sudden death seemed to stop everything in the street, the surviving troopers, even their would-be victims froze in disbelief.

Yimm gasped in horror as she spun around, her attention drawn by Jas' angry cry.

He looked at her like a predator ready to spring.

He smiled.

"Three," he hissed coldly, igniting his lightsaber, its purple blade turning his face into a pale death mask.

"IT IS HIM!" Yimm shrieked, "THE JEDI!"

"FIRE!"

Weapons started to come up, too slowly…far too slowly.

Jas moved he was among them.

Heads came away from bodies as murderers were struck by his weapon, Jas killed three of the security men before the echo of the woman's voice faded.

He glared at her, his eyes cold and empty, promising only death.

"I don't know why I have to keep saying this," he hissed.

He saw it in her eyes, the transition from cruel arrogance to near panic and fear.

Jas grinned, he liked that feeling.

"I…am no…Jedi."

He leaped again striking down two more of the witch's men, behind him Vess' blaster opened up, followed by an explosion to his right, and more screams.

Jas grinned.

I'm no Jedi, he thought.

Not Nothing.

Not pathetic!

NOT WEAK!

He let the darkness in, it was hungry for more.

Not a Jedi.

Not…anymore.