Chapter 17: Gone Dark

It whispered in his ear, the words soft and seductive, in the past he had been able to ignore them, find his way back to a place of balance, a place in the light.

Yet, in that moment he found he didn't want to find his way back. For the first time, the darkness had something tangible to offer him, not simply empty promises of power and what could be.

Today, he listened.

They will take her away from you; just like they took everyone else. Mother Nuna, Val, your crew…

Jas took a shuddering breath as he glared at the enemy.

Yes, he thought.

They took everyone!

"They'll take Vess from you," the darkness purred, "She will suffer, she will beg, and it will be all your fault."

They will take Vess!"

It was all he needed to hear; all it took.

He raised his lightsaber.

"They will take Vess."

"No," he hissed through clenched teeth.

"NEEEEEEEEVEEEER!"

He lunged into the blasterfire, as the small metal training globes tried to penetrate his Force shield.

Not again.

Never again!

The Collective girl, Temm Yimm continued to bark orders at her surviving men, that and a squad of security probes that must have been waiting on standby. These were the same type of probes that had chased Jas and Vess from their original hiding place, they had been a bane then…

Now, they could have been unarmed for all he cared.

He had one goal.

Destroy them.

Stop them from taking what was his. He had failed Burr and Quire…he would not fail again.

He would not fail Vess.

Pathetic.

Nothing.

Weak.

He heard those words, but they didn't stop him.

Not anymore.

"Probes, disable the target," Yimm shouted, "Reinforcements to segment 6 district 5…protocol 4 has been authorized…"

Jas heard the girl distantly, the dark voice in his head was too loud, almost drowning out everything, leaving him to rely on nothing but the Force to guide him.

He had no idea what protocol four was, and he didn't care, what the collective agent said next erased any other concern.

"Secure the girl, we're taking her with us!"

Strangely enough, the darkness let him hear that clearly, it only served to fuel his rage, his desire to hurt them.

They'll take Vess.

His eyes narrowed dangerously.

I don't think so.

The darkness allowed him to see everything through the Force, he saw the enemy as they fell back, trying to regroup, he saw the security probes moving in, attempting to cover them.

He saw Vess, using her blaster, and the detonators that they had brought with them, smoke and explosions came in equal measure. She was attempting to keep the enemy back, her blaster firing any time one of them got too close.

As for Temm Yimm, she was using her Force abilities, the small metal globes she carried whirled around him, smashing into his shields, they did little to break his concentration, but they were an annoyance.

Toys, he almost spat.

Jedi children play with such things when they were first learning to use the Force, he had never considered someone using them as a weapon, pushing them around so hard, and so fast, that they could tear through an unshielded body.

An impressive display of power, but still just a trick, Yimm didn't even wield a lightsaber.

Her toys would not save her.

He found himself staring almost eye to eye with the darksider, her tech-visor flashing with reports from the various security droids. They tried to swarm him, to disable him.

He lashed out.

Debris rose into the air and began to whirl around him, blocking blaster shots and smashing into any drone that got too close. He…he couldn't believe what he was doing; the display should have exhausted him.

He should have reached his limit, yet, he was barely breathing hard. His anger continued to fuel his power, and as long as he had enemies to direct it against, he didn't think that he would need to stop.

The sensation brought a grim smile to his lips.

Why have I resisted this for so long?

The thought made him shake his head.

He had been such a fool!

He sensed more troopers, a second transport coming down the street behind them, trying to flank, or surround them.

Enough of this!

He grew tired of playing defensively, and struck back, rocks and destroyed machinery became missiles of his own, striking down the hovering security probes.

It was so easy, he was barely breaking a sweat, and best of all, the fun was just beginning.

He still had the collective agent to play with, and her remaining guards.

He was looking forward to dealing with them, but first he needed to ensure Vess' safety. He let the transport get closer, let it stop and open its boarding ramp. If he ignored them, they would likely have grabbed Vess from behind.

He didn't allow that.

The Force gave him speed as he rushed the new arrivals, the ambushers had not expected to be ambushed themselves, not before they got into position.

He showed them no mercy.

His lightsaber flashed as he cut down one after the other, one he seized with the Force and used as a shield, his own fellows blasted him to pieces while the man screamed for them not to fire.

The death only excited him, and filled him with renewed strength.

It was an intoxicating sensation!

More and more, he was starting to enjoy the fear growing in the hearts of his attackers.

He liked the taste of it…and…

…he wanted more!

It was at that moment that Temm Yimm and her men realized that what they were dealing with was not what they expected, fear began to turn to panic.

Good.

Jas could use that too!

"GET HIM, YOU FOOLS! STOP HIM!" the girl shrieked.

"WHAT IS DADDY PAYING YOU FOR?!"

It was a good question, Jas thought.

Clearly, the man had not gotten his money's worth.

Soon there was only three guards left, three, and their mistress. The Collective agent withdrew her globes, abandoning her attempt to simply batter her enemy into submission.

One of her defenders lunged at him with a stun stick. Jas didn't bother trying to parry the attack, he simply caught the man's arm with his, and ran him through with his lightsaber.

He pushed the body aside, forgotten even as it fell.

That was all it took to convince the two remaining guards to throw down their blasters and try to run away. Jas could have stopped them, but he didn't need to…

Vess was there.

She blasted the first one, he fell without a sound, the second dropped to his knees he raised his hands in surrender.

"PLEASE DON'T! I HAVE A FAM…"

BAM! BAM!

Vess shot him twice in the face, the man's body fell his leg spasming.

She glanced up at Jas, who nodded grimly.

An ugly thing, but necessary…

They could afford no survivors, not if they wanted to make it back to the ship.

That left only one final piece of business.

The group's leader stood alone, only her training globes to defend her.

"YOU STAY BACK!" she shouted, "STAY BACK, OR THE PEOPLE OF THIS DISTRICT WILL SUFFER!"

One of her globes flew from her side, Jas caught a glimpse of a woman and child hiding behind some of the debris, the woman doing her best to shield the youngling.

He reached out with both his hand and the Force.

The globe stopped mere inches from the woman's face, had it struck it likely would have torn through her like bullet fired from a slug thrower.

Jas wouldn't let that happen.

He pulled it to him, denying the woman another weapon.

No more.

MO MORE!

No more innocent people would die on his account. The Collective would not kill another person.

Not one, he thought glaring at Yimm.

NO MORE!

Yimm took advantage of the brief distraction, she shouted into her commlink, some numerical code that he didn't understand, it didn't matter though…

Whatever trick the brat had up her sleeve, it would not save her.

He found himself looking at the broken Mandalorian helmet in the street, and at the head of the Cooper/Halcyon organization's first enforcer.

The sight did little to cool his rage.

Jas had known Quire as a boy, he had watched over both him and Hylla, he had protected them when the warriors had been away, it had been his duty to the clan.

Quire's death felt like a failure.

Though he and Burr had never been friends, they had been associates and had shared many adventures. His place within their crew had always meant that he and Jas had needed to work closely together.

Yes, they had never been friends, but they had understood each other. Burr had always been a bit too mercenary for Jas' taste, but he had gotten better since meeting Rior, the Cathar and he had had a positive effect on each other.

The thought made him shudder.

Rior

Hylla.

What was he going to tell them? He had been in charge of this hunt, the deaths of his teammates were his responsibility, he had underestimated Targo again, and the people in his life had paid for it. He…

A loud roaring sound came from overhead, Jas risked a glance up, but didn't take his eye off his opponent.

Temm Yimm was grinning like a predator. A large shadow fell over them all, he understood why.

A dark gray attack ship hovered above them. Search lights illuminated the street while loose debris was scattered by the backwash from the repulsor lifts.

Stiletto like, with short triangular wings, the ship's belly guns swiveled and took aim at the street below.

The Collective woman laughed.

"It seems the Eternal Night favors me now, Jedi, lower you weapon and you will not be harmed. The First Speaker was quite adamant about that point."

Jas Dar Bynn glared daggers at her.

He could care less what the First Speaker thought, he was ready to take the risk, take the girl with him, and might have, had Vess not been standing only a few feet away.

Vess, looking at her got through the angry red haze that had engulfed his mind.

He…he had to protect her.

He had promised.

He needed to find a way out of this, for Vess' sake, they couldn't…

"HEY KID! HEY JAS!"

He froze and looked up; the voice had emerged from the ship.

It was a voice he knew.

"I wonder if this shutta has a bounty on her head? Could be worth something to someone."

Vess looked skyward, her eyes widening in recognition.

"Miri?"

Temm Yimm looked up, her cocky smile fading.

"Who is that," she gasped, grabbing her commlink.

"WHO ARE YOU?! What are you doing on MY ship? Where is my crew?!"

"I'm afraid your crew are no longer available to keep this bird in the air," Mirax Fallenstar replied over the loudspeaker, the ship's weapons now swiveled, fully locked on the noble woman.

"If I, were you, I'd stand down."

Vess laughed, she jumped up and down in excitement.

"JAS! IT….IT IS MIRI!"

The girl smiled brightly.

"We're saved!"

He nodded.

So, it seemed.

Jas Dar Bynn couldn't entirely kill the smirk that sprang to his lips.

He had no idea how Fallenstar had claimed control of that vessel, and he didn't care.

The Force had swung back into their favor.

He was not one to let such an opportunity slip away.

Temm Yimm glared defiantly at them, he could sense her fear, but also a sense of grim resolve, she believed herself better than him, Vess, or anyone else.

Tarisian nobles, Jas thought bitterly, he had heard of their arrogance.

They were not the type to ask for mercy, not that the girl would find any from him, no.

He was beyond mercy, when it came to the collective anyway.

No more death.

No more.

He took a step forward, his eyes cold and even.

"If you have a suicide implant, you might want to use it," he advised.

"You're not going to enjoy what happens next."

He felt the shift in the girl, the realization that she didn't have the edge here. He felt her connection to the Force flicker, she didn't know how to turn fear into anger. The globes she had used as weapons slowed and weaved, no longer driven by certainty and will.

"You can't do this," Yimm spat, "You're a Jedi. You have to arrest me!"

"Why would I do something like that?" he replied, "Why give you a chance to wriggle out of what is coming?"

He shook his head.

"No, I have questions, and you are going to answer them all, and then…if you are a good girl, I'll put you out of your misery."

Yimm began to look around, perhaps seeking an escape route. He could sense her fear, she was on the edge of panic. Now, she was looking for a way out. She would find none, not under the cover a ship's guns, Vess standing there with her pistol, and Jas approaching with his lightsaber.

No escape.

No hope.

Yimm snarled angrily, one last act of defiance, still not willing to give up, she pointed at Vess, all of the globes around her shot away, shot towards the young queen.

They didn't get far.

Jas reached out with his own powers, stopping them. Vess had only just dived for cover, but it was unnecessary.

He sensed her fear, but there was no reason for it. She was safe in his care.

He wouldn't let anything happen to her.

He had promised.

He looked again at the collective agent, he had still clung to some of his Jedi training, it would have tempered the questioning she was about to endure…but…by choosing to try and strike Vess…

Well, the gloves were finally off.

He smiled.

He almost wanted to thank her.

He was grateful that he wouldn't have to hold back.

"Okay," he said sweetly.

"Let's start."

ZWIP!

ZWIP!

Temm Yimm cried out in agony, Jas had used her own weapons to tear through her knees, she felt to the ground shrieking and whimpering trying to crawl away.

He drew closer.

The Tarisian looked up, her data visor flashing, perhaps she was trying to summon more droids to her defense.

He kicked her in the jaw, the visor shattered and flew from her head.

She still tried to crawl away from him, gagging on her own blood, spitting out teeth.

"Stop," she panted, "You…can't…my father…"

He reached out with the Force and lifted her into the air. He slammed her down hard on the ground, twice, making her cry out as she came down on her destroyed knees.

"Your father can't save you," Jas said coldly, "He should have kept you away from the collective…"

Jas used the Force to seize Yimm's necklace, he began to twist it, the chain tightening like a garrote.

The girl sputtered, and tried to remove it, but she no longer had the will to stand against him.

She was broken, and she would tell him everything.

He would accept nothing less.

Behind him the ship touched down in the street. He sensed no danger. The darkness giving him a sense of clarity he had never felt before, no enemy would have been able to sneak up on him now…

The ship's ramp lowered, and Fallenstar emerged. She sauntered up to him, her expression…was one of surprise.

"Jas?" she asked, "You, okay?"

He almost laughed at the question.

Was he okay?

Sure.

Never been better!

Yimm continued to writhe on the ground, choking as he tightened his grip.

"Miri? Are you okay?"

Vess came up to her, the bounty hunter nodded at the young queen, but no further conversation passed between them, they were both focused on Jas and what he was doing to the Tarisian girl.

"Mister Jas?" Vess asked.

He could feel the concern in her voice, and…a trace of fear.

He shook his head.

She didn't understand, but…having her here, was making him a bit self-conscious.

He couldn't do what was necessary if she was watching.

"Fallenstar," he said coldly, "What is the situation?"

"Well," she said dryly, "Got us a new ship, as you can see. I managed to escape the trap that was set for us, and managed to make it back to the Gilded Claw."

"What is its condition?" he asked.

"Flyable, I had to deal with some Caetus security types when I got it back. They had disabled Bee-Ten, but I was able to get him back on his feet. They were also kind enough to leave an uncoded commlink for me to use. That is how I learned about out friend here…and the ship she had standing by."

Jas nodded, he should have expected Miri to have escaped Targo's trap, she was not afraid of the darkness, and would have had that extra edge when the time came.

"What about the others?" Vess asked, "Did any of them make it out?"

The bounty hunter shook her head no.

"None of the others made it back to the ship. Rior was already gone when I arrived. Targo and his friends, they took them off world. All but Burr and Quire…

Fallenstar looked down at the remains of their two allies.

"Jas," she said, "I'm sorry."

He shrugged.

He saw no need to be sorry.

He had what they needed to continue the hunt.

Temm Yimm would tell them everything she knew.

He would find out where the others were.

The collective girl couldn't move, she was starting to turn blue, hissing and struggling weakly against the chain that was choking her.

Mirax Fallenstar laid a hand on Jas' shoulder.

"What are you going to do," she asked him.

"Ask Miss Yimm a few questions," he replied.

"Ah," Miri nodded.

I see.

Jas frowned, he didn't feel comfortable doing this, not with Vess and Miri watching, fortunately, there was an apartment complex right here. He could take the girl inside.

From there…they wouldn't be bothered.

"Miri," he said, "Could you take Vess to the ship, make sure the collective left no surprises for us onboard. We're going to need to get out of here…"

"Sure," she said, but still Fallenstar hesitated.

He frowned.

He didn't like hesitation.

It annoyed him, it always had.

"What?!" he demanded.

She shrugged.

"Maybe…maybe you should let me handle the questioning," she suggested, "There is no reason for you to go any further down this road. I'm more than comfortable with…"

"You're offer is appreciated," he said," But…it is fine. I'm good."

Miri still didn't look pleased, and Vess radiated a sense of worry, but it was okay.

He was fine.

"Jas?" Vess said.

He shook his head.

"Can you please get her out of here." He hissed to Fallenstar, hoping that Vess wouldn't hear.

He didn't have time to coddle the girl, not after everything that had happened.

Surely, Fallenstar would understand that.

She nodded.

"Okay," she said, gently taking Vess by the arm, "Come on, kid, let's see what we can do with our new ship."

Hed did nothing until he was sure they were away.

He didn't dare.

He didn't want Vess to see.

What was about to happen…would be ugly.

Jas didn't start until he was sure that Vess was safely out of eye or earshot. He finally stopped choking Yimm, leaving her coughing and whimpering on the ground before him.

Pathetic, he thought.

Just as I've been.

He had promised Targo Sei months ago that he wouldn't be a Jedi in dealing with him, but he had sadly fallen back into old patterns, he had allowed himself to be weak in dealing with his enemies.

No more.

He would not let anyone else die on his watch.

No More!

"Stop," Yimm whimpered, "Please…I…I don't know…"

He grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and dragged her inside the apartment building she cried out in pain as her broken knees hit each of the steps.

It funny how things could get reversed, a few moments ago, Yimm had been laughing about dragging people from their homes.

He almost smiled.

She wasn't laughing now, she would never laugh again, he would make sure of it.

"Come along, now," he purred venomously, not bothering to power down his lightsaber. He pulled her into the darkened building, tossing her into the first empty apartment.

She looked up at him, her eyes a mix of panic and terror.

He smiled down at the injured woman.

"Now…what shall we talk about?"

IOI

"Thirty-five minutes later, two ships broke through the atmosphere, leaving Taris behind them.

Mirax Fallenstar was piloting the Gilded Claw, while Jas flew the collective ship. Miri had disabled its tracking beacon, so no one would be following them, not for a while.

Jas frowned as he checked his instruments. His eyes were drawn to Temm Yimm's necklace sitting on the console, he had taken it from her body when they had left.

She had no longer needed it. Not that she would have been welcomed back to the collective if she had.

She had given him everything he needed to know, including the location of their next target.

He was tempted to jump immediately to the coordinates he had extracted, but caution won the day.

The girl had told him about a space station. It was where she was to bring Vess after the girl had been secured. She had had orders to leave him behind, to leave a clue that Targo had wanted him to follow.

More games, Jas had thought when he heard that, well…he had no more time for games, and neither did Targo.

Yimm believed that Targo would be there… waiting for her to arrive. It was also where they had taken the rest of the prisoners, his crew. It was some kind of central base of operations.

The head of the snake, he thought, cut it off, and the body would finally die. The Sunset Collective would be finished…

At least…he hoped that is what would happen, though…not all at once.

He was eager to see his enemies suffer.

But first, they needed a plan, and a bit of help, Jas had suggested to Miri that they make a stop on Dantooine, it was close enough, and would give them a chance to plan, to prepare for what came next.

She had agreed, but was still not sure that the information he had extracted was genuine.

Jas assured her that it was.

At the end, the girl had been beyond lying. All she had wanted was release, and when he was sure they were done, he had granted it.

He had not let her suffer anymore than she needed too.

As for Vess, she was riding with Miri, helping to get Bee Ten back in fighting shape, they would need him when they moved to get the others back.

Plus, at that moment, he didn't want her close by, his anger was still burning bright.

He was afraid he might do something if she said the wrong thing to him.

He didn't want to take that chance.

So, he sat at the controls of his new ship, and plotted a course for Dantooine. Yet, at the same time, he couldn't escape what had happened, and could not deny what he had done.

So, he thought, this is what it feels like?

He sighed.

This is what it feels like to be a Dark Jedi?

The darkness was still with him. It was not thrown off so easily, or denied…

Strangely enough, he didn't want to deny it, he needed it.

The fight that was coming would not be easy.

He pulled the handle before him, sending his new ship into hyperspace.

He would need power when he faced Targo and his allies, and if the dark offered anything, it was power…

I'm coming for you Targo, he thought coldly.

Prepare to suffer…

The thought made him shudder with both fear and excitement.

He could sense it, hungry and ready to act.

He took another deep breath.

A lot of people were about to die, and things would be destroyed.

It would be by his hand; he would be the one to carry it out.

Yes, something within him, whispered.

The darkness…approved.