Disclaimer: I don't know Star Wars whatsoever. It belongs to Disney and Lucasfilm, and the EU material belong to their respective owners. Only exceptions are any OCs that appear.

AN: A bit from a SW EU story I've been planning for sometimes. It has been going through many revisions for five years, and I've had an on-off relationship with this, always working on it for a bit before putting it off and forgetting it (which I've been doing with almost ALL my stories) only to eventually get back to this. I think I've managed to find the right time period, the New Republic era, which is my favorite of the post-RotJ era with the struggles of the New Republic and Luke's Jedi Order. What I've written is not much, but I hope it's something.

Enjoy.

9 Years After the Battle of Endor...

"The starboard is hit! Starboard is-"

The words were cut off by fire and metal entering the hull. Srad turned away from the shouting pirate, a Zabrak whose body went aflame. The fires were quickly sucked away, and so was the air, right into the vacuum of space.

Srad fisted his hand atop the control panel on the wall. A metal barrier slammed over the gaping hole in the Bel Brain's hull, cutting the adjacent room from the rest of the ship. Air filled the corridor and Srad's lungs, and the human's face turned back to its original pink color.

As he gasped, Srad looked to the captain of the Bel Brain. She was barely visible in the smoke. Only the orange of her armor made her stand out. "Jorgi, how many are us left?" she asked, her voice modified by her helmet.

"Six... that last hit just took Redal and Kee'aw..." the Twi'lek answered sadly with his words as blue as his complexion.

Srad heard the captain let out a Mandalorian curse, and through the Force, he felt the woman's stress levels reach their peak. Her crew had went down from a couple dozen to a mere handful, not including Srad himself. And what was left of the crew felt the same as their captain.

As sorrowful as the crew's situation was, Srad had other thoughts on the matter… As in trying to stay alive. His gravelly voice cut through the moody atmosphere. "No point in mourning the dead, captain. How far away we now?"

All eyes fell on the human, who stood out more than enough with his fine, gray uniform. The captain paused, her round helm meeting Srad, before she said, "Not far… We just need to get to the cargo hold..."

Srad eyed her warily, then nodded, as if allowing her to lead on. He would listen to her… for now.

And so, the only thing Srad, the captain, and everyone else heard were their own footsteps and the blaring klaxons. Everything blurred, from unlit mess hall to the scorched remains of crew quarters. Of course, since Srad boarded the once-austere vessel many planetary rotations ago, he kept one room to himself, and it was perhaps the only one that had not been damaged. The captain was accommodating to her guest, too accommodating for Srad's liking. Of course, everyone on board learned the consequences of harboring their new passenger.

It did not matter, Srad told himself. He paid them for travel, no questions asked. He would get to his destination one way or another.

Srad's ambitions were cut short when the floor rumbled under his feet. Everyone felt it too and stopped right where they were, in the small corner of the corridor. In the loud klaxons, the captain's quiet "Oh no..." was heard, especially by Srad.

An electronic beep followed, from behind Srad. It was the droid, another of the crew. "Mistress?" it said with its heavy steps following behind.

"What is it, V9?" came from the captain.

Towering over everyone, the mechanical's red eyes flashed with every syllable. "I am detecting several life signs."

"Let me guess; coming through the airlock?" The droid nodded, and the captain cursed in Mandalorian again. "Blasters out! We're going to have a fight on our hands!"

"Hey, can the Jedi help too?" spoke up one Bothan, almost jokingly.

There was a chuckle or two, a little something to lighten the mood, but Srad quickly cut it down with his glare. The impertinent fool who spoke up averted his gaze and quietly mumbled. "... uh, well, you know… so we can make this out alive?"

"Don't worry, Krawr. We can make it out of here, with or without this Jetii," the captain assured before unholstering a blaster from her hip.

Srad ignored it. He drowned out the chatter of his oh-so gracious hosts, and as he had been taught in the Jedi Praxeum, focused on his surroundings. He sensed for the lifeforms and machinery spread throughout the Bel Brain. When he opened his eyes, a grim look had taken set in his eyes as his hand neared the lightsaber on his belt.

"They're here," Srad announced, turning to whence they came.

Blasters clicked in frantic succession of one another, and barrels aimed towards the direction Srad was looking at. "Steady! Steady!" the captain warned her crew.

The air was palpable with fear. Srad did not need the power of the Jedi to know that. For being hardened pirates, they trembled in their boots, and their aim wavered by the tiniest of fraction, save for the captain. The silence met them, only adding to their anxiety.

At last, there was something. A loud creak, as if someone had taken their first step aboard.

Then, from the far end arose a loud hum as a beam of yellow illuminated the air.

"Fire!" the captain ordered.

A number of colorful lasers, blue, red, and green, lit up the smoke-filled corridor. None of them hit their mark or went past it. The yellow beam moved in a whirlwind, batting away the shots off to the side or back at the small remains of the Bel Brain's crew.

A cry wrangled out as from the pirate who fell right next to Srad. When the Bothan Krawr fell from a redirected blast to his leg, Srad slowly kept himself behind the crowd of meat shields. The captain, still firing, shouted, "Jetii, get over here! Use your laser sword!"

Srad did nothing but step back while the yellow beam came closer. He could sense it. Compared to his own level, the power wielding the beam bellowed with every step, quaking the floor under its boots.

"We have to get out of here!" Srad yelled over the blasters.

"Turning tail, Jetii! Not on my watch!" the captain shouted.

"Then, come with me! You can't win this!"

The captain dared to glance back and meet Srad's eyes. It costed her as a red bolt struck her in the shoulder. She fell, and those left standing, some five or so men, put themselves right between their captain and the approaching yellow beam.

"Mistress, run! We will-" yelled the droid, but the beam impaled through its durasteel chassis.

"V9!" the captain shouted as the droid fell and its eyes went dark.

Srad kept his eyes on the being standing over the droid. A dark cloak billowed softly behind, and bits of light gleamed off the golden plates, revealing a jagged pattern like it carved from rocks. From under the hood came out a voice that was methodical as it was deep.

"You're coming with me, Srad." The demon pointed his lightsaber at the human. "There's no escape for you… or your allies."

Srad cursed himself and wished he had used his lightsaber earlier. It was too late for that now. Worse, Srad could sense more lifeforms coming aboard, and none of them felt friendly.

With nothing else left, Srad unleashed a wave of telekinetic power. Metallic boots skidded back on the floor-only for a second, though. "Was that supposed to do something?" the demon balked at the attempt.

"Yes," Srad replied. "Get him!"

A laser scratched the demon's shoulder. The Bel Brain's crew, those still standing, rushed their assailant. They used whatever weapons they had on them; blasters, knives, even clubs against the demon who boarded their ship.

While so well armed, Srad knew they never stood a chance.

A second later, a body impacted the far wall with a sickening crunch of bones."Krawr!" the captain, alive and almost well, called over to the Bothan.

"Cap… tain…" the Bothan wrangled out, then he went limp while the captain laid there, staring at the now crumpled form of her crewman.

Srad, not wanting to waste anymore time, grabbed the captain by her arm. He held onto it tight, so she would not do something crazy and actually join in the fightin. "We have to leave."

"No!" the captain told him. "My crew-"

Both of them ducked under a stray blaster bolt. In spite of the situation, Srad looked with the captain, whose shock grew watching the rest of her crew the vainly attempt to buy time. Screams rang out with blaster shots and banging against the hull as more bodies were struck by powerful blows or flung around.

One such body was slammed onto the floor. It swung its arms around around the legs of the golden monster, who turned his attention back to Srad. While hugging tightly, the blue lekku twitched uncontrollably as their owner shouted, "Captain! Run!"

An invisible hold flung the Twi'lek from the demon's leg to the wall. "Jorgi, no!" the captain yelled again.

Srad wordlessly yanked the captain down the corridor, causing her to yell something. Whatever she said, Srad did not hear nor did he care. He just ran for his life.

When Sran reached the door, he did bother to look back, and so did the captain. The Twi'lek who stayed behind sat there, his back up the wall, surrounded by more bodies. The monster drew closer, his saber over head, and said, "A failed and rash attempt."

Srad closed the door before he saw the blade fall on the Twi'lek, but he grimaced from what he felt in the Force. It was not because of the Twi'lek-that was just some thieving scum. It was the wave of power from whom the Twi'lek tried and failed to hold back. Srad had not expected him to arrive, and more of his kind would surely follow. Together, they would be too powerful for one Jedi… one former Jedi to beat.

That left only one thing: escape.

Once the door was far away, Srad let go of the captain's wrist. "Get me to the escape pods, now!" he demanded.

The captain's black visor sparked in anger. She shouted, "You don't tell me what to do, Jetii! I've already lost twelve men because of you! If you think I'm going to-"

Srad, losing his patience, held out his hand. His eyes glinted yellow as the captain choked on her words like the worm she was. "We don't have time to waste," Srad snarled at the gagging woman. "You can either help me, or I steal the information from your mind and leave you to die with your crew."

That last bit was a lie-he could not rip the information from anyone's mind-but the bluff worked. "Alright, alright," the captain conceded with a constricting windpipe. "I'll take you!"

After Srad let go his invisible chokehold, and the woman caught her breath, the two ran further down the battered ship. The journey down felt longer than it really was. Srad made it, however, to the scorched-covered escape pod bay. The captain rushed to terminal, then punched it when there was no response. "Blast! Controls are jammed! I have to override it manually!"

The captain went over to open the hatch. Srad stood by the pod, and his blue eyes darted between the captain and bay's entrance. "Hurry!" he told her.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" the captain hissed back.

Srad doubted the woman was working fast enough. He was nearing, getting closer by the second. He and his allies. They would be coming through that door, lightsabers blazing and ready to cut anyone to pieces. Srad would not have none of that, and he was sure neither would the captain.

Speaking of which, she had finally opened the escape pod. "It's open! Let's go!"

Enough time had been wasted. Srad was glad to enter the pod and even gladder when the hatch had closed. The pod shuddered upon being jettisoned, and the wreckage of the Bel Brain was clear to both its captain and guest. The ashy remains of smuggling ship was shrouded by the sheer size of the New Republic Star Destroyer looming overhead.

Srad saw the captain by the small window. She watched her ship burn, even as the pod distanced itself from the Bel Brain and was caught in the nearby planet's gravity. Srad on the other hand, sat where he was, the yellow blade imprinted into the dark recesses of his mind.