What could have been. [D&R] [Thaddeus]

[Valcor]

    Not a sound filled the silent craft that the young Zabrak, Shorza, had called home for so long.  This was to be his last night in the creaky old craft, and yet Shorza could not wait to be off it. All it held now for the child was anxiety and loss as the young boy knew he would be saying goodbye to a friend.  Grozzack was at best, a slaver and a mercenary, and at worst a sadist who derived thrill from the imprisonment of others.  Despite all of this, the burly Trandoshan had a heart of gold to Shorza.  The lizard had taken the boy in at the child's absolute worst, clothed him, fed him, and taught him how to survive in the galaxy.  Grozzack was more of a father to Shorza than his biological one, which made saying goodbye all the more painful.

    Despite how kind the slaver had been to Shorza, the boy knew all the while that what he did was wrong, yet he tolerated it. The beatings, the pleads and cries all fell on the deaf ears of Shorza who learned to simply tune them out, but now, Shorza could no longer avoid what he had allowed to happen.  If the boy truly wanted to bring balance to the universe, as he did, he would have to abandon the life that had tainted him for so long, no matter how it hurt.  All of this he did on the promise of another Trandoshan he just met, Sish Balkk.

    The Jedi promised Shorza a life he craved, one with balance, forgiveness and peace.  The child had spent so long in the throws of anxiety, anger, and depression, that all he craved was inner peace, no matter the costs.  Despite all this, Shorza did not wish anything ill upon his former comrade Grozzack, and requested Balkk leave the slaver be, to which the Jedi informed Shorza that his friend would be allowed a day to flee.  The Zabrak could only pray his father figure would hear reason.

    All these emotions swirled around Shorza as he slowly approached his companion's quarters, only to find the door open and the Trandoshan no longer inside.  'No, he's gone to the market. Great.' Shorza thought sarcastically as he imagined all the ways today could get any worse.  Hopefully for Shorza, Balkk would not find Grozzack first.

[Thaddeus]

Balkk had risen early, as was his habit, and finding his shuttle empty began his usual routine: for two hours the Trandoshan Jedi meditated in his own fashion, the dust swirled about him and all that could be seen of him were the flashes of blue from his saber; the suns were finally fully over the horizon when he ceased, composing himself Balkk contacted the Jedi Temple. He stated plainly to the assembled council that he was remaining behind on the planet to train a Force-sensitive for he had been guided by the Force to do so.

The questions that flowed from the council were ones of concern and doubt, Balkk took them all in stride and answered patiently and calmly. He reiterated that he would not be training the Zabrak to become a Jedi, but that he could not ignore the will of the Force and leave the child blind to himself. The suns were at their apex in the sky by the time the council assented to Balkk’s intentions, reminding the venerable Jedi that the boy would never be a Jedi and was not his padawan. Balkk nodded and bowed, acknowledging the masters’ wisdom.

He had not heard from Shorza, and checking the time Balkk wondered where he was. He did not doubt that the boy would be there, not after last night, but he could not be sure of Grozzack. For all his affection for the boy the Trandoshan was a slaver, and to him the ties that bind were always more frail than profit. But Balkk was sure he would have sensed something had Shorza been forcibly restrained. He would give the boy a few hours more, and then search for him.

So once again Balkk strode out of his shuttle, no one bothered to come into the hangar of the Trandoshan Jedi so he was able to treat the entire space as his own. Dropping into the Soresu stance the giant Trandoshan once again began to whirl and flurry with sublime grace and fluidity. A few more hours passed, the hot suns which drove most people indoors had no effect on Balkk who continued his meditation unabated, but at last with a ‘thrum’ the lightsaber was sheathed and the Trandoshan Jedi set out from his hangar.

With a hiss of anticipation he made his way towards the hangar which held Grozzack’s slaving ship, Balkk’s robes still pulled tight around him concealing the blade which marked him out as a Jedi Knight. The slaver had better have listened to his young friend’s advice, otherwise there was not a power on Tatooine that would stop Balkk from ending his affront to the Force.

[Valcor]

    Shorza spent hours searching, and yet despite his best efforts, Grozzack was no where to be found.  Neither the market, the Hutt's or even the cantinas housed the Zabrak's companion, and it was beginning to worry the young boy.  'I must have missed him somewhere.' Shorza thought fearfully to himself as he looked up at the bright orange sky slowly dimming in color as the twin suns began to set.  The child' eyes widen in terror, his time to warn Grozaack was coming to an end, and Shorza feared what might happen to him if he came upon Balkk unaware.  The young Zabrak instantly turned and sprinted back towards the only place left Grozzack might have gone, back to the freighter.

     At the freighter, Hex stood silently at the loading ramp, holding all of Shorza's things on his back in a bag much too large for most creatures to even shoulder.  The droid had been ordered to wait by the ship for Shorza's return, and obediently sat in place.  After a short while of sitting, the unaware Hex spotted a familiar trandoshan approaching.  It was Grozzack, returning with a large stack of supplies in his arms.  With a grunt, the trandoshan beckoned Hex over to aid him.  Hex obliged, assuming since he was still in the area he was ordered to wait in, he was not disobeying Shorza.  "What'ssss with the pack Hexsss?" Grozzack asked with a huff as Hex took the stack of supplies from the lizard.  Hex, not knowing the answer as Shorza did not talk much the night before, only shrugged and carried the stack into the ship.

    Just as Hex was finishing up with the supplies, the quick sprinting footsteps of Shorza pounded across the ship.  Suddenly the Zabrak skidded around the corner, his skin practically a blur of red as he came to a stop.  "Hex..." He said before panting heavily, clearly having sprinted quite a distance.  The boy's distress was obvious to the droid, who began slowly approaching his creator, hoping to assist in some way, but the child held up a hand.  "Grozz... where is he?" Shorza asked quickly.  Hex only responded with a nod towards the main cargo hold, or the holding area as it was now called.  Shorza nodded in thanks before darting off into the ship, but the child was not at ease as he could feel a familiar presence all too close by.  

    "Grozz! Grozz! We need to-" The Zabrak tried to spit out the warning, but cut himself off when he saw both trandoshans already facing each other, neither saying a word.  Grozzack was not as calm and friendly as he had been before, clearly the two had already spoken and the tensions were high.  Slowly Hex brought up the rear and stopped in the small hallway just behind his creator before focusing on the sight before him.  "Dosha style then?..." Grozzack said after a short pause as he drew an ornate and rather dated looking blade that hummed softly, indicating a vibro-cell.  The Hilt was marked with carvings of trandoshan heads, and the blade was marked with writings and litanies of the Score Keeper before ending with a small tally box near the point of the blade.

    Shorza had never seen this blade in all his years of working on the ship, meaning Grozzack must have kept it hidden away somewhere, adding to it's significance in the Zabrak's eyes.  "Balkk..." Shorza said softly before both lizards looked at him sternly, obviously neither of them wanting the child involved.  Shorza tried to rush in between his two friends, but was quickly restrained by Hex, who despite his lack of situation awareness, could detect the tension and upcoming conflict in the air.  Hex's job and programming required he protect Shorza and no other, so whether Grozzack, or Balkk won, the droid only wanted his creator safe.
    

[Thaddeus]

Balkk had strode into the slaver’s hangar like a looming storm, gone was the rather serene and stately image he had presented when first here, no now he stood impossibly tall, unshakeable, and unforgiving: an image of merciless justice, of the Furies of fate righting the collective wrongs of decades. He had flicked back his robes with a hiss of disgust at what he sensed had happened on that ship in the Force, it was dark, despairing, like a vortex from which no hope nor light could escape. Every cell had held hundreds of souls, fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, young and old, and each day the bars seemed to close in upon them. Balkk could sense it all, and the depths within him broiled and stormed, his nostrils flared and teeth showed – this time there was no attempt to hide their danger.

He had seen the droid Hex helping the slaver pack, but Grozzack did not seem hurried or even worried. No it looked like it was business as usual; the old slaver had obviously ignored the boy’s warnings. There was no need to announce his attentions, the visage of him and the lightsaber hanging ominously at his side spoke to his purpose plainly. Strike now, he is open, cut him down, end this affront to the Force, you are the warrior, the defender of the Force, end him. Somewhere within his mind these words echoed, and their reverberations were heard deep into his heart, which quickened in anticipation of the blow. His muscles tensed, his yellow eyes narrowed, it would be exceedingly easy, and how just? Think of all the lives he had not ended but dimmed, and how much more heinous was that? For death was not an end, it was simply a resumption into the Force, but to diminish life, to reduce it, to shatter the connections of the Force between all beings that was an unforgiveable sin! Strike now, justice must be merciless, it must be righteous, absolute, and without hesitation!

O how often had he heard these words, every battle they rung out within the temple of his mind and soul! No amount of meditation or philosophy could excise this part of him. It was like a dark sun deep within him from which he could not slip its surly bonds. It burned so dark, by all the Force, how it seared his soul. Every moment he resisted his muscles were seemingly aflame, his heart pounded a war march, and his mind o how every rivulet of it was like boiling water! He heard the slaver’s words, and he was pulled away from his own self for a moment. His eyes focused on the other Trandoshan, so like himself, and watching him draw his blade Balkk exhaled long and loud. He closed his eyes, and felt out in the Force for a memory… and there it was, as always, ever bright and unchanging. He opened his eyes once again.

“Grozzack ssssurrender yourssself peacefully.”

But the other Trandoshan laughed a cold laugh devoid of mirth but full of anticipation of bloody struggle. Balkk hissed, and part of him rejoiced that dark sun burned a little hotter and brighter deep within the recesses of the Jedi’s flesh. The brilliant blue of Balkk’s lightsaber flared and with an eerie thrum cast its blue light around the Jedi. He dropped into the Soresu ready stance, but still that voice cascaded through his mind and flesh, it told him to end the fight now. But Balkk had resumed the impassive mask of the consummate Jedi, and only those sensitive to the Force would be able to tell of the twin powers at work within the Tradoshan Jedi.

Balkk’s attention was drawn away from the upcoming fight when Shorza appeared, the pleading blue of the Zabrak’s eyes were met by Balkk’s stony yellow ones. He motioned the boy back with one hand, the droid thankfully restraining him, and turning back to face Grozzack added,

“He hassss chosssen hisss path Sssshorza.”

The setting suns burnt the sky orange, the sand flicked up in the breeze, the blue of the Jedi’s saber illumined him like a halo, the thrum of the slaver’s vibroblade a darker answer to the saber, and in the distance the sounds of life played on in ignorance of the battle about to unfold. Balkk reached out into Force, allowing it to flow up from the planet, intertwine amid his muscles, and breathing gently he could feel everything. Justice will be worked this day, the Force wills it, Balkk thought.

[Valcor]

    Grozzack hissed visciously at the Jedi's comment, "Ssssurrender? To you?" The shorter stocky trandoshan laughed heartily before wiping a tear out from under his eye.  Despite his rather unkempt appearance, the slaver did not appear unskilled.  His blade held steady before him and his footwork was very deliberate and cautious.  Slowly Grozzack began to circle Balkk, his feet slowly crossing ever so slightly, never once placing him off balance.  "You're not the firssst Jedi to grace thessse hallsss... Balkk." the Trandoshan nearly spat the last word as he finished the subtle threat.

    Soon a toothy smile presented itself on the maw of the slaver as he noted the ever so slight tensing of the Jedi's muscles as well as the venturing of his eyes to the cells.  The Jedi seemed to gaze upon the empty cells, as if seeing something invisible to the rest of the world, on which Grozzack would capitalize.  "The young padawan wasss the firssst.  Ssso innocssent and scared.  Her Massster shouldn't have crossed the Hutt'sss or she might not be a ssslave!" Grozzack drew out the last word, letting the icy words seep into Balkk as truth radiated from the slaver.  

    Grozzack continued his circling, taking a defensive position with his blade, keeping his hands loose on the hilt an angling the blade slightly upwards.  The soft moving of their feet was slowly cloaked in darkness as the suns slowly set far off in the distance, and gradually made apparent the little amount of light there was in the holding area.  Obviously the darkness was intentional in the area, but it made spotting the non-lightsaber wielding trandoshan much more difficult.  "Whenever you're ready... Jedi." Came the sly tone of the slaver as he continued to circle, his dark blade barely glinting in the darkness.

[Thaddeus]

Balkk listened seemingly impassive to the slaver’s words, he had sensed it all: the creeping air of oppression, the Force rippled throughout the ship like some sea around sharp and cruel rocks which pierced its serene mirror-like surface. But a statue Balkk was not, and within the Force he roared and raged, if only Grozzack could have seen that he would have shrunk back in fear at the great tempest which begged release from within Balkk’s muscles. Balkk soothed himself somewhat by promising to track down the Jedi Grozz had taken, it did not cross his mind that they might be dead or beyond his reach, no the storm which thundered and shook within him broke no defeat.

There are those men whose resistance to exhaustion and fate may be called a conscious effort, the triumph of their reason over the forces of nature, but then there are those men for whom their resistance is a matter of will. Of pitting their own internal nature against all the power in the universe, and for a time they endure and triumph, accomplishing the impossible. Balkk was such a man, his own will, the storm within him, that dark sun, they all marched, roared, and burned on against the impossibility of their success. To a being gifted in the Force, the sight of the Jedi was spectacular, and so unlike what one would expect. In the Force Jedi are beacons of light, stars in the night by which you may guide yourself, but not Balkk. No he was a mass of dark ringed, like an eclipse, in light. You could see the wisps of darkness flare out like solar flares, but still the light held back the dark. It was awful in the original sense of it, full of awe, and left any who beheld it terrified and entranced.

The invitation to attack so seemingly inane was to Balkk like a giant boulder which threatened to destroy his dams, and let loose a flood. But he held, grinding those clawed feet into the starship’s floor with an audible noise, he breathed slowly and steadily and reached out in the Force. But not his surroundings, no he must look past them, so following the strands of life he reached the core of the planet itself. O the life there, the stories it could share which left his mind without words to describe, and drawing upon it the Trandoshan Jedi felt the immovable might of it. He closed his eyes, our senses lie the Force does not he remembered the earliest lessons in the recesses of his mind, and still in the Soresu stance awaited the strike from Grozz.

And it would come, Balkk knew his own kind and his foe, he would not be able to wait as long as Balkk did – Balkk would wait and endure until the stars went out.

[Valcor]

    Darkness slowly shrouded the room in darkness, with only flickering ancient lights illuminating the black shroud.  It was not only visible light that seemed to cloak the holding bay in darkness however, as the very force seemed to stagnate and rot in this area, no longer the flowing free essence it was elsewhere.  Grozzack knew little of this, or the force for that matter, but he did come to realize how difficult he was to see in the darkness, and how crystal clear he could see the lightsaber wielding Jedi.  Grozzack only grinned a shiny toothy smile from the shadows as he continued to circle the stoic appearing warrior before him, stone still and motionless.

    After a moment of silence, with only the hum of vibroblade, lightsaber, and droid servo filling the room, Grozzack charged.  He was not the finest swordsman in the galaxy, but the burly Trandoshan had spent nearly his entire life training and hunting other creatures for a living, and thus was quite sure of his abilities.  Clawed foot after clawed foot dug into the grates that adorned the bottom of the freighter as one lizard rushed towards the other.  The shorter of the two kept his body low and his weapon close, ready to parry and strike at a moments notice.  as the two grew close, the slaver launched himself as high as the ceiling would allow, proving that his burly build was not just for show.  As the brute fell from the air, his blade poised to strike powerfully, the darkness seemed to swallow him, the stagnated force following his movements like a foul stench.  


    Surprisingly, rather than striking hard above as most swordsman might have guessed, the trandoshan diverted his strike and feinted to the side, only to recover and deliver a powerful side strike.  The move might have caught the unskilled to moderately skilled swordsman off guard and finished the fight right then, but it was clear Balkk was no slob at swordsmanship.  Vibroblade struck energy sending a small shower of sparks out into the darkness, illuminating the grate beneath the pair.  Grozzack's toothy grin quickly changed to a snarl as his scaled arms rippled with effort as he attempted to win the blade crossing.  It soon became obvious that the pair were rather evenly matched in the strength department as neither seemed to be able to push the other out of their respective stances.  Rather than wait for the Jedi to move first, Grozzack pushed off the Knight's blade and stepped back, once again creating space for him to move in the shadows.


    "What makesss you ssso high and mighty huh? I'm sssure the ssslime ball that birthed you wasss no more honorable than a Hutt!" Grozzack roared from the shadows as he moved slowly about the containers and cells that lined the rather large room, cloaking himself slightly.

[Thaddeus]

Balkk motionless and eyes closed drew himself into the Force, like forged steel being plunged into water. He pulled the hilt of his blade up to his chin out of the Soresu ready stance, and into the stance which he adopted before meditating. The blade thrummed out of existence, but the hilt remained under his chin both of Balkk’s great clawed hands holding it. Within the Force one could sense the metal of Balkk’s will crackling, roaring, and smoking hot like that old metal blade being forged. His mind was like the blacksmith hammering the will into shape and the water, the Force, cooling the metal and bringing its soaring rage to heal. It soothed and steadied him.

Balkk sensed the feet of Grozzack leave the ground, and felt the presence arching towards him in the air, but it wasn’t until the very last moment that Balkk’s blade whirred back into life. The blue illuminating the two Trandoshans, Balkk’s eyes still closed he nonetheless stepped aside perfectly and brought his blade across to his side and blocked the clever blow. His eyelids twitched as from deep within the metal of his soul a voice cried, ‘Kill! You delay to let him live, he doesn’t deserve it, kill! You know how, you know you could with such ease, you were given power to use, so use it!’ But the voice was drowned out by the Force which Balkk called to him. It washed over him, filling his body and mind, and like the planet upon which he stood he endured.

As Grozzack leaped back rather than keep up the blade crossing Balkk disengaged his blade again; his eyes still closed he brought the hilt back up under his chin, and in the Force listened to the guidance it offered. He could feel Grozzack circling him like some hungry shark, he rippled in the Force with such anger and darkness, and yet it was not entirely foreign to Balkk. Balkk could sense some small fraction of the self-same darkness in him; it was what called him to finish his prey without delay and to use the deepest and stormiest parts of him.

Balkk barely registered the words that Grozzack launched at him with such primal indignation. His left hand flicked away from the hilt of his saber, and without any noticeable effort Balkk sent the containers which Grozzack had moved behind careening towards him. Several which missed the Trandoshan slaver had moved with such speed and force that they were left permanently embedded in the wall of the ship.

“There issss nowhere you can hide from the Force Grozzack.” Balkk’s voice rumbled through the ship, and with both his hands once more on his hilt, eyes still closed – though this was more unnerving than anything else, a swordsman who had no need of sight was terrifying.

[Valcor]

    Shorza's eyes darted around the darkness, trying to follow all of the movements both warriors made. Blue eyes traced every stroke of a blade, unrealistically afraid a moment left unattended would somehow guarantee a fighters demise. The child, like so many times before, was caught in the middle of a quarrel, but this time the conflict was of a much more significant nature. Shorza slowly turned to his droid, who still draped his massive arm around the boy. Small red and black fingers dug into the midnight metal torso of their protector, silently begging for all this to be over. But over, the fight was not.

    Sparks continued to fly as blade struck energy, but neither seemed to be dominating the fight. This was not due to the fighters being equal. No, not by a long shot. Grozzack was clearly at a disadvantage, his footwork was sloppy, his strikes were sloppy, and clearly he was enraged.  On the flip side, the Jedi Balkk was a tower of calm amid the torrent of darkness and anger that swirled around him.  Energy caught every strike of the black metal expertly, blocking and deflecting it harmlessly away from the wielder.  All the while Balkk kept his eyes shut, putting everyone in the room even more on edge, but none more than Hex.

    The droid comprehended little about organics, save for common anatomy, but the droid was pretty sure that eyes were the primary sensory organ for most.  With Balkk now fighting sightless, Hex's processors whirred trying to figure out just how he was doing so.  By all rights Balkk should have been cleaved in two.  Grozzack's strikes were rapid and on point every time, yet the blind swordsman continued to deny them his scaly flesh.  It did not make any sense.

    Many things about organics made no sense to Hex, but most of those were emotions and such that did not obey the common laws of logic, but this.  This 6th sense that seemed to be guiding Balkk ignored the basic laws of nature.  Whatever minuscule of trust the droid had given to the Trandoshan suddenly vanished, and now Hex began to hope that Grozzack would just kill him.  It would ease Hex's processor and life could return to normal, or whatever it used to be before.  Despite his wish, Hex could see that Grozzack winning this fight was little more than a fantasy, as Balkk continued to dominate the duel.  All Hex could do was hold his charge tightly, and protect him from whatever might come his way.

    Grozzack was growing desperate, his unrelenting assault was getting him no where but in danger, and yet he could not simply retreat out of saber range, that only got large objects thrown at him.  Sweat began to give his scales a shine in the darkness as the amount of effort the Trandoshan could put into his attacks began to wane.  Exhaustion was setting in and the lizard could feel it, both of the lizards could.  "Come on Balkk!" Grozzack roared, white teeth bared in anger.  The darkness of the ship swirled around Grozzack, flowing through him, feeding off his hatred like an ethereal parasite, a parasite only Balkk could see.  "The score keeper will only favor one of us in this..." Grozzack hissed as braced one clawed hand on his knee to catch his breath.

[Thaddeus]

Desperation Balkk sensed it in Grozzack he was wearing out, Balkk could see the Trandoshan in the Force begin to lash out wildly like some rabid animal. Had he opened his eyes he would have seen physical evidence of what the Force told him, but of course this was not necessary. Sensing this many would grow more confident and aggressive, but Balkk knew better desperation was as great a source of power as it was a weakness. The Jedi continued to parry and block his opponents angry lunges, turning the blade but never riposting, his eyes still closed and breathing even and measured Balkk looked barely tested.

Grozzack moved around him and Balkk stood motionless with his sabre illuminating his features and thrumming with an energy that seemed as calm and as unabating as the Jedi himself. Like dark storm clouds clustered around a solitary sun, that impossible appearance of a summer storm, was how the two Trandoshans appeared in the Force.

Balkk inhaled deeply forcing himself to be calm, sensing Shorza’s pain the voice which always rumbled in the deepest recesses of his mind came back, “For the boy strike now! Kill! End it, why wait? You know he won’t surrender except with his life! So end him! For the boy!” Every step of Grozzack’s which echoed on the floor of the ship seemed to continue the chorus of his own internal battle. Reaching out and enveloping his mind and spirit in the Force Balkk felt his individuality slip away, his emotions, his hopes, his fears, his desires, himself all of it vanished into the aether of the Force until only the Force remained.

Calmly and quietly so that any who wished to hear would have to crane their necks inward towards him Balkk spoke, his voice rumbling over the syllables with the surety of someone who trusted in the Force entirely,

“The Force guidesss the willing, but dragsss the unwilling…”

Balkk’s blade whirred out of existence, and his hilt returned to beneath his chin, and immersed in the Force he readied himself for Grozzack’s next strike.

((First post since I am back Apologies for the brevity, will be back into the swing of it soon I promise))

[Valcor]

    The air began to stink of sweat and body odor as the limited airflow of the "cargo" hold kept all of the stench of exertion contained within it. For the majority of species, Trandoshans tended to be considered one of the most foul smelling creatures when not physically exerting themselves, and with how much Grozzack was working, it was safe to say the place reeked. No one present seemed to notice however, they were either too busy fighting or too terrified to pay anything much mind save for the duel.

    In the middle of the large cargo hold, the two polar opposite trandoshans stood, one breathing heavily, the other a pillar of calm.  With a flick of a button, the only source of light in the room vanished, leaving the Jedi Trandoshan apparently unarmed.  Too exhausted to taunt, Grozzack simply seized the apparent opportunity and began to charge across the dark room.  His pupils widened ever so slightly as his vibroblade sent small sparks skittering across the metal floor, illuminating the room ever so slightly.  As the slaver closed in, he lifted the tip of his blade up towards his target, intending to run the jedi through and finish this duel once and for all.  Clearly the slaver did not realize how outmatched he was.

    With a floor rumbling roar, Grozzack lunged, his blade precise in it's strike despite the wielders exhaustion.  If Balkk did not move as it appeared he would not, this would be the end.  The Zabrak clenched his eyes shut and Hex tightened his grip around the boy, covering his body from sight with his large gauntlets.  

[Thaddeus]

To look back on life is not to remember it in its entirety, but simply to recall moments strung together some good, some bad, and some that simply were. Balkk wondered silently there amid the dank and swirling chaos of the fight how in the future Shorza would recall this moment. His eyes flicked open and turned toward the boy just at the moment Grozzack started to charge. As his blade ignited the Trandoshan Jedi spoke loudly and yet with immense softness,

“There are truthssss which we only ssssee in the dark.”

Balkk’s sabre collided with Grozzack’s vibrosword, a bright flash of sparks, and with a deft step Balkk turned and the other Trandoshan careened forward. The two figures, one rising and one falling, one impossibly calm and the other a torrent of rage, so similar and yet so dissimilar.

Balkk’s eyes turned to look at the falling Trandoshan, and his wrist twitched with anticipation. The voice came back, ‘Justice! END HIM!’ Every cell in every muscle of his body screamed out in a chorus strengthened by millennia of evolution, Balkk inhaled deeply and once again drew upon the Force. Grozzack hit the floor at last and scampered onto his backside hissing definitely at Balkk who levelled his lightsaber at the Trandoshan’s throat. Balkk smiled it was a smile of dual-natures: of hunger for the kill and of the victory over not Grozzack but over himself.

Balkk’s lightsaber thrummed out of existence and leaning in close to Grozzack whispered in Dosh, “The Sssscorekeeper watchessss.” And with the hilt of his blade still grasped in a mighty clawed fist knocked Grozzack senseless. Taking a step back he turned to Shorza, “I am ssssorry but I will have to turn him over to the Republic. Are you ready?” The final question rumbled in the ship with Balkk’s deep and gentle tones full of portent.

[Valcor]

    Emotions whirled around Shorza's head like a tornado.  Sadness, worry, relief... terror.  Laying before him was the man who took him in and cared for him since he was but a boy.  Also laying before him was a cruel and merciless slaver, and the young Zabrak knew that.  The piercing blue eyes of the young boy slowly lifted from his unconscious friend slowly to the jedi standing before him as the large protective arms of Hex lowered to release the Zabrak.  

    Slowly Shorza stepped away from his protector and towards Balkk, gently rubbing his one of his triceps nervously as he approached.  Without a word, the young boy nodded, silently telling his new master that he was ready to leave.  Shorza could not bear to look at his former companion any further, it made his heart ache in a way that he had not felt in many years.  It was unpleasant.  

    In absolute silence, Shorza and Hex slowly made their way off the ship with only the heavy thud of Hex's feet echoing through the ship.