A Dance with the Devil in the Pale Moonlight

[Cain]

Southern Underground, Coruscant - 3,604 BBY

The deep bass of the house music fed a steady pulse through the cantina as Amon Darklighter observed the scene around him from the bar. The music was a mindless mishmash of heavy beats and endless, synthesized numbers which seemed to appeal to the youth which flooded the cantina in the early morning hours, but was of no interest to Amon. The patrons themselves were predominately kids, teenagers mostly, gang members from the slums of the Southern Underground. Among them, an old man like Amon was certainly outside of his element, but nothing so odd as to attract attention.

Seated with his back to the bar, Amon's attention panned across the patrons, finally settling on a crowd that had gathered around one of the Pazaak booths in the far corner. A thin haze had settled over the cantina, and its source was undoubtedly smoke rising from the center of this crowd which roared and jeered as if they were witnessing a pod race and not a game of Pazaak. Amon could barely make out the man at the epicenter who Amon observed from behind gesturing and flirting with one of the waitresses. An impressive stack of credits had built up in front of him which seemed to attract the avarice eyes of the drunken clientele. They were lining up to challenge this man and add to his hemorrhaging wallet.

Amon's features remained stoic, a stiff scowl carved into his face as if chiseled into solid duracrete. He leaned back on his stool to address the Twi'lek bartender who arrived finally with Amon's drink.

"Bartender," Amon asked, tossing another credit chip onto the bar, "who is that man in the corner booth?"

The bartender quickly scooped up his tip, flashing a grin which exposed a mouthful of fangs, "Oh, him?" the Twi'lek responded in broken Basic with a jovial titter, "That's Cain! Very lucky man."

"Hmph!" Amon retorted with an indignant snort, "There’s no such thing as lucky men... only gifted cheaters." Throwing back his shot and slamming the glass back down on the bar Amon shuffled off his stool and sifted his way through the crowd toward this man called Cain.

He was seated in the booth across from a rather serious looking Falleen; his latest victim. His posture was incredibly relaxed, slumped in his seat with his arms spread wide over the back of the booth. He wore a long black jacket with the collar popped up which he had curiously left closed even in the stifling cantina environment. A cigarette hung from his bottom lip, smoked down to nearly a nub before being plucked away from the young human's lips and crushed down into the Pazaak table along side the remains of countless others.

The Falleen across the booth couldn't be more Cain's inverse. He seemed tense, gripping at his cards, his eyes darting back and forth between his hand and his opponent. Finally he placed one down on the table. His score flashed on the holo-display between the two men. "19". It was a very good score, but for some reason the Falleen seemed unsatisfied with it, almost sick at having to settle for it. Cain chuckled, lazily lurching forward in his seat and peeking briefly at the cards stuck in his palm. He chose to hit. His score flashed, "16".

"Hm, lucky me,” Cain boasted, his tone conveying what he and the Falleen seemed to understand as inevitable. Cain flipped one of his cards onto the table, a “4”. The holo-display flashed again, this time showing “20”. The onlookers loosed another roar as Cain wrapped his arms around what was left of the Falleen’s credits and scooped them into his pile, “Any more brave souls?” he asked in a chiding tone, reaching into his jacket and producing a pack of cigarettes.

Amon cleared his throat, elbowing his way through the crowd and standing over Cain’s booth, “How about me?”

Cain acknowledged Amon only with his eyes which glared at him from behind sunken, dark sockets. The kid looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks. He silently studied Amon for a moment, seeming to stare a hole right through him. Amon Darklighter was an Anzat, though with the tentacles in his cheeks retracted he could easily pass as human. Amon was a formidable man, clean cut and well dressed, certainly out of place in an establishment such as this.

Finally Cain gave a shrug, “If you say so, old man. It’s your money.” He said, pulling another cigarette from his pack. The smoke had a pair of blood red stripes running vertically up its sides.

“You’re a Corellian,” Amon observed, pulling out a lighter and offering it to Cain before he could reach for his own.

Cain hesitated, leaning forward to light up and taking a long draw from his cig, “Very astute,” Cain responded, tucking the pack back into his jacket, “Blood stripes. Corellia’s finest.”

There was a long pause following Cain’s comment as the two men stared each other down. The tension between them was thicker than the smoke and a hush had fallen over the crowd gathered around the booth.

“You here to play, old man, or not?” Cain snapped at Amon through one side of his mouth as he kept his cigarette pinched between his lips on the other.

Amon straightened up, “Certainly, though Pazaak is so low brow. It’s a game for cretins and dregs. No, I’d prefer something a bit more sophisticated.”

A mischievous grin spread over Cain’s face, “Something sophisticated, you say?” Cain leaned to his side and retrieved something from the seat next to him. He produced a simple case made of weathered wood that looked as if it were older than it’s owner. Upon opening it up the case unfolded into a game board with a worn checker pattern over its surface. There were also pieces inside, half of them white, the other half black, which Cain quickly arranged on either side of the board, “Are you familiar with Chess?” Cain asked, nudging the game board into the center of the Pazaak table, the white pieces closest to Amon.

“It has been a while,” Amon responded, studying the board.

Cain chuckled, drawing back on his blood stripe and exhaling another cloud of smoke which hung over the table, “It’s a wonderful game, perhaps my favorite. Only the keenest intellects and the sharpest minds can prevail at chess, there is no luck involved.”

“I think you and I both know there is no such thing as luck,” Amon retorted quickly.

Cain smiled, nodding slowly, “As always, very astute, Mr…”

“It’s Darklighter.”

“Cute name,” Cain chided, “that the one your mother gave to you?”

“Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing.”

There was another pause with only the steady rhythm of the relentless house music to ease the tension. Not a soul in the mass of onlookers dared to so much as cough.

Maintaining an arrogant air of confidence, Cain slipped back in his seat, reclining slightly, “Well old man, I’d say we have ourselves a game. What’s your wager?”

Amon’s expression didn’t flinch as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a pair of binders which he then slapped down on the table, “I wager you, Jack.”

The smirk on Jack’s face faded and for the first time he shifted in his seat as if he were uncomfortable. Still composed, he took one last puff of his cigarette before snuffing it out on the table, “I’m listening.”

“You win, I take you back to the Hutts in one piece, let them have their way with you. But, if I win…” as Amon spoke his long Anzat tentacles began to emerge from his cheeks, “if I win I get a taste of what’s inside that ripe skull of yours, then I send you back to the Hutts as brain dead as a Bantha.”

“Hmph,” Jack snickered, “That sounds to me like kind of a crappy deal. My only question is what’s to stop me from sending you back to Nar Shaddaa stuffed inside this chess set?”

“Haha! Not this time, Makura. This time you don’t escape. There are fifteen of Tagrenn the Hutt’s top assassins in this cantina, and all of them are here for you,” Amon explained, his expression finally cracking into something resembling satisfaction, “If you should win the game then at least you would be able to return to Tagrenn competent enough to beg him for mercy, though considering you killed his brother, I wouldn’t count on any.”

[Cain]

Stalemate. The very word on Jack's tongue tasted as foul and bitter as any defeat. Of course it was not a defeat, not in the purest sense of the word, but to a man who would fancy his intellect above all else, there can be hardly a greater insult than to be equaled. With a poisonous expression Jack glared at the pieces still on the board, wrestling to understand where he could have gone wrong.

Across the table, Amon sat back and snickered, his features still holding stiffly in a default scowl, "You will have to excuse me," he rasped, his words immediately drawing Jack's toxic glare, "it has been some time. I am still a bit rusty."

Jack clinched his fists, the right one visibly shaking and the bishop held in his left snapping in two from the pressure. Darklighter's taunt had landed, and Jack could feel his blood pressure rise.

Amon savored Jack's anguish, though visibly he remained stone faced, "The time for games is over, Makura," he continued, "though our wager had not included the outcome of a stalemate, it is irrelevant. Our little match has already whet my appetite. I'm afraid you're simply too delicious to pass up."

Jack's body relaxed, but his eyes still shot daggers through Amon as he leaned back in his seat, "You'd be amazed by how often I hear that." Jack quipped, glancing quickly over his shoulder, noting the two armed humans now standing in front of the door, and the Rodian holding a blaster on the bartender. The patrons who had gathered around the pazaak table now shuffled uneasily, realizing that they were now hemmed in, and sensing the bloodshed that would almost surely ensue.

"No more jokes, Jack," Amon replied, his hand sliding down toward the blaster pistol at his waist.

Jack huffed, "Call me Cain."

"Indeed," Amon laughed, "it is interesting that you would chose such an alias for yourself. Is it that you believe you bear some sort of divine protection from retribution? No... I doubt you gave it that much thought. Tis simple irony that I should find a murderer so named, cowering beneath a rock."

Jack's eyes narrowed, his anger was building and with it he could feel an all too familiar stinging rush of power, "All these people are going to die..."

Amon's eyebrow lifted, as if almost intrigued by Jack's words, "Oh? Don't go feigning sentiment in front of me, Cain, you'll spoil all the fun."

"I wasn't being sentimental..." As Jack has spoke, the Force had begun to swirl around him, channeling down to his limbs. Amon's eyes grew wider as he sensed the change. The Anzat quickly dove clear of the Pazaak table and an explosion of energy splintered the wooden surface into thousands of pieces, ripping through the crowd with a rain of shrapnel and lightning that poured from Jack's finger tips.

A large portion of those who had gathered around the booth were killed almost instantly, the rest however were stirred into a panic by the sudden eruption of violence. Patrons fled in every direction, many being shot down by the bounty hunters who had positioned themselves around the cantina, and who were now trying to make their way to their target.

At the center of the hornet's nest were Jack and Darklighter. Jack moved quickly to take advantage of his foe being sprawled out on the floor, reaching behind the veil of his raised collar and drawing a katana from its sheathe at his back. Jack swung the sword down at Amon as he spun to meet Jack and fire his blaster; blade met barrel and with a flash of sparks Amon's weapon was cloven in two.

Darklighter discarded the weapon, delivering a hard kick to Jack's midsection in order to create some distance between the two before spinning back up to his feet. Though the Anzat didn't look it, he had tremendous power and speed. It was impossible to tell by what means this skill had been brought about, be it natural or unnatural.

The kick to his stomach sent Jack stumbling back into the waiting arms of the Rodian who Jack had noticed earlier standing by the bar. The bounty hunter wrapped its free arm around Jack's neck, to which Jack responded by driving his katana up under the alien's ribs. The Rodian back pedaled with the blade still sticking out of its gut. Jack turned to face him, grabbing the hilt of his sword and using a hard shove from the Force to separate blade from flesh.

Almost immediately after dispatching the Rodian, Jack found himself under attack again by Amon who drew a vibrosword and swung it at Jack's head. Jack's own weapon intercepted the sword, though the power of Amon's stroke knocked the katana clean from Jack's grip.

Jack was no match for Darklighter, not here, not in this confined space. His only real hope was to run,to find somewhere to hide long enough where he could utilize his abilities. Upon losing his katana Jack's attention turned to the doors. Corpses were strewn around the exit, but it seemed to be unguarded. Quickly, Jack ran for the presumed safety of the southern underground where he might regain an advantage. Jack's attention was so focused on Amon behind him as he fled that he never even noticed the human female standing just outside the cantina until the muzzle of her blaster pistol dug into his side. Startled, Jack froze. All she needed to do now was squeeze back on the trigger and it would all be over. Jack's breathing had stopped, his every muscle tightening with the anticipation of the blaster bolt...

But it never came.

"Hurry," the young woman said, sprinting toward one of the tunnels that led back to the surface, "follow me."

[Cain]

The hallway stretched into infinity, plunging forward into inky blackness, the straight lines where the floor and ceiling met the walls twisting as they crossed the threshold of shadow, as if spiraling down a black hole. Jack found himself here, awash with the pale moonlight that shone from the one breach in the endless stretch of hall that flanked his left and right. Jack didn't even notice it at first, until a cold breath of wind gently brushed the dark locks of hair from his eyes, and the light poured in. Disoriented, and impaired from the pounding of his temples, Jack took a long moment to soak in his surroundings. The threshold before him was mangled, the durasteel deformed and peeled back as if by an immense blast of heat. Beyond was what appeared to be a vacant apartment, nothing inside that would suggest it had ever been occupied, only naked floors bearing the blackened burns of carbon scoring. The windows were open, the glass having long since been shattered and scattered. Crystals of fine ice, not snow as their were no clouds, but diamond dust from the moisture of the air being flash frozen carried into the apartment on the wind and shimmered in the moonlight as it settled by the far windows.

With uneasy footsteps, Jack started cautiously forward. His body didn't even register the cold as he approached the empty windows, and gazed down into the endless precipice at his feet.

"You never could just take that one last step..." croaked the contemptuous voice of Lynn Akunin from behind Jack.

Jack made no reaction, he only continued to stare into the abyss, "Why are you here?"

"Hmph!" Lynn huffed, slithering forward into the light and stepping up behind Jack, a horrible perverted husk of what she once had been. Her robes were draped over her decaying, malnourished frame like so many rags, filthy and moth eaten. Her hair was as washed of color as her flesh, hanging in stringy clumps from her skull. Lynn's eyes were dark and sunken, and her lips, split and scarred, curled around her parched and mangled maw, causing a distinct hiss as she spoke, "This... hell, this dead, twisted amalgamation of fear and ignorance, I do not dwell here by choice. Every unending second I spend here saps my sanity, each filled with deafening malaise. I can imagine no crueler torment than to be here, bound to you."

"That's not what I meant, Jack retorted coldly, "I meant, why don't you slink back into the shadows, where I left you? Why do you linger at a my ear, spewing your venom?"

"Misery deserves company, Jack,"[/color] Lynn snarled back, leaning in closer to Jack's ear, "I taught you a long time ago that the role of the weak is to prop up the strong. You are weak, Jack. Too pitiful even to control me here. You may be satisfied with your pathetic current state, but I won't be brought low with you. The strong endure."[/color]

"You're mistaken," Jack replied, finally raising his eyes up toward the sky, "perhaps you've forgotten what else it was you taught me. Our bond is an investment, and as soon as it is no longer useful to me, it will be at last time for me to cast you aside, my master. But until then..." Jack turned slowly from the window then to face Lynn, who quickly recoiled back toward the shadows as Jack's dull yellow eyes settled upon her, "until then, you still have something I need. Drake's holocron..."

A wicked grin grew across Lynn's face as she faded back through the mangled doors and into the dark of the hall, "The answers you seek are here, boy. You need only to take that step out of the light."

Jack began to move after his old master as Lynn vanished into the hall. Rushing out to meet her, Jack was met with a descent into the unknown to either side. Determined as he was, his body faltered, locking up and hesitating, protesting Jack's orders to march forward. With a shaky limb, but steely resolve, Jack plunged forward with his first step... then the next, and then the next. Each step an ordeal all its own, with the dim light of the familiar apartment fading steadily behind him. As he advanced, the darkness seemed to envelope him like a noxious gas, pressing in from all sides and suffocating Jack. All around him Jack's senses tingled with the sensation of eyes watching him and long inhuman hands reaching out for him, but only able to just barely graze him. A sense of panic rapidly began to build as Jack could feel them growing ever closer, his head thumping as if they were already inside, trying to force their way free. Finally Jack could take it no longer. He felt himself crumple and begin to fall down into the spiral, his screams completely muted as he tumbled toward the void.

---

Sound came rushing back to Jack in the form of his own scream; abbreviated, but enough to wrest him from his sleep. Jack sat up, needing a moment to remember where he was. His jacket and shirt were folded on the floor next to his bunk with his lightsaber and boots placed neatly onto the pile. Low emergency lighting was all that illuminated the room which was little more than a sterile sardine can. He was on board Starstorm's freighter. Quickly it all came back to him. Jack had managed to escape the bar on Coruscant only to be met by the blaster of a bounty hunter. But, she didn't kill him. She spared him and smuggled him off world. Where they were headed now, Jack had no recollection.

Jack slid out of his bunk, taking only his lightsaber with him as he made his way to the front of the ship. The hypnotic blue lights of hyperspace were visible through the viewport, and there Jack stood, staring down that tunnel, staring as if he were back in the hallway as space and time flowed by. Jack couldn't be sure how long he'd been standing there before Starstorm found him, but eventually he detected a new presence behind him.

"You're up awfully early," she observed, leaning against the door frame.

"I don't sleep well," Jack answered plainly, collapsing down into the co-pilot's seat and slumping his posture.

Starstorm raised an eyebrow as she moved forward toward the pilot's seat beside Jack, "For someone who seems as constantly drained as you, I can believe it," Starstorm took her seat, glancing briefly at the countless scars that criss-crossed Jack's bare chest and abdomen.

Jack didn't answer, he only cracked his neck and continued to stare out into hyperspace. He hadn't asked many questions of Starstorm before, as escaping from Coruscant was priority number one. He had only really inquired about her name, to which all he received was an obvious code name. Now, however, there was plenty of time for Jack to the smooth out the inconsistencies with his current situation.

"Why didn't you kill me?" he asked rather bluntly.

Starstorm chuckled, "You're not exactly one for small talk, are you? Well, for one, the bounty Tagrenn has on your head pays a good deal more if you're brought in alive. But really, I could care less about the bounty."

Jack's eyes rolled over from the viewport, settling on Starstorm, "What do you want from me?"

"Darklighter. Dead." Starstorm answered, leaning forward.

Jack stared stoically at Starstorm through the corner of his eye for a long moment, "Nope. Not interested." he announced finally, rolling over in his seat, away from Starstorm.

"What!? What do you mean? He's already trying to kill you..."

"All the more reason for me to keep as much distance between myself and that psychopathic cannibal as possible. You deal with that yourself." Jack said.

Starstorm shook her head, "Believe me, I would if I could. You fought him, you saw. He has powers just like yours."

"You might also recall him kicking my ass and me flying out of that cantina like a Womprat out of Hell," Jack replied, hefting himself up out of his chair and moving back toward his quarters, "I don't like to pick fights I don't think I can win."

"Sounds to me like you're just a coward."

Jack snickered, "Perhaps if you live long enough you might find that the line between courage and foolishness is awfully thin," Jack glanced back over his shoulder at Starstorm, "So choose your next words carefully."

"Pfft!" Starstorm huffed, "You talk pretty tough for a spineless insomniac chess nerd. You wanna fight? Go ahead. Inspire me."

Jack's lips curled into a rare smirk. The girl had guts, there was no doubt about that. Jack couldn't sense a hint of fear or doubt in her, even as she dared him to attack. It was admirable... foolish, but admirable. And who ever said foolishness couldn't have its uses? Starstorm had potential, the Force was with her, though wild and untamed. Slowly, yet surely, the tiny flame of an idea in the back of Jack's mind began to grow.

Jack turned back to face Starstorm. She remained steadfast, waiting patiently for his retort, "Alright, kid, I'm in. But before we do anything, there's much you need to learn."

[Cain]

One year later...

Mygeeto - 3,603 BBY

Gripping his cigarette between numbed fingers, Jack took another long inhale of smoke, the nicotine helping steel himself against the biting wind and pelting sleet, or at least that was the effect Jack hoped for. In reality, there was very little that could defend against the cold of Mygeeto, even at midday. Despite the conditions Jack had made no upgrade to his attire, still wrapped tightly in his knee length leather jacket, the popped collar providing an ineffectual defense to his ears and face against the wind. Jack endured the discomfort, as he did all things, with apathy and the slightest hint of contempt.

Mygeeto was a dead world, but it was exactly that uninviting nature that made the planet the perfect place for training. Starstorm sat cross-legged, about five meters in front of Jack, her hands resting on her knees with palms facing up. She wore only simple robes, clearly too thin to offer any sort of insulation. Occasionally Starstorm's muscles would tighten and her body convulse uncontrollably in response to the cold, each spasm eliciting a correction from her master, "Focus! The mind should rule the body, not the other way around!"

Despite the many months of harsh training, Starstorm still found it hard to achieve the level of concentration her master wanted. It was true that she had made great progress since she had first encountered Jack on Coruscant. He had taught her to hear the Force and had opened up a whole new world of possibilities to her. However, after a fast start, her training had slowed. Her control was sloppy, she would need more practice than there was time. Darklighter was still out there, presumably hunting the both of them now. It would only be a matter of time before he tracked them down, and when that happened Starstorm would have to be ready.

Another kick of sharp wind sent an unstoppable shiver riding up and down Starstorms entire body. With a smoke filled sigh Jack discarded his spent cigarette and began to rub his temple with his left hand, "That's enough for now," he said, motioning to her with his free hand, "Stand up."

Starstorm did as instructed, a defeated look on her face as she brushed away the sleet and snow that had collected on her robes with her hands. From there she returned with Jack to their ship, which had been maneuvered down into a deep trench that divided a pair of glaciers. This served not only to shield the ship from the constant bombardment of Mygeeto's inclement weather, but also to remain hidden from the sight and scanners of any ships that might pass over head.

Inside, Jack moved immediately to the cargo hold to check on their rations. Starstorm followed close behind.

"Why have we stopped the training now, master?" Starstorm protested, "I can do it, I just need a little more time!"

"Damn... only three more packs of bloodstripes," Jack muttered to himself, ignoring his pupils complaints.

"It's not even midday, master. Give me more time, I know I can..."

"You've already had plenty of time," Jack interrupted, a cold calmness to his voice, "The kind of time you need we simply don't have."

Starstorm shook her head, "So we just give up then? Sit here and wait for Darklighter to come and scoop our brains out?"

Jack gave an apathetic shrug, peeling the clear wrapping off a new pack of cigarettes and placing a fresh cig between his lips before tucking the pack into his jacket. Without a word he slid past Starstorm and headed toward his quarters, fumbling at his belt looking for his lightsaber.

"You know what that maniac did to my family, him and that slimy slug!" Starstorm called after him, moving step for step with Jack as he walked, "I won't sit around and wait for the same thing to happen to me! That bastard has to..."

Starstorm's choice of words suddenly seemed to strike a spark in Jack. Abruptly he stopped, his boots squeaking on the polished metal deck as he turned on his heal to face Starstorm, a rare fire in his eyes, "If you face him, he will kill you. At your pace it doesn't matter how hard you train, you simply won't be able to close the gap between his power and yours."

Jack's outburst quieted Starstorm, a long silence hung between the two. Jack let his words sink in, finally retrieving his lightsaber and using the blade to light the end of his cigarette, "You cannot overpower him," Jack continued, "but that doesn't mean there aren't better ways to kill a man." The two moved then into Jack's quarters. Starstorm sat down on the floor while Jack reclined back in his bunk, slowly enjoying his bloodstripe while staring up at the ceiling.

"You killed your master, and the Hutt that owned the two of you, right?" Starstorm asked, "how did you do it?"

Jack exhaled a tall plume of smoke, the memories of his sordid childhood replaying in his mind. Up until this point Jack had been careful not to reveal too much about himself to his apprentice, not just to maintain a distance as master and pupil, but also because Jack happened to believe strongly in not arming a potential rival with any knowledge that could one day be used against him. The details of Jack's past, as with any man or woman was a blueprint of his weaknesses and failures. While sharing them would provide insight for his apprentice into how he was able to conquer what he had, and how she might do the same, it also was a dangerous proposition to surrender the advantage knowledge granted. It was always better to know more about your enemies then they did about you, that was basic.

Thus far Starstorm had shared with Jack in excruciating detail the circumstances of her life that led her to him on Coruscant. Starstorm was born on Nar Shaddaa as a daughter of refugees. Her parents were essentially slaves of Tagrenn the Hutt, owing him an impossible sum of credits; debt they'd inherited from their parents. On Nar Shaddaa not even death could stop the debt collectors, as Jack knew well. Debt would simply be passed on through generations, a system which inevitably made crime lords like Tagrenn and Larga impossibly wealthy, and kept families like Starstorm's perpetually impoverished. The only way to escape would be to flee, which was what Starstorm's parents attempted to little avail. Her family was hunted down and killed by Amon Darklighter at Tagrenn's order. As an orphan on Nar Shaddaa, Starstorm naturally fell into bounty hunting, though thoughts of revenge were never far from her mind. She vowed to one day kill Darklighter for his part, but also Tagrenn so that she could free all of the poor souls doomed to pay their parents debts with their lives.

About the only thing Jack didn't know about Starstorm was her real name, not that her name mattered at this point. She could call herself the Lord of the Sith and it wouldn't change the fact that Jack now had the tools to conceive of a thousand and one ways to break her. Starstorm had never really inquired about Jack's past, until now that is. As he lay there now, considering her question, Jack wondered what the harm might be in revealing a bit about himself if it could be used to strengthen his apprentice. After all, she was no use to him if she stayed as weak as she was. It was a calculated gamble, but with the proper care, the rewards should outweigh the risks.

"My master's name was Lynn Akunin. Having never known my real mother, she was the next best thing. She taught me from a very early age that I was expendable. As strong as my feelings for her were as a young child, I couldn't conceive of what she meant by this. With age, however, I grew wiser. As my power grew I sensed my master becoming more and more reluctant with my training. She had become afraid that I might be progressing too fast to control, and had begun to strategically withhold knowledge about the Force; trump cards she thought she would be able to use against me should a confrontation ever occur."

"A master refusing to instruct their student. Sounds irritating," Starstorm interjected, her words obviously dripping with sarcasm.

Jack only smirked, taking another drag off his cigarette before continuing, "Predicting my master's strategy, I took it upon myself to seek out knowledge and instruction without her knowing. Instead of going off to perform the tedious missions and carefully manipulated training exercises she assigned to me, I would spend my time honing other more useful skills. At last the time came where I found Lynn to be more of a hindrance to my progress than a help. It was then that I truly took her lesson to heart, and saw her as expendable. I used what I had taught myself to overwhelm and destroy her. Killing the Hutt slug was just an added bonus."

"So you only were able to acquire the strength to best your master when you started to train yourself," Starstorm observed, thoughtfully attempting to extrapolate the moral of Jack's little story, "You both knew that knowledge would be the factor that would decide the victor when strength was equal."

Jack's smile grew wider, he was impressed at how sharp his apprentice had become, "Very good, but you're only half right," Jack corrected, "knowledge is the factor that can and often will decide a victor, no matter what the strength of the combatants. With enough cunning, even you could easily bring a brute like Darklighter low. Knowledge is a weapon that can level any playing field. There is no greater source of power."

"I don't know," Starstorm admitted, "I don't think my IQ is going to help me dodge blaster bolts when the sh*t really hits the fan."

"Ha!" Jack let out a short, loud laugh, "If you were really smart, you'd stand behind the fan." A puzzled look spread over Starstorm's face, and Jack shook his head, "Don't worry about it, we'll get to that. For now, how familiar are you with chess?..."

[Cain]

Nar Shaddaa

The interior of Tagrenn the Hutt's club on Nar Shaddaa more closely resembled a crypt than a cantina. The interior walls were made of permecrete and stone constructed into a wide, but shallow dome that created an incredible feel of claustrophobia despite the abundant amount of floor space. Rather than the usual trappings of opulence one might expect to see from a being as unfathomably wealthy as Tagrenn the Hutt, the walls were instead adorned with black metal chains and restraints. Tagrenn enjoyed stringing up his enemies for the sport of his many patrons, the miserable souls left to languish and starve while watching the cackling mob drink and feast to excess. Perhaps the prisoners could scrape up a meal out of the scraps which routinely were hurled in their direction, though it wasn't unusual for a prisoner to be killed just by the blunt trauma of a well heaved bar glass. It was a scene of utter sadistic chaos, and it was here that Amon Darklighter settled in, seating himself at one of the tables near the bar.

A female Twi'lek slave noticed the Anzat as he sat down and hurried over to take his order. Her clothes, if they could be even called that, consisted of a shock collar and a series of strategically placed leather straps which were meant to serve some sort of depraved bondage theme within the bar. After taking his order, the Twi'lek scurried off and Amon sunk back into his chair, taking in the scene around him. Most of the patrons were bounty hunters and assassins, all regulars who worked under Tagrenn. Not a single soul among them was without a well displayed blaster pistol, as it was almost essential for self preservation in this atmosphere. On the far side of the bar, a group of Iridonian mercenaries were tormenting one of the prisoners chained to the far wall; a starving human male whose bones shown through his sickly pale flesh. The mercs used the hapless man as target practice, seeing if they could clip off his ears with blaster bolts. In their inebriated state, the result was a series of torturous near misses and glancing hits to his torso, arms and face.

Amon sat passively observing, clearly familiar with the sights and sounds inside Tagrenn's palace. He maintained his stone faced expression until at last the Twi'lek girl returned with his drink; a viscous red liquid in a tall glass. After placing the drink in front of him, the girl lowered her head as a sign of respect and attempted to back away. Before she could however, Amon's arm snapped forward, his hand slamming down on the back of her neck and clinching hard before drawing her in close to him. Swirling his drink, Amon breathed in sharply, sampling the Twi'lek slave as if savoring the bouquet of a fine wine.

"You have a nice smell about you," Amon whispered, his twin feelers slowly extending and brushing against the Twi'lek girl's face. The touch triggered a shudder from fear and she wrenched herself in an attempt to pull away. Her resistance only caused Amon to squeeze tighter and pull her in closer, "but what about the taste?" Amon growled through clinched teeth, his feelers moving in toward his victim's nostrils, "perhaps I should help myself to a sample..."

"I wouldn't if I were you," rasped the heavy voice of Tagrenn the Hutt, speaking in Huttese of course, "it would be a shame if you had to buy me new slaves on your meager earnings."

Amon shot a sneer over toward the Hutt slug as he dragged his massive girth across the cantina floor toward Darklighter's table. With a defiant snort he flicked the Twi'lek away, his long feelers slowly retracting back into his cheeks, "I'm still working on improving my financial situation," he explained.

"Ha! I'm sure," Tagrenn heaved back and forth before settling his imposing frame across from Amon, "I'm surprised you came up short with Duessa. I can't recall the last time you were beat to a bounty."

Amon's expression twisted sharply into a frown. Duessa was a Republic agent who had infiltrated Tagrenn's criminal enterprise. She had worked under Tagrenn for years as an informant, though her cover was only recently blown. Tagrenn swiftly put a hefty bounty on her head, one that Amon could have sorely used. Unfortunately he was beaten to the target by a relative new comer to the Nar Shaddaa scene. The injury to Amon's pride of being bested by a noob was one that Tagrenn took a great deal of pleasure rubbing salt into.

"I take it you've returned for the traitors execution in five days," Tagrenn observed.

Amon took a swig of his drink, squinting as the thick liquid seared its way down his esophagus, "That... and to personally congratulate the man who brought her in. I assume he will be there."

"He will have the seat of honor," Tagrenn answered, watching Amon closely so not to miss a second of his discomfort.

"Excellent," Amon replied sarcastically, slamming back the remainder of his beverage.

"Are you sure you should be wasting time, Amon? You still have yet to bring me the boy and his Schutta?"

"I have that under control," Amon retorted, his gaze lowering to examine the empty glass in his hand.

"I wonder about that," The Hutt Slug countered, "perhaps I should send the new guy out to try his luck on this one."

Amon's anger boiled over at the suggestion. Rather suddenly he spun in his seat and whipped his glass in the direction of the chained prisoners behind him. The glass struck a Rodian, shattering across his face and drawing blood, "This bounty is MINE!" Amon snapped, "and no others!"

"Hahoha," Tagrenn laughed, his flab jiggling rhythmically as he did so, "I enjoy the emotion you invest in your work, Amon. It is for this reason that I indulge you. I will give you another month, but after that the Makura boy and Starstorm are fair game."

"In one month's time we'll both be feasting on slaves... my treat."

---

Mygeeto

"The Force's limits are your limits, because the Force has no limits," Jack instructed, standing across from Starstorm atop one of Mygeeto's many glaciers. The weather was relatively calm today, still bone chillingly cold, but the dim light of the sun had managed to seep through the cloud cover and only a light wind whipped around the glacial peak, "The key to unlocking your potential will be in shedding yourself of weaknesses such as compassion or connectedness."

Starstorm nodded her understanding. She was dressed this time in her flight suit rather than the thin training robes Jack had made her wear during her early training. She now wore her vibrosword on her back and her blaster pistol was holstered on her left hip. Her long black hair was tied back behind her and her pale blue eyes focused intently on her master. Over the past few weeks Jack had begun to teach Starstorm a great deal about the Force that he had kept hidden up until recently. After Jack had shared the details of his past with Starstorm, he found that passing on other secrets he'd learned over his lifetime came much easier. Jack was unsure of whether this was a good thing or not, but the effects on his apprentice were plainly visible. Starstorm was quickly becoming proficient with her control of Force. It was now time to test her applications of what she had learned.

"When in battle, you must always attack with the intent to kill, otherwise your opponent will sense your weakness and exploit it." Jack continued. He was wearing his standard fare, a knee length leather jacket buttoned up tight with a popped collar, heavy black boots and pair of fingerless gloves.

As he finished, Jack slowly drew his lightsaber from his jacket. Starstorm countered by withdrawing her vibrosword from its sheathe on her back and holding it up in front of her in a fighting stance.

"Come." Jack said simply, readying himself for his apprentice's attack by stretching out with the Force. Starstorm charged in, swinging her vibrosword across her body at Jack. Though she was still a novice with the Force, Starstorm had plenty of experience with melee combat. Her profession had demanded it. As such, her moves were technically sound, but still too easily predictable for Jack's Force sense. He avoided the first flurry of attacks by simply stepping backwards, finally countering by bringing his own lightsaber blade down on Starstorm when he sensed an opening. Her final swing had too much muscle behind it and had caused her to turn her hips with path of the blade. With her back half turned to him it was too easy for Jack to rake his lightsaber across her back, opening up her fight suit and her flesh. Starstorm let out a grunt as Jack's attack landed, stumbling a bit as she quickly scurried out of his reach and recollected her defenses.

"You are quite skilled with a blade," Jack observed, "but you're still not utilizing the Force. Without it, you might as well be flailing at me in the dark. Concentrate, use the Force."

Starstorm nodded, taking a deep breath. She focused on the fiery pain burning across her back to fuel a deep reservoir of anger. As her emotions blazed she could feel the Force inside of her, but radiating out like heat off of a dying ember. She needed to be able to control the power coursing through her, use it somehow to supplement her combat. Starstorm concentrated hard to channel the Force around her body, waiting until she was almost shaking from fury before lunging back at Jack one more time.

This time her movements were quicker, more precise. Jack found himself having to delegate all of his energy into avoiding her attacks instead of finding an opening to launch and offensive of his own. Jack attempted to deflect her strikes with his lightsaber, but the Force added power to her swings and Jack's blocks did little to slow them down. Finally Starstorm brought her vibrosword over her head and cleaved it down at Jack. He reacted just in time to raise a barrier with the Force that intercepted the blade just inches over his head. Jack then expanded the barrier rapidly, shoving Starstorm back and riding the momentum backwards himself, opening up plenty of room between the two.

"Enough!" Jack called out, "Very good. Your anger has become a formidable weapon in your arsenal. Do not forget to use it again."

Returning to their ship, Starstorm immediately headed to the cargo hold to retrieve medical supplies to treat the wound on her back. Jack moved to the front of the ship where he was surprised to find a message left on their holorecorder. As he activated it, a small transparent figure materialized over the control panel. He identified himself as Gammeck Trung, personal assistant to Tagrenn the Hutt. The message was an invitation to the execution of Duessa on Nar Shaddaa in five days time.

Starstorm entered the front of the ship just in time to catch the tail end of the message, "What was that about?" she asked.

"It was a message from Tagrenn the Hutt," Jack answered, "If we're getting this message does that mean they've tracked us here?"

"Pfft, I doubt it," Starstorm scoffed, "I've got the comm set up to intercept messages sent to a lot of Tagrenn's top henchmen. Keep tabs on their movements and all. This was probably a message intended for one of them."

A wry smile spread over Jack's face as he listened.

Starstorm raised an eyebrow at her master, "Something funny?"

"This works out nicely to our advantage," Jack responded.

"Huh?"

"We now have a date and an exact location of where our target will be. It's an opportunity we'd be foolish to pass up."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Starstorm interrupted, "you're not thinking about assassinating Tagrenn during the execution are you? If he's broadcasting his schedule across the galaxy there's a good chance he's anticipated that we might intercept it. It's probably a trap."

"I agree," Jack said, grinning wider, "which is why Darklighter will definitely be there too. It's our chance to get rid of them both at the same time. We likely won't get a chance like this again."

"Sounds like suicide to me. Only a crazy person would walk right into Tagrenn's palace and start a fight with half of Nar Shaddaa."

"Hmph," Jack laughed, tucking the hilt of his lightsaber back into his jacket, "well, what are we waiting for then? I'll drive."

[Cain]

Tagrenn's Palace, Nar Shaddaa

The towers of Tagrenn the Hutt's palace could be seen for miles around, outshining the surrounding city lights. Speeder traffic was halted for miles as well, all converging on the Hutt slug's lavish execution ceremony. It seemed as if damn near the entire criminal underworld of Nar Shaddaa had shown up for the event. Just inside the main entrance was an enormous hall where all the guests were gathered, a veritable hodgepodge of alien races with all of the most despicable representatives from each. The guests crowded into the hall which was adorned with a massive chandelier that hung over the group dancing at the center.

Tagrenn himself was impossible to miss, an amorphous blob of flesh seated up on the balcony which overlooked the guests on the far side of the hall. Seated beside him was a curious young human wearing a blindfold as well as the guest of honor, the accused herself, beaten to within an inch of her life and chained to the floor.

Jack huffed, stepping across the threshold of the palace and into the hall with Starstorm at his elbow. Despite the party's macabre purpose the atmosphere managed to remain refined, almost cheery, as if this were a gathering of nobles celebrating a marriage and not gangsters enjoying a festival of hedonism before a murder; right down to the band playing rhythmic dance music, "My head already hurts..." Jack complained.

Starstorm didn't answer, she was too preoccupied adjusting her hair and gown, making certain the slit up the side didn't show off too much leg... or the blaster pistol concealed on her thigh. She never had opportunities to get dressed up like this, and that combined with the danger of the operation sent a charge of excitement through the young bounty hunter. It was a relief to be someplace civilized (or at least what passed for civilized on Nar Shaddaa) after all those months training in the cold and wilderness on Mygeeto.

Jack, by stark contrast, couldn't have looked more miserable. He fidgeted with his tux constantly, his bow tie having been undone and now simply hanging slack around his neck. His hair was a mess and his eyes still sunken and dark, "The music is loud, there's too much light, and these people smell like something that's passed through the system of a sick old Wookiee," he groaned.

"You keep b*tching and I'm gonna have a head ache too. It's a party," Starstorm shot back, "A little socializing might do you some good."

Jack grumbled, the creases on his face from frowning somehow managing to grow larger, "We're not here to 'socialize'. We're here for the Hutt slug and his Anzat dog."

"Well, there's no way we're going to get anywhere near Tagrenn until after the execution, so you might as well make an effort to seem like you actually want to be here."

"I don't think I'm that good an actor," Jack sighed, "I'm gonna need booze."

A few Corellian Ales later and Jack was complacent enough to have settled at one of the tables that surrounded the band and the dance floor. To Jack it seemed as if the guests on the floor were engaged in hyper sexualized, sweaty convulsions. He slumped down in his chair, gripping his head in his hand as the band mercifully finished another thumping techno number. He couldn't stand that kind of music. Fortunately the next song was far more pleasant on the ears, beginning with a melancholy solo on a string instrument.

Starstorm reacted immediately to the music, straightening up in her seat, "This song... my mother used to play it when I was a little girl."

"Oh really?" Jack responded in a monotone heavy with disinterest, still sunken in his chair and rubbing his temple, "That's interesting."

Starstorm's eyes narrowed on him for a moment. Finally she shot up from her seat, abruptly enough to knock her chair over, "Come on. Dance with me."

Jack flinched, his head turning slowly with a dumbfounded look on his face, "You must be joking."

"What? You afraid you're not gonna be able to keep up?" She teased.

Jack chuckled.

Starstorm stepped around the table and towards the dance floor, "Come on, I'll show you the steps."

Jack let out a heavy sigh, hesitating for a moment. Most of the sweat drenched inbreds had cleared off the floor when the thumping hick music had stopped. Reluctantly Jack hefted himself up from his seat and followed Starstorm out to the dance floor. As she attempted to help him get started, Jack ignored her efforts, immediately taking her hand in his, wrapping an arm about her waist and moving slowly to the music.

"What?" Jack asked, addressing the genuine look of shock on Starstorm's face, "Have you never seen a Hutt slave dance before?"

Starstorm laughed, unable to hold back her smile. The two moved together slowly along with the somber string solo. Gradually the Echani soloist was joined by the other Bith musicians on strings until the music reached its crescendo and the remainder of the band, with bass and brass, joined into the harmony all at once. Jack led Starstorm, their steps perfectly in time with the music.

"It would seem that I've underestimated you, Master," Starstorm said softly, still keeping up with the music.

"Generally, that's how I like it," Jack answered with a soft smirk of his own.



From his perch up on the balcony Tagrenn watched his voracious guests mingle, dance and drink to excess. A shadowy figure approached through the door frame behind Tagrenn and took his place at his side.

"A bit over the top for core-slime like this," Darklighter slurred, giving a swift kick to the ribs of the woman chained down beside him, "wouldn't you say, Tagrenn?"

"Heh, I see you found your way to the party favors early, Amon," the Hutt rasped in his native tongue, "You know as well as I that on Nar Shaddaa the only universal language is excess."

The Anzat mumbled something unintelligible before slamming back another swig of brown-red liquid from his glass, "And I suppose this is the man of the hour, the merc who made all of this..." Darklighter opened his arms and turned all the way around once for effect before finishing his sentence, "... possible. A blind, hobo, brat."

"Amon Darklighter, meet Tenkai," Tagrenn said, motioning to the boy on his right. The kid wasn't sitting, but crouched on his chair. He had white, messy hair and wore simple, tattered black robes along with a black blindfold over his eyes. He really did look like someone Tagrenn had just plucked up out of an alley somewhere in the undercity.

"Pleased to meet you," Tenkai said with a wide grin.

Darklighter frowned, tossing his empty glass over the balcony and onto the crowd below, "Eat sh*t, kid."

Tenkai only giggled in response.

"Settle down, Amon," Tagrenn scolded, "sober yourself up and stay alert. Chances are good that Makura will be here this evening."

"I wish he would show his face here," Darklighter growled, stumbling slightly on his feet.

"Hmph!" the Hutt laughed, "You're a drunken mess, Darklighter. Perhaps it would be wiser for me to leave a bounty as valuable as my brother's murderer in more capable hands."

"Just say the word," Tenkai interjected with a sunny expression on his face, "I will not fail, Master."

"You go anywhere near my bounty and I'll string you up by your entrails," Darklighter snapped, "If Makura's here, I'll find him."



The music ended and the dance floor cleared. On his way back to their table Jack glanced up at the balcony where Tagrenn was watching and caught a glimpse of Amon Darklighter now standing at his side, "The gang's all here," Jack whispered to Starstorm, pointing out the Anzat.

"Who's the scruffy lookin' kid with them?"

"Who cares? We can use the execution as a distraction. When everyone is paying attention to the balcony we can slip away from the party and ambush the Hutt slug as he returns to his quarters."

"And Darklighter?"

Jack fell back into his chair, keeping his gaze fixed on Amon Darklighter even as he answered Starstorm, "He won't be far behind."

[Cain]

"Tonight, we drink the blood of traitors! Tonight we make an example of flesh and bone! Let the ceremony begin!"

Tagrenn's shouts in Huttese signaled the start of the barbaric ritual that would satiate the throngs of onlookers in the Palace's grand hall thirsting for blood. The chains which loosely bound the hapless woman to the balcony began to retract back into the floor, pulling their victim down and splaying her out and forcing her head over the edge of the balcony to stare helplessly down over the crowd of antagonistic party goers.

Joining Tagrenn and Amon Darklighter behind her, a masked Gamorrean executioner emerged from the darkened archway, a large ceremonial axe clutched in his stubby hands. A roar of anticipation rose up from the crowd as the Gamorrean moved into position over the condemned. Only then did the woman begin to struggle and squirm.

The crowd began to chant in Huttese, "Blood! Blood! Blood!"

The Gamorrean raised his axe in response to the chants and with a quick downward swipe the blade cleaved the woman's head clean off, sending it tumbling down to the dance floor along with a stream of crimson which sent the patrons into a frenzy.

"Disgusting," Jack grumbled to himself before disappearing through one of the doors off to the side of the grand hall. Starstorm had already gone ahead to the palace hanger to cut off Tagrenn's escape at his personal shuttle. It was probably just as well that she was spared that spectacle. Jack's job would be to find Darklighter, drawing him into a fight while the Hutt tried to escape, and slithered right into a trap.

Jack's search led him through the lavishly decorated halls of Tagrenn's palace and up the stairs. There he came to Tagrenn's office. The room was dark say for the light of the city streaming in through the large windows behind the Hutt's desk. The desk itself was a half-moon shape, big enough to encompass it's owner's tremendous girth.

Jack moved into the room silently, feeling for the light switch. As light poured over the room, immediately Jack noticed the shadow cast over the floor. Hanging upside-down from the light fixture high up on the ceiling was Tenkai, his legs wrapped around the crystal chandelier and his arms folded over his chest. Startled, Jack quickly summoned his lightsaber from the breast pocket of his tuxedo, the blade igniting as soon as the hilt hit Jack's hand.

"Uh oh," Tenkai cooed, "Looks like you found me."

Jack growled under his breath. He recognized the boy as being the kid sitting next to Tagrenn and Darklighter before the execution, "I don't know who you are, but you're in my way. Tell me where I can find Darklighter and I'll make your death as quick as possible."

"Oooh, you're scary," Tenkai giggled, "So you're lost, are you? Maybe I remember where big brother Amon was. He was that way," Tenkai said, pointing to his right with his left hand, "Or, maybe he was over there," he corrected himself, pointing left with his other hand, "Hehe, what would I know? When you're as blind as me, up is as good as down and down as good as up!"

Jack frowned sharply. He was not amused. Lifting his free hand, Jack loosed a volley of lightning that crashed into the chandelier, sending sparks and glass raining over the office's fine rugs. The room went dark again, this time the glow of Jack's lightsaber was enough to paint the room red. Jack couldn't see the kid anywhere, but he knew he'd missed. He could still feel the boy in the Force.

"Mm, not bad," Tenkai called out. "Now it's my turn."

Jack couldn't tell where the voice was coming from until the sensation of danger caused him to lift his lightsaber quickly to shield his right side from the swing of Tenkai's staff. The boy began to rain blows from left and right, his style extremely bizarre, though acrobatic. Jack had difficulty anticipating the moves and was rapidly backed up until he bumped into Tagrenn's desk. Avoiding a downward swipe, Jack rolled over the top of the desk, landing on his feet behind it.

Jack turned back to the desk, extending his palms and firing a blast of telekinesis that sent it flying toward Tenkai. The boy moved to avoid the projectile immediately, using his staff like a pole vault to leap up and over, clearing it just in time for the desk to hit his staff and take it with into the far wall where it ripped a large hole into the hall outside the room. As Tenkai came back down he snatched the double hilted lightsaber from his waist, igniting only the silver blade and slamming it down into Jack's.

Jack reacted to the counter attack, not with brute strength, but with his usual cunning. Instead of putting muscle into absorbing the blow, Jack fell back, allowing Tenkai's momentum to continue carrying him forward. From there, Jack placed his foot onto Tenkai's sternum, rolling over backwards and kicking him through the large windows at the rear of the office. The glass shattered as the boy hit, and just that quickly he disappeared into the maze of speeder traffic below.

Picking himself up slowly, Jack leaned out the window, hoping to feel the boy's death through the Force as he hit ground below. There was nothing. Unfortunately there was no time to linger. All this commotion was sure to alert someone in the palace. Jack would have to move quickly.

Strangely, no one came running to respond to the redecorating Jack had done in Tagrenn's office. As he searched the halls and rooms of the palace's upper floors, he found each of them to be empty. A very bad feeling began to creep into back of Jack's mind. Something had gone wrong. He knew where he had to go. Every fiber of his being was telling him to head for the hanger. Starstorm was in danger.

As quickly as he could, Jack navigated the labyrinth of Tagrenn's palace and made his way to the flight hanger where the Hutt's shuttle was primed and waiting. There on the landing pad was the slug himself, along with Amon Darklighter who was holding Starstorm. He held a familiar looking katana up against her neck.

"Hah! Makura, you're late," Tagrenn grunted, "I trust little Tenkai didn't give you too much trouble."

Jack stood, stone faced. His eyes moved from Tagrenn to Starstorm's. With tears welling up she mouthed the words "I'm sorry."

"I told you that brat was worthless," Darklighter interjected. "This is my bounty."

"Make it quick, Amon," Tagrenn barked, "we have a shuttle to catch."

"You never let me have any fun..."

"Let her go, first," Jack called out finally, his hand hovering over his lightsaber hilt, now fastened to his belt.

Darklighter laughed, "What did I tell you before about getting sentimental? First, I'll start with an appetizer, and bleed this b*tch here with your own sword. Then, on to the main course. It's been far too long since I've had good soup."

As Darklighter pressed the blade into Starstorm's neck, Jack lurched forward, "Wait!"

The Anzat shot Jack a devilish grin across the hanger, "Hmph... how quaint. What's she worth to you, Makura?"

Jack's eyes fell to the floor and he hesitated. As he began to think of what he could offer, he stopped himself. What was he doing? His chance to kill Darklighter and Tagrenn was here, now. And suddenly he found himself contemplating any way to throw this chance away, and for what? Did he really care about her? Was she really that important?

"If you've got nothing, to say, then let's get this over with," Darklighter said.

Slowly, Jack glanced back up at Starstorm, "I'm sorry."

Opening both hands, Jack pumped all his power into a blast of Force lightning that washed over both Starstorm and Darklighter. Caught by surprise, the Anzat had put up no defense and instead was sent reeling back into the duracrete landing pad.

In a panic, Tagrenn's mass of flab jiggled away from the chaos as he dragged himself back to his shuttle. From inside the space craft several guards armed with blasters came rushing out.

"Kill him!" Tagrenn snapped as they hurried past him toward Jack.

Jack cut off his lightning as the guards moved in and took aim. He raised an impromptu Force barrier to deflect the first few blaster bolts before diving to take cover behind a stack of crates.

A terrible, wailing moan reverberated through the hanger as Amon Darklighter lifted himself off the floor. He had been horribly burned over most of his body, smoke still rising from his scarred flesh, "Where is he!?"

The guards ceased firing, and one motioned toward the stack of crates.

With another loud groan Darklighter extended his hand, causing the crates to explode out in all direction with the Force. Having been caught up in the blast, Jack slid out on his back across the hanger floor. Spotting his prey, Darklighter reared back and flung himself through the air with a Force aided leap. He landed on top of Jack with another hit of telekinetic energy which pinned Jack down with enough force to crack the pavement around him.

Pinning Jack's arms with his own, Amon leaned over his victim, his long proboscises slowly wriggling out from his cheeks. Jack struggled, though he couldn't do much with his ribs cracked from the impact of the last blow in addition to Amon being far more powerful than he was.

"Shhhh, don't fight it," Amon whispered. Jack twisted his head to the side, struggling to avoid the Anzat's probing feelers and the horrible stench of seared flesh. Then, Jack felt something reaching out to the corners of his mind and taking hold. It was Darklighter's telepathy, a skill not so much honed through the Force, but one that came naturally to Anzat as a means of sedating their prey before they feed. With the connection between their minds already made, Jack had one more chance to finish this. Calling on the Force, Jack began to draw Amon in. Wrapping his own presence around Darklighters like a boa-constrictor before beginning to pull. Slow at first, then more and more rapidly until Jack was tearing Amon's life force from him.

Darklighter didn't have the strength to resist, and howled as he recoiled, falling back off of Jack and grabbing the sides of his head. Jack sat up after him gingerly, clutching at his side.

"Shhh, don't fight it." Jack mimicked. He struggled to control his own power as he drained Amon of his, finally cutting off the ability when the Anzat passed out. It still hadn't been enough to kill him. To do that Jack would have endangered himself as he had in bringing down Lynn. It didn't matter, however. Amon was weak enough now that Jack could preform his coup-de-grace with a boot.

That would have to wait, however. Up to this point, Tagrenn's guards had watched the battle of wills play out in confused bewilderment, none of them sure exactly what was happening. Now that Amon fell limp to the floor and Jack stood, they all raised their weapons once more. Reinvigorated by absorbing Amon's energy, Jack redistributed the power with another two-handed spray of Force lightning that forked out in all directions and took down three of the guards standing directly in front of Jack.

The two that remained opened fire, one catching another Force barrier, the other landing a hit on Jack's left leg.

With a grunt Jack fell to one knee, blasting one of the guards with lightning from his left hand, and gripping the other who had shot him in the leg around the neck with the Force and lifting him up off the hanger. Jack squeezed until at last he heard the satisfying pop of the guard's neck snapping.

The last grunt hit the floor just in time for Tagrenn's shuttle to lift up off the hanger. The Hutt slug had gotten away... but it wasn't a total loss.

After recovering his katana, Jack moved deliberately back over to where Amon Darklighter lay. The Anzat was still breathing weakly. Without a word Jack swiped at his throat with his blade. The sudden shock of the wound wrenched Amon back into consciousness just long enough to clutch his gaping neck before choking on his own blood.

Jack took what Amon had on him, including a datapad that listed his employers and assigned bounties.

Then, he limped over to where Starstorm lay. Her burns were even more severe than Darklighter's as she had taken the full brunt of the attack. Jack could feel her life force, it was incredibly faint. There was no way she would survive for more than a few minutes. He stood over her and waited, monitoring the weak flicker of life inside her until finally it was snuffed out.

[Cain]

Epilogue

Somewhere in the Outer Rim - 3,602 BBY

Blue waves of distorted space-time rode past overhead as Jack sat in silence, alone in the Aurek strikefighter he'd "borrowed" from Lynn Akunin so many years ago on Nar Shaddaa. It would be a long time before he could show his face back on that moon. The bounty Tagrenn the Hutt had placed on Jack's head was now a bounty hunter's wet dream. What's more, they took his ship, leaving Jack nothing but a stuffy old fighter to travel with. It was just as well, large ships only attracted unwanted attention. Where Jack was going, there would be little to fear from the Hutts.

Alone in the cramped cockpit of his fighter, Jack shifted uncomfortably. Sleep was impossible, as always. The voices in Jack's head took advantage of these quiet times, alone in the vastness of space with nothing but memories.

Jack squirmed back and forth in his seat, something in his jacket was jabbing him in the back. Twisting himself awkwardly, Jack reached into his clothes and removed the offending object; an old datapad. Jack recognized it immediately. It was the datapad he'd taken off the corpse of Amon Darklighter almost one year ago. Activating it, the information Jack had viewed last rematerialized.

BOUNTY: 50,000 credits
SUBJECT: Auren Sol
ALIAS: Starstorm
DETAILS: Subject is the former head of security for Exchange boss Tagrenn the Hutt and is wanted for treason. Subject aided the escape of wanted murderer Jack Makura from her own Exchange forces in Coruscant's Southern Underground. Subject is armed and considered to be hostile. It is likely she is still harboring the murderer, Makura. Subject is wanted dead or alive.

Jack winced, a sharp pain shooting from temple to temple as he viewed his old apprentice's information for the first time since her death.

"Is that regret I smell?" the voice inside Jack's mind asked.

Jack shook his head, trying to shake off the intruder.

"That one was important to you... you have gone soft."

Jack gritted his teeth, losing control of his senses and responding to the voices by shouting out loud, "What does it matter? She's dead!"

"What indeed..." the voice of Lynn answered with a chuckle, "Your emotion betrays your true feelings. You are still unable to control the true power of the Force. The light is not as weak as you supposed."

"Shut up," Jack retorted in a whisper, holding his head in his hands. "Leave me alone."

"The Force laughs at you, Jack Makura. You think this power simply waits for you to claim it? The dark side is far more fickle than that. It cannot be wielded by an animal like you, unable to separate himself from his... baser urges. The dark side of the Force does not lend itself to fools."

Jack's breathing steadily increased. The small cockpit of his fighter started to feel like a pressure cooker. Despite the pain radiating through his skull, Jack called on the Force to settle himself. "She's dead," Jack spoke to the nothingness, sweat matting his face and dripping from the end of his nose. A mad grin grew over his face as he slowly lifted it from his hands. "You're wrong," he said with a titter, "I felt her die. I've savored that feeling. Much as I still immerse myself in your final moment, Master. The utter desperation. A fleeting moment of panic. Then, nothing."

At last there was silence in Jack's mind. He knew such a taunt would do the trick. Jack's eyes scanned the cockpit frantically, as if making sure whatever was with him had truly gone. Gradually Jack's breathing settled and he seemed to regain control of himself. He shook his head silently as the realization of how insane he must've seemed dawned on him.

Suddenly the hypnotic tube of hyperspace broke and the Horuset system materialized all around Jack. Before him now was Korriban, the homeworld of the Sith.

Jack's strikefighter landed among the dust and sand wastes outside of the Sith Temple. Jack was all too eager to leave the cockpit of his fighter and stretch his aching limbs. The answers he would need to at last rid himself of his old master likely lay before him. Jack was ready.

Before exiting his ship, Jack reached one last time for Amon's datapad. Suspending it in front of him with the Force, Jack slowly crushed the pad into a twisted pile of wires and metal before discarding it.

Jack hopped out of the cockpit and lit up a cigarette to clear his mind. After he'd finished, Jack set out for the Temple, the remains of the datapad behind him slowly being claimed by Korriban's blowing sands.