Change in the Wind Part I (Jakesnake, Tim NPC)

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Master Teer Ka of the Jedi Order stood in the elevator of an office building, staring out at the skyline as she rose higher in the sky. It was always a bit amazing and a bit disturbing to think that from the depths far below to the floors just over her head there were millions and millions of beings. Her home planet of Shili was hardly so populated, measured in millions rather than billions. And of course among the Jedi there were relatively few people as well. A hill of sand on a beach, and yet so important.

Like the Dark Jedi and the Sith, they were few, but mighty. And when a Jedi went bad, the ripples could cause damage, could affect far too many of those grains of sand. History was rife with examples of evil imperiling the galaxy, ruining lives and causing darkness. That was why they had to be stopped.

The elevator stopped and Teer exited into the office of Senator Alia Terel of Kwenn, who had requested a meeting under rather mysterious circumstances...

The Togruta Jedi was welcomed by a young Mirialan secretary, and ushered into a plush office that spoke of wealth, far more wealth than seemed reasonable for such a small rim planet. However these things were commonplace, and Teer's suspicions were not aroused.

There was one other occupant in the room, a thin blonde woman in attractive robes of office, with one of those hairstyles that must have made a statement, possibly 'look how much money I spent.'

"Master Ka," She said. "I'm glad you could come."

"Senator," Teer acknowledged.

"I'm sure a woman like you doesn't want to wait on formalities or be kept from pressing matters by mere trifles, so I'll dispense with these and jump straight in to what matters. I requested your presence for one very simple reason. I think someone is planning to have me killed."

If Teer had eyebrows, she would have raised them. Both of them.

"What makes you think that?"

The blonde woman smiled wearily. "Oh, I have my reasons. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to strike today..."

[Dr. Jake]

Deezum was focused. Not on some elementary assassination, or petty mercenary work, but a real job. He was about to shoot a senator. The Rodian was not thinking about glory, or even the horrendously excessive amount of money involved, the target dominated his mind.

The Rodian had learned a lot about marksmanship from his time in the Sith Army, focus above all. Almost equally important was his rifle. The slug thrower was already a large weapon, but more so with the attached electronic scope, suppressor, and a series of other small gadgets designed to make Deezum's job easier.

Now roosted on the 38^th floor of a Coruscanti high rise, the mercenary-assassin calculated the distance between himself and the target. His rangefinders helped do the job, but he liked to be absolutely certain.

The cross hairs aligned with the back of his target, and with a slow squeeze of the trigger, the projectile was launched almost silently from the barrel and onto a carefully calculated path that would hopefully lead to the Senator.

The bullet that was now racing through the Coruscanti morning air was rather unique. It was non-lethal, designed to release its paralytic neurotoxin rather than destroy bones or flesh.

Once the deed was done, Deezum followed the instructions he was given prior: Shoot then leave. He obeyed , quickly packing up his equipment and leaving the skyscraper, effortlessly avoiding detection.

---

Confirming that the shot was fired, Janar initiated phase two of the plan. Senator Alia Terel had made a grave mistake when she chose to cross his master, and she would pay for that mistake in blood.

The Zabrak nodded to the other men that occupied the elevator, silently telling the mercenaries to ready themselves for combat. They weren't expecting much resistance, but Janar knew better than anyone that you could never be certain.

Putting a hand on his saber staff, the marauder retrieved it from its place on his belt. The black cylinder looked like a simple tool, but everyone in the elevator knew what it was capable of. The durasteel doors of the elevator parted to reveal a Mirialin secretary pecking away at a keyboard and watching a holographic computer screen.

She looked up with a cordial smile greeting the visitors before noticing their impressive array of blaster weaponry.

"Good Morn-"

Janar only cocked his head to the side before saying,

"Go if you wish to survive."

The shocked receptionist quickly left the lobby on quivering legs, her only thought being escape.

Shaking his head, Janar only pointed to the large set of doors which undoubtedly led into the office of their target. In response, a Chagrian mercenary ran forward and opened the door with a complex little slicing device.

A second later, the quartet entered the lavish office. Janar went forth, and felt the presence of a powerful Jedi even before entering the office. Sense was never his forté. However, lightsaber combat was indeed.

Once he could clearly make out the two women, he identified the plainly clad Togruta as the Jedi, and the more luxuriously clothed Human as his target. He felt a pang of delight as he realized that their sniper must have missed or his shot deflected. Now he would get to take the glory.

As the mercenaries took up positions around the office, Janar spoke to the Master in a not so cheery voice.

"Master Jedi." The Zabrak fell back into combat stance and lit both crimson blades of his lightsaber. "I would ask you to surrender and hand over the senator, but where is the fun in that?"

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Master Ka sensed the danger before there was any visible sign of it, and only her split-second thinking averted a danger. The Togruta created a force barrier around the Senator, just in time as the window shattered and a projectile slammed into the hastily-constructed barrier before falling to the floor.

Almost simultaneously the door slammed open and four figures walked in, all armed, and one with a lightsaber.

Instantly Teer's saberstaff was ignited, and the two sky blue blades were hovering in a defensive position before her, with the Jedi blocking access to the Senator, who was crouched behind the desk.

The Dark Jedi, for Teer could easily sense his presence in the Dark Side, was a Zabrak, and also clutched a saberstaff. Like any good villain, he started a monologue, though it turned out to be quite short instead.

Rather than dignify him with an answer, Teer grabbed one of the mercenaries with the Force and tossed him out the shattered window, reducing the odds a little bit.

Needless to say the other two men opened fire, and Teer sprang into action with the knowledge that if she didn't deal with them soon, she'd be at an immense disadvantage.

Luckily she was a master of Shien, and the first shot was easily deflected back into the man who fired it, though the second shot she caught on her other blade wasn't at such a good angle and hit the ceiling.

Now it was down to two on one.

[Dr. Jake]

Grimacing at the quick deaths of his former comrades, Janar chuckled to himself. At least they wouldn't have to pay them, though money was one of the last things on his mind at the moment.

Ataru, Djem So, and passion were his instruments of death, and he fully intended to use whatever means necessary to complete his mission. The Zabrak Marauder malevolently laughed as he made an impossible leap into the air, nearly hitting the ceiling with his many horns.

Janar came down with all the speed and ferocity of a flaming meteor, his Togruta opponent the surface of a unsuspecting planet. The two blades of the lightsaber spinning in a flurry of crimson light. The Ataru stance would be easily anticipated and defeated by the Jedi. It mattered not to Janar, he was just toying with her.

Quan, the remaining mercenary, recognized the opportunity present, but also recognized the immense danger of leaving his cover. The one-eyed Duros held his rifle under his shoulder as he withdrew a flash-bang grenade. He thought about throwing it, grabbing the Senator, and running, but he decided against it. He didn't have a death wish, and when his Zabrak employer was angry, bad things happened.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

In a single fluid movement that belied both supreme comfort and decades of practice, Teer spun out of the way of the leap even as her hand snaked out and yanked the remaining mercenary directly into the path of the Dark Jedi's saberstaff with a powerful force pull.

He was sliced in the shoulder and fell to the ground, just in time for Teer to launch her own counterattack.

Dueling, in Master Ka's experience, revolved around many different facets, all import in their own ways. There was footwork, bladework, awareness, acrobatics, and psychological warfare.

The very last was what she hoped to gain, instilling an uncertainty by the removal of all support, and instilling doubt or consternation in the strike against his own ally. While not likely as effective against a Dark Jedi as with others, she still knew better than to dismiss it as a factor.

It was always a factor.

Her counterattack was fierce, a spin geared to deliver more force to her blow was underway, with the waist of her enemy the target. Unless he reacted, hed be bisected by a blue lightsaber blade, hopefully caught off balance and eliminated quickly.

Further thought in battle was impossible, planning strategies far ahead was an excellent way to get killed, to distract yourself from the real facts on the ground.

[Dr. Jake]

A smirk appeared across Janar's gray, cold face as his opponent dodged his attack rather effortlessly. Her move was executed brilliantly, moving the remaining Duros mercenary into his path. The poor fellow was sliced in the shoulder, but remained in the realm of the living, if only just. He must have had a ridiculously high level of pain tolerance, as the senior scoundrel didn't cry out in pain like some wretched excuse of a dog. The blue merc used his good side to begin the arduously long process of escaping the office.

His attempt was cut short by an effortless flick of Janar's staff. In his opinion, retreat was unacceptable, regardless of medical condition. His next move was far faster and far more difficult, parrying the Jedi's counter strike.

He spun the pair of crimson blades like a windmill, catching her blade on one of his. He fueled his muscles with the force, forcing the locked blades to his left, her right. As they struggled against each other, his golden eyes stared into her black discs, showing nothing but hate.

The Dark Jedi had nothing on his mind but victory. His entire being, his entire consciousness was focused on his opponent. Every fiber of his dark being was set on ending her life, regardless of the cost. His body was merely a weapon, a means to victory. Pain was only a minor nuisance to him, necessary discomfort.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

The Zabrak locked blades with her in the barest amount of time, lucky to be alive after his foolish stunt killing his wounded ally. It just proved the dark side was brash and reckless, risking everything for little gain. What was to his advantage in slaying his ally? Certainly nothing, yet he risked his body being severed all for that one extra act of murder.

Foolish, destructive, dangerous.

Everything she fought against. The dangers of the dark side had to be faced. They couldn't be dismissed out of hand, and those who practiced it couldn't go freely on their way. Invariably they caused plots and turmoil like this, wreaking havoc on civil society.

The Senator was lucky Teer was there. Jedi couldn't be everywhere to protect against the menace of the dark side, and she was fortunate to be the exception. Very fortunate.

With the blades locked, Teer knew better than to hold the contact. A battle of brute force would play to his advantage, while with her force-enhanced abilities a battle of agility and speed would cater to her. Of course fighting dirty would help.

The Togruta Jedi lashed out with her boot and caught the Dark Jedi in the ankle, throwing him off balance. Instantaneously she pushed off from the ground and leaped over him in a classic Ataru maneuver, dipping her blades down to catch him in the neck as she crossed over.

Luckily she had an extra advantage in such duels. She detected space ultrasonically, and had the ability to gauge positions, speeds, and movements all without even opening her eyes. It was much like having eyes on the back of her head, and she could literally move to block even an attack that came in a blind spot.

[Dr. Jake]

This old woman was quite the Jedi. The Zabrak came to the realization that she was more powerful and more skilled than he, despite having an age gap of almost three decades. It didn't matter to him, he had been given a mission and he fully intended to complete his mission. He had experienced first hand how his master handled weakness and surrender.

Janar was caught off of his guard when the Togruta pulled his ankle out from under him with her own foot. He fell to the ground, but quickly recovered and moved his neck out of harms way. Somewhere in the mix, his own saberstaff was deactivated. Unfortunately, the blue blades did not miss his chest. One of them scraped across the upper part of his torso, digging an eighth of an inch or so into his marble colored flesh.

The pain was searing, but Janar knew the attack had missed anything vital, namely his hearts. Using the blood-wrenching pain as a catalyst, the Dark Jedi pulled off a back-flip and landed on his feet. Reigniting his dual-bladed weapon, Janar took up a Djem So stance.

Through clenched teeth and with undeniable anger, the Zabrak chastised the Jedi before him.

"That wasn't very honorable, now was it Master Jedi?"

Letting out a scream that could have only emerged from one of the nine Corellian Hells, Janar ripped the desk from the floor and flung it at the woman with all the force he could muster. He followed up with a torrent of force lightning, thinking the Jedi could never avoid both of them.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Teer Ka knew better than to bother engaging in verbal duels with Dark Jedi. It invariably split the speaker's concentration and made them more vulnerable, and reacting to taunts could cloud the emotions of many. These were all things she could recognize and avoid reacting to, which were both things she taught to any student willing to listen.

Her opponent was injured already now, and though he was talking it was clear he was on the defensive. That was shown by his defensive stance rather than a leap to the offense as Djem So dictated. He was taking breathing room to himself.

As to what he said, Teer could dismiss that out of hand. In a duel two people entered and one prevailed. The only constraint was that she win. How didn't matter to her.

Yes, many Jedi were unhealthily fixated on honor, but they didn't realize there were different kinds of honor. Honor in battle was a foolish way to get killed. Honor in the rest of life was admirable. It took wisdom to know the time and place for each.

Before Teer could attack, the Zabrak flung the desk at her and sent force lightning towards her. Her response was swift and sure.

The Togruta Jedi sidestepped the desk before it smashed the wall and splintered into tiny pieces, and spun her blade up to catch the lightning. And then she advanced, step by step forcing the crackling lightning back towards the wielder.

[Dr. Jake]

Astonished once again by the Togruta's power and endurance, Janar mirrored her and brought his own saber up. The energy blades caught a majority of the horrible arcs, but several still licked at his skin, bringing more unbearable pain down on the Dark Jedi. The Jedi continued to advance, defeating his assault outright.

Janar was strong and could endure a thousand wounds, but a wound as severe as his coupled with the reflected force lightning were a lot to bear. He was able to continue combat, but even he, proud and pompous, knew that he would only be prolonging the inevitable. At full strength, he could give the older force-user a run for her money, but not in this state.

He needed to return to Maxus and the rest of the family, there he could recuperate. But the words of his master rang true in his mind.

"Brother, this is your final test. Do not fail me. Do not fail our family."

But to him, survival was more important than pleasing the only man who had ever taken any interest in his life.

"This isn't over, Jedi." He said with all the ferocity of a fresh combatant.


Before he knew it, the barrage of force lightning was ended, and his opponent was several meters away from him. The wounded Dark Jedi, thinking quickly and relying predominantly on instinct, pulled down a large and impressive light fixture that was handing a foot before the Jedi. As it fell, Janar deactivated his saberstaff and took off, back the way he came.

Augmented by the force, his speed and dexterity were otherwise impossible by most Zabrak standards. He darted out of the office in a hasty retreat, zooming into the abandoned lobby and into the stairwell. He jumped the gray railing, allowing his black-clad body to fall down a dozen stories, gravity carrying him far faster than his legs ever could, force augmented or not.

Using the force to cushion his body, Janar caught hold of some railing, effectively freezing his descent. Aware that the Jedi was probably right at his haunches, he wasted on times in descending the last two stories with a loosening of his grip.

Cushioning his fall once more, the pale humanoid landed with a roll, never missing a beat. He was through a set of black double doors in less than a second, emerging in the main lobby.

What he saw actually surprised him. A group of security guards and policemen had formed some sort of a perimeter around the building, effectively blocking him in. Janar could feel the Jedi closing in, and was getting desperate.

In an act of desperation and intuition, the Dark Jedi used the force to break the ends off of the ceiling sprinklers, causing them to spew gallons of water into the lobby. It would obstruct the view of the officers, and possibly disorient his opponent. All it really did was buy him time.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Teer dodged the falling light fixture, then vaulted over it as she took off after the Zabrak.

If they were both normal people, he would have had the advantage in speed, being able to outrun the older Togruta. However they both counted the Force as their ally, and she was able to enhance her speed with it, to match him.

In fact, she was rapidly gaining on him by the time he reached the stairwell. He flung himself over the edge, and Teer grimaced. As much as she hated falling, she had to follow him down somehow, and if she took the stairs he'd be long gone. Already he was fading from sight down below.

The Togruta vaulted the railing and felt herself plummeting rapidly, with the uncomfortable feeling inside her protesting stomach keeping her thoroughly uncomfortable all the way down.

At the bottom, she reached out and grabbed the railing, feeling herself jerked by the sudden deceleration. The shock then pried her loose and she fell the remaining distance, landing in a crouch. After a split second to recover, she darted out into the lobby and was drenched in water falling from the ceiling, her Jedi robes promptly sticking to her slender form.

She spotted the Zabrak running outside the building and she followed, pausing just one moment by the police.

"Secure the Senator on the twelfth floor, now!"

The Togruta Weapons Master darted after the Dark Jedi, continuing her dogged pursuit.

[Dr. Jake]

Through a combination of anticipation, frustration, and anger, Janar was able to force his wounded body through impossible feats. Through some Dark Side miracle, the Zabrak was able to escape the lobby of the building. Before he knew it, he was rushing through a crowd of people, doing his best not to hit anyone.

The morass of life and unending noise would help him escape, or so he hoped. The fleeing Dark Jedi made a snap decision, darting into a side alley, bolting down the narrow path and cutting lefts and rights. Using his near mastery of force body techniques, Janar leaped into the corrupt Coruscanti air, grabbing hold of a low hanging fire escape platform.

With the dexterity of a spider, the Zabrak climbed, jumped, and clawed his way to the rooftop of the relatively low building. It, he decided, was a good place to rest for a few precious seconds. The shamed and defeated Dark Jedi breathed heavily, exhausted and taxed by his wound.

It wasn't long, however, until he felt the cursed Jedi catching up to him, and had to return to his flight. He wasn't far now from the shuttle. The mercenary pilot had been instructed to keep the craft prepped for flight on the nearest landing pad.

Realizing that his time was dwindling, and that there would be time for recovery later, the pale Zabrak bolted across the low-lying rooftops, taking leaps and bounds when necessary. All his training and conditioning was paying for itself, even if the Dark Jedi was pushing his machine of a body to its very limits. It was in sight now, the shuttle.

A blur of white and black, Janar jumped off of a three-story structure, and aided by the force, landed in a well-executed, yet painful, roll. Sensing the Togruta second behind him, the Zabrak barreled through a combination of people, stairways, and doors until he finally reached the rendezvous point.

His body exhausted and depleted, Janar flung himself onto the extended entry ramp as the shuttle began to take off. Before the entry ramp sealed, the Zabrak caught a glimpse of his pursuer, still hot on the chase.

But alas, the shuttle had lifted off and was making good speed, already far out of range. It had to leave the planet's orbit quickly before they were identified. Judging from the nature and longevity of the pursuit, that wouldn't take very long.

Unfortunately for Janar, Jedi were incredibly clever and resourceful, and he had underestimated this.