main
side
curve
  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Beyond - Legends Second To None--Sacrifices : L/M, TK/J, J/J, OCs: COMPLETE: 3/10/2013 with Fan Art

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by Jedi_Lover, Nov 30, 2012.

Tags:
  1. Hazel

    Hazel Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 9, 2010
    I think Mark is needing a bit of a spankikg of his own, not jist Jacen. :p

    I really liked seeing Isolder in this last part. I like him.
     
  2. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Enjoyed both scenes. Oooh, the virus is unleashed. [face_worried] I know it will snag some unintended victims. And will Lumiya fall into the trap? ;) =D=
     
  3. Demendora

    Demendora Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Apr 9, 2010
    I wonder, how Luke is gonna deal with this entire situation. I mean, his nephew betrayed them and nearly killes/killed his wife, and his friend turned Sith saving Mara. What a mess:(
     
  4. SiouxFan

    SiouxFan Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 6, 2012
    I agree with Hazel, I've always liked Isolder for some odd reason.

    Ummm.... aren't Headhunters a predecessor to the X-wing? I was unaware that they had cabins on those things.

    Mark is clearly thinking that the ends justify the means with his treatment of Jacen (lying about Mara being alive), what will he think when he learns what Jacen is doing? Ta'a Chume is a clear and present danger to Hapes in general and Tenel Ka in particular.
     
  5. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    I had said earlier that it was modified. Meaning I have no clue about spaceships. So I just say everything is modified so people don't know what the heck I am actually describing. Maybe I should add that again because sometimes I forget if I mentioned something in this story, or the original STN story or The Journal of Mark Tantiss. Anyway, in all my stories, with the exception of the X-Wing and SteathX I say they are modified to add a crew cabin because I usually have to drag cargo around or bring more than one person somewhere in the story.

    Edit: I mentioned it again in the last chapter. It was modified to have a toilet a couple chapters ago and if you have a toilet you might as well have a small galley. Why would a ship made to travel across the galaxy not have some sort of urinal? I can understand fighters that are stationed on a larger ship and just go out for sorties...but something you are going to use to cross the galaxy should be modified. But then I remember taking a Space-A hop in a C130 across county and the crew said they didn't have bathroom facilities for women. They had a curtained off section of the cargo hold that had a bucket to urinate in. I'm thinking, "You gotta be kidding me?":rolleyes:

    Nice catch. I think you know what Mark will think. If any Jedi could understand Jacen's reasoning, it would be Mark.
     
  6. SiouxFan

    SiouxFan Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 6, 2012
    Sorry, I don't want you to think that I am all eaten up by ship types; that was meant to be more tongue-in-cheek than anything else! I was typing while trying to picture a 'stretch' Headhunter in my head. (I think they're actually pretty small, so Mark had to do a heck of a fuselage stretch!)
     
  7. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    It's like a stretch limo. lol! I don't know. I'm thinking it would have maybe a two meter section added on. He got some dudes to pimp his ride.
     
  8. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    Thanks EmeraldJediFire, Briannakin, SiouxFan, Demendora, Jade_eyes, Hazel, for reading and taking the time to review. You know, I am not sure how Luke will react to Mark. I am sure he would want to yell at him to going dark, but the fact that he went dark to save Mara...Luke has to be torn. But you have to realize how torn Mark would be. That couldn't have been an easy decision for him. As for the virus...a good biological weapon would be one where you don't suspect it was manufactured. Have it mimic the flu and when people die you are not too surprised. But if you put out a virus and everybody dropped dead immediately...then you know an investigation would occur. If the geneticist unleashed the Rakghoul plague...I think people would suspect foulplay. So making the virus a deadly flu is good thinking.

    So here is the second part of the boring "getting people in place" part. After this we should have some action.

    ~JL~
    _________________________________________________________________________________________


    Myrkr System

    Mark piloted his ship to Karrde’s Myrkr facility and set down on the large landing pad located outside the main compound.

    He turned to Jacen and gave him a lopsided grin as he gestured to forest outside the viewport. “Welcome to the beautiful planet of Myrkr. Home to ysalamiri, vornskrs and scenic olbio trees,” Mark chuckled. He unbuckled his crash webbing and then got up and unlocked the restraints holding Jacen to the seat and pulled him into a standing position. Grabbing the nutrient cage with his pet ysalamiri, Mark guided Jacen out the ship’s egress. Jacen complied silently, exiting the ship and shuffling across the landing pad.

    “Did you know Luke was once held captive here by Mara?” Mark said with a reminiscent smile as they walked toward the main building. “Mara never admitted it to me, but I’m sure this is where those two first fell in love.”

    “I know the story,” Jacen shot back. “Why am I here?”

    “The same reason Luke was brought here. It’s a good place to keep a Jedi captive.” Mark glanced over to Jacen. “Maybe being surrounded by thousands of ysalamiri will reduce your dark side tendencies.”

    “I don’t have dark side tendencies.” Jacen said defiantly. “And you’re one to talk. Look at yourself…you’ve gone dark. How long have you been Sith!”

    “I’m not Sith.” Mark chuckled. “You’re the one running around with a known Sith, not me.”

    “You have no proof of that and you’re the one with the telltale yellow Sith eyes.” Jacen pointed out.

    Mark smirked as they entered the building. “I guess you have me all figured out, Jacen. Mark Tantiss, Jedi Master, veteran of thirty-eight New Republic and Galactic Alliance combat operations and an equal amount of Jedi missions is secretly a Sith and patiently waiting for the right moment to take over the galaxy. When my sons have provided me enough grandchildren my family can rise up together and conquer the known universe.” Mark raised his free hand into the air in a grand gesture and then gave a sardonic laugh.

    Jacen glowered at Mark. “Joke if you want, but I felt the darkness within you.”

    Mark grabbed Jacen’s shoulder bringing him to a halt. He gave his nephew a cool gaze. “You’re right. There is darkness within me. It was brought out through Mara’s death. You are the reason I’m like this.”

    “I didn’t kill Aunt Mara,” Jacen said through clentched teeth.

    “Sure you did,” he said disdainfully. “You can’t lie to me Jacen.”

    He gave Jacen’s shoulder a slight push to get him walking again. They moved into the building and down the austere, dusty corridor until they came to a small room furnished with a steel frame bed and little else.

    “Lay down on the bed,” Mark ordered.

    Jacen looked like he wasn’t going to refuse, but then decided against it. He flopped down on the bunk lying on his back. Mark brought his arms above his head, unlocked one cuff and ran it behind on of the rails of the bed backboard and then re-cuffed Jacen.

    Jacen yanked at the cuffs angrily. “You’re actually stun cuffing me to a bed.”

    Mark smirked. “It’s not that uncomfortable. I once spent an entire day…” Mark stopped suddenly and blushed. “Just shut up and rest. You need to heal. Meanwhile I’m having Jaden fly in to patch you up.” He turned and left the room.

    Once Mark was gone Jacen began testing the strength of his restraints. He pulled and jerked the stuncuffs in an attempt to break free of the bedpost rail.

    ‘He won’t get away with this,’ Jacen fumed. ‘My family will come for me.’

    By now, his parents and siblings must have noticed his absence and they would be looking for him. After all, people knew he was alive and in Mark’s custody. He wasn’t sure who his uncle was talking to on the subspace transceiver the first time, but his Aunt Kira definitely knew he was with Mark and now he was bringing in his son.

    He stopped in thought. Why call in Jaden? Why not, Cilghal?

    An alarming thought crossed his mind. Did Mark’s family know he was Sith? Could he have been serious when he said his family would rule the galaxy? Was his first step the infiltration of the Jedi Order? Lumiya once told Jacen that Palpatine used Force Stealth and Buried Presence to hide his dark side affiliation from the Jedi Council for decades. Could Mark have already turned his sons and perhaps other Jedi in the temple?

    Jaden was a healer and not much of a threat, but Talon Tantiss was a different story. He was one of the Jedi’s fiercest fighters. He could best most opponents with a lightsaber—with the exception of Jacen’s sister, Jaina, and his Aunt Mara.

    His Aunt Mara….

    Jacen groaned inwardly at the thought of his aunt. Was she really dead? Did Lumiya betray him? Deep down, knew it was a possibility. She was Sith, and if she wanted to cut him off from the Jedi, killing his aunt would guarantee he would have no place to go but to her. He shook his head. No, if she betrayed him, he would never return to Lumiya. Perhaps Tenel Ka would help him. She was his wife…their love should be unconditional. She was also the ruler of over sixty-three star systems, there had to be a place where he could hide out. She would understand him wanting Ta’a Chume dead…and if Mara was dead…Tenel Ka would know he would never hurt his aunt on purpose. She would help him.

    He craned his head back to inspect his restraints. The bed was old and rusty. If he could break the welds of the railing and there was a chance he could escape his captor and go into hiding…but not before he warned his family that a Sith had infiltrated the Jedi Order.
    .
    .
    .
    When Mark came into Jacen’s room late that night to check on him, he wasn’t wearing his customary Jedi outfit, but black cargo pants and a dark grey compression shirt. Over his clothing was a scratched and dented dull gray Beskar armor chest plate with matching codpiece. He also carried a dangerous looking blaster rifle that looked more like a handheld cannon.

    “You look dressed to kill,” Jacen remarked tensely.

    A cocky smile appeared on his uncle’s face. “You like the outfit?” He looked down and gave his clothing an appraising gaze. “I never liked Jedi Robes. They make me look fat.”

    Jacen gave an amused snort. “They do make your butt look a little big,” Jacen said sarcastically.

    His uncle gave him a grin. “There’s the nephew I once knew.” His smile waned as he gazed at Jacen. “The dark side…it changes people.”

    Jacen stared into his uncle’s yellow stained eyes. “What are you going to do with me? Are you going to kill me?”

    Mark shook his head. “No, I’m not going to hurt you Jacen. You’re useful. You’re the bait that’s going to help me catch a big fish.” He hoisted the blaster rifle up into a port arms position. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to zero my weapon. I’m expecting company.”

    Jacen was momentarily confused. “What do you mean I’m bait? What company? Who are you going to shoot?” When he didn’t receive a response Jacen brought his head up, searching for his uncle, but he was already gone.

    “I’m bait?” he whispered to himself as a shiver ran down his spine. Could Mark be using him to lure Luke and possibly Jacen’s family into a trap? Was he intent on blasting them while they were Force blind?

    “Oh no,” he groaned as he banged his cuffs against the bedrail, renewing his effort to escape. He didn’t know what his uncle planned, but he had a very bad feeling about this.
    .
    .
    .
    The next morning Mark heard a ship approach the area. He immediately turned off the holonet show he was watching and snatched up his blaster rifle by its sling and pulled it over his shoulder. He checked his belt and made sure his lightsaber and side blaster were in place before he moved to the front building entrance.

    He hoped it was Jaden coming to check up on Jacen’s condition, but it wasn’t. Instead an unfamiliar ship was landing. It was a long, sleek ship that looked a bit like a militarized JS-6 Shuttle. He could see turboblasters on the underbelly of the craft but they appeared to be in the retracted position and not scanning for a target.

    He waited until the ship powered down and the ramp lowered before he ventured out from behind the cover of an exterior fortification wall.

    A woman stalked down the ramp. She was wearing a formfitting black leather outfit with a matching silk cape flowing behind her. On her head was a strange triangular headpiece with a cloth veil concealing the lower portion of her face. When she reached the bottom of the boarding ramp, she activated a nasty looking Force whip and spun it around her in an impressive show of skill. The deadly weapon moved so fast Mark could only make out a blur of blue energy whirling up and around her.

    Mark realized Jacen’s Master had finally come to fetch him. This was definitely the woman from the gym and he was positive he knew her identity. He was now standing face-to-face with Lumiya, Dark Lady of the Sith.

    Mark grinned. “This should be fun.”
     
  9. Demendora

    Demendora Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Apr 9, 2010
    On the most interesting point of the chapter..aaarg! I' ll be so looking forward to this meeting!
     
  10. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Whee! Show time! Oh, [face_laugh] that's probably not the best way to put that. [face_laugh] =D=
     
  11. EmeraldJediFire

    EmeraldJediFire Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 23, 2012
    And so it begins; I like it how Jacen and Mark totally have each other figured out all wrong lol;)
     
  12. Hazel

    Hazel Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 9, 2010
    yeah ,this is the perfect example where one's logical thinking takes in the WRONG direction. :oops:
     
  13. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    As my grandfather says: there are three individuals in the game of hunting: the hunter, the hunted and the bait, and it almost never works out well for the bait.

    I can't wait it see how it all unfolds.
     
    Jade_eyes likes this.
  14. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    Thanks Demendora, Hazel, Briannakin, EmeraldJediFire, Jade_eyes for reading and taking the time to comment. Mark and Jacen have no clue as to what is actually going on with each other. But they both have their reasons for keeping their secrets.

    ~JL~

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    Myrkr

    Lumiya, Dark Lady of the Sith, halted her impressive display of lightwhip acrobatics and glared at Mark. “I’ve come for my apprentice.”

    He gave her an inscrutable smile. “You’re going to have a hell of a time getting him. If you haven’t noticed,” he motioned to the surrounded forest. “This planet is a void in the Force.”

    Although he couldn’t see her mouth he could tell she was smiling under the fabric. She spun her crackling whip around once again. “I don’t need the Force to wield a whip. Give him to me or you will…” She hesitated and stared at him intently. “Your eyes.” Her head cocked to the side. “You’re…you’re Sith?”

    Mark chuckled at her obvious confusion. “Sure, why don’t you turn off the whip and we’ll go inside and discuss a plan for galactic domination.”

    She stood in stunned silence. Finally she gained her voice. “What? Seriously?”

    Mark let out a booming laugh. “No, sarcastically. Gods you Sith are stupid.”

    Her face flush red in anger. “Hand over Jacen Solo or you will die.”

    Mark grabbed his lightsaber off his belt and ignited it. “Since I am a Jedi I will give you the opportunity to surrender. It’s a formality, but Luke likes me to at least ask before I decapitate someone.”

    Now it was time for Lumiya to laugh. “I really doubt you have any chance of that.” She took a step closer to Mark. “You are just as Force blind as I am and without the Force, pure skill will determine the outcome of this fight…and I am more than confident my skills outweigh yours.” He could see one cheek rise up as in a smirk. “I was told you were not the best student when it came to the lightsaber. That will be your undoing.”

    She dragged the whip back and forth across the duracrete landing pad menacingly, leaving a black scorched pattern in its wake. Mark looked at his lightsaber and then to her deadly whip before he smirked. “You’re right about one thing. I was never good with a lightsaber. My son could best me by the time he was twelve.” He deactivated his saber and calmly attached it to his belt. “You know, there’s an old Corellian saying, ‘Never bring a whip to a blaster fight’. With that he quickly pulled his blaster rifle off his shoulder and began firing in rapid succession.

    Lumiya’s eyes went wide as she attempted to deflect the blaster bolts with the lightwhip. Unfortunately, it was not the best defensive weapon. She soon dropped the whip and brought up her lightsaber in defense, but this was of little help. Without the use of the Force nobody was quick enough to deflect a barrage of blaster bolts. One-by-one shots penetrated her defenses. One bolt hit her square in the chest and Mark could see blood, smoke and sparks from her cybernetic parts pouring out of her torso. Lumiya dropped heavily to her knees, her saber falling from her hand and deactivating as it hit the ground. She looked up at him blankly, as if not understanding what had just happened.

    “Like I said, stupid...being a Sith must rot your brain.” Mark muttered under his breath as he cautiously moved toward the woman. She tried to stagger to her feet but then fell forward face first onto the ground. He kept his blaster aimed at her as he moved forward to secure her weapons and then tossed them out of reach. He used his foot to roll Lumiya onto her back so he could see her face.

    Her headpiece had become unsecured and he could see graying red hair protruding from under the fabric. Her eyes were a deep green, without a hint of yellow as he expected… but without the Force perhaps her eyes wouldn’t take on the jaundice color he had once seen with Emperor Palpatine. Lumiya pulled the veil away from her face and gasped for air. She slowly lifted her head and regarded at the gaping wound in her chest. “Just kill me,” she gasped.

    Mark knelt down next to her and did a quick search for more weapons, but found none. “You know Jedi don’t kill in cold blood.”

    She gave a rasping laugh. “Your eyes tell me you have wandered from the path of the Jedi.”

    “True, but not too far,” Mark conceded.

    She gave him a sardonic smirk. “It’s too bad I didn’t approach you to be my apprentice. We have so much in common.”

    His posture stiffened at the suggestion. “We have nothing in common,” Mark protested sharply.

    “That’s where you’re wrong. We both hold Palpatine’s memories. After he left your body he entered mine.”

    Mark grimaced. “That always sounds so wrong.”

    She laughed, coughing up blood while doing so. “You’re right, that does sound awful.” She closed her eyes and struggled for breath. “His spirit left me when he realized the extent of my cybernetic replacements. But his memories remained.”

    He gave her a curious look. “If you are in possession of Palpatine’s knowledge, why not heal yourself?”

    She looked at him incredulously. “First of all I would need access to the Force!”

    “Oh yeah,” Mark mumbled. “I keep forgetting about that.”

    She scowled at him as the color slowly drained from her face. “And second, that technique doesn’t work on cybernetics you di’kut.”

    “Ah, yeah,” Mark conceded. “That too.”

    Lumiya made a gurgling sound before she coughed up more blood. She looked up at Mark with an unsteady gaze. “You have to let Jacen go. He’s needed to fight the great evil that awaits the galaxy in the near future.”

    Mark scoffed as he stood up and slung his weapon over his shoulder. “I don’t think so. If he turns Sith, he'll become the great evil.”

    “No,” she shook her head. “A Master of the Unifying Force is needed to defeat the future danger. Jacen can become that person.”

    Mark cocked an eyebrow her way. “Why do you believe that?”

    She propped herself on one elbow while struggling to talk. “The dark prophets said the ancient evil that awaits us might be killed by a warrior that is neither seeped in the dark or light side of the Force.”

    Mark’s brow furrowed. “And you interpreted that as being a Master of the Unifying Force? Why not a warrior that is not a Sith or Jedi? Or a person void of the Force?”

    “The Force lives within all living things.” Lumiya pointed out.

    “That’s debatable.”

    “Don’t kill him,” Lumiya begged. “Jacen’s done nothing wrong.”

    Mark shook his head and scoffed. “Other than killing Mara, you mean?”

    Lumiya closed her eyes as a despondent expression crossed her face. “He didn’t…I did. I deserve your wrath, not him.”

    Mark snorted in disbelief. “Why are you taking the blame for him?”

    “Because he would never intentionally hurt his aunt. He’s innocent. I’m the killer. You need to let him go.”

    “That will be up to Luke,” he said absently. He gazed down at her intently, wondering what he should do with her. Finally he came to a decision. He reached down, grabbed her up in his arms and started walking toward the compound.

    “Where are you bringing me?” she asked, grimacing in pain with every step.

    “If I leave you out here the Vornskrs will eat you alive and I don’t want to have to clean up the mess.” He looked down at the dying woman in his arms. “What is this great approaching evil?”

    She shook her head softly. “I don’t know, but it must be stopped.”

    Mark brought the Dark Lady into the building and went down the corridor in the opposite direction of Jacen’s room. He pushed open the door of a crew cabin and laid her gently on the bed. He didn’t see a need for restraints; she wasn’t long for this world.

    He turned to leave but Lumiya reached out and tugged at the hem of his tunic. “Wait,” she gasped. “Tell Luke I’m sorry. I tried to change. I tried to redeem myself, but everything I did turned out wrong. Either it’s in my nature to be evil or the dark side refused to give up its hold on me. I really am sorry.”

    Mark looked down into regret filled eyes brimming with unshed tears. “I believe you,” he whispered “I’ll let him know.”

    “Thank you,” she whispered as hot tears finally escaped and ran down her face. “I’m in pain. If you won’t kill me…then stun me. Please.”

    “Okay,” Mark sighed. He pulled his blaster out of his holster and set it to stun. He then pointed at Lumiya and fired.
     
  15. Hazel

    Hazel Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 9, 2010
    That was a cool fight! =D=

    Now what happens?

    *eagerly waiting the next chapter*
     
  16. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Hahaha. Awesome fight. Can't wait to see what happens next
     
  17. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Awesome =D= =D= [:D] Your Lumiya/Shira is the best I think I've ever read. :cool:
     
  18. EmeraldJediFire

    EmeraldJediFire Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 23, 2012
    Why does everyone automatically think Mark's a sith just because of his eyes? He could just be really immersed....then again I don't think Luke's ever been qouted with yellow eyes when he's touched the dark side...Nevermind lol
     
  19. Demendora

    Demendora Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Apr 9, 2010
    I never expected that from myself, but in this chapter I feel such sympathy for this woman. :_|I don't know why((
     
  20. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    I can't remember if I told Ginchy or Hazel, but I told someone I had three goals: try to get a romance scene for all the couples, give a semi-happy ending to all the characters, and make people like all the Sith and Sith-wannabes. ;)
     
  21. Demendora

    Demendora Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Apr 9, 2010
    well, good job)
     
  22. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    Thanks Demendora, EmeraldJediFire, Jade_eyes, Hazel, and Briannakin for reading. Thanks. For that fight I thought of Indiana Jones and that bad guy with the sword he shot. Yellow eyes are usually the sign that one is drawing on the darkside. In the profics and movies Anakin Skywalker, Jacen Solo, Palpatine, and Cade Skywalker all had their eyes turn yellow when they drew on the darkside of the Force. Mark thinks they are remaining yellow because it interacted with the dye in his eyes.

    Thanks for reading. This story is a lot longer than I thought. I wrote 50K words of dialog...just dialog. When I add in scene descriptions it makes the story much longer.

    ~JL~
    _____________________________________________________________


    Myrkr

    Mark holstered his blaster and checked Lumiya’s pulse. She was still alive, but he doubted she would be that way for long. Without cybernetic replacements all the bacta in the world wouldn’t help.

    He walked out of the room and wandered down to the kitchen while pondering the situation.

    Something wasn’t right.

    If Jacen met with Lumiya simply to train to become a Master of the Unifying Force…then why kill Mara? Why deny everything so long? The Jedi would have admonished him for associating with a known Sith. He’d be put on probation for a while and that would be the end of it. There had to be more to the story.

    He went to the kitchen’s cooling unit and pulled out a bottle of juice. He unscrewed the top and took a long swig as he thought about the situation. For Jacen to risk Jedi censure Lumiya must have offered him something he wanted. Mark didn’t think it was money or power; Jacen didn’t seem the type to be influenced by greed.

    It could have simply been knowledge. Jacen was known for scouring the galaxy for information on Force techniques. Mark didn’t know what triggered his previous obsessive search for new Force skills, but he disappeared for years. But, if it wasn’t knowledge…then what was Jacen’s weakness? What could Lumiya have offered him in exchange for his apprenticeship? He could ask Jacen, but he doubted his nephew would fess up.

    Mark was finishing up his juice when he heard Jacen calling out his name.

    “Mark, can you let me go! I need to use the ‘fresher,” Jacen yelled in a disdainful tone of voice.

    “I’m coming,” he called back and trotted down to where this nephew was locked up.

    Jacen’s eyes went wide with panic when Mark entered the room. “Sithspit! What the hell happened? Who’d you kill?”

    Mark frowned unsure what he meant. He then looked down at his shirt and armored chest plate and realized Lumiya bleed all over it when he carried her in.

    “Damn it,” Mark cursed. “This is my last clean shirt.”

    “Who’d you kill?” Jacen sounded frantic.

    Mark had started unbuckling his bloody armor when his comlink in his side pocket beeped. He pulled it out and read the message. “Jaden’s ship just entered the atmosphere. I need to clean up. I don’t want him to see me covered with blood.” He turned to leave but Jacen protested.

    “I have to piss and I want to know who you killed?”

    Mark finished taking off his armor and dropped it to the ground. “Oh, that’s Sith blood. Lumiya’s to be exact.” Mark went over to Jacen and unlocked one cuff and then reattached it to the bed rail so Jacen had one free hand. Mark handed him the empty juice container. “Here you can take a leak in this.”

    As Jacen reached out for the bottle, Mark pulled it back. “Before I give this to you, I need to warn you…if you throw a bottle of urine at me or across the room I will stun your Sith butt and then wipe up the mess with your unconscious body. Do you understand?”

    Jacen scowled at him. “I understand. No throwing piss.”

    “Good.” Mark handed him the plastic bottle. He picked up his armor and went to leave but Jacen’s voice halted him again.

    “You killed Lumiya?”

    Mark turned to his nephew and frowned. “She’s not dead yet, but she soon will be. She said she came for you…her apprentice. Those are her words, not mine. I let her know that wasn’t going to happen. She wasn’t happy with my plan to keep you and decided to fight. I guess she didn’t know killing Sith is my specialty.” Mark looked down where blood was running off his armor and onto the floor. “I got to go. Remember no throwing urine.”

    Jacen watched his blood covered uncle leave the room. He wasn’t sure what he meant by ‘She’s not dead yet’. Was he torturing her? With that much blood he must be skinning her alive. And what did he mean when he said, ‘She wasn’t happy with my plan to keep you’. Did Uncle Mark plan to make him his apprentice?

    “That’s not going to happen,” Jacen whispered as he looked at the bottle given to him. He was going to relieve his bladder and then he was going to escape
    .
    .
    .

    Mark stood outside the building as he watched the Temple shuttle Jedi Sentinel land next to Lumiya’s ship. When the boarding ramp came down it wasn’t Jaden who exited, but Mark’s youngest son Talon Tantiss.

    Talon stopped at the top of the ramp to survey his surroundings. He wore a black form-fitting Jedi outfit with a lightweight cloak that would often billow out like a cape. It was an alternative Jedi uniform preferred by the younger Knights. Mark wore a brown version of the outfit, but with the traditional Jedi cloak, mainly to pacify Grand Master Luke. If Mark had his way he would wear his cargo pants, compression shirts and Beskar armor all the time.

    The wind whipped across the boarding ramp blowing Talon’s blond mop of hair into a tangled mess. Mark had to chuckle at the sight; he looked like a poster boy for a Jedi recruiting Holo. In fact, Talon was sometimes used in Jedi recruiting pamphlets. He was the personification of the perfect Jedi. Talon was tall—just under two-meters in height—muscular, an expert in most lightsaber techniques, and had an aura of power that radiated from him. It also didn’t hurt that he looked more like Luke Skywalker than Luke’s own sons.

    Of course, Talon would actually look just like his father if Mark didn’t dye his hair and irises in order to hide the fact that he was cloned from Skywalker DNA. But since the general public knew nothing about Mark’s background they had a field day propagating rumors about Talon being Luke’s love child. The stories didn’t bother Mark so much because he knew the truth, but his wife Kira and Mara were not amused by the rumors…especially when some of them made their way around the Temple.

    Finally Kira threatened to move from the temple in order to get away from the dirty looks if something was not done about the stories. Reluctantly, Luke gathered the Master’s together and finally let everybody know of Mark’s origins and asked them to try to squash the rumors within the temple walls.

    Of course that didn’t stop the rumormongers from running amok outside the Academy. The sleemo reporters not only enjoyed spreading the rumor that Talon was Luke’s illegitimate son, but Talon Tantiss did nothing to try to stop the rumors. It was almost like he enjoyed the attention of being the supposed love child of the Grand Master…especially when he discovered that women were turned on by the prospect.

    From the time he was in his late teens until now in his mid-twenties, he had fostered a reputation of being a ladies’ man. To date there had been eight paternity tests ordered for Talon. To Mark’s great relief none of the children turned out to be of his son’s making. Mark wasn’t sure if Talon’s reputation was real or more the creation of the media.

    The young man strutted down the loading ramp in a cocky gait that was reminiscent of Lando Callrissian’s stride. He gave his father a wide smile. “Hey Dad.”

    Mark walked forward and greeted his son. “It’s good to see you Talon,” He put a hand on his son’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. He looked up to the ship. “Did you bring Jaden?”

    “He’s on board and packing up his medical field gear. I thought I would come down and check out the situation first.”

    Mark gave a disappointed frown. “Did you tell your brother to stay inside the ship until you determined if I went to the dark side or not?”

    Talon laughed and gave his father a teasing grin. “Dad, we all know you can’t go Sith.”

    Mark furrowed his brow in confusion. “And why is that?”

    “Because Mom didn’t give you permission to do so,” Talon said then burst out laughing.

    The older man shook his head. “I don’t do everything you mother tells me.”

    “Sure you don’t,” his son replied in a sarcastic tone. “Okay, let’s see if I am dealing with Darth Daddy.” He chuckled as he walked around his father and taking inventory of his clothing. “Hmmm…cargo pants, stained compression shirt and a red chafing on your neck from wearing a ysalamiri shoulder carrier. It’s not what I would expect from a Sith. Don’t you guys wear Pleather pants, giant male-enhancing cod pieces, have bad personal hygiene, rotting teeth, yellow eyes, and an uncontrollable desire for world domination?”

    Mark smiled. “Pretty much…I do have the yellow eyes,” Mark pointed out.

    “I noticed that.” He gazed at his father evenly. “Was that from saving Aunt Mara?”

    Mark nodded. “I didn’t want to cross the line to the dark side, but I had no choice.”

    “Luke would say everybody has a choice,” Talon pointed out.

    That comment irritated Mark. “No!” he said emphatically. “I had no choice because I wasn’t going to let Ben cradle his dead mother in his arms when I had the knowledge to save her. I could never look Luke or Ben in the eyes again if I did.”

    Talon sighed. “Dad, I would have probably done the same, but the Jedi don’t think anything is worth risking yourself to the dark side. If you fell the galaxy would have faced a much greater danger from you.”

    Mark turned and gave a gesture of disbelief. “I wouldn’t let that happen.”

    Talon gave his father a knowing look. “Why are you here, Dad? To keep the dark side from influencing you?”

    Mark shook his head. “No, I am here because of Jacen. He’s the one who decided to apprentice under a known Sith. He needs medical help and we need to find a way to…I don’t know…deprogram him from his evil ways.”

    Talon nodded. “I should let you know Mom told Luke where you are, so we’re probably only an hour ahead of him. If you want Jaden to pretty Jacen up before Luke arrives, we need to do it now.”

    “Hey,” a voice called out from the ship’s boarding ramp. Jaden Tantiss was standing on the top of the ramp burdened down with three large medical bags. Jaden was as tall as his brother, but that is where the resemblance ended. He had wavy brown hair, dark eyes and deeply tanned skin like his mother. “Can someone help, I can’t levitate this gear with the place crawling with ysalamiri.”

    “Sure, Jaden,” Mark said as he went to the ramp and grabbed bags from Jaden’s hands. “Come on, you’re needed inside.”

    The three men entered the building and Mark hesitated in the hallway. He looked down the corridor where Jacen was located and then the other direction where he had left Lumiya dying. “Jacen is down that way,” he motioned down the hall. “But there's somebody else that needs your help more.”

    Mark and his sons walked down the hall and into the room holding Lumiya’s bloody body.

    “Stang!” Talon gave his father a curious look. “Somebody you know, Dad, or was she just an unlucky door-to-door sales woman that caught you at a bad time?”

    “Lumiya,” Mark replied.

    Jaden’s eyebrows shot up as he went over to check her vitals. He placed his fingers on her neck to look for a pulse. “She’s dead.” He stepped back and gazed at the woman. “Ben told me about her. Her name used to be Shira Brie. Supposedly she dated Uncle Luke.”

    Mark laughed. “In that case maybe Mara will give me a medal for killing her.” He gave his son a concerned look. “How is Mara?”

    “The neurotoxin that poisoned her is almost totally flushed from her system. Her minor cuts and scrapes have healed. She should be taken out of her induced coma any day now. Which will be none-to-soon. There are a lot of rumors going around about you, Jacen and the dark side. Uncle Luke wants answers and he is not too happy with you going transceiver silent.”

    Mark shook his head. “I would like some answers, also.” He walked out of the room and moved down the corridor. “Jacen is down here.”

    He led his sons down the hall to a room where he had secured Jacen. As they neared the door they could hear the clanging of chain on metal. When the three men entered the room they found Jacen trying to break the crossbar that his cuffs were secured to. “Knock it off Jacen unless you want me to stun you again.” Mark said as he pulled out his blaster for emphasis.

    When Jacen flinched at the sight of the blaster Jaden turned to his father “Dad?” he said. “How many times have you stunned him?”

    Mark shrugged. “I don’t know two or three times so far.”

    Jaden shook his head in disbelief. “Repeated stunning can scramble neurons and cause brain damage.”

    A wide, insolent grin broke across Mark’s face. “I am pretty sure he was already brain damaged before I captured him. I have no idea what possessed him to train under a Sith.”

    “You don’t know what you are talking about,” Jacen bit out. He turned to Jaden. “He’s Sith!” Jacen looked back to Mark and pointed to him with his free hand. “Look at his eyes,” Jacen demanded before he began struggling with his restraints again.

    “Calm down Jacen,” Jaden said while holding his hands out in a placating gesture. He looked up at his father. “Dad, can you leave for a while? Maybe he’ll relax a little.”

    Mark rolled his eyes and left Jaden to work on Jacen.

    Jacen continued to try to break his restraints. “Jacen,” his cousin said in a soothing voice. “Please stop so I can check you out.”

    Jacen stopped struggling and looked at his cousin. “He is Sith.”

    “Let me check you out first and then we’ll discuss my father and any dark side propensities he may have. Look at me, Jacen.” When Jacen faced him, Jaden put his hands on both sides of his cousin’s jaw. “It doesn’t look dislocated or broken. Open you mouth and close it.”

    Jacen complied without protest. “No popping or grating sound. I don’t believe there is a problem with the temporomandibular joint. I think we’re dealing with inflammation and a periorbital hematoma.” Jaden dropped his hands away from Jacen’s jaw. “In other words, you are bruised, swollen and have a black eye.”

    “That’s not going to matter when I’m dead. Didn’t you hear me!” Jacen yelled. “He’s Sith!”

    Jaden sighed. “Every family has its problems.” He reached down into his medical bag, picked up some bacta gel and started placing it on Jacen’s wounds.

    “Every family has its problem?” Jacen repeated incredulously. “Are you part of his Sith take over.”

    Jaden let out a breath of frustration. He sat down on the edge of the bed and gazed at his cousin. “Jacen, listen to me. Repeated stuns by a blaster can cause severe paranoia and delusional thinking.”

    “I’m not imagining his yellow eyes. We all know that indicates that a person is drawing on the dark side of the Force.”

    “Jacen, that’s proof enough that he isn’t Sith.” Talon interrupted. “He can’t be drawing on the dark side of the Force. We are all Force blind.”

    When Jaden snickered, Talon looked at him. “What?”

    Jaden shook his head. “Nothing, I was just remembered something funny Mom said about Force blindness. I’ll tell you later.” Jaden stood and continued his examination. He checked the lump on the right side of Jacen’s head and then ran his hands down his neck. Jaden pulled out a small penlight and shone it into his cousin’s eyes. “Have you vomited since you received your head wound?”

    “Yes, after your dad hit me again,” Jacen said angrily.

    Jaden nodded sympathetically. “Any periods of unconsciousness?”

    Jacen scoffed. “After he stunned me.”

    “Headache? Balance, visual or hearing problems?”

    “Headache,” Jacen said.

    Jaden reached down into his bag. “I have some pain medication.”

    “So, Jacen,” Talon said with a smirk. “Do you have a Sith name? Darth-something-or-another?”

    “I’m not Sith!” Jacen protested.

    Talon leaned against the wall and grinned. “Oh, I just thought of a great Sith name for you,” Talon joked. “We can call you Darth Dumbkriff, Dark Lord of the dim-witted.”

    "That's mean, Talon," Jaden chuckled as he handed Jacen a couple of pills. “Take these, they’re chewable.”

    Jacen took the pills and plopped them in his mouth then glowered at his cousins. “You two are either Sith like your father or in denial. Your Dad is going to kill Luke when he gets here. I’m the bait for his trap. He already told me that.”

    Jaden shook his head. “Jacen, you’re not thinking clearly. Repeated stunning will do that.”

    “You’re wrong,” Jacen said as he gave his chain another tug. “He imprisoned me and nearly killed me. He’s Sith and Uncle Luke is in danger. If you won’t save Uncle Luke, I will!” Jacen began frantically yanking at the chain restraining him until Jaden pressed a hypospray against his neck and activated it. Jacen turned to his cousin in shocked disbelief. “You’re stunning me also?” He then went limp. Jaden grabbed ahold of his cousin and helped lay him down on the bed.

    “It’s just a sedative, Jacen,” Jaden said softly. “I don’t want you hurting yourself.”

    Talon walked over to where Jacen was struggling to stay awake and leaned over him with a smirk. “Don’t worry cousin. We’ll keep the big bad Sith from hurting you.”

    Those were the last words Jacen heard before blackness overtook him.
     
  23. Hazel

    Hazel Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 9, 2010
    Only the Tantiss boys can make light of this situation. :p They do take after their father.

    For that fight I thought of Indiana Jones and that bad guy with the sword he shot.

    You know, i read on Facebook (in the Indiana Jones page) that they had a whole choreography rehearsed for that scene but when they started shooting it Harrison Ford just pulled out the revolver instead. [face_laugh]
     
  24. Demendora

    Demendora Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Apr 9, 2010
    Oh, Luke is coming! Here it goes!:cool:
     
  25. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    I heard that also. I think I was watching an interview with Ford, but I am not positive about that. Anyway, I heard they were shooting out of the country and Harrison Ford's stomach and the local food did not get along. He said he was supposed to do this long whip fight and suddenly he knew he needed to get to a bathroom. So he pulled out his gun said "bang" and then ran off to the toilet. The crew were cracking up and decided to change the scene.

    By-the-way, thanks for looking over this chapter![:D]
     
    Hazel likes this.