Star Wars: The Rogue Knight

Republic cruiser Tranquility

Rodia star system

Outer Rim

"We have multiple droid fighters and boarding sh.i.p.s incoming! Brace for impact!"

I could hear the captain's voice coming from the communicator build in the left arm-guard of Commander Green. When the skipper of the ship you are on becomes frantic you know that the situation is dire. That thought was neatly punctuated when four nearly simultaneous shudders rand down the bulk of the cruiser.

Commander Green had deployed his company in such positions as to block any push towards the brig. I hoped that it will be enough.

"You two feel it too, right?" I asked my Jedi companions.

The moment Tranquility was struck by what I presumed were boarding pods, I felt a disturbances in the force. We had company of the lightsaber wielding kind. If I had not kriffed up the time-line too much by now one of them should be Ventress. However this time she had decided to bring a friend or two.

"No! Check your fire! He has lightsaber!" A desperate shout came over the comm.

"Green leader, respond!" ordered the clone commander to no avail.

"There are at least two of them, Master Ti. Who do you want?"

"Ahsoka, guard the prisoner. We'll deal with the boarders." ordered the older Togruta.

For once Tano did not argue and took position in front of the cell, which was flanked by two senate commandos.

The determination shining in her eyes and her fierce voice brought back memories best forgotten. A fresh, spicy smell... A soft touch and hot breath washing over my skin... I shook my head. The past was dead and buried. By now not even dust remained. I had to keep my head in the present.

"Go help the troops. I'll hunt down the other one." said the Jedi Master.

I smiled. I could hear it in her voice. The trill of the hunt was burning within her heart. The instincts of the predators from which her kind evolved demanding to be unleashed. I just knew that she wanted to growl with eagerness that she had a prey to hunt. Pity that her Jedi training was restraining her.

"As you wish. May the Force serve you well, Master Ti."

"May the Force be with you this time, Sith."

We separated at the elevators and headed in different directions.

=RK=

I met the remains of Green company soon enough. Those were four clones, one of whom was wounded and being tended by one of his brothers. The other two had their blasters pointed at a sealed blast doors which were being slowly but surely sliced open by a lightsaber.

"Move to the next intersection and use the side corridors as cover. I'll deal with this nuisance." I ordered.

"As you wish, sir! Good luck!" They didn't argue but scampered back. The clones dragged their wounded brother with them as they ran for cover.

I prepared an Ion grenade that I "liberated" from the troops occupying Rodia. When a circle was cut into the blast doors, it was blasted away by a strong push with the Force. It was followed by a solid wall of blaster bolts which scorched the bulkheads but otherwise did not cause any damage. The next to come were Super Battle droids which tried to squeeze inside one by one. I lobbed the grenade after the first had passed and jumped away. A pulse of ion energy washed over the floor, walls and ceiling. The battle droid which had passed through the breached blast door fell in a twitching heap.

Another wave of force shoved the unfortunate machine away and a blonde man who was about my height rolled through the hole. Once he was on this side he immediately jumped on his feet and activated his lightsaber. I followed suit after drawing out my own.

He raised his weapon in a high, Djem So guard. His hands were over his head and the sword was slightly tilted backwards.

My answer was to fall in a Juyo stance. I held my weapon horizontally above my head and pointed to the right.

"Another of the so called Dark Acolytes wish to commit suicide or are you just lost?" I snarked.

"Tsk." The blond man glared at me. "You must have some skill to have dealt with the twins, but I am nothing like those weaklings!" he scoffed.

"Your name would be appreciated. I'll need it for the After Action Report. Who knows? I may get a bonus for you!" I grinned in typical mercenary fashion.

"Arrogant much?" the Dark Jedi scowled at me.

"Just sure in my abilities, whelp. Can you say the same?" I taunted.

For a moment I considered going all out and simply crushing the man, but threw that idea away. This had to be another test, I was sure of it and who knew how many cameras and witnesses there were nearby.

So it was another show for an unknown audience. It was kriffing irritating. I charged in a blur of a motion before my last word finished leaving my lips. Our crimson weapons slammed in each other with a flash of surging power. As our lightsabers met again and again, the discharged energy which escaped the containment fields surrounding our blades cast a sinister light over the corridor.

I let all the frustration, all the doubts and the uneasy feelings I had since I was reminded of my wife to flow freely through me. They were washed away by waves of battle l.u.s.t and fierce joy as I clashed with my opponent.

Our lightsabers locked together. My opponent leaned over the hilt of his saber in an attempt to push the buzzing blades into contact with me. I chuckled as my wrists twisted in just the right way to overbalance the Dark Jedi when I stepped to the side and let him 'win' our contest of strength. He spat a curse as he rolled forward to gain distance and prevent me from easily stabbing him in the back. However I had no intention to do so right now. My free hand was busy throwing live frag grenades through the hole cut by my adversary in the blast doors. I knew that Super Battle droids were somewhat resistant to Ion pulses and a single Ion grenade was enough to only disable them temporarily. I wanted to deal once and for all with the incapacitated machines so they did not interrupt me while I was busy with the Dooku's pawn. Three grenades flew through the breached door while my blade was slicing to pieces the only SB to pass through.

The blond man darted at me with his saber ready to deliver powerful overhead strike. I banished the glowing scrap of few droids at him. The Dark Jedi displayed an impressive skill in acrobatics. He sidestepped the first piece, moved his head to avoid a second and jumped in the air, twisting his body horizontally so he passed between two more fragments of machines I dismembered. It was a quite colorful and beautiful move. Also quite dumb.

I blasted him with a wave of telekinesis while he was still in the air and the man slammed in the bulkhead to the left. I jumped at him as the grenades on the other side of the blast door detonated in a shower of fire and lethal fragments. I caught the edge of the blast wave which propelled me faster to my target. The blond managed to roll away in the last possible moment – just I slammed my blade in the deck.

I withdrew the energy beam. The fingers of my left hand twitched and drops of molten plating flew at the Dark Jedi. He threw his arms in front of the molten metal and it froze in midair. The chunks of cooling deck bounced between our feet as our blades met again.

I parried a decapitating strike and slammed an armored fist in my enemy's face. He tried to kick me while our weapons were still locked but I moved my left leg so the attack landed on my shin. Then I threw him with the Force so his back slammed in the bulkhead to the right. I was on him in the next heartbeat and he was barely able to interpose his blade between my lightsaber and his neck. I pushed with all my might and the beams of energy came nearer to him. His own saber was pushed backwards and the upper half of its blade bit at the bulkhead leaving a melting rend. As I redoubled my effort his own saber was coming closer and closer to his face.

With a surge of a desperation fueled strength he pushed me away and rolled to the left as I brought down my blade which cut deeply in the bulkhead. I dropped to my knees as his lightsaber slashed overhead in a swipe aimed at my back. I rotated to bring my weapon to bear at the blond who was doing the same. He pushed my blade at the wall and kicked me twice in the ribs. I grunted in pain as I felt something in my c.h.e.s.t cracking. I snarled as my left hand moved to parry another kick which slammed me into the wall.

I used the brief opportunity while the Dark Jedi was pulling back his leg after he kicked me to readjust the way I held my weapon's hilt to a backhand grip. I used the mass of my whole body as I surged away from the bulkhead and broke the saber lock trapping my blade against the armored wall. I counter-attacked by using my momentum to rotate my body and swept my crimson lightsaber in a circle around me. The blond wonder used the same technique to regain his balance and counterattack. Our ruby colored blades struck each other with enough momentum to buckle their hilts within our grasps.

I was pissed off at the way I underestimated my opponent and channeled my building anger into my attacks. A web of blazing energy formed between us as I rained attack after attack at the Dark Jedi. With each strike he was stepping back. His attention was focused on me as he desperately parried the storm of slashes aimed at cutting him to pieces.

I looked behind him and gave a sharp nod. I saw a single moment of horrified realization in the blond man's eyes before the three, still hale clones, shot him in the back. His body shuddered as the blaster bolts hit him and he stumbled. He was already dying and unable to parry my next slash and my blade flew through his right wrist and my return strike took off his head.

"Note to self. Do not underestimate the kriffing Acolytes. Getting c.o.c.ky will see me killed." I spoke for the audience, though my anger was real.

Getting killed by the likes of Dooku's groupies would be kriffing the height of idiocy. I deactivated my lightsaber and gave a respectful nod to the clone troopers.

"Great work men. Get your friend to the med bay and then head to the detention center." I suggested.

I headed towards the cell block a bit slower than I could. My mind was preoccupied with calming me down and using the Force to mend my cracked ribs. While in the heat of combat I barely felt a tingle of pain but now it flared as if I had a dagger sticking from my c.h.e.s.t. The second kick might have done a bit more damage than I realized. I grunted as something shifted within my c.h.e.s.t and my left side was gripped by a brief lance of agony before a wave of warmth drowned it. I could feel my bones fusing together and whatever internal damage there was shrinking under the gentle c.a.r.e.s.s of the Force.

My brief distraction cost me when the ship lurched under my feet and I stumbled. Armored helmet met a bulkhead and my head bounced inside the cage of durasteel supposed to keep my brain intact. It was as if the captain was performing evasive maneuvers in a kriffing fighter!

"What in the nine Corellian hells is going on?!" I growled and stood up. The main power was obviously off and emergency lighting were snapping on all around the ship.

I ran towards the cells. I was halfway there when my comm cracked to life.

"This is Commander Green! We need back up! The Jedi went after Ventress and we are under heavy attack by commando droids!"

"I am on my way, commander! Hold your position!" I said to the clone and pushed myself to run even faster.

=RK=

It took me a minute to reach the elevators leading to the detention center. I got there moments after five black humanoid droids. Four of them were holding blasters and the last had a blade forged from some kind of dark colored metal. If its creators had any sense it was at least covered with cortosis.

The droid wielding melee weapon sprinted towards me while its cronies opened fire. In that moment it jumped out of the way and ran over the left wall!

Thanks to the Force, which was not only enhancing my reflexes but showing me where the blaster bolts would go the instant before the droids fired I was able to easily deflect them. However the machines were not standing still. Advanced predictive programing guided them as they rained fire upon me and moved in such a way as to minimize the chance of a deflected shot hitting them.

It was not good enough. A droid crumbled to the ground after a bolt of energy shattered its neck. Another had its blaster smashed.

Then the blade wielding droid was upon me and the hail of gunfire tapered off. It jumped from the wall and flew towards me with its weapon leading the way. I caught the droid commando with fingers of invisible energy and held it as a shield. The little hut spawn tilted its head and his arms moved behind its back. I heard a familiar click and hurled it towards its brethren with all my might. As soon as it flew away I gathered as much Force as I could and molded it as a shield in front of me. The grenades the droid had activated obliterated it short of its comrades. The remaining robots were obscured by a solid wall of flames and shrapnel which hit my shield like the fist of angry Titan. My armored boots scrapped over the deck as I was pushed backwards by the shock-wave. I could feel my armor heating up and the Emperors cursed explosion was still going on!

I snarled and pushed more Force into my shield, hoping it would be enough.