Ben stepped out through the exit of the cave, taking in the rays of sunlight behind the
protection of his hood. He pocketed the cred-stim and began to think. Blood Bones Grove was to
the east, but with the commotion of battle and the anxiety over his wounded master, Ben barely
knew which way was up. The wind had picked up since he went into the cave, and now filled his
ears with a sharp, whistling noise.

   He bent down and grabbed some dirt, then opened his hand and let the wind take the dirt from
his palm. It flew away to his right, and, reading that the mid-day winds traveled west, ment
that east was to the left. Ben stood up-

   And a bolt of energy as big as him came crashing down right where he was. Ben barell-rolled
and missed it by a hair.

   His lightsaber was ignited by the time he finished the roll, bringing the yellow blade to
bear. Within the glow of the sun was a ship. It's box-like form aloft with it's long wings
folded out, and it's mounted laser cannons, one on top and one on bottom, primed on Ben. The
cockpit, looking like a turtle poking it's head out a shell, was facing west, which was the
only way Ben could tell that it was turned.

   The Padawan had no clue who it was or why they were shooting, but he'd have to find out after they were down. He sprinted forward, towards the broken-off cockpit in the middle of the  clearing, trying to ignore the returning pain in his leg. Bolts poured, and Ben found himself calling on the Force to accelerate his speed, and still stayed only centimeters infront of the bolts.

   A half a dozen bolts had fired by the time he reached the cockpit. He jumped clear of it and squatted down behind it, putting him out of the cannons blasting range.

   Ben couldn't do this. He was in no condition to fight. The pain-killer he'd applied was almost completely worn off, and besides his lightsaber, he had no other weapons to fight with. No, he had the Force. Now he just hoped it would make the difference. He surrendered his body to  it, allowing it to control his every funtion.

   He lept up, reaching level with the bottom of the ships hull in seconds. The bottom cannon was able to shoot off two more before Ben got there. He dodged the first, twisting his body in ways he thought impossible. The second he was forced to block. The bolt ricocheted off his saber, and it felt like a concussion blast in the chest. His teeth shook inside his mouth, and it was like the air was knocked out of his lungs with a hammer. But he wouldn't let another be shot. Ben
brought his arm back and chucked his lightsaber forward.





     
   Sitting in his chair, Kane watched as flashing lights and buttons danced across his navigation console. He leaned over to a portable screen on his right, showing the layout of a large clearing within a group of mountains. The screen gave a simple view, showing a broken ship scattered around the area. Glowing red trails showed where heat signatures, like from where the ship had crashed  into the mountain, and where it's peices layed now.

   A woman came up behind him. She stood just under six feet, wearing a plain light green shirt and brown pants, also a dark vest bearing symbols of the Bounty Hunter's Guild concealing most of the shirt. Her dark hair was pulled back, letting everyone see her beautiful face. The overall outfit excentuated her figure well.

   "Well," Kane began. "I'm guessing someone had a little too much to drink and crashed themselves into a mountain. What do you think, Lexi?"

   She stepped forward and stared at the wreckage through the viewport. "Don't know. Any Life signatures?"

   "None."

   A chirping squeal erupted from the console, and continued until Kane pressed a button infront of him. He leaned over to the screen again, finding more then heat and wreckage.

   "I might be wrong on that."

   "Wouldn't be the first." said Lexi.

   Kane looked back at her, one eyes squinted and wearing half a grin on his lips. She returned it with a smile of her own. "What is that? Seven years of sarcastic remarks without break? Your a real trooper"

   "I try"

   "Well try to get on the cannon's so we can get an eyeball on our friend."

   She turned and went through the doorway and dissapeared. Kane fumbled with a headset laying on the console. As soon as the receiver reached his ear, Lexi's voice came over the comnlink.

   "Kane, you gotta see this.""

   The screen changed again, this time replaced with the image of a man, his features hidden behind a cloak and pulled down hood. He was walking out of an entrance to a cave, holding a metallic cylinder in his right hand. Kane leaned in closer to make sure his suspicions were correct.

   "A Jedi?"

   "Yep. Looks like they lost patience with the Guild."

   Kane leaned back in his chair, letting it's back support his weight. He ran his hands over his face. "Great..." he moaned.

   He sat himself back up, gripping the Control Yoke and bringing the Crimson Raider towards their quarry. He looked at the screen again. Now the Jedi was bent down and holding a handful of dirt. Then, his hand opened and the dirt blew with the wind to the west.

   "Fire a warning shot, Lex."

   Kane swung the ship to the side, letting Lexi have a clean shot. The turrent worked fine, but it's turning was a little sluggish, so they found it was simply easier to bring the ship around. A laser bolt as big as he was came into view on the screen, and the Jedi was on the move, rolling away from the blast and drawing a blade of pure yellow energy. A second later, he was on the move.

   "Son of a Murglack," Kane muttered, biting his lower lip. "We got a runner."

   The Jedi was moving faster then the screen could go, his sprinting legs just outside view. Then, he was gone.

   "He went behind the wreckage," Lexi said over the comn. "I can't hit him from here."

   "Hold on."

   Kane pulled the ship back and swung the ship around, but found nothing behind the wreckage of what could have once been a cockpit. A shriek came over the comnlink a second later. Kane leaned back in his chair and turned his head to the hallway to ask what happened, but Lexi  stopped him.

   "The Jedi took out my turrent! My controls are fried!" Kane began to stand from his chair, but Lexi's voice stopped him mid-way. "Thats it, now it's personal."

   "Wait, Lexi! Don't you dare-" Kane reached the weapon console  in time to see Lexi drop down from a half-extended exit ramp next to the computer. He turned and saw that her vibro-sword,  one that usually stood next to his on the wrack crafted from woshr wood, was missing. Her headset, doubling as her comn, was lying on the floor, still connected to the cannon's firing console. The console itself had sparks shooting out, and displaying the same error message over
and over.

   "You stupid Shutta," he said under his breath, turning to to get back to the cockpit and assist her.

   But he was slammed against the wall, like the ship had hit a wall. He could feel it moving under his feet, even though he was staring at the navigation console, seeing none of the controls budging. Kane was thrown around, hitting his arms, back, and head into the walls of the hallway. I'm going to feel all this within the hour. I know it.

   The Crimson Raider slowed, though Kanes stomach didn't. Holding himself against the wall, Kane inched his way closer and closer to the cockpit.





   Ben touched ground a second before the cut off turrent nozzle did. He readied himself incase he needed to dive away from an attack that he didn't know could come. His head jerked slightly when he heard the sound of a lightsaber shutting off, followed by a soft metallic-on-dirt sound. Ben saw the hilt sticking out of the ground, bottom end out. He began to sprint towards it, but stopped cold when a young woman, around his age, landed from above, holding  a sword in her
left hand. He threw himself back, trying to get distance away from his attacker. It was then he  realized that it was not she that he sould worry about, but the ship. It could have been loaded with an armada of soldiers for all he knew.

   Alright, take it out first, then deal with the girl.

   With the Force surging through him, Ben reached out and shoved the ship away from him and the girl, watching as it spun, and noticed as the cockpit viewport passed by, that no-one was sitting at the controls.

   But he couldn't think about it, seeing that the girl had closed the distance between them and had her sword raised and ready to strike. And she did. The steel blade came down at an angle, striking for the head. Ben ducked back as fast as he could, avoiding the blade, save for three  of his hairs that were singed off.

   Before she could even try again, Ben was on the move, driving a hard elbow into her chest.  Her eyes almost bulged out of her head, but still she remained standing. The woman gathered a breath and countered by thrusting her blade at Ben, going again, for the head.

   Ben pulled his arms in and spun, missing the stab and stopping at her side. He followed with another hard elbow, this time into her back, and she finally fell.

   The woman crashed into the ground head first, and Ben heard something crack. He turned around as she looked up. Though dark blood poured out of her nose, her eyes showed an almost exotic calm. Then she was up again, sword in hand. Ben ducked and avoided the first strike, and back-flipped to miss the second and third.

   Even with the Force coursing it's power through his vanes, Ben could feel his body weakening. It was the risk he took for this power, and now he was starting to pay for it. He needed to stop his opponent, now.

   He reached out and hit his foe with an invisible telekinetic fist, knocking her over a dozen meters from him and the broken-off cockpit. Ben watched her as she tried to get to her feet three times, and failing on each try.

   Alright, I doubt she's going to try again.

   Ben regained control over his body, pushing the Force out of his mind so his body could recooperate. And it was like somebody took the life out of him. Strength left every fiber of him,  and Ben found himself on his good knee to support his weight. The pain in his bad leg was like microscopic beings where plunging needles into his musle tissue without stop or break.

   Now Ben wished he still had his lightsaber. Or any weapon for that matter.




   Kane reached the cockpit and stumbled into his chair. His head was pounding, and he found it hard to just think straight. But years of training had taken over, and he was pounding away at the controls. Two things kept repeating in his mind, a technique his father taught him to keep his objections clear, land the ship, and help Lexi.

   He keyed in the landing code, and his screen told him a confirmation would come in seconds. Kane took a glance through the side viewport, and he almost charged out of the ship there and then.

   Lexi was on the ground, looking up at the Jedi with her sword still clutched in hand. Kane's teeth gritted against each other and his blood started pumping when she was up and attacking their cloaked foe. He wished her good luck under his breath.

   A beep came from the console, and Kane was already turning. He pushed down the confirm button, and felt the Crimson Raider begin to decend downward, then returned his gaze to the  viewport. And what he did make him bolt towards the door. Lexi was about to stike at the Jedi, but was thrown, no, chucked like a doll, out of his sight in the viewport.

   Kane reached the exit ramp, still open from Lexi's escape. He grabbed his sword and lept off the edge, landing on the ground a moment later. The ship wasn't even half down, and a jump like that would have broken any other man's legs, but Kane had always been good at jumping and landing, even beat his dad once in a contest.

   His opponent was unarmed, but after the way he treated Lexi, Kane didn't care. He closed in, taking long strides to reach him sooner. Whatever happened to the Jedi, Kane wouldn't wish it on his enemy's. Well, maybe one or two.

   The Jedi was exhausted, and even hurt, though if it was by Lexi or something else, Kane would never know. He was on one knee, desperately trying to keep off the other. When he saw Kane, he tried to stand, and failed, but did stumble back onto his knee, grabbing his other knee with  both hands and screaming out in pain.

   Kane reached him, and before any words of pity or begging could be said, Kane drove his knee into the face behind the hood, and the Jedi fell back, arms and legs spread out. Though his dad taught him not to say anything in combat besides orders, Kane just couldn't resist.

   "I suppose that's all you got," Kane said "Alright, fair enough."

   The Jedi tried to move, and could do little then squirm. "Goodbye, Jedi."

   Kane reached down and grabbed the Jedi by his collar, pulling him up by using his legs. He raised the sword for the final blow, but just as he did, the Jedi hood pulled back, and Kane found himself staring at his own own face.