Gray Jedi Ch. 01

"Severed hand... hyper pulse rate... he's not got long," he observed.

Calming himself with the Force, Malik first focused on Windu's heart, working to bring his pulse back down to normal levels after the electric shock. Soon, it began to slow, and his breathing, though still labored, became more metered and regular. Next, Malik turned his attention to the stump where Windu's right hand once was. Before he could begin his work, Windu suddenly regained consciousness with a gasp.

"NO!"

"Master Windu, you're alright! Just relax, I'm working on healing you," Malik instructed. "What happened? Can you tell me?"

"The... Chancellor... is the Sith... we've been... tracking," Windu eked out.

"Did he do this to you?" Malik asked, pointing at the stump on Windu's arm.

"N-no..."

"Then who? Who, Master?"

"S... Sky... Skywalker..."

"Anakin Skywalker?!" Malik asked in disbelief.

"He has... turned... to the Dark Side... I can sense it..."

Feeling his vitals begin to drop again, Malik resumed his work. "Master, your body is still in shock from the pain of losing your hand. I need to put you into a trance so that you can heal."

"No!" Windu shouted. "Do what you... must... for the damage... and the pain... but my work... is not done... that's an order."

Sighing in frustration, Malik followed Windu's instructions. Rather than place him in a healing trance as was customary, he instead focused on the nerves in Windu's arm, now a cauterized stump. Concentrating with the Force, he managed to numb them for the moment, making Windu's pain far more bearable. This had a pronounced and immediate impact on the Jedi Master, as he was then able to sit up of his own accord.

"We've got to get back to the Jedi Temple," Windu stated. "Palpatine... he's been behind everything. Count Dooku, the war, Skywalker... his goal has to be to wipe out the entire Jedi Order all along."

"On it!" Malik said, climbing back into the pilot's seat.

*****

Serra Keto sat in quiet meditation on the balcony of her quarters, reflecting on the events of the day. She was worried about what eventual punishment might soon befall her and Malik from their encounter in the gardens. Still, even knowing what might happen, she did not regret her actions. He was one of the few good, honest men in the galaxy, and selfless to boot. Malik would gladly run into a sea of blaster fire to save an injured friend, no hesitation. His resolve and kindness made Serra's heart leap. The fact that he was also handsome didn't hurt either. His lean, compact form, short blonde hair, and icy blue eyes... they were all intoxicating to her. Through everything that had happened, she knew how she felt about this man.

"Serra?"

Turning to the entrance to her quarters, she saw her old teacher. "Master, good evening."

"How are you feeling?" the older man asked, joining her on the balcony.

"Fine."

Serra was still a bit apprehensive, as the two had engaged in a heated argument earlier over her actions with Malik. Sensing this, Drallig sought to comfort her.

"Serra, I want you to know that our disagreement earlier changes nothing regarding my feelings for you. You are, and remain the most incredible pupil I have ever had the pleasure of teaching."

"You mean that, Master?"

"I do. In a few years, I would not be surprised to see you replace me as Battlemaster!" he said with a grin.

"I... would love that," Serra admitted. "Still, I doubt the Council would see fit to grant such a promotion, what with me and Malik..."

Though he at first thought to try and reassure her, a strange sight in the distance captured Drallig's attention.

"Serra, do you see that?"

"Huh? Republic troop transports... why are they heading this way?"

"I don't know, but I sense a dark presence with them."

"Yes... I feel it also, Master. There is danger approaching."

"Get your equipment ready. I'll go alert the guards," he said as he left.

Drallig hurried through the hallways of the temple, alerting everyone he could that trouble was likely on its way. Soon, he arrived at the balcony overlooking the Jedi Archives and main entrance to the Temple. Below, he saw his old friend, Jocasta Nu, talking with another Jedi. He could not be sure from the angle, but it appeared to be Anakin Skywalker.

"I need access to the Jedi Temple beacon," the hooded figure said.

"On whose authority?" Jocasta replied.

"By the authority of the Supreme Chancelor."

Drawing her blue lightsaber, Jocasta backed up a step and stated, "That is not within the Chancellor's power. Only the Jedi High Council can authorize access to the beacon."

Drallig watched the horrifying scene unfold, seeing his old friend flung through the air and into Skywalker's grasp. Jocasta Nu was soon impaled on his lightsaber, and he tossed her lifeless body aside. The other Jedi in the Archives immediately sprang into action, seeing Skywalker as a traitor. As Drallig was about to leap down and join them, he saw a battalion of Clone Troopers enter through the main gates, flanking Skywalker and opening fire on the Jedi.

"Master! Can you hear me? What's going on?!"

Picking up his comlink, Drallig replied, "Serra, it's Skywalker. He's gone rogue, just murdered Jocasta Nu in cold blood."

"WHAT?!"

"It's about to be a bloodbath, we need you down here."

"Don't think that's wise. We're also under attack at the east wall, holding firm but fading fast."

"I'm on my way, just stay alive!"

Drallig bounded through the temple at breakneck pace, enhancing his speed with the Force. As he ran, Clone Troopers began appearing from the windows, crashing in with jetpacks and grappling hooks. Drallig drew his green lightsaber and made short work of them, slicing through the first few as he continued his sprint. After a minute or two, he finally reached the east wall of the Jedi Temple. Seeing an enormous hole in the wall, the hallways were now under siege from a large number of clone troopers. As a nearby trio turned to fire upon the Jedi Master, a whirling green lightsaber flew past, beheading each of them.

"Master!"

Looking up, he saw his student. "Serra! What's our status?!"

"The younglings are hidden, taken up to the Council Chambers. Right now, priority is containment. There's just too many of them..."

"Then let us tip the odds back in our favor," Drallig replied with a sly grin.

As another group of clones turned to attack him, the wily veteran activated his ace-in-the-hole: using the Force to move so fast he left afterimages of himself across the battlefield. The unsuspecting clones were so confused that they didn't even know what had hit them by the time Drallig cut them down. Speeding off, he then approached a pair of clones with their backs turned to him. Drallig snuck up behind them and placed a hand on each one's shoulder.

"Soldiers, the Jedi need your help," he said calmly, probing their minds with the Force.

Glancing at each other, the clones said in unison, "The Jedi need our help."

Having been mind-tricked, the pair turned upon their fellows, opening fire on a nearby group of clone troops. Their forced betrayal was short lived, though, and a lieutenant soon eliminated them with a flurry of blaster fire. But this distraction provided just the opening Serra needed, igniting her second green lightsaber and leaping into the fray. Her furious strikes took the remaining clones by complete surprise, which combined with Drallig's speed and cunning for a devastating combination. As they dropped the last of the clones, a loud noise sounded from the hole in the east wall.

"Master! Two AT-RT walkers approaching!" Serra shouted.

The pair shifted to acrobatic maneuvers as the walkers entered the Jedi Temple, opening fire with their heavy blaster cannons. As they evaded, each tried to think of a way to combat their new adversaries. They could cut their legs, but the ankles were reinforced with small repulsor shields designed to resist lightsabers and blaster fire. But soon, Serra realized their fatal weakness: the open cockpit housing the pilot.

"Master, cover me! I have an idea!"

Drallig stood in front of Serra, shielding them both by levitating the large pieces of rubble strewn about the hallway. Meanwhile, Serra concentrated with her all on both of her lightsabers. In most instances, she would not dare use this attack, as it left her quite vulnerable. But today there was little other choice; she had to pull out all the stops. Drawing on the Force, she flung both of her lightsabers into the air. They spun towards the walkers and, before the clones could react, beheaded the two pilots.

"Whew... I can't believe that worked!"

"Well done my friend," Drallig said with a smile. "Now, we've got to get to the beacon. Skywalker wanted access to it, no doubt to lay a trap for all the Jedi off world."

"Let's go, then! This way!"

As Serra dashed off down a nearby hallway, a concussion missile from the gunships outside suddenly rocked the temple. This resulted in a statue falling to the ground, blocking the hall and separating Serra and Drallig.

"Serra, I'll find a way around! Wait for me!"

"I can't, Master. Anakin's up ahead... I sense him. I... I've got to stop him."

"Serra, don't! He's too much for you alone; you need my help!"

"I won't stand by and watch him cause any more pain! I'm sorry, Master... I have to go."

Sprinting down the hallway, Serra soon reached one of the large instruction rooms. She was then besieged by blaster fire from a trio of clones, but was able to defend with ease. Killing two of them by reflecting their shots back at them, she leaped high into the air and landed with a thunderous kick in front of the final clone, slicing off his head before he could react. As the helmet clattered to the ground, Serra now saw the person at whose feet the helmet had landed. It was Anakin Skywalker himself.

"You shouldn't have come here," Serra stated, glaring at him.

"Serra... Cin Drallig's greatest pupil has come to greet me."

A sinister smile grew on Skywalker's face; he relished this moment to embarrass one of the most skilled young Jedi in the Order. He ignited his blue lightsaber and leapt to the center of the training room, beginning his offensive assault on Serra Keto. Despite his relentless strikes, Serra was able to defend with relative ease, given her mastery of fighting with dual lightsabers. Her green blades clashed with Skywalker's, defending against his furious fighting style while seeking to find a weak point to strike at. Soon, their blades were locked together as the two combatants stared each other down. Knowing he was far stronger and more skilled than she, Serra decided to adopt a strategy of forcing Skywalker into a mistake through his recklessness.

"Seems the rumors are true," she mused.

"What are you babbling about?"

Serra smirked. "The Dark Side does make you ugly."

Growling in reply, Skywalker swiped at her with his weapon as his anger began to grow into hate. The superiority of all the Jedi... it disgusted him. They needed to be put in their place, and he was just the one to do it.

"TAKE THIS!" he shouted, whirling around with his lightsaber like a tornado.

"Woah!" Serra said.

After evading and deflecting his blows, Serra flipped over his head and attempted to grab him in a stranglehold from behind. Though she was successful in grappling with him, she was unable to run him through as she had planned.

Skywalker, picking up on her strategy, used the Force to fling both of them straight backwards into a nearby wall, stunning Serra from the blow and forcing her to release him. He then attempted to end the duel then and there, striking at the center of her chest, but Serra managed to parry and leap out of the way, gaining a bit of breathing room. Noticing a large piece of machinery attached to the wall, she called on the Force and jarred the equipment loose, flinging it at Skywalker. He rolled out of its path at the last second, slicing a piece of the machine off as it flew past him.

"You'll wish you hadn't done that..." he seethed in anger.

As he charged Serra's position, she was caught off-guard by the renewed ferocity of his attacks. Twirling his lightsaber in one hand, the power of his blows skyrocketed and he began enhancing his speed and strength with the Force, driving her back. She attempted to Force Push Skywalker back to interrupt his momentum, but he simply shrugged off the attack and pressed on. With a pair of backflips, Serra soon had to retreat to the balcony encircling the training room from the upper level. Skywalker followed without hesitation, resuming his assault on Serra. She was once more being driven back and now was running low on stamina. Serra knew she would have to end this quickly or she would not survive the battle.

Defending against a few more of Skywalker's blows, she managed to find an opening to deliver a kick square in his chest. This threw him back and pinned him against a nearby pillar. Seeing her chance, Serra rushed forward, attempting to decapitate Skywalker with her twin blades, but he was too fast for her. He leapt out of the way at the last instant, causing Serra to only slice the pillar in half. Thinking fast, Skywalker called on the Force and began to topple the pillar on top of Serra. She saw what he was attempting, but was too exhausted from their duel to defend properly. Her evasion attempt failed, and she was thrown from the balcony to the floor below, the pillar landing on top of her before rolling away.

"Serra!!"

Cin Drallig had arrived just in time to see his friend and pupil fall to the floor, her body now cold and limp. He glared up at Skywalker, still prowling on the balcony above.

"Your favorite student is no more," he taunted.

Without a word, Drallig ignited his green blade as Skywalker leapt down to engage him. He seethed with righteous fury at the loss of his student, yet refused to channel the Dark Side; Serra's vengeance deserved to be pure, he reasoned. Defending against several of Skywalker's power strikes, he channeled as much energy as he could and Force Pushed the traitor out a nearby window.

When he landed on the outer terrace, Drallig charged after him without hesitation or fear of any danger; Skywalker had to be stopped.

*****

"No..."

Malik and Windu arrived at the Jedi Temple in his airspeeder, horrified at the devastation being wrought on the residents. As they made their way through the hallways, they discovered the bodies of both Jedi and clones alike. Though many of the Jedi had been slain by blaster fire, it was evident to the pair that the stronger ones had been struck down by a lightsaber instead.

"Skywalker," Windu sighed.

"Where would he be headed, Master?"

Thinking for a moment, Windu realized Skywalker's goal. "The beacon!"

Working their way towards the center of the temple, they soon came upon the lightsaber training rooms. Seeing that a nasty battle had taken place here quite recently, they began to search the area for survivors. Both were horrified to discover the crushed body of Serra Keto on the floor ahead of them.

"Serra! NO!!" Malik cried, rushing to her side. Inspecting her body, he at first mourned her apparent death, but soon was able to sense the truth through the Force. "She's alive! Hanging by a thread, but she's not gone yet!"

"Can you save her?" Windu asked.

"It'll take some doing, but I think so. She's lucky the pillar rolled off her," he replied, nodding at the nearby piece of stone.

Malik drew on all his knowledge and abilities as he inspected Serra's body. Her pulse was faint, and her breathing was almost nonexistent; he knew he hadn't much time. He first attempted to use the Force to strengthen her heartbeat, hoping that would bring her out of the shock of her injuries, but to no avail. Out of desperation, Malik began to try anything he could think of to save the girl who meant so much to him.

"Serra, you've always said I'm such a good influence on you, provided logic and reason where your emotions would blind you, but you've also been the same for me. So you aren't leaving, not after all this!" Feeling something strange awaken within him, Malik placed his hands on Serra's chest and pressed down.

"BREATHE!!"

Before he could even comprehend what he had done, a charge of electricity flowed from Malik's hands and into Serra. Her body twitched at the sudden introduction, and upon further inspection Malik could tell that she was close to recovering. Though he had no idea how, he managed to shock her once more, causing Serra to gasp and startle herself awake.

"NO!!" she screamed on instinct.

"It's ok! You're ok, Serra! It's me, Malik."

"M... Malik?" she asked, coughing and heaving.

"Yeah... you gave us a scare, but you'll be-"

Serra silenced him by planting a kiss on his lips. She was unable to help herself; she already knew how she felt about this man, and now he had just saved her life! Malik was so stunned he couldn't believe what was happening. He knew this was wrong, but she was so beautiful. With her soft lips pressed against his, Malik was powerless to do anything to stop her. At last, they parted, panting and heaving from the experience. Serra then caught sight of Mace Windu out of the corner of her eye.

"M-Master Windu..."

"More important things to deal with right now, Serra," Windu replied, waving her off. "Malik, do you have any idea what you just did?"

"I think so... Force Lightning."

"Yes, but unlike any I've ever seen in a Jedi as young as you. You managed to draw out a power of the Dark Side without being consumed by it... only one other Jedi has managed to do that."

"Master Plo Koon?"

"Indeed. He calls his 'Electric Judgment,' of course, but the principle remains the same. You may have far greater potential in you than I ever realized. After all, you used a power of the Dark Side to give life, rather than take it!"

A muffled gasp from Serra interrupted their thoughts.

"Shh, easy there. You're still hurt," Malik said. "You're breathing, but I think your ribs are broken. Hold still... this may hurt a bit."

Focusing on Serra's ribcage, Malik channeled the Force into her cracked and broken bones. She squirmed in pain and discomfort, but he assured her the process was working. He could sense her bones being mended, and continued to provide a stabilizing touch with his hands. Finally, the pain subsided and Serra was able to sit up without much discomfort.

"Thanks..." she sighed. Hearing a commotion outside, she realized that Cin Drallig had likely engaged Skywalker. "Master!"

Serra leapt to her feet and dashed to the broken window ahead of her, followed by Malik and Windu. She peered out onto the terrace, seeing her Master's blade locked with Skywalker's. Drallig was giving the war hero everything he could handle, dashing around the terrace at blinding speeds and attacking from every angle imaginable. But Skywalker was cunning, and telekinetically shifted some of the rubble on the terrace to trip Drallig up. The veteran slowed, but still managed to defend against Skywalker's counterattack, Force Pushing him to gain some breathing room.

"Always a powerful warrior, yet so impatient," he lectured. "You failed to learn how to be fully at peace with the Force and so turned to the Dark Side."

"I... am no longer... the LEARNER!!" Skywalker shouted in rage.

Using the Force to sense and predict Drallig's movements, he anticipated his oncoming attack and hurled his lightsaber into the air. Before any could comprehend what had happened, the blade was lodged in Cin Drallig's chest, killing him instantly. One of the greatest swordsmen the Jedi Order had ever seen was dead.