The Hunt

By Nick Joseph

Twitter: @madman3005

The ways of the force are mysteries to many, but not to the scaly Weequay sith lord known only as Vex. To him it was all too clear that he must pass on what he has learned to his three sons Mekk, Homrars, and boy three. Vex calls him boy three because he has not yet erranded the right to have a name, not until he has had at least one kill. The other boys have much blood on there hands, much to the approval of their father. But that was the past and today is a new mission, a true hunt to prove themselves once and for all. Today they hunt Jedi.

“Uncertainty clouds your thoughts, Master Jamoo,” says Jedi Master Val on the holo projector.

“Is it that obvious?”

“Only to the ones that know you best, old friend, but have faith the force will guide you the right way.”

“Of course. Thank you. I will communicate once I have any new information. Jamoo out.”

Jamoo’s padawan Caleb looks to his Master with concern as he says, “Master is it truly wise for us to look for the missing Jedi by ourselves?”

Jamoo turns to him. “I know you must be anxious leaving Jedha for the first time, but if you are to be a Jedi Master one day you must trust where the force takes you and sometimes that is off planet.”

Caleb looks down and says, “but I am following my instincts and it just feels off going after this distress beckon. Something just isn’t right.”

Jamoo turns, with a somewhat disappointed look and says, “I never said follow your instincts, I said follow the force. Those are not always going to be the same thing. But if it makes you feel less alone, I'll let you know I have my own revisions about this mission. You see, I know what this Jedi’s mission was before he went missing.”

“What was it, Master?” Caleb says with great curiosity.

Jamoo answers, “he was on a recon mission in the darkest pits of Korriban spying on the Sith and it’s been almost two years with no update. Now we come to a planet mostly used by smugglers because of its many caves and forests. So yes, it does feel off, but above all I trust the force to bring us where we are supposed to be. Do you understand young one?

“Yes, Master,” says Caleb, “I think I do. We are almost to the planet now.”

As Caleb leaves the ship, all he can think about is how odd it is to be off world and on a real mission with his Master. It makes him feel like he is taking his next step to adulthood like when he first learned to ride a speeder.

“Isn’t it peaceful here, Caleb?” says Master Jamoo. “Look at all the tall trees. I haven’t seen trees like theses in sometime. The only bad thing is the trees may make it more difficult to find our missing Jedi. Maybe you can go back in the ship and scan above while I look around.”

In that moment Caleb feels something he has never felt from his Master before. He can feel her lying.

But why? he thinks. Why would she lie to get me back in the ship?

Master Jamoo looks back at Caleb with worry in her eyes and implores, “please, young one, go back to the ship.”

“Master don’t try to deceive me. What’s wrong?”

The boy is not as attuned to the force as I am, thinks the jedi master. He does not feel the eyes watching us or the coldness of hate burning from the tree line.

“Caleb, I am your master and you will do as I tell you. Now go back to the –.”

The words leave her as the ground gives way under them, making it feel like the planet is trying to eat them. As they fall into the ground, Jamoo can see the ship falling above them. Quickly, she wills the force to push Caleb and herself apart so their ship can crash between them.

Suddenly, they see three Weequay jumping toward them, the smallest one going right for Caleb and the bigger two eagerly jumping past the ship to the Jedi master.

“How fast would you like to die, Jedi master?” says Mekk, reaching for his lightsaber.

“No, no, brother. Not before she watches her padawan die,” says Homrars. “She must know how much she has failed. Then she can die.”

This is all noise to Jamoo because all she can think is these are just boys. Am I truly meant to be the executioner of these children? Maybe there’s still time to save them. But she knows that time has past for them. Now she must save her padawan and get off this planet.

Caleb feels nothing but fear when he looks at the young boy in front of him. Boy three thinks just do it and father will love you as he loves them. More importantly, he will respect you. For the first time in their young lives, both boys ignite the lightsaber in fear of death and in hope of seeing tomorrow.

Jamoo watches as both boys charge at her. Wild as any animal, going straight for the kill. Patience and precision are two thing these boys do not have, thinks the Jedi master, waiting to ignite her blade. She uses the force to pull a piece of metal off the ship behind them and, in one fluid motion, swings it under their legs while slicing down at the brothers. They both defend themselves, leaping back. Then she hears it. The cry of her padawan begging for help.

She can see he was not ready for the wild attack of a sith. He was far too accustomed to the rules of a Jedi lightsaber duel. As boy three knocks Caleb to the ground and leans in for the killing blow, Jamoo quickly extends her hand to Caleb, leaving her defences open. She force-ignites Caleb’s blade into the chest of boy three. His lifeless body falls over Caleb. Mekk uses this distraction to attack Jamoo, cutting the back of her leg. Hearing the scream of his master, Caleb struggles free from beneath his fallen adversary.

Caleb, feeling a new surge of the force within him, leaps over the wreckage of their ship to defend his master. He considers the two young men in front of them. They are much bigger and more focused the one I faced, thinks Caleb. He pulls his master up by the shoulder and can see behind them is the edge of the land. There is nowhere to go but into the crimson blades before them.

It seems the brothers have now learned the true value of patience, thinks Jamoo. Mekk goes for Caleb’s legs and Jamoo defends him, leaving herself open one last time for Homrars’ blade. He drives it into the Jedi master. Caleb tries to hold her up as she falls to the ground. The brothers look down at them with joy in their faces.

“Master, no,” says Caleb. Jamoo looks up at him and says, in a whisper, “follow the force, not instincts,” as her consciousness begins to fade. Caleb can feel the life leave her and thinks is this what the force wanted?

With rage in his eyes Caleb gets up, blade in hand and hate in his heart. “Well come and finish it, then,” he says.

As both boys leap at Caleb, he rolls under them and slices the back of Mekk with a killing strike. Homrars stares at his dead brother with disappointment and yells, “so you are a fighter!”

Caleb says “no, I’m a survivor.”

They both charge forward, Caleb uses the force to pull the lightsaber out of Homrars’ hand and slices through his neck. Standing alone surrounded by the dead, Caleb feels power unlike any he’s felt before creeping toward him. He turned to a figure in the shadows, and in that moment, he knew before him stood a true sith lord.

Vex took in the remnants of the battle, his gaze landing on Caleb.

“How do you feel boy?”

Caleb, feeling peace and calmness wash over him, responds with a simple, “good.”

“Yes, a true battle does tend to wake you up inside,” Vex says, a smile creeping across his face. “I only intended on leaving with one apprentice. Shall we go, young one? There is still so much more I want to teach you.”

Caleb thinks to himself Jamoo was right. I will no longer follow my instincts to become a Jedi. I will just follow the force and the force has given me the darkside. Caleb turns away from the Jedi’s body and smiles up at Vex, “yes, my master.”