A Bad Bet

* Outside a cantina on Corellia, there are John Shepard, Aadeon Arcaineo and Xander Tarkona. They hear that there is a prominate Sith in the area. So while Aadeon and Xander look around, John tells them he will look in the local cantina to look around*. Aadeon tells John to keep a low profile and not start anything. John then says " Aadeon, you know me, I hate loud, big scenes that starts fights". He smirks and walks into the cantina. Xander says to Aadeon " I have a really bad feeling that something is going to happen". Then Aadeon replies, "....yeah proabaly, knowing John".

One hour later when Aadeon and Xander walk in to the Cantina looking for John they hear " You cheated you Sith Scum!! There is no way you could of had that hand, no fodding way!" "What do you think is going on?" Xander asks. Then they both say simultaniously "...John".
They rush over to where they hear screaming and shouting. They then find John on the ground beaten up. "What did you do know, there is John" Aadeon asked. "The stupid Sith, I challenged him to Pasaac, he cheated I tell you. Then so I go up to him, and before I can say anything, 10 guard come up right infront of him. I was so mad I punch the Sith Podoo right in the face and knocked him out." " Then how did you get on the ground and beat up?" Xander asked. "Well", John said, " his guard did not like that too much, and well....10 against 1, is a little unfair for them. " Smooth" Aadeon replied. " Now the Sith have escaped, knowing that someone is looking for him". " Well thats the good part......you see... I kinda bet our ship. But they said they are going to take it to this Sith Battlecruiser they have right above Corellia". Aadeon and Xander help John up. " Were just going to have to take it back" Aadeon said.

Xander procced to his ship while bringing Aadeon and John along.
Xander dusts off some drug remains from the chairs.
"She used to be my farthers fastes ship to well you know, whne he still was alive.
Xander nods while he activates the ship and uses the force to feel the the path the sith traweld.

Xander activates the hyperdrive after getting a feeling of knowing where the sith is.

Aadeon: Xander, you have had this whole ship the entire time and we have been useing Johns crappy ship?
John: Hey! Its not Crappy!
*Aadeon and Xander stop walking, turn around, laugh, then continue walking*
Xander: Alright, just to warn you, I dont know how to pilot
*John and Aadeon ingore Xander*
Aadeon: Okay, guys, here is the plan. We are going to fly our ship up to the Sith Battlecruiser thats holding our ship. We are going to be diguised as Sith and a Sith ship. Then we are going to sneak in wearing Sith uniforms and steal our ship back.
Xander: Sounds way too easy
Aadeon: Well we need Sith uniforms and Sith Dock Codes.
Xander: Well, where are we going to ever find those?!
John: I know!

Aadeon Acraineo wrote:

Aadeon: Xander, you have had this whole ship the entire time and we have been useing Johns crappy ship?
John: Hey! Its not Crappy!
*Aadeon and Xander stop walking, turn around, laugh, then continue walking*
Xander: Alright, just to warn you, I dont know how to pilot
*John and Aadeon ingore Xander*
Aadeon: Okay, guys, here is the plan. We are going to fly our ship up to the Sith Battlecruiser thats holding our ship. We are going to be diguised as Sith and a Sith ship. Then we are going to sneak in wearing Sith uniforms and steal our ship back.
Xander: Sounds way too easy
Aadeon: Well we need Sith uniforms and Sith Dock Codes.
Xander: Well, where are we going to ever find those?!
John: I know!

Ronan: heys guys. i just got a msg on my datapad form coresec. they said that there was a fight at one of the cantinas. the report i got said something about the sith. why didnt you say you were coming to corellia. i was born here, everyone knows to stay away form that cantina. its bad news. so whats the problem?

Good timeing! Well here is the thing...well we need Sith Uniforms and Sith Docking Papers....can you...uh..provide?

dont worry about it, i got this. the docking permits, i can get from corsec. but the uniforms, well lets just say... when in doubt, what would revan do? we can go to this other cantina, and find a group of imperial officers. get them drunk, and steel their uniforms while there passed out? what could go wrong?

as they were talking john slid the docking permits out of ronans pocket, and walked down the aley. it wasnt long until he found a drunk, and beaten sith trooper in the aley, "wats you looking at" the trooper said while tring to get up. john took out his blaster "your cloaths now" john said while wotioning his other hand for the sith to pass them to him. as the sith gave him his uniform john shot him "one less sith to deal with" he said as he changed cloaths. when he was done he put the helmet on and changed to comm to a secret smuggler channel used to intercept sith communications so they could excape sith officers. john looked back and fourth, nobody but the dead trooper on the floor. "good" he thought as he walked into the croud to a group of troopers boarding a shuttle. he got on without any trouble aside from the curious eyes on his nautolan head tails. as the ship slowly rose off the ground john took out his blaster and shoot 7 rounds killing 4 troopers, the others took out their blasters and started shooting, john shoot several more shots killing the last 5 troops he took a shot to his arm and to the back, but the armor held out for him. john walked to the cockpit "land it, now" he said while shooting the co-pilot and aiming his blaster at the other pilot. the pilot was scared but landed it like he ordered. when the ship touched the ground john shot the pilot and wiped the memory of the security cams and called ronan to the ship via comm system.

Hey did anyone know where my bannana went --- oh someone is coming in on the intercom. John? Is that you? Really? Alright, well meet us back at the hanger. We have a lot of planning to do. Everyone get some good nights sleep. We have the uniforms, and the papers thanks to John. Ronan you can join us tomarrow if you would like. But I want everyone here back at the ship at 9 AM. Good? Alright.* Everyone goes back to base*

*Middle of the night* The nightmares. My parents dead bodies, the Sacking of Coruscant. I remember everything so clearly. Memories. Something about that Ven Zallow. He seemed so familiar, something I know him from. Oh well, he is dead. Things change, my parents are dead. I fight for the Republic now. I have got to keep focus. There is no emotion there is peace. Why can't I get over the fact that we where supposed to get our ship taken away. That we need to be on that Sith Cruiser. Something big is going to happen that we dont know about. I have a feeling.

ok.... how did shep get the security papers? *reaches in to his pocket to find them missing* damn it shep. i guess that makes us even. *walking down the city streets of coronet watching the passerbys go to and fro hearing the cities buzzing breathing life into the night. ronan wonders what kind of dangers him and his friends will face the next day, but before he can think about it too much he notices a couple of exotic dancers at a cantina. he walks in, and not too long after he walks out with a twi'lick girl under each arm. ronan thinks to himself.... if im going to have a long day tomorrow, might as well have a long night too.* ronan cracks open a bottle of tarisian ale.

"
(while ronan was in the cantina: I sit down. Not too long until the bartender comes over to bring me my poison, before i have a young and easy twi'lick girl on my lap. "So whats a Jedi doin here? she says. "Im not looking to make friends gorgeous, just looking to have a good night", i reply. "How do ya know im that kinda girl?" she says sarcastically. "i have a feeling that you.....me.....and that bottle over there, will say otherwise." i say with a sense of gravitas. she bites her lip and blushes a little, then she looks away, and with out missing a beat she starts to slip a motel key into my jacket. i take the key out of her hand. "i'll raise you one dank motel room, for a penthouse sweet", i say with a smirk on my face. as i pull my hotel room key out from under my sleeve. "Thats a really big wager ya got there, spacer. Some times when you make big bets, they turn out to be bad ones...... ok, i call." she says. i make my way to the bartender, and i pay my tab. i turn around and look at her and say,"Oh, and uh.... bring a friend"...... i'll cash in her chips in the morning......)

john reclined in his chair looking at the night sky as ships flew overhead. it didnt take long before he got tired "the sun rises more beautifuly on the planet without war" he said to himself as he fell to sleep in the pilots chair in the sith armor, his blaster in the holster, his blue skin rubbing against the chair, and his headtails hanging out the sides, as he slowly leaned back, his nova blue eyes slideing shut to sleep. it is a long day ahead of him he wanted his rest.


he was sleep. he had the same dream he always had when he slept in a cargo ship. the dream of the last time he saw his family. it was always blury and dim barely able to see what was going on yet he knew, he lways knew. it showed him armng the turrent and shooting fighters as they zoomed by, as sith boarded the cargo ship, the sith killing his mother, the sith takeing his brother and sister, and leaveing him alone. it showed his father repairing the systems and telling john to get in a pod and excape. it showed him leave in the pod watching the ship being atacked and what looked like another pod lanch out before the ship exploded. it also showed the other pod get destroyed and the most important. it showed who was leading the assult and the ship he as on. he never noticed but it wasnt a cargo ship, but a republic warship. as always before he could see what happened next he awoke still in the pilots seat and it was about 7:00 a.m " ugh" he said while pulling himself out the bottom of the seat, and into a up-right position. he started ging over the system check and waited for his friends to arive for the trip.

[Xander will add his in later]

*Aadeon arrives at the ship* Alright everyone hows everyone doing? John you look like you slept well, Xander...well you look...normal, Ronan your quite happy, good sleep? Well here is the deal. Lets all put on the uniforms, take off and when we arrive at the station, well we will improvize shall we.

Two hours later...
*Arriving at Sith Station* *Sith Officer* "Can we have Ship Identification*
John: Well, we gotta...1783 Identification Code number 574.
Officer: Access granted.
Aadeon: Looks like everything going smooth. We all good everyone, okay prepare to go in
Why was everything so quiet, I thought, whatever was about to happen tonight was going to be monumental. As the stealthy ship approached the silent cruiser. We landed the ship in the Hanger.
Aadeon: Alright everyone get preped. We are heading in, we all put on our Sith helmets. I signaled the team to move out. Before we knew what happend a huge explosion occured.

yeah, i was reading a good book last night, after a invigorating game of pazakk. so are we ready to get underway?

as john piloted the ship to the sith cruser he sould hear the excape pods whistleing in his mind. "this thing is going to drive me insane" he thought as he got closer and the sound got louder. the ship landed with a thud in the east landing bay. "ill be right behind you" john said as he slouched in the seat thinking back to that day he shaked the thought but it kept comeing back. he put his headt in his hands as he became teary eyed about the loss he was forced, and cursed to remember. he looked up and around "how am i going to fit in here, and how do i know that guy wont notice me again" he got out the seat and waited for aadeon to leave so he could look around the ship and have some personal time alone on the ship. he went in a private sith room in the ship and decided to relax on his bed "cant wait to get my ship back" he said as he looked around. "i wish they were alive." he said as he went and sat infront of the data monitor ner the door "the sun rises more beautifuly on a planet without war" he said with the door cracked open as he repeated it over and over. he kept repeating it as he upgraded his blasters and played with a goldish, and odly shaped crystal his father gave him, he forgot what his father called it but he knew it was impertant. he put his blasters away and continued fiddleing with it, it had the tendincy to float or move away from him when he feached for it, but he didnt mind it.

ronan, immediately takes cover, and assesses the situation. "i need a sitrep! is every one ok! whats are status!" gets blaster rifle at the ready.

"Hey John you coming!?" I shouted. I walked into the room. I saw that he was looking at a crystal, "There is something going on hear. Like a evasion or something" As we both stepped outside to meet Xander and Ronan we could hear the blaster fire, the explosions. I knew that something was going to happen. A sith commander came up to us, "we need all the help we can get. Get you blasters." "Wait, whats going on"? I said. "Some jedi have inflitrated the ship, the"----*a jedi lightsaber cut right through is body*. "Put your guns on the ground and no one will get hurt. Came a female voice. I pulled my helmet off. " Satele Shan?!" I asked. " No we are Jedi, we came undercover, for a uhh...well long story master" "Well come on, we have a battle to fight" she said and told us to come on. We changed and we prepared to fight.

"but this is illegal. we are not permitted to engage the sith in open war. if we the aggressors here, maybe we should really think things through before we implicate the jedi order of violating the treaty? Perhaps, there is a way to resolve this peacefully?"

john took his blaster out and held the crystal in his hande as he walked to the battlezone. it was cold, yet warm and felt good in his hand. it made him feel good to know he had something to remember his father by. he noticed wounded jedi were eyeing him and they were being watched. he put the crystal back into a crystal clear case perfectly surrounding it that was dangiling around his neck by a gold necklace. he continued following them as they reached the others. there were dead troopers, sith, jedi, and officers everywhere. he felt sorry for the losses and continued his way. he quickly took cover near the front lines, poping out so ofen to give a few shots and throw a stun grenaide. the battle reminded him of hs past, he turned it away he knew it wasnt healthy but he needed to do it. he hoped none of the jedi would sence his trouble as he fought and asked him about it after wards. he noticed a opening in the fight and ran to the hangar control room most doors were sealed off but he mannaged to break through, when he got there everyone was dead he took advantage and blocked the entrances and exits on the siths side of the battle, soon activateing a blast sheild blocking the republic off from the sith and turning ith airflow off on their side. he opened the door to the hangar with his ship in it and ran to it passing most o the troopers on the way. he ran in the room and slid to cover as the sith units opend fire.

Aadeon: This isnt illegal Ronan if no one knows about it. * I gave the gang a reasuring look, even though I did not feel it. I wondered if Master Shan had felt it too. Like this isnt just a regular Sith Ship. I noticed John was gone. What was he holding in his hand, was it a crystal of some sort? *Explosion*He has been acting strange ever since we landed. Oh well, I just hope he doesnt do anything stupid. *Explosion*We have our own problems to face. "Ronan, go with Master Shan and her troops, Xander and I will lead the other. Our team will fight the front lines. You guys will flank them and come on my orders. * I could barely hear myself. Little less the men I was talking to. They were good men. We led the assult on the front. It all seems like a blur, I used by shien stance so I could handle more men. One after the other. We where doing farely well, Xander seemed happy though. He has not said much. Fire, blasters ripped past my ear. We finished group after group off. But something was still missing. This can not be it. As the team rounded the corner, there he stood. Darth Malgus. It had beena while since I last saw him. Since he killed Ven Zallow. I told the troops and Xander to go the long way. Xander refused to leave. Thank god, Im actually very relieved he stayed. I ordered the men to meet up with Commander Starkiller, and join him, he needs to lead the battle now. I ignited my green lightsaber, actually it was Ven Zallow's that I took from his, dead body. How Ironic. Then Xander lighted his two blue lightsabers. Then Malgus said "Long time, *breeth*wow your a jedi now. Prove it*breeth*....Jedi.

*As Darth Magual and Aadeon are talking Xander disappears all of a sudden leaving Aadeon alone.* *Xander proceeded through the battle dogging and blocking blasters and sabers while picking off some siths on the way.* He made it to one of the doors and proceeded in. *Teleknize between Aadeon and Xander* Just keep him coved Aadeon and dont try to get yourself killed, Run if you have to. *Without thinking about Aadeon respond he headed to the bridge*

*Through evading most guards on his way he manged to get to the bridge* Xander* As i see it i wouldn't be in your shoes now, There is about 300 republican solders in the hangar and this battleship only got limited spaceports. *Imperial officers* ha ha !!! Only 300 ? This ship holds an entire invasion army. What do you think you and those 300 can do ? *The doors close* *Xander* I can do this.

*Peeking through the bridges database and picking any vital data, he realize* *Xander* there is not enough time and he rushed out, but not before he activated the ships engine to overdrive to create a malfunction* *He rushed to the hangar and jumped down joining the fight on Aadeons side against Darth Magual*

*reluctantly i take command, but Aadeon's words still echoed in me like a concussion grenade to the head. 'it's not illegal, if no one knows about it.' I can't accept and won't concede, that this is who we are. As i cut a swathe through imperial troops i wonder. Is this man truly evil? Or is he just some poor schmuck trying to pay his kids way through college? For all i know, he has a wife and kids who miss him, and now daddy isnt coming home. One things for damn sure.... i dont feel like a guardian of peace and justice. I lead my team to victory, i am a real hero. As i size Darth Malgus up, before i make my move, i think to myself if he has any regrets. Maybe that is the true path to the darkside... doing things you know is wrong. *i un- ignite my lightsaber. "Ok, Aaedon thats enough! We are done here. If Master Shan wants to lead a bunch of young boys to their death, thats on her. But iv'e done enough killing today, and im not leading any more republic troops into a blood bath!" *i look into Darth Malgus's cold dead eyes, as i tell him. "That okay we you!" "You attacked us *breath* I am sure we will meet again *breath* ...Ronan. *as i walk away to the ship, he says one last thing. "Rest assured Jedi *breath* we will not report this un- warranted attack, *breath* but instead we will revisit upon you what was done *breath*..... '100' fold." Im sure you will." i say.
*'I guess i did my good deed for today.' i say to myself in sarcasm. although.... the way Malgus said one hundred...reminded me of the reminded me of the report CorSec gave me. Something Aadeon was not ready to hear. Maybe Xander can reason with him..... i'll clear the path out to the ship.

...."Well I said you can always count on Corellians to leave in the middle of the fight" I told Malgus. "Probably had a date do not worry" I was trying to stall time. Who did I think I was, challenging Malgus to a duel?! I mean I always wanted to, but not as a padawan. I wonder how long this will last. "What is going on Malgus why are you here?!" My courage suprised me. " Look deep into your soft heart Jedi *breeth*, you know this is more then a Republic Mission to save a couple Republic Citizens. *breeth* I captured these slaves to draw you out so I can elliminate the Zallow family once and for all" What was he talking about? Zallow family? " Now enough stalling*breeth* show me what you learned Padawan" *He charged at me*, no way I was going to win against one of the most powerful sith in the galaxy, but there was no way he was going to defeat me. *I called upon the force to flip over him, and stike him behing the back* "To easy" Malgus said *and blocked my blow and force pushed me while I was in the air.* " You fight like Ven Zallow did when I killed him, and you do not have to be next" "NEVER!!" geez when was Xander going to get back? *I turned around and ran up the wall fliped over and suprised Malgus with a furry of attacks* "Well done, you improvised" He said. " Well improvasion class is over" *He attacked me with strength I had never seen, I was barely blocking the attacks, He then kicked me and sent me flying* "Now Jedi you will die just like your pathetic friends and pathetic father that have fallen in the trap. We already killed the prisiners" What?! Ven Zallow was my father?! *sudenly all these memories came back to me* But i could show my suprise "You are wrong Malgus, this is why I became a Jedi, to make sure people like you" *and before I could finish speaking, Malgus brought down his lightsaber, but before it could strike me a lightsaber came between me and him* Xander said, "What did I miss"?!

dispite the numbers the troopers took control of most of the hangar containing both the shuttle they arrived in and johns ship he looked up to the over looking pathway and saw his sister fighting two jedi with a few strikes and blows she soon took the life of one and impaled the other. she then gave john a smile as she dashed into the air ducts to who knows where. john was left in shock as the troopers mopped up the remining sith and reported to the jedi. john went and inspected his ship, everything was in place thankfuly john instaled the new upgrades, saber proof door padding, security codepannels, and a hk unit. as he walked into his personal chamber, his hk droid came up "report: all clear master nothing has changed" he noded and dismissed his droid and relaxed on his bed waiting for xander or aadeon to hurry up so they could leave. he left his door cracked so he wouldnt need to re-enter the code if a quick gettaway was needed. he heared troopers and jedi walking around his ship as he relaxed. he held the crystal in his hand as he sat on his bed, the crystal started spining slowly in his hand he found it funny, but to not get cought with it, john put it back into its case and went over to the holoprojector. pressing the buttons on his datapad a image of his family and exgirlfriends came up. he sat with his head in his hand. he slowly reached his hand out to touch one of he images, and quickly turned it off as he left his ship and took the crystal in his hand.

*Xander and Aadeon duel Malgus but are slowly being beaten. I noticed all the bodies, Sith and Republic. This battle, this small battle that took place. No one will have any idea that this happend. The brave men who gave their lifes to save these innocent civilians. Though, I was not that ignorant to relize that not all these Sith troopers where bad, they had families just like our guys. But the difference is if we asked for mercy, we would not have gotten any. They were attacking our families. This undercover skirmish was the Sith's fault they captured those civilians to lore us into here. This is what gave me the will to fight, this is why I joined the order to protect the republic and be a hero. I wish I felt more like it. *Malgus headbuts Xander in the face and force pushes me away. He relizes that he had lost. The Jedi and the Republic had won. So Malgus escapes. He force jumps to another level and soon dissapears in the room. I tell Xander "We MUST go after him!!" Carefull Aadeon, you would easily get killed he might have won the duel, but we stand while he runs away. He relizes that he has lost" I knew it was a foolish thing to say, but I couldnt let that mass murder go! But a Jedi must learn when to stop. But I still could not get over the fact that Ven Zallow was my father all along! That is why my dead parents told me to go to the Temple. Did he know? Who was my mother? Oh well another story for another time. I yeld "Okay men, lets search the area, and meet at rondevous point." I had a feeling that this was not going to be the only undercover skirmish during the Cold War. I only hoped John had made it out. Lets head to the ship.

i see Xander making his way towards Aadeon, no doubt on his way to bail him out of what ever trouble aadeon has foolishly put himself into.

i gave him a way out.

he didnt want to take it.

sometimes its best not to know somethings to early in life. somethings your just not ready to accept.

i could sense what malgus had done, and how Aadeon was connected to it.

Ven, was dead

i didnt tell aadeon that the CorSec report said that malgus killed his father.

if there is one thing i learned from personal experience... you dont tell a powerful force user that a sith murdered your family. you just dont.

especially when there is no way to save them.

they were dead before Aadeon and Xand got to Corellia.

this in my town. i know what goes on here. master shan's mission was a suicide run.

what could i say to him.

i thought if i could appeal to his sensibilities he'd let it go.

i was wrong.

but Aadeon has chosen his path, and now he will naturally want revenge.

just as i did.

here they come. i can smell Aadeon's anger from a thousand meters away.

"come on guys, i think shep will be here shortly." i give him a reassuring look,

i wonder if he senses that i know exactly how it feels. to want vengeance so bad you can taste it.

its a hunger like fire.

i guess that cantina rat was right. some bets you make,

are just bad.

*Aadeon and Xander walking to the ship in totall silence.* The bodies lieing everywhere. I guess it was a sucessful mission. We nee----"Commander Tarkona" a republic trooper came up to us and said, "We searched the place for the prisoners and well----"Let me save you the breath, Darth Malgus killed all the Citizens before we arrived" "No sir" The Officer said,"we found all of them, some are badly injured, but one was killed, but other wise we found all of them" What a tremendous relieve, Malgus had lied to me, for me to give into anger. Could he be lieing about Ven Zallow? I mean I know he killed him, I was right there watching it. But my father? I have much to think about. "Good job private, report back to you sargent immendiately" I looked over to Xander " So this was a sucessfull mission after all, we saved the prisoners, took over a Sith Ship without causeing a War. But they started it and they will retailiate, but I dont feel like a Hero". *I still could not believe I had just fought Malgus, I mean, he had obviously won, but I stayed in there. But how. I didnt know what to call it. It felt like revenge. But it wasnt. Thats not how this was supposed to go! That was not the Jedi way! There is no passion there is serenity. I think Ronan felt it too. I shortly gave into anger, thank god Xander came. But it wont and it cant happen again! *we arrived at the ship*