Chapter 12

When they finally got out of the bunker, everything was in chaos. It was truly war. A black clad Sith immediately attacked Jasper, who dispatched him quickly, his heart sickened at the loss of life. But, that was war. Kett was already forging through the ranks to where the Jedi were obviously having the most trouble. His green saber seemed to shine brighter than any other green one. Jasper could also his his currently mostly green Aura surrounding him, and grinned. Kett could make anything more fun.

All of the sith seemed amazed and surprised when he attacked them, and several Jedi had to be put in their places by Jellint when they attacked him. Good thing he knew a thing or two about fighting. He and Kett went to every failing front, sometimes splitting up, and sometimes fighting together, but one thing was for sure, they were an unstoppable force (pun intended).

The Sith were losing. It wasn't apparent at first, but after a while, you could tell that they were being pushed back. Jasper was pretty confident that they were going to win, ... well, he was confident. Until he showed up. The Jedis started to be pushed back, and Jasper was trying to keep them forward when he spotted some Sith guy or something who was wicked with a light saber, and was definitely strong in the force. Some of the Jedis almost looked ready to run away and flee. Jasper found Kett and fought his way to him. "Any idea who this guy is?"

"No, but he arrived from the sky. What can you tell about him?"

"Well, he's really good with the force and a lightsaber, he has no remorse... and I think he has OCD. That's kinda odd, in my opinion."

"OCD?" Kett asked.

"Yeah, obsessive compulsive disorder. Where you feel the compulsion to do certain rituals and routines. I wonder how he stands battle. I bet you that his compulsion transfers to the battlefield."

Kett nodded getting the idea. "So, we find what ever he has to do, and use it against him?"

"That seems like the best choice." Jasper nodded.

"Any clue what it is?"

"Wait, I'm still looking!" Jasper shushed his friend with a glare before continuing his search of the colors surrounding the brick of a Sith.

Kett fought a bit harder while Jasper looked. Finally Jasper smiled and started fighting again.

"He rotates in a circle," Jasper started to explain. "He has to fight in a clockwise manner, which usually isn't that hard for him, but maybe we can change that."

Kett grinned wickedly, "It would be my pleasure."

Jasper followed Kett as the kleptomaniac advanced on the Sith, his green saber flashing. when they got there, the Sith killed a Jedi right in front of them, before turning to his next victim; Jellint.

Jasper watched in a sort of slow motion horror, as their short-time mentor was cut down after only a few intense strokes. Kett was already on top of the Sith, but it was too late, and Jellint collapsed into the mud.

Jasper fell down next to him, wishing that Cinthia was there, "Master Jellint!"

"Padawan," Jellint's voice was weak, and Jasper could barely hear him over the sound of the battle raging around them, "My time here is waning, but you and your friend have done well."

"No, Master Jellint," Jasper started to try and pick the older man up, "I can't just leave you here!" He felt like crying. Why did these things always have to happen?!

"You can, young one." Jellint spoke quietly again, "The Sith, Darth Kale is powerful. He has a force field all around him, except in the front." Jellint coughed, and blood dribbled out of the corner of his mouth, "I can see what your young friend is trying to do, but he won't be able to do it with that force field in the way. He will need your help."

"But what can I do?" Jasper looked up just in time to see Kett barely dodge a dirty strike from Darth Kale, getting a pretty deep cut in his right arm nonetheless.

"Use ... the force." Jellint coughed again, and Jasper heard the next words in his head, 'Young Padawan, you have great skill. Do not try to use the force, or it won't work. Just use it. You will know what to do. And, ... I have a son ... a padawan like you ... help him. Please ... make me proud ...'

"No ..." Jasper whispered, laying his mentor on the ground gently, closing his eyes. Then he stood slowly, Darth Kale was gonna pay for this.

"Jasper!" Kett's shout brought his attention back to the battle, he saw his friend in front of Kale, his green blade on the ground sizzling as Kale advanced.

"You can't move little Jedi?" Kale's voice was a deep baritone, and his smile was downright evil, "Why don't you just use the force to get out of it?" Jasper felt sure that Kett would have already won if it hadn't been for the force.

"Hey stupid!" He shouted, deciding to try something. He looked at a rock, and reaching his hand out to it, he flicked his wrist, and was surprised when it went flying at Kale, but hit the force field before it reached him. "Why don't you stop cheating and fight a real fight?!" He knew from the color change that he'd gotten the Sith's attention, and suppressed a small smile of satisfaction. But then he gave a shout when Kale's blade went flying towards Kett's face. His hand went out, and the Sith's hand froze. Jasper decided that maybe this force stuff wasn't as difficult as he had previously thought.

Kett had closed his eyes, preparing himself to die, and was surprised when he opened them to a red saber only inches from his face.

"Do you want to die too, traitor?" Kale's eyes were basically yellow as he turned slightly in Jasper's direction.

"How are you doing that?" Kett's inquisitive question almost made Jasper laugh out loud, he sounded like he wasn't even in a battle, but just asking for a tip, which Jasper gladly gave him.

"Just feel it Kett, it's the force! Just imagine it happening, ..." He searched his mind for Jellint's advice, "Just do it, don't try! Just do!"

"Shut up fool!" Kale turned towards him fully, his blade still trying to get past Jasper's apparently infuriating force field. Jasper started edging counter-clockwise around him,

"Why should I?"

"You will pay for this!" Kale seethed, but Jasper paid him no mind, instead watching as Kett held out his hand, ... he could see Kett's green saber twitching.

"Come and make me, otherwise I don't think I will." He stated, watching the Sith's face turn red,

"I will kill this little upstart first, then you!"

"First you have to kill him? ... Do you need any help? You seem to be having trouble." Jasper spoke cheekily, looking at the wide circle that had been cleared for their battle. Apparently no one else wanted to be part of it.

"I-" Kale was cut off, because at that exact moment, he had to dodge Kett's flying saber, which went right over his barely low enough head, and into Kett's waiting hand. Apparently, that had been enough to break the Sith's focus, because Kett jumped up and started the fight all over again, with Kale barely defending. Jasper almost felt bad for him, but not really.

"I will kill both of you!" Kale's shout reminded Jasper a little bit of that guy in the movie Star Wars, They both had really bad anger management problems.

"Good luck!" Kett taunted, his green blade flashing so fast it just looked like a big green mess of energy when combined with his aura.

"Yeah," Jasper followed Kett from behind, forcing Kale to move in a counter-clockwise direction, which from all of the red, was obviously infuriating, "It's two against one! So either you didn't listen in math, or you know that those aren't the greatest odds!"

"He probably just didn't listen." Kett spoke up as he continued pushing Kale backwards. Jasper meanwhile tried to focus on getting rid of the force field so that he could help Kett finish this guy off.

Jasper remembered that one time when Dustin had been attempting to create a force field, he wasn't very good at it. And right now all Jasper wished was that he would be successful at destroying one. He wasn't sure if things were different here, but breaking concentration seemed to weaken it, which they were already doing. Dustin's problem had been trying too hard to do it the way he was told as well. Jasper wondered if that could apply. 'I guess it's worth a shot,' he concluded.

"Hey, vegetable guy! Kale!" Jasper was standing kind of close to Kett, so that Kale would feel compelled to go in a complete circle to turn to him, as he predicted Kale didn't turn.

"Your force field stinks," he was starting to feel really childish with these insults, but kept going. "All it does is block physical blows, haven't you heard of mental ones? You're totally defenseless against them." He was definitely getting on Darth Kale's nerves. Part of him felt kind of proud for that.

"I will enjoy crushing your skull, you insignificant Jedi!"

"Did you know we're only Padawans?" Kett seemed to see what Jasper was going for, and added to Kale's frustration well, "'Cause we are, just so you know who's beating you."

"I will kill you!!" Kale roared, attacking Kett in another burst of fury, which to Kett's credit, he defended with practiced ease.

"Boy, SOMEones got anger management problems!" Jasper tsked. Kale's reply to the jab was to thrust his hand in Jasper's direction, flinging him violently backwards. To Jasper's credit, he rolled, landing on his feet, and sticking his tongue out at Kale for good measure.

He could see Kale's concentration breaking, and had to smile slightly at the flickering force field.

Everything after that seemed to move fairly quickly. Kale somehow tripped up Kett. Jasper could tell how a moment later, seeing as his friend was struggling to breathe. Kett was still defending, but was slowly sinking to his knees, pain apparent in his eyes.

"Stop that, you overgrown bully!" Jasper rushed at Kale, his blade extending, only to have Kale fly backwards into it, immediately impaled. He merely looked at his saber for a moment, sticking unceremoniously through the black clad Sith on it, before he quickly and distastefully removed it with a sickly sizzling sound. He looked up and saw Kett, still gulping air in, with his hand still outstretched, frozen in that moment of terror past.

"Are you okay?" He rushed to his friends side, looking nervously at Kett's already purple neck. Kett took a moment to gasp a couple more times before he looked up with a wry smile,

"Did you see that? I used the FORCE!"

"You would say that," Jasper rolled his eyes before getting back to his question, "So that was cool, but seriously, ... Are you all right?"

"Yeah," Kett waved a hand dismissively, then turned back to the battle that was once again closing around them, dispatching the nearest Sith quickly, "But I won't be if I don't start defending myself!"

"Whatever." Jasper shrugged as he joined the fight as well, figuring they would worry about it later.

Once again, they were on a roll! The Sith were being pushed back, and even more easily this time to boot! A couple Siths even turned cloak and ran at one point, not even wanting to contend with Jasper.

Finally, the army turned and fled. "Retreat!" The cry rang out, and the Jedis gave a cheer, Kett however, looked sick. Jasper immediately went to him, not liking how his aura was flickering.

"Kett? You okay?"

"I-I just feel a little strange, that's all. It'll pass." Kett waved him off as their army began to filter back to the base, caring for the dead and cheering for the living. "You're the one with a bloody head."

"Ha ha, very funny." Jasper rolled his eyes again, and was completely surprised when blood dropped into his right eye, "What the-!" He jerked back in surprise as Kett laughed gratingly,

"Told you so."

"Yeah well-" Jasper finally got his eye clear, and looked up at Kett only to stop short, "Who're you?!"

"Where am I?" The black haired, black eyed boy in front of him was not Kett, and was looking right at him, not answering his question. Boy, this was a weird day.

Author's Note

Still intense, still confusing ... Still there?