--Building a New life --Tech x Reader Bad Batch

Chapter 92 - Different Situation, Same Fear --

"Jareth? Is it really you?" Your eyes sparkling with the reflection of green and red light coming off the light-sabers as you held off his attack. You search the red eyes staring you down, their glowing yellow-gold rims even more striking from this distance. The dathomirian pushes his strike harder against your blades, and you side step, allowing the energy of his push to be carried off your twin sabers. You step away to another branch, gaining some distance between you in the tree's on Takodana.

The starlight and lightsabers are the only lights you have to go by with the outpost behind you. You were sure that Tech and Hunter had made it to the Havoc Marauder by now. You were the last to get there, so you just needed to get passed this inquisitor and escape.

..and yet ... as you stood there observing the Dathomirian who had started to chase you down through the tree's, the familiar appearance struck your memory.

--you are Jareth-- you painfully realized, your heart panging in anguish at the realization.

All the wrath you felt in the force, and each of the techniques he was using. This was definitely him. How else would he be able to match your tree-stepping abilities, or be knowledgeable of how to use the forest terrain to his advantage? Not to mention, the longer you looked at him the more you recognized his face. Just as Golrin, the Mikkian apprentice you had reunited with on Centares had lost many of his youthful features to stress and age, Jareth had also grown and changed. The echo of the Dathomirian boy you had known, the young padawan who had stuck by Davids side like glue, and then the aspiring apprentice under your own Master Caltrels teaching ... what happened to him?

The Jareth you had known was determined but cautious, a young boy from harsh beginnings steeped in cultural tradition that forced him into the background. He had grown out of his shell on Felucia. He had pursued kindness, precision and skill. But now as you stared him down, watching him again rush towards you with an enraged strike and betrayed wrathful expression you could not help but feel sorry and disturbed deeply in your heart. Jareth had always lashed out in defense. It was how he had been raised as a Dathomirian male within the witches influential culture that had developed such a survival technique in a young child. The more insecure he felt at the temple, the greater he defended against and lashed out at those around him.

These strikes held no such caution or defensive desire. As he came at you again, your blades clashing in a flurry of sparks, you swirled both blades at your sides allow each to swing forward as an intertwining defense against his long slashing strokes. These attacks were deeply steeped in the wrath you felt emitting from the force through Jareth. After mentioning his name you had only seen his face become more angered and upset.

You could feel tears coming to your eyes, you slashed down with both blades to drive him back. Dodging around the branches to his left you managed to switch sides and be closer to the Marauder. Your eyes remained locked on each other. The Dathomirian watching you closely and you paused again saying "Jareth ... its you.."

"Yes. Y/N" his voice replied, deeper then you remember, his eyes shining a little brighter as he replied "its is me ... all that remains".

"What did they do to you?" you ask the emotion carrying in your voice and Jareth smoothly side steps closer readying his blade.

"they?" he asked with the edges of his mouth curling upwards in a pained smile.

"The inquisitors" you say, preparing yourself to block and side jumping to another tree.

Jareth pursues you swiftly, quickly stepping along the tree branches and closing the distance between you in the blink of an eye. You barely block him in time as you continue to travel backwards towards the clearing the Marauder is in. The force of his blow causes you to lose balance and jump again to another tree while he loudly calls after you "It was not the inquisitors"—he leaps from the tree branch slashing down at you. You use both blades to keep yourself from getting sliced in half and he leans harder into his hold his face so close to yours you can hear the venom in his voice—"it was you".