Star Wars: The Jedi Chronicles:Enter The Shadows (Books 1-4)

Chapter 8 Josh Sietsma

Shain: (over the comlink) Now, Cassandra, Josh’s apprentice is very aggressive, so a tight defense will be your best bet.

Cassandra: (over the comlink) Ok.

Shain: (over the comlink) Also, small acrobatics will prove useful. Use a lot of matrix-type moves and small jumps. He telegraphs his attacks, so it’s pretty easy to see where he is going to strike

Cassandra: (over the comlink) What?

Shain: (over the comlink) Oh yeah, that’s right; you’re not from earth. Say he brings his lightsaber at your head. Instead of blocking it with your lightsaber, lean back and let the blade pass over you.

Cassandra: (over the comlink) Mhmm.

Shain: (over the comlink) Then you have a few choices: you can stand up and block with your lightsaber or you can lean forward and let the saber pass over you again. Although blocking is probably your best bet. Or you can use some of those acrobatics I’ve been teaching you.

Cassandra: (over the comlink) Ok.

Shain: (over the comlink) And try not to let him get a direct hit with the Force because he has enhanced Force powers. Try to shift it off to either side of you but not at all would be best.

Cassandra: (over the comlink) Ok.

Shain: (over the comlink) Are you ok? You feel tense.

Cassandra: (over the comlink) I’ll get over it.

Shain: (over the comlink) Yeah, what exactly is it that we are getting over?

Cassandra: (over the comlink) I haven’t been to my home world since my family was killed. Master Luminara found me and brought me to the Jedi temple… I was only four.

Shain: (over the comlink) Well, we’re here; Anthony’s coordinates say that Josh is on the southern half of the planet. (he shuts off the comlink and mutters to himself) I sure hope she’s ready for this.

Scene change: They land in the center of one of the small cities. The city is in the shape of a circle. The buildings are made out of solid stone and cement; they are old and rundown. Some even have chunks of their walls lying on the ground. Most buildings are only two stories high. The rest are three or one. The city seems lifeless. The town smells of ash.

Shain: Welcome to the ghost town.

Cassandra: This place is so cold... and familiar.

Shain: Creepy, isn’t it? It’s the Dark Side. See those black burn marks on the wall?

Cassandra: Yes.

Shain: That’s not from the fires. There was a battle here, I’d say about nine years ago.

He turns around to see Cassandra with her hand on a wall.

Cassandra: (softly) These are lightsaber burns.

They continue walking till they come near a one story building. There is a hole just big enough to fit a small child underneath the foundation. Cassandra walks up to the fissure, and her mind goes into a flash back.

Scene change: The city is being attacked - buildings are on fire. Cassandra is four years old. She is looking out from underneath the hole. All she can smell is the smoke from the burning buildings.

All she hear is blasters, lightsabers, and the screams of familys being torn apart. Her father is fighting Sith troops. Suddenly, a Sith jumps down from the house across the street. They fight for a while.At last, the Sith stabs her father in the heart.

Five or six Sith troopers drag her five year old brother, mother, twin sister and baby brother out of the house. The Sith kills her mother and orders the troopers away with her siblings.

Scene change: The flash back ends. She is on her knees, crying.

Shain: (to himself vary quietly) You know, Yoda, I’ve had her as a padawan for a year and I’m still wondering why you assigned her to me.

Shain starts to walk over to her when a shadow jumps from the roof.

Shain: (yelling) Look out!

He Force-pushes the figure into the wall. Cassandra quickly turns her head. She sees Josh Sietsma standing on the building above Shain. As Josh jumps off the roof, she Force-pulls him toward her, just enough to knock him off course.

Josh hits the ground and rolls up onto his feet. He turns his head to the right and looks at Shain out of the corner of his eye. The padawans start fighting.

Josh: (mockingly and dark) Lucky you had a little girl to save your life.

Shain: (just as dark) At least I have someone that can save mine.

Josh stands and spins around to the right, opening his lightsaber and slashing at Shain’s head at the same time. The green glow seems darker than it used to. Shain backflips using his hands, but he misjudges the distance, smacks his feet into the wall behind him and falls on his face.

Josh brings the lightsaber back across the ground from his right side. Shain rolls to his right three times and pushes off the ground so he is sitting on the ground and starts rubbing his head.

Shain: I don’t think that was supposed to happen.

Josh opens his second green lightsaber. Shain stands up and brushes himself off. He opens his blue spinning handle, holding it with a reverse grip.

Josh: I’m going to enjoy this.

Shain: (forgetting who he is fighting for a moment, and rather glad he will have a full-fledged battle) I’d rather you surrender now, but I know you won’t have any part of that.

Josh: After your start, there’s not a chance that’s gonna happen.

They both step in. Shain brings his lightsaber around his body to block Josh’s right handed thrust. Josh swipes at Shain’s head. Shain leans forward and lets the lightsaber pass over him.