The Dark Side

~3~

Five days later, the pair were on Florrum searching for a holocron.

Luke had explained that information about the future padawans was encrypted in the stolen cube. The holocron was lost on the planet Florrum where the pair were sent to find it.

"Solo."

No answer.

"SOLO!"

"WHAT?" Ben snapped turning to the girl beside him.

"Did you leave the lights on the ship on?"

Ben rolled his eyes and turned away.

"You did, I knew it," Neri'el smirked, "I thought I reminded you before we left not to forget to turn off the-"

"Neri'el, be quiet."

"-lights but did you listen? No. Honestly Solo, I think you're tone deaf-"

Neri'el's voice was cut off by a cold hand being pressed against her mouth. She tried to shove Ben off but he shoved her against a boulder peering over it warily.

"Shut. Up," he hissed in her ear, "There's someone up ahead."

She pried his hand off of her mouth and glared at him.

"Then why don't we go see who it is instead of hide behind a rock like a pair of good for nothing criminals?" she growled back.

Ben said nothing and kept watching over the rock.

Neri'el let out a small noise of frustration before joining him. A pair of men came into view and Ben quickly shoved her down. Neri'el's elbow scraped against the rock and she hissed in pain.

Before she could snap at him; Ben muttered, "It's pirates."

Neri'el's green eyes widened in shock.

"I thought all the pirates on Florrum died out years ago," she whispered back.

Ben shrugged.  "Apparently not."

He carefully craned his neck to look over the rock and was greeted by a blaster.

"Hello there," a voice cackled, "Hey Re'Sau! Look what I found!"

Ben gently pushed Neri'el away and with an almost imperceptible nod, directed her where to run. She shook her head and clenched her fingers around her lightsaber hilt.

She wasn't about to leave her friend.

Another pirate lumbered over and yanked Ben up by the front of his robe. The pirate looked him over and his greedy eyes landed on the young man's lightsaber.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Ben warned but the pirate just laughed and pulled the lightsaber off of his belt.

"Now where did a punk like you steal this?" the man growled.

"What is it boss?" the other pirate asked before Ben could answer.

Ben smirked.

"It's a lightsaber you imbecile. I can show you how it works if you like," he stated a malicious glint appearing in his dark eyes.

The pirate dragged him closer. His foul breath coated Ben's face as he hissed,

"Keep your smart mouth to yourself, boy."

He thrust Ben away and he fell hard. Dust clouded the air around him and he coughed harshly.

Neri'el jumped to her feet, her green lightsaber ignited, in front of her fallen comrade.

The pirates leapt back in shock.

"What the-YOU DIDN'T MENTION THE OTHER ONE!" the older pirate snarled to the other.

The second pirate rubbed his scalp nervously pulling at his black ponytail.

"I-I guess I missed her."

"I'm going to kill you, Stebbins," Re'Sau snarled raising his blaster, "Call the others."

Stebbins sent the pair a swift glance before turning around and pulling a communicator out of his belt.

"We don't want any trouble," Neri'el stated firmly as Ben rose to his feet, "Just give back my companion's lightsaber and we will be on our way."

"Or we keep this." The pirate held up Ben's saber. "And we take you both as our captives and see how much money we can get for two slaves."

Strong emotions rolled off of Ben as he stood stoically beside Neri'el. She winced as she sensed the hate, disgust and rage seeping off of him like mist.

"That's not going to happen," Ben snarled raising a hand.

"Oh rea-ACK!"

The pirate's voice cracked and he clutched his throat. His yellowed fingernails scratched into his skin as he desperately struggled to breathe.

"Ben," Neri'el said warningly.

"You should have let, us, go," Ben snarled clenching his fingers together.

The pirate gasped for breath his eyes bulging. The lightsaber fell from his grasp and Ben instantly summoned it to his hands.

The pirate's face steadily turned blue and he went limp.

"Ben stop!" Neri'el commanded, reaching out for her friend.

But before she could touch him, a hand wrapped around her waist tugging her away.

"BEN!" she screeched as the pirate wrenched her lightsaber from her fingers. It fell to the ground with a clatter.

The tall dark haired Jedi whipped around immediately when he heard her scream. In a flash, his blue lightsaber ignited and he rushed towards the girl. The pirate holding her wrapped his hand tighter around her throat and squeezed. Black dots swam across her vision and she clawed desperately at his hands to no avail. He dragged her behind a rocky boulder and hissed in her ear,

"Your boyfriend won't stand a chance against my men, Darling. Soon it will just be you and me."

His hot breath coated the back of her neck and he began to play with a strand of her blonde hair.

A wave of terror rocked the girl's body and she felt herself sag in his grip as laser fire echoed around the canyon.

A scream of pain shook the air and she screamed too as she recognized the voice.

"BEN!"

The pirate squeezed her neck tighter and she tried desperately to fight him off but the lack of oxygen was killing her.

"Ben," Neri'el whispered as the black dots transformed into one cloud and everything was gone.

AN-
The pic at the top is the stuff from the books...I'm just wondering if the movies woulda been better if they went with them rather than what they did...who knows! We wouldn't have Kylo so that would be sad...but Jacen looks like a great villain too!