STAR WARS: Gray Jedi

Chapter 4

DODORAN. RAJEVEE FOREST

Maas stood above the defeated bounty hunters, the onset of disappointment and anger rising in his chest. When he landed on Dodoron he half-expected the bounty hunters to welcome him with confused faces, taken aback at the fact their employer showed up to give them scorn for lack of protocol. Instead, him and his Stormtroopers found three of the bounty hunters dead, sprawled all over their own campfire site. Maas looked at the fourth and only surviving of the group - supposedly the leader of this band of outlaws. He was being patched up with bacta by one of his Troopers.

"What happened?" Maas asked, disappointed.

"We were attacked." Rovan replied.

"By whom?"

"A Jedi." Rovan said.

Maas looked at Rovan with skepticism. "What did you say?" he asked.

"I said a Jedi," Rovan responded.

"That's impossible," Maas replied.

"That's what I thought," Rovan squirmed as the Trooper attended to him, "but it's true. We were attacked by a Jedi. He had the laser sword and all."

"That's impossible." 

Maas turned his back to Rovan. The Jedi were extinct. He knew that. This bounty hunter clearly had to be making excuses.

"It's true," Rovan urged.

"Your mind is playing tricks on you. You're probably still dazed from the beating you took."

"Look, I may be many things, Admiral, but I ain't a liar," Rovan assured him.

Maas didn't want to believe it, but he was an excellent judge of character. He could always tell if someone was lying to him. He looked at Rovan and found none of the ticks or nervous gestures that someone involuntarily made when they weren't telling the truth. Either this bounty hunter was really telling the truth or he naively believed he was attacked by a Jedi. 

"Where did this attacker go?" Maas asked.

"That way, I think," Rovan pointed.

Just then, a roar screeched out, coming far off from the same direction Rovan had pointed towards. Maas and the troopers drew their blasters. Maas quickly gestured to his troops.

"You three - move up ahead and take point," he ordered.

The troopers did as they were told and trudged ahead.

"I'm comin' with ya." Rovan grunted.

"No," Maas replied, "You've done enough. You stay here and wait for my orders." Maas turned and followed his Troopers ahead.

"What? Hey!" Rovan yelled out to Maas. "I deserve justice for my brothers! Hey!" Rovan grunted in frustration. "Get off me," he barked as he shoved the trooper tending to him.