Ilum: A Bitter Taste

[Jeseth Cloak]

2 Years After the Battle of Endor...

To Jeseth, there was nothing familiar about Ilum; it was a poor and undeveloped planet, orbiting a weak star on the very fringe of civilized space. He loathed to speak it's name, and when left with no recourse but to do so, spat it from his mouth like a vitriol curse. "Ilum," he growled, raking his fingers through a mound of moss-ridden soil. "Nothing grows on this diseased planet! Should I be expected to eat mold for the rest of my life," he asked out loud, to no one in particular.

His every attempt to harvest crops resulted in failure. It rained too much on Ilum, and in the end all the seeds he'd plant would rot away, seeping a putrid stench into the air (like so many little corpses tucked away in shallow graves). He could hardly bare the stink of them, and every breath became a temptation to delivery himself from the moment by drawing upon the Force.

He slammed his fist against the ground defiantly, spattering mud across his arms and face. He wouldn't give in to that temptation. He could never risk the townspeople turning against him; there were few of them as it was, and without them he would quickly perish of hunger.

[Kelt Simoson]

It was nothing but the truth. Truth was the ultimate thing in life that Kelt strived for, he was nothing but the truest man to others and himself and never had he lied to anyone out of malice, infact the only time he has ever lied was when he wanted to turn anothers attention from hatred and onto peace oher than that, Kelt was a true Jedi. A Jedi Knight. He had never been one to tutor another, and never had an apprentice to teach and frankly the days of having an apprentice were long since dead, you ether taught yourself or give up, it was that simple.

The town below the hill of which Jeseth lived on was of a gloomy state. Everyone muttered rather than spoke and it cast a depressing feeling upon Kelt who wandered through the almost abandoned village looking for clues about his arch rival. Kelt knew Jeseth was here, but had no idea that Jeseth lived above them, looming over them like a lord and his subjects though in hinde site it was probably the perfect place for such a dark figure to live upon. Taking what few clues he had with him from the residents, Kelt began a hard climb to the top of the hill where Jeseth resided, it had been a long time since he had come across his nemisis and yet, it was about time, the feud with this beast of a man had been far to long in lengh and although Kelt was of peace, something of a vengeful streat struck his heart while thinking of Jeseth cloak, it was only to be expected since Jeseth had killed anyone whome Kelt had ever loved at the old Jedi Academy.

Composing himself as he reached the sumit, Kelt breathed one final free air without Jeseths words interjecting and began to circle the house for a stealthier way in than through the front door. Hand on saber he began to search.

[Jeseth Cloak]

Jeseth's train of thought suddenly derailed. He thought he had heard the faint crunch of moist leaves, and a part of him suddenly became aware that someone was near... but who, he couldn't be sure. He slowly got back up on his feet and began to make his way towards the safety of his home. Once inside, he bolted the door behind himself and nestled into a large, well worn chair. His eyes fixed upon a small, rectangular, black box that protruded just slightly over the edge of his only shelf.

[Kelt Simoson]

'You know...' Spoke Kelt quietly 'For a Sith, you are very loud'

At this point Kelt stepped from the corner of the room and into the very little light that Jeseth allowed into his home. It was a wonder that Jeseth did not notice him or 'feel' him before but one of Kelts famed abilities was to be able to mask his force sence to such an acute degree that he could be unnoticed even as close as Jeseth and Kelt were now. For a moment Kelt thought about simply ending Jeseth here, now, unarmed and helpless within his chair, but Kelt was far from over giving this 'thing' his lecture, his lesson into why, here, today he was going to pay the price for his crimes against the galaxy.

'It has taken me a long time to find you, Jeseth Cloak, a long time'

Raising his head so that he had to look down his nose at the man in his chair, Kelt placed one hand on his saber ready for Jeseths reaction. Kelt looked worn and older since their last meeting many moons ago so diffrent infact Kelt wondered if he might recognize the Jedi before him. But he was sure he would. How he had made entrance to the man's house was irrelivent, how he would make his escape, unknown, but one thing was for sure, today would mark the end for ether one of them or even both.

[Jeseth Cloak]

Jeseth's large eyes opened wide, his pupils dilating. He had been caught off guard, and sprang to his feet, glaring at Kelt. He didn't hesitate to interrupt the Jedi's lecture. "You're old." Jeseth didn't seem to have aged much at all.

He closed his eyes briefly, reaching out. "You came alone, too." A faint blue light began to ripple along the edges of his fingernails. "At your age," Jeseth said, his voice rising to be heard above the chirping and snapping that now consumed the air around him, "you should really know better." Lightning was arcing between his fingers, it's unpleasant sound heralding the coming of pain.

[Kelt Simoson]

'Old maybe, but not yet forgotten!'

Kelt's hand was thrown out almost uncontrolibly and with it a force push that could have quite easily cracked Cloaks ribs in two. Jeseth was hit with such a force that it flung him over the chair and through the wall oposite bringing bricks and morter down with him not only has Jeseth had injury to the front of his torso but now the back and that was simply in one force manouver.

'I will show you the meaning of justice!'

At that Kelt ignited his saber. A band of purple sprung to life in his grip and with it Kelt began to advance on the fallen Sith.

[Jeseth Cloak]

The dust hadn't yet settled when Jeseth felt something break inside of himself. He was aware of both the sharp pain in his chest and the fact that Kelt was closing in on him. In the rubble with him laid the small box that had caught his eye just moments earlier. It's contents had spilled out into the debris. Jeseth reached down, took the lightsaber into his hand and brought it to life with a bone-chilling hiss.

Kelt was close enough to feel the heat of the crimson saber as it's beam met his. Jeseth's eyes reflected the light and the pain that bathed his body. "You won't break me that easily," he screamed, parrying Kelt's saber to the ground and delivering an electrifying open-palmed graze right over his chest. It was enough voltage to induce an earth-shattering heart attack.

Jeseth slowly side-stepped away from Kelt, keeping the beam of his saber up as a barrier and watching the Jedi struggle against his body's agonizing spiral towards death. "Your loved ones are waiting for you - hurry up and die!"

[Kelt Simoson]

At this Kelt recieved a massive electrical shock. His eyes began to roll back and his body tenced and went rock hard, it was like falling into a painful dream as his conciousness was begining to fail him. Kelt used all of his power to resist the sleep that was overcoming him as he knew that it would mean instant death, Kelt began to push the force outward towards Jeseth and use his determination to shield himself from the death that was about to come.

No, Kelt was noway going to die this night, and he knew that there was a chance to block his power. Pushing outward, the darkness began fade and he started to revive himself. Kelt raised his arms up above him, saber in hand and arched hard downwards with it, and massive strike came crashing down towards Jeseth hitting his saber in a clash of sparks and hissing. Jeseth destracted by the assault was then countered and Kelt spun himself so that he was behind Jeseth and with a powerful, speedy movement Kelt unsheathed his dagger and stabbed backwards digging his long knife deep into the flesh of Jeseths back.

[Jeseth Cloak]

Jeseth's back arched in pain as Kelt's dagger ripped through his flesh and muscle. He turned quickly, keeping his saber up with one hand as he reached behind himself and drew the dagger out from his back with the other. The blade came out, blood dripping onto the floor profusely. "Praklatya," Jeseth cursed loudly in his native tongue, holding the dagger with a shaking bloody hand, his teeth clenched. "You talk as if you know what justice is," he yelled at Kelt, who looked to be shaking with the after-tremors of his heart attack. "They deserved to die, just as you deserve to die!"

Jeseth's saber moved quickly, arcing with lethal intent and meeting Kelt's with a crack and a shower of white sparks. "The Jedi Council... they did nothing to stop it. I lost everything! Everything!" Jeseth's chest heaved wildly with each painful breath he took. Once again he swung his lightsaber towards Kelt, but this time it was a feign; as Kelt attempted to guard, Jeseth counter-engaged the beam of his lightsaber. The dagger in his other hand pierced Kelt's abdomen. Warm blood drenched Jeseth's hand and snaked down his wrist before finally dripping onto the floor.

He released the lock on Kelt's lightsaber and limped backward slowly, taking care not to slip on all of the blood that had pooled on the wooden floor.

[Jeseth Cloak]

His vision dimmed more with every passing moment as he continued to lose blood. It was now apparent that this would be a duel to the death (for one of them). But Jeseth had survived for too long to die here and be forgotten, and Kelt's existence in and of itself was proof that there was yet more work to be done.

For ten years after the Emperor came to power, Jeseth had worked to eliminate whatever traces of the Jedi Council had survived the Purge; it was their weakness that had divided the galaxy. It had been their arrogance that had cost him everything he once held dear.

He had watched his own sister die right before his eyes (though in truth, nothing familiar about her would have remained had she somehow survived what Skywalker had done to her). She had been strong to crawl away from that scene of carnage and wait for him, despite the pain that he knew had consumed her in those final moments. What a coward he had been for hiding here - no more!

Jeseth's eyes refocused with murderous intent as he unleashed a flurry of strikes upon Kelt. Lightsabers crashed and sparked with deadly conviction. The Jedi had fought well... but now, it was time for him to join his fallen brethren. Kelt heard the sound a second lightsaber coming to life, and he saw that there in Jeseth's other hand shined another crimson beam (shorter, but just as deadly).

It found the Jedi's chest, and at that instant Kelt began to collapse. Jeseth deactivated both of his sabers as Kelt's also fell to the ground and snuffed out with a hiss. "Goodbye, Simoson. Though you will not live to see it, I will unite this galaxy. The Jedi will rise again, but not as they were once before," Jeseth said as he clipped both sabers to his belt side-by-side.

He reached down, closed Kelt's eyes and placed his silent lightsaber upon the old man's chest. With that final rite, he stood and left silently. A few hours later a very old ship flashed across the planet's atmosphere, and took to the stars.