Are you willing to die? --Casino Royale

GALACTIC CITY, CORUSCANT, 40 ABY

Mrath Nazad knew what a challenge was. Also duty and responsibility.
The greater his knowledge of the Dark Side grew under the guise of the
Light, the closer he would come to being a servant of the Jedi once
known as Jacen Solo. Jacen was a Sith Apprentice now, the strongest
in years.

Mrath never denied his nature. He would not fail Jacen or himself.

The Zabrak strode boldly through the streets of Coruscant, looking
not for a fight but a kill. An "innocent", especially. Snivelling beggars!
Fools, they all were, who would not deign to work for their bread but
instead crawled through the streets like swarming insects. Vermin.
Children were the most persistent and annoying. They would do.

Before he found one, however, his red-golden eyes lighted upon a lady.
Twenty-seven, Mrath guessed, in human years, and overweight (but
not by much) for her height and bone structure. Curvaceous. Curious,
bright eyes, thin, inviting lips. Charming smile. So pale that the sun
had burned the back of her neck bright red. One of those girls.

The killing could wait, Mrath knew. Another Sith desire took its place.

"500 credits," he said, snatching them from the folds of his black tunic.

The lady whirled to face him with hot fury in her eyes. "What? Do you
think I am a shlyukha? A common prostitute?" She turned away.

"I've never had one," Mrath replied coldly, telling the truth. "1,000."

Two blue eyes met his. "That'd help a lot toward improving my life,
a thousand credits would. Sadly, I will have to tell you no. I'm not
a streetwalker, nor a call girl who can get higher-class clientele.
I'm a wretch who has no marketable skills in this new economy.
I have my principles, still, and you do not figure into them."

Mrath froze, livid. Did she know whose teachings he followed?
Snarling instinctively, he clenched his yellow fingers into a fist.

The young lady began to choke. Her eyes grew wide with both surprise
and fear. Her dry lips parted in a slight and silent gasp. What?!

She found herself being lifted into the air, slowly yet almost tenderly.

"I am called Mrath," said the Zabrak, almost oblivious to the throngs of
people crowding him and his victim. He only noticed their sweaty smell.
"You chose the wrong male to refuse, and yet you still will bring me
pleasure. I'll soon be chosen by a new tutor through your death."

The girl lifted her hands to her throat, clutching it to no avail.

"I'm crushing you through the Force. You'd do well not to resist it.
You see, the anger and rage that flows through my veins is what
strengthens me. Even though you may have an idea of what being
an outsider means on an elitist-run world such as Coruscant, you
have no idea of how much power hate gives me once I use it."

Pain and semi-consciousness. The girl closed her eyes and relaxed.

"Good. You'll soon feel nothing. It's just as well."

Mrath started to lower the pale neophyte to the ground as another
corpse that would lie in the chemical-oozing gutter, but before he could,
a surge of overwhelming kinetic energy pummeled him. He keeled over.

The young girl collapsed before him, shaking. Mrath lay on his back,
his glassy red-gold eyes staring unblinkingly up into the summer sky.

He was dead, all because the Force had sided with another sentient.

"The odds will betray you," she rasped, her throat parched and dry,
"as they once betrayed me. I hope not to do so in turn." Tears fell.

She made a sign of spiritual reverence over the dead Zabrak, bowed
her head, and slipped the thousand credits he had promised her out
from beneath the breast pocket of his tunic. Blindly, she ran, wishing
it was raining but feeling nothing but the sun punish her for her crime.

And his. A fly landed, sensing no food from this already desert-dry corpse.

***This has been a preview of DVUKH, coming in 2007*****

One word. Niiice. I thoroughly enjoyed it, i would never have guess Jacen to become a Sith Lord. I am really eagerly awaiting for 2007 just to read the full story!

Agreed. Another Tysyacha Fic, starring Tysyacha yet again, I believe. Looking foward to the whole Fic in 2007. Now I finally have a reason to look foward to 2007.

Keep up, and looking forward to more. How about your duel thread in Dantooine Theater?

Real nice!

Tysy is back, and i can't wait for 07 already!

Now that is writing! Fantastic! I can't belive I haven't read any of your stuff before and I see now what I was missing! You grace these forums with your prescence.