SWSWSWSW = POV Break or Time Break

The Cantina around the young man was full of joyful Jedi, off-duty republic soldiers, and retired stormtroopers all gleefully partying. "Treaty day," Theron Fel grumbled to himself. For most this day was one of joy and celebratory near-addictive behavior with adrenals. Cops even overlooked fucking death-sticks. For Theron Fel, the day was... something less than fun. The day was, to him, more of a memorial for the death of his family. For Theron Fel, the last of the Solo-Skywalker clans, the day was more about the destruction of his life.

"The 81st annual celebration of the treaty between the Republic, the Jedi, and the Empire reborn! What a day! Oh, here are some of the dignitaries – Grand Jedi Master Sylven Horn, wearing a black and white version of the customary robes of her order!" the holonet announcer screamed. He was a Lethan twi'lek, about one-point-seven meters tall. His lekku were tied atop his chest in a pattern that made them look like an organic scarf around is neck.

The announcer's partner, a beautful female Chiss with deep blue skin that contrasted sharply with her blood red eyes, chimed in then, "You know, unlike most modern Jedi, she's taken the same vow of chastity the Jedi of the Old Republic did."

"Damn. What I wouldn't give to see under the sheets she's wearing," the twi'lek joked. The drunken revelers in the cantina laughed loudly in agreement. The Jedi on the holonet bowed respectfully to the camera and walked away. Her long blonde hair swayed with her sashaying hips.

"Grand Master. That's a Skywalker's position," Theron grumbled. He grasped the cup of Tarisian ale in his right hand and downed half the glass.

"Next up is Chancellor Sien Soon, the one-time senator from Sullust!" The Chiss woman said gleefully. "He is wearing a customary Sullustan suit that..."

Theron rolled his eyes and downed the other half of the ale. Next up would be the person he really hated. "Oh, is that!? It is! It is Grand Moff Thornish Gann, the man who single-handedly defeated the assassins sent to kill him and the royal family! Sadly, he was the only survivor of the attack. He is dressed in his full military suit and insignia." The twi'lek was basically screaming at that point. The human man was about middle aged. His hair was just starting to gray at the temples, and he held a commanding presence, even over holonet. Theron's distaste was soon interrupted. "And at his arm – oh, my! It's Queen Tel-Zu Djo of the Hapes sytem! Could the two be confirming the rumors of their mutual involvement!?"

Theron growled at the holoscreen and shifted his attention away from the screen. He hadn't been expecting that, at all. Not only was the Moff who had stolen his throne being celebrated as a hero on the news, so too was the Queen who had blatantly usurped the rule from Queen Allana's daughter through murder and blackmail. Two branches of the Skywalker lines that had been cut short far too early. "Wow, can you believe those two are together!?" the Besalisk bartender asked in excitement. "It's too perfect! Are you happy the rumors are true?"

"I'm jubilant," Theron replied sullenly. The two had destroyed his entire family, from his parents to his cousins. He had no proof, but the whispers were everywhere. Moff Gann had hired the assassins, that Djo had murdered Allana and Tenel Ka II. They were probably true, too.

The bartender waved two arms apathetically and, with the other two, flipped Theron and his attitude off. "Well, you ain't too great either, Ugly!" Theron shouted. The bartender narrowed his eyes at the young man and pointed at the door. Theron threw the empty glass of ale at the wall and the music stopped. "Be seeing you!"

"Sorry, sorry. He's... well, he's not right in the head all the time, see... Wait up!" Rhen Vao, a Jedi and Theron's closest friend said. He rushed out of the door after his friend and pulled him into an alley. Theron turned quickly to face the Rutian twi'lek and crossed his arms. "Look, Theron, you can't keep doing this to yourself."

Theron looked down at his feet. "Sure. Your parents are still alive, so of course you'd say that."

"Hey, that's not – Theron, you need to calm down," Rhen said. He placed his arms on Theron's arms, as if trying to steady him. "You keep doing this, no bar is going to let us in on any day of the year."

Theron shrugged. "Come on," Rhen continued. "You keep saying you're a Skywalker. Would a Skywalker do all this? Would a Solo or a Fel act like this?"

"Well, your Grandpa said that Cade did," Theron retorted. He tugged absently at the pocket of his jacket, where he kept his lightsaber hidden. The Empire and most Jedi didn't look too favorably on self-trained Force-users.

"Which is why he agreed to not tell anyone about you being -" Rhen stopped as someone passed. "You know." Rhen gestured at the pocket and at his own saber on his belt.

"Yeah, yeah. Load of good it's done me – I'm twenty-five and all I have to show for my life is... nothing. I do Corsec freelancing for karking historical artifacts that no one cares about, and I spend all my free time screwing around with my lightsaber and other tech. It's like I – Like someone stole my destiny."

"Look, Theron, I know it's hard. Your parents – whoever they were -"

"My parents were Jagged Fel the third and the Empress Kaera Satele Fel," Theron spat. He turned away from his friend. "Don't forget that."

"Theron! Just – Fine. You can apologize when you're sober," Rhen shouted. Theron heard his friend run back inside to join the festivities of the day.

The young man sighed and put his hands in his jacket pockets. He clutched at the familiar weight of the lightsaber and shook his head. He knew he should have been more open to having fun with his friend. But the sight of the Moff and Queen, with everyone cheering them like they were the karking saviors of the galaxy. "Eh, screw em," he said, voice dripping with antipathy. "They'll get theirs, eventually."

Theron continued walking down the walkways of Coruscant. He barely registered the strangers who passed him; his focus laid solely on the flashes of his past that ran through his head. The box his mother had received that morning from an archeological dig in the outer rim. The happiness she had displayed when she peaked inside at the gift for her son. The terror as the fiery red blaster bolts and vibroblades pierced her body and tore Theron's family to shreds. Theron felt his fists begin to quake in violent rage.

Theron turned sharply and looked down the edge of the walkway. "I need to blow off some steam," he thought aloud. He peered at a walkway five or six levels below and nodded. With the Force, he could do it. He pulled his lightsaber hilt out and took two steps backwards through the crowed, who swerved to avoid him. Theron counted down to psych himself into the jump. "Three... two... OOOooone!" Theron leaped off of the walkway and fell through the air.

"Wahoo!" He screamed. He slammed the switch on his saber and the white blade erupted into being as if from nothingness.

"Whoa! Jedi, Mommy!" a kid shouted. Theron grinned while he kept the ankle-length overcoat from flapping into his face. He supposed that, with the jacket, he did almost look like a Jedi wearing robes. Especially as a silhouette. But Jedi were... well, he doubted the kid would think he was a Jedi if he had been fighting.

With a thud, Theron landed and rolled across the walkway on the now crime-ridden mid level Coruscant level. He stood up and brandished his lightsaber to scare off a few of the minor drug dealers. Death-sticks flew over the ledge behind Theron and he grinned. He twirled the white blade of light and walked forward.

Theron's communicator beeped and he answered the call. "I'm a little busy, Rhen. What do you want?"

"I just saw you jump into Red Vong territory. Why?" the Jedi asked.

Theron sighed and considered shutting off the communicator, maybe even blame it on interference later. "I need to blow off some steam," Theron explained.

"Yeah, I also know that most of the gangs run at the sight of the Gray Jedi. They're actually calling you that, and you are," Vao said. The communicator crackled with actual interference. "Ugh, so why are you down there looking for a fight in a place where no one will fight you?"

Theron shook his head and sighed. "I've got a... 'friend' down here. Ever since Darth Krayt was killed, the Sith have scattered; the guy says two have started a cult. Three guesses what it's called."

Rhen sighed and the line crackled. "Stay put. I'll be there in five."

"Oh, no," Theron laughed. "I can handle them."

"I'm not going to let you -"

"You won't be able to find me," Theron replied with a grin. He pressed the communicator's power button and the line went dead, despite Rhen's continuing protests. "That gives me about ten minutes before he traces me." Theron noticed he had stopped walking, and so restarted his slow gait towards the coordinates his friend had given him.

You should look through the Force, the disembodied voice reprimanded.

"Great, this again," Theron mumbled to himself. He ignored the voice and kept walking forward.

Don't ignore me, you karking fool. The Force has decided you need guidance, the voice said again.

"Decide shasmide," Theron mumbled. "The Force doesn't make my fate. And you are a figment of my imagination."

Theron turned the corner and slashed through the throat of a Red Vong member, a Vong coral infected Devaronian. What a weird cult. Back in my day, Sith cults were about killing things, not self-mutilation. The voice almost sounded like it had sighed. They also liked devouring the souls of planets whole.

"Shut up," Theron grunted at the voice again. He continued walking past the smell of burning flesh and down the alley. "I can't concentrate with you talking so loud."

Eh, you'll deal with it. On your left. Theron turned when the voice said, and a blaster bolt ricocheted from his lightsaber and into the chest of another Red Vong thug. Theron crouched down and searched the lowlife's jacket. A keycard and a few computer spikes. Gonna say thanks?

Theron growled and kept walking. You know, I was pretty good with programming spikes. I once hacked my way into a computer older than the Republic itself. Just me, two friends, and an alien AI that no one but me could understand.

"Good to know," Theron said when he arrived at the coordinates. He used the Force to kick down the door in front of him and rushed forward into... an empty room. "What the hell?"

In the words of more than a few of my friends, 'I've got a bad feeling about this,' the voice said. Theron pushed the voice from his attention and looked around.

"Well, well! A Jedi in the mid-levels? I think the last one to go this far down was Shado Vao... when he died," a menacing, but young, voice shouted. It was male, and dripping with rage-filled hatred.

At the mention of Rhen's kind, old Grandfather, Theron swung his lightsaber around and searched for the source of the voice. "Shut up!" Theron shouted.

"Ooh, a bundle of rage, this one is," a second voice said. This one was older, full of a much colder hatred than the first. Another male. "It'll be fun to break him before we kill him."

"Especially for taking what's ours," the first voice said from the darkness.

Theron sneered. "Ready to begin?" the second voice asked. Lights flickered on and Theron saw what was awaiting him. There were two Sith, just like he'd been told. One was a young man, skinny as death. He had blood red and black tattoos that snaked down and up his Togruta horns. The patterns of his tattoos matched up with the gashes in his leather battlesuit. The other Sith was a very old man in simple black robes. Both of them had bright yellow eyes that burned with ancient, inherited hatred.

"Wow, none of your little cult members want to help you now? It still wouldn't be fair for you guys, but you can call 'em in and feel big," Theron snarled. He twirled his lightsaber around himself and placed it in a ready position above his head. His left arm was stretched out before him and his right knee was bent. He looked ready to leap forward and cut through the two Sith.

"We do not need anyone to crush you."

"Wow, the last two Sith think they can take on a lone Jedi? You probably could. But I ain't garden variety, guys," Theron said. He grinned and pulled his left hand back before shoving it forward in a barrage of gray lightning. The two Sith barely jumped out of the way of the electricity.

"Interesting," the elder Sith said after he rolled to his feet. He looked over at his apprentice. "Take care of him."

The Togruta Sith nodded at his master. "With pleasure," he responded venomously while he ignited his crossguard lightsaber. The older of the two nodded at his pupil, and ran away.

"He's sending you to your death," Theron said.

"What are you trying to turn me to the light? Please, go on an try. Your yammering will make a good backdrop for your death."

"No, I'm stating a fact. I've had a rough day, and killing you could release some pent up rage," Theron responded. He jumped forward and slashed down at the apprentice Sith. The Togruta brought his blade up and blocked the deadly white blade from killing him; the room flashed a brilliant red color when the blades' magnetic fields locked together. "So please, don't surrender."

The young Sith snarled and pushed his saber against Theron's. Theron grinned smugly and let himself be pushed back. The Sith laughed happily as Theron flipped through the air and landed a meter and a half away. The boy Sith pressed his advantage and slashed his saber at Theron's head. The Gray Jedi dodged each incoming blow with the aid of slightly altering the blade's path with the Force. Left, right, left, right, Theron ducked under each saber attack and allowed himself to be pushed back into a corner. This is a bad idea, the voice told him.

Theron ignored the voice and kept toying with his attacker. You're letting the other one get away! Theron grinned to himself and deflected the next blow with his saber. The blade ricocheted off of his blow and the young Sith screamed in pain. The crossguard lightsaber fell to the ground, deactivated. The blade of the crossguard had sliced right through the Togruta's wrist after the saber lock.

Theron lashed out with his leg at the defenseless Sith. His foot connected with the Sith's midsection and the boy fell to the his knees. Theron raised his saber to his enemy's throat and took in the fear in his enemy's eyes. He slashed his saber at a blinding speed and he nicked off the top of one horn. The Sith screamed in pain and Theron slashed the other horn off. "What kind of Jedi does this?!" the Togruta screamed.

Theron grabbed the apprentice by his lekku and pulled him up to eye level. "Like I said, I'm not an average Jedi." Theron sneered at the Sith and electricity flowed from his fingers and into the Sith's body. The red, black, and white skin of the Togruta Sith flashed with energy, and the Force lightning revealed portions of his skeleton as his tissue went translucent every few seconds.

"STOP!" the Sith begged. Theron ignored the pleas and grinned with grim satisfaction while the flesh of the Sith burned and melted from the energy pouring into it. After a few more moments of agonizing screams, the Sith's brain began to melt from his eyes and nose. He was dead.

With overwhelming disgust, Theron tossed the body of the Sith away and deactivated his own white bladed lightsaber. He looked down at the Sith's lightsaber and reactivated the white blade. He slashed it across the ground and the Sith's lightsaber exploded in sparks. Theron switched off his saber again and put it lightly in his pocket.

That was a terrible decision, the voice said again.