Agonizer:

Night had fallen, and the heavens were slightly cloudy. Had the twin moons of Dromund Kaas been full, Kaas City would’ve been bathed in moonlight. Tonight, however, they were not only crescent, but also hidden behind the clouds. On a roof in a shady part of town, rendered nearly invisible behind his Force cloak, a young vigilante was gazing down into the blind alley below.

Well, at least he had been a vigilante. Once.

His clothes; a tunic, hooded cloak, pants, and boots were all completely black except for some red details on his back. The lower part of his face was covered by a metallic mask that looked like a respirator, was a respirator. It was black with red stripes. On his belt, fastened by a strap and hidden by his cloak, hung his lightsaber, shaped like a snake. The handle ended in a sculpture of cobra’s head - mouth open, ready to strike.

The boy was staring attentively now, but there was not yet anything to be seen alley. Then, suddenly, two people entered the alleyway. The eyes of the hooded menace narrowed. Underneath the respirator mask, a sneer formed. It was time to feast.

The couple below didn’t belong in the shady part of town. The teenage boy and his girl were children of two affluent Imperial families. Both their couple of parents had high-ranking positions in Military headquarters. They attended the same school as the boy that, unbeknownst to them, stood high above them looking down. The couple passed the point where he stood. Sound-barrier in place, the masked boy jumped.

Since he landed with the help of the Force, as silently and smoothly as a cat, the couple didn’t even notice. They, instead, had started to wonder why they were staring at a wall in a blind alley.

‘You’re here,’ Jax told them, ‘because I told you to.’ The respirator gave his voice that crackling, metallic sound any microphone would convey.

The girl shrieked, and the boy put up his fists, ready for a fight. His expression, however, betrayed him. The wide eyes, the clenched mouth, his body trembling as he tensed up. Everything about his being revealed that what he really wanted to do was either to shriek as loud as his girlfriend, or run away. Jax laughed.

‘You’ve got guts, kid.’ It felt strange, calling a guy that was older than him “kid”. ‘Tell you what,’ he continued, ‘if you want to beat it, then beat it. I won’t stop you.’

The boy’s body language, once again, gave him up. He relaxed for a moment, and Jax was sure he was going to take his chance to run, but then the boy put his fists back up.

‘Who are you,’ he asked, in a strange voice. He sounded a little afraid, but not nearly as afraid as Jax had thought, as afraid as he was used to. ‘What do you want? I’m warning you, don’t try anything, I know powerful people!’

Jax gave him a deadpan, bored stare.

‘Powerful?’ he replied. ‘If you’re talking about your daddies, they’re no match for the Force. If you think they scare me, you couldn’t be more - oh, no you don’t!’

The girl had tried to sneak away while Jax was talking to her boyfriend. She was Force-pushed back and slammed into the wall, ending up a whimpering face-down mess on the ground. The boy took his chance to try and punch his adversary, but was stopped by Jax’s Force-enhanced reflexes. Finding the conversation interesting, Jax did nothing more than blocking his blow.

‘Coward!’ The boy shouted. ‘You wouldn’t dare face me without your powers!’

Jax grinned under his mask. The boy was trying, to no avail, to break free from Jax’s mind grip.

‘My my, you are brave indeed. I’m actually starting to really like you.’ The boy stopped trying to break free, and gave Jax the most disgusted look he could muster instead.

‘The thing is,’ he continued, ‘you’re right. But you see, it is impossible for me to face you without them.’

The boy looked nonplussed. When he spoke again, he had only one word.

‘Why?’

Jax laughed.

‘They’re part of me. Everything I do, everything I am, is guided by the Force.’ He laughed again. Then, suddenly, he stopped. Though the boy couldn’t see it, he looked completely serious now. ‘But! Anyway! You wanna run, or do you wanna stay and watch your girlfriend fry way beyond the point where she starts begging for death?’

The boy’s brow relaxed, and his eyes went from narrow to wide and blank. His lip trembled when he replied.

‘No, please. Don’t do that.’

‘Wow. I thought this was just some silly teenage romance, but you actually love her, don’t you? Well, that changes things somewhat.’

Jax positioned himself directly in front of the boy, and reached towards him. Then, he closed his eyes.

The boy began writhing as a dark red cloud of what looked like smoke started emanating from him. Jax pushed his right arm forward, clenched his fist, and pulled it back. The smoke seemingly disappeared in thin air. The boy stopped writhing, but was left gasping for air on the ground.

Jax opened his blue eyes. They flashed red for a second. He drew a deep breath.

‘Mmm…,’ he said, addressing the boy. ‘Thank you…thank you for your despair. It is powerful. The power of love, huh?’ Laying there, the boy was mumbling something. Jax bent down to listen He smiled when he rose.

‘Yes, my dear boy, I am a monster.’ He turned towards the alley wall, where the girl had started crawling whence she came. ‘Now, where were we?’

The girl shrieked again when she was once more thrown against the wall. Next, Jax finally begun what he had arrived to do in the first place, and started shattering the girl with Force lightning. He didn’t stop until the screams started subsiding.

He walked over to the trembling mess on the ground, and bent down.

‘That hurt, didn’t it?’ Jax grinned under the mask, feeding on all the pain and suffering.

The girl didn’t reply, and Jax broke her cheekbone with a powerful punch. The girl seemed to have lost the energy to scream, but gave a whimper. Blood was gushing from her face, where her attacker’s snake ring had connected with her now crushed bone.

Jax could hear the boy approaching him from behind, but pretended not to. When the boy was right behind him, he lifted his saber over his shoulder and opened it in the boy’s face.

The monster turned his focus back to the girlfriend, and saw that she looked as lifeless as her boy. He bent down to check if the filly turned game was down for good. There was a weak pulse still, which was just what he had hoped for.

With a jump like a loaded spring released, he leapt back up on the rooftop, and waited.

After a while there was, once again, movement. At first, the victim was clearly too dazed and confused to even consider escaping. Semi-conscious, really. Jax remained stationary, and kept watching the girl. Only when she started crying and shaking did her attacker jump back down. The girl gave a feeble shriek, but Jax choked her.

‘Round two, then. Shall we?’

Jax didn’t put as much force into the second wave as he had in the first, he didn’t want to kill her yet. She didn’t have the energy to scream as violently as before anyway, which took much of the fun out of it. He stopped, and the subdued screams were replaced by sobs.

Jax was not, however, done yet. He positioned himself over her, and performed the same ritual he had on her boyfriend. The black-red cloud that emanated from her was denser than his; there was more pain in it. She made jerky movement and choking sounds, but that was all. After, she lay completely still.

Jax picked her up, and placed her lifeless body up against the wall. He knew she didn’t have much time left. Next he started doing what looked like the ritual for the third time. But it was a different ritual. Her burns and bruises were fading.. Her eyes were still closed, however, and she seemed as lifeless as before. He conjured a yellow orb in thin air, and projected it at her. She opened her eyes, saw him, screamed, and was immediately Force choked to silence. He bent down to talk to her.

‘The time for screaming is over. I’m not gonna hurt you anymore. Will you stay quiet when I let go?’

The girl nodded fervently, and Jax released his telekinetic grip. He had regenerated her just enough for her to have the energy to fear again.

‘You can go home now,’ he told her. The girl’s disbelieving face were glistening with tears and blood. He grinned under the respirator.

‘It’s true, I’m letting you go. But know this. I’m still out here, and I can get to you whenever I want.’

In response, the girl gave a long, high-pitched wail.

‘Oh, and I’m taking a souvenir.’

He cut off her right hand. With her energy back, her shriek echoed like thunder within his barrier. Without another word, Jax rose, conjured his Force cloak, and did another cat-like leap to get back up on the roof. Crouching, he left the scene, Force leaping from roof to roof until he’d put some distance between himself and the crime scene. Then, he sat down, leaning up against a large roof vent.

Ever since he discovered the truth about the admiral, he had planned to kill the girl. He hadn’t left a victim alive for years, so why hadn’t she suffered the same fate?

Because this hurts more, of course!

But his actual target would choose her upcoming PTSD over her death any day, so why?

Because you’re a sadist first, and an avenger second.

Was that true, though? Jax thought it was the other way around, but it seems that had changed during the last two years. Thinking about what he just had done, he realised there was no doubt. The voice was right; he could hardly imagine more thorough display of sadism than what he had just done.

Sniggering as he reminisced, he decided that he was safe from prying eyes up here. He removed his mask and hood, and shook his head to feel his mane flowing.

Usually, he committed murders because he wanted to murder someone. And now, when he had a specific target for the first time in at least a year, he hadn’t even done it. The more he thought about it, the more he regretted it.

He was about to return to fix his mistake when he heard brand new screams coming from the crime scene. Returning had become a lost option. The admiral’s daughter had been the victim of a vicious assault. The scene would soon be swarming with Imperial cretins. Cursing his own choice, Jax knew it was time to leave.

Storm.

A bird about the size of a small eagle appeared behind him. The midnight-blue bird landed by her owner’s side, and gave a soft squawk.

Jax took a deep breath, and put his hands together. When he pulled them apart again, his pet was seven feet long. Jax mounted his bird, and took the reins. It gave a soft cry.

Good girl, Storm. We’re leaving.

Jax whistled, and the flutterplume took off. Smiling to himself, he took his hood off, letting his hair flow in the wind.

Temporarily transferring some of his own powers to Storm, the bird’s already great speed increased significantly. When Jax reached his own (affluent) neighbourhood, soon after, he made Storm shoot straight upwards.

Arrow position.

Storm pulled her wings inwards, flapping them much faster to maintain the height. Then, she wrapped her tail under herself. They turned in the air, so that Jax hung under her. He used the Force to wrap them both in her cape.

Fire!

They shot towards the ground, his Force cloak ability covering them both, rendering them completely invisible. When they’d gotten low enough, he shrunk his pet again while still airborne. Jax let go, and landed on the grass in the park, as smoothly as he had back at the crime scene. He held out his hand, and whistled. Storm landed on his finger, and he took the flutterplume back under his cloak. He did all this as fast as he could, as he had heard and seen a very expected commotion outside the house of one of their closest neighbours.

The house, or mansion, more like, was where the admiral and his family lived.

Imperials galore…

There were three Imperial vehicles on the street. If Jax knew protocol right, two of them were the front and rear guard of the main event; the admiral’s personal speeder. Jax sneaked closer, and jumped up in a tree at the edge of the park to get a better view. He had arrived at the perfect time, it seemed, cause the door slammed open right then. All the soldiers saluted the three people who exited.

The admiral walked towards his vehicle as fast as he could (he probably found running undignified) and entered it. His gaze was moving from this soldier to that, like he was trying to find some order to give, but found himself too distraught to say anything. His wife and other daughter, wasn’t even trying to hold it together. They sobbed loudly as they darted after the admiral, loudly telling no one and everyone that they needed to “hurry, hurry!”.

Grinning as he took in the pain unfolding in front of him, Jax remained in the tree until the street was completely empty and silent again. Then, he jumped down to stroll home.

Soon, Jax found himself in his own garden. He jumped up on the roof, and slid in through his bedroom window, as silently as ever. Once in, Jax lifted the stealth illusion, removed his disguise. He placed Storm in her cage, and sat down to feed the bird.

Looking at himself in the mirror, he could see that the dark side hadn’t yet left his face. His irises were red, and his skin was paler than usual. It didn’t matter, it would fade by itself, and if it didn’t, there was always light side therapy. A few minutes of calming levitation always did wonders. Still, he hoped it wouldn’t come to that; he didn’t want to weaken his dark side; the thrilling malice that consumed his black heart. Jax yawned, and used the Force to remove the rings and hair ornaments he always kept on while posing as Kobra. When he fell asleep a little while later, it was with a grin on his face.

Invader:

Laying on his bed, gazing at the ceiling, Jax was deep in thought. He was laying flat on his back with knees up, one over the other. A miniature lightning storm was bolting from his fingers, dancing around in the open air between him and the ceiling. His skin was once again paling, and the veins on his throat became more apparent behind it. The reflection of the lightning storm in his eyes made the red tinge on his amber irises more apparent than ever.

By the time Jax came home from school, the news regarding Alisiya Winfir was common knowledge. His mother had said straight out that she thought that this was the result of some awful Sith game. That was good, she clearly wasn’t onto him.

But he was anxious nonetheless. He knew he’d made the wrong decision in leaving Alisiya alive. In his eagerness to cause lasting anguish, he’d been blind to the dangers. Necklaces, rings, long hair - all to give the impression he was a girl behind the mask in the hood. “Kobra” was an effective alter ego with a solid disguise, but he couldn’t be completely sure that he was safe as long as his victims lived.

Kill. Always kill!

Clenching his teeth in anger, the storm crackled louder as it increased in intensity.

Alisiya had seen the ornaments in her attacker’s hair, right? The rings on “her” fingers? The victim must’ve noticed. Right? Heard the higher pitch Jax’s mask gave his voice? Right? That had to have been what the admiral had visited the school about earlier? To tell the headmaster to look for a girl with recognisable trinkets? Right? And even if Alisiya was onto him, she was surely too afraid to even think about ratting out her attacker? Right?!

Knowing there was only one way to stop the storm of questions in his mind, Jax came to a conclusion, and jumped out of bed. It was extremely unlikely, but “The menace in the shadows” could become Jax Tairan. He felt, suddenly, an ice-cold sensation in his stomach. The mistake had to be corrected.

Worst case, it’s already too late.

Darkness had fallen. There was no way around it. The girl had to be silenced now.

Jax was slightly taller than average for a fifteen year old. He had a fair complexion, with blue eyes and thin eyebrows. His face was rectangular and narrow, with a matching nose. He had shoulder length, wavy black hair that he braided into a plait whenever he “hunted”. If his hood fell off, there was no better disguise than having an androgynous appearance. He didn’t really think he needed to disguise himself beyond the mask, his power made him feel invincible, but he’d loved to use the Force to braid ever since he decided to try it as a very small boy.

He picked a caped jacket out of the wardrobe. Pitch black from hood to floor, it would make him blend into the night if his Force cloak should fail somehow. After changing, he retrieved his saber from his desk, and fastened his mask. He fastened the snake trinkets in his hair, and put on his armguards and rings. Then, he opened the bird cage and petted Storm, who chirped.

Come on, Storm. Time to stretch your wings.

His pet flying next to him, he jumped out of the window, landing smoothly and silently on the porch roof. From there, he dropped further down to the garden. He started walking towards the park, where he would, once again, take off. While walking, his worries continued haunting him. He had become too cocky lately, and if he continued to let his passion override his mind, something was surely going to go really bad sooner or later. Deep in thought, he didn’t realise that he was being watched until his followers’ footsteps got real close. He turned around, quickly. The two women managed to scream for a second or so before he choked them. He’d forgotten to use his stealth illusion.

‘You never saw me,’ he whispered. Their expressions went neutral, but it was too late. He could hear other shouts in the distance.

Damnit.

Thinking fast, “Kobra” noticed that the street he was in was next to the park. He leapt into the crown of the nearest tree, conjured the illusion, and shot forward, through the air, into the next tree. Like a giant, invisible, murderous squirrel.

Cursing himself while the people lined up under the tree he’d left, he dropped down as they were telling the empty tree to “come down, we just wanna talk.” He fought the urge to just kill all of them, right there and then. The whole community was on edge, these guys were probably some sort of neighbourhood watch. And now they’d seen a mysterious stranger with strange powers right next to where he lived. Just what he needed.

Stifling his hunger for blood, he turned away from the scene to continue towards his goal. Two minutes later, he had the first stroke of luck that evening. There wasn’t a single light to be seen in Katasi’s house. All of their speeders were gone too.

The Winfir family wasn’t home. It surely meant that they were by Alisiya’s side at whatever hospital she’d been admitted…

Scanning his immediate surroundings, Jax ensured himself that he would be able to take off. Next, he Force leaped as high as she could. Just before she started falling back down, his bird became twelve times as large. Taking the reins, he commanded Storm to shoot straight up. Rising higher, she started guiding Storm away from suburbia and towards the city.

The Imperial Citadel, in the centre of Kaas City, housed the headquarters of the three most important institutions in the Empire. In the middle part of the complex, there was the Sith Sanctum, headquarters of the Dark Council and the most influential Darths. In quarters to the left and right of the rulers themselves, one could find the main offices of the Military and Intelligence, respectively.

Around this most important building in the Empire, buildings featuring all sorts of institutions vital to any society had been erected. One of these was Jax’s school, another was the Kaas City Imperial Hospital, employing the best doctors on the planet, and reserved for the most important patients. There was no question about it; this had to be where Alisiya Winfir was admitted.

About five minutes after leaving the Winfir estate, Jax found himself on the roof of the massive hospital, Storm once again standing in his palm. She was not about to put his beloved pet close to any danger; he would be too exposed up here. He placed a powerful Force Shield on him, and sent him on his way.

Fly off now, my love. Find shelter. Away from here.

The shield wouldn’t last long, but it would last long enough to get some distance between him and the Imperials. And when Storm hid, no one but Jax could find him. He felt a sting in his chest. The word “love” would hurt for the rest of his life.

Shaking the feeling, he turned his focus back to the mission.

The hospital was surrounded by Imperial guards. Naturally, he’d been expecting this. His entry point would be on one of the top balconies below. He just hoped he wouldn’t have to break something to get in. Stealth illusion back on, he jumped down on one of them. From here, he could see the windows and doors on most of the balconies on that side of the building. And sure enough, on one of them, he could definitely see a door slightly ajar.

Grinning, he climbed to the ledge and Force leaped to the other balcony. Opening the door, he saw that there was a patient inside - asleep. He sneaked past him, and opened the door into the hallway.

Now, the only problem would be to find the little squealer. Where would she be admitted? The “Mind and body mangled by the dark side”-department? Grinning to himself, Jax felt somewhat calm for the first time that evening. He strolled down the corridor, hands behind his back, until he arrived at an elevator. Inside, there was a nurse.

‘You want to take me to the Winfir-family’.

The nurse stopped, and checked her holo-chart. Then, she pressed the button marked “2”, and the lift started descending. Exiting the elevator, they headed down a hallway with a sign that said “Intensive care” at its entrance. The nurse continued towards the other end, where she turned around the corner.

‘Stop.’

Jax didn’t need the nurse anymore. There was no doubt which room housed Alisiya Winfir. The admiral had placed guards outside the door. Jax had expected this, but still clenched his teeth in frustration.

‘This is a restricted area,’ said one of the soldiers. He’d seen the nurse. ‘State your business here.’ Still under mind control, the nurse remained silent.

‘Hey, did you hear me?’

She remained quiet, and the guard started walking towards her. Jax grinned.

Guess she’s still useful after all.

Jax sneaked past the soldier, over to the one that remained.

‘You want to open the door,’ he whispered in the other guard’s ear. ‘Slowly, slightly.’

The room inside was as silent as it was dark, and Jax quickly slid in through the slight opening. The door remained ajar, and he spotted movement. Hurrying to position himself up against the wall, one of the three silhouettes seated by Alisiya’s bed rose.

‘He-hello? Is anyone there?’

Jax knew that voice. It sounded more tired than usual, but it was the voice of Katasi’s mother. She walked slowly over to the door, and opened it wider.

‘Did you open the door?’ she asked the soldier.

‘I…,’ he answered, sounding confused. ‘I must’ve… leant on the handle or something, ma’am. I’m sorry.’

Light illuminated Addilei Winfir’s haggard face, her bloodshot and puffy eyes. She reprimanded the soldier, and returned to her seat. Seating herself, she put her face in her hands. Jax thought he could hear a sob, but it was quickly stifled.

‘Mommy?’

Kobra knew this voice even better. Katasi sounded even more like a mess than her mother.

‘Shh, sweetie. Your sister needs her rest.’

She needs to rest in peace.

The mother and her daughter sat back down. Katasi was leaning her head on her mom’s shoulder, who stroked her hair. There were muffled sobs and sniffles, but no words but for the occasional shushes from Addilei. The sounds soon became fewer and further apart, and, before long, the pair of them were sleeping as soundly as the third silhouette - the father, the admiral.

It was time to act.

Jax approached the bed like a cat would approach a mouse. Standing over the sleeping body of his victim, he found Alisiya’s left nostril and put the tail end of his saber hilt as close to the opening as he could without actually touching it. A beam as thin as sharp as that of a rapier, and as sudden as short as a switchblade, shot out, piercing Alisiya’s brain.

Her body twitched a single time, but there was no sound. Then, a loud beeping sound started wailing. Jax leapt back towards the wall and stood as still as before. The wail went on and on. A door slammed open in the distance, followed by the sound of rapid footsteps. Then, he could hear the soldiers and the doctors shouting. At the same time, Alisiya’s family had awoken with a jolt. Just when the door to the room banged open, Addilei started screaming. Four or five nurses and/or doctors entered the room. The door open, it was time to leave.

There was only one problem. The soldiers were blocking the doorway. Thinking fast, Jax knocked their heads together with the Force, as hard as he could. They fell, and he hurled himself out. Outside, more soldiers and medical personnel were arriving. They were getting in each other’s way, shouting and distracting each other. This chaos would’ve been just the diversion he needed, weren’t it for one thing: They were coming from both directions. He was surrounded. The option of stealth was no more.

What seemed like the only possible solution at the time came to him. Alisiya’s room had a window. Jax propelled himself back in, knocked several people over, and shattered the glass with a Force Wave. Then, before anyone could comprehend or react, he leapt out with great force. Face first, and not knowing what was outside, he was only just able to get his arms up before crashing into a tree. The blow sent his body spinning towards the ground, but he was nimble enough to land on his four limbs.

Swiftly searching his surroundings, he spotted no one. Still, he could hear people running. Seconds later, she saw a squad of Imperials approaching. What was worse; it was apparent that they could see him.

Quickly, he re-summoned the illusion, and Force leapt away from the soldiers. There were, of course, soldiers coming from that direction as well, but avoiding them was no problem while invisible. He looked up, and wasn’t really that surprised to see that the traffic had stopped. The park he’d landed in was now so full of imperials that he had to stay constantly alert. He couldn’t stay, but he didn’t have a plan. He needed to find a place to think.

Running around, avoiding confused soldiers, he spotted a very familiar building. His school. Leaping as fast as he could, he left the park, crossed the street, passed the school parking lot, entered the yard, and jumped up on the roof.

No one would bump into him up here.

It was a good try, Admiral, I’ll give you that. But military might is nothing next to the Force.

He let out a deep sigh. As the adrenaline started leaving his body, he felt how hard he’d actually hit that tree. Looking under his tunic, he saw that his entire left side; from armpit to hip, was significantly bruised. He was bleeding from several wounds as well, but they were superficial. His upper arms had avoided injury due to his silvery armguards.

Letting out another sigh, Jax started concentrating. He put his right arm next to his left side and started making grabbing and pulling motions with his hand. After a few “pulls”, he

placed his palm right in front of her eyes. A blu/red/yellow orb was floating in the air over the palm. It was the manifestation of his injuries; transported out of his body. Had there been an enemy nearby now, he could’ve had a lot of fun with the ball of pain. As the situation was now, however, there was no use for it. He pursed his lips and blew on it. It dissolved in thin air.

The only problem remaining now was the question of how he was going to get home. Calling for Storm so close to the enemy was out of the question. Jax looked back up - and saw that Imperial vehicles had created a wide perimeter around the hospital. Traffic around it was forced to turn around, and all the vehicles still inside were being halted for inspections. After what looked like thorough searches, the civilians were allowed to continue wherever they were going. Hijacking an aircraft seemed impossible. He could jump the perimeter and walk home, of course, but that would take hours.

Boring.

Then, he remembered something.

The school possessed several practice speeders for tutoring kids for driving tests. Gazing in every direction, however, it was clear that ground traffic was as halted as the lanes high above her.

Doesn’t matter.

Jax jumped back down from the roof, and went over to the shed where the school bikes were parked. Breaking the lock with a flick of his wrist, he pulled every single speeder out, and made them follow him out to the parking lot. Standing there, he could see that the levitating speeders had already been spotted by Imperials on the street. Drawing a deep breath, he sent one speeder flying, remotely piloting it just where he wanted. The imperials shouted and ran after the bike as it went straight for one of the shuttles in the perimeter. Just before it crashed into the shuttle, he grabbed another speeder, and did the exact same thing over again. The already damaged shuttle exploded.

Jax grabbed three more speeders, mounted one of them, and sped forwards. In the chaos, he managed to find an opening, and zoomed through it, into a narrow street. Seconds later, he had a lot of imperial speeders on his tail, but many were focusing on the vacant ones. The air around him full of blaster shots, he swerved to avoid them.

Set to stun? The Admiral probably wants me alive. Maybe I should’ve walked after all…

Left hand on the wheel, he used his right to conjure a massive Force blast. It took care of his pursuers, but alerted the others to his position. The short pause in blaster fire over, Jax made the bike swerve in the air much more violently than before.

I need to end this.

The bike veered out of the street, and crashed right into a wall.

The pursuers slowed down, stopped, and stepped off the bike. He approached the totalled wreck.

‘Well, that was…anticlimactic,’ said the first soldier to disembark. He took his helmet off. The corpse was already fried, but the soldier looked unaffected by the sight.

A second Imperial, this one in a different uniform, ran over to the wreck.

‘After all the mess this guy caused, I hadn’t expected it to end as…ordinarily as this.’

He turned back to the first trooper on the scene, who was leaning up against the wall.

‘Could be just a kid, sir. Look how slender…what’s left of him is. To think that a kid could cause this much chaos…’

About half the corpse was ashes now. A third Imperial nodded.

‘I saw the perpetrator after he crashed through the window. It was a small and slender person. Might’ve been a girl, even.’

A third Imperial checked in.

‘Yes, sir. I got a glimpse of him or her as well. Definitely smaller than grown men.’ Looking at the wreck, he raised his eyebrows. ‘Sure burns quickly.’ He went closer to the wreck. ‘And sure is hot!’ He recoiled.

The officer was indifferent. The corpse was almost gone.

‘Doesn’t matter anymore.’

The officer pulled out his holo-terminal and started reporting to someone outranking him. More and more Imperials were arriving. The officer on the scene, taking charge, ordered them to return. The chase was over. The officer jumped back in his shuttle, and started driving back towards the hospital.

Jax, meanwhile, was exhausted. Maintaining his Force cloak and his doppelgänger simultaneously required great strength in the Force. Topping that off with intensely hot pyrokinesis took all he had. He’d managed to torch the doppelgänger before it disappeared by itself, but the task had left him completely drained.

He felt his grip on the Force cloak slipping. He stumbled further down the street and into an alleyway. He didn’t know whether it had fallen before or after he threw himself out of sight. He looked back around the corner. It seemed he’d made it; the Imperials were all leaving.

Giving a deep, relieved sigh, he just sat there for several minutes, getting his strength back. Then, he called Storm. He knew she was nearby.

Good girl.

Jax’s powers were returning now, but he still waited little longer before enlarging Storm. Then, he waited again before re-summoning the Force cloak. He slapped herself on both cheek to wake himself up, and grabbed the reins.

Arrow position.

Storm shot up from the alleyway, and Jax yelled out. He had slid off, but managed to keep hold of the reins. Storm gave a short shriek, and Jax pulled himself back up. He felt his heart pounding out of his chest. Back on, Storm levelling out, he seated himself properly. Then, he threw his cape back, and breathed out, heavily. Storm gave a soft cry.

I’m sorry, dearest. Are you okay?

The bird trilled, and Jax smiled.

He looked back, and saw that the Imperials had all returned to the perimeter. Even if they had looked back at that moment, they wouldn’t notice two dark blue, disembodied wings and a tail. Not in the dark night. Jax patted his pet on his back.

What would I do without you?

Storm warbled, and started increasing her speed. Looking at his watch, Jax saw that the evening had become night. Sensing that her master was fully recuperated, Storm shot forwards.

Jax closed his eyes and let out another sigh as he felt the wind blowing his hair back. Alisiya Winfir had been silenced for good, he had escaped the scene of the crime, and the thrill of killing could finally be savoured.