Chapter Five. Face off

Zekk Stilco, the Mandalorian bounty hunter, stood facing off against the two Jedi. His blaster pistols were already out and ready to fire. They fanned out, thinking to flank the Mandalorian. The one on the right couldn't have been older than that girl Jedi he had worked with. After he nearly killed her. He seemed to be unsure if he could take the man out. He had seen Stilco kill the crowd of drunkards who had wanted to start a fight. It was over in a split second. The other Jedi was an older man with a long beard. He seemed more confident and alert.

He had drawn his weapon out and circled the Mandalorian left, glowing blue blade angled upward in a defensive position. Zekk sighed. Time to show them it wasn't wise to tangle with a Mandalorian. He flipped his blaster pistols up and released a volley at the younger Jedi. Who responded with a quick Force shove. Zekk nearly froze in shock. He hadn't come across a Jedi who could actually Force shove blaster bolts. He ducked as the other Jedi came in with a lightning fast lightsaber thrust that would've skewered him in the unprotected place between his chest plate and the plate on his belly. He swiftly dodged their next attack that followed, barely moving aside as they both worked together without words and nearly slashed his head and left arm from his body in that instant. As it was the younger Jedi's bright yellow blade scorched a mark across his helmet's surface on his right side. He released another volley of laser shots at them both, forcing them on the defensive, while walking to the side.

They reacted fast, blocking and slashing the bolts of energy back at Stilco. Some hit him, but he didn't stop pumping shots at them. He armed his rocket darts with a verbal command. Just as they started closing in on him, still deflecting the laser blasts away, he shot to the side with a burst of his jet pack, hitting the wall with a loud bang. He didn't mind, he would rather hit the wall then get caught in the blast of his own weapon. The Mandalorian raised his left arm and tapped his gauntlet. Two small darts whistled out from the ejector on his arm.

They screamed through the air and slammed right between the two Jedi. The explosion was loud and bright. The ceiling buckled and rained down some debris and dust. The floor was completely destroyed and was caving in. The two Jedi somehow managed to avoid the worst of the blast, just a few cuts and burn marks were clearly visible. They were still closing in. This time they charged headlong at him. He grunted and let loose another hail of laser fire. The room hadn't been covered in smoke as he had hoped. This time the Jedi dodged his attacks, anticipating his line of fire.

They slipped between the laser bolts just as the girl Jedi had. He raised his gauntlet again and armed it quickly. The first Jedi to reach him was the younger one. He aimed swiftly at his head and fired his blaster pistols. The Jedi deflected and reached out his hand. The Mandalorian was lifted off of the floor and thrown with surprising speed toward the wall. With a quick burst of his jet pack, he steady himself. The Jedi didn't give him a moment to attack. They attacked. With a quick Force boosted flip, the older Jedi attacked now.

His lightsaber cut the blaster pistol in his left hand in half, while he spun around and delivered a snap kick that landed in the center of Stilco's chest. The air left his lungs and he was staggering back. Firing at the Jedi with his one remaining blaster pistol. Just as they launched at him again, he fired his secret weapon and dropped his blaster pistol. The grappling hook. It whistled through the air and stabbed into the older Jedi's arm as he raised a hand to protect his face. The arrowhead pierced right through the bone and ejected out the other side.

Before either had a chance to react, Stilco tapped the button again, and the Jedi was yanked through the air, on a collision course with the armored bounty hunter. The Jedi tried to slow himself down, but it was useless. Just as he would have slammed into Stilco, the Mandalorian snapped out his lightsaber that he wasn't planning on using and slashed the Jedi's body nearly in half. From his right shoulder to his hip. The body hit the floor with a hollow ringing sound. Stilco reeled in his grappling hook and turned to face the other Jedi. His face was contorted with rage. His whole body was trembling. Stilco motioned to the dead Jedi with his misty white colored lightsaber. "Don't end up like him." The Jedi raised his hands, barely keeping his face from showing the anger and hate he felt. "You…. I will kill you!" The Jedi charged headlong, not even bothering to use any tactics.

They slashed and swung at each other, lightsabers dancing and whirling around in a dizzying web of light energy. The first two strikes that managed to hit the Mandalorian slashed and ripped his shoulder pad completely off as the yellow blade swept around, nearly slashing his head off. The next attack was a jab that connected with his chest. The lightsaber made a loud screeching noise as it tried to chew it's way through the tough metal. The bounty hunter grunted in pain, he felt a sharp pain in his side. He was quite sure the force of the blow had broken a rib or two. The Jedi dodged his quick reverse stroke, lightsaber once again homing in on the Mandalorian's right arm.

The bounty hunter moved to the side, bringing up his left arm as he countered with a quick rocket dart salvo. The explosion was yet again loud and bright. He was sure the Jedi had anticipated his attack but he didn't care. It was just to give him time to recover and regain his situational awareness. He wasn't sure how long he could keep this up. The Jedi seemed to be doing pretty well. He hadn't shown any sign of tiredness or exhaustion. The Jedi jumped from the side at him, lightsaber whirling and slashing in a quick attack. Zekk Stilco used his jet pack to carry himself backward and out of the weapon's reach. The Jedi reached out his hand again, his lips locked in a snarl of frustration and rage. The bounty hunter suddenly found himself being pulled toward him. At a rate faster than he thought possible. He didn't even have time to try to use his jet pack at all. The Jedi's blade swept down and then back up in a fast strike at the Mandalorian's body. The lightsaber hit his flank and bounced off but the next attack on his right arm bit deep. The only reason that the blade didn't completely cut his arm off was his quick response. He managed to get his own weapon between the lightsaber and the remaining undamaged part of his arm. He snarled in pain and shoved the Jedi back with a powerful push. The Jedi jumped back, lightsaber ready for another attack. Stilco knew that his arm was useless in this fight. He couldn't even feel it. The blade had completely rendered it useless. He looked at the Jedi. This one was pretty tough. "Don't think you're getting out of here alive, Stilco." The Jedi said harshly…