32 Chapter Thirty-two. The Unknown

Zekk Stilco stared at the Jedi girl. Was she really going to trust this man? He saw the dubious look on Chad's face. He didn't seem to trust the man, either. "What do you want with us?" he asked warily. "Hey, I don't care what you want with them, we want off of this planet. Do you have any ships?" Kerren asked impatiently, her fingers unconsciously reaching for her blaster pistol. The man who said he was called Lresan, smiled at her. "Ah, yes. We do. But there is a slight problem." Vesha and Chad turned toward Stilco as he raised his weapon. "Then I think we are done here." Vesha stepped between him and the very surprised looking Lresan. "Wait!" she held her hands out for him to lower his weapon. "Stilco. I think that we can get off of this planet. Without killing these people, they seem to want to help us. Let us hear them out first." Bandit shook his head and sighed. "As much as I hate to admit this, I think she's right, Stilco. If we just kill them now we might walk into a trap later on. A trap we won't be so lucky to survive. Again" The Mandalorian lowered his gun, nodding for Lresan to continue speaking. "You better not be lying to me." He added harshly. "Of course," Lresan nodded. He cleared his throat, clearly hesitant. "We've let a monster into our village. I let a monster in our village." Lresan sighed and rubbed the back of his head, eyes staring at the ground. "I don't care about your problems, I care about finding a way off of this planet." Stilco said. His finger still hovered over the trigger of his weapon. He stepped forward, stopping just a few feet from the smaller and older man. "No, you don't understand. This is some creature that-that is controlling everyone in my village, it is evil-" Bandit snorted. "Yeah. I don't think that's our problem-" Vesha cleared her throat. "Zekk, it is something that causes concern. Me and Chad couldn't do anything to stop it. Even with us using the Force." Chad shot her a glare, but she continued on as if he wasn't there. "We didn't even get a chance to use our light sabers." Kerren glanced down at Vesha's belt, frowning. "Our light sabers were taken when he captured us." Vesha explained. "He took them." Chad corrected, pointing an accusing finger at Lresan. "I-" Lresan started with an apologetic tilt of his head. "So, what your saying is that there is an unknown entity that can handle its own against two Jedi Knights in the village that has our only escape? And you want us to deal with it?" The Mandalorian asked tightly. He didn't seem to sound too happy. Lresan dipped his head, "If you would." Vesha nodded. "That about sums it up." Kerren groaned and face palmed herself. "Why? Why can't we ever get a break?" "If we are to have you off of this planet by nightfall, we'd better get moving." Lresan said. He turned to the armored bounty hunter. Zekk Stilco sighed. This was getting out of hand. They had been running from the Jedi who now were working with them to kill some unknown creature. He gestured for Lresan to lead the way. "So how are you going to fight this thing without your light sabers?" he turned and asked Vesha. Chad made a rude noise, and stepped up to the bounty hunter. "I don't need a light saber to fight. I rely on the Force." He said stiffly. Vesha sighed. She wished that she did have her light saber. True, they both had the Force but she wasn't as strong with it as Chad most likely was. "True. But..." She started to voice her concern but Lresan coughed politely. "I am indeed sorry, but we don't have much time before Hashuv starts getting suspicious." Stilco turned his head around, T-shaped visor staring blankly at the man. "Yeah, we should probably get a move on." Kerren said, the young woman stood up, clutching her stomach in her hands. Her face twisted into a mask of pain. "Are you ok?" Bandit asked with a frown, he stepped toward the young woman but she waved him off. "I'm fine. Just a stomach cramp, I'm pretty sure." "It might be but let me check." Vesha interjected, she started to reach for the other woman's hands. "I said I'm fine, Jedi. I don't need help!" Kerren snapped, her mismatched colored eyes narrowed at her hotly. "We need to go. We've wasted enough time already." Stilco tossed Kerren a glance and reached into one of the pouches on his belt. "Here. This is for the pain and fatigue." He threw a small vial her way, which she barely caught. "Thanks." She flashed a half smile. Vesha watched as Kerren swallowed the dark blue contains of the vial. "Ew. This tastes disgusting." She said, wrinkling her nose. The bounty hunter shrugged. "It helps with pain as I said. You," he turned back to Lresan, "Lead the way. And remember if this is a trap, your the first one I'm killing." Chad hadn't said anything until now, he was staring sullenly at his empty hands as if maybe if he stared hard enough his light saber would magically appear. He stepped between Stilco and Lresan, Looking at the bounty hunter defiantly. "If you do, I will be forced to kill you as well."

They started the trek at a fast pace, stopping only when Bandit looked like he was about to pass out. Zekk Stilco glanced over his shoulder, making sure the man didn't lag behind. He was walking much better, but he was still having trouble, that much was obvious. Vesha hovered near him, ready to catch him if he started to fall. Kerren was giving the Jedi Knight a weird look, when she caught Stilco staring she rushed over to him. "So what is with that Jedi? Do you know why she's being, well, being nice?" she asked. The Mandalorian stared ahead, watching the old man named Lresan carefully. He wasn't trusting him. Trust always got someone killed. According to the man they weren't to far from the village. Maybe around three or four more miles to go. "She is a Jedi. It is their way." He said briefly. A howl erupted from the jungle to their right. Another one answered the first. Stilco reached for his weapon, making sure it was ready to shoot. "Don't worry, my friend," Lresan turned back around, smiling gently. "That was one of our scouts-" something whizzed through the air and stabbed through the man's chest with a sickening thud. Blood spurted from Lresan's lips, dribbling down his chin and onto the ground. His face was a mask of shock as he crumpled to his knees and fell forward. Stilco whipped his head around and shoved Kerren back just as another projectile slashed through the air where the girl had been standing. She looked up at him with confusion and then shock as she realized they were under attack. The two Jedi had already dropped into some form of fighting stance. Vesha looked at him with wide eyes, not in fear but in confusion. "Get back!" the other members that had been with Lresan immediately turned on them and started firing their weapons. Three shots hit Stilco in the chest, knocking him off balance. He grimaced and returned fire. His bullets catching two of them in the head and chest. He was blasted off of his feet by someone tackling him from behind. His vibro blade was out and stabbing upward. Warm blood dripped down his forearm as he twisted deeper into the man's stomach. Bandit and Kerren were taking cover behind a large boulder, firing into the trees. "Stilco, look out!" the bounty hunter whipped his head around, looking at the young Jedi girl who had shouted out a warning. He was blasted once again off of his feet, this time by Vesha. A giant black humanoid shaped figure stood in the spot where he had occupied. It's long forearms reached for him as he scrambled to his feet, slime dripping and sizzling to the jungle floor. He put some distance between them with a quick burst of his jetpack. "Ah. A Mandalorian. I had not thought I would run into your kind for a long time." The creature spoke in a slithering voice. Every inch of it's skin was covered in black slime. Only his eyes which glowed a bright red were visible. "Hey!" Chad shouted, he rushed the creature and shoved out with a mighty Force push. It hit the creature and was negated immediately. "Those weak Force abilities won't work on me, Jedi."