Amalia scanned about, looking anywhere and everywhere.

Look for clues...

The two had been looking into several rooms inside the building with no luck at all when Amalia just happened to notice a large pole like structure centered in the middle of the room the two were now in.

They'd gone up several flights of stairs already as it were, and Amalia had almost given up hope, that is until she saw the broken glass atop the pole.

"Kahn! Look up there!"

She pointed toward the direction of where the destruction was.

Kahn looked up, simply nodded and then just as quickly he seemed to divert his gaze away from it, and on towards the window.

Amalia had been following his gaze.

"Well, isn't that quite obvious..."

Both of their gazes fell onto the window, which was almost completely shattered, except for a few shards of glass still sticking to the window frame.

"Well, there's only two more levels left, and then the roof. We can probably get a fairly good look around from there."

Amalia was the first to go to the window, she happened to take a small moment to notice that a small fragment of glass had blood on it.

Hmmm.

She quickly paid it no mind though as she carefully centered herself onto the balcony. Her eyes fell onto a flight of stairs that lead upwards. She quickly rushed toward it, not waiting for Kahn. Though she did manage to relay a message to him.

Sorry, you'll have to keep up, and stay close. We can't waste much time now...

...And keep up the Knight did, perfectly in fact. The two made their way up one more flight of stairs, not at all out of breath, surprisingly.

Even before Amalia's feet stepped onto the roof platform, she could feel it....Whatever they had been feelling was rather close near by, but yet they still would not see it, not until...

The Jedi Knight could feel the living Force all around them. It resided in all objects and beings, and thus was always plentiful. His connection to the Light Side deepened as a feeling of apprehension grew within him. One hand firmly on his saber, Kahn took a look around. They were up high above ground, but heights did not worry the Jedi. With the Force, a fall that could mean death for a normal being was made far less fatal for a Force user. Continuing to sweep his gaze around their current territory, he made a mental note as to where the stairs they had come up were. In case of an emergency, it was always wise to be able to escape.

His Master could sense something too, he could see that. She was acting just as cautious as he, her face set in a concentrated look. Silence had fallen between them, but both knew it was best not to alert whomever they were searching of their prescence.

Edit: That better?

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Just a little further...<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

On her stomach in a dusty ventilation shaft, Leia pulled herself cautiously foreward, extremely careful not to make any noise whatsoever.

If her calculations were correct, she should be right above the room she was looking for. Dim light streamed up through the slits in a vent only a few feet in front of her. She pulled herself the rest of the way to it, and carefully peered through the slots in the vent, into the room below.

The room was dark, vacant, as most of this particular building was. It was also mostly empty, except for a single dusty, covered couch in the middle of the room, and a dusty table off to the side. The room was extremely large, with large windows in one wall.

And then she found what she was looking for. She saw first a black, nondescript case, sitting on the floor a few feet away from the table. Her gaze tracked across the room to the windows. A man, dressed completely in black with a black mask on, crouched low by the windows, gripping a sniper rifle in his hands like it was a newborn baby. The barrel stuck out a broken pane of glass in the window, and he was aiming through the scope at something which apparently was about at his height level outside.

Leia took a moment to readjust her breath mask, and wipe the collected dust off of the faceplate. Sweat ran down her forehead and into her eye, making it burn. She blinked, both in irritation and to make the pain go away. The mask allowed Leia to remain completely silent, as it protected both her breathing and vision from the excessive amount of dust in the duct, and she could not remove it, for anything, lest she make any sort of noise. It was hot as hell in the duct, as well. Leia's suit was soaked in sweat from exertion and the heat, she had been crawling in these ducts for hours now. She wore what was considered to be a military issue black 'stealth suit', made for quiet and unnoticed infiltration missions. It suited Leia's task well. She was rooting out snipers.

This particular sniper was trying to shoot a guy that was hanging off of a building across the street. It was suspected that more than one person was responsible for this scenario, as apparently somebody had 'helped' the guy fall out of the window, to either die from the fall or be easy pickings for the sniper.

She set to quietly removing the grate, which was large enough for her small frame to squeeze through noiselessly and drop in on the sniper below for a surprise visit with ease. Soon, things were going to get rather exciting in this large, currently quiet and nearly empty room...

It did not take Amalia long to familiarize herself with her surroundings as she inched her way closer over towards the roofs edge.

She sensed danger, but even before she looked down over the roofs ledge she heard a voice cry out.

It was a voice that held fear. It was the presence of a Darksider, a darksider with not much force potential. Perhpas a beginner in the dark arts.

Nonetheless, his cries of help could be heard by the two Jedi. However, what would happen now, all depended upon many things...

The being's plea for assistance reached Kahn ears a moment after he felt the tremors of the Dark Side. Whereas the disturbance he and Amalia had been feeling before had not been made by one who was affiliated with the Sith, this person definately was.

However, that only served as extra information for the Jedi Knight. He had learned that to judge one only by their allegiances was a mistake; to ignore a cry for help because of those allegiances was unthinkable.

Jedi were protectors of peace and justice in the galaxy. They sought to help wherever they could, preventing wars and destruction. The fact that this being was in need of help was the only fact that mattered at the moment. However, seeing that Amalia was hesitating, Kahn restrained himself from immidiately seeking out the Dark Sider.

"Master..."

The one word conveyed the Jedi's feelings without him saying more.

Amalia was not exactly hesitant, though it would appear that way to Kahn, and she'd meant for it to be that way.

Her eyes locked with his, no expression crossing the Jedi Master's face. She did speak, through rather softly.

"Yes, I know, my hesitation is with reason. We are faced with something here, but it is time that I let you make the choice, for both of us...and you can make the choice because you have my faith, and my teachings. I will not help you to make the choice this time. This time, I follow your lead..."

Master and student. The Master the guide, the student the learner, observer and follower. However, there would always come a time when the student would have to do without with what the Master provided, and instead, play a new role.

That time had come for Kahn....

For a moment more, Kahn stood motionless. Amalia's words surprised him. He was indeed used to her taking the lead, to following her. And now the roles were being switched. However, the Knight had the ability to handle it. So, he nodded his head slowly and turned to face the direction the plea had come from.

"Jedi ignore not a call for help."

Those words conveyed his decision, and he and Amalia moved towards the source of the disturbance, using the Force to guide them to the victim. This time, however, it was Kahn who was a step or so in front of Amalia. This time it was he who lead.

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> It was time...<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

Leia had successfully removed the grate without alerting the sniper to her presence. Subtle twinges ran through the Force, she could sense he was almost ready to take a shot.

Pulling out her lightsaber, Leia shoved it into her sleeve so that it would easily slide out when she needed it, and then she slid headfirst through the grate, keeping herself from falling completely out of the shaft by hanging out of the hole by her legs.

It was a long drop to the floor. From her new, inverted vantage point Leia could see this quite well, but it did not concern her in the least. Instead, her attention centered on the sniper. He seemed completely focused on his task, unaware of her presence. Apparently he was content that the room offered him complete protection and concealment. And it had, until Leia had found the ventilation system, the only way to enter the room had been through a barred, locked, and extremely noisy door.

Leia let her legs go limp, and she fell down from the shaft quickly. Grabbing herself with a Force hold, just before she reached the floor she slowed her ascent, flipped herself upright again, and landed softly in a crouch on the floor. Again, all of her actions were completely noiseless.

She was only a few yards behind the sniper. Her muscles tensed for a lunge as her saber slipped from her sleeve into her hand...

The building felt like it had endless amount of levels to it, and to Amalia, it felt like it would be forever until they would get to the rescue.

Time always seemed to pass by so slowly in any dangerious event.

The two Jedi could plainly see the Darksider in sight, his hands seemed to barely hang on to the window's ledge as his body dangled helplessly within mid air. His hands were the only thing that kept him from falling.


Amalia's attention seemed to quickly fall away from the Darksider all too swiftly to glance about at her surroundings once more.

Something else is not right here...

Her thoughts seemed to fill her head just as her eyes set onto the building across the street from them. She made her thoughts clear to Kahn, knowing that they could not afford to waste anymore time.

Kahn, there's something else not quite right here. I'm not sure if it has something to do with our helpless victom or not, that is not clear, and I am very uncertain. Nonetheless, there is more than one danger among us, be careful. We can save this man, but you must be aware of your surroundings as well. Be mindful.

Amalia placed any and all clouded thoughts aside, and centered her attention on Kahn for a moment, a hint of concern brushing across her face before her face became impassive.

She nodded silently to Kahn, and then waited for him to continue on before she followed, silently and observantly noticing all that surrounded them, being both Kahn's eyes and ears should the task at hand need his full undivided attention...

The sniper's finger tightened on the trigger, his shot was clear, the time was perfect....


<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> ...Now!<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->


Leia had been crouched quietly behind the clueless sniper. Now she sprang to her feet, in a single fluid move that would have her tackle and disarm him in the bat of an eye.

...But Leia's soft soled boot slipped on the dust and dirt covered floor because of the sudden outburst of energy, causing a scraping sound.

The sniper jolted, startled into action. His finger reflexively tightened on the trigger and his rifle fired out the window, but it missed it's intended target (the hanging man on the building across the street), by several meters.

The sniper was able to drop his rifle and partially turn towards Leia, as well as get his hand down to his blaster before she made contact with him in a tackling dive.

They both fell, the sniper landed on his back on the floor with Leia partially on top, trying to pin him down so he couldn't reach for another weapon. However, the man reached one hand up and grabbed hold of her breath mask, then twisted sharply, yanking her head around painfully, but not doing much damage other than distracting and disorienting her.

Despite the man's grip on her mask, Leia still saw the man's hand wrap around the grip of his blaster, she saw the sudden gleam in his eye. Her hand whipped down to take hold of the weapon and point it away from her.

But for all of her speed, she just wasn't fast enough...

The sniper pulled his blaster from it's holster, and pointed it at Leia, flicking the safety switch off. Fortunately, Leia had just jumped an arrogant sniper, and he opted for a head shot on Leia instead of just jabbing the barrel into her stomach and firing. Leia quickly realized this and tore herself away from him, throwing herself backwards, away to safety.

The sniper realized he wasn't going to be able to get his blaster up high enough to aim for Leia's head before she got away, so he just fired blindly into her, pulling the trigger and holding it down tight.

Leia had pushed off to her right side and had about halfway cleared the man when suddenly she felt a sharp, hot searing pain in her left shoulder, just under her collarbone, and another one exactly in the middle of her left shoulder. Milliseconds later the reports of two blaster shots filled her ears, the smell of ozone and burning materials filled her nostrils. She cried out in pain, and gave an extra push off from the ground with her feet before they left the ground in her little flight away from the man as well, to carry her farther away from him.

And then she was away from the man, and rolling further away from him on the ground.

But the man was quick on the uptake. Scrambling to his feet, he dove at Leia to tackle her. Now he had a slender assassin's knife in his hand.

Leia had managed to rise to her knees, and she threw herself clear of the man's attack, landing hard on her injured left side as she landed. But she was still able to lash out with one foot and kick the man in the side of the head as he landed flat on his stomach with a loud 'oomph'.

Both Leia and the man scrambled to their feet and dove at each other again. Leia managed to dive lower than the man, and as they met she pushed upwards into his stomach, using her good shoulder to bulldoze him into the large window pane next to the one he had been shooting out of earlier. The already weak transparisteel developed spider cracks, and partially caved outwards.

The man would have fallen through a scant few seconds later, but thinking fast he delivered a brutal knee to Leia's gut, causing her to backpedal one or two steps, winded. The man slid down the wall and onto his back on the floor. Leia was still hunched over only one or two feet in front of him coughing, and he sat up and grabbed both of her arms. He leaned back so that he was laying on his back again, pulling Leia with him. As he did this, he planted both feet firmly on Leia's stomach, and then he catapaulted her over him... right into the already weakened window. The glass gave way easily, and Leia flew head first right through it.

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Sithspawn!<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

Leia executed a complete flip as she broke through the window, and her good hand shot out to grab the window ledge before she fell. She successfully grabbed hold, and barely retained a strong enough grip to arrest her fall and leave her hanging there on the ledge: a very, very long ways up above the street...

Leia was just starting to contemplate how she was going to get back up when the sniper leaned out the window and looked down at her with a sneer on his face, he had taken off his mask.

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Arrogant idiot...<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> Leia thought, and shot him a venemous glance, despite her current situation.

"Nice try, but not good enough..." he said, and reached down, placing his hand on hers. He was going to pull her hand away, and send her falling to(what he thought) would be her certain death.

Leia's eyes widened as she realized this. The man's smile grew larger. But Leia had no intentions of departing without a fight. She still had one more trick up her sleeve... if her injured left arm was up to it.

Closing her eyes and gritting her teeth, Leia summoned the strength to bring her left arm up and grab the man's wrist, surprising him.

Before he could even realize what was happening, Leia yanked on his arm hard, pulling him clear out of the window. He scrabbled around for something to grab hold of, so he wouldn't fall. He grabbed several times for Leia herself, but she shook him off. Realizing his fat, the man screamed.

All of this took only a matter of seconds.

And then he was past her, falling a very, very long ways to his death on the streets below.

Exhausted, Leia heaved a sigh of relief, and realized her grip on the ledge was faultering. She couldn't hang by one arm here much longer, and she realized she didn't have the strength to pull herself back up into the window, or the mind needed to levitate herself anywhere. The pain from her shoulder was distracting her, it had grown worse. She figured she must have worsened the injury during the fight.

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Frell!<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->