There was no thought, only necessity. There was the need to protect Torth, the need to protect the holocron - the need to do something other than stand there without moving a muscle. This need overpowered thought, drove her to move. Within moments she had thrown herself between Bel and Torth, and was back in her combative stance, prepared to make the next necessary move.

Then, within herself her balance regained itself, and both thought and peace washed over her mind yet again.

The thing was hideous... and it resonated with the dark side of the Force. Her lightsabers, which were slightly shorter than the average, hummed threateningly at the new arrival. They were a reflection of what Tatane's very eyes were expressing, and yet her calm expression did little to enforce this.

"Go."

It was all she said to him - and she didn't even look at him. She knew that he had every plan to take the holocron, and to bolt soon afterwards.... It was a strong emotion that she could pick up so easily that it almost affected her. Vessus was slowly, rigidly, making her way closer, doing her best to also serve as a distraction for the others.

"Protect him," Vessus whispered to Tatane. Her eyes bore as hard into Bel as they had into Torth only moments before.

"He'll be protecting me as much as I will be protecting him," muttered Tatane. Yet there was a subtle consent in her voice. "I cannot leave you here."

A slow grin began to tug at Vessus' lips, so wicked that it seemed nothing like her. Her eyes flickered. "I can taste his failure, even now."

Tatane turned to look at Torth, and seemed to seek the best decision in through his eyes. She was unable to decide whether or not to stay, and yet she knew that Vessus would be more than able to look after herself. She just didn't want to think that she had abandoned either of them.

"Perhaps he needs you more than I, Tatane," Vesuss murmured. "I have known you for a very long time. You are my friend. So take these words as a simple reassurance, and let that be enough: I will be all right."

Tatane opened her mouth, but once again nothing came out. She turned to Torth, as if for an agreement to her final decision. But she doubted that either he nor the thing before them could quite hear what they were saying. Maybe they didn't care.

The trio began to exchange a few words, but Bel was hardly listening. His focus was now on getting inside the room. He had forced open the wall enough to fit his hands in between it, and was now concentrating on prying the concrete apart.

He let out a furious howl as the cement cracked and tore under his strength. But try as he might, he could not keep the wall open long enough to slide through. He noted that the boy and one of the Jedi, the one wielding twin light sabers, we yelling at each other.

“You cannot run!” He growled. His second set of arms unfolded behind his back and added their strength to the original pair. Bel had always found it difficult to control all four arms at the same time. It was trying to concentrate on two things at once. It always seemed to overlap his brain if he tried to hard.

There was a great cracking sound, and a large section of the wall gave way, toppling down onto Bel’s knee, but barely harming the huge creature. The hole was barely small enough to fit a normal man through, but it was all he needed.

*


Torth slid out from under his bed, cradling the Holocron in his arms, just in time to see the beast’s clawed hand tearing away sections of the wall. In the back of his mind he knew he should run. Knew he should take off away from the beast as fast as he could, for as long as he could. But something was stopping him.

The beast finally tore away another part of the wall, and he could see its upper body.

It was a terrible thing to see. Like a demon out of an old story he had read, its fiery orange eyes burned holes in him, and made him want to scream. Its body was black as coal, but with strange orange veins coursing all throughout its chest and arms. Torth even noticed a second pair of huge, clawed hands tearing away at the wall.

He may have been dead there, not even putting up a fight against the beast, had not Tatane pulled him back to reality. That tug on his robe was all he needed to pull himself together, at least for the plan he had.

“Run!” he yelled, tucking the Holocron in a robes pocket and heading for the door. It slid open and front of him, and he faintly realized Tatane was behind him. But was she following him, or hunting him down?

*

The beast roared another bestial sound, as the entire wall collapsed around him. Rocks crushed and slammed into his body, but it did little to stop his assault.

Shaking the rubble off, he stepped into the room, surprised to see there was only one left in there. The Jedi with the single lightsaber.

She purposely stepped in his way, holding that gleaming weapon out before him. Bel’s eyes traced it for a moment, watching its fluid movements. He knew it was in the hands of a skilled user.

Bel had been cut my iron and steel, had been wounded my laser and plasma, but never had he felt the sting of a lightsaber. Nor did he intend to.

“Where have your friends gone, lone Jedi?” he said in more of a growl than a voice. “Have they found the intelligence you have not? You would be wise to step aside, though I must admit, I’ll have more fun if you don't.” The last comment was more a bluff than anything. He had no plans of staying to do battle with this Jedi, every second he stayed here was that much farther away his real prey got.

Bel crouched slightly, extending his main arms forward menacingly. His second pair rose slightly over his hunched back. This was, and almost always had been, his original attack position. It allowed him maneuverability, and also the chance to use all four of his arms.

“What say you, Jedi Fool?”