Rusty saw the boulder and knew there was no way he could stop it and fight off the Sith. Rusty flicked off his saber, and dropped on his back, face up as the boulder hit. He screamed.

"Unnnnnhh!!!!"

There was no motion, no sound, nothing.

Karatoga felt nothing. He smiled, walking around the boulder slowly. He chuckled to himself

"Haha. He's dead...what a pushover...what a waste! Oh well, my work is done. See you in hell Metropolis. Say hi to your daddy for me."

Karatoga walked toward his landspeeder and climbed in

Just as the landspeeder's engines fired, a boulder almost sized like the first, dropped onto the back end of the speeder, sending Karatoga flying. The landspeeder went up in a whirl of smoke and flames. As Karatoga began to stand again, the first boulder split in two, and Rusty walked between the two halves, his green saber humming in his hands after splitting the boulder.

"You idiot. You really think you could kill me that easily?"

Just before the boulder had hit, Rusty had rolled out of the way and behind it. Due to its size, he was able to mask his Force presence and walk around the boulder as Karatoga surveyed it. Just as planned, Karatoga thought he'd disposed of Metropolis...only to be sadly mistaken.

"As for my dad...when I become one with the Force, I will tell him hi. As for you, he'll kill your soul after I destroy your body."

Rusty was still bleeding, but not as badly as before. The belt had slowed the bleeding, but Rusty felt he wouldn't last much longer. He stood, facing the Sith, ignited his saber, and awaited Karatoga's move.

Karatoga picked himself up after pulling his leg out from under the speeder. His leg was sprained badly. As he wobbled to his feet, he could see Metropolis approaching. Karatoga tried to lift the boulder, but couldn't. The pain in his leg was too great. He wobbled toward Metropolis swinging his saber like a madman, trying desperately to slice Metropolis in two.

"Sprain my leg? Fine! I'll cut yours off!! DIE!!!!!!!!!"

Rusty deflected the Sith's saber strikes, blocking it from slicing him in two. As he fought for his life, he felt his belt loosen and fall off, his wound bleeding violently, but he fought on. Rusty deflected one blast after the other, being pushed backward across the field. He felt himself weakening from the loss of blood. He strengthened himself with every bit of the Force he could gather, and gave the Sith a punch in the gut and a Force push. As the Sith stumbled backward, Rusty collapsed in the field and his saber's green blade flickered off. Rusty was dying.

Karatoga called to the Dark Side, increasing his speed and strength and ran full speed toward Rusty, his saber whurring as he ran he swung at the dying Metropolis, in an attempt to decapitate him

Rusty grabbed his saber, and, using what little strength he had left, flicked it on, pointing it toward Karatoga to block the Sith's saber.

"No..."

Rusty grabbed his saber, and, using what little strength he had left, flicked it on, pointing it toward Karatoga to block the Sith's saber.

"No..."

Karatoga saw the green saber flicker on, and dug his heels into the soft ground in an attempt to stop. He slid into the Jedi's saber, its green blade piercing his gut. As he collapsed, the blade slid through his side, almost cutting him in two. Karatoga lay for a moment, his breathing rapid, until finally, there was no breathing at all. Karatoga, was dead.

Rusty slowly pulled himself to his feet. He felt no life force from the Sith. He tapped Karatoga with a foot, to make sure he was dead. He was. Rusty placed a hand on his side, and felt himself still bleeding. He let the Force surge through his hand, and close the wound. Now that the bleeding had stopped, he would be ok. He was still weak, but he was alive. He picked up the belt to his robe, covered in blood from where it had served as a turnicate. Rusty sat on a nearby boulder for a moment, thinking to himself

"He's dead...so much pain, so much suffering...because of him."

Rusty picked up the Sith's saber, clipped it to the other side of his belt, and headed toward Karatoga's landspeeder

"It's damaged...I shouldn't have thrown that rock on it...damn. I'll have to walk..."

Rusty paused by Karatoga's body, and then limped off, in the direction of Theed, the Naboo City.

To Be Continued