Trazu felt a bit battered and bruised, in the mental sense anyway, but he was glad he had succeeded in keeping his son from making a terrible mistake. Willingly at least, for the spirit was determined to have it’s way. He had little means of knowing what was going on outside of his body: his ability to perceive things via the Force was somewhat limited even when he had control of his body and was even more limited now. However, whether it was due to their relation or the close proximity, Trazu could sense Silonik’s fear. Oh how it hurt to know his son was terrified at what was happening: one so young should never be forced to go through such trauma, and not have any means to comfort him.

Be strong… He thought, wishing he could do more. Oddly, now he no longer sensed fear from his son: had he heard him?

….

Silonik never felt so frightened in his young life, being carried by an individual that looked like his father, but instead had a powerful entity in control. Worse yet he wasn’t too sure Master Leia could handle this monster: the Force Aura from this thing was overpowering. He did try to break free, but his efforts were uncoordinated and full of panic: his fear was preventing him from thinking clearly.

Be strong… A voice said suddenly in his mind. It was the same voice the spirit had initially used, the voice of his ‘real’ father. The voice had a comforting tone, with a hint of regret and now that Silonik had something else other then his predicament to focus on, he now could sense a second presence within the body that was carrying him like a sack of flour.

Father… He thought, feeling relieved and comforted that his real father was still in that body somewhere. Now knowing he had his real father’s support, he took in his situation and surroundings with a clear mind.

The spirit had slowed it’s fast pace and Silonik quickly realized why: they had entered the market place and as usual it was crowded. There was little doubt the spirit intended to use the crowd to throw his Master off, to slow her down at least. It was difficult, but Silonik managed to concentrate enough up the mental mist image of his surroundings and change his perception so that he was ‘looking’ both forward from the spirits point of view and from above. With so many people around this was fast giving him a headache, but he forced himself to ignore it as he tried to find a way to help himself out of this mess.

If he was to do anything he had to do it quickly, for they were nearing the end of the market and the crowd was already thinning. The dark mist shape of the spirit seemed to grow and darken in his mind’s eye: it was about to do something, but what he couldn’t tell until the spirit started picking up the pace again, only Forced assisted. If he was to do something, he had to do it now.

With the aid of the mist image he saw a pole that the spirit was about to pass. Silonik quickly reached and grabbed a hold of it, just as the spirit’s speed suddenly increased by two fold. Sheer luck and will of the Force kept his arms from getting yanked out of there sockets as he was yanked free from the spirits grip. His arms and shoulders felt like they were on fire and the moment he was free from the spirit’s grip he let go of the pole, landing smartly on his rear.

At that moment he just wanted to curl up and whimper in pain, but he forced his mind to ignore the pain and forced himself to his feet. Without further hesitation he ran right back into the main thong of the crowd….

[font=Arial]The spirit knew the Jedi had the advantage of knowing the lay out of the city and the land, but there were always certain ‘unpredictable’ elements in such places, elements he intended to use against her. Thus when he had reached the market place he had slowed to a fast, but leisurely walk. He ‘acted’ like he was lost, trying to figure out which way he wanted to go, but it was all a ploy to keep the Jedi from guessing which way he was going to go. He started picking up the pace once the crowd had started to thin and once he was clear he augmented his run speed via the Force.[/font]

[font=Arial]Why was he suddenly lighter though? A quick check and to his embarrassment and rage he discovered the brat had managed to slip away from him. Immediately he turned back around, only find the kid had disappeared into the crowd.[/font]

[font=Arial]“Cute...” He growled, standing frustrated just before the crowd. “Real cute…” He could sense the kid in the crowd, but he could also sense the Jedi fast approaching: he wouldn’t get to the child before the Jedi was on him. I’ll get the kid later… He thought, his frown turning into a malicious grin. Let’s see how tough these Jedi really are....[/font]

[font=Arial]He flicked back one side of his cloak and unhooked his lightsaber, igniting it as he assumed a ready, challenging stance. “Come to me little Jedi…” He cooed, the red blade of his lightsaber merrily humming. “Let’s see what you are made of….”[/font]

The spirit had chosen to head for the marketplace, perhaps hoping to lose Leia in the crowds that commonly filled the area...


As they reached the marketplace, the possessed Trandoshan's pace slowed considerably as he dodged and weaved his way through the crowd. Leia also noticed that the spirit had apparently shifted Silonik to a less conspicuous carrying position, because she could no longer see the young Padawan. Wary that the spirit would simply drop Silonik somewhere and then use him as bait to lure her into a trap, Leia pushed hard to gain ground on the fleeing Trandoshan. However despite her best efforts, she was unable to make any progress.


After several long minutes, they had finally pushed their way straight through the center of the marketplace and were emerging into the thinner crowds meandering around the outskirts. It was then as Leia caught a full view of Trazu once again that she realized Trazu hadn't simply shifted Silonik to a different position... the Spirit in fact did not have the young Trando at all.


Had he already dropped Silonik in some secure place back in the crowd, or handed him off to an accomplice...?


Apparently the spirit realized he didn't have Silonik at about the same time as Leia did, because suddenly he halted and whipped around to look back into the crowd of which Leia was just emerging from. His body language suggested he was surprised, and agitated....


Perhaps Silonik had managed to slip away from him...?


Leia's pace faultered as she seriously considered disappearing back into the crowd to find Silonik, but when she saw Trazu's gaze lock onto her she knew it was too late to try something like that...


The Trandoshan produced a long cylindrical object from under his cloak, and ignited a bright red lightsaber. Upon the appearance of the weapon, the people around and between the two scattered for safety, causing the crowd behind Leia to stir and finally panic as well.


Leia was still holding her own saber in her hand, and she raised it up so that it was in plain sight. But again, she did not ignite it... she was reluctant to do anything that would harm the Trando in front of her. Trazu was probably still in the body standing before her, and who was to say that to kill the body was to kill the spirit? Most likely the spirit would simply move on to another host... most likely Silonik. Leia was pretty sure killing Trazu wouldn't accomplish much...


"Let's see what you are made of..." she heard Trazu... er, the spirit... mutter.


I wonder how adept at lightsaber dueling a Trandoshan possessed by an ancient evil spirit can be...?


If Trazu really was trapped inside his own body, held hostage by the spirit... he had to be able to observe what was going on around his own body at least. Perhaps there was some way he could be empowered to help them...

Silonik was finding his arms didn’t want to work too well, forcing him to run solely on his two legs instead of on all fours: which was a method of locomotion he was still most comfortable with when it came to running. Still, as thick as the crowd was he couldn’t move very fast anyway, having to focus on keeping himself from getting knocked over and stepped on.

Then the demeanor of the crowd changed dramatically. The people around him started pushing and running all in one direction in a near blind panic, with him still stuck right in the middle of them. Silonik found himself getting kicked and knocked around, adding to his hurts, until he finally managed to dive under a merchant booth.

There he curled up, trembling in both fear and pain, really wishing he was back home in his Aunt’s comforting arms and praying that spirit didn’t find him here.

“What’s the matter Jedi?” The spirit taunted, noting the reluctance of the Jedi to fight him with an amused grin. “Scared to fight me?” He chuckled darkly. “Or is it that an annoying relative of my host told you about me…and you know that killing the host will do nothing to stop me?” He straightened, a mocking smile on his face. “A daunting situation isn’t it Jedi? You need to do something though and quick…for if you won’t give me the satisfaction of spilling your blood…then…” He glanced menacingly at some of the people nearby who had chosen to linger, an evil, toothy grin appearing on his face.

Without a second thought, he rushed toward a small group of those people, raising his saber high. Their fear only fueled his eagerness to strike them down.

He was trying to goad her into doing something she didn't necessarily want to do...?


First and foremost Leia knew that she had to divert his attention away from the innocent bystanders, who hopefully at the sight of a Trandoshan maliciously charging at them with an ignited lightsaber would deduce that maybe they should vacate the premesis....


"How will you gain the satisfaction of killing me, if you are too cowardly to even attack me!?" She shouted as the Trando closed in on the now frantically fleeing group of bystanders. The spirit did not pause, apparently resolute in it's decision to hack up a few innocent people for laughs and giggles.


Seeing that there was nothing she could physically say or do to prevent the spirit from chasing down the group of people and hacking them to pieces, Leia extended a hand and subtlely manipulated the Force....


A nearby cart full of fresh produce suddenly broke free of the bonds keeping it stationary, and as if it were being propelled by some unseen force it barreled straight for the Trando. It's path soon placed it between Trazu and those he was chasing...


The cart forced the Trando to dive out of it's path to avoid being hit by it, and he quickly lost track of his fleeing victims as they dodged into a nearby building. Having missed it's intended target, the cart veered off to one side and tipped over, spilling odd little round orange fruits everywhere. In order to ensure that she had the spirit's full attention, Leia stooped to pick up several of the fist sized fruits, and then began whipping them across the market square at him. Of course projectile fruit would not discourage an angry evil spirit for long, and Leia searched frantically around her looking for anything that would help her detain a possessed Trandoshan...


I guess I'll just have to try and take him alive...


Hopefully the spirit would not decide to use his power over Trazu to threaten suicide on Leia. Unlike the spirit who would simply move on to another host like the parasite it was, Leia was concerned that it's current host be able to live a long, prosperous life....


Leia lobbed a few more pieces of fruit at the spirit, mostly just stalling for time as she quickly searched for any remaining bystanders that would be at risk. After confirming that there were indeed none, she finally ignited her lightsaber. With a flash and a sharp hum, Leia's bright purple blade flashed into existence to counter the spirit's angry red one.

"How will you gain the satisfaction of killing me, if you are too cowardly to even attack me!?" The Jedi had shouted at him and the spirit just chuckled as he continued to chase down the now screaming bystanders. Oh don’t worry little Jedi…this is just an appetizer. Even now, he was feeding off the people’s fear, giving him a boost of energy and power.

His ‘snack’ however was rudely interrupted when the Jedi tossed a cart his way, forcing him to evade it. No matter, for now things were getting interesting. How amusing it was for the Jedi to be throwing produce at him, which he easily dodged. Finally the Jedi had ignited her own saber.

Now we are getting somewhere! The spirit thought with an evil chuckle. But he didn’t want to lock sabers just yet, for the spirit recognized that the Jedi had one advantage on him: she had always been ‘in’ that body. Trazu’s body was still somewhat new to him, it’s limit’s not fully realized. So some measure of caution was needed: though he was sure the Jedi wouldn’t kill the body, it took a lot of effort to get this body in the first place and to start completely anew wasn’t appealing to him.

“Like chucking things do we?” He taunted. “I can chuck things too…” He focused his attention on the scattered produce, manipulating the Force to start hauling produce back at the Jedi at a feverish, pace one after the other. He finished off by seizing the cart with the Force and adding that to the volley. However, he charged at the Jedi right after the cart, using it as cover, his saber posed to strike.

The fruit that the Spirit had thrown at Leia sizzled loudly as each piece met the blade of her saber, and fell to the ground in steaming pieces. Soon the air was filled with the sweet smell of cooked fruit, and the spirit moved on to bigger and better things by hurling the fruit cart at Leia. She sensed the presence of the Sith following closely behind...


Tapping into the Force to enhance her abilities, Leia Force jumped over the cart and landed right next to Trazu. A bright red lightsaber blade slashed at her, and she parried the attack with her own blade and pushed it away.


She could feel his eagerness, his lust for blood.


Leia extended her free hand towards the Trandoshan, and an invisible force sent him flying backwards, away from her.


"You will never have your way, spirit. You are here in a borrowed body... on borrowed time."

Impressive The spirit thought with an amused grin. He smarted somewhat from landing on his backside from the short flight, but he was right back up on his feet again a split second later. “The body has a limited time yes…” He hissed playfully. “But I will always be. Tell me Jedi…do you know the full potential of the Force? I doubt you do…so I’ll give you a demonstration….”

He turned his saber off and hooked it back on his belt. Lifting up both hands he called to the Force and bent it to his will. The sky seemed to darken and the wind picked up. A raging whirlwind swirled around the spirits form, picking up not only dust, but nearby loose objects including produce and carts, even ripped up a good number of bricks from the street itself. Lightning flickered within the growing cloud of debris around the spirit.

“Do you feel it Jedi?” The spirit said, using the Force to magnify his voice over the sound of the wind. “The power I hold? Do you still believe you can truly take me on?” He thrust one hand out toward the Jedi, sending a bunch of the debris flying her way at terrifying speed.

…

Silonik’s hiding spot was suddenly ripped away, exposing him to the raging whirlwind the spirit had created. With a frightened shriek, he willed his arms to work with this legs as he scrambled for a new, more secure, hiding place in a nearby alley. He was nearly clocked a few times by the flying debris and almost picked up by the wind itself before securing himself in the alley. There he clung to an embedded pole, just wanting this whole thing to be over.

There was a frightened scream as a booth was violently ripped free of the fasteners securing it to the ground, revealing the young Silonik.


The scream immediately caught the attention of Leia, and she whipped her head around in time to see a frantic Silonik scramble into a nearby darkened alleyway. Amid the flying chunks of debris, the spirit gleefully watched the youngster flee from it's show of power.


There had to be some way to keep Silonik safe...


While Leia knew that Silonik was the main reason for the Spirit's visit to Naboo, it had also become apparent to her that the spirit had not only come for the young Trando... it had also come to toy with the Jedi. It clearly wanted to test it's powers, to... play. Yes, yes... she could play too.


If there was anything Leia had learned about old resurrected Sith Lords, it was that more often than not they weren't *quite* as powerful as they thought themselves to be. While that meant that the spirit could possibly grow stronger in the future, it also meant that in the present, Leia possibly even held the upper hand...


She didn't want to dissapoint the spirit. Twirling her saber for show (all the better to attract the attention of the K’Satizitus), Leia charged headlong at the spirit hoping to engage him in a bout of lightsaber combat.


At least if the spirit was trying to kill Leia, he wasn't trying to snatch Silonik and escape...


That was all the more forethought included in Leia's overall scheme of things...


From a distance, the young Silonik could only look on helplessly as his Jedi Master successfully baited the K’Satizitus into returning his attention to her, and soon the two were nothing more than blurred figures dancing around amid a flurry of bright, colorful lightsaber arcs.


Only a select few current members of the Jedi Order had ever seen Leia wield a lightsaber in real combat, and the intensity behind her every swing most likely gave Silonik a new impression of his Master... no longer just the peaceful teacher and leader, but also a warrior. Exactly what he was truly learning to become...