Hey you, yeah you. Come here

[Rexus Drath]

The Jedi Knight Rexus Drath of the Ession Reformation was walking down the streets of Nar Shadda humming a happy and upbeat tune. He thought of his girlfriend [member="Dux Kotass"] and smiled when all around him the slums of the planet were tainted with the dark side of the force. Strolling like a beacon of light he kept up a positive attitude as if a band of ukulele players were marching in tune with him. The man wore the brown cloak of the Jedi and bellow that he had a t shirt on that read "Tall Darth & Handsome" with a picture of the infamous Darth Vader dressed in a tuxedo. Rexus was smiling and humming along his path down the streets and his job was a pretty simple one really.

A crime syndicate from around these parts had been tasked with funneling drugs into Ession space and they were getting a lot of people sick or hooked on narcotic substances. So being the Jedi knight that he was Rex was assigned to take down the local drug lord of this ring and bring him to justice by politely asking him to stop selling drugs to his people, or else.

Ahead of him Rexus could see a large compound among the slums, it was a literal wall between poverty and luxury. It showed how drugs and crime were a way to provide for the people here and thrive as well. Rex did not like that, he did not like that at all. He approached the guardhouse and politely spoke to the guard in the front of the gate with the most polite tone he could muster up.

"Hello, my name is Jedi Knight Rexus Drath. I would like to schedule an appointment with your boss, yes I am armed but I am on a mission for peace and non violence. Please allow me safe passage so I may discuss your syndicate's withdrawal from Ession space. Thank you." Rexus said to the man with a smile on his face

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

The goon at the guardtower, a Rodian dressed in a muscle tee-shirt black leather pants and barbed wire wrapped around his waist instead of a belt, just laughed and laughed at the Jedi Knight. "Yeah, right, like we're gonna just let you waltz on in here and arrest us all." he tutted in broken Basic, lifting the flaps of his jacket to display duel blasters, one on each hip. Then he pointed to various places around the compound around which snipers were stationed. "Go away ya, chuff sucker."

Meanwhile, Sage Bage, drug lord of the two-bit Ko Hentota Cartel had been watching from afar. The young addict had sensed the Jedi's arrival before he even approached the guard tower because of that tiny ripple in his mind, a sensation that he had begun to recognize as possible burgeoning Force powers. It only stirred around more powerful Jedi and Sith and didn't always work consistently, but this time it was clear as a bell. He peeked out of one of the compound windows and saw a large robed figure talking to one of the guards, and he happened to know that this particular guard was a moron who was obviously about to get himself lightsabered in two. Sage grabbed a carbine blaster rifle from the Ko Hentota arsenal and, slinging it over his shoulder with a sigh, made his way to the front of the compound.

If the Jedi was accustomed to dealing with drug lords and underworld kingpins, he would find Sage an unusually young and reluctant one with the sunken eyes and telltale bad skin of a glitterstim addict. Sage put a hand on the Rodian's shoulder and the alien obediently moved back a few steps, muttering to himself in Huttese. Then holding his blaster in both hands, parallel to the ground, not aiming, but ready, Sage levelled his eyes at the Jedi. "Nice shirt," he said with a smirk. "I'm the boss of this operation. I'm guessing you're not here to sell Bothan scout cookies, so you would mind filling me on what this is about?"

[member="Rexus Drath"]

 

[Rexus Drath]

[member="Sage Bane"]
Rexus only smiled at the Rodian's idle threats, Rex had been learning the Jedi code and it was really starting to stick with him. Normally old Rex would of cut the man in half or warped his mind enough to make sure he ate all his meals through a tube for the rest of his natural life. But that wasn't this Rex. This Rexus was a lot more patient and kind and not wanting to needlessly end life no matter how scummy it was. There was always a peaceful solution to his problems. And right now his problem was this Rodian.

However if you excercise non violence and trying to find a peaceful solution the universe can be kind and deliver you directly. The man in charge walked up to Rex and paid him a compliment about his shirt. Rex smiled again and nodded his head in appreciation of his comment. Then the man went on with something about selling cookies. The thought of cookies reminded him of Sabrina and that coaxed him to not draw his saber and cut down the people in front of him. So looking at the glitterstim addict of a minor drug lord Rexus spoke in a very polite and cheery tone.

"Hello!" He said to the man with the rifle. "I'm Jedi Knight Rexus Drath and I'm here to tell you to please pull your smuggling operations away from Ession space. We have recently been tracking shipments and a lot of that product has come from here. So in order for me not to arrest you I'm giving you a fair warning that you are to cease and desist any actions to further sell anymore of your product to the people of the eastern rim. This includes by default the Ession Reformation, and the Shadow Empire. If you do not comply I will be forced to act." Rexus made his case and then a feeling came over him.

The man before him had power, well untapped and dormant power but it was still there within. He felt it and a thought of uncertainly washed over his mind. Rex could sense good in this man and he wanted to help him. To take him from a life of crime and show him that there was more to life than guns and drugs.

"You have power." He said to the man being able to sense his presence through the force. Rex raised his hand at the Rodian and uttered a single word with an effort of will and the force. "Sleep." He said and the Rodian dropped down and fell asleep on the ground. Rexus than began to cast a veil over the two of them and fill the minds of the snipers with a thought of, nothing to see over here. It would just look like routine business in their minds.

 

[Sage Bane]

The man before him certainly was friendly. Unfortunately kindness was a characteristic that made Sage's eyes immediately narrow with suspicion. As a street rat and former slave, he was completely unaccustomed to anyone being nice to him without a "catch." He'd be surprised if this man were any different. Then as Rex spoke, Sage's suspicions were confirmed as he heard exactly what that catch was. The man was cheerfully threatening him with arrest if his boys didn't stop smuggling to Ession. As Rexus continued, Sage began to shake his head in a dismissive way that said he wasn't going to play along.

"No can do, man," Bane said with a shrug. "I got corners on Ession that need weekly re-ups of Ryll and Glitterstim. You know if I stop those shipments I'm basically handing all of my credits to other drug lords, right?" At this he gave his rifle a dramatic gun cock. "And today, I'm really not in the mood to giveaway my money."

When Rexus told him he had "power," he blinked and lowered his rifle. Sage quirked an eyebrow as he watched the Rodian slump to the ground, sleeping peacefully, a light snoring escaping from his snout. He looked back up at the Jedi incredulously for a moment, and then his face spread into a grin. "That was pretty karking cool," he said with a laugh, then Sage's eyes narrowed again, but his face held less of a scowl than before.

"What's this about my power?"

[member="Rexus Drath"]

 

[Rexus Drath]

[member="Sage Bane"]

Rexus kept up his cheerful demeanor and knew how to work the situation, the man was clearly motivated by power and personal gain. But there was more to him than that. He had a decent heart beneath his business like exterior, he was not going to lose faith that he could be changed to do the right thing.

"Oh that's nothing." Rex reached his hand forward at the gun and letting the force flow through him he began to close his open fist around the weapon. The force moved through the weapon and it began to creak and snap until it was folding in on itself rendering it into a large paperweight or some fancy modern art statement. He then aimed his hand up at Sage's skull and could very much do the same with it. He wouldn't of course but that man didn't know that.

"Your power could be like mine one day, with the proper training and dedication. But I do not teach criminals how to use power like this. This is a power meant to do good and stop wickedness from spreading. To cut down darkness and purge the shadows of the dark side with the light. I do not wish to harm you but to help you. You are guilty of drug trafficking and selling to the innocent people of Ession." Rex kept his hand trained on the man and continued to speak.

"I give you two options now and I suggest you listen. Option one is you lay down on the ground I cuff you and then take you back to Ession in chains for a quick and speedy trial. You will be treated humanly and you will live out the rest of your days in prison. Option two, and I only make this choice because I see the good in you. You renounce your title over this criminal organization and return with me to Ession to be purged of the darkside and to be trained in the ways of the force. An Ession strike team will be here shortly to arrest your men. But I am giving a choice." He said to the man and he hoped that he would make the right one

 

[Sage Bane]

When the gun folded up in his hands, Sage briskly shouted, "What the frell, man?" and jumped back a few paces, dropping the weapon at his feet. The irate drug lord then grabbed a hunting knife that was strapped to his leg and held it out in front of him defensively. After Rexus demonstrated power like that, Sage wasn't stupid enough to use the blade, but he felt naked without at least displaying some kind of weapon. Standing there slack-jawed with the knife in hand, Sage had to admit he was in awe of the Jedi's power, and felt his own desire for such power tug at him like an undertow. Sage had spent his life as a slave, physically abused, treated as worthless, and he was brimming with a deep-seated need to make others pay for his past, hopefully with rivers of blood. He would put that power to good use, he thought.

When Rexus went into his spiel about using the power for good and all that kark, Sage had to admit he wasn't moved by it. But the alternative was what? Jail time? He had been freed from his bonds once and had no intention of having his freedom taken away. Sage glanced around at the compound, filled with the seediest types of Nar Shaddaa crooks who would stab your back for a sandwich. Bane felt no loyalty among the Ko Hentota cartel, and much less a sense of brotherhood with them. What did he have to lose by relenting?

"Some choice, huh?" he said twirling the knife in his hands with an edge of sarcasm in his tone. "I lay down, get cuffed, and then locked up? Or I go with you and get locked up in some Academy in Ession? Oh boy, decisions, decisions." He shook his head with defeat, and put his knife back in its hilt. "Seeing as my options are quite limited right now. I guess I'm going with you to Ession."

[member="Rexus Drath"]

 

[Rexus Drath]

[member="Sage Bane"]

Rexus kept up his positive mental attitude and smile and gave the man a friendly pat on the back. He was happy that the kid decided to come with him back to Ession, it was far better than the alternative Graxin would have done. If it were up to him he would of had them all arrested and if they even resisted once it would of been kill them all and let god sort them out. This was why minor things like taking down drug rings on Nar Shadda was handled by Rex and other Jedi knights on or off the council. Usually things didn't tend to blow up if you went in with a non threatening attitude and a smile.

"You can lose that now." Rex began to walk with the man back to his ship he had parked a few hundred meters away. "they are all yours boys." He said on a comm link. Soon after the hisses of tranq darts light up night air and people all around the estate began to fall down in deep sleep. When they awoke it would be to a jail cell in Ession space where they would be serving some hard time.

"So tell me kid, did you know you were force sensitive?" Rex asked to the man as he strolled forward at a casual pace, stopping every now and then to give a few credits or a ration bar to a beggar. Rex truly was a changed man and he loved his life and woman. She had changed him for the better despite being a product of the dark side. Keeping up the stroll Rexus could see the Panther Class Luxury transport he had used his life savings to buy.

"Hope you are ready for fun!" He said again keeping up that happy tone and skip to his step.

 

[Sage Bane]

As Sage walked along the streets with Rexus, the whole situation felt unreal. He was still apprehensive about being cooped up in a Jedi temple, but he had to admit he was unhappy on Nar Shaddaa. The drug trade wasn't an easy lifestyle, and being in such close proximity to the wares kept him hopelessly addicted to glitterstim. In fact, the biggest worry that Sage had about going to Ession was being cut off from getting a fix. So he said kark it, and decided to vocalize his fears. "Well, since my idea of fun involves a vial of soft powdery substances, I sure hope it involves that. But I have a feeling that's not the kind of fun you have in mind, Rexus."

"And to answer your question about my powers, I've always known that I was Force sensitive, but to be honest, I'm usually on so many different substances at one time that I wouldn't know the difference between Force powers and a glitterstim buzz. I might as well tell you now, that I'm an addict. It started when I was a was chained up as a slave to some Hutt queen and she forced me to take it. To make me more, uh, malleable."

Sage didn't usually tell strangers his sob stories, but he found himself trusting Rexus for some reason. He radiated a kindness that Sage hadn't ever seen in the authority figures in his life. From his father, to the orphanage proprietors, to his slavers, he had been exploited at every turn by people who were supposed to look after him. He was still guarded, but as he headed towards the man's ship with him, the young man was hopeful that maybe Rexus would be different.

[member="Rexus Drath"]

 

[Rexus Drath]

[member="Sage Bane"]

Recurs walked side by side with the man and gave him a compassionate look, he felt genuinely sorry for the man and his tragic past. Rex had grown up with a loving family, went to college and then enlisted into the imperial stormtrooper corps as a medic. But that was literally ancient history and he was here in the now, and right now what was important was healing this man. Not everyone deserved second chances, but Rex had a feeling that this man never really had one to begin with. His eyes looked very sympathetic and he gave another nod at the man.

"I'm sorry to hear that, you are truly a product of your environment. And I feel that when you have a new one, you will change with it. The light holds many chances for redemption my friend, you are not beyond saving." Rexus said to the man, he truly believed he was worth saving. That jail was not going to rebuild this man. He had the power to do real good in this galaxy and change things for the better.

Rexus looked up and they had made it to the ship, the ramp lowered and he and his new pupil would see the ship opening up into a clean and tidy living room area. A few love seats and a easy chair were bolted to the floor along with a coffee table, a few feet away a few bottles of whiskey sat on a bar, they were surprisingly full. Rex had recently stopped drinking as much and only seldom took a drink to wind down after a tough day.

"Have a drink, make yourself at home and please enjoy your stay. I suggest you drink lightly for when we arrive back on Ession you will be tested." Rex smiled at the man gave him a pat on the back again and walked away to go program the nav computer to send them back to Sage's new home. Ession

 

[Sage Bane]

"Don't mind if I do," said Sage who was never one to turn down free alcohol. He rifled through Rexus's liquor cabinets like a kid in a candy store, mixing himself a Shesharilian vodka tonic, hold the tonic. Then he sat back in one of the loveseats and reached into his pocket, palming a deathstick which he prompted lit. Sage vaguely wondered how his suppliers and buyers would feel about their contact skipping town without so much as a Holocall, and then realized something. The cartel was no longer his problem. Sage put his feet up on coffee table and grinned at Rexus. "So tell me, Rex. What are the rules like at the Jedi temple? Can I drink and do drugs? Do I have to be celibate?" Here he giggled, the deathstick making him giddy.

Sage threw his head back and took a long drag off of the hallucinogen. He was anxious about going to a place where he couldn't get his hands on a steady supply of drugs. Sage might have been a free man, but his body was still chained to the next fix.

[member="Rexus Drath"]

 

[Rexus Drath]

[member="Sage Bane"]

Rexus programmed his nav computer to Ession and set the ship on auto pilot. Lifting up into the air the ship blasted off into space and soon headed to Ession via the nearest hyperspace lane. Rexus walked back to the living area to see the man puffing on a death stick, the old Rex would of punched the man in the face. Then tap into his mind to rearrange things to make him afraid of drugs, but again that was the old Rex. He felt sorry for the man, but he still couldn't allow him to use drugs anymore. He walked over to the man and looked down at him.

Reaching out his hand he pulled the death stick towards him and crushed it in his grip. He then sat down across from Sage and gave him a sad yet girl look before speaking to him.

"I know it's hard kid, I used to be addicted to cigarettes and drinking also. But these vices will control you, I'm sorry but I can't allow you to continue to use drugs. I will allow you a drink every now and then but that too can be revoked if you mess up. Listen I'm not the bad guy, I'm trying to help you. You have so much potential to do good in this world, to help people. I believe in you kid, try not to let me down." Rexus finished his little chat then stood up to walk over to the small liquor cabinet. He needed a small drunk himself.

Hopefully his words would sink Into the man, Rex was still a stranger to him but hopefully hearing those words from a stranger would help bring the man to reality.

 

[Sage Bane]

When Sage lost his deathstick, he narrowed his eyes and raised his chin defiantly. Scratching at his arms at the very though of having to detox, Sage processed the information with distrustful eyes. If Sage had to give up drugs, that would mean that Sage would have to deal with his feelings. And he didn't like dealing with feelings. When he looked back on his young life, the rosy-colored glasses were too cracked to allow him to even salvage the tiniest amount of good memories. Then Rexus was talking about being disappointed in him. What did he karking know about disappointment?

"Listen, man," Sage said. "I appreciate the concern, but from age ten to eighteen I was literally chained to a Hutt. Well, two different Hutts to be exact, but you get the gist. No degradation or cruelty was spared. And as a result, I think I'm allowed a few vices here and there, especially since the drugs are the only thing that help me cope with it." At that, Sage reached into his pocket and put another deathstick between his teeth, looking directly at Rexus as he lit it again.

[member="Rexus Drath"]

 

[Rexus Drath]

[member="Sage Bane"]

Rex sighed in disappointment at the kid and decided that it was best he let old Rex out for a bit, it wasn't a part of him that went away and was replaced with the happy sunshine that was Rex now. No that darkness was still a part of him and it was a constant struggle, but every now and then you had to let the tiger out. Rexus shook his head and lifted up his hand, aiming it at Sage the force left his fingertips and the deathstick crumpled again. And that's when Gunnery Sergeant Drath of the Emperors Own Stormtrooper Legion came out.

Rex focused his gaze on the boy and cupped his hand in a choking figure. Exerting the force Rexus would start to choke the young man through the force. And in a cold and angry voice he spoke

"Listen here you little ungrateful queen, I am not to be defied. I could kill you with a thought and not lose a karking moment of sleep. You will stop with the drugs and I will test you weekly, I didn't have to take you with me but I did so out of the kindness of my heart. The Jedi gave me permission to kill you so I suggest you fix your fucking attitude before I fix it for you." Rex tightened on the choke and spoke again

"Now I'm going to give you a choice, Nice Rexus or Bad Rexus. Pick, now." He said with a very harsh tone

 

[Sage Bane]

Clawing at his throat as it was constricted from afar, Sage's eyes widened with fear. Through his own strangled gasps for breath, he listened to Rexus' words warning him to obey. Authority figures and the half-Chiss were normally like oil and water. Sage detested taking orders from anyone, but he would make an exception for someone trying to strangle the life out of him. He shook his head up and down in agreement as he grasped at his own delicate throat.

His windpipe felt like it was slowly being crushed in a vice with Rexus turning the handle, and Sage was cowed by the other man's display of immense power. "Please..." he stammered. "S-stop. Nice..." he let out a few ragged choking sounds, barely able to finish his sentence. "Nice Rexus." he finally spat. "I choose Nice Rexus."

Even though he was used to being a victim, it suddenly struck Sage that he wasn't simply helpless in this situation. Concentrating deeply, even through his fear, he tried to call his own Force powers forth, attempting to release himself from Rexus's grasp. He could feel the Force flowing through him, filling him with roiling energy. Even though the Jedi knight was much more powerful, hopefully Sage could pry open Rexus's fingers enough to loosen the grip on his windpipe and allow him to catch his breath.

[member="Rexus Drath"]

 

[Rexus Drath]

[member="Sage Bane"]

"Yeah that's what I thought, don't mess with me again unless you ready for that pain." Rexus said to Sage in a very cold voice. He really did detest using the darkside and he was on a path to the light deal. But sometimes you had to bust a student upside the head to get him to understand things

Rexus let go of the grasp around the kid's throat and smiled a bright white grin. He walked back over to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a glass of whiskey. Adding three ice cubes from the fridge he sat back down on the easy chair in front of Sage and his demeanor turned into that of the happy go lucky Rexus he was introduced to.

"So sport, have a drink but remember always in moderation. You don't want to be hammered for your test. And trust me it can be a doozy." Rexus took a sip and smiled again like nothing had happened. The kid had a lot if work in front of him but Rex was confident that he could put the kid on the right path to things.

 

[Sage Bane]

What a psychopath, thought Sage, coughing and sputtering, massaging his throat with his thin hands as he tried to catch his breath. He especially found the cheery way that Rexus turned on a dime after trying to Force choke him particularly chilling. Still, he sent a powerful message to the young man. It wasn't likely that Sage was going to attempt to take any more illegal substances. Not in front of Rexus anyway.

Once they landed in Ession, Sage got a panicky feeling. He had no idea how we was going to cope without drugs, his medicine for all emotional ailments, and his apprehension showed. He bit his nails, eyes darting around the docking bays as he made his way through the Ession spaceport with Rexus. Although he was a stranger in a strange land, it was better than being in jail or a slave, he reminded himself.

"Hey Rexus," he said. "I know I'm not allowed to drink or drug. But you never told me about the other rules of the temple. Can I come and go as I please?"

[member="Rexus Drath"]

 

[Rexus Drath]

[member="Sage Bane"]

Rex tilted his head back and laughed, the former drug dealer actually thought he could leave the temple to get a fix? That was funny, quite funny indeed. Rexus looked to the man and smiled brightly, he was bout to have him get clean of his old habits. It wasn't going to be easy but Rex was confident that the man could pull through, no one was beyond saving. Rex himself had been tainted with the dark side and even though he still sometimes struggled using it's power he knew deep down people weren't always that bad.

"I'm sorry kid, but you will be held within the temple for thirty days until you are clean and no longer dependent of illegal substances. Once those thirty days are completed you will be granted liberty in which you are allowed to explore Ession. After another thirty days and you continue to be clean you will be allowed to leave the system. Failure to test negative on drug tests will have all your rights taken and you will be put on library duty within the temple for sixty days or until you behave like a Jedi should." Rexus finished his little speech and smiled at the man again. He had a lot of potential in him and he only hoped he could find the light in the darkness. He did not want to see the man thrown in jail, though that did not mean Rex wouldn't tease him about it.

"You could always choose jail, though I hear the currency there is more trade. If you can fit your fist in your mouth I suggest going to jail, you will get all the drugs in the world there." Rexus chuckled and the toe proceeded to a speeder that was waiting for them outside. The driver opened the back doors to the sleek speeder and Rex would allow the man to go in.

 

[Sage Bane]

--------------------------------One week later--------------------------------​

​

Scheduled for some saber training in the gardens, Sage was running hopelessly late. He hadn't slept a wink since he'd gotten back from Antecedent to do some odd jobs for Cryax, but travel wasn't the reason for his sleeplessness. What kept him awake the previous night was the present he had brought back from the casino, a man known across the galaxy as The Cartographer. Bael Lenasin was a wanted man no thanks to his moronic brother, and the biologist was stowed away in Sage's room for safekeeping until he could garner some more powerful allies. Not only did Sage have a wild night of passion with Bael, but he'd also ingested enough glitterstim to kill a wampa.

Dressed in his padawan robes, clutching his training saber, Sage hurried through the hallowed halls of the Ession temple. The Chiss hybrid knew that he was skirting the edges of disaster, breaking three or four different temple rules all in one week. But he had to admit he was sort of looking forward to wielding a lightsaber on the drug. All those pretty light trails would be super fun. Sage also knew he'd never be able to hide his errant ways from his Master, so as he approached the gardens it was no surprise that Rexus stood there with what could only be described as a death glare on his usually cheerful face.

He put on his biggest smile and faced the Jedi Knight, making no attempt to hide his lit state. "Rexus, old buddy. How's it hangin?" he said, twirling his training saber with a flourish.

[member="Rexus Drath"]

 

[Rexus Drath]

[member="Sage Bane"]
Rexus had the scowl of scowls on his face, a literal death glare that radiated pure malice and frustration towards the young man. Rex was not an idiot, there was such a thing as cameras and he didn't need the force to tell the man had snuck out. Yes he could of entered his mind and found out as well but that could be painful if he tried to resist, so it was time for a good old fashion reprimand session. Rexus took off his Jedi cloak and beneath that he wore a black shirt with white letters that read

"BAMF"

One could guess what the acronym stood for but it was nothing pleasant. Rexus gave the man a smile and cracked his knuckles.

"Oh hey Sage, doing good? How's the high? Is it good? I bet you must be living on cloud nine right now, but guess what? Flights over and you just booked an extended vacation on the pain train straight to internal bleeding-ville." Reaching out his hand Rexus aimed his crush at the man's ribcage. Squeezing tight he wanted the kid to learn a lesson before, he was forbidden from beating him senseless with his bare hands at least here in the gardens. But he was going to learn Rex wasn't to be fucked with at all.

"When you are ready to become clean, let me know." Rex said and kept the pressure up on the man's ribs and chest. It was safe to assume he was kind of pissed.

 

[Sage Bane]

As Sage searched Rexus's eyes for some semblance of friendliness or forgiveness, he didn't like what he saw. There was only cold rage staring back at him. OH kark, the robe was coming off. That wasn't a good sign. The cracking of the knuckles even less so. And the tee-shirt. Suddenly anxious as hell, Sage started to look around for escape routes. Then came the pain. White-hot pain throughout his body. Dropping his training saber, Sage doubled over as his midsection felt like it was being crushed by a large vice. Squeezng his eyes shut, clutching his ribcage, he crumpled to his knees. Breathless and immobilized, he implored Rexus.

"Ma-master Rexus. Stop. Please," The words failed him and instead Sage let out a loud howl of pain. Between sharp gasps for air, he continued. "Stop. I'm ready. No more drugs. I'll get clean. Just please stop."

[member="Rexus Drath"]