- Joined
- May 31, 2012
- Messages
- 277
- Reaction score
- 9
Zeke Annix
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”I don’t know what happened to my father. I know what he’s done. He’s showed me. He’s taught me lots of things. He always told me after we got done putting the blaster’s back together, that “…Pride is a small man’s mistake. Ego is a big man’s mistake. But the biggest mistake comes from the man comfortable in his surroundings.” I don’t get it, really. But he said I would understand someday…
Information
Full Name: Ezekiel Annix
Age: 23
Species: Human
Homeworld: Onderon
Height: 6'2”
Weight: 175 pounds.
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Black
Skin Tone: Light brown
Force Senstitive: Yes
Voice Example: “I never got any of the stuff my father said. He said he did the things he did because it’s his way of life. His father taught him... So that's why he taught me. He would always tell me that as long as I work hard, that I could achieve anything in life. As long as the credits were right and the target had a face, I could always survive in this galaxy... I remember from a young age, he would take me out into the jungle and we would shoot things. He wasn’t always impressed with my aim but he wouldn’t get angry at me. He told me to line up the sights again. I don’t even remember what were killing at the time. It all just felt like a game. I just… Bang. Shot them dead.”
Zeke Being Questioned at age 14 by the Authorities
Personality
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Zeke is a quiet guy. He doesn’t like to converse a whole lot because of his upbringing. He likes to be alone with his studies, practicing his meditation. He was a very sheltered kid. His favorite things to do were to build pistols and be around his father. Now, he would rather practice his lightsaber forms and study.
His humor is very strange. When he was a kid, Zeke found it funny when his “targets” scrambled and looked for places to hide. Something his father never really gave attention to. But now, he has learned that he can be very kind. His childish nature growing up often gave his father fits. He would have to go around and do push-ups or climb trees as punishment. He doesn't like to think about those times much anymore.
Zeke is a "mild" introvert in the personality spectrum. He doesn’t like to be around a lot of people but he like's to get the job done/ There really isn’t too much to excite Zeke anymore. Besides learning new tricks, like constructing a new lightsaber or studying a new form of blade combat, he could care less about interaction with people. He finds it hard to make friends because of his past. He has learned that not to many people relate to him, seeing as his father was a Bounty Hunter and he grew up in the jungle.
He is, however, quite brilliant when it comes to putting things together. He has learned how to put together small firearms and improvised in his younger years. And when he was trained in the ways of the Jedi, he has become quite good at crafting lightsabers. At one point, his greatest achievement was making his father proud by putting together a proximity mine in 15 minutes. But that was a long time ago. It was made out of junk and old scrapes of metal, but it worked nonetheless. The boy was very knowledgeable and still is.
He can sometimes be very anxious when things need to get done and sometimes can be very impatient. He can’t sit for too long without doing something with his hands or he gets irritated. He is used to doing things his way and would rather do things himself. Being trained as a bounty hunter as a kid, he has learned that the best way to get things done is to do them yourself. But as his own mentor has taught him, sometimes you need to lean on the shoulder of someone else to accomplish a task. He is still young and feel’s everything his father taught him is still prominent in his mind. Something he works to fix everyday.
But Zeke, even if he doesn’t know it, is very loyal once he trust’s someone. Especially if he believes in the cause. He trusts his own limits and rarely likes to go outside of reason to get things done. His comfort zone is very large and he trusts in his own instincts. Overall, Zeke is a good kid, even though his background might not show it.
His humor is very strange. When he was a kid, Zeke found it funny when his “targets” scrambled and looked for places to hide. Something his father never really gave attention to. But now, he has learned that he can be very kind. His childish nature growing up often gave his father fits. He would have to go around and do push-ups or climb trees as punishment. He doesn't like to think about those times much anymore.
Zeke is a "mild" introvert in the personality spectrum. He doesn’t like to be around a lot of people but he like's to get the job done/ There really isn’t too much to excite Zeke anymore. Besides learning new tricks, like constructing a new lightsaber or studying a new form of blade combat, he could care less about interaction with people. He finds it hard to make friends because of his past. He has learned that not to many people relate to him, seeing as his father was a Bounty Hunter and he grew up in the jungle.
He is, however, quite brilliant when it comes to putting things together. He has learned how to put together small firearms and improvised in his younger years. And when he was trained in the ways of the Jedi, he has become quite good at crafting lightsabers. At one point, his greatest achievement was making his father proud by putting together a proximity mine in 15 minutes. But that was a long time ago. It was made out of junk and old scrapes of metal, but it worked nonetheless. The boy was very knowledgeable and still is.
He can sometimes be very anxious when things need to get done and sometimes can be very impatient. He can’t sit for too long without doing something with his hands or he gets irritated. He is used to doing things his way and would rather do things himself. Being trained as a bounty hunter as a kid, he has learned that the best way to get things done is to do them yourself. But as his own mentor has taught him, sometimes you need to lean on the shoulder of someone else to accomplish a task. He is still young and feel’s everything his father taught him is still prominent in his mind. Something he works to fix everyday.
But Zeke, even if he doesn’t know it, is very loyal once he trust’s someone. Especially if he believes in the cause. He trusts his own limits and rarely likes to go outside of reason to get things done. His comfort zone is very large and he trusts in his own instincts. Overall, Zeke is a good kid, even though his background might not show it.
Attributes
Strength: 7/10
Zeke’s strength comes from rigorous training that he was put through from his father. The man has virtually no fat on him and is very strong. The military type training he was put through made him swift and agile. The training of a Jedi has fined tuned his training.
Speed/Agility: 8/10
The boy’s strength in his skills comes from his speed. The boy is very fast. A part of his conditioning comes from spending week’s out in the wilderness and fighting off ravenous attacks by creatures 2x his size. He has come to be very stealthy and quick.
Stamina/Endurance: 8/10
Zeke’s stamina is very good. He put on miles of running from the wishes of his father and is very fit.
Conditioning/Health: 9/10
For being 14 years old, he is in very good shape. He was fed daily with the nutrition of a Olympic sprinter. Because of this, he has rarely gotten sick and has come to find that he isn’t allergic to anything that isn’t poisonous.
Intelligence: 6/10
Besides his training throughout the years, his knowledge of blaster weapons and quick thinking in hostile situations makes him almost brilliant. But he is only above average when it comes to book smarts. He studies the Jedi way and the history of the Jedi thoroughly but isn't always the smartest in the room.
Wisdom: 5/10
Another instance of “Wise in some area’s but not other’s.” Zeke is wise enough to know when to quit or make a decision in battle but isn’t very versed in the wisdom of social interaction. He wasn't exactly accepted like the rest of the kids in the Jedi Academy because of his background and sometimes finds it difficult to work with others.
Background
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”…Put the power cell here… There we go…” The boy sat in a dank shack out in the jungles of Onderon, his black bangs barely touching the tips of his eyebrows. …Pop the ends of the firing mechanism in here… Maybe I should pull back on the energy output… Might blow the whole barrel off the whole assembly… The chirps of animals flying through the air filled his surroundings in this place. The sun was just setting, so a creeping mist edged its way towards foundation of the small shack. …Almost done… The boy quietly thought to himself, tinkering with his new toy he got from his father. He assembled the blaster quickly, he knew everything about this weapon. He could take it apart and rebuild it into a small grenade. He could rework it into something as insignificant as a laser pointer. It was like watching a kid play with clay. Molding it. Shaping it into something only his imagination could fathom. With a few clicks and snaps, he tightened the grip of the weapon in with screws. Everything had worked as it should.
”Ah…! Perfect!” The boy shot up off of his stool and put the gun towards the small light that illuminated his workbench. The all black blaster pistol was modified heavily. He put in a bigger energy cell to up the stopping power. He put in an illegal aftermarket barrel to shorten length but up the power significantly at shorter ranges. He even put florescent sights he acquired from his father’s own workshop. The boy was smart. At only 14 years old, he could reconfigure any blaster pistol to his liking. He had spent half of his life tinkering with these things, at the will of his father. He wasn’t entirely knowledgeable at rifles yet but he could still take apart any small firearm and make it his own.
The pistol shined as the light bounced off of it, showing its curves and angles properly. The boy was pleased with what he created. Something he had been working on for a couple of days now.
”…Now I just need to polish…” Giddy, he ran towards the sink and grabbed a small container with some buffing mixture in it. He put the pistol down and unscrewed the top, taking the small sponge out from it and dabbing the end until he was satisfied with how much was there. He picked the pistol up and began buffing, starting with small and fast circles around the barrel.
”Maybe father will use this one? I know he didn’t like the DL series I gave him… But this one beats that by a light year!” Zeke polished away at his firearm, making it looking professional and perfect. He took pride in it. He hoped his father would like it.
After a few hours of working at his weapon, he sat back and opened up a small refrigerator and took out a small can of juice. The light from the fridge illuminated the dark room briefly before he shut the door. His father hadn’t been back in 5 days, which was odd. He took a swig of the juice and set it down on the table next to him. He picked up his pistol and held it high in the air, studying it. ”…I wonder if he’s dead…” Zeke was numb to these thoughts. He knew his father was going to die one day in the line of his work. He studied the weapon as he held it but wasn’t truly looking for anything. It was almost too dark make out its features anyway. ”…I could never find his body if he did died... How am I going to leave? Dad’s the only one with the codes to start the ‘Head Hunter’ anyway…” He probably would never miss him either way. His father was a cold man. Zeke worked hard for him. But he knew that he could never get loved by his father like he wanted to. His father slapped him one time, while he tried to give him a hug when he was 6. He was just proud that he made the 2 miles run by himself. His father threw him out into the middle of the jungle one time when he was 10 and told him to come back by the third night’s moon. He could never understand why his father didn’t love him. All he ever wanted to be was like his father. A bounty hunter. An assassin. When he turned 13, he promised he would leave Onderon. He would find his own way. His father always told him his heart was too big. He cared too much about primitive animals. He was too weak…. He wanted to prove his father wrong…
Beeeeert Beeeert! Beeeeert Beeeeert!
A small yellow light flashed at the corner of the cabin, sending off whips of light as it pulsed. He shot up quickly and ran to the corner, a small communition console sat in the wall and displayed buttons that lit up as the alarm rang. ”This is the emergency console… It could only be…” He pushed a button on the primitive console that lit up red when he held it down and a small screen burst to life in front of him.
”…Zeke…! …Ready!... …I…! ...Coming…! …the Jungles…!”
”Father? Father! What’s happening?!” Zeke pushed at a couple of buttons that gave off faint clicks when he punched them. ”This’ll boost the signal… C’mon… C’mon…” The image of his father shimmered on the screen, he looked irate, something Zeke has never seen in his father before. He flipped a couple more switches in hopes to boost the signal. Nothing, still static on the display. ”…I’m not suppose too do this… I don’t want to give away my position…”
Zeke let out his irritation by letting a clicking noise slip through his mouth, coming to a decision quickly as he hurried to the adjacent wall. He quickly pushed the table out of the way and found himself staring at a small computer panel. He hit a few keys in a pattern and a hatch on the floor slowly slid under the floor boards, revealing a big lever with two big red buttons next to it. He knelt quickly and punched the big red button on top and slowly pushed the lever upwards. A loud humming noise filled the shack as the bottom red light began to flash.
”…Converting back up power is dangerous…. It’ll make this place light up on any radar… I hope this works…” He said quickly under his breath, letting the back-up power kick in as he hurried back to the console in the corner. He pushed down the red button again on the console and yelled into it.
”Father….? Father…?!”
”…Zeke… Get out… Trouble… Your not safe!! …Do you hear me…?! Get out…!!”
Zeke shot up quickly and ran to the only window next to the front door. The night was quiet and he could still hear the animals playing in the woods. His heart pounded with adrenaline flowing through his veins. ”What should I do…” He let out an angry grunt and ran to a back pack sitting on a table across from the couch. His workbench was filled with different blasters and weapons but his instincts told him to only carry what was essential. ”Who’s after me… What did dad do… Did a mission go south…? …Did a client double cross him…?” Questions flew through his mind as he raced and grabbed things left and right. Combat knife. Water. Small first aid kit. Matches. He ran over to the refrigerator and took out the last of his rations. He hurried back to his work bench and grabbed his wallet with enough credits to get him anywhere in the galaxy. And finally, his Custom heavy pistol he just put together. And for some added insurance, a thermal detonator his father gave him if things really went down. He was low on supplies and short on time to get out but that didn’t stop him from getting the hell out.
”…Zeke… out… Bug out! Zeke… Not much time... On... Rendezvous… white castle…” Zeke looked back at the screen in horror. Bugging out?!
”There’s no way…” Zeke clenched his teeth.
He looked at all of his work on the bench and stared for half of a second. He cursed and ran back towards the computer panel on the wall. He punched in another code in a pattern and pushed a big red button under the panel. The display on the small panel flashed with letters. ”Are you sure?” Zeke sat there for a moment, not ready to just up and leave everything… He punched the button that confirmed he was ready.
”Countdown… 5 minutes.” The messaged flashed across the screen. He ran back to his back pack as everything in the shack went dark. No lights, the hum of electricity ceased. All the power was going straight to a homemade bomb planted under the shack. This was it. There was no going back now…
”…What did father do?” He ran towards the exit and put his back against the wall next to the door.
He punched the button to open the door to the outside and sat there for a moment as it swooshed open. His back pack slung around his back, he held his heavy blaster pistol with two hands near his thigh and had his finger close to the trigger. It was quiet. He could still hear the animals calling to each other. That’s a good sign. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Still nothing. Maybe they weren’t near? Whoever they was. He didn’t have much time to get far away from here. Should he take the speeder? That’s a big risk. The speeder was old and made a lot of noise. He could cover more ground but it would be at the cost of stealth. He knew these jungles like the back of his hand and could navigate to any city on Onderon. But it was 5 days of travel at the least and he only had enough supplies for about two 2 days.
Zeke swung his gun through the door and aimed his sights towards the trees in front of him. He scanned his front, pointing his blaster outwards and crept out, pointing the pistol towards his flanks to make sure nobody was going to ambush him. After surveying his surroundings and confirming nobody was there, he quickly made his way towards the back of the shack. He ran up to a tarp that covered his old speeder and quickly brushed it to the side. He jumped on the speeder, pushed a few buttons and the thing hummed with life. It slowly hovered up to riding height and Zeke punched the throttle and took off. He quickly made his way to a well-known path he used to get from checkpoint to check point. He weaved between underbrush and giant leafs, wondering what would have his father so upset. ”…Why would he order a bug out? He’s only told me about the order once and said he would probably never need it. The shack had a small radar jammer, why would he want to destroy everything? Zeke went back and forth in his mind. The more he thought about it, the worse he thought about the situation. After about 2 minutes of riding, a boom echoed through the jungles canopy. He didn’t look back. His objective was to head to the “White Castle”.
He rode the speeder through the wilderness, dodging obstacles and staying on the paths he knew best. There wasn’t much time to waste, if he couldn’t rendezvous with his father… He shook those thoughts out of his head.
”…What has my father done… What’s going on…?” He said lowly to himself, ducking from some overgrown leafs that the lights on the speeder barely lit up. Zeke was getting angry but he kept his cool, making sure he got to his objective before overthinking any situation. Even though his young mind couldn’t help but wonder what was happening. He had been riding for what seemed like hours. ”…Gotta get to the objective…”
After riding for half an hour, he took a hard left through the underbrush into a clearing, a small quarter mile break in the jungle. There was a small building to the west, right near the tree line. He turned off his speeder’s head lights to make sure nobody saw him coming from the distance. If they saw him, it would be far too easy to ambush him as he entered the area. He raced towards the building. Nothing seemed out of place. Everything was dark. No sign of anybody. ”…Is this a trap?!” He spit towards the ground and came to a quick stop when he got close to the all stone building.
”…The old Bounty Hunter hq… Why would father want me to go here…?”
Zeke stepped off his speeder as he turned off, pulling out his pistol. He didn’t like this situation. Who was after him? Hopefully nobody from the government. If the government figured out we were out here in the jungles, they would sweep all of it, hoping to find any clue that there were bounty hunters out here. They weren’t too keen on those. He let out an angry grunt and made his way towards the “White Castles” entrance. He figured the old codes must still work. This building still had power, at least that’s what he’s been told.
As he got close towards the entrance, he heard a faint sound coming from the distance. ”Father…? He sat there for a moment, listening to the echo of what sounded like roaring engines. ”…I can’t take the chance of getting caught in the open. This building has no windows. I won’t be able to see whose coming but they couldn’t enter this place easily without the codes… The doors 4” of durasteel….” He quickly ran towards the control panel next to the door and prayed that the codes still worked as he punched them in.
”C’mon… C’mon…” The door creaked and shuttered as it unlocked itself, rust falling from the door as it shuttered. ”This is taking too long…!” He looked back into the field and saw faint lights in the distance just over the canopy of the trees. Whoever they were, they weren’t on speeders. ”…That’s not father’s ship…” The doors screeched loudly as it slowly opened. Zeke quickly looked back and realized the ship was within firing distance of him. Zeke looked in horror. He recognized the ship.
”…Onderon’s police assault carriers?!” Zeke quickly tried to squeeze through the door’s narrow opening as the ship circled around the building, a spotlight directly on him. He cursed loudly in Laithrian as his back pack got stuck on one of the doors teeth. The door opened a little more and Zeke squeezed through and unhooked it, watching in horror as the carrier landed about 50 yards away, spotlight still shining bright on him. He quickly made his way into the dark building punched the close button and ran through the darkness, finding cover behind a stone pillar that protruded out of the wall. He looked in dismay. Why were the Onderonian police after him and how did they know his location?! He cursed at his father. What did he get him into?! Zeke saw the spotlights ray of light slowly narrowed on the buildings floor as the heavy door closed. He heard footsteps rapidly coming to his direction. ”…Close close close close close….!”
”He’s in here!”
”Eyes up, get a thermal charge on this door! We’re not going to make it!”
”Backside, backside! Cover all entrances! Circle the building!”
The heavy metal door closed hard, leaving the police voices muted and leaving Zeke in pitch darkness. ”Think… Think… Aaagh….!” Zeke swung his back pack around and rummaged through it, pulling out a small flashlight and clicked the end. The hallway burst with large circle of light. He shined the flashlight around the stoned place. He surveyed the area, analyzing his situation. There were 5 entrances to different wings of the building… But he couldn’t remember which one was the communications room. He only had about 5 minutes before they got through that door. Even with a thermal charge, it was going to be hard to get past. But they would.
His came to the conclusion that his first priority had to be getting to the communication room. Maybe he could get his father to destroy that grounded carrier and blow a hole through their lines, making a quick escape. ”…Maybe father could… Nah, that wouldn’t work! I could try to sneak out of the… That wouldn’t work either, they have this placed locked down tighter than a rancors jaws…” He clenched his teeth. He quickly made a decision to run toward down the hallway closest to him. He ran as fast as he could down the stone floor, his feet clapping against the ground in rhythm.
”…Com room, Com room… Where is the blasted Com room?!” He said between breath’s, quickly stopping and shining his light down hallways to find something remotely familiar. He ran past a couple more hallways, looking down them. ”Nothing down this hall… Nothing here…. Aaargh!” He cursed again under his breath, making his way towards another hallway, when something caught his eye. I sign poked out of the wall that read ”Downstairs”. He thought for a second. ”Was the control room downstairs or on the second floor…? I can’t remember… Aaaaagh!” He clenched his teeth again and ran down the hallway, making his way towards the downstairs. As he reached the top of the stairs, he could hear the echoes of something exploding followed by another large bang.
”They got through the doors! I have to move!” He shot down the winding stairs as fast as he could, not even bothering to flash his flashlight down them. He didn’t hear any voices or footsteps behind him, meaning nobody was on his trail just yet. That was good, this building wasn’t huge but it was big enough to buy him some time as he figured out how the hell he was going to get out of here. After a few flights of stairs, he finally made his way out of the stair well and he quickly surveyed both ways by flashing his light down both.
”Which way, which way?!” He never thought he could be so panicked. He had to fight dozens of different creatures in the jungles of this planet but he’s never felt this type of way before. He had never been the prey before. He tried to calm himself while he had time to think. He took in a deep breath, held it, and let it out slowly. He could feel his heart in his ears and he could feel the dank coolness of these empty hallways. He flashed his light down both ways one more time.
”…Right…” Something in his mind told him to go that way, so he followed his gut and ran down the path.
As he got closer to the end of the hallway, the path gently curved into a big left turn. The hallway seemed to go on forever as he ran down it, until a red light crept into his view. The light got brighter as he careened left, until he finally found himself at a big metal door with a red light on top of it. It didn’t blink but seemed to give the hallway a weird feeling as he looked back. He sat and listened for a couple of seconds. Nothing. They still weren’t able to catch his trail. He let out a sigh of relief and concentrated on getting this door open.
”…If I remember right, this must be the door Father told me about when I was a kid. This door leads…”
He pushed in a code into the computer panel next to the door, hoping the older codes would work. The door jerked and slowly creaked with life, debris and sparks lining the door as it slid open. Zeke’s stomach fluttered with giddiness. His eyes had to adjust to the change in brightness but it was very clear. Light poured through the hallway and Zeke ran into the room.
He found himself standing 40 feet up on a catwalk, looking down into a hanger as long as two football fields. ”Father wasn’t lying… There really was a bounty hunter guild here…” He quickly took in everything. There were ships in here but they all looked dated and old. But he knew they were worth a fortune. All the ships he recognized from books he had read. A couple of old assault ships, an old freighter that looked like it had seen way better days. A gunship that had enough firepower to blow through a blockade by itself. This was like something out of story book. These ships probably cost more money than he had ever dreamt about.
”…There’s a light down here…!
”Weapons ready men! Don’t fire until you’re told!”
He smacked his lips in irritation, he couldn’t have predicted that the light would give him away. They must have swept the whole building and found this hallway. And Zeke led them straight to a bounty hunters treasure trove. How could they have swept the whole building that fast? Zeke quickly took a left down the metal platform, finding some stairs that led down to another catwalk. He had to make his way down and find an exit.
”There he is! Load your weapon’s for stun!”
”…Don’t worry, he won’t be escaping here, he’s trapped.”
Zeke looked up and seen a small force of about 5 officers, weapons pointed directly at him. But there was someone else there. A tall, Twi’lek man with a lightsaber in hand. Zeke’s heart dropped as he cursed and ran full speed down the catwalk. He didn’t look back as he came across a set of stair’s that led downward towards another catwalk. He kept running, hoping the Jedi wasn’t close on his tail. His only option seemed obvious but that Jedi would definitely be close to him soon, until something caught his eye. He seen some high standing boxes that were about 10 feet below where he ran. They were positioned just against a tall stone wall. He could probably make it, the boxes were big enough for him to land and roll safely. He looked back and the officers were making their way down the steps and running full force towards him, the Jedi leading the pack. He slid his pistol into his pocket as he ran. He would have to risk it. Zeke pushed off his dominant foot with all of his might, put his hands forward and grabbed the guardrail. The guardrail didn’t waver thankfully and he propelled himself through the air.
Time seemed to slow down for an instant. His arms circled through the air as he remained in control of his fall. He could hear an officer screaming at the other ones as he flew. He looked back. They wouldn’t follow him. It was too risky. But the Jedi, well, they loved high risk situations. His landing point rushed at him quickly as he looked back. This was it… His legs slammed into the giant warehouse box and he rolled about 3 feet before he stood up and slammed his hands against the wall to stop his momentum. His guess was right, the Jedi didn’t hesitate to follow through the air and follow him.
”…Son of a Nerfherder!” He quickly looked over the edge and saw boxes that lead to the ground floor, making an easy route for him.
He took a small jump and fell through the air. He landed on a box hard but rolled to compensate. He almost rolled off the box but stood up out of the roll right at the edge. Then, he just hopped down another 5 feet onto the hard stone floor. He looked over and saw the police closing in on his position and the Jedi landed swiftly on the boxes above him. He smacked his lips in irritation and ran across the floor towards the far wall away from the Jedi. ”Where do I go, where do I go…!” He kept his wits about him and scanned the other side of the large hangers wall. ”Another door!” Could he make it? The large gunship to his left could provide some cover but the door was out in the open. Would he have to blast his way to the door? Could he even outrun the Jedi?
He heard the sound of blaster rifle charge’s whiz past him and he instinctively ducked. The stun rounds sounded like a distorted bass sine that almost caught his head. He quickly ran behind the gunships landing gear and a barrage of stun charges started bouncing all around him. Zeke pulled his pistol, while analyzing the situation. He had to get to that door. But how? The firing suddenly stopped as a police officer yelled to cease fire. Zeke hesitated to run, when the hum of a lightsaber made him freeze.
”By Order of the King himself, you will surrender your weapon and come with us!” The royal police officer yelled. Zeke bit his cheek and looked at the door. It was only about 20 yards away. Could he make it?
”…It’s not nice to point gun’s at kid’s you know! I should report you to the King myself!” Zeke yelled back, trying to keep composure. He looked back at the Jedi. He looked at Zeke with eyes of stone, his orange lightsaber made Zeke nervous. ”…He’s 10 yards away… I can’t out run him… Aaaaaghh…. What do I do!”
”…Stop kid, it’s over… Look around you, you’re surrounded. There’s nowhere left to run.” Zeke clenched his teeth. All this for bounty hunting?! He hasn’t even been on his first official mission yet!
”…All this for a kfid who lives in the jungle by himself?!” He was losing his grip on the situation. He had to do something… but what were his options!
”Don’t play dumb with me, boy! You have been charged with conspiracy to assassinate the King and will be charged with treason if you do not come with us now! I will only say it one more time… Surrender your weapon and come out with your hands in the air!”
”…A-assassination of the King…?!” Zeke whispered to himself. He sat there for a moment, digesting the crime’s he was being charged with. ”…The king?!” Zeke sat in dismay. He thought he was being chased for illegal weapons or bounty hunting… But an attempted assassination of the King?! Zeke looked up at the Jedi in horror. He noticed the Jedi’s face twitch a little in confusion.
Zeke looked up on the catwalk and noticed the police swarming around the hanger. He didn’t know what to do. He was completely outgunned and out of options. Zeke turned his back onto the landing gear and slid down it until he was sitting. He gripped his pistol a little tighter. ”…What do I do…?” Tear’s started to come to his eyes. He came to his last resort.
”…This is it…” He couldn’t believe it. Everything was surreal, nothing made sense. He only had one option. The Jedi looked startled by his words.
The boy was taught from a young age to never be captured. To never surrender himself. And this was his last ace in the hole. A tear rolled down his face as he slowly started to reach for the thermal detonator in his back pack, thinking about ending it all. A police officer screamed from the upper catwalk to fire.
”Stun him!!”
”…Kid, don’t!!”
And a hail of stun charges flew from all directions, smacking Zeke from what seemed like everywhere. He dropped his pistol and fell to the floor, motionless and unconscious. The police swarmed and handcuffed him, picking him up and dragging him out of the place. It was over. Zeke had been captured...
Zeke flew up in the bed he was laying in on full alert. He looked over to see an iv drip hanging from the machine and his chest stickered with wires. He could hear the beeping of a machine going crazy and he looked around to find himself in a big room that smelled like chemicals. ”…I-is this a hospital?”
”Morning. How are you feeling?” The deep voice of the Twi’lek Jedi took Zeke by surprise. This was the Jedi who was pursuing him. Zeke looked at him with cold eyes.
”…Where’s my father?”
The twi’lek sighed.
”…You look hungry, you should eat. It’s been thre-“
”I said, where’s my father?” The twi’lek looked away and swallowed, thinking. Zeke didn’t get a bad feeling from this guy but he was confused and tired. He didn’t want to be here anymore. He wanted answers from his father.
”…Your father’s being detained and arraigned for execution.” The Jedi said bluntly.
”…For what?” Zeke looked emotionless at the Jedi, not surprised. He knew what his father did and he knew that one day, he would be killed. The Jedi looked back at Zeke, compassion in his eyes.
”…Your father was planning to assassinate the King to start a coup to overthrow the current government. The King sought the help of the Jedi to track down the conspirators and bring them to court…. The Jedi looked at Zeke, who was listening intently. He continued.
”…In the investigation, we found that their headquarters were scattered across the jungles of this planet. It was hard to track down any of them but we found your post quickly once the energy fluctuations set off suspicions but we didn’t put two and two together. There was a strike team waiting close by, ready to infiltrate a potential hq of one of your fathers co-conspirators. It was a no-go. Abandoned with no trace of activity for a long time...” The Jedi watched as someone behind him walked past the room and continued informing Zeke.
”…Your father found difficulty in getting close to the king and had to abort once his bird nest was found. He didn’t realize the King knew about the coup. But out of sheer luck, he got away and headed back towards the jungles. He didn’t have a ship to get him off the planet or so we thought. So, we trailed him and caught him by surprise. He was in the middle of a transmission, which ultimately led us to believe that there was somebody else, somebody we didn’t know about conspiring with him. The strike team I was with caught news of this strange transmission and we ultimately put the pieces together. The weird energy fluctuations. The transmission your Father was sending. Then ultimately, the explosion of the building you were living in… We combed the area and found movement from a fast moving object heading to a building we thought was abandoned. And the rest… You already know…” Zeke held his head in shame. If he wouldn’t have upped the power through the shack, he wouldn’t have been caught. But out of the desperation of his father’s message and his eagerness to get to him… He slipped up.
”…So what happens now… To me…?” Zeke said lowly. The Jedi could feel his sadness.
”…Well, you ran from government officials. You are being charged with owning illegal firearms that had illegal modifications, conspiracy to commit treason and conspiracy to assassinate the King of this world… You’re in pretty deep kid…” He stopped for a second.
”…Luckily you didn’t fire on those officers or you would be in bigger trouble…” Zeke looked down, not sure what to think. His father was going to be executed and Zeke would spend his life in jail… ”…What a wasted life…” Zeke didn’t cry. He was too numb. The Jedi perked up a bit, seeing Zeke in his feelings.
”…There is an alternative to jail time, however… Zeke looked up quickly, hope in his eyes.
”I sensed from the very first time I came in contact with you, that the force flows strong in you. Your chances of escape were… doubtful. But, the way you never gave up. The way you could think on the fly and your fearlessness of death itself… That’s pretty impressive kid.”
”…What are you trying to say?” Zeke was confused.
”…I’ve made a deal with the authorities here. Your father’s fate is inescapable but yours, however, are not. I see potential in you. I feel the force’s presence strongly in you… But more importantly, I sense no evil in you…” The boy didn’t get what he was trying to say.
”…What I’m trying to say is, would you like to come with me? You could be free of your fate here and live a new life. No more being cramped up in a shack out in the jungle. You don’t have to live your life in the clothes of a criminal. You could live your life, with a greater purpose…” Zeke was shocked. Him… A Jedi?
”…What do you say? I’m taking an awfully big risk bringing you with me.”
Zeke thought for a moment, overwhelmed. The past couple of days have been… rough. His father was going to be executed. He needed answers. But the way things looked, he was never going to get them. He never really liked his father anyway… Even though he wanted too. He felt no pain in the thoughts of him dying. But, to be a Jedi…? His whole life was gone anyway. He had nowhere to go here except jail… He looked up at the Twi’lek, a little hesitant.
”…Y-yeah… I’ll go with you.”
From there, he was taken from his fate at the hands of Onderon’s government and given to the care of the Jedi. He had no future here. His future has changed course and now, a new chapter of his life would begin.[/justify]
”…Put the power cell here… There we go…” The boy sat in a dank shack out in the jungles of Onderon, his black bangs barely touching the tips of his eyebrows. …Pop the ends of the firing mechanism in here… Maybe I should pull back on the energy output… Might blow the whole barrel off the whole assembly… The chirps of animals flying through the air filled his surroundings in this place. The sun was just setting, so a creeping mist edged its way towards foundation of the small shack. …Almost done… The boy quietly thought to himself, tinkering with his new toy he got from his father. He assembled the blaster quickly, he knew everything about this weapon. He could take it apart and rebuild it into a small grenade. He could rework it into something as insignificant as a laser pointer. It was like watching a kid play with clay. Molding it. Shaping it into something only his imagination could fathom. With a few clicks and snaps, he tightened the grip of the weapon in with screws. Everything had worked as it should.
”Ah…! Perfect!” The boy shot up off of his stool and put the gun towards the small light that illuminated his workbench. The all black blaster pistol was modified heavily. He put in a bigger energy cell to up the stopping power. He put in an illegal aftermarket barrel to shorten length but up the power significantly at shorter ranges. He even put florescent sights he acquired from his father’s own workshop. The boy was smart. At only 14 years old, he could reconfigure any blaster pistol to his liking. He had spent half of his life tinkering with these things, at the will of his father. He wasn’t entirely knowledgeable at rifles yet but he could still take apart any small firearm and make it his own.
The pistol shined as the light bounced off of it, showing its curves and angles properly. The boy was pleased with what he created. Something he had been working on for a couple of days now.
”…Now I just need to polish…” Giddy, he ran towards the sink and grabbed a small container with some buffing mixture in it. He put the pistol down and unscrewed the top, taking the small sponge out from it and dabbing the end until he was satisfied with how much was there. He picked the pistol up and began buffing, starting with small and fast circles around the barrel.
”Maybe father will use this one? I know he didn’t like the DL series I gave him… But this one beats that by a light year!” Zeke polished away at his firearm, making it looking professional and perfect. He took pride in it. He hoped his father would like it.
After a few hours of working at his weapon, he sat back and opened up a small refrigerator and took out a small can of juice. The light from the fridge illuminated the dark room briefly before he shut the door. His father hadn’t been back in 5 days, which was odd. He took a swig of the juice and set it down on the table next to him. He picked up his pistol and held it high in the air, studying it. ”…I wonder if he’s dead…” Zeke was numb to these thoughts. He knew his father was going to die one day in the line of his work. He studied the weapon as he held it but wasn’t truly looking for anything. It was almost too dark make out its features anyway. ”…I could never find his body if he did died... How am I going to leave? Dad’s the only one with the codes to start the ‘Head Hunter’ anyway…” He probably would never miss him either way. His father was a cold man. Zeke worked hard for him. But he knew that he could never get loved by his father like he wanted to. His father slapped him one time, while he tried to give him a hug when he was 6. He was just proud that he made the 2 miles run by himself. His father threw him out into the middle of the jungle one time when he was 10 and told him to come back by the third night’s moon. He could never understand why his father didn’t love him. All he ever wanted to be was like his father. A bounty hunter. An assassin. When he turned 13, he promised he would leave Onderon. He would find his own way. His father always told him his heart was too big. He cared too much about primitive animals. He was too weak…. He wanted to prove his father wrong…
Beeeeert Beeeert! Beeeeert Beeeeert!
A small yellow light flashed at the corner of the cabin, sending off whips of light as it pulsed. He shot up quickly and ran to the corner, a small communition console sat in the wall and displayed buttons that lit up as the alarm rang. ”This is the emergency console… It could only be…” He pushed a button on the primitive console that lit up red when he held it down and a small screen burst to life in front of him.
”…Zeke…! …Ready!... …I…! ...Coming…! …the Jungles…!”
”Father? Father! What’s happening?!” Zeke pushed at a couple of buttons that gave off faint clicks when he punched them. ”This’ll boost the signal… C’mon… C’mon…” The image of his father shimmered on the screen, he looked irate, something Zeke has never seen in his father before. He flipped a couple more switches in hopes to boost the signal. Nothing, still static on the display. ”…I’m not suppose too do this… I don’t want to give away my position…”
Zeke let out his irritation by letting a clicking noise slip through his mouth, coming to a decision quickly as he hurried to the adjacent wall. He quickly pushed the table out of the way and found himself staring at a small computer panel. He hit a few keys in a pattern and a hatch on the floor slowly slid under the floor boards, revealing a big lever with two big red buttons next to it. He knelt quickly and punched the big red button on top and slowly pushed the lever upwards. A loud humming noise filled the shack as the bottom red light began to flash.
”…Converting back up power is dangerous…. It’ll make this place light up on any radar… I hope this works…” He said quickly under his breath, letting the back-up power kick in as he hurried back to the console in the corner. He pushed down the red button again on the console and yelled into it.
”Father….? Father…?!”
”…Zeke… Get out… Trouble… Your not safe!! …Do you hear me…?! Get out…!!”
Zeke shot up quickly and ran to the only window next to the front door. The night was quiet and he could still hear the animals playing in the woods. His heart pounded with adrenaline flowing through his veins. ”What should I do…” He let out an angry grunt and ran to a back pack sitting on a table across from the couch. His workbench was filled with different blasters and weapons but his instincts told him to only carry what was essential. ”Who’s after me… What did dad do… Did a mission go south…? …Did a client double cross him…?” Questions flew through his mind as he raced and grabbed things left and right. Combat knife. Water. Small first aid kit. Matches. He ran over to the refrigerator and took out the last of his rations. He hurried back to his work bench and grabbed his wallet with enough credits to get him anywhere in the galaxy. And finally, his Custom heavy pistol he just put together. And for some added insurance, a thermal detonator his father gave him if things really went down. He was low on supplies and short on time to get out but that didn’t stop him from getting the hell out.
”…Zeke… out… Bug out! Zeke… Not much time... On... Rendezvous… white castle…” Zeke looked back at the screen in horror. Bugging out?!
”There’s no way…” Zeke clenched his teeth.
He looked at all of his work on the bench and stared for half of a second. He cursed and ran back towards the computer panel on the wall. He punched in another code in a pattern and pushed a big red button under the panel. The display on the small panel flashed with letters. ”Are you sure?” Zeke sat there for a moment, not ready to just up and leave everything… He punched the button that confirmed he was ready.
”Countdown… 5 minutes.” The messaged flashed across the screen. He ran back to his back pack as everything in the shack went dark. No lights, the hum of electricity ceased. All the power was going straight to a homemade bomb planted under the shack. This was it. There was no going back now…
”…What did father do?” He ran towards the exit and put his back against the wall next to the door.
He punched the button to open the door to the outside and sat there for a moment as it swooshed open. His back pack slung around his back, he held his heavy blaster pistol with two hands near his thigh and had his finger close to the trigger. It was quiet. He could still hear the animals calling to each other. That’s a good sign. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Still nothing. Maybe they weren’t near? Whoever they was. He didn’t have much time to get far away from here. Should he take the speeder? That’s a big risk. The speeder was old and made a lot of noise. He could cover more ground but it would be at the cost of stealth. He knew these jungles like the back of his hand and could navigate to any city on Onderon. But it was 5 days of travel at the least and he only had enough supplies for about two 2 days.
Zeke swung his gun through the door and aimed his sights towards the trees in front of him. He scanned his front, pointing his blaster outwards and crept out, pointing the pistol towards his flanks to make sure nobody was going to ambush him. After surveying his surroundings and confirming nobody was there, he quickly made his way towards the back of the shack. He ran up to a tarp that covered his old speeder and quickly brushed it to the side. He jumped on the speeder, pushed a few buttons and the thing hummed with life. It slowly hovered up to riding height and Zeke punched the throttle and took off. He quickly made his way to a well-known path he used to get from checkpoint to check point. He weaved between underbrush and giant leafs, wondering what would have his father so upset. ”…Why would he order a bug out? He’s only told me about the order once and said he would probably never need it. The shack had a small radar jammer, why would he want to destroy everything? Zeke went back and forth in his mind. The more he thought about it, the worse he thought about the situation. After about 2 minutes of riding, a boom echoed through the jungles canopy. He didn’t look back. His objective was to head to the “White Castle”.
He rode the speeder through the wilderness, dodging obstacles and staying on the paths he knew best. There wasn’t much time to waste, if he couldn’t rendezvous with his father… He shook those thoughts out of his head.
”…What has my father done… What’s going on…?” He said lowly to himself, ducking from some overgrown leafs that the lights on the speeder barely lit up. Zeke was getting angry but he kept his cool, making sure he got to his objective before overthinking any situation. Even though his young mind couldn’t help but wonder what was happening. He had been riding for what seemed like hours. ”…Gotta get to the objective…”
After riding for half an hour, he took a hard left through the underbrush into a clearing, a small quarter mile break in the jungle. There was a small building to the west, right near the tree line. He turned off his speeder’s head lights to make sure nobody saw him coming from the distance. If they saw him, it would be far too easy to ambush him as he entered the area. He raced towards the building. Nothing seemed out of place. Everything was dark. No sign of anybody. ”…Is this a trap?!” He spit towards the ground and came to a quick stop when he got close to the all stone building.
”…The old Bounty Hunter hq… Why would father want me to go here…?”
Zeke stepped off his speeder as he turned off, pulling out his pistol. He didn’t like this situation. Who was after him? Hopefully nobody from the government. If the government figured out we were out here in the jungles, they would sweep all of it, hoping to find any clue that there were bounty hunters out here. They weren’t too keen on those. He let out an angry grunt and made his way towards the “White Castles” entrance. He figured the old codes must still work. This building still had power, at least that’s what he’s been told.
As he got close towards the entrance, he heard a faint sound coming from the distance. ”Father…? He sat there for a moment, listening to the echo of what sounded like roaring engines. ”…I can’t take the chance of getting caught in the open. This building has no windows. I won’t be able to see whose coming but they couldn’t enter this place easily without the codes… The doors 4” of durasteel….” He quickly ran towards the control panel next to the door and prayed that the codes still worked as he punched them in.
”C’mon… C’mon…” The door creaked and shuttered as it unlocked itself, rust falling from the door as it shuttered. ”This is taking too long…!” He looked back into the field and saw faint lights in the distance just over the canopy of the trees. Whoever they were, they weren’t on speeders. ”…That’s not father’s ship…” The doors screeched loudly as it slowly opened. Zeke quickly looked back and realized the ship was within firing distance of him. Zeke looked in horror. He recognized the ship.
”…Onderon’s police assault carriers?!” Zeke quickly tried to squeeze through the door’s narrow opening as the ship circled around the building, a spotlight directly on him. He cursed loudly in Laithrian as his back pack got stuck on one of the doors teeth. The door opened a little more and Zeke squeezed through and unhooked it, watching in horror as the carrier landed about 50 yards away, spotlight still shining bright on him. He quickly made his way into the dark building punched the close button and ran through the darkness, finding cover behind a stone pillar that protruded out of the wall. He looked in dismay. Why were the Onderonian police after him and how did they know his location?! He cursed at his father. What did he get him into?! Zeke saw the spotlights ray of light slowly narrowed on the buildings floor as the heavy door closed. He heard footsteps rapidly coming to his direction. ”…Close close close close close….!”
”He’s in here!”
”Eyes up, get a thermal charge on this door! We’re not going to make it!”
”Backside, backside! Cover all entrances! Circle the building!”
The heavy metal door closed hard, leaving the police voices muted and leaving Zeke in pitch darkness. ”Think… Think… Aaagh….!” Zeke swung his back pack around and rummaged through it, pulling out a small flashlight and clicked the end. The hallway burst with large circle of light. He shined the flashlight around the stoned place. He surveyed the area, analyzing his situation. There were 5 entrances to different wings of the building… But he couldn’t remember which one was the communications room. He only had about 5 minutes before they got through that door. Even with a thermal charge, it was going to be hard to get past. But they would.
His came to the conclusion that his first priority had to be getting to the communication room. Maybe he could get his father to destroy that grounded carrier and blow a hole through their lines, making a quick escape. ”…Maybe father could… Nah, that wouldn’t work! I could try to sneak out of the… That wouldn’t work either, they have this placed locked down tighter than a rancors jaws…” He clenched his teeth. He quickly made a decision to run toward down the hallway closest to him. He ran as fast as he could down the stone floor, his feet clapping against the ground in rhythm.
”…Com room, Com room… Where is the blasted Com room?!” He said between breath’s, quickly stopping and shining his light down hallways to find something remotely familiar. He ran past a couple more hallways, looking down them. ”Nothing down this hall… Nothing here…. Aaargh!” He cursed again under his breath, making his way towards another hallway, when something caught his eye. I sign poked out of the wall that read ”Downstairs”. He thought for a second. ”Was the control room downstairs or on the second floor…? I can’t remember… Aaaaagh!” He clenched his teeth again and ran down the hallway, making his way towards the downstairs. As he reached the top of the stairs, he could hear the echoes of something exploding followed by another large bang.
”They got through the doors! I have to move!” He shot down the winding stairs as fast as he could, not even bothering to flash his flashlight down them. He didn’t hear any voices or footsteps behind him, meaning nobody was on his trail just yet. That was good, this building wasn’t huge but it was big enough to buy him some time as he figured out how the hell he was going to get out of here. After a few flights of stairs, he finally made his way out of the stair well and he quickly surveyed both ways by flashing his light down both.
”Which way, which way?!” He never thought he could be so panicked. He had to fight dozens of different creatures in the jungles of this planet but he’s never felt this type of way before. He had never been the prey before. He tried to calm himself while he had time to think. He took in a deep breath, held it, and let it out slowly. He could feel his heart in his ears and he could feel the dank coolness of these empty hallways. He flashed his light down both ways one more time.
”…Right…” Something in his mind told him to go that way, so he followed his gut and ran down the path.
As he got closer to the end of the hallway, the path gently curved into a big left turn. The hallway seemed to go on forever as he ran down it, until a red light crept into his view. The light got brighter as he careened left, until he finally found himself at a big metal door with a red light on top of it. It didn’t blink but seemed to give the hallway a weird feeling as he looked back. He sat and listened for a couple of seconds. Nothing. They still weren’t able to catch his trail. He let out a sigh of relief and concentrated on getting this door open.
”…If I remember right, this must be the door Father told me about when I was a kid. This door leads…”
He pushed in a code into the computer panel next to the door, hoping the older codes would work. The door jerked and slowly creaked with life, debris and sparks lining the door as it slid open. Zeke’s stomach fluttered with giddiness. His eyes had to adjust to the change in brightness but it was very clear. Light poured through the hallway and Zeke ran into the room.
He found himself standing 40 feet up on a catwalk, looking down into a hanger as long as two football fields. ”Father wasn’t lying… There really was a bounty hunter guild here…” He quickly took in everything. There were ships in here but they all looked dated and old. But he knew they were worth a fortune. All the ships he recognized from books he had read. A couple of old assault ships, an old freighter that looked like it had seen way better days. A gunship that had enough firepower to blow through a blockade by itself. This was like something out of story book. These ships probably cost more money than he had ever dreamt about.
”…There’s a light down here…!
”Weapons ready men! Don’t fire until you’re told!”
He smacked his lips in irritation, he couldn’t have predicted that the light would give him away. They must have swept the whole building and found this hallway. And Zeke led them straight to a bounty hunters treasure trove. How could they have swept the whole building that fast? Zeke quickly took a left down the metal platform, finding some stairs that led down to another catwalk. He had to make his way down and find an exit.
”There he is! Load your weapon’s for stun!”
”…Don’t worry, he won’t be escaping here, he’s trapped.”
Zeke looked up and seen a small force of about 5 officers, weapons pointed directly at him. But there was someone else there. A tall, Twi’lek man with a lightsaber in hand. Zeke’s heart dropped as he cursed and ran full speed down the catwalk. He didn’t look back as he came across a set of stair’s that led downward towards another catwalk. He kept running, hoping the Jedi wasn’t close on his tail. His only option seemed obvious but that Jedi would definitely be close to him soon, until something caught his eye. He seen some high standing boxes that were about 10 feet below where he ran. They were positioned just against a tall stone wall. He could probably make it, the boxes were big enough for him to land and roll safely. He looked back and the officers were making their way down the steps and running full force towards him, the Jedi leading the pack. He slid his pistol into his pocket as he ran. He would have to risk it. Zeke pushed off his dominant foot with all of his might, put his hands forward and grabbed the guardrail. The guardrail didn’t waver thankfully and he propelled himself through the air.
Time seemed to slow down for an instant. His arms circled through the air as he remained in control of his fall. He could hear an officer screaming at the other ones as he flew. He looked back. They wouldn’t follow him. It was too risky. But the Jedi, well, they loved high risk situations. His landing point rushed at him quickly as he looked back. This was it… His legs slammed into the giant warehouse box and he rolled about 3 feet before he stood up and slammed his hands against the wall to stop his momentum. His guess was right, the Jedi didn’t hesitate to follow through the air and follow him.
”…Son of a Nerfherder!” He quickly looked over the edge and saw boxes that lead to the ground floor, making an easy route for him.
He took a small jump and fell through the air. He landed on a box hard but rolled to compensate. He almost rolled off the box but stood up out of the roll right at the edge. Then, he just hopped down another 5 feet onto the hard stone floor. He looked over and saw the police closing in on his position and the Jedi landed swiftly on the boxes above him. He smacked his lips in irritation and ran across the floor towards the far wall away from the Jedi. ”Where do I go, where do I go…!” He kept his wits about him and scanned the other side of the large hangers wall. ”Another door!” Could he make it? The large gunship to his left could provide some cover but the door was out in the open. Would he have to blast his way to the door? Could he even outrun the Jedi?
He heard the sound of blaster rifle charge’s whiz past him and he instinctively ducked. The stun rounds sounded like a distorted bass sine that almost caught his head. He quickly ran behind the gunships landing gear and a barrage of stun charges started bouncing all around him. Zeke pulled his pistol, while analyzing the situation. He had to get to that door. But how? The firing suddenly stopped as a police officer yelled to cease fire. Zeke hesitated to run, when the hum of a lightsaber made him freeze.
”By Order of the King himself, you will surrender your weapon and come with us!” The royal police officer yelled. Zeke bit his cheek and looked at the door. It was only about 20 yards away. Could he make it?
”…It’s not nice to point gun’s at kid’s you know! I should report you to the King myself!” Zeke yelled back, trying to keep composure. He looked back at the Jedi. He looked at Zeke with eyes of stone, his orange lightsaber made Zeke nervous. ”…He’s 10 yards away… I can’t out run him… Aaaaaghh…. What do I do!”
”…Stop kid, it’s over… Look around you, you’re surrounded. There’s nowhere left to run.” Zeke clenched his teeth. All this for bounty hunting?! He hasn’t even been on his first official mission yet!
”…All this for a kfid who lives in the jungle by himself?!” He was losing his grip on the situation. He had to do something… but what were his options!
”Don’t play dumb with me, boy! You have been charged with conspiracy to assassinate the King and will be charged with treason if you do not come with us now! I will only say it one more time… Surrender your weapon and come out with your hands in the air!”
”…A-assassination of the King…?!” Zeke whispered to himself. He sat there for a moment, digesting the crime’s he was being charged with. ”…The king?!” Zeke sat in dismay. He thought he was being chased for illegal weapons or bounty hunting… But an attempted assassination of the King?! Zeke looked up at the Jedi in horror. He noticed the Jedi’s face twitch a little in confusion.
Zeke looked up on the catwalk and noticed the police swarming around the hanger. He didn’t know what to do. He was completely outgunned and out of options. Zeke turned his back onto the landing gear and slid down it until he was sitting. He gripped his pistol a little tighter. ”…What do I do…?” Tear’s started to come to his eyes. He came to his last resort.
”…This is it…” He couldn’t believe it. Everything was surreal, nothing made sense. He only had one option. The Jedi looked startled by his words.
The boy was taught from a young age to never be captured. To never surrender himself. And this was his last ace in the hole. A tear rolled down his face as he slowly started to reach for the thermal detonator in his back pack, thinking about ending it all. A police officer screamed from the upper catwalk to fire.
”Stun him!!”
”…Kid, don’t!!”
And a hail of stun charges flew from all directions, smacking Zeke from what seemed like everywhere. He dropped his pistol and fell to the floor, motionless and unconscious. The police swarmed and handcuffed him, picking him up and dragging him out of the place. It was over. Zeke had been captured...
Zeke flew up in the bed he was laying in on full alert. He looked over to see an iv drip hanging from the machine and his chest stickered with wires. He could hear the beeping of a machine going crazy and he looked around to find himself in a big room that smelled like chemicals. ”…I-is this a hospital?”
”Morning. How are you feeling?” The deep voice of the Twi’lek Jedi took Zeke by surprise. This was the Jedi who was pursuing him. Zeke looked at him with cold eyes.
”…Where’s my father?”
The twi’lek sighed.
”…You look hungry, you should eat. It’s been thre-“
”I said, where’s my father?” The twi’lek looked away and swallowed, thinking. Zeke didn’t get a bad feeling from this guy but he was confused and tired. He didn’t want to be here anymore. He wanted answers from his father.
”…Your father’s being detained and arraigned for execution.” The Jedi said bluntly.
”…For what?” Zeke looked emotionless at the Jedi, not surprised. He knew what his father did and he knew that one day, he would be killed. The Jedi looked back at Zeke, compassion in his eyes.
”…Your father was planning to assassinate the King to start a coup to overthrow the current government. The King sought the help of the Jedi to track down the conspirators and bring them to court…. The Jedi looked at Zeke, who was listening intently. He continued.
”…In the investigation, we found that their headquarters were scattered across the jungles of this planet. It was hard to track down any of them but we found your post quickly once the energy fluctuations set off suspicions but we didn’t put two and two together. There was a strike team waiting close by, ready to infiltrate a potential hq of one of your fathers co-conspirators. It was a no-go. Abandoned with no trace of activity for a long time...” The Jedi watched as someone behind him walked past the room and continued informing Zeke.
”…Your father found difficulty in getting close to the king and had to abort once his bird nest was found. He didn’t realize the King knew about the coup. But out of sheer luck, he got away and headed back towards the jungles. He didn’t have a ship to get him off the planet or so we thought. So, we trailed him and caught him by surprise. He was in the middle of a transmission, which ultimately led us to believe that there was somebody else, somebody we didn’t know about conspiring with him. The strike team I was with caught news of this strange transmission and we ultimately put the pieces together. The weird energy fluctuations. The transmission your Father was sending. Then ultimately, the explosion of the building you were living in… We combed the area and found movement from a fast moving object heading to a building we thought was abandoned. And the rest… You already know…” Zeke held his head in shame. If he wouldn’t have upped the power through the shack, he wouldn’t have been caught. But out of the desperation of his father’s message and his eagerness to get to him… He slipped up.
”…So what happens now… To me…?” Zeke said lowly. The Jedi could feel his sadness.
”…Well, you ran from government officials. You are being charged with owning illegal firearms that had illegal modifications, conspiracy to commit treason and conspiracy to assassinate the King of this world… You’re in pretty deep kid…” He stopped for a second.
”…Luckily you didn’t fire on those officers or you would be in bigger trouble…” Zeke looked down, not sure what to think. His father was going to be executed and Zeke would spend his life in jail… ”…What a wasted life…” Zeke didn’t cry. He was too numb. The Jedi perked up a bit, seeing Zeke in his feelings.
”…There is an alternative to jail time, however… Zeke looked up quickly, hope in his eyes.
”I sensed from the very first time I came in contact with you, that the force flows strong in you. Your chances of escape were… doubtful. But, the way you never gave up. The way you could think on the fly and your fearlessness of death itself… That’s pretty impressive kid.”
”…What are you trying to say?” Zeke was confused.
”…I’ve made a deal with the authorities here. Your father’s fate is inescapable but yours, however, are not. I see potential in you. I feel the force’s presence strongly in you… But more importantly, I sense no evil in you…” The boy didn’t get what he was trying to say.
”…What I’m trying to say is, would you like to come with me? You could be free of your fate here and live a new life. No more being cramped up in a shack out in the jungle. You don’t have to live your life in the clothes of a criminal. You could live your life, with a greater purpose…” Zeke was shocked. Him… A Jedi?
”…What do you say? I’m taking an awfully big risk bringing you with me.”
Zeke thought for a moment, overwhelmed. The past couple of days have been… rough. His father was going to be executed. He needed answers. But the way things looked, he was never going to get them. He never really liked his father anyway… Even though he wanted too. He felt no pain in the thoughts of him dying. But, to be a Jedi…? His whole life was gone anyway. He had nowhere to go here except jail… He looked up at the Twi’lek, a little hesitant.
”…Y-yeah… I’ll go with you.”
From there, he was taken from his fate at the hands of Onderon’s government and given to the care of the Jedi. He had no future here. His future has changed course and now, a new chapter of his life would begin.[/justify]
8 Years Later
After year's spent in the Jedi Academy, Zeke found his place amongst the Jedi. He was trained thoroughly and was quickly found to be one of the best athletic kids they had. Even though he didn't exactly do great when it came to academics. He trained hard, however. And he kept his nose in the books. And eventually received the rank of Jedi Knight.
He found himself wondering why he was offered to become a Jedi. His master, the one who saved him from his life of Bounty Hunting, Jedi Master Ja'ra Koon, found himself at a bit of a risk himself. Taking on a child that was, understandably, foreign to the world of peace keeping and serenity kept him wondering if he made the right choice. He would often put Zeke in a number of difficult situations, testing his will against the light and the dark. Zeke never fully understood it himself. The boy never really asked for it, nor did he have a definite understanding of how the Force worked. Ja'ra took an incredible amount of risk, even if Zeke didn't understand it.
Zeke found himself not really liking the order, at first. They had him stationed on a massive ship called the PeaceKeeper when he was first taken in. He was picked up off of Onderon shortly after his ordeal with the Authorities and taken to the ship for questioning. Onderonian officials wanted nothing to do with the child. If it were up to them, Zeke would have been put away for conspiracy or executed right along with his father. Ja'ra talked to the Jedi Council for guidance on the matter, completely disregarding the Jedi Lord entirely. Ja'ra never really liked the split authority of the whole Jedi Order and found himself going to the council for multiple opinions, not just the voice of one man.
After taking the advice from the Council, he brought in Zeke and showed him the ropes. He tried to talk to Zeke and bring him out of his state of confusion. Of course, completely changing his lifestyle was something Zeke couldn't just drop immediately and it took him months to finally find himself at peace with what happened. He didn't have many friends and the classes he had to take with the younglings made him feel like a complete idiot. Zeke would often think that he was singled out because of his age. A foreign bumpkin that lived in the jungles his whole life that didn't really fit in anywhere. This, in itself, caused Zeke to want to run away. But Ja'ra had the task of becoming something more than just a teacher. His task was to become the father figure Zeke never had. And he had to be intricate and determined to show Zeke that, outside of a world of money and killing, that this life he lead was his own. Something Zeke's father could have never would have thought to show him.
After a long and arduous amount of time went by, Zeke found himself stationed at the temple on Tython. He would routinely request that he was bumped up in rank to Padawan but was seen as too inexperienced and would be denied his request by his master. Ja'ra had a lot to confirm about Zeke. What his state of mind was. What history he still hung on to. His appearance and etiquette showed that he was on the path of a Jedi. But his mind and soul still showed glimpses of his past. A lone wolf. A killer in the midst. He would pass his physical training with no problem and his skills with the training sabers were second to none. He often would spar with his master and Ja'ra found that his adaptability in combat was profound. But he would often have to remind Zeke that he was fighting with anger and strength. His passion to learn was there but his heart and mind was still in the wrong places. Zeke was confused about this, most of the time. He never saw his actions as wrong, which was the problem he needed to see.
After a couple of years, he seemed to grow closer with his master. Ja'ra became the father figure Zeke never had. And Zeke actually like to be around him. His Twi'lek master was very laid back and patient, which was exactly what Zeke needed. Even though Zeke would frustrate Ja'ra sometimes, he never quit on the boy.
Once he earned the rank of Padawan, Zeke found himself feeling accomplished but a little hollow. He had learned about the force and finally understood his connection with it. But he still yearned for his life back on Onderon. He still couldn't shake his fathers training. Ja'ra knew he couldn't force the boy to let go of his past but he could show him a brighter path.
Once Zeke became a padawan, he started following his master into the field. He went on many missions of life and death. He also went on peacekeeping and more passive missions aswell. He started to see in a whole new light, bringing him to believe that he could be better than he once was. Zeke had a long way to go, however, when it came to learning about the galaxy. His physical prowess was almost unmatched and his knowledge and use of the force could be called brilliant. But he was still learning restraint. Patience. He found himself on the wrong end of a vibroblade more than once and found it hard not to just let his emotions go. His will was tested many times when confronting the allure of the dark side. He was trained to understand it and walk down the path of serenity. But he struggled more with this more than his master even knew.
After years of being a padawan and confronting his own struggles, he reached the rank of Jedi Knight. He often would find himself meditating more then usual before he heard news of his promotion. He found himself calling to the force more than he could ever imagine when he was a kid. When he was younger, he would often disagree the teachings of the the Force. He was trained to find solace in it but would often shy away from it, not wanting to abandon his old way of life. But as he got older and the challenges he faced grew larger, he would feel himself slip. He never felt the force like he did when he was considered a youngling but when he became a padawan and the force became more clear to him, he could feel the influence the darkside could have on his emotions. He struggled internally for a long time, his master Ja'ra always giving him guidance when he needed it. But when the time came, he always felt more connection with the lighter path. He wasn't the stone cold killer his father was. He found living beings to be pleasant and sometimes relaxing. His father seen people and other living things to be a bother and unnecessary. He had grown into something completely different from his father. And Zeke was completely grateful to the Jedi for it.
After becoming a knight and learning more about the Order, he found himself wondering why they were so passive. Maybe it was his tactical mindset but with the Sith gaining strength by the day, he wondered why the Jedi weren't as aggressive when it came to stopping them. He knew that it would take a lot of men and would cause unimaginable amounts of damage but somewhere deep inside, he still came to the conclusion that they needed to wipe out the whole brotherhood and burn the books about their existence. Maybe that was his father speaking. He still faces the challenges of becoming a better servant of the light. He doesn't think ill of the Jedi Order and actually finds he loves to be apart of it. There is, however, a long road to travel for the man. And he is as loyal to the Jedi as he ever was.
Equipment
Zeke carries his green bladed Lightsaber
He also carries a S41 Blastech Pistol, keeping to his roots. It's lightly modified, taking away ammo capacity for more damage.
(10 Rounds instead of 15)
He also is an Expert at Form V(Shien and Djem So)
He is adept at Form III(Soresu)
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