Seated within the Glorious Jewel of the Hutts, the Winter Palace is situated on a remote island near the planet’s equator. Although blanketed with the pollution from Hutt industry, its location makes the climate hot and humid. Surrounded with trees and vines, it could be considered to be a paradise, even among the barren wasteland of Nal Hutta. Outside of the Winter Palace, a network of sewer pipes transfer the waste from the palace to wherever seems far enough to dump into the oceans surrounding the island. Flora and fauna that have adapted to the Hutt’s environmental changes thrive in the polluted forests surrounding the Winter Palace.

Stepping through its gilded gates, the lavish interior greets your presence with the main audience chamber. Once belonging to the wealth of Jiliac Desilijic Tiron, the gleaming stone of the main aisle leads up to a Hutt’s dais lined with an expensive carpet. Beautiful tapestries line the high walls, telling of the sordid histories of those who woven them, awaiting execution in Jiliac’s dungeons.

Finally, the antechamber to the throne room is illuminated from above with high-skylighted ceilings. Constructed from lightly colored stone, the antechamber might have been where the late Hutt entertained his guests before an audience with spice and exotic dancers. In the hands of the Hutt Kajidics, however, these traditions have continued as the Winter Palace now serves as a front for criminal and business ventures.

It had been a good few hours for Andrelious J. Mimosa-Inahj and Clan Taldryan. It had been discovered that the Hutts had been planning on interfering with the Rybanloth system and the various operations that Taldryan ran there. With that information, Kierdagh and Howlader had sent Andrelious to Nal Hutta to ‘dissuade’ the Hutts from coming anywhere near Taldryan space. On arrival, the Warlord had received a hostile reception, but he quickly entered into some incredibly aggressive ‘negotiations’. Now, Taldryan were not only safe from the Hutts, but Andrelious and his clanmates had access to the winter palace at all times. Mimosa-Inahj smirked as he downed his fifth bottle of complementary Ebla beer, but paid no attention to the scantily clad Twi’lek girl dancing a few feet in front of his face.

It’s not the same without Kooki, the Warlord thought. He and his spouse were largely inseparable when not on missions, and would spend what time they were not being parents drinking or sparring together. Andrelious signalled to a nearby waitress, swinging his hand in a motion that indicated he was after another drink. The girl nodded, heading to the bar to comply with the Sith’s request.

Relaxing a little as he waited for the beverage, Andrelious even managed a smile when the dancer’s eyes met his. That smile was gone moments later. He could detect another being who could touch the Force. They had even tried to hide themselves, and, if not for the Warlord’s uncanny ability at spotting such individuals, would have succeeded. As it was, the Force imprint of this as yet unidentified person was burning with peace and calmness so brightly that it almost dazzled Andrelious. A Jedi was in the immediate vicinity.

Climbing onto a nearby table, the former Imperial made up for his less than impressive stature by raising his lightsaber high above his head. Its crimson blade was inches from the ceiling, but the desired affect was achieved. Everybody stopped what they were doing and glanced fearfully around at the Sith.

“I have just detected a Jedi in this palace. I’d hate for anyone’s drinking to be interrupted, so if you’d kindly bring the Jedi to me in the next thirty seconds, nobody else has to get hurt,” Andrelious stated, sarcastic niceness giving way to a far more sinister tone as he levelled the threat. A few people immediately ran off, whilst others remained rooted to the spot, frozen in sheer terror.

A drunkard, clearly not the man that the Taldryanite was looking for, stepped forward.

“I am the one you sssheek,” the man slurred.

Andrelious’ face creased in a furious scowl. In one swift movement, the Warlord leapt off the table, swinging his crimson blade at the lower half of the drunk’s body. The lightsaber cut through the man’s thighs, leaving him fallen on the floor, unable to move.

“For once you actually did get legless. I hope your wife won’t be too upset,” the former Imperial spat. He considered killing the man, but could sense the Jedi was approaching, probably having heard his previous threat.

“Leave him alone, Sith!” A thickly accented voice called out. To Andrelious’ surprise, its owner was a Dashade. The alien wandered straight through the crowd, and crouched down next to the drunk that the Taldryanite had just attacked. He looked at the cauterised stubs of what had been the man’s legs.

“What in the name of Palpatine? A Dashade Jedi?” Andrelious questioned, unable to believe what he was seeing. What little he knew of the species indicated that they were extinct, and had been for many years. Furthermore, the Warlord had thought that they had been associated as being assassins in the service of the Sith, never Force users in their own right.

“Not all of my species live to kill and devour all life. I have elevated myself above such animalistic instincts,” the Dashade replied, applying some bandages from a small medpac onto the fallen drunk’s wounds. The man was shaking a little from the sheer shock of what Andrelious had done to him.

“That settles it. You’re arrogant and you fear the power of emotion. You really are a Jedi,” the Taldryanite snarled.

“Right now, Sith, I’m this man’s salvation. I suggest you back off. There’s more to saving lives than just healing wounds,” the Jedi answered.

“When I’m done with you, Jedi, it’ll be you who needs salvation!” Andrelious roared, slashing into the Dashade with his still active lightsaber. The medic had barely any time to react, but managed to roll away a split second before the Sith’s weapon made contact with his flesh.

Pulling out his own lightsaber, the Dashade climbed to his feet, sporting an air of confidence that left Andrelious ever so slightly unsure of his new opponent’s ability levels.

Xan and Andrelious charged at each other, and Xan was surprised to see a second crimson blade appear in Andrelious's hand. Xan, a veteran of battle, and medic, however was able to adapt to fight his dual wielding opponent. Even with his ability to adapt, he was forced on the defensive. The man Xan was trying to protect was terrified, as were those who remained watching the spectacle.

To his credit, Xan was able to hold off his skilled opponent, but was barely able to do much more than that. Then it happened. Xan felt his hunger rise, and concentrated on pushing it down. Because of this he almost missed the sabers of his opponent swing it at different angles. Forced to throw himself backward, Xan dropped his light saber. The medic scrambled back hoping to avoid the saber's of his foe. However, Andrelious had not moved closer to him.

Xan dived to the side as Andrelious unleashed a burst of Force lightning, lighting the tapestry that was just behind Xan aflame. Xan, moved from the fire as fast as he could, only to be hit in the chest by another burst of lightning. Xan felt pain like he had never truly felt before, but his face only showed determination to stop the Sith's rampage.

The Warlord glared back at Xan, and spoke. "This is what you get. You Jedi, believing yourselves better for ignoring the power of emotion. This is power." As he spoke he hit Xan with a third burst of lightning, and Xan felt his heart stop.

He heard distantly Andrelious cry out in victory. Then he felt the ever present hunger drain away. All faded to black and Xan felt drawn in on himself. I have failed. Maybe the Sith was right. Maybe I did miss out on power by denying the hunger, denying my emotions.

All his life he believed that one's life would flash before their eyes at the moment of their death. Yet in this moment, Xan's heart fully stopped and himself nearly dead, did not. He saw the faces of several of his patients diagnosed with terminal diseases. Some were on the verge of tears, some broken down, but there were those few who smiled.

Xan's dying thoughts went to them and saw them fight against their disease both physically and emotionally. Those who always seemed optimistic. Xan wished he had their strength. Then he hear the voice that was his hunger. Get UP!

Xan's eyes opened slowly, and he saw the human smiling over him. He felt his hunger well up, with an anger he never felt before. In that moment he thought himself possessed by it, and wished for death. A heartbeat passed, then another, and he realized he was in control of himself.

Xan threw himself up, ramming his shoulder into Andrelious. The human fell back, stunned by the Dashade's escape from death. Even so the ex-imperial brought himself forward, igniting and bringing his twin sabers in a overhand chop to Xan's head.

Xan used the Force to quickly pull his saber back into his hands, ignited it, and held both blades off.

"You are wrong Sith," Xan said recalling those few patients. "You don't know what power is, and you never will!"

Andrelious could not fully fathom what had happened. He had seen the Dashade fall to his lightning, even to the point that he would have believed that he had killed Xan outright. Now, the Knight was up and fighting again, with a vigour far beyond what the Sith had bargained for.

Rearing back, the Warlord deactivated his black hilted, ‘killing’ saber, and resumed his regular two handed grip on its sibling. He wasn’t sure what had possessed him to try a dual saber technique that he rarely trained with, but put it down to trying to humiliate his Jedi opponent. Now that the Taldryanite had returned to the far more familiar single saber technique he preferred, he found that Xan was beginning to find his varied blows a little hard to handle. Counter attacks were replaced by far more desperate defensive movements, and the Dashade was stepping back constantly to try and improve his position.

Continuing to probe the Urrite’s defences, Andrelious found what he thought was an opening as his lightsaber slid past its opposite number, but Xan had already begun to dodge the move and rolled away to the right, leaving Mimosa-Inahj’s weapon to cleave through thin air. The Warlord seemed a little shocked, if not annoyed, by his failure, but turned quickly to effortlessly block a despairing lunge from his opponent. “I can sense the hunger within you, beast. It defines you and your species. Yet you, just like every other Jedi, try to deny who you are!” Andrelious taunted as he was blocked low and to the left.

“It’s not denial, Sith. It’s strength. No good can come from power driven by emotion,” Xan answered, trying to keep his tone cool in spite of the situation he faced. He was fighting not only Andrelious, but his own emotions. His hunger yelled at him to attack the Warlord with full fury, allowing him to devour the Sith and move on. His anger, too, willed him to smash Mimosa-Inahj, ignoring that the Knight lacked the skill to manage such a feat.

“You keep telling yourself that!” the Taldryanite roared.

Feigning a backward step, Andrelious waited for his enemy to close the gap and slashed forwards. His lightsaber easily bypassed his opponent’s, but for once, the Warlord had slightly misjudged the angle. He had been aiming to remove Xan’s right arm, but instead, the crimson blade cut through only the very tips of the Dashade’s fingers, before moving on to the saber hilt that they grasped. With a roar, Xan released his lightsaber, watching it fall to the ground, its hilt damaged and its blade flickering in and out of existence.

“And now, Jedi, you see what happens to those who refuse the majesty of the dark side,” Andrelious spat. Extending his fingers in the direction of Xan, the Warlord prepared to summon more lightning.

The Knight closed his eyes and waited for the impact, begging both his own thoughts and the Force to come up something. And fast.

In pain, and without a lightsaber, Xan could only think of one thing. He knew his opponent would kill him in less than a few seconds. He threw himself to the ground, kicking out with his right leg, his bottom leg. Andrelious moved the nearest leg out of the way, laughing. Xan shoved himself forward, and hooked his left heel on Andreluous's descending leg, then pulled his left leg forward. Andrelious, with no training in martial arts, fell, his back crashing into a table. His saber hit the ground, as did his black hilted blade.

Andrelious, expecting that to be it from his opponent, tried to get up. He did so slowly, trying to judge the damage to his back. Xan however, took no such time. Andrelious lifted his head, beginning to stand up, only to be rewarded with a hard punch to his face, from Xans uninjured hand. Xan smiled, then scolded himself for doing so.

Even as Xan scolded himself he knew he had made a mistake, though could not tell what. He then felt Andrelious's hand push against his chest, and fell back several meters. Fool, forget your anger. You are facing a man with the Force, don't think you have one until this is over.

He saw Andrelious pick up his sabers, and put the black hilted one on his belt. Still, the Sith did not readily approach, judging his opponent closer than ever. The human had not expected a Jedi to be so aggressive in his attacks. He believed that the Dashade's hunger was stronger than the medic would ever admit. He smiled at himself for think of that, and thought to bring the Jedi to unleashing his hunger before he killed him to shame the Jedi.

Xan used the time Andrelious was thinking to pull the black hilted lightsaber of Andrelious to himself, and ignited the crimson blade. Use it. Beat him, and eat him Xan heard part of himself say. Normally with a fight as invigorating as this he would relent to his hunger. But with a recent fight where he did, and the memories of his strongest patients, he was able to ignore it.

"You know Sith, you managed to get me to doubt myself before," Xan said honestly. Andrelious turned his head, hoping he had shamed the Jedi. "But then I remembered. You Sith are all the same. So quick to judge. You and my fellow Jedi. But maybe after this you will understand real power."

"What?! Peace? Discipline? Emotions are power foolish Jedi," Andrelious spat in anger.

"Peace and Discipline. No," Xan said, catching Andrelious off guard with the statement. "I have to thank you even, for you taught me true power. You opened my eyes to real power. Hope. Sure, hunger consumes my race. Doesn't mean I will give up hope of beating it."

Xan charged, a predictable straightforward attack, a simple thrust. Andrelious almost laughed when he blocked it, but he was too angry at the Dashade.

"Die Jedi Scum!" Andrelious said, both his opponents and his sabers were locked, each with only one hand on their respective hilts. Andrelious called forth Force lightning, aiming for Xan's head.

"Predictable Sith!" Xan called out a moment before it happened. This long against him, he must be pulling forth lightning. he thought. Xan ducked as the lightning went over his head.

Adrelious saw a punch coming for him a few seconds before the blow came, and pulled himself back. The Dashade's closed fist stood out half a meter from the Sith's stomach. Both sabers were still locked, Andrelious not wanting to give the medic any advantage.

Then came something that amazed the Sith. The Dashades hand opened up, and lightning shot out of his hand, right into the Sith. Andrelious felt more surprise than pain, never expecting a Jedi to use Force Lightning. He dropped his saber in the combination of surprise and pain he felt, and knew the Dashade would pounce, could see it coming before it even happened. He did move away in time, exhausted, and felt his heavier opponent crash into him.

The table broke under their combined weight. Andrelious called on the Force one final time before being too exhausted to move, and sent Xan backward and into the air. He heard the Dashade crash, and heard another table crack. Several seconds passed, and Xan got up, having healed himself.

Get the Sith while he is down. Eat him, devour him part of Xan said, and Xan found it hard to resist. He tossed the black hilted saber at the Sith. He picked up the legless man, and put him over his shoulder.

"Goodbye Sith. I hope to never see you again," Xan said. This was a close shave. Has he not exhausted himself with so much lightning and use of the Force he could have made short work of me, Xan thought, and a chill ran down his spine.