WotJ 10

	SARCO FELL BACK, and Luke’s vicious downward cut bit into the flagstones, sending up sparks. The alien held his staff up to parry as Luke
  stalked him.

  “You don’t know the first thing about Jedi,” Luke said. “Starting with their weapons.”

  Sarco raised his staff, and Luke brought the saber down, expecting the ancient weapon to cleave the Scavenger’s staff in two. But the saber met resistance as Sarco’s staff caught the
  blade and held it, sending a shock up Luke’s arms. Sarco gave way, and Luke stumbled forward. Then the alien kicked the young rebel in the face, sending him sprawling.

  “You ruffian!” yelled Threepio.

  “This is an electrostaff, Nobody’s Padawan,” Sarco said as Luke struggled to his feet, spitting out blood. “A useful tool—and one designed to kill Jedi.”

  Farnay looked around the courtyard in desperation. Luke hoped she wouldn’t try anything foolish—the Scavenger would kill her with barely a thought.
 	Sarco leapt forward, the electrostaff whining with what sounded like a terrible glee. Luke got his lightsaber up and knocked the weapon aside, but Sarco followed him, sweeping at his stomach with the staff. Luke turned aside as Sarco charged and aimed a slash at the alien’s back—but Sarco had anticipated the attack and batted Luke’s blade away, leaping over a crater in the glade and turning to regard his opponent.

  ...

  He carved a figure eight in the air in front of him, telling himself to let the Force guide his hand. Sarco stepped back, then tried to dodge around Luke’s defenses. Quicker than thought, Luke’s lightsaber was there to meet the electrostaff, pushing Sarco back.

  The alien grunted and spun away from Luke’s blade, tumbling forward and then leaping at Luke’s unprotected back, electrostaff wailing. But the blow never landed—and then the brilliant blue blade was slashing at Sarco’s head. He caught the blade on his staff and scrambled aside, the bristles on his arms rising and falling as if they were breathing hard.

  “Not bad, Nobody’s Padawan,” he said. “Your teacher would praise you. If you had a teacher.”
Again Sarco attacked, electrostaff thrust in front of him like a spear. Luke knocked the tip aside, but Sarco’s charge was too powerful to deflect. He ducked, and Sarco stumbled past, Luke’s lightsaber flashing behind him and nicking the back of the alien’s leg.

 ...

 Motors squealed and a hidden shield emerged from inside his helmet, covering his
  chitinous face. He opened a pouch on his tool belt and extracted a small black sphere.

  “Master Luke, look out!” Threepio yelped as Sarco tossed the object at Luke—some kind of grenade, he thought.

  Luke watched it calmly, his lightsaber already moving to intercept it. Interrupting the grenade’s trajectory would be easy enough.

  But that wasn’t the Scavenger’s plan.

  The grenade detonated at the apex of its flight, a meter before Luke would have sliced it in two.

  A blinding flash of light and a thunderclap of noise filled the courtyard. The concussion knocked Luke backward into the overflow from the fountain. He staggered to his feet, lightsaber in hand, blood running from his nose.

  Luke blinked furiously, then stared straight ahead.

 ...

  “You’ve blinded him!” Threepio shrieked. “He can’t see or hear! It isn’t a fair fight!”

  “Who said it would be?” Sarco asked the droid. “Be quiet and maybe I’ll sell you and your little friend instead of pulling you apart.”

  Luke scrambled to his feet, swinging his lightsaber wildly, then crashed to the ground again.

  “Such feeble senses—so easily disabled,” Sarco said.

...

  Sarco once again brought the staff to within a few centimeters of the back of Luke’s head, prompting a gasp from Farnay and an electronic squeal from Artoo.

  “I can’t bear to watch,” Threepio said.

  Stones rattled nearby. Threepio looked up and saw the pikhron matriarch scrambling back into the glade over the pile of rubble, followed by the other beasts. The matriarch stared at the alien
  and the stricken rebel and snorted, pawing at the grass.

  “Even better,” Sarco said. “When I’m done with your master I’ll take these foolish beasts’ hides and teeth.”

  The Scavenger walked around to face Luke. The young rebel was on his knees, blinking furiously. He waved his lightsaber weakly in front of him, and Sarco took a half step back, the movement
  relaxed and casual.

  “You’ll never see it coming,” Sarco purred, raising the electrostaff like a club.

  A laser bolt zipped past the alien’s head. He spun away, electrostaff held in front of him. Then he turned, the bristles on his arms twitching.

  “Get away from him, Scavenger,” Farnay said, holding Luke’s blaster pistol in front of her.