Saga - ST Star Wars: Episode VIII-Siege of the Republic

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

Star Wars

Episode VIII: Siege of the Republic

Five years have passed since the skirmish on Taris. The Jedi Hunter Skyler now leads the Freedom Coalition, carrying out attacks against more Republic systems.

Giving himself the title of Dark Master, Skyler also trains a group of young warriors in the dark side, intending to crush Luke Skywalker's Jedi Order.

The Dark Master has sent two apprentices to lead the Coalition attack on Ord Mantell. Led by General Solo's Millennium Falcon, Rogue Squadron rushes to defend the besieged system...

ORD MANTELL SYSTEM

Ord Mantell was a rocky world filled with underground tunnels and transport systems between its cities.

Three large battleships circled in orbit over the medium sized planet, a Black Sun skyhook, a Hutt Cartel Dor'bulla, and a Sith Dreadnought.

Dozens of smaller fighters emerged from the three command ships, bound for the surface of Ord Mantell to commence with the invasion of the Republic-loyal system.

It was not long before the planetary government's call for help was answered: very suddenly, a swarm of Republic ships came out of lightspeed into the planet's system, a small Republic cruiser as well as a fleet of Interceptors.

From the control room of the Shadowhawk class ship, called the Blue Harvest , Commander Sam Fel gazed at the scene before him, frowning grimly.

"All units in attack position," he said.

"Affirmative," came the reply.

"This is going to be rough," Sam said, "Our fleet is spread out enough as it is fighting these monsters."

Sitting next to him, Captain McCallum said, "It will be nice to have the Coalition off our backs for good."

Sam nodded, reflecting on how much he hated the terrorist organization that had been slowly dismantling galactic peace for years now.

He had fought many battles against the so-called Freedom Coalition and knew their style well. They were a guerrilla organization, but their ambition was to invade as many Republic worlds as possible to expand the underworld's criminal enterprises.

"Into the inferno we go," Sam said, flicking a switch on his control panel.

"Attack!" the Interceptor squad captain shouted. Sam accelerated the speed of the Blue Harvest as he led the fighters into battle.

The Coalition ships were quick to respond. The Syck fighters from the Hutt Cartel had been upgraded considerably over the past five years, Sam noticed as he swerved his Shadowhawk around their jets of laserfire.

Accompanying the Hutt Cartel ships were the slightly larger Vaskai fighters supplied by Black Sun.

"They're getting better," a female pilot pointed out as the two sides continued to exchange fire.

"Head down to the planet surface when you can," Sam commanded. He set his sights on the brown-blue sphere of Ord Mantell, where many Coalition fighters were already speeding away to, disappearing through the planet's colorless clouds.

Co-piloting the Blue Harvest, Sam sped alongside the Interceptors after the Coalition ships, continuing to blast whatever fighters he could.

"Two Vaskais behind you, commander," another pilot said.

"Thanks, Darklighter," Sam replied as he looked into the viewing screen and swerved out of the way of the large Black Sun fighters.

Within Ord Mantell's atmosphere, Coalition fighters were beginning to emerge from the clouds, opening fire on the cities.

Speeders and shuttles among the air traffic immediately scattered to avoid the oncoming attack.

"We've got to go help them out," Sam said, "I hope the General's having better luck on ground level."

Ord Mantell City was largely contained by a walled perimeter, with it's streets and alleyways organized like a labyrinth.

Its architecture was uniquely shaped, with a small, rocky mountain amidst the plaza where the capitol building was built into.

Many of the buildings were built in domed shapes, with spaceports sparsely built underneath floor level.

At the moment, a battle was raging over the streets as a medium-sized Corellian freighter led another group of Interceptors against the clusters of enemy fighters above ground.

As the Millennium Falcon zoomed over the tops of several burning buildings in pursuit of a Syck pilot randomly opening fire, Han Solo spoke into the radio.

"Sam, we need you and the men down here in the city."

"We'll be there as soon as we can, General Solo," Sam replied, "We're a little tied up at the moment though."

"I don't remember the Coalition having so much firepower," Han's wife, Leia Organa Solo remarked in the seat behind him. Leia was also a trained Jedi Knight along with being the Senator of their homeworld of Corellia.

"Incoming!" shouted a pilot on Sam's end of the communication.

Sam looked to see the Hutt Cartel Dor'bulla open fire, its massive laser beam consuming three of his men in an instant. He cringed at the sudden act, trying to fight down feelings of grief that were threatening his concentration.

Sam reported, "I just lost Skipper, Raven and Darklighter."

"I got a bad feeling about this," Han groaned as another one of his pilots was struck by a Black Sun fighter, spiraling into the street below and exploding.

"They have us outmanned and outgunned," Sam remarked grimly.

Han's first mate Chewbacca pointed out the Falcon's window at the three Coalition command ships looming vaguely behind the clouds.

"You're a genius, Chewie," Han commented. To Sam, he said, "Listen, Sam, you have a new mission It's not going to be a good one."

"Like I said, we're tied up over here," Sam replied.

"That's what I'm getting at, Commander," Han said, "The command ships are the ones directing their one and two-man fighters. What you have to do is disable their command ships and they scatter like blasted atoms."

Sam took in what his superior officer was saying and looked up at the large Hutt, Black Sun, and Sith vessels.

Next to him, McCallum whispered, "Is he crazy?"

"Ssh," Sam whispered back.

"It's the only option we have for now," Han replied, "I didn't say it was a good idea."

Sam sighed and replied, "All right General. I'm on it." To McCallum, he said, "Set our course for the Black Sun skyhook."

In his mind, Sam began to contemplate how to destroy such

To the Interceptors of Rogue Squadron under his command, Sam ordered, "Listen, everyone, the General wants us to target the command ships. This is not going to be easy, but it's our best chance."

Sam could hear overlapping chatter across the radios of the men and women's Interceptors as they questioned this difficult move.

"I know what you guys are thinking. And that's why I'm taking them alone."

"How are you going to do that, Commander?" asked the same female pilot, a woman named Diqua asked, "You'd be insane to try and disable it and make it out alive."

"Let me handle it," Sam replied, "Just keep the fighters busy and try to make it into the city."

"Which one are we taking first?" McCallum asked.

"Skyhook," Sam replied, "And I'm going to need to to take the lead for a while." The young commander hopped up from his seat and started digging through nearby crates before pulling out a sack of detonators.

"What are you doing, Commander?" McCallum asked.

"I'm going to stay in touch by comlink," Sam replied, "Listen for my instructions."

McCallum quickly switched to from copilot to pilot mode on the ship's controls as Sam began removing his uniform to reveal a stealth jumpsuit. Sam then climbed down from the cockpit into the cargo hold.

Yanking his comlink from his uniform, Sam patched into McCallum.

"Do you copy?"

"Roger that," McCallum said.

"Go up and stay close to the body of the skyhook. Watch out for the arms."

McCallum gulped as he looked up the height of the Black Sun command ship, which was roughly the size and shape of a Coruscant skyscraper with revolving arms connected.

He picked up speed as the Interceptors provided cover, flying up against the skyhook towards the very top.

Sam didn't want to look out at the gargantuan vessel he had to destroy. It was not going to be easy, he knew, but his squadron was completely cut off from the planet's surface and the General.

"This is for the Republic," he said.

Inside the skyhook's main control room located in its heart, an orange-skinned Houk Vigo named Lun Rask reported, "We've lost sight of their lead ship."

Rask spoke to the image of a shadowy figure on the holotable in front of him.

The figure was a young humanoid Nagai, stationed on the Sith cruiser a short way around the orbit of Ord Mantell.

Nagai's eyes glowed red as he responded, "Then you are being infiltrated. The Republic has all sorts of dirty tricks up their sleeves. You'd best kill them before it gets messier."

In frustration, Rask severed the communication and shouted at his lieutenants, "We're under attack! The lead ship is somewhere very close! Be on heavy lookout!"

The mercenaries and guards of Black Sun raced down the thin staircases, corridors and turbolifts of the skyhook, determined to stop the intruder.

The secret bottom hatch of the Blue Harvest slid open inside the cargo hold.

Sam pulled a lethal detonator from the sack and flicked the switch to alter the settings.

Aboard the Sith cruiser, Nihl spoke with a female Twilek, with skin the color of a dark side warrior's lightsaber.

Both of these mysterious leaders carried sabers, and were dressed in the robes of the Sith.

Talon said to Nihl, "Stay in command up here. I will go and join the fight on Ord Mantell. Do not contact the Dark Master unless I give the okay

Nihl nodded as Talon quickly strode out towards the hangar, where her long, sleek Infiltrator was waiting. Though Nihl resented it, Talon was the Dark Master's most trusted student and so all other apprentices knew to respect her authority.

Talon wasted no time taking off in her ship, quickly activating the cloaking device as she took off out of the hangar.

She flew straight past the battle between the Republic and Coalition fleets, bound directly for the sphere of Ord Mantell.

The Millennium Falcon had landed in a pitted spaceport to avoid fire from the Coalition fighters.

Han Solo asked over the radio, "How're we doing up there?"

McCallum managed to respond as he avoided fire from one of the guns built into the skyhook, "Pretty bad."

"About what I expected," Han said as an aside to Chewie and Leia.

The golden protocol droid See-Threepio chimed in. "General Solo, do you know how long we will statistically last if we stay hiding here much longer?"

"No, and I don't want to," Han replied.

"According to my calculations," Threepio began, but Chewie gave a loud roar and lightly slapped his paw against Threepio's plated chest.

"Some things never change," Leia remarked with a touch of humor.

Flying over the top towers of Ord Mantell City, Talon pressed a button on the gauntlet attached to her wrist.

"What is it?" Han asked as Leia leapt up from her seat. "You have that look."

"It's the dark side," she said, "Something else is going on here."

Leia's hand reached for her lightsaber as Commander Pellaeon gestured for the guerrilla fighters hidden inside the tunnels between the city streets and the spaceport to emerge.

Leia raced down the cockpit and ran towards the Falcon's ramp, igniting her lightsaber as she used the Force to open it.

"Come on, Chewie," Han muttered as he drew his pistol.

Unstrapping his bowcaster and positioning it to fire, Chewbacca followed his best friend as they joined Leia on the ramp to return fire against the Coalition soldiers attacking.

Leia deflected the shots flying at them with her lightsaber while Han and Chewie fired wherever they could, striking the hired thugs as they came out of the tunnels.

But it was Leia who dealt the most blows without firing a blaster or coming near their enemies.

Han watched his wife in amazement as she moved her blade like a fan, swatting back the laser bolts into the bodies of the guerrillas who fired them.

"I'm sorry for every time I doubted your energy field," Han said.

"Apology accepted," Leia replied as the first wave of Coalition men lay scattered on the hangar floor, "Now let's get out of this metal hole and see if we can get help."

Meanwhile, Sam climbed down the ladder leading out of the top hatch into the skyhook, while McCallum hovered above in the Blue Harvest shuttle.

Sam flung a detonator at the aluminum wall, where it stuck like a magnet. All around him, alarms were blaring as chaos filled the Black Sun command ship.

"Five minutes," he muttered.

Suddenly, the ladder Sam was clinging onto with one hand trembled as a Gammorean guard struck at it with his axe.

"I'm in trouble," Sam grumbled as he nearly dropped the sack of detonators. He grabbed another one and pitched it towards the other side with his free hand, continuing to hang on as his fet slipped off the rung. His comlink fell to the floor a hundred meters below, disappearing ominously from sight.

"Commander, are you still with me?" McCallum asked. No answer except the sound of a Gammorean cry and the ringing of alarms from the skyhook.

"No," McCallum mumbled sadly. At that moment, a blow from a Syck fighter struck the side of the shuttle's wing.

"General, I've lost Commander Fel," McCallum reported as he turned the Blue Harvest around to return fire, "He's inside the skyhook and I can't reach him."

"Get away from the thing before it blows up," Han said from inside the Millennium Falcon, "and detach the escape pod."

Leia was still positioned on the ramp, deflecting fire aimed at them while Chewie activated the guns attached to the bottom of the freighter.

"The escape pod?" McCallum asked as he blasted the Syck fighter and sent it crashing into a wing of the Skyhook.

"Yeah, the one built into your shuttle," Han replied, "Attach it to the top of the skyhook and leave it for Sam."

"But what if he doesn't make it?" McCallum asked, "He might already be..."

"Don't!" Han snapped into the radio, "Sam's going to be fine. He's my best man in the fleet. Just leave the pod and get away!"

"As you wish, sir," McCallum replied.

Han activated another radio channel, now transmitting a signal much further away.

"Admiral, do you copy?"

RYLOTH

Another battle raged on the Twilek homeworld of Ryloth, the local militia facing the Coalition guerrillas in the streets.

Flying his Republic shuttle into the aerial combag zone above, Admiral Calrissian responded to the communication patched to him.

"Calling me Admiral, are we? Han, are you getting all proper on me now?"

"Listen, Lando, we're in a bit of a rough patch here on Ord Mantell," came the reply from Han, "We could use any help we can get."

Lando became somber as he sighed regretfully. "Listen, buddy, I wish I could drop everything for you, but I can't. Our entire forces are spread across the galaxy and I have to help the militia here on Rylo

"I get it," Han replied with an uncharacteristically sad and weary tone, "Good luck out there Lando."

"You too, you old pirate," Lando replied before ending the communication.

ORD MANTELL SYSTEM

Sam hung on tightly to the detonator sack and the ladder as the Gammorean was joined by two Falleen Vigos, both of whom drew their pistols to open fire. Sam slipped an arm into the strap of the sack and, still holding on for dear life, managed to pull out another detonator.

McCallum pulled the lever to release the escape pod, which then latched itself to the top hatch of the skyhook and opened down below.

Sam looked up at the pod with determination, and flicked the detonator's deadman switch. Instead of tossing the detonator, he placed it back in the bag and dropped the whole thing.

Nearly falling off, Sam caught himself and began to climb up with all the strength in his body.

McCallum sped as far as he could from the Black Sun skyhook, feeling a lump in his throat as he looked back and said, "Goodbye Sam."

"What was that?" asked one of the pilots.

"I'm afraid we have to say goodbye to Captain Fel," McCallum said, "his heroic sacrifice..."

He stopped as the small, blue escape pod blasted away from the skyhook, getting just far enough away a second before the entire command ship was broken into pieces by a massive explosion as the activated detonator in the sack triggered all the other ones.

"Destroy the pod!" Vigo Dask shouted in desperation just as the main command station was engulfed in the explosion.

"He made it!" McCallum shouted in joy and relief.

"I knew it," Han said from down in Ord Mantell City. At that moment, Leia slipped back into the Falcon and pressed the button to seal the ramp.

She sighed wearily as she followed Chewie up into the cockpit to join her husband and Threepio.

Inside the Hutt Cartel Dor'bulla, its crew members screamed in alarm as a debris-covered arm from the destroyed skyhook towards it.

"Evade, evade!" shouted a Nikto lieutenant just before the arm plunged into the Nal Hutta craft.

Only now did Sam dare to look back. He felt a mix of vulnerability and triumph as he steered the small, nearly defenseless escape pod after the BlueHarvest to reconnect with it.

The mysterious warrior Nihl ran into his own Infiltrator before taking off from the Sith cruiser, bound to join his fellow warrior on Ord Mantell.

"All clear, General," Sam reported.

"Good work, kid," Han replied as the Falcon rejoined the airborne fight throughout Ord Mantell's capital, "Now we need all the men we can get down here."

"Copy," Sam replied as the pod reattached to its parent ship. Sam climbed back into the Blue Harvest as it led the fleet of Republic craft into the atmosphere of Ord Mantell.

Eyeing the Millennium Falcon from afar, Talon set her ship's course to follow it.

Separately, Nihl performed the same action. The two Interceptors quickly approached the Falcon as it hurried to regroup with the rest of the Republic fleet.

 

I haven’t forgotten this story, to anybody maybe reading it. I’m still working on making all three installments fit together, and I also have another non-Star Wars fic I want to do.

 

Riveting action packed start and Leia in Jedi mode WOOHOO! !!!

 

Update: I haven't forsaken this story either. I'm working to make sure that the narrative makes sense as do the characters and their motivations.

 

Update: My sources tell me that @Emperor Ferus will make this story as well as its sequel his priority when he has more time for fanfic writing in general.

 

OSSUS

The training exercise took place deep among the multicolored vegetation that surrounded the ancient Jedi Academy that was home to Luke Skywalker's Jedi Order. Luke had moved his Jedi there from Coruscant about eight years ago to ensure their safety.

At the moment, several long, twisted tree logs and stumps were flying through the forest, with the little extragalactic critters occupying the habitats nearby scurrying for cover..

A small, thin figure leapt off an extended tree branch, landing her feet on a floating log. The brown-haired girl was wearing a training visor that covered her eyes, and held her blue-bladed lightsaber in one hand.

As Kira Solo struggled to remain balanced atop the floating log, a round training remote appeared from the cover of the forest canopy, opening fire.

Kira turned her head towards the rapid fire coming her way and used her lightsaber to bat each bolt to the side until she managed to send one into the remote, causing it to explode.

"Woah!" she cried out as her legs wobbled, nearly causing her to fall off the log.

Another remote appeared from the inside of a hollow tree, firing even quicker.

Kira twirled her lightsaber from side to side, batting away the stun bolts coming from the remote.

Within ten seconds, the remote was damaged enough to go spiraling down from the air, crashing into the grass with a small explosion.

Kira grinned in satisfaction before turning around to slice in half another spherical remote that had snuck up on her.

She looked to the right to see a blonde, similarly- built girl who, like Kira, wearing a visor over her eyes engaged in battle with two remotes on either side. Kira's fellow trainee was also standing on airborne logs manipulated by the Force.

Kira leapt from one log to the next, making her way towards the other girl, who sensed her coming.

Tahiri Veila sliced open one of the two droids while roundhouse kicking the other.

The second remote blasted just past Tahiri's right leg, just before she poked her violet-colored saber blade through its nozzle.

The electrocuted droid slid to the ground against the bark of a deciduous tree.

Kira jumped about five yards onto a branch, grabbing on as she swung onto the next log. Her feet landed perfectly on the floating branch, though she had to put her hand on the tree trunk for balance.

Tahiri ran from one log to the next, preparing to meet her opponent.

Kira assumed a defensive stance as Tahiri jumped onto the log next to hers.

As Tahiri swung her blade, Kira faked right and parried down. Tahiri stumbled to keep her balance, one foot slipping off the log. She rolled over and regained her footing without slipping off.

"Nice move," Tahiri said, panting.

"Then you should see this," Kira replied snarkily, dipping her blade low. Tahiri moved to counter the oncoming strike, but it didn't come in the way she had expected. Instead, Kira dug her saber into the log that her fellow pupil was standing on, slicing it in half.

Tahiri cried out as the log's pieces fell, barely managing to grab onto a nearby piece of tree.

Kira swung again, cutting against the wooden bark so that Tahiri would loosen her hold.

But instead, Tahiri sprang upward, somersaulting onto the same log on which Kira's feet were planted.

Kira couldn't see her fellow Padawan learner, but she could sense that Tahiri was close by.

She backed up as Tahiri inched closer, holding her humming lightsaber diagonally in front of her to block an oncoming strike.

Tahiri hesitated to attack, instead studying her opponent's stance and deciding the best tactical move.

Kira took advantage of the standoff and aimed a kick at the other trainee. Tahiri Force-jumped to avoid the sweep, then used the Force to push Kira slightly backwards.

"Hey!"

Kira grunted as she failed to maintain her balance, instead stumbling from the wooden piece of trunk onto the thin air.

She vainly tried to keep hold of her lightsaber as the metal hilt slipped through her fingers, neatly cutting in half a column of floating tree branches as it hit the grass below.

Before Kira knew it, she too was falling from her perch in the air, through the layers of yellow and orange leaves. She could only slow her fall through the Force as her back hit the dirt with a thud. Kira's visor slipped clean off her face as she landed.

Tahiri looked down with a look of concern on her face, and began to hop from log to log as she returned to the ground level.

As Tahiri ran to check on her fellow Padawan, the logs that had been levitated into the air slowly began to lower until every one was resting on the ground once more.

"Kira!" Tahiri shouted as she reached the other girl. She extended a hand to the fallen Kira, who took it grudgingly.

"You cheated," Kira teased, her face red and sweaty from the rigor of the training exercise

"I did not," Tahiri replied, panting, "I just won."

"I was winning before you decided to change the rules" Kira said. Of course, Kira was not really angry. Tahiri was her closest friend at the Jedi Academy, and this back-and-forth bantering between them was nothing unusual, nor was their mutual competitive streak.

"There's no rule against Force-pushing," Tahiri said.

Two robed figures emerged from the obscurity of the vast tree canopies; these were the two Jedi Masters observing their students undergoing more advanced training than any of their peers.

"You both did a fine job," Grand Master Luke Skywalker said, "Not many have lasted as long as either of you did in this exercise."

"I lasted longer though," Tahiri chimed.

"Don't forget that you are a team," the other Jedi Master spoke up. Tionne Solusar was a dark-skinned woman of middle age, slightly younger than Luke Skywalker, "I hope your girls won't be at each other's throats so much on the field."

"We won't" Kira said with mock resignation, "Besides, we never go on any missions anyway."

"Your time will come soon enough," Luke promised lightly, though with a touch of weariness. "Now, I think it's time for the Jedi to eat."

"Good work out there," Kira said quietly to her friend as they headed back to the Academy through the forest. She clapped Tahiri on the back affectionately, and they exchanged a smile of friendship, "You really were the best one."

"You did a great job, Kira," Tahiri replied, "I know you'll be the last one standing next time.

The adults walked several paces behind their young Padawans.

"They are the best of our students," Tionne pointed out to Luke, "We're going to have to take them on missions sooner or later. With the Coalition getting more powerful, we've had to send out an increasing number of Jedi to assist the Republic forces."

"I know," Luke replied, "But I want to make sure Kira is ready."

"Are you worried about her ability to survive in combat?" Tionne asked.

"Like you said, she's our best student here at the Academy," Luke admitted, "but Kira also has a lot to work on outside of her skills with the Force, or lightsaber combat."

He gazed out into the horizon as they cleared the forest and reached the plains separating it from the complex structure of the Jedi Academy, which was a network of towers connected by bridges and walkways that stood tall among the canopy trees of the Ossus wilderness.

"Are you afraid of her falling to the dark side?" Tionne asked, "Do you think she would turn if she was to go out into battle?"

Luke paused, making sure that Kira and Tahiri were well out of earshot. The two Jedi stood still in the grass as their pupils strode on further ahead, past a cluster of younger students being instructed by Jedi Master Kol in lightsaber combat.

"Kira is very committed to the Jedi, I will give her that much," Luke finally replied, "She is also very eager to prove herself. I just hope she doesn't repeat my past mistakes."

As the two senior Jedi climbed the steps up into the main Academy entryway, the Duros Master Glut Nodlad hurrying out of the stone temple and approached Luke and Tionne urgently.

"Master Skywalker," Glut said, affording the Grand Master a quick bow, which both he and Tionne returned, "We've received contact from the Senate. The Chief wishes to speak with you."








Due to the old age of the Ossus Academy, there was no turbolift system built in, meaning Luke had to take the long way up to the council chamber. He strode up the long, infinite staircase that diverged from the main temple entryway, followed by Tionne and Glut.

The three Masters then hurried down the walkway into a round metal dome perched atop the bridge, which slid open upon Force command.

A few more Masters waited for Luke as he entered the chamber. With a press of the control panel next to the doorway of the council chamber, a holotable rose from the floor.

Master Nodlad activated the channel connecting the Jedi with a group of Republic officials appearing via hologram. They included Chief of State Borsk Fey'lya, Senators Mon Mothma of Chandrilia, Triclops of Nar Shaddaa, Luke's own cousin Pooja Naberrie of Naboo, Horox Ryydder of Gravelex Med, and Grand Vizier Cal Omas.

"Chief, Senators, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Luke asked, barely disguising in his voice that he knew full well the conversation would not be pleasant.

"As you know, Master Skywalker," the holographic form of Fey'lya said, "The galactic crisis involving the so-called Freedom Coalition is growing worse. We are experiencing terrorist attacks in virtually all Republic systems."

"I know full well the wrath of the Coalition," Luke replied, "My Jedi Knights are doing everything they can to protect the people."

"Mere protection is not enough anymore," Fey'lya growled.

"I told them you would not agree to this," interjected Pooja.

Mon Mothma looked similarly disdainful as Luke asked, "What more do you ask of the Jedi Order?"

"It is the sworn duty of the Jedi to defend the Galactic Republic, as it has been for millennia," Fey'lya said, "The Dark Master is known to be a user of the Force and a ruthless leader of the terrorist Coalition. They will stop at nothing short of total war."

Luke cringed at the mention of his former student and foster son, Skyler. He wasn't sure if Fey'lya was accusing him of anything, but he decided to dismiss the notion for his peace of mind.

"Furthermore," chimed in Omas, "It is known that the Dark Master has trained an elite group of dark side warriors to lead the guerrilla forces."

"Yes, we've faced them too," Tionne said, stepping up defensively behind Luke.

"So you'll understand why we are bringing you to task," Fey'lya replied, "Only the Jedi can hope to bring the Republic to victory against the Coalition."

Luke sighed, looking down with his eyes closed. He knew that this conversation with the Chief of State would come eventually, he had long heard of talk in the Senate from Leia about sending the Jedi to fight directly alongside Republic troops. And he knew what his stance on the matter was.

"With respect, Chief, the Jedi cannot repeat the mistakes of our forebearers. We will defend the people, but we will not escalate any war."

"Escalate?" Cal Omas questioned, "How can we hope to win if the Jedi are not leading the charge? Do you think the old Republic army stood a chance without the Jedi generals?"

"The Republic lost the war last time," Tionne said, "because the Jedi were manipulated. We're not privy to let that happen again." She narrowed her eyes at the scowling Fey'lya.

"The Senate is due to vote on a motion commissioning the Jedi as generals of our army," Fey'lya declared, "If the motion carries, you'll have no choice but to take the field and deploy your Jedi into battle alongside our ships and soldiers."

"You'd need our consent even if the motion passes," Tionne argued, "We are no longer bound to the Senate."

"Consider this," Omas's hologram said, "If the Dark Master's forces overtake Republic systems, we'll be helpless. What will it say if the Jedi refuse to do their duty and fight?"

"The Jedi are active on the battlefield, and have been since the incidents on Nal Hutta and Taris," Glut Nodlad pointed out, "We are not escaping our duties to the galaxy."

"But we are losing," Fey'lya said, "Losing because the Jedi are actively avoiding the battlefield and the New Republic will not survive. Our military is young and needs the support of the Jedi. Master Skywalker, the Senate is not asking, they are demanding that you fight with us. If you don't, you are no ally of the Republic."

Luke finally looked back at the hologram of Fey'lya.

"My sister, Master Organa Solo, will be there for the vote as Corellia's Senator. She will present the Jedi's stance on the matter."

"We know that you have the people's interest at heart, Master Jedi," Mon Mothma said in a conciliatory fashion, "Your service to the Rebellion and the Republic have not been forgotten."

"Thank you, Senator," Luke replied, "Chief Fey'lya, you will hear from us on the Senate floor."

Luke then waved his hand to end the communication.

"The Chief can't do this to us," Tionne protested, "He can't threaten the Jedi."

"We will follow your verdict, Master," Glut said, "Our loyalty is to the Jedi Order first and the Republic second."

"I will have to meditate about this," Luke sighed, wearily departing the enclosed dome back onto the bridge.

Inside Kira's quarters, she studied a holomap of the nearby Core Worlds, scanning curiously at zoomed-in images of each one.

She imagined herself flying from Ossus to the nearby capital of Coruscant, firing on the Coalition Syck fighters and blasting them into chunks of gas and fire. She remembered at age thirteen, holding her own against the deadly Hutt Cartel, as well as the minions of the Jedi Hunter over Taris.

Then, with her brother Ben, she had faced the evil leader himself, nearly dying. But she survived, and she knew that the Hunter would not forget. Kira wondered if he was as eager for their rematch as she was. This time, she'd have far more experience both with lightsaber combat and her piloting abilities. And it wasn't just the Hunter either. Kira knew that he now had apprentices of his own, and she was determined to take them all down.

She suddenly turned at the sound of a knock.

Tahiri entered Kira's room, sitting next to her.

"You gotten dinner yet?" the other girl asked.

"Not hungry yet," Kira replied.

"You'll get a chance soon," Tahiri promised, reading her friend's mind.

"I'm the same age my mom was when she fought the Empire," Kira sighed, "Uncle Luke sends all the younger Padawans on missions all the time. I'll bet Raynar's already fought a Sith. Luke just doesn't believe in you."

"Forget about Raynar," Tahiri said consolingly, "Skywalker knows you're good, the best actually. He's your uncle though, so of course he's going to keep you safe."

"That doesn't stop Ben from seeing action," Kira replied glumly, "Ben's on Nar Shaddaa now, with Antilles and his crew."

"You don't want to go to Nar Shaddaa," Tahiri said, "That's one of the most dangerous planets in the galaxy to be."

"Anywhere's better than being stuck here," Kira sighed, gazing out her window.

ORD MANTELL

The Millennium Falcon sailed over the peaks of the Ord Mantell City skyscrapers as Han steered it to the approaching Rogue Squadron.

"Nicely played, kid," Han remarked as Sam's escape pod sailed by, "I'll bet you wish you could land with more style though."

"Come on, at least I got the job done," Sam replied.

His escape pod descended towards the arena-shaped docking bay below the ground level of Ord Mantell City.

Han steered the Falcon alongside the rest of Rogue Squadron as they landed to regroup below.

As the entire party landed, the Falcon's radio blinked, prompting Chewie to switch it on.

"General Solo, we still detect dozens of Coalition ships in our space," Mayor Brackett reported, "Including two Infiltrators."

"Yeah, we're on it, Mayor," Han replied, "My men need to fuel up first."

"Hurry, General, they are surrounding our cities!"

"All right, all right," Han grumbled, switching off the radio. "Why won't he get off his rear end to give us a hand?"

"It only gets worse from here," Leia commented, "The Coalition has dark siders in their ranks now. A new generation of Sith."

"Sith?" Han asked, "Like the Sith Luke talks about?"

"Yes, the Hunter isn't the only one now," Leia replied grimly, "And I think they're on to us now."

As the two Interceptors appeared over Ord Mantell's capital, Han barked orders into the radio.

"All units, lift off immediately. Commander, take A group to the west side, I'll take B group to the east. Chewie, hit the throttle."

Chewbacca obeyed, pulling the lever to instantly launch the Falcon back into the air.

Sam had rejoined McCallum in the Blue Harvest, and eagerly followed the Falcon, but not all the Interceptors were able to take off before being bombarded with grenades from the enemy ship.

"Chewie, take the back cannons," Han ordered, while Chewbacca was already climbing out of the cockpit to assume firing position.

"Help me out up here," Han said to his wife.

Leia assumed the copilot's chair and activated the front guns as the Falcon sailed to meet the incoming volley of fire.

"Oh, does it ever end?" Threepio lamented.

In the control room of her Interceptor, the Twi'lek Talon set her sights on the Republic command ship.

"There's a Jedi aboard that ship," she remarked to the cloaked Shadowguard next to her, "I'll take care of it the old-fashioned way.

Talon picked up the long, moss-covered handle sitting next to her and hurried from the cockpit towards the ramp.

"That big ship's coming towards us," Han observed.

"Why isn't it firing?" Leia wondered.

Down below, local officers were vainly opening fire at the Coalition vessels descending on the city, while artillery cannons fired heavy lasers.

Several Syck fighters were taken out, but the swarm seemed to be endless.

"General Solo, do you read me?" Sam asked from the controls of the Blue Harvest.

"I read you, Commander, but I'm a little occupied with...holy!"

Han gaped as the Interceptor's ramp slid down in midair, revealing a young, female Twi'lek with bright red skin and menacing tattoos.

Observing the dark warrior, Leia sprang from her seat and drew her own lightsaber.

"This looks like a Jedi thing," Han said.

"You got that right, flyboy."

Leia hurried from the cockpit as Talon leapt from the ramp of her ship onto the hull of the Millennium Falcon.

Talon immediately plunged her red blade into the ship, beginning to cut a hole into it.

"Hey, what's she doing to my ship?" Han yelled.

Leia Force-lept through the top hatch of the Falcon and landed with her feet atop the hull, facing the Sith antagonist.

"So, it's Skywalker's sister," Talon sneered, "Someone of value. You'll be perfect for my first kill."

Leia didn't respond to the young Sith, but raised her hand to push her off of the Falcon.

Talon was caught in the chest, screaming as she flew from the Falcon down into the city below.

The dark disciple managed to land on her two feet on the boulevard, where she was confronted by a squadron of Republic troopers.

"Put your weapon down," the sergeant ordered.

Talon smiled at him before cutting through the entire squadron with two strokes of her blade.

The second Interceptor suddenly collided into the Falcon, knocking it off course.

Leia's feet shifted and she found herself flying off of the side. She managed to grab onto the ledge before flying off of the Falcon's hull, holding on as she struggled to climb up.

"Concentrate your fire on the big ship," ordered Sam, immediately targeting the Interceptor.

The Harvest trembled as it was caught by a stray jet of laserfire, skidding against the side of a marble structure.

 

ORD MANTELL

Talon darted into the alleyway nearest to her, lightsaber still activated. She made sure that nobody was following her, least of all the Jedi, before leaping towards the wall of the building nearest to her.

Talon then bounced off of the building's marble wall, springing across the alley towards the one opposite.

The Twi'lek apprentice continued her leap from wall to wall until she reached the rooftops, where she was standing close to the aerial battle between the New Republic Interceptors and the Coalition fighters.

Talon reached for the comlink on the belt of her black robe and switched it on.

"I'm approaching the capital building. Get the shock grenades ready."

"Copy," Nihl said from his Infiltrator. With the Shadowguard in his copilot seat, Nihl piloted his vessel upwards, disengaging from the Millennium Falcon rather than firing on the still-struggling Leia.

Leia managed to climb onto the hull of the Falcon, where Chewbacca was waiting for her. The Wookiee used his hairy arms to support Leia as he helped her climb down the top hatch.

Back in the cockpit, Han studied the Infiltrator as it flew towards the rooftops ahead.

"Where's he going?" the general wondered aloud.

By this time, Talon managed to hop onto the rooftop of the domed Capitol building of Ord Mantell City.

Leia quickly rejoined her husband in the cockpit of the Falcon while Threepio stayed in the passenger hold, fiddling with the pieces of the holochess table.

"Follow him!" Leia shouted as Han sped up after the Sith vehicle.

Nihl gave the controls of his vessel to the Shadowguard and lifted a large, cubed shock grenade, at the same time using the Force to open a secret hatch to his Infiltrator.

"I got a bad feeling about this," Leia said.

Nihl pitched the grenade out of the hatch, towards the building into which Talon was standing.

The grenade struck the rooftop, sending a large electrical wave throughout the levels of the Capitol.

Inside the building, workers and officials screamed as the rooms went silent.

Mayor Brackett's voice sounded on the radio: "General Solo, we..." before going totally silent, followed by static.

"They cut the power," Han remarked. Talon took a last look at the Falcon, winking slyly before jumping into the hole left by Nihl's grenade.

"General Solo, behind you!" Sam's voice shouted from the Blue Harvest.

Han took evasive action as Nihl came up behind the Falcon, flanked by two Black Sun Elite Vipers.

"Cover me!" he shouted as he and Leia turned the ship onto its side, speeding over the narrow alleyway between two buildings.

Sam and McCallum opened fire on the Vipers, managing to strike one in the top wing.

Screams could be heard from inside the Capitol as Talon plowed her way through.

"Look!" McCallum pointed as dignitaries and government workers came pouring out of the metropolitan building, met by volleys of fire as they hit the sidewalk.

"All Republic units, follow me," Han said as the Falcon emerged from the alleyway and returned right-side-up, "We need to regroup and make a better plan before more of us get killed."

Dams of water flowed throughout Ord Mantell's plains toward the walled-in capital city. The streams of water protected by the dam pathways were visible from the red-and-pink clouds above. The dams were connecting the irrigation system of the city to a complex network of tunnels where water came in and out.

The remaining Interceptors followed the Falcon and Blue Harvest from the smoldering walls of the city Civilians cowered as Coalition mercenaries began to prowl the streets.

"We need the Jedi," an old woman whispered fearfully as the armored guerrillas marched.

Several hundred miles from the capital city, Han, Leia and the Falcon crew finally landed to meet with the rest of Rogue Squadron.

As the men and women assembled in the circle formed by their docked vessels, Leia activated a portable holoprojector to display a holographic blueprint of Ord Mantell City. It wasn't of the best quality, but it would have to do without Artoo around.

"The Coalition has managed to capture the main infrastructure of the city," Han said, "They've had dozens of mercenaries hiding in the crevices and alleyways all this time."

"I don't understand how they got so many men so quickly," the female pilot named Trix Azer commented, "They're still a small operation."

"Many more are dissenting against the Republic now," Leia replied, "After seeing what the Coalition was capable of on Taris, they inspired others to fight against us, others who prefer the lawlessness of the underworld."

"We've got too small of a crew to secure a quick victory," Sam added, "Chief Fey'lya's already got the navy we have spread across the Core Worlds."

"Lando's dealing with a crisis on Ryloth," Han added.

"We can't let the Coalition have this one," Trix said.

"Guerrilla fighters alone are no problem," Leia said, gazing at the horizon towards the smoke in the distance, "But they're being led by dangerous people, people with powers that we're not prepared to fight."

Suddenly, a new craft appeared in the atmosphere of Ord Mantell overlooking the exiled Republic fighters, one that was unfamiliar to most, but one that Han and Leia knew well.

Chewbacca gave an excited roar as Leia said, "Look."

Han gazed up at Ben's StealthX as it descended towards the group to join them.

As Ben Solo landed his green and silver vehicle, Han and Leia rushed to greet him. The young Jedi Knight climbed out of the cockpit to be embraced tightly by both his parents.

"Ben!" Leia exclaimed, "what are you doing here?"

"You're looking worse for wear, kid," Han teased.

"The Pykes have left Nar Shaddaa and my job was done," Ben replied, "I'll leave it to the Republic to sort out the rest. I thought I'd pay you all a visit."

Han and Leia led their son back to where the others were gathered.

"Hey," Ben said to everyone, receiving hearty greetings in return.

"We could use your help about now," Sam remarked.

Ben smiled modestly as Han said, "I've got a lot of confidence in my boy here, but we're dealing with something none of us have seen before. Not for a long while, at least."

Leia exchanged a glance with her husband and understood that like her, he didn't want to put their son in unnecessary danger, Jedi or not. Still, they all had jobs to do.

"We need a new plan of attack," Leia said, indicating the holographic blueprint, "The Coalition troops are going to be manning the walls of the city, so we'd need to somehow attack from the middle."

"Attacking from inside the perimeter?" Sam asked, "How're we going to pull that off?"

"We could find a way to use the irrigation channels," Ben pointed out, "If we could sneak all of the men into the city, we could divide them and reconquer the city piece by piece."

Leia's holoprojector began to hum as the image of the capital city flickered and was replaced by the hologram of Grand Vizier Cal Omas.

"Vizier Omas, to what to we owe the pleasure?" Leia asked. Her tone carried a mix of diplomatic earnestness and annoyed contempt.

"Senator Solo, I am recalling you to Coruscant for the important Senate vote regarding the role of the Jedi in the war with the Coalition," Omas stated, "Can we expect your presence in the arena."

Han spoke up in defense of his wife. "With respect, Cal, we're in the middle of a battle objective here."

"I understand, General," Omas replied, nonetheless scowling, "But without the active participation of the Jedi in our military, we cannot hope to conquer the Coalition. It would be a disservice for the Order to refuse."

Ben stepped forward. "Master Skywalker has made his stance on the matter clear, Grand Vizier," he said.

"Who is this young man?" Omas asked contemptuously.

"That's my son!" Han barked.

"Nonetheless, Senator, you and your brother will be expected in the Senate. The Chief will hold you both accountable otherwise."

With that, Omas's hologram faded into the gloomy air.

"Honey, I'll be okay here, really," Han said, "You go do your job in the Royal snoozehall."

Leia briefly smiled before turning serious again. "Han, my place is in the field, with you."

"We'll have to figure out something fast," Han replied, feeling hopeless despite his words.

OSSUS

Inside the Council chamber, Luke was accompanied by Masters Tionne, Nodlad, Sebatyne, and Hamner as he spoke to both Han and Leia via hologram.

"The Chief already has it in for the Jedi as it is," Leia said, "If we're not there on Coruscant, he might pursue aggressive action against us."

"The Jedi are well hidden from any threat, whether from friend or foe," Luke assured his sister.

"But he has strong influence over public opinion," Leia replied, "Who knows what Fey'lya could make the public believe about the Jedi?"

"Listen, kid, nobody hates this more than I do," Han said, unable to keep the pleading from his voice, "But we're trying to keep the Senate off all our backs. And these new Coalition leaders, whoever they are."

"I know where they come from," Luke said grimly, "And I know that the Jedi can't avoid them forever."

"Ord Mantell needs the Jedi, Luke," Leia said, "they need you."

Luke nodded in agreement, understanding the true meaning of Leia's words.

It had come full circle, Luke realized, from Leia asking old Ben Kenobi for help to both Han and Leia asking Luke, now a Jedi Master, go rescue them from their plight. As a Jedi, it was Luke's role to keep peace in the galaxy.

There was a chamber within the sixth level of the Jedi Academy that contained a vast, lush garden with all of the best vegetation that Ossus had to offer. The flowers were plentiful with different colors, shapes and sizes, while a small waterfall flowed into the pond on the Garden Level.

Clearing her mind of her internal plagues, Kira sat on the grass deep in meditation.

At least she appeared to be meditating. In fact, her mind was lightyears away, faces coming upon her visage.

She saw her parents, flying in the heat of battle. Her brother Ben, wielding his lightsaber and ready for action.

She now saw the young pilot Sam Fel, who she'd first become acquainted with on Nal Hutta during her attempt to help her parents fight off the Coalition.

Kira opened her eyes as she sensed a shimmering presence behind her.

"He is a good looking pilot, isn't he?" asked a familiar voice.

Kira blushed in embarrassment as she turned to find the ghost of her grandfather, Anakin Skywalker.

"How do you know what I'm thinking?" she asked sheepishly.

"Even if we weren't so bonded, I'd still know that look in your eye. You always get it when you see him," Anakin teased.

"All right, is that all?" Kira asked, nonetheless smiling at her grandfather.

"Okay, I won't talk anymore about it," Anakin promised, still grinning mischievously, "But I remember falling in love myself, and I remember pining for what I couldn't have."

"Ive got other things on my mind too," Kira said defensively.

"I know," Anakin replied, growing more solemn.

"In a lot of ways, I still feel like the same little girl I was on Corellia," Kira explained, "I'm still being kept away from the fighting, while my parents and Ben are in the battlefield every day."

"Being a Jedi isn't about fighting, Kira," Anakin reminded her, "But I know just how you feel. I know it won't be long before Luke feels you are ready."

"Why don't you tell him?" Kira asked in a shamefully puerile manner.

"I'm afraid that's not my place," Anakin said with a sad smile, "But patience will always reward you in the end."

"You always seem to have the answers, Grandpa," Kira said, having long since moved to informal terms of address for her grandfather.

"I don't think I ever have the answers," Anakin replied, "I only seek to provide guidance and comfort when you need."

"I feel like I always do," Kira muttered sadly.

She sensed a new presence coming, as Anakin's ghost faded into the dusk.

Kira bowed as her uncle entered the Garden Room.

"You don't have to bow, Kira," Luke said, prompting her to rise.

"Right, no one else around," Kira replied.

"Listen, Kira, this is important," Luke said, "Tonight, we are leaving for a mission. This is a very time sensitive assignment, and it should not be taken lightly."

Kira had begun to grin in a way that would have humiliated her had she seen it, but she suppressed it at the last second. If Luke caught her over-enthusiasm, he kept his reaction well concealed.

"Where are we going, Uncle Luke?"

"We're going to Ord Mantell to help your parents and Rogue Squadron," Luke replied, "We need to end the conflict there as soon as possible. Your mother and I are both expected at the Senate on Coruscant."

"And we leave tonight?" Kira asked, already kicking herself for how giddy she was sounding.

"You'll be happy to know that Tionne and Tahiri are coming with us," Luke replied, "So you won't be totally alone."

"When do we leave?" Kira asked, almost jumping into the air.

"As soon as you're ready," Luke replied. Knowing how ecstatic his niece was, he allowed himself to smile and wink at her.

"I'll be ready right away!" Kira declared, starting to run out of the Garden Level to her quarters.

Luke chuckled despite his worries.

"Seeing her happy makes it all worth the while," he said, apparently to nobody in particular.

The spirit of his father, Anakin, responded.

"Her innocence is a gift. You should enjoy it while it lasts."

Luke nodded, turning grim once again as the future began to trouble his thoughts.

"One of the most important things I learned from Master Yoda was to focus on the present," Anakin said, "and I think this is a good time to remind you of that."

"Did he tell you that too?" Luke asked, "Does he say that to all his Jedi?"

The main hangar of the Jedi Academy was located on the third level, the opening pointed towards the clearing between the many groves of canopy trees.

Few ships were docked besides the Jedi StealthXs, besides a single trooper carrier.

Kira waited by her assigned StealthX, a blue and silver vehicle, while Luke entered the hangar accompanied by Tionne, Tahiri, and his astromech droid Artoo Deetoo.

"Your fighter ready?" Luke asked.

"All ready to launch," Kira replied. Her eyes met Tahiri's, and the other girl returned her grin.

"This is it!" Tahiri whispered with excitement.

"Once we arrive on Ord Mantell, we'll rendezvous with Han and Leia and the others, and plan our next move of attack," Luke said, "This won't be an easy mission."

"Are the two of you ready for the task?" Tionne asked the two girls.

"More than ready," Kira replied.

"Then we'd best get going," Luke said, "Artoo here will transmit the trajectory to your StealthXs and show you where to follow me to."

"May the force be with you both," Tionne said, following Luke and Artoo to where their StealthXs were.

Tahiri grabbed her friend with excitement.

"I told you your chance would come, and you've got it now!" she said.

"I know!" Kira replied, before turning serious. "I just hope I don't blow it."

"You won't," Tahiri promised.

"I don't want to let them down," Kira said, looking out of the hangar into the horizon over the forest.

A few minutes later, the four Jedi were seated in the cockpit of their fighters, with Artoo Deetoo rested in the droid socket of Luke's StealthX.

"Ready to launch on my mark?" Luke asked.

Kira took a deep breath as she pulled the throttle of her ship, lifting off after Luke and the others. She wasn't at all worried about flying, between her practice with the StealthX at the Academy and her long years in the cockpit of her dad's Millennium Falcon.

It was everything else about the mission that was bothering her. She tried to push the feelings of doubt out of her mind as she piloted the StealthX out of the hangar mouth.

However, every kilometer that her ship flew over the treetops made her feel like she was flying further into the inferno.

ORD MANTELL

Darth Talon waited one the wide, shallow staircase leading from the front entrance of the Capitol into the subway system below as Nihl approached from his Interceptor.

"Our forces have secured the corners of the city, and I've sent probe droids after the Falcon."

"The Republic will come back soon," Talon replied, "And now, I think it is time we summoned the Dark Master."

"The Dark Master does not like to be disturbed," Nihl countered, "He never takes kindly to being interrupted."

"Do not presume to know him better than I," Talon snapped at her fellow apprentice, "I have been his oldest and most trusted apprentice, and I know that he will want to come here. Especially with Skywalker's sister."

Talon and Nihl entered the barren building, its communication system still intact.

Bodies were scattered on the floor, as well as discarded blasters. Computers were left open and the Holonet was still active.

Talon approached the main projector and began to patch a signal to a distant planet.

HAD ABADDON

The remote world of Had Abaddon was located in the Mid Rim, just between the Byss and Vjun systems. Its atmosphere largely consisted of dark clouds, and it had a surface full of green and purple acid lakes.

A small castle was built on top of a mountain range overlooking the acidic lake, with two pointy towers touching the clouds.

Four Shadowtroopers stood guard at the drawbridge over the acid moat, two armed with saberpikes and the other armed with electorscythes.

In the upper tower, two TC-SC droids emerged from the innermost chamber.

Armed with deadly staffs, the two droids began to morph appearances, until one resembled the late Darth Maul, and the other resembled the ancient Revan.

The sound of a lightsaber igniting sounded above, and a third figure leapt down from the balcony below.

He was a large and muscular man, but his skin was very pale. He had wavy reddish-brown hair and sunken eyes. Skyler, the Dark Master of the Coalition, waved his red lightsaber blade as he prepares to take down the two droids.

The Maul simulation attacked first, approaching with a kick while striking with his blade at the same time.

Skyler's reflexes allowed him to dodge both strikes, landing on his hand and kicking at the Maul droid.

The droid brought its weapon down to strike Skyler in the face, but the dark warrior raised his hand and sent it flying into its companion.

Skyler rose to his feet as both the Maul and Revan droids recovered, and as they circled around him, he once again slammed the now-damaged Maul droid into Revan's weapon, causing electrical shocks to run through the droid. It turned back to its default form as it crumpled onto the metal floor, Maul's features disappearing.

The Revan droid pointed a gloved finger at a secret panel, which then opened. Reprogrammed IG assassin droids came marching out, armed with blaster rifles.

Skyler faced heavy doses of laserfire as he contended to the masked Revan droid. He blocked every blow from Revan's staff as the towering assassin droids opened fire.

With a quick motion, Skyler pushed Revan back with all of his night and whirled his red blade like a fan in a circle, accurately returning fire to all of the droids.

Revan was quick to strike back, but Skyler kept his staff at bay with his blade, while reaching to grab him by the neck.

The droid struggled as the Dark Master squeezed, until he relinquished his hold.

Before the Revan simulation could reprise his offensive, Skyler let out a yell and leapt at him, leading with his boot. The droid flew back against the wall, landing in a smoldering heap.

Skyler then used the Force to close the panel, crushing the last droid that tried to escape it.

Satisfied with his training, he switched off his saber and clipped it to his belt.

The Dark Master then strode back to his throne room and sat down, where two more Shadowguards were perched.

A shiny red object was seated on the arm next to him. Skyler closed his eyes and placed his hand on the Sith Holocron.

Reaching out and tapping into his inner feelings, the Dark Master willed himself to dig deep and roughly into the knowledge and power stored within.

A gravelly voice from within the Holocron said, "The Sith were doomed to fail, but the dark side remains vigilant. A new army of dark warriors will lead the crusade against the Jedi, and plunge the Force into chaos."

Skyler liked the sound of chaos. He smiled, knowing that he was seizing his destiny as leader of the new Sith movement. He was only twenty-five, but commanded proper respect from both his young students in the dark side and the mobsters who he commanded as leader of the Freedom Coalition. They were worthless, the whole lot of them, useful tools against the degenerate New Republic.

"The future of the galaxy is mine," he said aloud, "I am the master of the dark side.

As Skyler reveled in his power, the Holocron began to glow brightly.

Confused, Skyler rose from his throne and activated his lightsaber suspiciously.

A new figure appeared at the entrance to his throne room, a more advanced PROXY droid.

"What are you?" Skyler demanded. He was familiar with such droids, they were programmed to take the appearances of living or dead beings, and even relay words, actions, and thoughts from them.

The PROXY droid began to experience waves of light across its body until it transformed into the image of another ancient Sith Lord, one long dead and forgotten.

"My line of Sith ended with the Chosen One prophecy, but you, as the heir to Lord Sidious, must continue as the Avenger, Ultor."

"Ultor," Skyler repeated aloud, "Ultor." He liked the sound of that, far more than the name he had been called by Luke Skywalker and his pathetic band of Jedi since his childhood. Whether his birth parents or Master Skywalker himself had given him the name of Skyler, he neither knew nor cared.

He would embrace the role of avenger, and ensure that the shadow of the dark side was cast across the galaxy once more.

The PROXY droid changed from the mysterious Sith into a new being, one Skyler recognized as his messenger, an old Falleen.

"Master, you have a communication from Talon on Ord Mantell. It is of great urgence."

"Tell Talon that her Master, Lord Ultor, will speak with her."

 

A/N to my few readers:


I do have Episode IX planned out from the start to finish, but I am still tweaking the plot of this story since I found a possible weakness. Won’t affect or be affected by what I’ve published so far. It mostly has to do with the sequencing of later events.

I’ll update again soon.


I might also consider creating my own “Expanded Universe” and fill in the gaps between Return of the Jedi, Bloodline Heir and Siege of the Republic, when I have the time and patience. I have headcanons for Kira, Skyler, Sam and others that won’t fit in the main story.

 

Another author’s note- Valor would have been a better last name for Sam, since I read yesterday that that was a name that George had come up with for his first draft of The Star Wars.

I can hardly go and change it now, between here and my Fanfiction.net account

More to come- and I think I’ve mostly solved the kinks of this story.

 

ORD MANTELL SYSTEM

Four Jedi StealthXs appeared in hyperspace above the Ord Mantell system, where massive chunks of debris from the skyhook and Dor'bulla were still floating.

"Watch out for the debris," Luke said as he and Artoo steered his fighter through the wreckage.

Kira likewise took evasive action, swerving her StealthX as a chunk of durosteel flew past her viewscreen.

"The dark side haunts this planet," Tionne remarked as the four of them flew towards the surface of Ord Mantell into the pink and red clouds. By now, night had fallen on Ord Mantell, and the sky had blackened.

"We'll have to make this a fast victory," Luke said as they soared over the planet's lakes, which appeared red and violet from the sky above, "I'll patch a signal to Han and the others."

Setting the radio of his StealthX to contact Rogue Squadron, Luke said, "General Solo, do you copy? This is Luke."

"Maybe something happened to them," Tahiri suggested worriedly.

"No, they're all okay," Kira said, "I can sense them." She could feel the presences of her parents as well as her brother nearby. She felt comforted at Ben's presence, knowing that he would have her back like nobody the base of the stream leading into Ord Mantell City's irrigation system, Ben Solo looked up, then poked his mother Leia on the arm.

"Hey, do you feel that?"

"They're here," Leia replied.

"Han, do you copy?" Luke repeated into his radio as the Jedi StealthXs continued to hover about two hundred meters over the surface of the planet.

Finally, a reply patched through from the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon.

"Nice of you to stop by," Han said.

"I was wondering if I'd hear from you," Luke said with a small chuckle, "Is Leia there?"

"Right beside him," confirmed the Jedi Senator, "We're glad you could make it."

"Hi Mom, hi Dad!" Kira blurted, not able to restrain herself.

"Kira's there too?" Han asked, now feeling uncertain.

"We'll make our business here quick," Luke promised, "And keep everybody together."

"I'm sending you our coordinates now," Han said.

"We'll be with you soon," Luke replied, leading the group of StealthXs towards the cluster of Republic vehicles, including the Falcon and the roughly two dozen Interceptors docked in an arrangement forming a circle around the personnel stationed around

The New Republic pilots had changed from their flight uniforms into ground combat gear, carrying blaster rifles.

"I see them!" Kira said, looking down from her cockpit at the enlarging figures of Han, Leia, Ben, and Chewie as they regrouped with the rest of the strike team.

Likewise, the Republic forces looked up at the approaching Jedi fighters as they began to land.

The Solos and Chewbacca, followed by the wobbling tottering Threepio, rushed towards the docking StealthXs and waved broadly as the four warriors emerged, along with Artoo Deetoo.

"Hey, looking good, kid," Han said.

"Thanks Dad," Kira said, throwing her arms around him.

"I was talking to Luke, but you're not too bad yourself."

"It's been way too long," Leia said, joining in on the family embrace, before Chewbacca let out a roar and enveloped them all in his big, hairy arms.

"How did it go on Nar Shaddaa?" Luke asked his nephew Ben.

"I helped clear the Pykes from the city, and then let the Republic Special Ops do the rest," Ben replied.

Kira turned her attention to her older brother and said, "So that's what took you so long. I missed you!"

"Missed you too," Ben replied, "I hear you're the top of the class."

"Well, Tahiri's up there with me," Kira replied, gesturing to her best friend coming up next to her.

"We'd better get a move on," Han said, gesturing the group back to the awaiting Republic pilots.

"Oh, Artoo, how good it is to see you!" Threepio exclaimed as his blue and silver counterpart let out a series of beeps. "You'll have to tell me everything."

When Artoo replied, Threepio protested, "Lucky? With lasers flying every which way and nearly crashing all the time? I'd rather be in your shoes any day!"

Kira, Tahiri, and the two droids followed the adults back to the camp where the holoprojector was displaying the capital city of Ord Mantell.

Kira gazed intently at Commander Fel as he stood at attention, and smiled.

Sam returned her look with a nod of recognition, retaining his professional composure.

Kira had last seen him about eight months earlier on a visit back home to Corellia. She could not help but feel disappointed at Sam's nonverbal acknowledgement of her. She felt Tahiri nudge her from behind and didn't dare respond.

"Commander, have your reconnaissance scanners picked up anything new from the capital?"

A probe droid emerged from the open ramp of the Blue Harvest and released its switch that allowed it to tap into the holoprojector, displaying closer images from the city's interior.

"It looks like pockets of armed resistance are hiding in the city, including government officials," Sam replied, "Black Sun and the Hutt Cartel are taking over the banks and city offices, and mercenaries are prowling the main streets. But Ord Mantell has an elaborate transportation network between hangars. The crime syndicates don't know the city like the people do."

"We'll have some help then," Leia commented, "Once we can get in touch with the resistance."

"Ben, Tionne and I will travel into the city, along with half of the Interceptors," Luke said, "Kira, Tahiri, you'll stay with the Falcon and the rest of the ships while we keep the Dark Master's lieutenants and the Coalition leadership busy enough. Then, Han and Leia will lead the rest of you into the city to combat the guerrilla forces."

Kira summoned the courage to speak up. "We should go with you, Master, you'll need as many Jedi as you can get sneaking in."

Luke shook his head. "It'll be a dangerous mission. You two Padawans will have your share of the battle, but you'll need to stay as safe as possible."

"We can't risk any more casualties than necessary," Master Tionne amended.

Kira could not help but visibly flush with annoyance.

"It's okay, kid," Han whispered to her.

Luke frowned with worry, then turned his attention back to the images of the city.

"The local government has a wall around the metropolis that will make it hard to break through the defenses and surprise the Coalition. But a few Jedi StealthXs and Interceptors can go unnoticed and keep them busy enough. Then, the rest of the group can charge into the city once the Coalition forces are divided in two."

Han stepped forward to address his troopers.

"Sam, you stay with me along with red group. The rest of you will be led by Trix along with the Jedi ships."

"We won't let you down, General," Trix promised, while Sam gave a silent, withdrawn salute.

Kira felt slightly reassured of her place, looking between Tahiri and her parents, then to Sam.

"You two should stay in the Falcon with us," Leia said to the two Jedi trainees.

"Why?" Kira asked, "We have our own fighters." She turned to Luke, who sighed reluctantly.

"You'll need as many ships as possible flying into the war zone," Luke said, "It'll probably be better if Kira and Tahiri fly in their StealthXs."

A little more softly, he added, "I'm sorry, Leia."

Leia nodded in understanding, having been trained as a Jedi and knowing well not to let her personal feelings come before the greater good.

"We should move quickly if we are to catch them off guard," Tionne cautioned.

"All right, come on, Ben, Artoo," Luke said, beckoning to them as he started back to his StealthX.

"I can't say I envy you this time," Threepio said as Artoo wheeled along after his Master.

"Hey, take care of yourself out there," Han said to his grown son, giving him a clap on the arm.

"I will," Ben promised, slightly embarrassed that nobody else's parents were there.

"Stay close to Uncle Luke," Leia told him.

Kira was last, saying, "It's not fair that I finally get to see you and now we're splitting up again.

"Hey, I'll see you inside the city," Ben replied, "You're going to show them out there, I know you will."

"Take care of yourself out there," Kira said solemnly.

Ben nodded and grinned, turning to join his uncle and Tionne as they started up their StealthXs.

By now, Trix Azer and her designated squad mates had begun firing the engines of their Interceptors, while the others remained stationed on the ground level.

"We'll have to go slowly," Trix said to the Republic ships, "Our scanners should be able to tell where the Coalition leaders are."

"On my mark, slowly lift off," Luke said, pulling the throttle and allowing his StealthX to rise above the heads of the party staying behind.

The others joined him as he gazed at the nighttime horizon ahead.

Han, Leia, and the others silently watched as Luke led Ben, Tionne, and the others over the plains and the pipes leading to the distant cities.

"I hope he knows what he's doing," Han said, "Especially when Ben's with him."

"I trust Luke with our children completely," Leia replied, "We'll just follow the plan, and everything will be okay."

Chewie gave his affirmation as Kira and Tahiri turned to one another.

"You feeling ready for this?" Kira asked her friend.

"We don't really have a choice," Tahiri replied, somewhat less eager to taste the heat of combat than Kira was.

"The new Sith are there, the ones that Skyler trained," Kira whispered, making sure Han and Leia weren't listening, "I hope Luke doesn't finish them off so that we can."

"I hope he does," Tahiri disagreed, "He has a much better chance against them than we do."

Within the walls of the capital city, Talon and Nihl met with the assembled Vigos of Black Sun, who had arrived in the hangar of the main plaza building.

The Falleen Yerrin Serri said, "Are you sure the city is cleared of the Republic?"

"Our combined forces will crush General Solo's fleet," Talon replied, "The spoils of war will be yours for the taking, as long as the Jedi are ours."

Serri countered, "I didn't know Jedi were involved. The loss of our skyhook was bad enough."

"This is more than we bargained for," Vigo Tek Lota replied.

"You should be grateful to us," Nihl chimed in with a vaguely threatening tone, "Even with your skyhook and the Hutts' firepower, you could not stop a small fleet of Republic fighters from penetrating your offensive. Without the Sith, you would have lost. I'd do what we say if I were you."

Talon nodded in agreement, but scowled at the fact that it had been her rival apprentice and not herself who had successfully intimidated the Vigos

"Our mercenaries will be ready to counter their next strike," Serri promised.

HAD ABADDON

The Dark Master's SuperStealther was docked in a small, private hangar high above his fortress's main landing platform, where Coalition ships and Infiltrators were positioned.

Determinedly, Skyler, now thinking of himself Darth Ultor, exited the black steel tower leading to his ship.

Two cloaked Shadowtroopers stood on either side of the small doorway from which Ultor exited. He did not break stride as he climbed into the hatch of his SuperStealther, sitting in the pilot's seat himself once he reached the cockpit. Ultor did not trust anybody's piloting skills but his own.

The scowling warrior allowed himself a smile as he set his course for Ord Mantell, knowing that victory was upon him. Darth Ultor would rule the galaxy as he was always destined.

Sailing into the stars and the vacuum of space ahead, Ultor could hear the voice of the ancient Sith Lord who had spoken to him via PROXY droid.

"My line of Sith will meet its downfall before rising, led by the blood of my heir."

Ultor knew he was guaranteed to crush the Jedi and their Republic. Once, he had been uncertain of his path. He had wondered if Ben and the others were right, that things such as family and friendship were worth keeping for their own sake. Now, however, he knew better. Ultor's one regret was showing mercy to Ben on Taris, letting his talk of camaraderie get into Ultor's head. He would not make the same mistake twice.

ORD MANTELL

Han and Leia, along with Chewie and Threepio, had gone into the Falcon, in order to prepare the command ship for Rogue Squadron's counterattack.

This left Kira and Tahiri to sit by the fire that the Republic soldiers had started, with Kira watching them talk amongst themselves and refuel their Interceptor fighters.

Tahiri noticed the wander of her friend's gaze and said, "You might not get a better chance."

"What are you talking about?" Kira asked, snapping back to attention and now on the defensive.

"Your parents are going to give the takeoff signal any minute, and then, well, you know..."

Kira nodded, knowing exactly what Tahiri was talking about. This would be a risky battle, and the Coalition would be as ruthless as they were capable of being.

She said, "I'll be right back," getting up and making her way over to the Harvest, where Sam and McCallum were polishing their rifles side by side.

Kira stopped behind them, thoroughly unprepared for the situation. She clenched her body with dread, able to imagine her grandfather Anakin laughing.

To Kira's great relief, Captain McCallum got up and said, "I'll check the fuel of the attack shuttle, Commander."

"Thanks," Sam replied as his comrade strapped his rifle and went past Kira aboard the Blue Harvest.

Sam finished with his own weapon and looked up at Kira standing behind him.

"Hey there," he said, turning around.

"Hello," Kira replied, trying to save herself in the heat of the moment. She finally mustered, "So, you probably do a lot of these?"

"A lot of...what?" Sam asked in confusion.

"These suicide missions...you're probably really good at beating the odds when they're stacked against you."

"Well, the Republic only has so many ships it can spare," Sam replied, "But I have a feeling that's going to change soon. The Senate is actively working to expand our military."

"Oh," was all the flushed and embarrassed Kira could manage.

Sam was merciful enough to keep up the conversation. "You Jedi have pretty good piloting skills yourselves, I hear. Special reflexes, is it?"

"Something like that," Kira replied, not trusting herself to say too much.

"You can't be half bad yourself, between the Jedi and having a dad like Han Solo. I'll have to admit you impressed me a lot in the Hutt System against those Syck fighters."

Kira's entire body jumped high into the air without her moving a muscle. "It's just a lot of practice," she said, very flustered.

Suddenly, a buzzing sound spread from the Falcon all the way through the arrangement of Interceptors, and the Blue Harvest.

"That'll be the General's signal," Sam remarked, hopping up and hurrying towards the ramp of his ship. "Good luck out there, kid."

Kira's flash of annoyance at the word "kid" immediately subsided. "May the Force be with you, Sam," she replied, before hurrying back to Tahiri and their StealthXs.

Tahiri sprang up as Kira joined her and said, "This is the real thing now. Not like at the Jedi Academy."

"I know," Kira replied, not wanting to dwell on that fact for too long. She had a very tentative hold on her nerve, and that was her most valuable tool.

"See you on the other side," Tahiri said, giving Kira a salute as she climbed into the cockpit of her Jedi fighter.

Kira returned the gesture with a sigh of anticipation, hopping from the wing of her own vehicle into the seat before closing her cockpit.

Over the radio, Han said, "All craft, lift off on my count."

Kira kept her eyes straight ahead as she started the engine of her StealthX, making every effort to clear her mind of everything except the mission. Sam and the Sith would both have to wait. Kira wished it was that simple.

It didn't help when Sam spoke up from the Blue Harvest.

"All Interceptor fighters, proceed to attack formation."

Kira took in as much air as she could as she launched her craft in sync with all the others.

"We're going to have to give Luke and Ben a good headstart," Leia said, "We'll have to move very slow."

"I wonder if they're there yet," Han sighed, piloting the Millennium Falcon to the front of the miniature armada of Republic vessels.

The pipes and river networks of Ord Mantell seemed infinite as Kira passed over them. She knew that she would have to be patient, but she was eager for the approaching opportunity to prove herself as a warrior as well as a student. She would make sure that the two mystery enemies were left to her. Kira wanted to have something to show for her long years of training and waiting for the chance for an adventure such as this. That chance would show itself here, she told herself. Her parents and uncle Luke would be there to witness her great triumph, not to mention Tahiri, Ben, and even Sam.

The further Kira piloted her craft between Tahiri's vehicle and the Interceptor on her left, the more she tasted the victory that was to come. And the closer they got to Ord Mantell City, the more comfortable Kira felt in her small vehicle among what felt like a sea of fighters.

It was still night when the three Jedi StealthXs reached the walls of Ord Mantell's capital.

"Ben, Tionne, do you read me?" Luke asked.

"Copy, Master Skywalker," Tionne replied.

"I see them now," Ben said, looking down from his cockpit at the armored mercenaries still lurking the streets.

"Do we have a plan of attack?" Tionne asked.

Luke paused before continuing.

"Ben, you'll go and seek out the local militia that Sam's probe droid found in the lower levels. Tionne, you'll be coming with me and Artoo. We're going straight into the Capitol Building."

"Do you think they'll be able to take on the Coalition forces?" Ben asked, "Black Sun trains their mercenaries well. I don't know how well-equipped the Ord Mantellans are. "

"They'll be enough," Luke promised, "The strong will of good will always triumph over powerful evil." He knew this from his years fighting for the Rebel Alliance against the Empire, as well as his success in turning his father Darth Vader back to the light side against all odds. "Stay on course, Artoo."

Artoo beeped his affirmative response, while Ben started to break away, all three Jedi making sure to remain unnoticed.

"Wish me luck," Ben said as he steered his ship low, past the cameras perched on the marble towers.

"You don't need luck," Luke replied, staying on course towards the Capitol building.

"How could I forget?" Ben quipped, now turning his attention to the collective living Force of the local population.

He sensed great corruption within the city walls, but also genuine purpose and resolve. There were good people here, ready to fight back against the terrorists.

The Black Sun Vigos surveyed the armored guerrilla mercenaries stationed outside the Capitol building.

Pacing the floor inside, Talon said, "I sense Skywalker is with the Jedi. Only one Jedi can radiate such an aura of power. Time to strike."

"You do what you want ," Nihl replied. "I'm not about to commit suicide. I'm leaving Skywalker to the Dark Master."

"You just prove your incompetence with every breath you take," Talon snarled, "You can run away like a coward, or help me fight."

Nihl brought out his own lightsaber. "I'm no coward. I just have no use staying here."

With that, the humanoid Sith apprentice took off through the back corridor as the mercenaries outside opened fire on the two StealthXs emerging.

Luke always regretted having to take lives, but sometimes there was no alternative. He dodged as much fire as he could without returning it, only blasting in the direction of the pavement below to scatter the Black Sun guerrillas.

"We're under attack!" Serri yelled, fleeing for cover.

Talon ignited her red lightsaber blade and darted outside to confront the two Jedi ships attacking.

"Don't worry, Artoo, we've got this," Luke said as he flew in circles around the Capitol building, still working to split the teams of mercenaries apart.

It was working. Most of them were still firing at his and Tionne's StealthXs, some armed with DTL-19 Heavy Blaster Rifles, but many were fleeing from the front of the Capitol building.

Ben carefully approached one of the underground hangars in the city, lowering his StealthX with care.

He did not sense the small, metallic sphere tracking his ship as he climbed out of the cockpit into the vacant, remote hangar underneath the railway system that was now inactive.

Ben crept from the round hangar exit into a hollow station that led to a railspeedertrack.He threw the hood of his cloak over his head as he proceeded onto the track, following the scent.

The young Jedi Knight kept his focus on the presences of honesty and goodwill, in contrast to the stenches of corruption and criminal intent that the Coalition was filled with. He knew there were goodpeople who needed the proper initiative to strike back against their conquerors.

He walked along the tracks for what seemed like hours in the damp, sewage-filled tunnels, through winding trails and slopes pathways, until finally, Ben spotted a railspeeder train at theabandoned station.

He could feel a sense of resistance associated with the train, and the people on it.

Using theForce, Ben slid open the entrance to the main passenger car of the train, revealing an armed Ord Mantellan woman.

"Who goes there?" the woman asked.

"I'm Ben Solo, Jedi Knight. I'm here to help."

"Come in, Jedi," the woman said.

Ben climbed aboard the train, taking in the sight of about thirty armed warriors, and several more uniformed government officials.

The leader of the armed personnel, an older Ord Mantellan man said, "I am Captain Acheron. We are grateful for your help, Master Jedi. We fell under attack from the Coalition and we are not prepared to face such a threat."

"That's...why I'm here," Ben replied confidently, "My fellow Jedi and I serve to protect the peace, and that includes liberating those who need it. If you come with me, we can fight back against their hired thugs and get the Coalition off the planet."

Hearty cheers rang from across the coach.

"Do you have a plan?" asked the woman who had welcomed Ben onto the railspeeder.

"Does this transport still operate?" asked Ben.

"Aye," Acheron replied.

"Then why don't we assemble any available forces, and take this train into the city. My Jedi and Republic friends are already engaged in battle with the Coalition. Us being there can turn the tide in your favor."

"We have other allies who are hidden with us under the transport network," Acheron said, "Scattered from the deadly attack. We can contact them to help us."

"I have a good feeling about this," Ben remarked, smiling.

He then turned away from his new allies, focusing his thoughts on his parents and sister, who by now would nearly be there to join the battle.

By the time the Falcon, Blue Harvest, and the rest of the arriving party reached the city, Luke and Tionne were both engaged in ground combat with the guerrilla fighters, both deflecting fire from all directions with their sabers.

In frustration, Darth Talon scoured the surrounding block for the two Jedi, finally spotting them taking down Coalition mercenaries.

She raised her saber and charged to attack, but was distracted by the arrival of the Falcon and the rest of the Republic ships.

Talon growled in frustration as she was forced to flee from laserfire headed directly her way.

She deflected a shot from one of the Jedi StealthXs as it nearly blew into her.

"I see them," Han said from the cockpit of the Falcon, "Chewie, fly low."

Once she had leapt to a clearing, Talon pressed a button on the gauntlet attached to her belt, and several Syck fighters emerged from the surrounding structures and hangars, blasting at their attackers.

"Prepare to engage!" Sam yelled as McCallum steered the Harvest dangerously close to a building ledge to avoid the incoming onslaught.

Kira narrowed her eyes with determination, steering her craft towards the nearby landing platform ahead, where Luke and Tionne had docked their StealthXs.

"Kira, what are you doing?" Tahiri asked.

"There's Luke and Tionne!" Leia exclaimed, pointing at the two Jedi as they made their way to the steps of the Capitol building, with Talon in pursuit.

Kira barely had time to slow her descent as she landed on the platform, causing sparks to fly in all directions in her wake. She summoned the Force to spring out of her cockpit as it opened, pulling her saber from her belt and igniting its blue crystal blade.

As she turned her focus on the ground battle, Kira sensed a dangerous presence approaching.

She turned to find a young Nagai, hardly older than her, wielding a red bladed lightsaber with an exceptionally long, twisted hilt and a blade longer than his own body.

"Well, it looks like I will be the first to have a Jedi kill," Nihl taunted his new opponent.

Kira pointed her blade at the dark warrior, grasping the handle with both of her hands. The blood inside her was speeding through her veins as her muscles braced for action.

"We'll see about that," she growled, rushing towards Nihl as he simultaneously sprang to attack.

 

ORD MANTELL

Although Kira had felt prepared for a vicious attack from this new enemy, his first blow was stronger than even she had expected.

The strength of his long blade of power striking against Kira's weapon sent her stumbling backwards.

Before she had a chance to regain her footing, Nihl took advantage of her predicament and use the Force to give her a small shove, and Kira cried out as she was sent flying off the edge of the balcony.

By this time, Tahiri had landed and was rushing from her docked StealthX to help her friend, purple-blades lightsaber ignited.

Kira was fortunately able to use the Force to slow her fall, and only landed with a mild bruising in the alleyway that cut her off from the main battle.

Without hesitation, Nihl jumped down from the platform with a midair somersault and landed on his feet.

Tahiri followed the grey-skilled, slick-haired Sith and rushed after him as Nihl charged at the recovering Kira.

This time, Kira was able to push back against the unusually long saber blade as he swung it in a motion intended to slice her in half.

Kira strained as she pushed back against Nihl's blade, groaning with the effort.

Nihl turned his attention to Tahiri as she charged him, striking back at her in a jabbing motion.

"Kira, we have to get out of here!" Tahiri shouted as she struck back with a series of rapid motions.

"We can take him!" Kira replied with a panting effort, lunging for the attack.

The Sith apprentice was able to deflect both of their attacks simultaneously with his extended weapon, maintaining an impenetrable defense. Unfortunately, he was not content to remain on the defensive for long, forcing both Padawans back with his deadly strikes.

More Coalition forces had made their way into the plaza, determined to stamp out the Jedi protectors.

Tionne looked up at the adjacent landing platform and said, "Master Luke, the Padawans are in trouble!"

"We'll get to them as soon as we can!" Luke replied, "We have a battle to win first."

Han, Leia, and Chewbacca had landed the Falcon to join Luke on the ground level, to be immediately met with heavy fire from the guerrilla warriors.

Leia's blade was at the ready, batting back all shots coming their way while Han and Chewie fired back, letting loose with everything they had.

In the alley, Kira and Tahiri continued to repel Nihl's aggressive blows.

Tahiri backflipped a short distance behind Kira and raised her arm. Just as Nihl was able to knock Kira's weapon aside, Tahiri gave him a push with the Force, knocking him backwards onto his side with a skid across the ground.

"Let's go!" Tahiri yelled.

Kira started running in the opposite direction, panting as she looked back at Nihl, who was already rushing at them with his blade leading a trail in the cobblestone.

The sounds of blasterfire around the corner grew louder.

"We'll lose him here!" Tahiri shouted, before another dark presence filled the air.

The red-skinned Twi'lek Talon appeared from above them, coming in front of the two girls with her own saber at the ready, dipped in their direction.

"Leaving so soon, little Jedi?" she teased, advancing towards them.

"I had them cornered already!" Nihl shouted at his fellow dark apprentice.

"I'm not letting you get all the glory," Talon replied.

Kira was starting to experience a genuine sensation of fear now, as loathe as she was to show it.

Together, she and Tahiri backed up against the wall as the two young Sith surrounded them.

"You two are about to find out just how painful death can be," the female Sith disciple snarled.

"Don't count on it," Kira replied, pushing back her fear. She and Tahiri advanced at the same time, with Tahiri turning her attention to Nihl, and Kira to Talon.

Nihl was surprised by Tahiri's sudden burst of adrenaline, and was forced to back away as she struck at him.

Meanwhile, Kira aimed blow after blow at Talon, who ducked and dodged before hooking her own lightsaber towards Kira's ribs.

Kira dropped and rolled away from the red bar of plasma, then held her own weapon close to her with both hands as her new adversary stood over her and brought her saber down like an executioner.

Kira grunted as she pushed the red blade away from her face, smelling a strong stench of ozone polluting the air around her. The snarling, crimson face of the Twi'lek girl covered her vision behind the blurring sparks coming from their clashing sabers.

The pavement felt hard and cold as Kira's back jabbed into it.

Then Kira came back with a kick to the young Sith woman's leg, causing Talon to stumble backwards. Kira went straight from laying on her back to standing with her two feet flat on the ground.

She noticed Tahiri struggling to keep up with the male Sith, ducking as he sliced into the wall above her.

Kira lifted an arm to push him away from her friend, but she had to jump out of the way as Talon nearly dismembered her.

"You're alone now, Jedi girl," Talon taunted her, "No Master to come to your rescue."

Kira didn't bother coming up with a reply, but hopped into the wall with her feet landing on it, bouncing off of it and colliding with Nihl just as he knocked Tahiri's weapon from her hand.

Nihl flew sideways and landed on his hands and knees.

Kira suddenly felt her throat closing as Talon extended a fist towards her.

She began to gasp for air, but the telekinetic hold was immediately relinquished. Tahiri had sent her discarded lightsaber flying in Talon's direction, forcing her to dodge the weapon.

Tahiri summoned her weapon back to her before exchanging a smile of camaraderie with Kira.

"Thanks for having my back," she said.

"That's what we always do," Kira replied.

Their moment was short lived, as both Sith resumed their attack, all the more determined to finish off their opponents.

In the midst of the battle outside the Capitol building, Leia turned her attention elsewhere and said to her husband, "Kira needs help."

They turned back to the Falcon to see that it was being swarmed with enemy guerrillas, cutting them off from it.

Han reached for his comlink as he dove out of the way of a volley of heavy blasterfire.

Chewie was luckily able to take out the mercenaries one by one with a lethal series of shots from his bowcaster.

"Sam, give me your position!" Han yelled.

From the cockpit of the Blue Harvest, Sam replied, "I've cleared Section 806 with fighters on my tail, but we've nearly got them all."

"We're held up down at the plaza," Han explained as he ducked behind a pillar, while at the same moment a grenade was thrown at the Millennium Falcon, "I need you to locate Kira as soon as possible."

Sam cringed inwardly, but replied, "On it, General Solo."

Suddenly, the back of the ship was struck by a hail of laserfire, causing the distracted Sam to stumble from his seat into McCallum, who was knocked into the wall from the blow.

The backup hatch slipped open as the Harvest spun out of control, with McCallum flying out of the ship.

"No!" Sam yelled, but McCallum caught onto a nearby landing pad, safely climbing on.

"I'm okay!" McCallum called from down below.

Sam began to steer the ship down to retrieve his friend, but he was forced to dodge fire from the Kihraxz fighters lurking between the towers.

McCallum disappeared into the building onto which he had landed, which happened to be a railspeeder station.

At that moment, a train sped onto the nearby tracks, with volleys of fire from heavy blaster rifles sticking out of the windows.

The top compartment of the head coach opened to reveal a cloaked figure wielding a blue lightsaber.

One by one, the Kihraxzs and Sycks went down.

"Yes!" Sam crowed, filled with relief.

Ben grabbed his comlink with his free hand and said, "Did we make it in time, Commander?"

"Like always, Jedi," Sam replied with a grin, "Now I have to go pick up your sister."

As the resistance fighters began climbing out of the train, another group of Ord Mantellans appeared from another railspeeder just above the battle in the plaza.

The mercenaries were overcome with fire from above as well as on the ground. Those that survived ran for shelter, deciding that their pay was not worth this much risk.

Catching sight of Han and Leia, Luke began to make his way to them, still deflecting fire from the enemy.

Suddenly, the Grand Master stopped in his tracks, a headache overcoming him.

"What is it?" Leia asked as she and Han reached him.

"Do you feel it too?" Luke asked.

Leia suddenly detected the same vibration in the Force, a presence of dark power almost matching of Luke himself.

A silver and black SuperStealther appeared within the daybreak above the city.

Ben leapt from the roof of the stopped train and joined the Ord Mantellans as they rushed into the city to do battle.

Ultor immediately spotted the young Jedi disappearing into the crowd, and steered his craft after Ben.

"I'll finish you the way I should have on Taris," he said, flying above the pointed towers.

The Coalition fighters had nearly all disappeared from the sky above Ord Mantell City, but Ultor paid it no mind.

He continued to follow Ben and his new friends as they engaged the guerrillas in the streets, working their way towards the plaza where Master Skywalker and the others were.

Then, all of the sudden, Ultor sensed more activity in the alleyway leading away the plaza. He flew his SuperStealther through the peaks of the building and spotted red lights clashing with blue and violet. His apprentices, Talon and Nihl were dueling two Jedi girls.

Flying closer, Ultor recognized the young Kira Solo, who had bested him in aerial combat on Taris five years earlier. She was nearly grown up now, but still as much on his radar as ever.

"You'll get yours soon enough, little girl."

Down below, Kira continued to back away as she deflected every strike that Talon made against her.

The sounds of lightsaber blades humming and clashing filled the air as she concentrated on staying alive above all else.

She knew that she couldn't have these two Sith have the last word, even if they were proving to be more of a challenge than she'd expected.

As they reached a nearby staircase leading into the train station, Tahiri shouted, "Now's our chance!"

Kira tried to put more distance between herself and Talon, but the Twi'lek wouldn't let up.

Tahiri leaned far back as Nihl's blade swept over her chin, then aimed a kick at Talon, who tripped in front of Kira.

"Jump!" Tahiri yelled, using the Force to propel herself towards the staircase.

With an angry cry, Talon reached out with both hands towards the airborne Tahiri while Nihl leapt after her.

"Tahiri!" Kira yelled as her friend was sent flying even further up.

Tahiri screamed as she flew to the upper balcony that led to the railway, slamming into the holographic ticket booth, which sent a jolt of electricity through the infrastructure.

Tahiri was stunned from the blow, and this made her an easy target to the two Sith.

Talon disengaged from Kira and followed Nihl after the fallen Jedi apprentice.

Kira raced after them as they reached the top and surrounded the fallen Jedi with their blades held ready to strike.

Suddenly, Talon and Nihl's attention turned to the medium-sized ship landing across the platform from them.

Kira stopped in her tracks and stared at the incoming vehicle with a gasp of shock. She knew instantly who was now here, and a tremor of sheer terror ran through her.

Ben's former friend Skyler emerged from the hatch, now the Dark Master of the Coalition.

He had worn a mask the last time Kira had seen him, but there was no mistaking his identity even from a distance.

Approaching the two apprentices and their target, Ultor held up his gloved hand to stop them.

Talon and Nihl instantly dropped onto one knee to bow, while Ultor reached towards Tahiri's discarded lightsaber and summoned it to him, deactivating it in the process.

"We have better use for her alive than dead, at least for now."

Kira had regained her nerve by now, at least to some extent, and was running as fast as she could to the top of the staircase, not thinking about just how much danger she was putting herself into.

"Lord Ultor, the Jedi and their friends are overcoming the Coalition forces."

"The battle here means nothing to our true cause," Ultor replied, "Take this girl aboard my ship, and come with me."

Tahiri was starting to come to her senses. Weakly, she tried to get up, but Talon and Nihl caught her by the arms and began dragging her after Ultor.

"NO!" Kira yelled, charging with her blade, full of rage and fear all at once, "PUT HER DOWN!"

A blast of energy caught her in the chest and knocked the wind out of her, sending her flying back onto the pavement below.

She hit the ground hard, feeling her saber hilt slip from her grasp.

The sound of an engine taking off filled her senses as Ultor's SuperStealther lifted off from the platform above, launching into the crimson sky with Tahiri aboard.

"No!" Kira yelled again, trembling with emotion.

Just then, the Harvest appeared overhead, beginning to touch down towards Kira.

She waved gratefully as Sam hurriedly landed his craft, strapping his rifle as he leapt from the pilot's seat. "I've got her, General," he said into his comlink before throwing it aside, "She's going to be okay."

He appeared at the ramp as Kira ran to him, summoning her switched-off weapon.

"Get in!" the commander yelled.

Kira wasted no time following him to the cockpit.

"We have to go after her!" she cried, "Tahiri's been captured!"

Sam sighed with dreaded anticipation, having more than he ever wanted to deal with now.

"Look, I'm sorry, but your dad wanted me to take you back. The battle's just about over now."

Kira seethed with frustration. She was not a child subject to what her parents wanted. She was a grown Jedi on a mission to save her best friend from whatever Skyler and the others were going to do to her.

"I don't care what my dad said. We're going after that Sith ship, now!"

"I don't want to argue, okay?" Sam replied, "We both have jobs to do here, especially me. So if you'll just..."

Sam didn't get to finish, as Kira had sent him crashing into the seat before she even knew what she was doing.

Sam's head struck the metal control panel hard and he slumped unconscious on the floor.

Kira looked down at him with a look of shock, hardly able to believe what she had done.

She already felt guilty about it, but she knew she couldn't dwell on the matter for long.

Kira hopped to the controls of the Blue Harvest and pulled the lever that lifted them out of the alleyway and over the towering buildings and stations.

Steering the attack shuttle in the direction in which Tahiri and her captors had gone, Kira sped into the clouds without looking back.

Back in the plaza, Han ran through the clearing towards Leia, Luke and Tionne with Chewie by his side.

Above them, Black Sun shuttles, Kihraxzes, and Hutt Sycks were fleeing into the sky, far away from the city and out of the planetary atmosphere.

Han reported to his worried wife, "Sam's got her, she's okay."

"And Tahiri?" Master Tionne asked.

"I'm sure she's with Kira and Sam," Han replied, "They'll be back any time."

Luke said, "Han, Leia and I should be getting to Coruscant soon. Chief Fey'lya and the Senate are expecting us."

"Take the Falcon," General Solo replied, "We're going to have to stay and help this city get back to normal anyway after what happened."

Leia gave her husband a kiss and said, "I'll be in contact before too long."

"Good luck over in the bureaucrat arena," Han replied.

Ben gave his mother a quick hug and bowed to his Uncle Luke, saying, "Don't let them get to you."

"Never do," Luke replied, beckoning for Artoo Deetoo to follow as they started to the awaiting Falcon.

Once Luke and Leia were aboard and climbing up to the cockpit, Artoo joined his old companion Threepio in the passenger hold.

"Now just what have you been up to?" Threepio demanded, "Leaving me here to worry about whether you've been blown to bits! See if I care next time!"

Luke and Leia assumed the controls at the cockpit, and launched from the capital plaza, setting course for Coruscant.

"This isn't going to be an easy fight, probably even harder than the one here," Leia remarked to her brother.

"We have the moral high ground, and that'll be enough," Luke replied, "The Jedi stand for what they always have, peace and harmony. They don't engage in war any more than necessary, and we'll make that known to the Senate."

As soon as Leia set the course for Coruscant through hyperspace, the Falcon braced itself for lightspeed before making the jump, disappearing from the orbit of Ord Mantell.

Almost immediately after reaching the empty sea of stars above the planet surface, it occurred to Kira just how lost she was. She had no idea where Skyler's ship had gone, and what she'd do when she got to wherever he was going.

She continued to fly away from Ord Mantell as she tried to think of a plan, but her mind went completely blank.

She looked down at the unconscious Sam before turning back to her screen ahead.

The Coalition had several outposts on syndicate-controlled worlds, but the Dark Master was rarely known to travel to them, let alone keep his main base of operation.

Kira sighed, wishing desperately that her grandfather's spirit was there to guide her.

It worked almost like a magic charm. As soon as she thought of Anakin, the Force spirit shimmered into transparent being behind her. She turned her head to greet her grandfather as he looked around the interior of the Blue Harvest.

"That was quite a stunt you pulled out there," Anakin commented, showing a hint of amusement amidst his solemn voice.

"I have to go after Tahiri," Kira replied defensively, "I know you wouldn't understand."

"You have no idea how many times I've done something like that," Anakin replied, "Good friends are as worth saving as anything."

"I just don't know where to go from here, Grandpa," Kira said, desperately seeking the answer that she knew he had.

"Just call me Anakin," the Force ghost replied, "I still feel like I'm a little young for Grandpa."

"Sorry...Anakin," Kira replied, "Now can you help me?"

"You have a very strong mind, Kira," Anakin said, "Now use it. Trust your instincts, and you'll find the way."

"Trust my instincts?" Kira exclaimed, "This is an emergency!"

Anakin looked out the window aside from where Kira was sitting.

"You're familiar with the Coalition. You've dealt with Skyler before. You know what to do in times of need. Now reach out and focus."

Kira tried to do what her grandfather said, closing her eyes and clearing her mind of worry and doubt. This was a feat far easier to achieve when Anakin was encouraging her, more so than even Luke or her parents.

"Somebody has to report to Skyler from the Coalition," Kira realized suddenly, "The Coalition is spread so far across the galaxy, that somewhere, somebody has to know where he is."

"And then..." Anakin prompted.

"If I followed another Coalition ship, it could take me to where Tahiri is! So now all I have to do is find a system where the Coalition reports to Skyler from."

"You are wiser and stronger in your mind than you realize," Anakin said, smiling faintly, "The Force will always be there, but it is not the only tool at your disposal. Now, I'll have to leave you to your mission. I'll be here to watch over you, even if you can't see me."

"Thank you, Gran...Anakin," Kira said with a wobbly smile.

Anakin's apparition flickered out of sight as Sam began to stir.

 

HAD ABADDON

The SuperStealther reached the acidic surface of Had Abaddon just over the mountaintops where Ultor's castle was located.

By now, Tahiri had been placed in bindercuffs and stuffed in a small compartment, where Talon and Nihl were now pulling her out, gripping her tightly.

She tried vainly to punch and kick her assailants, but was reduced to squirming as they led her to the awaiting Ultor.

"I'm still alive," Tahiri snarled at Ultor with defiance, "Isn't it your job to kill Jedi scum like me?"

Ultor laughed with amusement. "Oh, it is. But we have yet to determine how slow your death will be. We'll be keeping you alive for now."

"Whatever you plan to do, you're wasting your time," Tahiri retorted fiercely.

Ultor squatted down and leaned forward so his eyes were level with Tahiri's. She could not withhold a small yelp of fear as Ultor's breath trailed into her nostrils.

"I think you'll change your mind before long, Jedi girl. Tahiri, is it?"

Ultor beckoned for his apprentices to follow him as he exited the SuperStealther, which this time was docked in the main landing platform.

Talon and Nihl sadistically held onto Tahiri's arms with crablike grips as they dragged her along after their master.

As Ultor led them towards the dungeon, he was approached by another young apprentice, followed by two armed Shadowtroopers.

"What is it, Darth Kallus?"

"Master," the young Sith apprentice said, "We've got a host of new Twi'lek recruits from Ryloth. It seems that much of that population is sympathetic to the Coalition cause."

"Good work," Ultor replied without breaking stride or looking at Kallus, "The Republic knows well by now that we are not to be dismissed."

In the distance, the Twi'leks were being fitted by the mysterious Shadowtroopers with their new armor and weapons, ready to do the bidding of the new Sith movement via the Freedom Coalition.

The dungeon cells each consisted of a scan grid bound to the walls where prisoners were tortured for information. That was really the only reason why the Coalition took prisoners in the first place, and even that was very rare.

Tahiri cried out in agony as the tiny metal propeller blade cut into her hand and sent a jolt of burning through her bones.

Ultor stood in front of her with a sinister grin.

"Now that you've gotten a taste of what you're in for, maybe now you'll see things from our point of view."

Tahiri lashed in pain, trying desperately to get rid of the poison that she felt inside her.

"You won't be affected either way, so you may as well tell me to make things easier. I want the location of Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy. You know how well he keeps the secret of where it is."

"I'm not telling you anything, slimeball," Tahiri growled at him, still clenching from the pain of her torture.

Ultor growled impatiently and flicked a switch that sent a small electrical current through Tahiri's veins. She cried out as her blood literally boiled inside her, screaming so that her cries echoed throughout neighboring cells.

"Quite a performance you're putting on there," Ultor mused, "Why don't we skip the drama and cut to the chase?"

Tahiri didn't reply once she had stopped screaming, and couldn't have if she had tried.

"One more time- on what planet is the Jedi Academy?"

Tahiri gasped for breath as the pain seared through her. She managed to look up cross-eyes at her captor.

"Too bad you couldn't find it after five years of looking," she breathed, "You must feel pretty silly."

Ultor raised a leather-clad hand as though to slap the teenage girl, but instead put it gently against Tahiri's smooth cheek.

Tahiri's insides shuffled with more intensity than anything else he had dared through at her.

"Such a pretty young face," Ultor said, as calm as ever, "Full of potential."

"Get..off..." Tahiri panted.

With a roar, Ultor slapped down on another switch, which brought another small propeller up to Tahiri's face on one side, and a needle on the other.

Her screams were even louder as the tools dug into her cheeks, before suddenly becoming hoarse from exhaustion.

HYPERSPACE

"What in the universe was that?" was Sam's irritated question as he sat up.

Setting the Harvest's course on autopilot, Kira slid down and squatted next to him.

"I'm sorry for doing that, Sam," she said, more calm than she had been on Ord Mantell, "But awful things could be happening to Tahiri now."

"I could get in a lot of trouble for this!" Sam snapped at her, causing some of Kira's bad feelings to begin to resurface, "I hope you'll hold yourself just as accountable as I will be."

"Are you even listening to me right now?"

"Where are we, anyway?"

"I don't know," Kira answered ruefully, "I don't even know where those people took her to."

"Well, since you've knocked me out and hijacked my ship up here..." Sam began.

"Please don't tell me to turn back," Kira pleaded, "I just can't go back to everyone else right now. I really can't."

She gave the commander her big brown eyes, and he sighed with a mix of sympathy and annoyance before continuing.

"Since we're all the way up here," Sam said, "I suppose you would have some kind of plan by now, at least?"

"You're always out fighting the Coalition across the galaxy," Kira replied, feeling comforted by Sam's tacit agreement to help her, "I'm sure you know where they have ships that travel to and from wherever their main base is."

Sam climbed up to his feet, and seeing him struggle, Kira took his hand with both of hers and pulled him up.

"The Nimban system might be a safe bet," Sam replied, sitting in the copilot seat next to Kira, normally occupied by Captain McCallum.

"All right then," Kira said, looking to her right and smiling at her new mission partner, "Setting course for the Nimban system."

"Wait!" Sam suddenly exclaimed.

Kira frowned in confusion. "What is it?"

"We shouldn't do lightspeed."

"I don't know if you heard what's happening to Tahiri, but we can't exactly afford to take our time."

"We won't, it's not a far away system from Ord Mantell," Sam promised, "but it'll be crawling with Coalition ships, and they'll be able to detect a Republic command shuttle if it comes out of lightspeed near their system."

Despite the situation, Kira could not help but genuinely feel impressed.

"You really do know your way around, don't you?"

"Like you said, I deal with the Coalition a lot," Sam replied with a shrug.

"Well, now I have some experience too," Kira retorted lightheartedly as she sped on forward.

CORUSCANT, CORE WORLDS

Even from space, the differences between Coruscant during the New Republic era from the time of the Empire were very visible.

Luke and Leia had each been to Coruscant many times since the end of Palpatine's reign, and Leia had even regularlyvisited with her father before the Rebellion had risen up. For his part, Luke had originally hosted the Jedi Order in the former Jedi Temple on Coruscant before Skyler's betrayal.

Yet even now, the massive city planetwas a novelty to them as they soared through the clouds, to the many hangars and spaceports directly on top of the skyscrapers, which varied greatly in shape.

Aerial traffic was as busy as every through the sky lanes, as was the public train system, far more advanced than that of Ord Mantell.

The domed Senate building now had four additional towers attached to it, dwarfing the original structure by several hundred meters.

The Skywalker twins flew the Falcon towards the Senatebuilding.

The easternmost tower consisted of thousands of garages for individual transports to be parked, including a place designated for Corellia's representation.

Luke and Leia flew towards the small, metallic shedand prepared to dock the Millennium Falcon.

"How I missed this place," remarked Threepio.

"I can't quite say the same," Leia murmured as they climbed down from the cockpit.

"Come on," Luke said as they all proceeded from the Falcon's ramp onto the garage floor. The droids followed their owners from the hangar floor into the corridor dangling between the domed Senate and the tower, which turned into a staircase.

"Senator Organa Solo, Master Skywalker," came the greetings of dignitaries passing by.

Luke and Leia nodded and waved in return before proceeding to join Leia's handmaidens and staff, who silently followed her lead towards the Senate floor.

NIMBAN

Sure enough, there were two Sith cruisers looming over the neon green surface of Nimban, while Syck and Kihraxz fighters were traveling back and forth between the Coalition command ships and the planet surface.

From the vantage point of the Blue Harvest, the planet's spherical surface seemed very small, as they could only approach it very slowly.

"We'd better make sure to stay away from those ships," Sam advised.

"Good point," Kira replied, steering the shuttle farther away, towards the southern pole of the surfaceof Nimban.

"You know...I didn't see a lot, but I think you were a good match for those two," Sam piped up.

Kira gaped at him, slightly startled as well as pleased.

"You really think so?"

"I mean you and your friend...Tahiri, was it?"

"Right, of course."

"You know, your parents know that you're tough, right?That you can handle things."

"Of course they do," Kira replied, "And Master Skywalker."

"I think they're always going to think of you as a kid though. Thats family for you." There was a hint of longing in the pilot's voice.

"You don't think of me as a kid, do you, Sam?"Kira immediately knew that his pause before answering was not the answer she wanted to hear.

"I guess not. I mean, you were kind of annoying when I met you, but I have to admire your guts."

"Oh, really?" Kira replied, disguising her internal gushing with smugness, "You'll have to elaborate on that a bit more."

"Look, why don't we focus on landing in a good spot so that we can find a ship to track."

"Do you know how we're going to track them?" Kira asked.

"This was your idea!" Sam replied, "But I've got plenty of tracking devices on my ship."

They circled around until no Coalition vessels were in view. Then, Kira sped down towards the planetary atmosphere, taking in the sight of towering algae and the flowing juices coming in streams from the vegetation structures into the rivers.

The Coalition base was a small, metallic building built next to a lake of algae emerging from it.

A large gunship flew down from the Dor'bulla vessel hovering within the sleek white clouds towards the fungal ground level. The ship was designed to support the weight of least one Hutt inside.

Gorga the Hutt slithered from the gunship as it landed, followed by four IG bodyguards as well as his major domo, an orange Toydarian named Krunge, and a black protocol droid.

Inside the base, where Gammoreans and Niktos stood guard, the Hutt said to Krunge, "Patch me to the Dark Master."

Krunge relayed the orders to the Nikto operating the communication system in the proper dialect.

HAD ABADDON

Darth Ultor stepped out of the dungeon into the castle's main hangar.

"Has she talked yet, Master?" asked Talon, who had been eagerly waiting.

"She's a work in progress," Ultor replied, "But for now, I have a meeting with the Hutts."

"With your permission, may I give it a shot myself, Lord Ultor?"

"If you think you can get her to talk, then go right ahead."

Ultor entered a turbolift leading up to the main communication network, which consisted of a massive holotable where no beings occupied except for the odd Shadowguard hidden in the shadows, as the name would suggest.

Ultor pressed the button to respond to the signal from Nimban. "Mighty Gorga," he said to the life-sized figure before him, "I've gotten your message from your lackey Krunge."

"Lackey?" Krunge protested, before Gorga bellowed, "Quiet!"

Gorga spoke in Huttese, from which the protocol droid, TC-77 translated. "His excellency wishes to know what you think of his threat to pull the Hutt clans out of the Freedom Coalition and suspend military aid."

Inwardly, Ultor was raging up a storm. He could crush this slimy beast with a simple hand gesture, along with all of his slug relatives. But he needed them, at least for the time being.

"Your exaltedness," he said, careful to use tact with his words and tone alike, "I still believe, with due respect, that the Coalition and the Hutt clans can still mutually benefit one another."

Gorga replied skeptically, which translated into, "What about the defeat of Black Sun on Ord Mantell. How do we know you won't forsake us the way you did the Vigos?"

"I hold a great deal of respect for the Hutts," Ultor promised, lying through his teeth with great pleasure, "And I promise you that you will be rewarded for your long years of service in the name of freedom from both the Old Republic and the Galactic Empire. It should be the right of such clans of yourselves to trade and operate as you see fit, regulation notwithstanding. Now, with Black Sun crippled, you have a chance to seize more than you ever thought possible."

"The powerful and supreme Gorga would be appreciative if you would elaborate on such a proposal, Dark Master."

Ultor smiled at his Hutt ally.

"My good friend, do you remember the age of the Old Republic? The Coruscanti underworld was the most powerful stronghold of the Hutt clans, completely unregulated. What if I was to suggest that we could help you take back the Coruscant underworld within a day?"

"How do you propose such an action?" Gorga asked, but Ultor knew that he had caught the Hutt's interest.

"Mighty Gorga, I have powerful apprentices, and you have a powerful army at your service. The Jedi are distracted by the Republic Senate, and the Republic forces are scattered. They will have difficulty maintaining their security presence below the Upper Levels."

"You have a plan of attack?"

"Oh, trust me, I know Coruscant well," Ultor replied, "Once you rally your forces, my apprentices will lead you to the underworld, where you will reclaim the former glory of the Hutt Empire to the maximum!"

Talon, Nihl, Kallus, and the three other young Sith apprentices whom Ultor had recruited appeared before him in his throne room, all kneeling.

"You summoned us, Dark Master?"

"Yes," Ultor replied. "I have managed to convince the sniveling Hutts to stay with us after the Ord Mantell incident. The Coalition will be launching an attack on Coruscant's underbelly, where the Hutt Cartel will once again be in control. This will shake up the core of the Republic and force it to reckon with us like it never has before."

"When do we strike, my lord?" Talon asked.

"I will send you to Coruscant once the Hutts have assembled their army of mercenaries and bounty hunters," Ultor replied, "there you will rendezvous with them. Darth Nihl, you will be leading the attack."

Nihl smiled and replied, "It will be the greatest honor, Master."

Talon rose to her feet, her hand reaching to her lightsaber in protest.

"Him?" she cried, "After I've proven to be the best of everybody here time and time again?"

"Relax, my apprentice," Ultor said, getting up from his throne and walking slowly towards the red-skinned Twi'lek, "I have another mission for you, a far more important one."

Ultor placed his gloved hand on Talon's smooth, flawless cheek, although unlike the prisoner Tahiri, Talon grinned with pleasure at the touch.

CORUSCANT

As Luke, Leia, and their companions made their way through the Senate to the main chamber hall, Admiral Ackbar appeared from the crowd, rushing to wring their hands with his wrinkled, webbed ones.

"Senator Solo, Master Skywalker!" he exclaimed, "Chief Fey'lya is very impatient. You must hurry!"

"Do you think we can get him to budge on the issue?" Leia asked.

"It's only a matter of delaying the inevitable," Ackbar replied grimly as he joined them.

They walked through one of the many sliding doors into Corellia's Senator booth, a full rectangular prism protected by a field of energy. Each of the planetary representatives and their entourage was stationed inside the energy-protected booths, of which there were several hundred inside the upgraded Senate arena.

From down below, a large, round sphere began rising out of the floor, spiraling upwards as the pole holding it up grew in size until stopping in the direct center of the hall.

The Bothan Chief Borsk Fey'lya was accompanied by Vizier Omas, who was also Supreme Commander of the New Republic military. His decorated uniform never failed to remind anybody who came across him. They were both flanked by robed and masked guards, who carried long, metal pikes that reminded Luke of Emperor Palpatine's royal guards.

"Order, order!" Chief Fey'lya shouted with his deep voice.

His face appeared on the translucent screen that filled the center of the arena, giving each individual a clear view of his furry, snouted face.

"As you all know, the Senate is being called to session today to discuss an urgent matter, one concerning the Jedi Order led by Grand Master Luke Skywalker, who is here with us today."

The screen filling the arena suddenly was filled with Luke's unwilling face instead, before switching back to Fey'lya's.

"Master Skywalker is here with us today in order to give his view on the issue, along with his sister Leia Organa Solo, who is also a Jedi Master as well as Senator of the Republic system of Corellia."

"As if everyone doesn't already know all this," Leia muttered to her brother.

"Just wait," he encouraged her in response.

"Now, our vote today concerns the matter of the growing war against the so-called Freedom Coalition," Fey'lya said, "A well-known terrorist organization that is enacting horrific crimes against Republic worlds. Supreme Commander, you now have the floor."

The massive screen now focused on the visage of Cal Omas.

"As strong as our military is," Omas explained to the assembled legislative body, "It is not nearly enough to combat the growing power of the Coalition. This war will not end until the Jedi are in it all the way."

Leia pressed down on the panel on her screen.

"Senator Solo?"

"If I may object, Grand Vizier Omas," Leia said with all of the professionalism and diplomacy ingrained into her since childhood, "I'd like to provide an alternative point of view on the Jedi's role in the conflict. My brother here is as dedicated to the wellbeing of the Republic and the galaxy as a whole as anybody in this Senate chamber. He does not want to Coalition to win any more than you do. But the Jedi are not meant for active warfare. They...I mean we, are not a military body."

"Not meant for active warfare?" scoffed Fey'lya from the Chief's booth, "Do you forget the Clone Wars?"

It was now Luke himself who spoke up before the assembled Senate.

"Chief and Grand Vizier, I have no intention of stepping aside while the Coalition terrorizes the population. We are not neutral by any means. My Jedi Knights are all over the galaxy keeping the Coalition from hurting the innocent. But with respect, I must insist that the Jedi not become generals again. We are here to protect the people and the galaxy. But we will not actively seek out battle. It goes against our very nature."

Fey'lya stroked his bearded chin as he absorbed Luke's speech, thinking of a proper rebuttal.

Omas scowled for all of the Senators to see plainly. It was he who had the rebuke against Luke's words.

"I don't know what moral code you are trying to profess, Master Jedi, but you must realize that sending single Jedi to hop from planet to planet won't be enough," he said with a thinly veiled hint of contempt, "If you let your little...rules interfere with what is truly best for the galaxy, can you really claim superiority over the enemies you claim to stand against?"

Luke paused and took a breath, making sure that his next rebuke did not reflect any of the annoyance or frustration boiling beneath the surface of his Jedi training.

"The Jedi have been serving the galaxy since it first existed. It does not need to be part of a war to keep the people safe."

"Since it first existed, the Jedi have also been duty bound to the Republic," Omas pointed out, "From the Great Hyperspace War to the Clone Wars. Are you intending to desecrate the Jedi's role in the functioning of our free society?"

"Objection!" came a voice from one of the other booths, with Senator Norbreef Traus from Sullust speaking up, "The Jedi are not bound to the New Republic by law, or required to wage war by the Constitution!"

"Oh, I beg to differ!" Twi'lek Senator Dein Free Taa cut in, "The Coalition attack on Ryloth is the responsibility of the Jedi! I don't understand why the Jedi aren't launching mass scale invasions of Coalition friendly worlds like the Hutt Systems when they certainly have the capacity!"

The Hutt Senator Duran spoke up, his Huttese translated by captions on the screen filling up the center of the arena hall.

"The Republic shows it's true colors! No better than the Empire!"

"Order! Order!" yelled Chief Fey'lya, waiting for the angry and passionate rabble to die down.

"Is the Senate always this riled up?" Luke whispered to his twin sister.

"You don't know the half of it," Leia replied.

"Master Skywalker, what do you have to say in response to the discourse here in the Senate?" Fey'lya interrogated, his narrow eyes drilling into Luke from the broadcasting screen.

"I want it known that I have no sympathy for the Coalition or their motives," Luke replied, "Nor does the Order as a group. But we will not make the mistake of becoming subservient to a governing body again."

"Traitor!" shouted Malastarian Gran Roth Teem.

But it was Triclops from Nar Shaddaa who dropped the biggest bomb in the Senate, one that made Luke's blood boil and his heart race with fast intensity:

"I think it is worth mentioning that both Master Skywalker and his sister Senator Solo are the children of Darth Vader, the most evil war criminal in recent history-"

Leia gripped her brother's hand in alarm as Triclops continued his speech.

"And we should not forgo the possibility that their family ties cloud their loyalties to the Republic and concern for its best interests."

This caused even more intense exchanges of verbal sparring between the members of Congress, with both supporters and detractors of the Skywalkers going after one another with vigorous fury.

"We will have order!" Omas declared.

"The Senate will enter recess while we prepare to make the ultimate vote," Fey'lya declared, "All I know is that we cannot continue to debate for much longer."

His furry face disappeared from the screen, which then flickered into nothing.

Turning to her brother, Leia said dreadfully, "I don't think there's any chance of this being a fair vote. Omas and Fey'lya will have intimidated almost everyone into voting their way."

"Whatever they decide, the Jedi doesn't have to go along with it," Luke replied, "The Order is no longer subject to the rulings of the Senate and their mandates."

"But how are we going to explain this in a court of law?" Leia asked.

Luke didn't have an immediate answer, but was left to wonder in contemplation, closing his eyes to enter a state of meditation.

 

ORD MANTELL

Standing on the main landing platform of Ord Mantell City's Capitol building, General Solo waited gratefully as the New Republic YE-4 gunship flew down from the cruiser above.

Han approached the gunship as it landed, reviewing the armored soldiers that came out of it.

The men and women stood at attention as their leader finally emerged.

Han grinned as Lando came out, and said, "So, you finally got off your seat and came."

Lando returned the humorous look, then replied, "Not all of us can be married to Jedi."

"That bad?"

"The Coalition tried a different tactic with the Twi'leks. They've convinced dozens of young people on Ryloth that the Republic is impeding on their freedom."

"That's why we're here, to show them that we're not like the Empire," Han replied, "We didn't fight a war with them for nothing."

"They don't realize that though," Lando said with a growing grimness in his voice.

Suddenly, Captain McCallum came out of the corridor onto the hangar.

"General Solo!"

"Captain," Han replied, "Did the Harvest make it back with the kids?"

"I was knocked out of the ship by the Black Sun fighters," McCallum relied, "I saw your daughter get aboard, but they took off from the planet a minute later."

"They left the planet?" Han asked, frowning in confusion, "See if you can get in contact with Commander Fel."

NIMBAN

The Blue Harvest lowered towards a large, barren algae reef that had been dried up. It was far beyond the eyes of the Coalition, as far as Kira and Sam could tell, anyway.

"Do we know the plan?" Sam asked as they prepared to exit the ship onto the new terrain.

"Put the tracking device on the Coalition ship and run as fast as we can back to ours," Kira replied, "Really that simple."

"Let's see," Sam said as he placed the round and metal tracking device on his utility belt.

Subconsciously. Kira ran a hand through the lightsaber hilt clipped to her Jedi robes as she thought about the danger ahead. Comparable to that on Ord Mantell, she supposed, though as far as she knew, all of Skyler's apprentice were engaged elsewhere. There would be none to confront here on Nimban.

The two of them began walking through the puddles of mud and diluted water, their boots stepping into a ground made largely of coral.

"Think they're watching us?" Kira asked.

"Maybe, but Hutt Cartel hasn't had as much money at its disposal since the Empire," Sam replied. He tapped on the tracking device clipped to his belt.

"Would be nice to have a quick getaway speeder though."

Eventually, the Coalition base was visible from the fog, with the occasional Syck fighter and HWL freighter going back and forth between the base and the green-hued clouds above.

"I don't think we've been spotted yet," Sam said. "You ready for this, kid?"

"Yeah," Kira replied with a vigorous nod.

She tapped into the Force with deliberation, willing their presences to remain undetected by any other being.

HAD ABADDON SYSTEM

Aboard the Sith cruiser Deathwish, Lord Ultor patched yet another communication with Gorga the Hutt, Talon standing closely and silently behind him.

"Dark Master?" Gorga questioned.

"Ah, mighty Gorga," Ultor replied, "You'll be pleased to know that the daughter of Han and Leia Solo is currently lurking near the Coalition fort on Nimban, no doubt on a mission to sabotage Hutt efforts there."

"Are you sure of this?"

"I have every reason to believe it," Ultor replied, "Have your mercenaries and assassins assembled?"

"I'm sending them in our Hawk freighters," replied Gorga, his protocol droid no longer serving a purpose with his decision to speak in Basic for the time being- given his newly restored respect for the Dark Master. "What about your apprentices?"

"They will meet your men in the Had Abaddon System, where you will then head to Coruscant. But remember, mighty Gorga, that you will have to use stealth to get past the Republic defenses."

"My assassins are up to the challenge," Gorga replied.

"Very good," Ultor declared, "With our combined forces, there will be no stopping us in achieving what we desire."

NIMBAN

As they slowly approached the Coalition base, Sam suddenly grabbed Kira by the sleeves and pulled her behind a growth of weedy coral.

"Trouble!"

"I know, I know!" Kira replied, watching as several armored and masked beings emerged from the main entrance, carrying heavy weaponry.

Kira could make out a mix of humans, Rodians, Twi'leks, Whiphids, Trandoshans, and a mysterious towering metallic man among the rabble of warriors boarding the awaiting Hawk gunship.

"That's Durge," Kira realized, "He's been around since the Separatists!"

"We'll want him to stay off our backs," Sam replied.

Then nine-foot-tall Durge broke ranks and stood still as his fellow assassins disappeared into the gunship.

He then activated his comlink and said to Krunge in a deep, smooth voice "My scanners detect two nearby intruders- I'll bet that the Solo girl is one of them."

"Eliminate them both!" Krunge replied.

Durge bent his steel, tattooed arm and a small gun popped out of the forearm.

He scanned the surrounding algae until he picked up on where they were hiding.

"Their ship is about to take off," Kira said as the door to the gunship slammed shut behind the Rodian who had last climbed aboard, "We have to throw the gunship fast."

"I know you're there, Jedi filth," Durge said as he stomped in the direction of Sam and Kira, "I'm going to kill you either way, so you may as well not waste my time."

Kira pulled her lightsaber from her utility belt, her arms trembling with dreadful anticipation.

"He can't be much harder than those two Dark Side Jedi back on Ord Mantell," Sam said in consolation.

"Sam, I just want to say something," Kira began, talking in a weaker voice than she would have liked.

"It'll have to wait," Sam replied, "You distract him while I throw the charge!"

At that moment, Durge opened fire on the coral where they were hiding, tearing open a wide hole and sending laserfire between Sam and Kira's heads.

Kira switched on her blade and without a second thought, revealed herself to the giant towering over her.

Through the metal plates completely masking his features, Durge glowered at the girl confronting him.

"I haven't killed one of your kind since the Clone Wars," Durge remarked, "This is to be fun."

"Not for long," Kira retorted as she charged.

Durge fired at her with the blasters attached to both his arms.

Now that Kira had his full attention, Sam darted from behind the coral and swung his arm clutching the tracker. He pitched it straight upward as the Hawk gunship lifted into the air.

The small device sailed through the fog, lowering just before it could attach to the back wing of the Cartel freighter.

Kira turned and briefly caught the device before it could fall further to the ground. With her mind, she flung it upward and sent it back up to the gunship, attaching it to the bottom as it soared out of sight.

Durge had reached Kira by now, and sent a fist in the direction of her forehead.

Sam fired at the bounty hunter with his own blaster, just barely missing his X-shaped eyes as he missed the lethal blow he had aimed at Kira.

Kira flicked her wrists to the right, attempting to send her lightsaber into Durge's wrists and amputate his hands.

The bounty hunter wrapped his steel fingers over the plasma of Kira's blade, to her astonishment. Kira gaped in shock as Durge threw her across the reef, sending her flying into a nearby ledge.

"Kira!" Sam yelled as she hit the mercifully soft ground and rolled into a lake of algae.

Kira wasn't hurt very badly, but she gagged at the smell of the gases around her and the dirty water into which she had splashed.

Still gripping her lightsaber, Kira caught hold of thr pores in the coral and pulled herself out onto the squishy land.

Meanwhile, Durge had set his sights on Sam.

He advanced on the young commander, with his fists raised to strike.

Sam backed away slowly, aiming his rifle to seemingly no avail. If Kira's lightsaber had failed to damage this bounty hunter in any way, Sam didn't see how he could do any damage.

"You puny Republic lackeys are nothing compared to the might of pure lawless strength. You have interfered with us free systems for the last time."

Sam pulled the trigger to fire, but of course, the shot bounced off of Durge.

The bounty hunter struck Sam's blaster with his arm, breaking it clean in half.

Kira ran to help her new friend, but she knew that even she may not have been fast enough to stop him from being crushed into a pulp.

"Take it!" Kira yelled, realizing there was only one chance to stop this dangerous creature.

"Take it!" Kira yelled, throwing her lightsaber in Sam's direction.

Durge grabbed Sam by the scruff of his uniform and hoisted him up so that his feet dangled high above the ground, level with Durge's kneecaps.

Durge looked up in amazement as the lightsaber hummed through the air towards him.

Sam desperately clawed at the flying weapon, kicking against the distracted Durge to free himself.

Sam's shirt came clean off of his body, leaving him bare-chested as he tumbled onto the coral.

Breathlessly, he took hold of Kira's still-activated lightsaber, having no idea what to do with it.

Durge stomped his foot down, intending to shatter Sam's entire midsection, but Sam rolled away, causing Durge's foot to plunge into the coral from the impact.

Durge lashed out with both fists, grunting in frustration as he swung at Sam.

Kira had arrived closer by then, and summoned the lightsaber back to her via telekinesis.

Durge attempted to shoot Sam with his arm-cannons, but Kira leapt protectively in front of him and batted the shots aside.

"Come on," she said, pulling Sam up by the arm. She continued to draw Durge's fire as his foot remained stuck in the soft, squishy surface into which his foot had torn.

The two of them sprinted away as Durge finally managed to break free, hurrying after them.

"You...saved me...back there," Sam panted as they kept running, still feeling a tight pain in his ribs.

"Hey..." Kira replied, equally out of breath, "You...stopped him...from breaking me in half first."

"Guess we're even then?" Sam reasoned.

Durge was tearing along behind them, closing the gap with his incredibly long legs.

Kira turned around and summoned a strong burst of Force energy, directing it at the approaching Durge.

Sam marveled as Kira's blast sent the giant bounty hunter flying out of sight into the fog.

"There's...the ship!" Kira yelled, regaining her momentum as they got closer.

Sam wasn't as strong, due to his lack of Force-sensitivity, but Kira helped him along as they made their way to the ramp.

"Shut it!" she urged as Sam pressed the button to seal them in, speeding to the cockpit.

He pulled the throttle with all of his strength, bringing the Blue Harvest back into the clouds and fog.

They took off as fast as the Republic attack shuttle would allow, high above the coral and algae and the seething Durge.

"Do you have the Hawk gunship on your screen?" Kira asked as they exited the atmosphere of Nimban back into space.

"Got it right here," Sam confirmed, "I'm following their course now."

Kira could see a small generated image of the ship's trajectory on Sam's screen, heading into what looked like the Outer Rim's unexplored regions.

"I don't know what systems are there," she said, "I can't recognize any."

"We don't travel into deep space much," Sam replied, "but look, I think we've got some company."

Kira gazed outside to view the ship that had appeared on the scanners.

It was an orange NovaSword Superiority Fighter, belonging to Durge, and flown by his pilot droid that resembled a miniature version of the old hunter himself.

"Time to shoot them down," Durge rumbled.

"Lightspeed, now!" Sam urged as the NovaSword opened fire with rapidly circling missiles coming their way.

"Let me take the lead here," Kira said, pulling the throttle as she yanked the course of the ship sideways to avoid Durge's missles.

The cockpit tilted on its side as the missiles collided in a small explosion behind them.

"You really are good," Sam admitted.

Kira shrugged and kept zooming in circles to avoid the repeated missile launches from Durge's fighter.

"This would be a good time for lightspeed," Kira said as Durge's missile attacks increased in intensity and velocity.

"All right, okay," Sam mumbled, pulling the lever.

The ship began to launch into hyperspace...but then stopped dead in its tracks.

"What happened?" Kira asked, trying hard not to panic as she continued to keep them away from the line of fire, "Why didn't that work? Why isn't your lightspeed working?"

"It's working fine!" Sam snapped back, "I think he's pulling us back from going into hyperspace."

"Well we're going to have to lose him fast!" Kira shouted. She sped along away from Nimban's system, zig-zagging as Durge's fighter unleashed its maximum capabilities.

Durge growled in frustration as he continued to pursue the Blue Harvest.

Kira and Sam cried out as they were grazed by a missile.

It didn't hit the shuttle accurately enough to bore into it, but it caused the entire ship to flip upside down before ending up in the right position again.

"This is bad," Kira said.

"I'm going to try and get in contact," Sam replied, activating all possible radio channels.

"Hello? This is Commander Fel of Rogue Squadron. We're in the middle of..."

His sentence was cut off by Kira's maneuver to avoid Durge's lethal onslaught.

Kira then noticed a distant field of asteroids, with hundreds of small rocks revolving around a small cluster of larger bodies.

"Perfect," she whispered, speeding on ahead with renewed determination.

Durge followed behind them, refusing to relent as he watched them approach the asteroid field.

"Asteroids, really?" Sam asked.

"I'm surprised my dad didn't show you this trick!" Kira replied, jerking the Harvest downward as two identical pieces of rock zoomed past either side of the attack shuttle.

The sounds of the wings being chipped were very audible from the inside, causing Sam to cringe.

"Try not to take my ship apart piece by piece, okay?" Sam requested, just as Kira was sending them over another small swarm of flying chunks that nearly took them out from the left.

The layers of rock satellites were spinning as fast as a chopper blade, narrowly missing the Harvest as Kira led them in and out of their warpath.

Durge refocused the trajectory of his own craft as the location of his target continually changed.

Pressing another button on his control panel, Durge unleashed a volley of missile detonators into the field of larger asteroids into which Kira and Sam had disappeared.

"They're not getting out of this one," he growled. His pilot droid let out a series of low grumbles of agreement.

The asteroid was torn apart by the grenade explosions, sending its pieces into a series of collisions with the smaller pieces revolving around them. Several pieces of earth visibly struck the Blue Harvest, sending it spinning out of sight behind the globs of exploded asteroid pieces.

Durge scoured around the series of collisions and explosions taking place in a network, searching for any sign of his quarry.

Finally, he caught sight of one of the Harvest's wings, knocked clean off the ship, floating in the midst of the debris. This meant that the rest of the ship had been taken out.

Laughing in satisfaction, Durge steered his own craft into a clearing, departing the messy asteroid field.

Far below the scattered rocks and pieces, Sam and Kira laughed and whooped in celebration, impulsively pulling into a joyful embrace.

"You were so..."

"No, you..."

Exchanging smiles, the two were interrupted by a voice from the radio.

"Sam?"

"Ben, oh, yes, Ben," Sam said, flushing with equal embarrassment to Kira's.

"What's going on, where are you guys?"

"Well... Kira sort of knocked me out and hijacked my ship."

"She did what?" Ben marveled incredulously. He sounded both annoyed and sorely tempted to burst out laughing.

"Look, just don't tell your dad, please, okay? I'll never hear the end of it from him."

"Is she there with you now?"

"Hi Ben," Kira said sheepishly.

"Kira, what were you thinking? What happened?"

"We're on our way to rescue Tahiri, and we kind of took a detour. We just escaped from a bounty hunter trying to kill us."

"Well, where are you going now?"

"Let's see," Sam replied, checking his scanners, "It looks like our destination is the Had Abaddon system."

"That must be where Skyler lives now," Ben replied, now becoming filled with dread and anticipation.

"I heard his apprentices call him Lord Ultor," Kira pointed out, remembering her brief encounter with him in Ord Mantell's capital, just before they had grabbed and taken Tahiri away, "I think that's what he calls himself now."

"Then he's fully embraced the ways of the old Sith," Ben realized grimly, "He's starting their old order new again"

"Can you come meet us?" Kira asked.

"I'll be there to help as soon as possible. Just don't do anything stupid, okay?"

"Never have before," Kira replied.

"We'll see you soon," Sam replied.

"Keep her out of trouble, okay, Sam?" Ben asked.

"I would if that were possible," Sam replied humorously, "Try and hurry, okay."

"Copy that," Ben replied, "Over and out."

HAD ABADDON

Above the planet consisting of the Coalition's primary stronghold, the Sith cruiser loomed, casting an ominous shadow over the blue and black acid surface.

The Hawk gunship quickly approached the cruiser, pulling into its hangar from down below.

Ultor, Talon, and the Shadowguard wielding pikes with saber blades attached to the ends stood as the team of guerrillas approached to report for duty, led by Nihl, the other four Sith apprentices, and a guard of IG assassin droids. About four hundred warriors made up the total of the strike team preparing to invade Coruscant's criminal underworld.

"In order to successfully penetrate Coruscant's military defenses, you will have to forgo traditional means of arriving on the planet. Public transport will help you blend in. Then, you will regroup on the planet and launch your attack underground."

"What about you, my lord?" Nihl asked, glaring suspiciously at Talon.

"Talon and I will attempt to get the information regarding the location of the Jedi Academy," Ultor replied sinisterly, "We will use the Jedi prisoner and her friends who come and rescue her as the means to do so."

"Durge failed to kill them on Nimban," reported the lead Rodian named Farqua Peel, "They evaded him through the asteroid field."

"Some use may still come from the Jedi girl," Ultor replied, "With luck, we can extract the Jedi Academy's location from her, and then lure Skywalker into our ultimate trap."

The Blue Harvest came out of lightspeed into orbit of Had Abaddon just as the shuttles carrying the Coruscant invasion force departed the Sith cruiser, launching into hyperspace beyond sight.

"They have a surprisingly small defense," Sam observed, "too small."

"There's always a trap, if I've learned anything so far from these things," Kira answered, "Especially since Skyler's here- no, Ultor," she corrected herself. "Skyler was a completely different person once."

"How did he get that way?" Sam asked.

"I don't know," Kira replied, "Nobody knows for sure. One day, he felt the dark side calling to him, and then he went into the inferno and never came out."

Without exchanging any more words between them I order to focus on their objective, Kira and Sam flew the Harvest towards the surface of Had Abaddon and into its treacherous atmosphere.

Through the acidic clouds, Kira could see a black, haunted-looking castle built into the mountaintops, over the flowing rivers of acid below.

"Tahiri's here," Kira remarked, screaming through the Force at her friend, letting her know desperately that they were there now, that she was going to be okay, "She's alive, but badly hurt."

"It's lucky you can tell these things," Sam replied.

They docked low against the slope of the mountain leading up to Ultor's castle, next to a lake of acid that resembled a bright, neon colored body of water.

Sam picked up his pistol and placed it in the holster while Kira gripped her deactivated saber, ready for the certain host of enemies that would be swarming after them.

CORUSCANT

In the Senate's main lobby, Luke, Leia, and the droids met with Senator Mothma of Chandrilia, along with Ackbar.

"If Fey'lya allows the verdict to go through, which he certainly will, it may be difficult for you to get off Coruscant safely," the elderly, grey-haired Mothma stated.

"If it came to it, we'd be prepared to fight our way out," Leia replied, "We just don't want to harm anybody in the process."

"The Jedi may be facing bigger problems soon enough," Luke added, somewhat distracted and distant from the conversation.

"In any case, the last thing the New Republjc needs is a full scale war, especially when we are still "trying to win allegiance from pro-Imperial and independent-minded systems alike," Mothma said, "These will invariably side with the Coalition with the declaration of war."

"The influence of the Empire lingers within the Coalition's leadership," Leia noted, "even if they promote a message of anarchy. Their Dark Master has an authoritarian streak that comes from what he has learned from the dark side."

The group was then accosted by another cluster of representatives, including Roth Free Taa of Ryloth, Triclops of Nar Shadda, Ryes Quarn of Tinnel and Drussk of Trandosha, all accompanied by armed bodyguards from their homeworlds.

"Pardon me, Master Skywalker," Senator Quarn said, a false smile swimming onto his features, "But with your talk against the war on the Coalition, does this mean you support a weakened central Republic?"

Luke glared stonily at the group. "I support a free democracy, which I fought a war to bring onto the galaxy," he replied, "I do not intend to fight another war."

"You make a wise choice, Master Jedi," the reptilian Drussk chimed in, "The New Republic's laws against bounty hunting are unacceptable in the eyes of myself and my homeworld. We do not accept the laws of your governing body that destroy our long-standing practices."

Luke frowned and felt his insides clenching together. He loathed to stand by in favor of the practice of bounty hunting, especially when he, his relatives, and his fellow Jedi regularly prevented bounty hunters from terrorizing Republic populations, but he still could not endorse the war promoted by Fey'lya and Omas.

"I stand by the principles I set out to promote amongst my Jedi Knights," he said in a nondescript reply, careful not to betray his true feelings.

The Senator from Ryloth took a contrary position.

"Do you see, Master Skywalker," Free Taa demanded, "What happens without strong Republic control? Bounty hunting? The Empire was far better at keeping such practices under control."

"Might we remind you that the Empire regularly employed bounty hunters to underhandedly fight the Rebellion?" Leia asked, visibly fierce with defensiveness, "From which you profited greatly, Drussk," she added, now indicating the Trandoshan.

"We are a proud bounty hunting people," Drussk replied, "We view the Coalition as the best path to freedom to continue our way of life."

"I don't know why you refuse to conduct a full invasion of such Coalition sympathizers as Drussk over here!" Free Taa exclaimed, angrily gesturing at his rival Senator, "When you certainly have the capacity and the power to overtake them, Master Jedi!"

Luke took a breath and replied, "Just because I have the power to do something doesn't make it the right thing to do."

Inside the main Senate audience chamber, the broadcasting screen once again displayed the face of Cal Omas.

"The Senate is now back in session," Omas declared, "Let us make the finalizing vote that will determine the fate of this New Republic."

 

HAD ABADDON

Looking up at the Sith cruiser and departing Syck fighters and Hawk gunships, Sam observed, "We're lucky that they're so distracted about now. It looks like they're planning something big."

"They've been constantly attacking Republic planets, haven't they?" Kira asked.

"That looks bigger than their usual exploits," Sam replied, shaking his head, "Looks like they're gearing up for a major invasion unlike any they've done before."

"We'll worry about it later,okay?" Kira said, "We've got to get Tahiri out of here."

"Right," Sam agreed.

As they climbed up the mountain, the smell of nauseating gas filled Kira's nostrils.

A striking thought occurred to her all of the sudden after she finished gagging.

"Sam, I think you should stay in the ship?"

"Stay behind, why?" Sam asked, slightly affronted at Kira's suggestion.

"It's going to be really dangerous," Kira reasoned, "And I think I'm more equipped to handle whoever is going to be waiting."

Sam wasn't so proud that he would immediately deny Kira's claims and say he was well enough prepared. He had barely survived the encounter with Durge and would have been beaten to a pulp if Kira hadn't been there.

"Besides, we're going to need a getaway vehicle," Kira amended, giving Sam a reassuring pat on the shoulder, "We're going to need you to come get us once I break Tahiri out."

"You can count on me, Kira," Sam replied, smiling with bittersweet emotion, "I guess we'd better get a move-on, then?"

"Yeah," Kira replied with a nod.

"Be careful up there."

"I will," Kira promised.

Sam turned around to head back to the Blue Harvest, but then an impulse suddenly seized hold of Kira before she even knew it was there.

Jogging after Sam, Kira took him by the cheeks and turned him around.

"What are you doing?" Sam demanded, pulling away.

"Nothing, sorry," Kira replied, pulling away. She ran up the gaseous slope as fast as she could to get away, "Just thought you had something in your face."

She didn't see that Sam's face was as red as hers as he proceeded back down to the ship, looking back at her as she disappeared into the mountain trail.

Kira tried to push her embarrassing mistake and Sam's tacit rejection out of her mind as she climbed up the black trail. Rescuing Tahiri was more important, she told herself, and everything else was secondary, including her relationship with Sam.

Finally, after what amounted to two hours, Kira reached the summit of the mountain. The time had gone by quickly in her perception, given the maelstrom of thoughts gushing through her head and the mixture of fear, embarrassment, and rage directed at Skyler and his Coalition beating in her heart.

"I'm coming, Tahiri," she breathed, approaching the black castle, which was gated by a drawbridge over an boiling acid moat.

Several armored Shadowtroopers emerged from secret hatches leading out of the castle, raising advanced double-barrel blaster rifles.

These hired soldiers donned uniforms that somewhat resembled those of Imperial stormtroopers, except their armor was entirely black and their visors had a different design.

Already grasping her lightsaber hilt, which felt very hot as she clenched the metal handle, Kira flicked the switch to bring her blue blade of plasma to life.

"You're already in too deep," the lead Shadowtrooper warned Kira, "No turning back for you."

"Good thing I wasn't planning to," Kira growled in fierce reply.

The rapid balls of fire flew in her direction. Kira was fast, moving her wrists from side to side, her blade accompanying each motion.

The shots that didn't strike the original assailants drilled into the outer walls of the fortress, while Kira ran at the troopers and with a roar, sliced her lightsaber into the torsos of the nearest two.

She had made her first conscious, face to face kills. Kira vaguely processed this information, but it only took a second before she was back in action, slicing in half the weapon of the next black-clad goon before dipping her blade into his chest and leaving a vertical line of burn marks on his armor as he collapsed.

Another glowering helmet popped up from the secret passageway on the side of the drawbridge.

Kira stretched her free hand out towards the anonymous foe, and used the Force to drag him from his perch.

The Shadowtrooper hollered as he tumbled from the stone summit into the pit of acid beside him, instantly vanishing into the bubbly liquid.

Kira hurried forward before any more of the men could surround her, leaving a heap of bodies in her wake.

She tried to use her close link to Tahiri to her advantage, reaching for the energy of her friend.

Tahiri was close by, Kira realized as she climbed into the small tunnel from which the enemy guards had emerged.

She deactivated her lightsaber and quickly clipped it, wiggling into the secret passage and crawling through.

Due to her small stature, Kira was able to stand up inside the metallic, squared walls that led into the Dark Master's fortress, but she opted to crawl on her belly, trying to be as fast and sneaky as possible.

Ultor's SuperStealther touched down on the small, private hangar adjacent to his throne room.

This time, he was accompanied by Talon, the two of them rushing inside the palace from the ship.

Once they were inside, Ultor wordlessly pointed to the doorway, silently commanding Talon to go.

His top apprentice nodded in understanding and glowered menacingly. She took the lightsaber clipped to her clothing and activated its red blade before proceeding towards the corridor.

Ultor pressed a secret, unseen button on the armrest of his throne, staring inexplicably at Talon's retreating back.

As the Sith apprentice stalked the hollow, shadowy corridor, she was joined by the four attending ShadowGuards, dressed in black robes and face visors obscuring their features.

In addition, throughout the palace, PROXY droids emerged from secret tunnels, leading small groups of TC-SCs in search of their target.

As soon as she landed her somersault into the main hangar of Ultor's castle, Kira sensed a looming and approaching danger.

The sound of ominous, terrifying metal clanking against the floor filled the halls surrounding the barren landing platform.

Kira reflexively turned on her lightsaber blade, her heart racing with dreaded anticipation.

As soon as she took her first step, metallic TC-SC droids came swarming into the hangar from the left, about ten at a time.

Additional Shadowtroopers came in from the right, this time armed with electroscythes that brandished lightning yellow blades. A Shadowguard carrying a yellow-bladed saber pike was leading the black armored troopers.

Kira widened her stance in preparation of the attack as the droids charged, some armed with blasters and others with the same yellow-blades that the Shadowguard and troopers brandished.

Kira's feet bounced back and forth, carrying her weight as she swung her lightsaber in response to the fire coming her way. She was able to accurately redirect the blaster shots back to their sources, and brought her blade back in a jabbing motion as the first Shadowtrooper reached her, ready to hook his scythe into Kira's torso.

Kira was faster, crying out with adrenaline as she cut her blue saber into the trooper's helmet, causing the top half to slide off of its counterpart as the man silently dropped to his knees.

"This is what I've been missing," Kira said savagely, feeling satisfaction at the feeling of killing an enemy.

She sprang from her feet forward at the three droids and two Shadowtroopers surrounding her, stabbing into the chests of the two droids in a single motion, and raising her hand to push back the two Shadowtroopers before they could slice into her head and neck. She could smell the burning plasma from the scythes of one guard before she sent him crashing into the wall, rolling ten feet onto the floor with a crack of the spine.

"Anyone else want to try me?" Kira demanded.

The Shadowguard charged, preparing to bring his saber pike down in an executing motion.

Kira saw an opening and kicked upward, catching the elite guard's weapon handle with her boot.

The weapon slipped from the mysterious guard's gloved grip, and Kira spun her lightsaber between her fingers before swiping the very tip of it into his throat while barely touching him.

The guard gagged as blood filled the fabric of his cloak, collapsing onto his knees before falling onto his back.

Kira glared at the remaining droids and the three remaining Shadowtroopers.

"Are you really the best they can come up with?" Kira taunted them.

She reveled in her fury and aggression as she advanced on her foes, absorbing the fear of the organic beings and looking forward to whatever flimsy challenges presented by the droids.

As the guards raised their weapons, backing away cautiously, Kira made a fist and raised it, putting more power into her offensive than any other preceding it.

The concentration put into her gesture allowed her to levitate all three droids before sending them crashing into their Shadowtrooper companions.

As the guards stumbled under the weight of the TC-SC droids, Kira charged at them and brought her lightsaber all the way back in preparation to swing it forward with every bit of energy she had.

With a yell of finality, Kira sliced her lightsaber through her opponents, seemingly finishing them all.

When she backed away, panting from the intense effort required of her, Kira began to turn away, before sensing that her struggle with this cluster of foes was not over.

The largest and leader of the droids suddenly stood on its feet once more, no longer sliced at the middle.

The droid began to glow and flash before recognizable features began to replace the metallic and wired body parts

Kira squinted in confusion as the droid assumed the form of a horned Zabrak, with red skin and black tattoos.

The Zabrak flashed its teeth at Kira and said in a low, deadly voice, "You are an inferior version of those who came before you."

"You're not real," Kira replied, nonetheless backing away towards the wall, "You're just an illusion."

"It won't make a difference when you die today," the Zabrak replied, bringing a red lightsaber to life and advancing.

Tahiri suddenly snapped awake in her cell, still restrained by the scan grid. Her face was heavily scarred and torn, while her blond hair consisted of visible burn marks of grey. She could barely stand upright, but she could also feel renewed strength flowing through her veins.

Kira was here, in this castle, Tahiri realized.

Not only that, but she was actively calling for her fellow Padawan's help.

"I'm coming, Kira," Tahiri said aloud, "Just as soon as I find a way out of this cell.

Kira's lightsaber was nearly knocked out of her hands by the projection attacking her. The horned alien brought his red blade back and forth as he attacked, forcing Kira to remain in retreating mode, blocking every strike without having the time to form her own plan to obtain any kind of advantage.

The illusion growled in frustration as he was unable to break the stalemate, especially as Kira began to rival the strength of his attacks.

The Jedi trainee pushed hard against his lightsaber, her arms aching and her teeth visibly clenching.

"You have the blood of the Chosen One, Solo," Maul's droid-activated projection sneered, "But will it be enough to get you out of this alive?"

Kira bent her knees and leapt up high, her feet passing over Maul's head before he had time to slice at them.

She flipped over Maul before landing in front of him, instantly turning to react to his attempt to drive his red jet of sizzling energy through her.

Kira held up her blade vertically to meet the Maul-droid's horizontal strike, pushing it aside with a combination of the Force and her physical prowess.

With the Zabrak's hip facing Kira, she brought up a knee and drove it into the droid. Kira groaned as her kneecap hit the metal plate that the simulation was made up, but she managed to drive it away.

Taking advantage of the brief opportunity, Kira reached for her comlink and switched it on without removing it from her belt.

"Sam!" she yelled.

Sam instantly responded via radio from the Blue Harvest.

"What's going on?" he asked, "I hear lightsabers."

"No time!" Kira yelled, "Find power source and shut it down!"

Sam didn't bother replying, but instead pulled the lever to lift off. He piloted the vibrating Harvest from the acidic sea level and flew up against the slope of the mountain and the acid fall flowing into the lake below.

Sam pulled another, smaller level, activating his probe droid, which flew from the storage compartment into the cockpit.

"K3, I need you to find the source controlling this place's power," Sam said to the droid.

K3 buzzed its answer and hovered as Sam opened the top hatch of his ship.

The droid fluttered out of the top of the Harvest and zoomed in the direction of the pointed towers of the Coalition fortress.

By now, Tahiri had used the Force to break free of her restraints, but found the electricity-generated entrance to her cell impossible to open.

She grunted with effort as she tried to break open her cell with the Force, but could not find a target source for her energy.

Sam switched his control computer on as K3 transmitted its findings.

"Thanks, K3," Sam replied, "Time to shut it down."

He flew his attack shuttle between the two lower towers towards the main one, where a power grid was located peering into the ledge of the mountain.

A silver Infiltrator appeared from behind the slope of the mountain, piloted by a furious and determined Talon.

"Insignificant pest," the young Sith warrior growled as she opened fire.

Sam tried to speed behind the power grid for to take cover, but the Infiltrator was coming in too fast.

Just then, several shots from above tore into Talon's ship, forcing her to fly ahead to take cover as the upper hull burst into flames.

Sam whooped in relief as he looked to find two Jedi StealthXs flying overhead.

"You were quicker than I thought," he said into the radio.

"This means you'll have to pay me back twice now," Ben Solo replied with his father's cocky swagger.

Behind the two StealthXs, a Republic cruiser appeared in the clouds overlooking the surface of Had Abaddon.

Sam made out at least two dozen Interceptors sailing overhead, coming to his rescue.

"We've got them," Trix reported as she led the squadron in formation surrounding Ultor's castle, "Almost completely safe and sound."

Almost on cue, Talon's ship circled around the mountain range, now leading a swarm of Syck fighters to combat the Republic reinforcements.

Sam said, "K3 showed me the power grid of this place. We need to knock it out as soon as possible."

"Sounds doable to me," Ben replied as he joined Sam side-by-side between the towers.

Syck fighters were approaching them, about nine in a V formation.

Ben instantly took out the leader before doing circles around the rest.

Sam whistled at the Jedi's impressive flying techniques before realizing that he too was under fire.

He just managed to swerve right as his ship skidded brutally against a burning Syck, which collided in a small ball of gas with the roof of the castle, forming a hole as it exploded inside.

Inside his throne room, Ultor was knocked down by the explosion.

With a snarl and a contortion of his face, the young Coalition leader summoned two curved lightsaber hilts from the sides of his throne, turning on their red blades of power.

"I think I've got a clear shot," Master Tionne said, turning the guns of her StealthX towards the power grid. While Ben, Sam, and the others worked to keep the Coalition ships off her back, Tionne opened fire, driving her laser shots into the grid and tearing it in two.

Suddenly, all the droids on all levels of the fortress came to a stop in their proceedings, shutting down all at once.

The Maul projection went limp, allowing Kira to knock it into the wall as a smoldering heap of spare parts.

The energy fields protecting the dungeon cells went off at the same time, including the one keeping Tahiri locked in.

The teenage Jedi didn't stop to wonder. She just staggered out of her cell into the corridor, hurrying as fast as her weakened body would allow her to towards the staircase ahead.

Kira's boots struck the top of the staircase leading into the dungeons hard, nearly causing her to trip.

With a gasp of relief, she saw a beaten, exhausted Tahiri making her way up to her.

"Tahiri!" she yelled, starting to run down to help her friend.

Tahiri looked up at her and smiled weakly. "Kira," she breathed, "You came."

Kira stopped about halfway to Tahiri and startled as armored Shadowtroopers appeared behind her, raising their weapons to fire.

"Behind you!" Kira yelled.

Tahiri dropped down as the troopers opened fire, the lasers sailing over her back as she hit the floor.

Kira sprinted down and sent the shots back at the troopers, killing them all within ten seconds.

When she reached the gasping Tahiri, Kira did a double take at the scars on her face and hands.

"You look terrible," she panted.

Tahiri cracked another smile. "You couldn't come up with something nicer to say?"

Kira halfheartedly returned the smirk and seized Tahiri's hand, pulling her to her feet with a grunt of effort.

"You okay to walk?"

"I think so," Tahiri replied.

"Let's go then," Kira draped an arm around her best friend and supported her as they staggered back up the stairs.

The northern tower had erupted into flames as the Republic and Jedi help had destroyed the power grid and sent its flaming pieces scattering over the castle.

Ben and Tionne were quick to land their fighters outside the drawbridge, Force-jumping from their cockpits and igniting their lightsabers.

As soon as Kira and Tahiri reached the main hangar, a shadow of dread and doom filled the air.

"Kira," Tahiri cautioned, tugging on her sleeve.

Kira shuddered and squirmed on the inside as Talon came out of a side panel, her lightsaber poised to strike.

She grinned maliciously at the two of them, who were entirely unprepared to face her.

Ben and Tionne both appeared, advancing on Talon and backing her away from the two Jedi trained.

"Get out of here!" Ben yelled.

"I'm not leaving you," Kira replied, rushing to help as the two Knights kept Talon at bay.

"Let's go!" Tahiri shouted as four cloaked ShadowGuards appeared.

Reluctantly, Kira went along as Tahiri started at a run.

She could glimpse Sam's attack shuttle just outside the castle. She hopped over the drawbridge and raced over it, pulling Tahiri along.

The guards pursued, but were not nearly as fast.

The Blue Harvest was hovering about five feet above the mountain trail, the ramp opening as Kira pulled Tahiri up onto the drawbridge, gripping her arms tight.

"Kira!" Tahiri gasped. The ShadowGuards had caught up and had their saberpikes pointed in the girls' faces.

"On three," Kira whispered.

A second later, both girls used a powerful Force push to send the ShadowGuards flying. Three of them fell back into the main hangar, while the fourth hit the castle wall and slid down into the pool of acid, instantly boiling to death.

"Come on!" Sam yelled, as the probe droid K3 hovered through the aerial battle and joined his master on the ramp of the Harvest.

"You ready to jump?" Kira asked.

Tahiri replied, "I don't know if I can make it."

"I'll give you a boost," Kira replied.

Tahiri leapt feebly in the direction of Sam's shuttle ten feet away, and Kira used the Force to propel her into the air, pushing her in Sam's direction.

"Grab my hand!" Sam shouted, catching onto Tahiri as she managed to seize the bottom of the ramp.

As Sam pulled Tahiri aboard the ship, which rested comfortably in autopilot as the Republic Interceptors kept the Coalition fighters off their backs, Kira looked back to find Ben and Tionne still dueling Talon.

This time, the two Jedi Knights had the upper hand against Talon, forcing her to maintain the defensive.

Tionne pushed Talon back with a powerful strike against her lightsaber.

Sensing his sister lingering, Ben turned his head to her and shouted, "Kira, go!"

Kira hesitated, reluctant to leave her brother.

Yet she saw that as Talon rebuked Tionne's push of the lightsaber, Ben was able to counterattack with ease, actually knocking Talon to the floor on her back.

When Talon tried to leap to her feet, Tionne kicked the hilt of her lightsaber, sending it far from her hand, spinning on the hangar floor and emitting a trail of sparks and embers.

Kira decided that this was enough reassurance.

She turned back to Sam and Tahiri and Force-leapt from the drawbridge of Ultor's castle and landed on her feet on the ramp of Sam's ship as he dragged the still-injured Tahiri to safety.

The ramp closed behind them as Sam said to Kira, "I'll get us out of here, get the medical kit for her."

He ran into the cockpit and switched from autopilot, launching away from Ultor's castle as quickly as possible.

Ultor stood next to his SuperStealther on the private landing pad next to his throne room.

He gripped the tracking device he had taken from the Hutt Cartel Hawk gunship, winding up to pitch it.

As the Republic attack shuttle flew past him, Ultor pitched the device over the edge of the platform, using the Force to send it towards the Blue Harvest and attach it.

Down below in the main lobby, Talon scooted backwards from the blades of the two Jedi who had beaten her, her eyes wide with both fear and rage.

Ben and Master Tionne looked at each other, deciding that the job was done.

They both started away from Talon back to their StealthXs, keeping their weapons activated just in case.

As Ultor climbed aboard his personal craft, he spoke to the miniature hologram of Darth Talon.

"The Solo girl and her friends have escaped, my lord," his apprentice said.

"Get to your Infiltrator and follow me," Ultor ordered, baring his teeth with fury, "We'll track them back to their Jedi Academy and begin our ultimate conquest."

CORUSCANT

Inside the Senate hall, Chief Fey'lya addresses the reassembled Senators and representatives.

"And now, I believe that every side of the issue has said their fair piece. Master Skywalker, have you had any more thoughts on your position?"

Luke gazed over from the glass of the Corellia booth to where the Trandoshan Drussk stood nearby. Drussk flashed him a sharp-tooth grin, daring him to change his mind and support the war.

Luke reflected on his inner beliefs, knowing that he supported the Republic's policies on such practices as bounty hunting that the Coalition was threatening to undo.

He looked up into the large broadcasting screen that presented Fey'lya's glowering face and said, "I stand by my earlier verdict, Chief. I will not send the Jedi to fight a war."

Fey'lya squinted his beady eyes in contempt. "So be it, Master Skywalker. And now, it is time to put it to the vote."

On Leia's miniature screen in the Senate booth, two buttons appeared, one green and one red. Without further delay, Leia tapped her finger on the red button.

Gazing up at Fey'lya's large screen, Luke saw the votes rallying up. There were some votes for no, but to his dismay, the overwhelming majority of systems supported the motion.

It seemed as though only pro-Coalition Senators such as Triclops and Drussk had voted against recruiting the Jedi as generals.

"What do we do now?" Leia asked.

"We stand our ground," Luke replied.

An AA-9 freighter liner appeared into orbit of the metropolitan capital world. A pilot droid and a human engineer were at the controls, while two-hundred-odd passengers were seated at their booths and tables.

Darth Nihl, Kallus, Paxis, Wyyrlok, and Judicar, despite being elite apprentices of the Dark Master and leaders of the Coalition, were dressed casually in a way that made them look like students on an excursion into the big city.

Aged between eighteen and twenty-three, these young Sith did not draw suspicion from their fellow passengers as they prepared for a mass invasion.

"Do you think the Hutts will bail on us?" the female, purple-skinned Nautolaun Paxis asked.

"Why would they?" replied Judicar, a male Kiffar, "This mission does more for them than for us. Of course it's Talon, Ultor's favorite, who gets the real mission. Now look at us, smuggling a group of slimy Hutts into the lower city levels."

"We'll have plenty of time to knock her down," Nihl assured his fellow apprentice, "And maybe..." He paused, hesitating to say what his next thought had been.

"And what?" Kallus asked, "Maybe what?"

"We are the Sith of the future, aren't we?" Nihl pointed out, "And what's a Sith who keeps his Master around? The only reason why he doesn't Force-choke and electrocute us on a regular basis is because he needs us to be loyal to him."

"We have to be realistic," Judicar said, "The Dark Master is probably still more powerful than the rest of us put together. There's a lot he keeps from us."

"Besides," the human Wyyrlok added, "He's still got Talon wrapped around his finger."

"Well, we'll all have our chance eventually," Paxis concluded, "Then I guess the next step would be tearing each other apart until the strongest remains."

Nihl silently checked his portable holoscreen and said, "The Hutt Cartel mercenaries are in position now.We'll give them the signal when it'stime for them to land."

Far behind the freighter liner, four Hawk gunships appeared out of lightspeed, along with a large Dor'bulla warship.

The Hutt Council was assembled inside the conference room of the Dor'bulla.

"Tell the guerrillas to attack," Gorga said to his majordomo Krunge.

The orange Toydarian nodded and silently fluttered from the room, activating his comlink.

 

HAD ABADDON SYSTEM

After tending to Tahiri's injuries, Kira escorted her into the cockpit to join Sam as he steered the Harvest away from Had Abaddon as quickly as he could.

"All right, now it's time to go back to Ord Mantell," Sam said.

"Thank you guys for coming," Tahiri said, still panting from exhaustion, "Both of you."

"Don't thank me too much," Sam replied, "Your friend here practically dragged me along."

He started to turn to the Republic command ship as it emerged from the clouds at the highest point of Had Abaddon's atmosphere.

"Look out!" Kira shouted, pointing outside the viewscreen.

Both Ultor's SuperStealther and Talon's Infiltrator appeared after the command ship, turning their sights on the Blue Harvest.

"We can't get past both of them," Kira said, "We're going to have to make a jump to lightspeed."

"Where to?" Sam asked skeptically.

"They're gaining!" Tahiri shouted, just as Talon and Ultor simultaneously opened fire.

Kira fired back with the Harvest's guns as Sam evaded the two enemy ships as best as he could.

"Just take us anywhere," Kira replied, "Quickly!"

"All right, okay," Sam said hastily, pulling the throttle to make the jump into hyperspace.

To Kira, the vibration of the ship felt stronger than usual as the Harvest began its course. She held on to Tahiri as the ship blasted out of the Had Abaddon system through the Mid Rim.

"Looks like we're not out of the woods quite yet," Sam observed, looking at his data screen.

"They're following us," Tahiri realized, "They must have put some kind of tracker on our ship."

"We can't go back to Ord Mantell, or the Academy on Ossus," Kira decided, "We'll have to hide somewhere and then shake them off our tail."

Inside the cockpit of his fighter, Ultor said into his radio, "Don't lose sight of them. They can't get away now."

Both he and Talon had jumped into lightspeed right after the Blue Harvest and were in determined pursuit.

The Harvest finally pulled out of lightspeed when it reached the next Mid Rim system.

"Let's land here," Sam suggested.

"Do you know if it's safe?" Tahiri asked.

Sam shook his head. "No, but Metacorn is always busy with trading activity. We should be able to blend in before coming up with a plan to sneak out again."

"If they catch us,we can take them," Kira said confidently. She hated the act of running away from the Sith. She would turn the tables on Ultor soon enough, Kira decided.

Sam sped down towards the crimson Metacorn and steered the Harvest into the planet's atmospheric clouds.

Metacorn had no major cities, but small trade outposts were visible throughout its large, rocky plains.

Occasionally, a vent in the ground shined red rubies that reflected into the sky. Kira could see miners down belowdigging with high-tech equipment into the ground.

"How about that town over there?" Tahiri suggested. The "town" consisted of a medium-sized landing hangar, about five interconnected avenues, a cantina, aparts dealership and a trading post.

"How're we going to hide here?" Sam asked.

"We won't," Kira growled in reply, tapping the lightsaber clipped to her belt, "We fight and we show them."

"Kira, we couldn't beat Talon with another apprentice," Tahiri pointed out, "I don't think we'll be able to take her along with Ultor."

"Weknow what to expect from them this time," Kira replied, "And this time, we won't lose."

CORUSCANT

"Master Skywalker," said Chief Fey'lya with a double-dip of triumph and wariness, "What do you have to say about the newest Senate vote? Do you accept your position as general in our grand army, or are you going to desert?"

It was an impassioned, invigorated Leia who spoke up instead.

"Luke is not a deserter," she said to the public forum, "Luke has done his duty in service of the galaxy far more than most can claim, destroying the first Death Star, and facing both Darth Vader and the Emperor at great risk to his own life. Us Jedi have long kept the peace in the galaxy when it was threatened, and we will continue to do so."

"Peace?" questioned Twi'lek Senator Free Taa, "Would you say you have succeeded, when the galaxy is being torn apart by the Coalition, led by your former student, Master Skywalker?"

Luke could not help but flush at these words, but kept his calm persona. Leia, on the other hand, raised a fist with passionate anger.

"Leia, it's okay," Luke whispered, placing a hand on his sister's arm.

"The choices of a grown man in no way reflect on Luke," Leia fired back, "I do not deny the immorality of the Coalition, but pulling the galaxy into a war is not the answer."

Fey'lya was not moved. "Very well, Senator Solo," he replied, "Nonetheless, Master Skywalker, I will expect all of your Knights and Masters to report for duty to receive their command assignments, or you will all risk being tried for desertion."

Luke remained silent and strong.

Suddenly, inside the Chief's booth, Omas received a buzz on his comlink.

Answering on the tiny screen in the booth, Omas whispered, "What is it, Antilles?"

Admiral Wedge Antilles replied, "Sir, we've detected several Hutt Clan ships entering our sector."

Luke suddenly turned his attention from the Senate meeting, turning his head in alarm.

"Do you feel that?" he asked Leia, "Do you feel the same disturbance in the Force that I do?"

Leia nodded wordlessly, looking around and scanning the faces of her fellow Senators.

The public tunnel leading to the lower levels of Coruscant allowed for public transport, such as a freighter carrier, to pass through.

It was guarded by a fleet of revolving Interceptors and upgraded X-Wing fighters, along with several gunships with armed soldiers on board.

Level 1313 was the destination of the Sith apprentices.

At the boarding station, Nihl, Kallus, Paxis, Wyyrlok, and Judicar exited along with their fellow passengers, now dressed in their black robes.

Many thugs and criminals still wandered the dimly lit, metropolitan streets of this level, but they were careful to avoid the patrolling soldiers and police officers.

The Aradonti Ravine separated the side of level 1313 where the boarding station was built from the tall, towering building that had formerly been the lair of Ziro the Hutt, a floundering nightclub.

It was now deserted and closed off by Republic forces, who remained in patrol.

At Nihl's silent beckoning, the six youths walked towards the metal walkway that led over the Ravine towards the former Hutt stronghold.

As they stepped over the Ravine, the Republic guards watching the nightclub started running towards the Sith's path to intercept them.

Meanwhile, about five patrol guards appeared from behind them, weapons drawn.

"Stop right there," the sergeant ordered, "You're not allowed to be in that territory."

At first, the apprentices ignored them, but then the sergeant stepped onto the bridge after the young Sith.

"I said stop," the human woman said, "You juvenile delinquents are coming with me."

"Juvenile delinquents, are we?" Nihl asked, "I like the sound of that."

At his cue, Judicar tossed a thermal detonator towards the blockade on the other side of the bridge, and six red lightsabers snapped to life.

"Come on!" Luke urged, suddenly running from the booth and using the Force to slide the doorway open.

Leia followed him quickly into the hall, ignoring Fey'lya's cry of "STOP!"

"Wait for us!" Threepio fretted as he hobbled after the two humans.

Artoo was much faster, staying close behind Luke and Leia.

Immediately, the two Jedi were met by eight armed Senate guards, who immediately moved in on the attack.

Luke raised both hands to the ceiling, causing all eight blue-robed guards to crash into it before crumpling to the floor in a heap of helmets and robes

The Skywalker siblings hurried to the nearest turbolift, pursued by even more guards.

"We need to get to the lower levels, fast," Luke said.

After exiting the turbolift on the ground floor, Luke and Leia raced across the heavily pillared reception hall, towards the hangar.

Most of the blaster-carrying, masked soldiers were unaware of the political climate or the conflict between the New Republic Senate and the Jedi Order.

Therefore, it did not occur to them to act against Luke and Leia until they had climbed into a vacated DC0052 speeder.

"Hey, get out of there!" ordered Captain Dreller.

Luke steered the Republic craft quickly out of the hangar into the open travel lanes.

"Wait!" Threepio protested as he and Artoo arrived in the hangar.

Artoo lightly bumped into Threepio with his whole body, then slowly wheeled away.

"Where are you going now?" Threepio demanded as he reluctantly followed his little friend.

Artoo stopped in front of a long 2187 speeder, which seated four and had a socket perfectly suited for an astromech such as himself.

"What are you suggesting?" Threepio asked, "I'm certainly not getting in there."

Artoo popped into the air with his rocket boosters and lowered himself into the droid socket, beeping urgently at the golden protocol droid

"Me, fly such a thing? It goes against everything I was programmed for."

Suddenly, the two droids were approached by five city patrol officers, blaster pistols drawn.

"We're going to have to take you two droids into custody for now," the man leading the officers stated, "since you both are the property of fugitives from the law."

With a mischievous whistle, Artoo let out a stream of blinding nonlethal gas into the hangar.

"Artoo, what do you think you're doing?" Threepio whined as the guards coughed and gagged, one of them firing a shot that barely kissed Threepio's right shoulder.

After Artoo encouraged his partner to reconsider, Threepio reluctantly climbed in and said, "Very well, only since you obviously need me."

Before Threepio knew what was happening, Artoo launched both of them straight out of the hangar, into the skylane ahead.

"No fancy tricks, please!" Threepio begged, "Oh, I don't know why I let you talk me into this."

Deep below the underworld portal, Luke and Leia quickly landed in level 1313.

By now, Cartel mercenaries and bounty hunters had landed in their Hawk gunship, while another large transport carrier carried the entire Hutt council from the Dor'bulla towards the underworld.

Reaching the abandoned nightclub, Nihl and his fellow apprentices had left a trail of dismembered bodies in their wake, making quick work of whoever else attempted to stop them.

Armed thugs in the streets drew their weapons, seizing the opportunity to rise up against the Republic presence in the underworld.

To the Whiphids, Trandoshans, Rodians, Weequay, and other species of would-be outlaws, Nihl shouted, "Now is the time to fight back against the oppression of the Republic. For chaos!"

The Republic patrol guard was met by even heavier fire from the criminals, and their situation was made worse as the Coalition guerrillas landed down below, springing out of the Hawk gunships and opening fire in the street.

As Luke and Leia ran onto the ground platform, plasma lights of green and blue hummed to life.

Recognizing the Jedi, the Coalition invasion force opened fire on them.

The two of them used the Force to propel their speed, rushing towards the entourage of Sith apprentices in a flash of green and blue.

On the bridge leading to the nightclub where the Hutt transport was landing, Luke and Leia were forced to stop and deflect fire coming from both the gunships and armed thugs.

"Look who it is, ladies and gentlemen," Nihl gloated, "Luke Skywalker himself."

"And his good for nothing bureaucrat of a sister," Judicar added.

"Time for our moment of glory," Nihl declared, leading the charge towards the two Jedi.

"Over there!" Leia shouted as the Sith advanced on them, a large trail of red glowing growing closer.

The Skywalker twins stood back to back, lightsabers pointed in the air as they were approached by the Sith from one side, and by the Coalition mercenaries from the other.

METACORN

The Harvest sailed over the outpost in search of a better place to hide.

Wordlessly, Sam took them through a rocky plan towards a mountain full of jewels and gaseous magma poring from the vents.

"We're never going to lose them at this rate," Tahiri said worriedly.

"How about the cave?" Kira suggested.

"It's worth the risk, at least," Sam replied, swerving in the direction of a long, rocky tunnel, distinct from the crimson glow emitted from it.

The Harvest disappeared into the tunnel, losing sight of the two Sith fighters chasing them.

"Let them land," Ultor commanded with a heavy degree of calculation, "They won't get very far."

On the other side of the tunnel, the trio looked back at the crystalline cliff above them, which seemed to shield them from the Stealther and the Infiltrator in pursuit.

"I think we got away," Tahiri said breathlessly.

"We'd better make sure we stay hidden," Sam replied.

Kira was silent, still thinking hard.

The Sith were here, and there was no easy escape, as immediately safe as they appeared.

Kira was glad that they were nearly cornered, as this would give her the undeniable chance to prove herself as she had failed to do on Ord Mantell. She would vanquish the Coalition single-handedly by defeating its leader. And it went beyond the war for her as well. This battle would be personal.

The Harvest shot down in the direction of another small outpost, this time at the base of a magma-filled cliffside.

There was some busy activity in this tiny settlement, with living mounts traveling in and out, and traders moving between dealerships, landing pads, and bars.

The Republic-affiliated vehicle stood out to the residents and visitors as it docked in the small landing bay, as did the military commander and the two robed Jedi.

A Devoronian smuggler whispered to his Bith accomplice, "Those are Jedi. And that's a Republic officer."

"What do we do?" the Bith asked.

"Let's alert Baron Karde," the Devoronian suggested, "He'll be able to tell if they're here to cause trouble or not."

The three of them quietly and quickly strolled out of the landing bay's exit onto the hard stone road that led from one side of town to the other.

"We'll take shelter in the outpost here," Sam said, pointing to the rectangular building where dealers could be seen making transactions for ships, droids, parts, spices, among other goods.

Inside the interior office of the building, Karde spoke to the hologram of the Devoronian.

"Jedi, you say?" he asked, "The Republic has just sent word over the Holonet that the Jedi are now wanted by the Chief for desertion."

"Should we rally the local militia?" asked the Bith.

"Not yet," the Baron replied, "We don't want to attract trouble from either the Republic or the Coalition. Just let them be for now."

Meanwhile, Kira, Sam and Tahiri proceeded from the hangar onto the street.

"You're sure it's okay to leave your ship here?" Kira asked Sam.

"Yeah, Skyler definitely has it tracked anyway," Sam replied, "And don't want to attract attention from the locals by trying to remove the device. K3 will look after the Harvest for me."

"What do we do now?" Tahiri asked.

"See if we can blend in and get a new ship," Sam replied. He turned to a nearby bar, which had some patron activity but was quiet on the inside.

As Sam want in, Tahiri leaned into Kira and whispered, "He really is the take-charge type, isn't he?"

"Sssh," Kira replied fiercely, finger to her lips.

"What do you think of him now that you've been on a mission with him?"

"Do you really want to talk about this now?" Kira snapped, "We're trying to hide from the worst people in the universe."

"Okay, sorry," Tahiri replied, following Kira into the bar.

Sam was already seated at the stool.

The white-furred elderly Wookiee bartender asked Sam a question.

"I'll take that one," Sam replied, pointing to a drink on the menu displayed above the Wookiee's head.

The white Wookiee nodded and turned to make Sam's drink.

When Kira was certain that Sam was occupied, she leaned closer to Tahiri and whispered, "I tried to kiss him and he didn't go for it."

"What?" Tahiri exclaimed, a little too loudly.

Sam was busy whispering to the Wookiee, "Do you know anywhere we can find public transport to the Core Worlds?"

The Wookiee flipped a switch on the table and activated a holographic map of the surrounding outposts.

"He didn't go for it and now I think he forgot. I really thought he was starting to like me back, but I guess I'll always be that annoying kid who stole her brother's StealthX."

"You should talk to him about it and ask," Tahiri suggested, making sure that Sam was still busy studying the map that the Wookiee had shown him.

"Nobody does that," Kira rasped.

"Well, there's a first time for everything," Tahiri replied, "Be a pioneer."

The Wookiee had drawn his attention away from helping Sam, and shuffled to the back room.

Sam slid off of his stool and went back to his two Jedi companions.

"All right, I think we can take a landspeeder to Trade Port 913, and then we'll find captains willing to take Republic credits."

"You sure we can trust this information?" Kira asked him.

"I don't know this place, but I know that your Coalition friends aren't going anywhere."

"Hey, I know where we can find a good speeder," Tahiri said suddenly, "You guys wait here and I'll go see which one is best!"

She took off from the bar, looking pointedly at Kira before rounding the corner.

"Has she been to this place before?" Sam asked, slightly perturbed at Tahiri's abruptness, "How does she know where to find a speeder?"

Kira had immediately understood what Tahiri was doing.

"Look, Sam, I wanted to say, about Had Abaddon..."

She trailed off, but Sam started talking while she was still trying to find the right words.

"I would not want to go back there," he said, "Talk about the belly of the beast."

"No, I don't mean that," Kira replied, "I mean when, well, you know..."

Sam suddenly understood. "When I had something on my face?" He began to look as embarrassed as Kira felt, which was a small comfort.

"I just wanted to say, I'm sorry if I crossed a line. I just thought that maybe we were forming a connection."

Sam faltered, this was not his area of expertise at all. He had never thought he'd find himself in a situation like this, always expecting to be the one in Kira's predicament.

"Look Kira, I really think you're great," he replied, "It's just that..."

Before he could continue, the probe droid K3 came whizzing into the bar, beeping at Sam urgently.

"What is it, K3?" Sam asked.

"Yes, what?" Kira demanded, clenching her teeth with fury. What could have been so important as to interrupt this moment, this painful, agonizing, heartfelt moment?

K3 jerked his spherical body towards the bar's exit.

The aged Wookiee bartender was now speaking to the Devoronian who had spotted the trio exit the Blue Harvest, who nodded and quietly slipped out the back door.

Sam jogged after his droid companion, and Kira reluctantly trailed behind.

Once they had joined Tahiri out on the street, K3 released a small hologram of Cal Omas from his miniprojector.

"Commander Fel, you are to join the rest of Rogue Squadron and return to Coruscant at once," Omas said in the message, "The Republic has fallen under attack by the Coalition. You are expected to report for duty promptly."

Once the transmission had ended, Kira looked up desperately in Sam's eyes.

"What are you going to do now?" she asked fearfully.

Sam looked away, a glint of remorse in his eyes.

Finally, he said, "You heard what the Vizier said, Kira. I have to go back to Coruscant and fight."

"You can't leave without us!" Kira insisted.

"We can't go with him," Tahiri chimed in, "Not with Ultor and Talon on our tail."

"Chalmun will show you where to go from here," Sam replied, "And they'll be tracking my ship off the planet, not you guys."

"But you can't leave!" Kira insisted, shamefully near tears by now, "You can't just abandon us here!"

"Kira, he has to," Tahiri tried to reason.

"No!" Kira replied, pointing at her friend fiercely. She could not explain where her anger came from, maybe because Sam had just been about to reject her before this had happened.

"I'm sorry," Sam replied, shaking his head, "I'd like to help you more, but I have a duty to the Republic. You can still get to a passenger carrier from here, and travel offworld while they keep my ship on their radar."

"How could you, Sam?" Kira asked, her voice trembling. She still wasn't entirely sure why she had gotten so upset, and right now she didn't care.

"I'm sorry," Sam repeated, "I have to go."

He turned and walked away, starting to disappear into the crowd, the probe droid K3 hovering alongside him.

Kira went from upset to furious, not even noticing this internal shift.

"I hate you!" she called after the commander, full of spite due to his abandonment.

"Kira, take it easy," Tahiri urged, tugging her friend's arm back into the bar.

Once the two girls had sat down in a booth, Kira rounded furiously on her friend.

"This is your fault," she said.

"Excuse me?" Tahiri asked, caught off guard and immediately moved on the defensive, "How do you figure this is my fault?"

"You encouraged me to talk to him about it," Kira snapped, "I can't believe I told you about what happened on Had Abaddon."

"He left because he's in the Republic army," Tahiri replied, "And besides, he's going to get the Coalition away from us here."

"Yes, but..." Kira stammered, still trying to pathetically hold back tears, "But then they'll be after him and he can't get away! I can't let them get him!"

Kira sprang to her feet before Tahiri could stop her and started running out of the bar.

"Kira, wait!" Tahiri shouted, seething in frustration before following.

By now, locals and guests were running through the streets, desperate to get to their transports or any other means of escape and flee.

"Whats going on here?" Tahiri wondered out loud, but Kira was still beyond caring.

"Sam!" she cried out, coughing on the dust that the tourists and locals left while running away. "Sam!"

Kira felt several people push her out of the way as they ran past her, causing her to glare at them and impulsively reach for her lightsaber

"Kira!" Tahiri yelled from the doorway of the bar.

"What?" Kira snapped back, still angry at her best friend.

"Kira..." Tahiri looked nervous now, pointing to a spot from behind the fleeing civilians.

Kira turned her body around through the crowd of refugees and suddenly understood why they were all fleeing.

Darth Talon stood at the end of the avenue with her lightsaber drawn, a sinister grin on her face. She then drew Tahiri's stolen lightsaber from her belt and switched on its purple blade of plasma.

Kira immediately snapped her lightsaber to life, standing protectively in front of the unarmed Tahiri.

"It is pointless to hide from me," Talon taunted, stepping closer to Kira and Tahiri as they jointly formed a fighting stance in preparation for the duel.

"I have you cornered now, and you won't be running anymore. Poor Solo girl, what will your friend do with no weapon?"

"Anybody else would be a hindrance to me," Talon replied, circling around her prey, "By myself, I am more than a match for two silly little girls."

"Let's get her!" Kira yelled, not willing to stand around any longer.

"Kira, wait!"

Tahiri flinched as her friend charged at Talon, who immediately struck back.

Talon was able to push Kira away and raise her saber above her head, preparing to attack again.

"Let it begin," the Twi'lek apprentice said with a sadistic whisper.

 

METACORN

Kira struck harder and harder against Talon's offensives, changing the direction of her saber's movement to adjust to her opponent's fighting style.

All the while, Kira was forced to move her feet to the rhythm of the duel, in order to both avoid Talon's deadly onslaught and to gain ground against the Twi'lek.

The problem was that Talon was fighting with not one but two lightsabers. Kira had to work twice as hard as a result, tiring out much faster than she might have otherwise.

Talon was lunging in a circle with a whirling motion with both the red and purple sabers, leaving Kira with only the option to retreat without much room to gain the offensive.

"Are you sure you're Skywalker's best student?" Talon asked, "You're even worse now than you were on Ord Mantell."

"At least I don't get just get by as my Master's pet," Kira spat, "Why does Skyler like you so much, anyway?"

"You don't know anything!" Talon shouted, now provoked by anger. Kira felt a strong satisfaction at having gotten under the skin of her enemy, but Talon's increased aggression left her with little room to enjoy it. She was able to backflip a slight distance from Talon, then hold up her blade in a diagonal defensive stance as the young Sith charged with both her own weapon and Tahiri's.

CORUSCANT

Luke and Leia were now completely surrounded on the bridge over with Nihl, Kallus and Paxis on one side with an assortment of Coalition warriors and Judicar and Wyyrlok leading another batch of guerrillas on the other.

"The Master of the Order himself," Nihl sneered, "Here to put the commoners in their place. Well, we'll show these Jedi thugs what we think of that!" This brought a cheer from the Coalition and Cartel forces.

"You do not represent the goodwill of the people," Leia said to Nihl, "These people do not realize that you will turn around and crush them as soon as they are no use to you."

"You mean like this?" Nihl asked. He motioned for the Coalitioners to open fire, and he advanced with his fellow Sith disciples on Luke and Leia at the same time.

Luke and Leia moved in harmony, creating a whirlwind with their two lightsabers that kept both the heavy torrent of blasterfire and the Sith lightsabers from striking them.

The guerrilla fighters charged, and Luke and Leia made very brief eye contact before initiating their next move of defense.

Each Skywalker sibling raised a hand and released a powerful wave of energy, sending several dozen bodies flying out of the Ravine towards the streets.

Nihl, Paxis, and Kallus flew to one side, and Judicar and Wyyrlok landed on the other end of the Ravine.

Eighty Coalition bodies hit the ground, and about a quarter of the attacking strike force did not recover.

Silently, Luke and Leia each moved towards one side of the level divide, with Luke choosing the side of the abandoned nightclub and Leia choosing the freighter-liner station.

Nihl, Paxis and Kallus charged Luke, while Judicar and Wyyrlok rushed to attack Leia.

Both Jedi Masters were able to deflect nearly a hundred laser shots back at the mercenaries who had fired at them before the first red lightsaber made contact with their own swords.

Leia had an easy time defending against Judicar and Wyyrlok, even with Wyyrlok's double bladed saberstaff.

She pushed Judicar's saber away with a hard thrust of her saber while kicking Wyyrlok as his stance left an opening in his torso area.

She looked to the distance where Luke was holding off Nihl, Kallus and Paxis all at once, as well as the remaining Coalition invaders on his side of the Ravine.

Republic Interceptors had begun pouring in, opening fire on the hovering Sycks and Hawk gunships.

Inside the largest transport carrier bound for the former Hutt palace, Aruga the Hutt fretted, "This was impossible from the start! The Dark Master set us up to fail!"

"We can still win this battle," Gorga replied, "Even with the Jedi here."

With the Republic fighters occupied, the large gunship landed safely atop the towering hangar in the hideout. Protected by IG assassin droids, Gorga and Krunge led the way as the entire Hutt council slithered into the nightclub.

"This is Captain McCallum reporting in," the lead Interceptor pilot said into his radio of his Interceptor as he blasted through the Cartel fighters, "Do you read me?"

"Copy, Rogue Two," Trix replied from her own fighter, "Now if only we had the Falcon and the Commander with us, this would be a piece of cake."

"How's one out of two for you?" asked a familiar voice.

Han Solo and Chewbacca had picked up the Millennium Falcon from the Senate, and now sailed through level 1313 into the heart of the battlefield.

Leia could not help but smile and gasp with joy as she sent Judicar flying into the pile of mercenaries fifty feet away, his blade accidentally slicing two of them in half and stabbing a Whiphid in the belly.

Wyyrlok twirled his saberstaff in his hands as he leapt around Leia, directing one end of the weapon at her, then the other.

Leia was more than fast enough to adjust to the younger duelist's unusual style of dueling, and was able to slice down into the long hilt.

Wyyrlok looked surprised as he stared down at his broken weapon.

He then lunged at Leia with both halves gripped tightly in his fists, but she knocked the right one out of his hand with a stroke of her lightsaber against the broken hilt.

Luke, meanwhile, Force-pushed Paxis into Kallus, sending them both crashing to the ground.

Nihl's extra long blade was admittedly harder to push back against, but Luke had far more experience in the Force to make up for it.

He jumped straight up to avoid a low sweep from Nihl, then somersaulted backwards to land in the midst of a group of Coalition warriors.

The bewildered guerrillas quickly fumbled to shoot at the Jedi in their midst, but Luke waved his hand and sent them all flying into the air without touching one of them with his lightsaber. Some guerrilla fighters crashed into the nearby buildings and fell with a thud while others disappeared off the ledge into the depths of the Aradonti Ravine.

"There they are, Chewie," Han said from the cockpit of the Falcon, shouting so Chewie hear him from the gunning turret.

METACORN

Tahiri had run into the bar to take cover, but was met by the drawing of several blasters.

"It's over for you, Jedi," a bearded Chiss said.

Tahiri leapt into the air as the blasters fired, many of them hitting other patrons of the bar who had aimed at her.

Tahiri landed on a table and used the Force to summon a pistol that had belonged to the now-wounded Chiss, running outside to join Kira.

Tahiri pointed the pistol at the occupied Talon and fired.

The Twi'lek dipped the purple saber at Tahiri to block her shot, causing Tahiri to dive out of the way as the laser blast hit the wall.

Kira jabbed low toward the young woman's abdomen, aiming a deadly stab.

Talon swatted her lightsaber out of the way, but the tip of Kira's blue blade caught her hip and caused her to stumble and cry out in pain.

Tahiri was quick to react to this, reaching for her confiscated lightsaber in Talon's possession and summon it back to her.

The purple blade glided through the air into Tahiri's outstretched hand, allowing her to join the duel.

Talon was now forced to retreat from her two opponents, dodging both Kira and Tahiri as they attacked.

As soon as Tahiri trapped Talon's lightsaber with her own, Kira tried to exploit the dark apprentice's injury, striking at her scarred hip.

Talon kicked up at Kira's arm, but Kira caught her foot and pulled.

Talon sprawled onto the rocky ground, her weapon slipping from her long fingernails.

With a furious grunt, Kira tried to bring her lightsaber down into Talon's body, but Tahiri put her hand on her arm.

"Hey, easy," she urged, "We got her already."

Kira glared down at the Sith woman, still full of fury.

"It's the least we deserve after everything we've been through. Somebody has to pay."

"Somebody will," Talon replied, making a fist.

Tahiri slipped sideways and collided with the wall.

Kira's head instinctively twitched to where her friend had landed, and this allowed Talon to get to her feet and pull her lightsaber back into her hand.

"See what you did?" Kira snapped, resuming her attack and pulling her lightsaber back to swing it hard at Talon.

Talon ducked under the blue bar of energy and came up with a swipe of her own.

Tahiri made up the ground and raised her lightsaber to bring it down.

Talon Force-jumped away from the two Jedi, onto the roof of the junk dealership, whose Neimodian owner was hiding behind the counter.

At the same time, Kira and Tahiri jumped up after her, but were met by pieces of electrical wiring flying from the dealership floor towards them.

The two teenage Jedi avoided the pieces of junk flying at them as they landed on the roof.

Talon ran past them and leapt across the street onto the roof of Chalmun's bar.

"Running away now?" Kira asked, automatically rushing to jump over the avenue after her.

Tahiri was slightly behind, but was forced to avoid a heavy, broken-down GNK droid that Talon had used the Force to send her way.

Kira landed on the roof where Talon stood, charging before she had a chance to flee again.

Talon had difficulty keeping up with the invigorated Kira, and eventually backed away to the edge of the rooftop.

Tahiri joined Kira on top of the bar, approaching slowly.

"You're out of your element, you pathetic sycophant," Tahiri said to their foe, "No matter what tricks you pull, you'll never be a real master of the dark side."

"Oh, I have one more trick that just might make all the difference," Talon replied with a wink.

She dipped her blade downwards into the rooftop and carved a circle with it.

Kira and Tahiri dove after Talon and all three women crashed onto the floor of Chalmun's bar.

The white-furred Wookiee roared in anger as Talon quickly scared the remaining patrons from the bar.

The young female Twi'lek approached Chalmun, pointing her lightsaber towards his hairy chest.

"Play it for me," she said to the Wookiee, "you know exactly what I mean."

As Kira and Tahiri watched in confusion, Chalmun turned on a hologram, depicting the Blue Harvest perched on the side of a magma volcano.

Another ship hovered over Sam's attack shuttle, a sinisterly familiar design.

"Sam!" Kira realized with a terrible jolt.

Talon smiled wickedly as a voice spoke from the holoprojector.

"Kira Solo, I was wondering when we'd meet again," Ultor said, "We came close a couple of times recently, but you were unfortunately lucky. This time, your luck has run out."

Ultor's face then replaced the two ships in the holoprojector, showing the full color of his wrathful image. This time, his eyes pierced Kira from up close, albeit from the safety of his SuperStealther.

Inside the cockpit of the Harvest, Sam tried not to panic as Ultor held him hostage. He had no chance of escape, Sam knew. If he tried to take off from his landing point, Ultor would instantly open fire and blow him to bits.

Sam had served the Republic to the best of his ability, he told himself. He had tried to be a loyal friend and comrade on and off the field. Sam would die with that knowledge, and that would have to be enough.

"I will make you pay for this, Skyler," Kira warned, trembling with rage where she stood. Her hands were letting out more sweat than her hair, and her lightsaber hilt threatened to slip from her shaky grasp.

"You see the predicament you have put yourself into, little Jedi brat?" Talon said, "The Jedi have always had the same weakness, and it will ultimately cost you everything."

"You see that I have your dear friend, Commander Fel, helplessly at my mercy," Ultor said from the cockpit of his SuperStealther, "Isn't it a shame that you didn't get to say a proper goodbye? That your last words to him were words of anger and impulsiveness?"

Kira choked on the words stuck in her throat.

"It'll be okay," Tahiri whispered.

Kira could only take out her emotions on the first available target. She once again raised her lightsaber and leapt over the table to strike at Talon, who poised her blade low to retaliate.

Nobody paid attention to the Wookiee Chalmun as he turned and disappeared out the back door, away from the chaos inside his place of business.

As Kira and Talon clashed blades, Tahiri aimed a sideways kick and caught Talon with her foot.

Talon once again stumbled and fell over, little match for the two Jedi women.

"Whatever you do to my dear apprentice, will not change the fate of your precious Sam," Ultor warned.

Kira could now see his face displayed by the holoprojector, looking even more menacing without the mask he had once worn. Ultor's clearly visible eyes and mouth delivered more of a threat than any cowl or cloak could have.

"You hesitate now," Ultor taunted, satisfied at Kira's helplessness, "that the life of your dear commander is at stake. Do you love him, Kira? Do you want to kiss him and have him as your own?"

"Shut up!" Kira shouted, fully consumed by rage, "When I see you, I promise I will MAKE YOU PRAY FOR DEATH!" Her face was nearly purple and she was ready to slice the Dark Master into as many pieces as there were stars in the Core Worlds.

"Kira, please," Tahiri whispered, shocked at her friend's intense rage and vulnerability.

Ultor responded by firing at the top wing of Sam's shuttle, knocking it off without damaging the rest of the ship.

"NO!" Kira yelled, blindly and unconsciously slicing the table in half, nearly missing Talon's headtail Lekku.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Talon rolled out of the way and got to her feet, starting at a run.

"Stop right there!" Tahiri said, starting to chase after her.

However, Tahiri then turned to find Kira banging both her fist and her lightsaber wherever she could, and decided to instead let Talon go and return to the side of her closest friend.

"I hate you!" Kira yelled, practically sobbing, "I hate you, I hate you!"

"You see what I can do, Solo?" he asked, "You see that I can crush your helpless boyfriend with no hope of escape. And by extension, I can control you. That is the problem with love and friendship. It always leads to tragedy."

Finally, Kira was out of energy, her rage deflated into pure exhaustion. She switched off her lightsaber and dropped it without knowing or caring what she was doing, sinking onto the floor with her head and elbows striking the table with a bruising.

"Please, please, don't," she gasped, reduced to begging. She barely registered Tahiri's supportive hand on her shoulder.

"The proud and fierce Kira, begging me for the life of one boy?" Ultor mocked, "Giving up your front of confidence just for love?"

"Don't hurt him," Kira whispered, exhausted and desperate.

Tahiri shook her head with a mix of sympathy and disappointment, saying nothing.

"Of course, I kept you and your little Jedi friend alive up to now for a reason," Ultor's hologram said, taking a falsely reasonable tone, "The fact remains that I still need something from you. Maybe, if you give me what I need, I can return the favor and return your Prince to you in one piece."

Tahiri sensed the danger that was to come immediately, and said, "No, Kira, don't give it to him."

"If you tell me where Master Skywalker hides his Jedi, I will allow the commander to go free," Ultor said, "The choice is yours, and it should be a very easy one."

Kira was about to explode with the feelings racing through her. She was about to betray Luke, Ben, and the Jedi in the worst way, but she couldn't let Sam die, not after everything they had gone through, or the way they had left things.

"I won't wait forever," Ultor threatened, "Patience is not a virtue of the dark side, as you well know."

Inside his cockpit, Sam listened to the Dark Master's broadcast with dread and anticipation. He wished that his ship had a self-destruct system so that he could stop what was about to happen. He only hopes that Kira would be willing to sacrifice him for the needs of the many others who Ultor was certain to target.

"Don't do it, Kira," Sam prayed, "Don't even think about doing it."

"Come on," Ultor urged, "My fingers are getting eager to pull the trigger."

"Kira, don't," Tahiri begged, getting more and more terrified.

Kira trembled, knowing that it was now or never. She would have to either spell doom on her peers and mentors that were safely away from harm in the Academy, or sacrifice the life of one Commander Sam Fel for the greater good, a sacrifice Sam himself would be more than eager to accept.

"Kira..." Tahiri said.

"Now!" Ultor snapped.

"OSSUS!" Kira exploded, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"KIRA, NO!" Tahiri screamed, totally shocked and aghast.

"They're on Ossus, the Jedi, all of them," Kira sobbed, "Just please don't kill Sam."

"Ossus," Ultor repeated, "Ossus, back to the ancient Jedi temple before the Republic."

Kira closed her eyes tight to block out the world, wishing that she could leave the physical state of existing. She hated herself for what she had just done, putting at least fifty lives at risk, but she just had to. She hated Ultor far more, and she would make him pay.

"I hope that your information proves useful, Kira," Ultor said through the transmission, "I've been looking forward to a real challenge. But for now, your commander will have to do."

"NO!" Kira screamed, turning her lightsaber back on without thinking, but all of the sudden, Ultor's communication flickered and faded out.

Ultor had fired at the docked Blue Harvest, but a Jedi StealthX had collided with his SuperStealther at the last second, causing him to miss.

"Ben!" Sam shouted, some relief mingled with his guilt and dread.

He wasted no time in blasting the Harvest off of the volcano slope, swerving the ship around to confront his would-be killer.

"I think that's three now," Ben said to his comrade from his fighter.

Ben pulled his craft away from Ultor's and turned his guns.

Ultor switched on his radio, transmitting a channel to Ben's StealthX.

"So, big brother comes to the rescue once again."

Ben stared directly at the front of Ultor's fighter, as if he could see his former best friend's face from behind it.

"I hear you have a new name, Skyler," Ben said, "Ultor, was it?"

"It doesn't matter what you call me, Solo," Ultor replied, "Not after I kill you."

Ben opened fire on Ultor's ship, but the Dark Master dipped his Stealther straight upward to avoid the lasers coming for him.

Sam joined Ben and fired, but had nothing near the Jedi Knight's reflexes, leaving him more vulnerable.

Fortunately for him, Ultor chose to disengage, steering his fighter away into the crimson atmosphere of Metacorn.

"Leaving already?" Ben asked, "I thought you were going to kill me."

"I'll finish the job in good time," Ultor replied, "But for now I know what I need to know. You can thank your little sister for that."

"What are you talking about ...no!" Ben shouted, realizing the truth of exactly what information Ultor now had.

How could Kira have done such a thing, he asked himself, what could Ultor have done to make her give the Jedi away?

Before he could continue the pursuit, Ultor flew out of sight into the clouds, laughing as his fighter disappeared.

Talon's Interceptor flew behind him past Ben and Sam's ships, leaving them hovering over the volcano.

CORUSCANT

The fight between the Republic military and Coalition forces raged on level 1313. Ships above exchanged laserfire, and bodies piled on both sides of the Arodonti Ravineas the ground forces blasted through one another.

Occasionally, a body hit by a heavy cannon or blaster rifle would fly into the Ravine and plummet to their doom thousands of miles below, with little chance of hitting a high enough ship or level surface sufficiently close to Level 1313.

Fortunately, with the help of the Millennium Falcon, the naval battle was looking good for the Republic side.

In the midst of battling Ultor's Sith apprentices, Luke suddenly felt a terrible disturbance in the Force, realizing that somehow, all of his Jedi were in terrible danger.

He staggered back, feeling a headache coming on brought by the disturbance.

Nihl was quick to take advantage of Luke's brief distraction, knocking the Grand Master onto his knees with his heavy lightsaber.

Luke immediately recovered from his disengaged state, raising a hand to blast Nihl backwards before the younger duelist could cut him down.

He brought his green blade horizontally over his face as Paxis and Kallus attacked, rising to his feet with a powerful jump as he knocked both of them away. As the three Sith charged, Luke ran towards Leia, who had managed to exhaust both her younger opponents and send them crashing into the wall of the freight station and onto the track.

"Running away?" Nihl shouted, "I thought you were supposed to be the best!"

Luke turned around after reaching the middle of the bridge over the Ravine.

"Who said I was?" he panted, sending another wave in the direction of the three warriors charging him.

All three dark warriors flew backwards towards the Hutt fortress, with Kallus as the least fortunate. He screamed as he fell out of sight into the infinite underworld portal towards Coruscant's inner core.

Luke didn't bother to check on Nihl or Paxis before joining Leia on the other side.

Turning off his lightsaber, he said, "Something's wrong."

"I know," Leia replied, nodding.

They took cover as an artillery shell fired in their direction, both diving behind a station pillar and under the canopy of the station next to the docked, vacated freighter liner.

Han was lowering the Falcon to land on the station platform to join his wife and best friend, prompting Luke and Leia to rush to meet him.

Go, Luke, the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi's Force spirit was telling him, Your fight is not here.

Leave, you must, added the invisible Yoda.

As the ramp of the Falcon opened, both Han and Chewie hurried out of the ship.

"You guys are still in one piece," the old general remarked, giving Leia a kiss and Luke a clap on the arm.

"Looking good, flyboy," Leia said, "Turns out you can still fly the ship without me."

"Had to fight my way through Senate security to get it back," Han replied, "It looks like you Jedi made Fey'lya and Omas mad."

"That's an understatement if I ever heard one," Leia responded.

Luke had been silent, but now spoke up with serious urge.

"Leia, we have to go back to the Academy, now. All of the Jedi are in danger now."

Just then, a 2187 speeder sped through the exchanges of laser fire and artillery cannons and came to a grinding halt on the platform.

"Artoo!" Luke shouted, recognizing the astromech droid in the socket.

Artoo Deetoo eagerly greeted his sentient friends and hovered out of the speeder.

"Is that..." Han began, trailing off in disbelief.

"I never knew how fun it was to fly a speeder!" Threepio exclaimed as he climbed out to join the others, "Please, never make me do it again."

Once the group was together, Luke said, "We need to get back to Ossus as soon as possible. Something terrible is about to happen, something only we can prevent. We can't waste any more time here."

"We'd better take the Falcon," Leia added, "and get out of here before Omas and the others target us again."

"So the Jedi are outlaws again?" Han asked as the humans, Wookiee, and droids all boarded the Falcon.

Recovering from the heavy blows dealt during the battle, Darths Judicarand Wyyrlok joined Nihl and Paxis on the other side of the Ravine as the Falcon blasted off over them.

"The Skywalker twins escaped," Wyyrlok growled, "This whole thing was a waste of time."

"They'll still get what's coming to them," Nihl promised, breathing hard with exhaustion, "But for now, let's show the Republic what we're made of."

The Sith regrouped and eagerly strode towards the combating troopers, raising their lightsabers in preparation to deal lethal blows to the Republic front.

 

METACORN

"Kira!" Tahiri shouted as her friend continued to slam her fists onto the table, her head sunken, "Stop it!"

Kira could not register the sensation of physical pain in her hands and forehead- to her, everything was sinking into a black hole and was doomed to fall forever.

"I can't believe I told him," Kira cried, "Just for Sam, after he left us! I hate him!"

Even as she ranted, Kira knew that she didn't mean it, but she could not stop picturing Ben, her mother, Luke, and all of the other Jedi who would inevitably find out what she had done.

She only barely felt Tahiri shake her by the shoulders.

"Kira, there's nothing you can do now. We have to get out of here."

Kira limply allowed Tahiri to pull her up to her feet, stumbling in her wake over the bodies slumped in the chairs and on the floor.

Two foreign ships hovered over the tiny settlement whose residents and tourists were now fleeing as fast as they could in speeders and small freighter ships

Through the aerial traffic, Sam's Blue Harvest and Ben's Jedi StealthX began to descend towards the street, not bothering to land in the docking bay which was now buzzing with activity.

Kira felt nothing but dread at her brother's arrival, acutely aware of the lump protruding in her throat. He would hate her now, certainly, after she'd doomed them all.

"It's going to be okay," Tahiri whispered, pulling Kira along towards the two descending ships as they docked in the middle of the street.

Sam and Ben exited their vessels at the same time, rushing towards the women as they approached.

"Kira, are you okay?" Ben asked, taking his sister's arm gently.

"Ben," Kira replied, trying to fight back another round of sobs. She felt so weak and foolish and pathetic all at once, she almost wished she would die to escape the terrible thing she had done. "Ben, it's all my fault, everybody is in danger now and it's my fault!"

Sam backed off slightly and looked away, feeling guilty for his role in the turn of events.

"It's my fault too," he said in Kira's defense, "I should have taken the hit before Kira said anything. My life isn't with more than all the Jedi in the academy."

"You don't need to remind me!" Kira lashed at him, relieved that he was okay, hating him for leaving and getting himself into such a perilous situation, and hating herself for being blinded by what had felt like a shallow crush, not even true love.

"Both of you, stop blaming yourselves," Ben instructed Kira and Sam, "We have to move on and do what we can to help the others."

"We'll have to tell Master Skywalker," Tahiri said, "and contact the Jedi Council on Ossus."

Kira's heart sank at her friend's words- the idea of facing Luke and her parents when they knew what had happened was more than she could handle.

"He already knows," Ben replied, "He sensed the disturbance right when I did. He's going back to the Academy with Mom and Dad."

"Are you going to tell him how?" Tahiri asked on Kira's behalf. Kira couldn't even bring herself to ask Ben to keep her secret.

"No," Ben promised, "He doesn't have to know."

Kira managed a tearful smile of gratitude in response to Ben.

"I want to go with you, Ben," Kira said petulantly, "I'm tired of running from Skyler and the Coalition."

"Kira, you went after him once, and look what happened!" Ben replied, harsher than he had meant to.

Kira looked away shamefully, silently letting the tears stream down.

"I'm sorry," Ben said, placing a comforting hand on Kira's shoulder, "I didn't mean that. I just don't think you should be taking any more risks."

"I'm a Jedi," Kira choked through her tears, "And this is my responsibility. I need to fight him and stop him from destroying everything."

"No," Ben told her, "I know you want to make things right, but you aren't ready. You shouldn't seek him out just to fight. Not while you're feeling so vulnerable."

Kira looked at her older brother through her watery eyes, trembling as she hugged him.

"I don't want him to hurt you," she said, "Like he did last time. I want to be there with you."

"Uncle Luke and Mom will be there," Ben promised, "They can handle just about anything."

He lowered his voice and guided Kira a short distance from the others.

"I don't know everything that happened between you and Sam, but I know that going with him instead of me is the best thing for you right now. We have to think about the bigger picture, right?"

Kira nodded, knowing that her brother was right. "I guess so."

"Good," Ben patted her gently on the back and led her back to Sam and Tahiri.

"I guess you're in for a rough ride," Sam said forlornly to Ben. Kira cringed just thinking about it.

"I don't know how much of his own dirty work Skyler will do, but this will be a personal errand for him. I'll be able to get him alone, no problem."

"Good luck," Tahiri said.

"Thanks," Ben replied, "May the Force be with you all."

He leaned closer to Kira one more time and whispered, "It'll be okay, I promise. Just stick with your friends and it'll be okay."

Kira silently nodded and foolishly threw her arms around her brother, holding him tight as he returned the hug before pushing himself off.

Without another word, Ben quickly started back to his StealthX and climbed in. He wasted no time in taking off, lifting out of the trading post avenue into the horizon.

The three who remained couldn't bear to look at one another, not after everything that had transpired since they'd arrived in Metacorn.

"I guess we'd better get going too," Sam said, finally breaking the silence.

"Yep," Tahiri replied, silently taking Kira's arm, "Come on."

Feeling empty and numb, Kira limply followed Tahiri and Sam as they returned to the docked Blue Harvest and climbed aboard the ramp.

She dragged herself into the cockpit and plopped into the seat behind Sam's as he pulled the lever to take off.

It was only when they exited the range of Metacorn's atmosphere when Kira's strength and willpower returned.

Feeling a fresh wave of resolve and vigor, Kira stood up behind Sam and Tahiri and said, "Don't even think about taking us to Coruscant."

"I take it you want to follow Ben to the Jedi Academy?" Sam asked resignedly, retaining his aura of remorse at Kira's action on his behalf.

"I gave them up to save your life," Kira reminded him, "It's the least you could do."

Sam looked Kira in the eye for the first time since they'd spoken in the bar, meeting her stony gaze. He then looked to Tahiri, who had silently risen and stood with her arms crossed.

"I do owe them that much, not to mention you for giving them up," Sam decided, "I guess we're going to Ossus, then."

Kira sat down again, feeling a tighter knot inside her every time somebody mentioned her betrayal. This time was no exception. She wondered how soon she would have to face the wrath of the Jedi who she had just sold out.

OSSUS

Three Masters waited as Tionne's StealthX flew over the forest canopies towards the Academy's main landing hangar.

Landing her ship in line with the other Jedi fighters, Tionne climbed out to greet Masters Nodlad, Sebatyne, and Hamner as they approached.

"I hope the mission was a success, Tionne?" asked the reptilian Barabel Sebatyne.

"We managed to liberate Ord Mantell, and we rescued the Padawans from the Dark Master's lair," Tionne confirmed, "But something is still very wrong."

"I sensed the same disturbance," Glut Nodlad replied, "As did the rest of the Masters and most of the Knights that I've spoke to."

"We'll have to see what Master Skywalker has to say," Kenth Hamner chimed in.

Inside the dome-shakes council meeting room on the eighth level of the Academy's eastern tower, the four Masters spoke to the holographic figure of Grand Master Skywalker, who was transmitting from the passenger hold of the Millennium Falcon, seated next to the dejarik table. His only companions at the moment were the droids See-Threepio and Artoo Deetoo, who were intently listening to the conversation.

"Have you felt the shadow in the Force, Grand Master?" Tionne asked.

"I'm afraid I have," Luke replied, "The Jedi are no longer safe on Ossus."

"How?" asked Nodlad, "Nobody could know where we are unless somebody gave the secret."

Luke's holographic expression darkened, as if he knew how the information had slipped and was trying not to let it preoccupy him.

"What matters is that the students get offworld safely," Luke replied, "Leia and I are on our way from Coruscant to help protect the Academy. Master Tionne, you'll be in charge of the evacuation. Do you remember the plan, in case something like this happened."

"Yes," Tionne whispered with a nod.

"Masters, you'll watch over the Younglings and Padawans as they evacuate, and stand guard over the Academy," Luke instructed, "Tell the more experienced Knights that they can stay and fight. But the young ones have to get out now."

"We understand, Master," Sebatyne said.

"Good luck," Luke replied before fading from view.

CORUSCANT

At that moment, the Falcon was grazed by a shot from an incoming Syck fighter. Chewie roared as he fired with the back cannons from the turret, reducing the Hutt Cartel fighter into a ball of flaming gas.

"Good hit, Chewie!" Han yelled from the cockpit, "Now if we could just get out of here!"

With Leia's help, he steered the Falcon as fast as he could through the underworld portal that led to the surface and the Galactic City metropolis built upon it.

However, the Falcon still had to fight its way through the occasional dogfight between Republic and Coalition fighter throughout the levels spanning the tunnel filled with spaceports, landing platforms, and boarding stations. Civilian traffic was rare at this point, especially compared to the exchanges of laserfire.

Fortunately for the Millennium Falcon crew, most of the Coalition vehicles were concentrated on making it down to level 1313, where the guerrillas and mercenaries were forcing the Republic battalion survivors to retreat away from the new Hutt Cartel base of operations.

The five Sith apprentices in particular had sliced up many Republic troopers and police patrollers throughout the old downtown, leaving a mess of severed heads and limbs along with burning Interceptors and command shuttles scattered across the boulevard and alleyways.

Inside the main reception hall of the former nightclub, the entire Hutt Council spoke with the hologram of Darth Nihl, who was speaking to the small, blue figure of Gorga, accopanied by TC-70 and Krunge.

"This is a glorious day for the Hutts, and for the cause of the Coalition," Nihl said, "We have struck the heart of the Republic and shown the galaxy that the underworld of old is here to stay."

"Our next target will be Tatooine," Gorga said, "My uncle Jabba's most powerful stronghold was there, before the Jedi brought waste to it."

"Your loss will be avenged," promised Nihl, "But for now, let us lay waste to the Republic."

The Prime Command Station was built only a short distance from the modified Senate, being a much newer structure. Its barracks hosted most of the Republic's battalions of soldiers and its complex of hangars stored dozens of fighters, shuttles, and small cruisers, while the few larger command ship remained in orbit of the planet.

Supreme Commander Omas was accompanied by Chief Fey'lya along with a small team of officers as he strode into the Prime Station's main strategy room, consisting of workers operating the communications technology and loading weapons to ship to the military transports.

Omas stepped up to the green screen that surveyed the scope of Galactic City and changed its focus into the depths of the underworld.

"The battle does not seem to be going well," he observed, "We've lost about half of our defense force and our men are constantly on the run from the guerrillas.

"The Jedi went down into the underworld to confront the Coalition," Fey'lya wondered, "Why have they not had more success in keeping them at bay?"

"Our intelligence reports that the Coalition army was lead by a small group of lightsaber-wielders similar to the Jedi," Vice Admiral Praxium chimed in, "They seem to be largely responsible for the Hutt's victory."

"It's not a victory yet," Omas replied, scowling determinedly at the surveillance footage.

They were joined by a junior officer who hurried into the strategy room.

"Chief, Grand Vizier!" he said, "General Solo and his Wookiee companion have stolen the Millennium Falcon from our squad keeping it in custody. I've gotten a report that he has joined his wife the Senator and her brother Skywalker, and that they are now fleeing the battle through Underworld Portal 314."

"So, the Jedi betrayal is complete," Omas sneered, thoroughly disgusted, "They are forsaking us to this Coalition terrorist attack."

"What do we do, Vizier?" Praxium asked.

"Stop them from escaping the planet," Omas ordered, "If we can't recapture the Underworld from the Coalition, we can make sure that Solo and Jedi don't get away with their desertion."

Back in Portal 314, Leia had taken the piloting role while Han was in the copilot seat, with Chewie still manning the back guns.

The Coalition presence was now largely contained to level 1313, but a fresh wave of Republic Interceptors and Howlrunners were now filling up the space between the Falcon and the end of the long tunnel that opened into the city.

"More Republic reinforcements," Leia observed, "I hope they can help down below."

"Something isn't right about them," Han replied, watching suspiciously as the Republic fighters assumed an attack formation.

As the Falcon approached the Republic fighters, the Interceptors and Howlrunners opened fire on them, causing the back hull to catch fire as the ship shook from the shock of the blast that had hit it.

"They're attacking us now!" Han yelled, "Chewie, get them off our backs!"

Chewie increased the speed of his firing, as did Han, who now controlled the guns on the front of the ship.

"Try not to blow any of them up," Leia cautioned her husband, "We don't want to make enemies out of the Republic."

"I think it's a little late for that," Han replied. Leia picked up speed in order to get them through the small Republic blockade, using her Jedi reflexes to guide the Falcon away from the line of fire.

"Luke, wanna give us a hand?" Han called down from the cockpit.

Luke awoke from his meditation and climbed up into the cockpit.

"Why is it always us?" Threepio asked.

Luke took Han's place in the copilot's seat and swerved towards the metal wall that divided one level from the next. Two Republic fighters fired in pursuit of the Falcon, but the shots bounced off the metal and impaired an Interceptor wing.

"I hate having to do this," Luke commented.

"Don't look back," Leia urged, "Don't look back."

Finally, the Falcon was able to bypass the fleet of Republic vessels blocking its escape, speeding out of the underworld portal into the skylanes of Galactic City.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Han asked.

"We're going to have to be quick here," Luke said. Leia pulled the accelerator, whisking the Falcon through the thick clouds over the metropolis and out of Coruscant's atmosphere, leaving their pursuers far behind.

"To Ossus, then," Leia said.

"You know what to do," Han replied.

The Falcon sped into hyperspace a moment later, making the fast and crucial trip towards home.

OSSUS

The two Sith ships were wise enough to enter the atmosphere of Ossus a safe distance from the Jedi Academy. It was about a mile away in the orange and yellow canopies of the forest where Darths Ultor and Talon landed their SuperStealther and Infiltrator.

As soon as they exited their crafts, the hooded Ultor drew both of his curved lightsabers as a preemptive measure.

"Do you think the Jedi know of our attack, Master?" Talon asked.

"With any luck, Skywalker himself will be on his way," Ultor replied, "And the Solos. Any other Jedi is fair game, but I want you to leave the Skywalker family to me."

"Yes, my Lord," Talon replied, smiling with bloodlust.

The two of them made their way through the forest silently towards the clearing where the ancient temple was built.

All of the sudden, Ultor dropped his lightsaber hilts and staggered sideways, groaning in pain as he gripped his forehead.

"Master! Are you all right?" Talon asked with uncharacteristic concern.

"Never...you...mind!" Ultor shouted, nonetheless writhing in agony. In truth, he was seeing something far away from the enchanted forest of Ossus- he saw clearly the visage of Luke Skywalker, sitting aboard the Millennium Falcon, speaking to him through the Force.

It does not have to end like this, Skyler. You do not have to follow the path you started.

You mean nothing to me, Jedi scum. I have found my true purpose.

You had one, when I took you in. When you swore to defend the goodness of the universe. You can stand down and end the violence.

Ultor balled his gloved hands into fists and wound up to aim a punch at the thin air.

"You don't think I see through this ruse?" he growled, "I know what you and your Jedi are planning."

You will still have to face justice, but you can face it peacefully, Luke replied through the Force, Your apprentices, they follow your teachings. They are still young and impressionable. You can tell them to stand down and let go of the dark side.

"Master, who are you talking to?" Talon asked with alarm.

HAD ABADDON

A squadron of Imperial stormtroopers stormed through the village on the acidic world of Had Abaddon, built away from the rivers and falls of burning poisonin the southern pole.

"He's here," the lead stormtrooper said to his squadmates of the 501st Legion, "along with the Emperor's family."

"What do we do with them?"

"You heard our orders. Take the kid and kill anyone else."

A young woman played with her son, a small, red haired toddler, on the floor of their humble brick dwelling.

Her husband came running in, shouting, "They know we're here!"

The man is gunned down by the stormtroopers, and his screaming wife follows a second later.

The young boy cried loudly, scarred for life at what he has witness. The commander approaches to pick him up, but he flies against the wall and crumples unconscious.

The rest of the squad opens fire on the young Jedi who has entered, and he ignores his green blade to defend himself and subdue the Imperial Loyalists.

Luke Skywalker is six years removed from the battle of Endor and the defeat of the Empire, on a mission to protect the village from the Imperial Remnant attack.

Only when he sees the crying toddler does Luke realize his true purpose on Had Abaddon. Gently he picks up the boy and whispers soothingly, carrying him away from the scene.

OSSUS

"Do not think this sentimental appeal will work on me, Skywalker," Ultor growled, "I will slaughter all of your Jedi, and then I will kill you and the ones you love."

Darth Vader once thought as you do, Luke replied from the Millennium Falcon, even he was able to reject the dark side in the end.

I am stronger than Vader ever was, Ultor said, this time choosing not to say his thoughts aloud, Enough of your Jedi sorcery.

Ultor saw quick flashes of his life as Luke transmitted them though their now-severed bond in the Force.

He saw himself slightly older, playing with a training remote, with a young Luke laughing in the background.

He saw himself crying outside the steps of the Jedi Academy, and Ben Solo coming to comfort him.

He saw himself fall down from the hovering tree logs in the air, to the amusement of his fellow trainees.

Only Ben showed concern for him, pulling the young Skyler to his feet.

Skyler saw himself come across the Sith Holocron in the Jedi archives, feeling its beacon calling to him.

He heard the voice of his ancestor Palpatine, and saw his visage as a kind, white-haired man glowing from the Holocron.

I know you've been feeling inadequate among the Jedi, my dear boy. You've been missing family, you have never known true love.

I don't feel like I belong, the young Skyler replied, I don't have a place with the Jedi.

You will always have a home with me, Palpatine replied, The Jedi took you from your real family, and now I am here to guide you to a better path.

Having seen this last vision of the past, Ultor now found himself able to block Luke's Force-visions.

"Master?" Talon asked uncertainly, feeling slightly afraid. "Are you ill?"

"I feel better than ever," Ultor replied, truly meaning it, "I know my purpose, and where I really belong. Now, let us finish the job our predecessors began!"

The main hangar of the Jedi Academy were busy with activity, with the Masters and Knights preparing the StealthXs and children being ushered into Jedi consular ships, with an occasional astromech droid assisting.

The six Masters of the Council were vigilant, scanning the forest floor below the hangar to see what would happen. They sensed the danger approaching, but the invaders were doing a good job at keeping themselves cloaked.

Most of the Knights were under the age of thirty, and even the Masters were younger than Luke, given the youth of the new Jedi Order. However, they felt confident that they could repel an attack from two dark siders, neither of whom had been practicing the ways of the Force for much longer than the Jedi's first and second generations of trainees.

About fifteen Knights stood guard as Ultor and Talon appeared from the woods, striding onto the grass with their sabers drawn.

"Master, they have us outnumbered," Talon pointed out.

"They are nothing next to my power," Ultor replied savagely, "We will show them just how much stronger the dark side is."

He pointed both his lightsabers forward towards the young Jedi standing on the steps of the Academy leading into the main entrance.

About a third of the Jedi came down the stairs onto the grass to confront Ultor and his disciple, while the rest stayed back uneasily.

A young woman named Nelani Dinn was the first to address Ultor.

"Look who came back," Nelani said, "The traitor."

Ultor smiled at his former classmate and said, "The failure of Skywalker is complete."

As Nelani swung her blade in a Makashi stance, Ultor used one of his sabers to block her strike and the other to fatally impale her before she could adjust her position.

Nelani gasped as she collapsed onto the ground, dying quickly.

Jedi Valium was the next to move against the two Sith, raising his blue blade with a battle cry.

The rest of the Jedi advanced on Ultor and Talon.

Ultor was upon Valium next, plunging both of his red blades into his chest instantly.

Ultor briefly looked back to see how Talon was faring. She had managed to stab one Togrutan Jedi and was now clashing blades with a short Lannik.

Ultor poked his right saber into the Lannik's skull before turning to rebuke the human and the Kel Dor who were next, slicing them both in the stomachs with a rapid motion.

"This was very much worth the wait," he remarked, beckoning Talon to follow him as the other Jedi began to retreat into the main lobby.

Ultor suddenly sensed a new presence, one he had recently encountered.

Standing on the blood-stained steps leading into the Jedi Academy, Ultor saw a StealthX cross paths with a consular ship that was flying out of the hangar.

"Ben!" Tionne said into her radio from the pilot's seat of her carrier, "We're executing the emergency vacancy protocol. The Knights are holding them off as we get the Younglings out of here."

"It doesn't look good from up here," Ben replied, "Skyler's already got a lot of blood on his hands. I felt the deaths as soon as I arrived."

"So did I," Tionne replied, "I'm taking the children to the rendezvous point now."

"Good luck," Ben replied as he hovered over the high towers of the Academy, looking down to see the trail of Jedi bodies. He cringed and felt his insides turning upside down as he vaguely recognized many of his own classmates who he had grown up with.

"How did we get to this point?" he muttered with grief and sorrow heavy in his voice, "How did it ever come to this?"

Ben knew would find out soon enough. Passing Master Nodlad piloting another consular ship carrying another group of young trainees, Sam steered his StealthX downward into the hangar, preparing to land and join his fellow Jedi Knights in the battle to defend the Order.

 

OSSUS

The Blue Harvest came out of lightspeed just in front of the orange surface of Ossus, and Sam sped straight on towards the colored clouds as fast as the command shuttle would allow.

"Look, they're evacuating!" Tahiri exclaimed, pointing to a Jedi consular ship blasting off from the surface of Ossus.

Suddenly, the radio of the Harvest beeped, and Sam switched it on.

"This is Commander Fel."

"Commander?" Tionne asked from the cockpit of the Corvette-class consular ship, "This is Master Tionne? Is Tahiri with you?"

"She is, and Kira," Sam replied.

"You should not be here," Tionne warned, "The Dark Master is carrying out a deadly attack."

"That's why we came here," Kira said into the radio, "I have to stop him myself."

"All of you, get out while you can!" Tionne replied, "That's an order!"

A young girl came into the cockpit to join Tionne.

"Master, where are we going?" the girl asked, her wide eyes full of innocence.

"We're going to a safe place, away from anybody that will hurt you," Tionne replied.

"Keep flying," Kira ordered Sam, her voice heavy with imperative.

They sped away from Tionne's Corvette towards the clouds, leaving her behind.

Tionne shook her head with dismay, yet realized nonetheless that she could not lose any more time.

"Where's Tahiri?" the girl asked her.

"She'll be okay too," Tionne reassured her, frowning uncertainly at her own answer.

Down below, the Jedi Knights making a stand realized that they could not hope to defeat their dangerous foe head-on.

"Fall back! Retreat!" shouted Ganner Rhysode as he led the surviving Jedi Knights down the main corridor leading away from the large Academy entrance.

The survivors followed Rhysode's lead, realizing that somehow, Ultor had become stronger than nearly all of them put together.

Talon had returned to her Infiltrator and was now lifting out of the forest in pursuit of the fleeing consular ships.

"Master, they're coming after us!" a young Rodian fretted, looking out of the viewscreen of the Corvette flown by Master Glut Nodlad.

Glancing back, Glut watched as Talon opened fire from her sleek, silver ship.

"I'm getting us out of here!" Glut promised, "Hold tight!"

He pulled the throttle to accelerate the Corvette out of Ossus's atmosphere, getting ready to jump to lightspeed.

As Talon pursued the evacuees into space, an additional Sith vessel appeared in orbit of the planet, flanked by an array of Coalition Viper and Syck fighters.

"You're not going anywhere, Jedi," Darth Nihl said from his Infiltrator.

The children screamed with fright as Glut Nodlad swerved with difficulty to avoid the enemy ships overwhelming him.

It looked hopeless as the Younglings aboard the Corvette were trapped with a swarm of fighters and two Infiltrators surrounding it...

But then, the Millennium Falcon appeared out of lightspeed, crashing into Nihl's Infiltrator as well as one of the Syck fighters.

"Get the Younglings out of here, Glut!" Luke shouted from the Falcon's radio, "We'll take care of them."

Glut instantly obeyed, pulling the throttle to bring the Corvette into lightspeed.

"Godspeed, Master Skywalker," he said, just before the Corvette blasted out of the Ossus system, with the children safely aboard.

Chewie operated the gunner's turret while Han, Leia and Luke worked the controls and front cannons of the Falcon.

In the emptiness of space, it was much easier and faster to take down the Coalition fighters.

The two Sith, Talon and Nihl, were a different story.

Leaving the wreckage of the Sycks and Vipers behind, Han and Leia steered the Falcon in a circle around the surface of Ossus, drawing closer to it in a spiral motion. Luke and Leia's reflexes were particularly helpful in keeping the two young apprentices at bay while avoiding their lines of fire.

"This should keep them busy while the rest of the Jedi escape," Leia said hopefully.

"What about Ben and Kira?" asked Han.

Night was falling on Ossus when Ben's fighter reached the Jedi Academy.

Ben leapt out of his StealthX as soon as it landed in the main hangar, in the wake of other Jedi fighters and carriers fleeing.

"Ben, what are you doing?" asked his fellow Knight Jysella as she ran into the hangar, "We have to evacuate!"

Before Ben could reply, something in the air grabbed Jysella and pulled her far away from Ben.

Ben pulled his lightsaber from his belt and activated its green blade, anxiously running from the hangar after the airborne Jysella.

Three Jedi faced down Ultor, unable to penetrate his deadly, two-saber fighting style.

The Dark Master yelled with fury as he cut off the arm of one Nautolan, before slicing into his blue tentacles. The human fell to his other lightsaber, both of his knees gashing with burn marks as he bled out.

The third Jedi backed away slowly, waving his lightsaber defensively in front of him.

Ultor took his time approaching the Jedi, enjoying the anticipation.

"You'll never get away with this," the Jedi, Raynar Thul, said.

"Time will tell," Ultor replied, "but you are nothing but a product of Skywalker's twisted and corrupt agenda."

Raynar tried to retreat, but Ultor advanced with both of his lightsabers, jerking away Raynar's blue blade with his red one while stabbing the Jedi in the abdomen with his other. The power flickered out of Raynar's blade a second later, just like his Jedi comrades.

"Raynar!" Jysella cried out as she landed on the floor with a thud.

"Thought you'd get away, did you?" Ultor snarled, rounding on Jysella now.

She screamed as Ultor lunged at her, and tried to climb to her feet as she backed away.

Jysella managed to ignite her lightsaber just before Ultor cut her head open, but she could not push back against him hard enough.

"Stop!" shouted a voice from the walled staircase from the stone corridor into the hangar.

Ultor turned and smiled at Ben Solo, who dipped his green lightsaber down as he scanned the room.

Ben took in the sight of his dead friends and classmates, absorbing the rushing emotions of grief. He could not help but shed a tear as he sensed over a dozen additional deaths throughout the Academy. Many Jedi who he had trained with, learned from, and mentored, dead within a single day.

"After all these years, I still can't believe it," Ben said, directing his grief and sorrow at his former friend now, "I can't believe you have it in you to kill all the Jedi who you grew up with, and commit so many more atrocities."

"You really learn slow, don't you, Ben?" Ultor replied, "I gave you the chance to join me. You could have been my equal by now, over the other Sith."

"You're not a Sith," Ben replied, "You're just a pretending worshipper."

"It will make no difference once we're through," Ultor growled, pointing one lightsaber straight up so that it gave his facial features a red hue, while he aimed the other blade straight at Ben.

Ultor slowly stepped over Jysella's dead body and approached Ben, getting ready to attack.

Ben widened his legs and gripped his lightsaber handle with both his sweaty, clammy hands, knowing that he could not brace himself enough for the duel to come.

He was more powerful than most Masters as well as his fellow Knights, but Ultor had gained an unprecedented level of skill in such a short time.

"You were too weak last time," Ultor recalled, "Too emotional and easy to crush. Will you show the same weakness today?"

In that moment, Ben found himself letting go. Letting go of his attachment to the Skyler he had once known, and of his hopes and sentiment.

"I will do what I have to to protect the others," Ben replied solemnly. If he needed to put Ultor down for good, then so be it.

Ultor went for the strike, swinging his left handed blade in Ben's direction.

Ben leaned forward and struck back, advancing to begin their duel.

Among the retreating Jedi ships, the Blue Harvest touched down on the yellow grass outside the Jedi Academy.

Followed closely by Sam and Tahiri, Kira ran out of the ship onto the grass, taking in the sight of the besieged Academy. The sunset glow made the entire structure, including its bridges and towers, appear as it it was burning.

"I have to find Ben," Kira said, "And make sure that Ultor is gone for good."

"Look!" Sam pointed into the dusk above, where the Millennium Falcon could be seen leading two silver Infiltrators in a chase around the upper atmosphere, just below the first layer of clouds.

"We should help them," Tahiri said.

"You guys help my parents," Kira said, filled with determination to weed out the main source, "I'll take care of Ultor."

"Kira, it's too dangerous!" Tahiri shouted, stepping and reaching towards Kira as she started towards the staircase leading into the main entrance.

"Ben will be there!" Kira replied as she started running, "Help my mom and dad!"

"There's no point stopping her," Sam said as he started back onto the ramp of the Harvest, "and they do look like they could use a hand."

A moment later, Sam and Tahiri were flying the Harvest in the direction of the dogfight between the Falcon, Darth Talon, and Nihl, choosing to fire at Nihl's Infiltrator first.

"Looks like Sam's here," Han remarked as he saw the Harvest.

"Kira is too," Leia said, "I can feel her."

"How's she doing?" Han asked.

"She's angry, and feeling guilty all at once," Leia replied, "She's in a bad place."

"Well, it sounds like she needs us," Han replied, diverting his attention a second later to the onslaught of fire coming from Talon's Infiltrator.

"We'll have to get rid of these two," Leia said, "And find the kids as soon as possible."

Luke climbed back into the cockpit at that moment and spoke up.

"I have an idea to get them off your tail," he said.

Ben and Ultor circled around one another as they repeatedly clashed blades, neither one immediately able to seize the upper hand.

Ben increased the intensity of his blows to match Ultor's shorter blades as they moved in a propeller motion.

He was wearing out fast, but his will and strength in the Force were consistently renewing his strength.

Despite the speed of the exchange of lightsaber blows between the two former friends, Ben felt as though time had stopped as he battled Ultor. He was trapped in an endless loop, constantly forced to keep a raging opponent at bay who would cut him down with one mistake in his saber technique or footwork.

Surprisingly, it was Ultor who broke away from their stalemate, planting his feet on the staircase leading up towards the next story.

Ultor stood with both his lightsabers extended sideways, daring Ben to come after him.

The Dark Master chuckled as Ben approached, raising his lightsaber over his head before bringing it down.

As Ultor went for a low parry, Ben Force-leapt over his head and landed behind him on the staircase.

Ultor let out a yell and dashed towards Ben, forcing him to back up very quickly to avoid his twin sabers.

Ben and Ultor finally reached the second floor, which led to both an abandoned meditation room and a ramp leading outside the Academy and connecting to the adjacent tower.

Ultor was fast, making chopping motions towards Ben with both lightsabers and leaving two red blurs of light on either side of him. Ben had to rotate his weapon from side to side at a rapid speed to keep Ultor from slicing off a limb. He was panting for breath now, losing his defense.

"You...have...nothing," Ben wheezed, barely able to talk, but knowing how he could knock his opponent off guard, "Your castle...your throne...it's all pretend."

"I control an army more powerful than that of the Republic," Ultor scoffed, his face a shade of red darker than his lightsaber blades, "I have a new Sith Order that will crush your Jedi in a heartbeat. It is all real."

"No," Ben said, circling around the confused Ultor, "You don't stand for anything but your own ego. Your apprentices, your Coalition, you're only with them so that you can feel more important. You don't have a cause to fight for."

"And you do?" Ultor was furious now, lunging on the offensive, but he missed Ben and struck the air just to the left of him.

Ben pivoted sideways, meeting Ultor's next strike with less difficulty.

"You trick yourself into thinking that you're the chosen heir to the Sith. But really, you just feel weak inside and you need to feel important."

Ultor's expression turned into that of a rabid beast, provoked by Ben's taunting words.

"You know nothing about my destiny!" Ultor yelled, swinging low with his right blade.

His increased rage allowed Ben to push away Ultor's lightsaber with his own, and roll in midair as Ultor tried to get him with his other blade.

Ben swung his lightsaber backwards to meet Ultor's right-handed saber as he lashed out, the green rod of energy slicing through the curved handle.

Ultor screamed in fury and he threw aside his broken lightsaber, with the red glow fizzling out as the two pieces of the hilt struck the wall.

Ben assumed a classic defensive stance as Ultor squared off for the attack, now armed with only one lightsaber.

Ultor charged with another scream, allowing Ben to jump aside and swing with his own lightsaber.

Ultor hopped out of the way of Ben's strike, but the green blade managed to scathe the side of his left shoulder.

Ultor glowered with hatred at Ben as the pain caused him to seethe.

True to his ways, Ben did not press on his advantage, but prepared to defend himself again.

"General, do you read me?" Sam asked Tahiri took the reins of the Harvest, dodging Talon's offensive with considerable skill.

"I read you like the Holonet broadcast," Han replied, swerving between blasts from Nihl and Talon, "I hear you have my kid with you."

"She kind of made me take a detour," Sam replied, "but we rescued Tahiri and made it back okay."

"Is she with you now?" Leia asked.

Tahiri spoke up, more openly concerned than Sam.

"She insisted on going to fight the Dark Master with Ben. I'm worried about her, I don't think she's in her best mind."

"We need to get to her now," Leia realized.

"Fly low over the north tower," Luke said to Han.

Han swerved the Falcon downwards, leaving Nihl in pursuit.

Luke climbed down from the cockpit and hurried through the round corridor towards the top hatch.

Both Artoo and Leia appeared as Luke prepared to climb out.

"Luke, where are you going?" Leia asked.

"When they see me, they'll go after me instead of you," Luke replied, "I'm going to find Ben and Kira and make sure they're okay."

"Please, keep them safe," Leia said softly, "And be careful."

"I will," Luke replied, climbing up the hatch onto the hull of the Falcon.

"He's getting out of the ship," Nihl marveled as Luke ran across the Falcon and made the jump onto the triangular prism on top of the Academy tower.

"Stay on the Falcon," Talon said, "I'll take care of this."

Nihl aimed his guns at Luke anyway, but was soon forced to contend with both the Blue Harvest and the Millennium Falcon.
He growled in frustration as he reluctantly flew his Infiltrator away from the Academy tower.


Luke allowed himself to slide off of the rooftop slope before falling off of the edge. As he started to fall towards the ground a hundred feet below, he managed to grab onto the balcony atop the highest story as Talon opened fire.

Luke rolled onto the balcony as the roof above him exploded from the Infiltrator blast, dodging the debris while still sprawled. He coughed as the air filled with smoke and debris, slowly climbing to his feet.

Talon fired again, more wildly and with passionate hatred.

Luke started to run into the smoldering tower as it started to erupt in flames. He hurried down the spiral steps, beginning the search for his niece and nephew.

Kira did her best to ignore the sprawled bodies of her fellow Jedi as she ran through the halls of the Jedi Academy.
Identifying which of her fellow trainees and Knight had been killed would be the last thing she needed, Kira decided.

She knew that Ben was alive, and that he was facing off against Ultor. She tried to get a sense of his direction through the Force, silently running towards the main staircase leading upwards.

An explosion above Kira led her to smell the ashes of smoke from several stories away.

She gripped her lightsaber without activating it, knowing that Ultor would be a far tougher opponent than Talon.
But Kira also knew that she and Ben were two of the strongest fighters in the Order, owing to natural skill as well as their bloodline.

Ultor came from a family extremely strong in the Force as well, and he had trained extensively in the dark side since defecting from the Jedi. None of that would matter though, once Kira was through with him.

"I'm coming, Ben," she panted as she reached the second floor.

"Kira, wait!" shouted a familiar voice from a short distance away.

Preparing to go out onto the bridge, Kira jerked her head sideways to find the shimmering apparition of her grandfather hovering towards her.

"I have to help Ben, Anakin," Kira said, "I have to beat Ultor."

"Kira, I don't want you to risk putting yourself and Ben in more danger," Anakin cautioned, "Ben is very protective of you, and I know far too well the dangers of trying to protect your loved ones in battle."

"It's my turn to protect him," Kira replied, turning away from her grandfather and sprinting out onto the bridge connecting the two towers.

Anakin watched sadly as his granddaughter's figure grew smaller in the sunset and between the columns of smoke filling the exterior of the Academy.

"I've tried to keep her from making the same mistakes I made," Anakin said, apparently to thin air.

"We can only have so much influence over them," replied the voice of Obi-Wan, who appeared beside his former apprentice, "In the end, it is up to them to make their own choices."

By now, Ben and Ultor had ascended farther up inside the tower, dueling throughout the robe spinning station, the gallery of past Jedi, and the nursery.

Hundreds of scorch marks had been left throughout the walls, gantries, and staircases as the two opponents continued to duel, both exhausted but determined.

Ultor's raw aggression was hindered only by his blind fury, Ben observed, and this would continue to be his disadvantage.

As Kira sprinted up the ramp leading to the garden level, Ben turned his head away from the duel as he and Ultor locked blades.

"So, your sister is here," Ultor said, "to join you in death."

Ben pushed hard against Ultor's blade with his own, silently screaming at Kira to get as far away as she could. The sounds of the ships above them engaged in blasterfire rang though the corridor as the duelist advanced into the Garden room.

"The Skywalker legacy will end today," Ultor continued, himself and Ben both illuminated by the glows from their lightsabers.

"I won't let you hurt her," Ben replied, striking to achieve a mercy kill.

He felt Kira getting closer, racing towards them through the burning staircases and corridors.

Kira choked on the ashes as she pushed out the smoke from her nostrils. She was ready to collapse, but she had to keep pushing forward, for Ben.

She followed the marks left by the lightsabers as the sound of clashing blades grew louder.

"Ben!" she called, running as fast as she could.

Ultor looked up past the canopy tree above his head towards the gantry above.

"She's coming, Ben. There's nothing you can do to save her now."

Ben didn't reply, but rushed to attack Ultor, who jumped onto the hanging tree branch before swinging into the air. Ben climbed up after him as Ultor propelled himself to the gantry about thirty feet above.

"Ben!" Kira shouted as she entered the Garden, which had been set ablaze. The grass was turning brown from the flames set by the lightsaber, and the trees were beginning to catch fire as well.

Kira's heart filled with dread and fear. Her breathing became faster and faster as she willed herself to collect and calm down.

"Please, Ben," she whispered, more terrified than ever.

She ran through the burning grass towards the sound of a lightsaber humming in midair. Kira looked up and saw Ben landing on the platform, his green lightsaber clashing furiously against Ultor's thrashing red blade.

On the bridge above, Ultor backed away as Ben did the same, each of them preparing to charge.

Ben gazed intently at his former friend, still regretting the job that needed to be done. Yet if Ultor succeeded, Kira would be in greater peril, as would the rest of the Jedi who had escaped from the Dark Master's wrath.

"I'm sorry, Skyler," he said with great sadness.

He raised his lightsaber, poised to strike. Ultor's battle cry came at the same instant as the sharp, burning pain piercing through Ben's stomach.

Ben gasped, feeling a hole of numbness burning through him as Ultor's blade hung inside him. He barely registered the feeling of his lightsaber handle slipping through his fingers and falling into the inferno below.

Ultor paused with his lightsaber piercing through Ben's entire body and sticking out of his back.

Then, the Dark Master pulled his lightsaber from the gaping hole in Ben's chest, and watched as Ben Solo fell from the bridge onto the Garden level below.

Kira had frozen in shock and disbelief as she had seen what had happened from below.

Her state of horror remained as Ben quickly fell to the ground below.

A shout of "NO!" escaped from Kira's lips before she ran to her brother's side, her world imploding with every passing second. She dropped her lightsaber without knowing what she was doing and sprinted towards Ben's limp body.

Making his way down the burning north tower, Luke froze as he sensed what had happened. He felt the life escaping Ben, his beloved nephew and student. Luke put a hand on his aching head in sorrow, feeling the loss.

Aboard the Millennium Falcon, Leia suddenly whimpered and slipped in her seat, slumping onto the floor.

"Leia, what is it?" Han asked, greatly alarmed.

Leia said nothing, but suddenly began sobbing as she climbed back up.

Han's heart filed with dread, knowing the worst had happened.

He held his wife tightly as she cried, his own eyes filling with tears that began to flow as quickly as Leia's.

As Kira reached the fallen Ben, she entered a state of panic, kneeling at his side and feeling his chest until her hand reached the wound.

Ben was stirring, but very feebly.

His smooth, young hand reached Kira's smaller one, lightly touching it.

"Kira..." Ben rasped, trying his best to keep his gaze on her.

Kira could not stop herself from crying now. "No," she choked, the intensity of her sobs coming out of nowhere, "Ben, please."

Ben was able to let out the word, "Go," with a faint whisper before the life left his eyes and his hand rested against his chest.

Kira's vision was blurred by her tears, and her throat was clogged by the lump inside. She wept openly for a good minute, before her vision finally cleared.

Her immediate reaction of grief being replaced by a sudden burst of rage, Kira trembled as she looked up at the bridge, where Ultor was staring down at her.

Kira slowly rose to her feet, the tears still flowing down her cheeks. She let out a growl of unprecedented fury, reaching her hand behind her to summon her lightsaber.

Once the metal hit the palm of her hand, Kira switched on the plasma rod of power, rushing with fury towards the staircase leading up to the bridge.

 

OSSUS

The fire spreading through the evacuated Jedi Academy continued to rage, as did the aerial battle between the Republic and Sith vehicles.

Kira barely registered the smoke drifting in and out of her nostrils and lungs as she started to climb the stone steps towards the seventh floor of the Academy.

The burning flames were nothing compared to the storm of hatred inside her, directed right at the evil Ultor. She would kill him, tear him limb by limb with her lightsaber and cause him tenfold the suffering he had caused her, Ben, their parents, and the Jedi he had killed.

The intensity of Kira's boiling emotions made the climb to the seventh story feel very short, as was her advancement through the curved, hollow corridor leading out onto the ash-infested bridge where Darth Ultor waited, his lightsaber poised to strike.

Upon coming face to face with her worst enemy, Kira halted in her tracks. She was still trembling with rage and hatred, but taking in the sight of him would make her kill all the more satisfying.

"You've come a long way from that girl in the cave," Ultor remarked, his voice light and neutral, yet only barely concealing his sadistic character, "You've faced off two of my apprentices, not to mention an army of mercenaries and thugs. All for this, to witness the death of Luke Skywalker's failed experiment and the bloodline of the Chosen One."

Kira's response came from her burning, twisting gut without a thought.

"You murdering traitor!" she yelled, waving her lightsaber in her twitching right hand, "I'm going to kill you!"

"Of course you are," Ultor replied sarcastically, assuming a defensive stance as Kira rushed at him with a scream.

Kira's first strike, propelled by her raw anger, was harder than Ultor had expected. He pushed back and kept his remaining saber diagonal, gripping it with both hands.

It was to Kira's benefit that Ultor had already been wounded by Ben, as was her rage boosting her strength in battle.

At one time, Ultor might have felt a sliver of guilt for killing his old friend, but the act now brought him nothing but pleasure. It was comforting to know the extent to which he had shed his former identity, now a complete master of the dark side. Ultor truly had earned his self-imposed title, he reflected.

"Do you hate me?" Ultor asked, seeking to throw Kira off balance as Ben had him, "Do you hate me for cutting down your beloved brother?"

Kira did not reply with words, but with a snarl that seemed unnatural coming from her, attacking Ultor with a high speed.

Ultor had no trouble matching his new opponent, creating the image of two rapidly moving blurs of red and blue light on the bridge over the Academy's burning courtyard.

"It's a testament to how much he loved you," Ultor said, admittedly short of breath due to the challenge he had faced through Ben, and now Kira, "that Ben nearly had me beaten before you showed up."

"Shut up!" Kira yelled, striking low at a rate where Ultor could not aim for her neck as he might otherwise have without risking the loss of both legs, "SHUT UP AND DIE!"

Ultor's red blade managed to catch Kira's lightsaber and keep her at bay, pushing back as she tried to bring her weapon down into him.

"He knew you were coming to his aid," Ultor continued, stabbing at Kira's heart more lethally than any lightsaber or dagger, "and he was distracted by your presence, allowing me to finish him off."

"NO!" Kira shrieked, neither caring about nor able to process what she was hearing.

She stepped back to begin a new onslaught, and Ultor used this gap to press an attack.

He swung his red blade sideways towards Kira, barely leaving her room to defend herself.

As he crossed the abandoned corridor linking the north and eastern towers, Luke grew weak in the knees, sensing that Kira was in terrible danger.

It was inevitable that Kira would immediately seek to avenge her brother's death, Luke realized, but even if she was holding her own perfectly, she was in even worse danger of falling to the dark side.

Luke instinctively drew his own lightsaber and activated it as he followed his niece's trail.

As the Blue Harvest drew both Sith Infiltrators away from the Falcon, towards the canopied forest, Talon said, "We'll finish them off, and then deal with the Falcon."

She and Nihl both fired at the fleeing Republic command shuttle, but then soon faced a several volleys of laserfire from above.

"The Republic is here," Tahiri said, pointing to the fleet Interceptors flying down from the cruiser high above in the clouds.

Talon and Nihl were both forced to deviate from their present course, swerving away on either side of Sam and Tahiri to contend to their new antagonists.

Aboard the cruiser, Vice Admiral Praxium stood with Supreme Commander Omas, directing troopers and officers to their shuttles.

"It looks like the Jedi fighting their own war," Praxium replied, "This will be an advantage to us in capturing Skywalker and the Solos."

"We can't say that for certain," Omas replied, "Advise your men to hold back until the Jedi and Coalition have finished each other off."

"What about my son?" Praxium inquired.

"We'll give him one more chance," Omas replied, "and see if he is truly loyal to the Republic, or to Solo and his new friends. I'll contact him myself once this has blown over."

Praxium did not reply with words, but nodded in understanding, his expression faintly reflecting his relief at Omas's mercy.

"Delta and Gamma Squadrons, pull back," Captain Eros ordered from his command ship, the Black Ring.

The Interceptors obeyed, rising away from the battle that they had joined.

"They're off our tail now," Tahiri said, "We need to get to Kira."

Sam watched sorrowfully as his friends and comrades were mowed down by Talon and Nihl's Infiltrators.

He wished he could help them more, but this whole battle was taking place because Kira had given up her fellow Jedi entirely for his sake.

He sighed with remorse as he steered the Harvest back in the direction of the burning Jedi Academy.

Kira brought her lightsaber all the way back before thrusting it forward.

Ultor grinned as he pushed it aside with his own, his face now unprotected from Kira's hateful glare.

"The more you attack, the more you prove Skywalker a failure," he said, "Even now, you must know that the dark side calls to you."

Kira was too enraged to retort, merely striking again in hopes of slicing through him. Her mind was hopping from one crazed thought to the next, staying nowhere except on her motive to end Ultor's life.

"It's a shame that you'll never realize your full potential, Kira," Ultor mocked, "Now, we will never know for sure what you could have been."

Kira let out another frenzied yell, pressing her attack with everything inside her.

Ultor staggered sideways, preparing to rebuke just as Kira's lightsaber painfully brushed his right forearm.

Ultor hollered and pushed back, bumping his muscular body into Kira's lithe one as his lightsaber pressed hers towards the floor.

Before Kira could make her next move of counterattack, she felt a sudden, searing pain around her wrist, pain that worsened as her left hand fell from the spot where Ultor's weapon had cut through it.

Kira's screams were now filled with pain as well as rage. She was not aware of when Ultor whispered, "No more games, Jedi."

He then prepared his fatal strike, but missed as Kira blindly fell from the bridge, still gripping her lightsaber with her remaining hand as she tumbled.

The sharp burn of Kira's severed hand made the impact of her fall that much more numb.

Kira was now moaning, willing the pain coming from all directions to go away. She could not bring herself to get up, knowing that everything would be so much worse if she did. She just allowed the fire to seep into the courtyard, taking out one weed of grass after another.

She only faintly heard her uncle shouting, "Kira!" as he descended the staircase towards her.

Luke panted as he ran to his fallen niece, kneeling at his side.

He gently took her by the arms and shook her, wincing as he noticed her handless wrist.

"Kira," Luke whispered, "Oh, Kira."

Kira finally turned her head to face her grieving uncle.

"Kira, we need to get out of here," Luke said, "Your parents will be landing soon."

Kira couldn't leave, she realized. She still had business to finish.

"Where...is...he..." she rasped, still boiling in agony from her fall, her lightsaber injury, and the hole left by Ben's death, "I need...to finish...him..."

Luke draped Kira's arm around his him pulled her up to her feet.

As soon as her boots were planted, Kira slipped her arm away from her uncle's shoulders and stumbled slightly away.

Seeing her still-activated lightsaber boring scorch marks in the reeds of grass that the fire had not claimed, Kira slowly bent down to pick it up.

"Where's Skyler?" she growled, the adrenaline returning to her in a single rush, "Where is he?"

"Kira, come on," Luke urged, putting a hand on Kira's arm.

Kira moved away from him and walked slowly towards the hearth of the fire towards the distant corridor leading up a stone ramp.

Sure enough, through the flames, Kira could see Ultor's hulking figure appearing from the small doorway that ended the slope inside the Academy, his lightsaber still glowing devilishly.

Fortunately, Ultor's physical condition wasn't prime enough for him to make up the distance between himself and Luke and Kira in such a short time, allowing Luke to use the Force to manipulate the flames raging in the courtyard.

Kira momentarily paused as a wall of fire drifted between her and Ultor, shielding him from her view.

Kira charged anyway, straight towards the open flame, caring about nothing but her dead brother, whose body had by now faded into the thin air, one with the Force.

"Kira, no!" Luke shouted.

He used the Force to grab his niece and pull her back from the fire and Ultor.

As soon as Kira unwillingly reached Luke, she started to run back in the fire's direction, even as it grew taller and caught onto the half of the Academy it had not yet touched.

"Let me go!" Kira screamed as Luke grabbed her, holding tight as she detachedly kicked, screamed, and punched in whichever direction she could.

Luke glanced up at the familiar sight of the Millennium Falcon soaring over the rooftop over the courtyard.

"There he is!" Han yelled. His body was shaking and he was weeping openly in a way that he almost never had before in his life. "I'm going to kill him!"

Han was red in the face as he pointed the Falcon's guns at Ultor and opened fire, forcing the Dark Master to take cover inside the tower.

As Han kept firing, his wife tapped his arm and pointed in the opposite direction.

"Han, wait," Leia said, herself only able to talk i between sobs, "Kira needs us."

Indeed, from the viewpoint of the Falcon's cockpit, Han and Leia could see Kira struggling to free herself from Luke's grasp, writhing to get back to the fateful battle that consumed her existence.

His vision blurred by tears, Han flew the Falcon into the courtyard, preparing to dock.

The Blue Harvest appeared a moment later, just as the Falcon was docking.

"Oh, no," Tahiri gasped, seeing her best friend screaming and struggling in sheer agony.

"She's in pain because of me," Sam observed, "all of this is on me. If I hadn't left you both on Metacorn, none of this would have happened."

"Sam, enough, please!" Tahiri snapped.

Both landing parties hurried from their ships and rushed towards the struggle between Luke and Kira.

Leia quickly took her daughter's wrists and knelt in front of her.

"Kira, it's me," she whispered, still brimming with tears herself.

Kira had no choice but to stare into her mother's tearful gaze as she struggled. Gradually, she felt her movements slowing and weakening. Then, she found herself slipping from reality into unconsciousness.

"We'd better get out of here," Luke said, gently carrying Kira's limp form.

Moaning softly, Chewbacca grabbed on to Kira's legs and helped Luke carry her onto the Falcon, followed by Luke, Leia, Tahiri, and Sam, who silently chose to leave the Harvest to the fire.

The probe droid K3 whizzed out of the fire and followed the group of sentients as they boarded the ramp into the Falcon. Sam caught the droid in it hand and flicked its off switch as Chewie carried Kira into the medical bay.

The Blue Harvest was consumed by the flames a moment later as the Falcon launched out of the burning Academy, towards the dark orange sky of poison.

Captain Eros led Gamma Squadron in pursuit of the Falcon, keeping his pilots back a medium distance as they sped out of the atmosphere of Ossus.

"Vice Admiral, we are in pursuit of the Millennium Falcon. I'm sure the commander is aboard with Solo and the others."

On the bridge of the Republic cruiser Black Ring, Praxium looked to Omas, silently asking a question. Omas grudgingly nodded in approval.

"Hold your fire for now," Praxium replied, "We'll send a message to the commander."

Tahiri, Sam, Luke, Chewie, and the droids gathered around Kira as she continued to lay unconscious in the cot. All of them kept a respectful distance away from her, mournfully quiet as they watched her.

Once the Falcon entered lightspeed and set to autopilot, the puffy-eyed Han and Leia entered the sickbay as well.

"We're headed for the rendezvous point on Sullust," Leia said quietly, barely able to talk without crying, "But we can't stay long."

"Just enough time to give Kira a new hand," Luke replied, "and confer with the rest of the Masters."

"What about Ben?" Han asked, himself speaking at a croak, "His body is still there on Ossus."

"Not anymore," Luke assured him, "He's one with the Force now. There's no more body left."


Leia silently stroked her daughter's hair and touched her warm, smooth cheek.

"She's going to be scarred for a long time," Leia commented, "Witnessing her brother die."


"We should give her some room," Luke suggested.


Chewbacca quietly expressed his agreement.

The group trickled out of the Falcon's sickbay, but Tahiri remained at the entrance for a moment, peering sadly at her friend.


SULLUST



The planet Sullust looked very bare upon first look, with its turquoise-colored lava beds and the fields of obsidian throughout the terrain.


The small, humble villages, however, were very advanced, being high producers of military technology and transport equipment.


Although the survivors of Ultor's attack on the Jedi Academy were fleeing from the Republic as well as the Coalition, it was a Republic cruiser production factory where the Falcon was docking, joining the handful of StealthXs and Jedi Corvettes hidden in the factory's secret hangar.


The Sullustan administrator, Ten Nunb, silently welcomed the Falcon's landing party as they exited the ship, with Chewbacca delicately carrying the still-unconscious Kira.


"We need to get her to the medical center," Han said to Nunb, his voice even but heavy with pain.


Nunb replied in his native language and directed the group from the hangar into the factory's main walkway.


"Master Skywalker!" Luke turned and broke away from the group as Tionne approached with Sebatyne and Nodlad.


Their students who had escaped were taking shelter inside the docked consular ships, napping for the most part. A few remained awake, anxiously stirring or taking in the sights of the unfamiliar environment of Sullust.


"Were the rest of the Jedi able to escape?" Saba Sebatyne asked.


Luke closed his eyes and regretfully shook his head.


"I'm afraid we took heavy losses. Many of our Knights attempted to fend off the invaders, and lost their lives. Ben included."


"Han and Leia must be suffering terribly," Nodlad replied.

Luke found his eyes a bit wet as he responded, along with a tightness in his throat.

"We all are," he replied.



HAD ABADDON


Three small, narrow ships entered the orbit of the acid world of Had Abaddon- two Infiltrators and a SuperStealther.


While Talon and Nihl flew their vessels towards the main hangar entrance just past the acidic moat leading into the castle via drawbridge, Ultor quietly piloted his SuperStealther to the private landing platform adjacent to his throne room atop the highest tower.

"Talon, Nihl, contact the Hutts on Coruscant and commence with the Coalition campaign on Malastare," he ordered, his voice sullen.


As soon as he landed his craft, Ultor exited the ramp and strode quickly into the tower.

His lightsaber wound from Ben Solo's blade still seared, but he would attend to that in due time.

The battle against the Jedi had seen mixed results, Ultor reflected. He had slain at least half of Skywalker's Jedi, proving himself superior to any. He had taken the life of Ben, Skyler's oldest and closest friend from his Jedi days, with no remorse.

Yet he had failed to kill Skywalker or the rest of his family. Ultor especially wanted to make Luke pay for the visions he had tormented him with before the Academy raid . He had even failed to kill that pesky little sister of Ben's, when she'd been right there in his grasp!

Now, however, Ultor knew that the tide had turned in his favor. The Jedi were on the run, and they had no support from the Republic.

Ultor entered his throne room and went over to a small, secret doorway attached to the wall behind his seat of power. With a wave of his hand, Ultor used the Force to open the secret compartment.


With his gloved hand, he grasped the red, pyramid-shaped Sith Holocron, pulling it from the compartment and setting it on the arm of his throne.


He put his hand to the Holocron and closed his eyes, reaching out intensely with the Force to activate it.


The Holocron began to glow, its dark power radiating throughout the dim room.


"Reveal yourself to me, Great-Grandfather, Emperor of the galaxy, my spiritual mentor in my journey through the dark side."


Ultor stepped back and allowed the Holocron to produce the red, glowing visage of the long-dead Emperor Palpatine, whose face was now deformed and twisted, unlike his kindly appearance the first time Skyler had come across him in the Jedi Academy archives.


"My beloved great-grandson, my only worthy heir. What news do you have for your departed ancestor?"

"I have driven the Jedi from their hiding place," Ultor reported, "And they have made an enemy of the Senate. They have no place to turn to."


"I know you can do the job well," Palpatine responded, "And soon, you will find the remaining Jedi and destroy them. Then, nobody will be there to stop you as you take over the galaxy and bring back the rule of the Sith."


Ultor took a moment to revel in his great-grandfather's posthumous approval, smiling faintly despite his disappointment.

"With the death of Luke Skywalker, I will have cut all ties to my past. There will be no greater being in the galaxy."


Palpatine's voice changed from one of triumph to a note of concern.

"Be careful, my boy. There is one master of the dark side who still lives."


Ultor looked directly into the red, translucent image of his great-grandfather emitting from the Holocron.


"You're right," he said, "And he dies today."


In that moment, Ultor realized that if he was really going to be the Dark Master, he would answer to nobody.

He used the Force to summon the Emperor's Holocron to him, grasping it.

The ghostly image of Palpatine followed Ultor as he carried the Holocron to the throne room's side exit, towards the gantry leading back to his SuperStealther.


"You don't know what you are doing," Palpatine said, fear in his voice, "You don't want to get rid of me!"


"If I am to be the only master of the Force, I will answer to nobody," Ultor replied, "Even you."


"I have been your source of power all these years!" Palpatine replied, "You would be nowhere and nobody without me!"


"That is correct," Ultor said matter-of-factly, "and that's exactly why I need to dispose of you. You are my last obstacle to complete mastery."



"Listen to me," the Holocron projection of Palpatine's spirit urged, growing frightened and desperate now, "I know of a Master of the dark side who still lives! One who can cheat death! I can show you his secrets!"



"Your time is over, Palpatine," Ultor snarled, growing impatient now, "I'm done with you."




"Young fool!" Palpatine hissed, "I showed you love when you craved it, guided your when you were lost! I still have knowledge that you will desperately crave, and that you will never receive if you get rid of me now!"



"I have already triumphed over you," Ultor gloated, smiling dispassionately at the pleading spiritual projection hovering next to him, "The Dark Lord of the Sith, now a just phantom. I always had the real power."


"No!" Palpatine screamed as Ultor wound up his arm that clutched the Holocron. The Dark Master pitched the small, red object over the side of the hangar, watching as it flew into the acidic lake below.


Ultor felt a great triumph now, one that made up for the underwhelming results of the Ossus attack. He smiled as he watched the Holocron boil in the acidic lake and disappear.


Palpatine screamed as his image flickered off and on next to Ultor in thin air, before vanishing entirely with a dramatic explosion of light.


Ultor shielded his eyes from the death of Palpatine's spirit, then looked down from the hangar at the acid lake into which he had thrown the Holocron.


Satisfied, the Dark Master turned and walked back over the bridge, disappearing into the tower once again.

 

SULLUST

Kira's eyes remained shut as she rested in the bacta tank within the Sullustian hospital, her mouth connected to the tube that fed her oxygen during the procedure.

Her severed arm stuck out of a socket in the tank, allowing an MD-77 droid to connect the circuits of her new robotic hand to the equivalent veins and arteries in Kira's wrist. Kira’s replacement hand mercifully resembled her old organic hand to a considerable extent.

Still unconscious from the physical and emotional turmoil, Kira twiddled the artificial fingers and thumbs on her replacement hand back and forth.

Inside the bacta tank, Kira's eyes snapped open as she awakened.

OUTER RIM

The Black Ring loomed through the vast emptiness of space, the officers below deck having received no instructions to set any particular course. Worker droids and uniformed Republic soldiers prowled the corridors and elevators of the battle cruiser.

Inside his small, drab office, Vice Admiral Hoff Praxium recorded a message into the holoprojector on his desk, preparing to transmit the message:

"General Solo, we know where you and the Jedi are hiding. As of today, you are considered a traitor to the Republic, and an abettor to the deserting Jedi Order. However, just for today, I am willing to make a deal with you. Our search for your deserting party will be suspended if your former commander reports to my star cruiser by tomorrow. He will be pardoned and allowed to resume duty under my command. Then, you will be given ample time to scurry before our search resumes. Think it over, and pass this message on to your former commander."

After finishing his recording, Praxium transmitted the message and turned to Vizier Omas in deference.

"With any luck, the commander will soon be of sound mind to help us track down and apprehend the Jedi," Omas stated, "And with the new act passed in the Senate, we will achieve considerable expansion of our military into the Outer Rim, and enact the draft for the first time in New Republic history."

"I just hope he shows up," Praxium replied distantly.

"Either way, there's something in it for you," Omas replied, "I am appointing you as general in place of Han Solo. You will command our ground troops in combat against the Coalition. I hope you can keep their stench out of the free galaxy."

"I will try, Supreme Commander," Praxium replied with a nod. He stood at attention and saluted Omas, who prepared to place the new insignia on Praxium's uniform.

SULLUST

Inside the weaponry production factory's managerial center, Han, Leia, and Sam listened to the holographic message from Praxium silently, along with Chewbacca, Threepio, Artoo and Tionne.

As soon as Praxium finished with, "Think it over, and pass it on to your former commander," Leia looked over at her husband with her eyes still red from the crying.

"They might be watching us now,” she said hollowly, her heart not entirely present.

"Let them," Han replied furiously, "I don't care anymore."

Sam couldn't bring himself to say anything to the Solos, but got up and left the room into the corridor.

As he turned the corner to climb up to the spare hangar where newly completed Interceptors were moved, Sam heard footsteps stomping close behind him.

"Are you just going to leave, after everything?"

Sam turned around to find Han Solo glaring angrily at him, his eyes as puffy as his wife's.

Sam's spine shivered as he turned back to face his commanding officer.

"I've loved serving under you General," Sam replied sadly, his face burning hotter than the magma banks flowing through the obsidian underneath the factory floor, "And I have great respect for your family. But I made a commitment and an oath to the Republic army. I can't forget about it now."

"I would have thought you'd show more honor," Han growled, jabbing a finger at his junior officer, "And to think I almost thought of you like another son. You got my real son killed!"

Sam gasped in shock; he understood where Han's wave of anger was coming from, but the general's words rang too harshly.

"I'm sorry, General, but I don't understand," he replied weakly.

"If you'd just taken Kira back to me instead of flying off. none of this would have happened! Ben wouldn't have died, the Jedi wouldn't have been killed, and we wouldn't be in this mess now!"

There was no reasoning with Han, Sam realized. For the first time in his adult life, Sam found himself on the verge of tears.

"It's just as well that you're leaving," Han snapped, "You just have to show off your principles, don’t you?”


His words meant the opposite of how they sounded, Sam knew. He couldn't bear to listen to General Solo's berating, however deep the older man was in his state of grief, and however much Sam agreed with him on some level.

"I don't know what else to do, General," Sam choked, spitting out his words with all of the emotion in his heart, "I'd like to do more for you, but I just can't do anything right. I hold myself responsible for what happened at the Academy, Kira risked everything just to save me! I'm sorry about everything that's happened, and if I could do anything, even give myself up to undo it all. Believe me, Ben was a great friend and ally, and I'd do anything to go back and fix what happened!

Han slightly calmed down and dipped his head.

"You're right, kid. There's nothing you can do. Take care of yourself, then."

Sam felt slightly comforted. "Thanks, General," he said, daring to salute and give a tiny, bittersweet smile.

Han wasn't letting him off that easily, however.

"That seems to be what you're best at."

Sam found his eyes watering again at the sting. He hurried up the staircase towards the vacant hangar, determined to leave everything on Sullust far behind.

Han turned around disgustedly and headed back towards Leia and the others in the managerial room.

After creating a wide enough gap between himself and Han, Sam continued his walk into the hangar, when he heard someone else climb up the stairs behind him.

He turned around as Tahiri approached cautiously, a torn expression on the Jedi Padawan's face.

"I guess you heard?" Sam asked sullenly.

"Heard what?" Tahiri asked, "I just wanted to let you know that Kira's awake."

Sam looked at her, and then into the amethyst sky with remorse.

"Give her my best," he replied, "I really hope she makes it through everything she's dealing with."

"You're not going to see her?" Tahiri asked.

Sam sighed, every passing second twisting his heart further.

"I have to report for duty," he said, "I'm still a Republic officer. I'm sorry, Tahiri. I tried to do right by everybody. I don't expect you to understand."

"I do," Tahiri said, with a sudden and unexpectedly soft voice, "I understand. And I owe you thanks too. For coming after me with Kira even when you didnt have to and you didn't know me."

"Listen, please tell Kira I'm sorry," Sam asked, "About leaving, about what happened on Had Abaddon, and what went on between us on Metacorn. And that goes for everybody else too. I'm sorry. I hope to see you both again soon, but things are going to be rough going forward."

"Everything is about to get much harder," Tahiri agreed knowingly, "Good luck with everything, Sam."

"You too, Tahiri," Sam said, the tenderness returning to him from Han's devastating impact, "May the Force be with you."

Tahiri smiled, although she was in nearly as much grief as Han had been.

Sam chose a fighter and hurried towards it before he could plunged into greater despair.

Tahiri gazed after him sadly as he climbed into the fighter and closed the cockpit over him.

She started back inside the factory, only listening to the sound of the Interceptor's engine firing and Sam taking off into the dusk.

Tahiri returned forlornly to the assembly of Jedi Masters seated around their consular ships in the main hangar, with Han and Leia continually embracing and silently consoling one another.

She looked desperately to Tionne and Luke, the latter of whom stood up from the circle and said, "We'd best go and see Kira now."

Kira sat dully on the cot in her room, having changed into new robes. Her lightsaber sat idly on the seat next to her, forgotten and irrelevant.

She stared into the nothingness of the matter in front of her, her eyes exploring the dark, lonely room. She could not bring herself to feel anything, or fill her mind with any thoughts that would fill up the aching, burning hole inside of her.

Slowly, Tahiri and Luke crept into her room, with Han and Leia standing a short distance away. They wanted to be there for their daughter, comfort her and make sure she was going to be all right, but their grief was still too powerful for any rational thinking. Han knew shamefully that he had just proven that.

"Hey," Tahiri whispered gently, "You okay?"

Kira couldn't pull herself out of the false reality of nothing she had created, but had to settle for nodding without looking at either of her two visitors.

"Everybody's here," Tahiri said, "Your parents and the Jedi who escaped the Academy."

"We're all here to support you, Kira," Luke added, making sure to keep his voice as quiet as Tahiri's.

Finally, Kira was able to muster up the nerve to speak, confirming that she still lived in the reality in which Ben had died and Ultor had destroyed her home.

"You should have let me finish him."

"Kira," Tahiri said, caressing her friend's back in a motherly way, "Please."

The rage Kira had felt was starting to return, and she was rising high out of her subdued manner.

She stood up and angrily confronted her uncle.

"He killed Ben and you let him go!"

"Kira," Luke began uneasily, taking a step back into the doorway, "You must understand..."

"There's nothing to understand!" Kira snapped, "Skyler killed Ben, and I'm just supposed to let him live! Why? He was right there and I had every chance for revenge, and you held me back!"

"The Jedi don't seek revenge," Luke replied sadly, the overwhelming sorrow from all the casualties reducing him numb, "even when facing the worst form of pain imaginable."

"I don't care what the Jedi do and don't do!" Kira yelled, not caring to control herself, "My brother died and I want Ultor to die too! I want them all to die and pay for everything they've done!"

"Kira, please stop," Tahiri begged, trying to sit her friend back down.

Kira thrust her elbow back at the touch of Tahiri's hand, causing the other girl to cry out and fall onto the cot in response to the blow to her face.

"Kira!" Luke admonished, having been struck with horror at his niece's behavior.

Tahiri gaped in sheer terror at her best friend as she lay on the cot, her face bruised from Kira's strike.

Kira looked down at her friend with the horrified realization at what she had done. She couldn't stay here, she realized, not a minute longer. She needed to get away from Tahiri, from Luke, from everybody she knew.

Grabbing her lightsaber, Kira strode for the hospital room's exit, but Luke stood in front of her with his arms folded sternly.

"Let me go!" Kira snarled at her uncle, hating the sight of his calm, solemn face.

"Kira, you need to take a minute to calm down," Luke said.

"Out of my way!" Kira shouted, pushing her uncle aside. She refused to register the sound of Tahiri bursting into tears behind her.

Leia saw what had happened and collected enough will to confront her daughter.

"Kira," she said, stepping up to her daughter and grabbing her arm, "We need to talk right now."

"Get out of my way!" Kira repeated, glowering at her mother and causing her to recoil in fear.

"Kira!" Leia shouted as her daughter ran off into the distance, disappearing into the corridor.

Luke joined Han and Leia as they watched Kira flee.

"She needs to be alone," he told them, "She'll listen to us eventually, but she isn't ready yet."

CORUSCANT SYSTEM

Aboard the Black Ring, Grand Vizier and Supreme Commander Omas reviewed full-color holographic footage on the main projection table of new military recruits engaging in a marching drill, down at the Prime Station in the capital city.

He turned as the blast doors slid open to reveal the fully uniformed Sam Fel, who saluted with no emotion visible in his face.

"Supreme Commander."

"Ah, Commander Praxium, I'm glad you could join us," Omas said, producing a warm, fatherly voice that did not belong to him.

"Sir, with respect, my name is Commander Fel," Sam replied, not completely surprised at the way Omas had addressed him.

"Not anymore," said a firm voice from the side.

Sam turned towards the heavyset General standing before him.

"You report to me now, and if you're going to serve, you're going to serve using the name you were born with, is that understood?"

It took every muscle in Sam's face not to scowl at his father, but he knew that he could not afford any transgressions after being allowed to return from giving company to traitors and deserters.

"Yes, sir," Sam replied, keeping the tiniest hint of resentment without making it clear enough to General Praxium.

"Excellent," Omas said, "Father and son reunited once more. Now then, General and Commander Praxium, we'll all be needed down at Prime Station."

"Come along, son," Praxium ordered.

Sam followed his father and Omas, looking down hollowly at the command bridge. He closed his eyes, filled with regret, wishing he could escape from the reality that had befallen him.

SULLUST


It had been about two hours since Kira's outburst. She had been roaming the production line and the corridors since, trying to tell herself that she was supposed to stay. But she couldn't, not after everything that had happened.


She finally made her way out onto a small hangar, built at the end of the assembly line where shuttles were moved from the conveyor belt onto the floor sliding them into place.


Kira allowed her senses to be consumed by the noises of the factory and the scenery of Sullust, only pulling herself back when she sensed a shimmering presence visiting.


"Look, nobody understands what I'm going through," Kira said to Anakin before he could speak, "I know everybody else is upset about Ben too, but the Jedi way just doesn't cut it for me. I can't just let go of my hate like I'm supposed to."


Anakin drifted in front of his granddaughter and put a shimmering hand on her shoulder. She felt the weight despite his transparent form.


"Kira, every Jedi goes through a period where the dark side seems like the better option," Anakin said, "Some pull out of it early, others don't. I didn't until it was almost too late."


"I can't just go back now, after everything," Kira admitted, "I'm not ready to be the perfect Jedi, like Tahiri and Ben."


"And you shouldn't, not until you are ready," Anakin replied, "But questioning the Jedi path doesn't have to lead to the dark side. It all depends on what is inside your heart."


Kira began to respond, but the words were trapped behind her heavy guilt and lingering anger.

"I don't know," she replied, "I don't know what's in my heart. The light side, the dark side, it's all too confusing and blurred."


Anakin gazed sadly through his glowing visage at his granddaughter.

"You must follow your instincts," he said, "Nobody else can make you follow the right path. I'll always be here to guide you, and to do what I can to keep you safe."


"I'm sorry, Anakin," Kira said, the guilt inside her taking over, "I'm sorry I can't do the right thing, and I'm sorry for making everybody worry. I just wish I didn't have to be such a burden."


"Guiding and protecting you is my purpose," Anakin replied gently, his expression serene and his words coming with wisdom and experience, "As long as the Jedi can, we are here to guide you."

Kira managed a reluctant smile, gratefully regarding her grandfather without words.


Minutes later, a Republic attack shuttle was taking off from the shipyard factory, quickly disappearing into the night.


"Han, Han!" Leia said, shaking her husband awake as soon as she sensed Kira fleeing.


"What is it?" asked Han, rolling over in their shared sleeping bag.


"It's Kira!"


The two of them ran out of the Millennium Falcon, down the ramp into the main hangar of the shipyard, where the students were fast asleep in the shelter of their transports, but the Masters were wide awake with vigilance.


Luke appeared at Han and Leia's side at the same time that Tahiri came running in panic.

"Kira!" she cried, full of worry for her friend, "No!"


Tionne caught her Padawan by the arm as many of the younger students awoke.


"What's going on?"


"What happened?"


Saba Sebatyne gently put her scaly finger to her jaw and whispered, "Sssh."


"We mustn't worry, Tahiri," Tionne urged, although she herself was evidently troubled.


"I can't believe we didn't see this coming," Han lamented, "I don't know what we're going to do."


"She's going through a very difficult time," Leia said, "We all are."


Luke sighed and dipped his head, unable to say anything to do justice to his sister and best friend.


Quietly, Chewbacca emerged from the Falcon, followed by Threepio, Artoo, and the probe droid K3.

As they reached Han and Leia, still watching the point into which Kira's stolen ship had disappeared, Chewbacca let out a mournful cry and wrapped his arms around Han and Leia, giving them both a consoling embrace.

Luke turned from Han, Leia, and the others and walked away from the assembly of Jedi craft.


To the darkness of the hangar, he said, "I failed her. I should have guided her through, instead of letting her fall."


"No, Luke, Kira needed to feel free," Anakin said, appearing out of the void to his son, "Her period of conflict was inevitable, and her grief only makes it harder. But you did everything right as a Master. The rest was out of your hands.


"Anakin's right," Obi-Wan Kenobi said, appearing beside his former student, "A Master can only go so far in ensuring that their pupil stays on the right path. In the end, all beings are governed mainly by their own hearts."


"I thought I could raise the Jedi Order to its former strength," Luke said, "I hoped that after the Empire, there would be good times. Now, the galaxy is in chaos and the Republic is at war again."


"Peace is never eternal," Obi-Wan said, "even the Jedi cannot escape war and violence forever. But it is our job to contain it, and make sure the war does not spread."


By now, Leia had gone after her brother and now joined him and the spiritual apparitions.


"Leia," Anakin said softly, gazing at his daughter with sorrow.


"Father," Leia replied with a nod, "Has she spoken to you?"


Anakin replied, "She has. I promised that I would look after her and keep her from harm, just as I promise you now."


"Thank you," Leia said sullenly.


"And I promise this too," Anakin said to both his children, "Ben always be a part of you, and all of us. He'll never be gone as long as his spirit lives on in the Force."


"Thank you, Father," Leia replied, her voice cracking yet again.


"The Jedi have always faced setbacks, even when rebuilding from the ashes," Obi-Wan said, "But even after the darkest hour, hope will light the way. You'll remember this all too well, I trust. As long as the light side exists and the Jedi to carry it, the darkness will never be absolute."


"Yes, Master," Luke replied with a slight bow, "thank you for everything."


"I'm very proud of you both," Anakin said to Luke and Leia, "and even if we cannot join you in the physical realm, we'll always be here for you."


Luke and Leia both bowed this time, flowing with emotion and resolve.


Anakin smiled before closing his eyes and frowning with regret before both Jedi spirits faded into the fight.

Then, Luke and Leia went back to the cluster of ships and their friends camped outside.

Han wrapped an arm around both of them and they all held each other tightly, looking into the night. Chewie and the droids stood along side them watching the stars.

Then, Tahiri, Tionne, and the other Masters joined them, and finally, the rest of the Padawans and then children formed a circle and huddled together, keeping close to one another as they gazed up into the night sky.



In the orbit of Sullust, Kira Solo piloted her new craft ahead, into the glow of the sun that the system was centered around, before passing by it into the vacuum of space.

She kept her gaze and her mind ahead as she silently charted her next course. Kira was not yet certain of what waited ahead for her; where she was going, and what she would do next.

She also did not know when she would see her friends and family again; her parents, Luke, Tahiri, and even Sam.

Kira only knew that she had to go her own way first, and ultimately she realized that she could not return until she had finished what she had set out to achieve.


The lone shuttle continued into the void of space, standing alone in the infinity of the universe.



TO BE CONTINUED...