《Fallen Stars》


 Day 1

    Before she even heard the news, Yisheera knew something was wrong. She¡¯d woken up that morning with an inexplicable bad feeling in her gut, and it hadn¡¯t left her all day. In fact it seemed to grow worse and worse by the hour. Mere minutes before she heard about Alderaan from her friend and fellow padawan Izaara, the feeling of apprehension had blossomed into full-blown fear. Something was terribly wrong with Master Neeman.


    ¡°Did you hear about Alderaan?¡± Izaara asked. ¡°I heard they suffered a planetwide communications blackout. The Thuls aren¡¯t going down easy it seems.¡± She seemed to pause for a moment to regard Yisheera. ¡°Yish? What¡¯s wrong? You look sick.¡±


    ¡°Master Neeman is on Alderaan.¡± Yish replied, her voice more shaky than she wanted it to be. Izaara tried to smile reassuringly, but it seemed forced.


    ¡°Hey your master is one of the best Jedi I know.¡± She said in a soothing tone. ¡°He¡¯ll be just fine.¡±


    ¡°Then why do I feel as if something is terribly wrong?¡± Yisheera asked, as much to herself as her friend. ¡°Master Neeman says that our feelings can be the Force¡¯s way of talking to us, and right now I feel as if Master Neeman is in great danger.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you just need to lie down and rest.¡± Izaara said, trying to be comforting. ¡°Some meditation couldn¡¯t hurt either.¡± Yisheera shook her head, her lustrous blue headtails waving gracefully side to side.


    ¡°Nothing could get this pit out of my stomach. Master Neeman is in serious trouble, I¡¯m absolutely certain of it!¡± Izaara looked at her for a moment, as if weighing her friend¡¯s apprehension seriously.


    ¡°I think you should talk with Master Sirina.¡± Izaara said. ¡°Of all the members of the Council, she¡¯s the one who¡¯s most likely to listen to you.¡± Yisheera considered it. It made sense; Master Sirina was the most generous and forgiving of the masters on the Jedi High Council. She was well known for listening to the problems and concerns of other Jedi, regardless of their rank. She seemed to also have a knack for determining whether or not a Jedi¡¯s concerns had weight, and as to whether they were the guiding hand of the Force, or merely illusions of the mind.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± She said, and the two rushed off to find the blonde-haired Jedi master.


    ___________


    ¡°So what you¡¯re telling me, Yisheera, is that you¡¯ve been having this dreadful fear all day, and it got exponentially worse mere moments before you learned of the blackout on Alderaan?¡± The beautiful Jedi Master Sirina asked, as she sat cross-legged in a meditative pose, watching the young Twi¡¯lek pace back and forth anxiously. The small beams of light from the shuttered window behind the Jedi Master made her long blonde locks seem to glow with divine radiance, and her soft and gentle blue eyes tracked Yisheera¡¯s movements about the chamber. Her deep brown robes and the white armor beneath them hid a fantastic figure, honed and perfected by years of physical discipline and training. Her beauty was surpassed only by her kindness and desire to help others, which radiated from her in an aura that projected peace, calm, and comfort to all those around her.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Yisheera replied, confirming Master Sirina¡¯s summary of what she had said. The other Jedi sighed softly to herself.


    ¡°To be perfectly honest, I share your concern. Master Neeman is a man I respect very much, his wisdom has guided me more times than I can count. I am also very worried about the lack of communication from Alderaan, we¡¯re currently waiting for the normally scheduled all-clear signal from the Republic¡¯s space station in orbit, as in this type of situation it¡¯s the only method of communication we would have with the planet.¡±


    At that moment, there was a knock at the door, and Yisheera could have sworn she saw the briefest flash of annoyance pass across Master Sirina¡¯s face, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. ¡°Come in.¡± Master Sirina said, her voice betraying no hint of negative emotion, only the pleasant demeanor of an extremely friendly and welcoming person.


    A young Jedi Knight poked his head into the room, spying Master Sirina, he relayed his message.


    ¡°The all-clear signal has come through, Master Sirina.¡± He relayed calmly, although Yisheera could sense the relief that he felt. ¡°The Council is holding a meeting to outline the final stages of the war.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a little presumptuous?¡± Sirina replied. ¡°The Sith are in full retreat, but to assume victory before we have actually achieved it¡­¡± The knight shrugged apologetically.


    ¡°I am merely the messenger, Master Sirina. Perhaps you should voice these concerns to the other members of the Council.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Renhiel. I will do just that.¡± Sirina said, rising to her feet. Yisheera was overcome with sudden panic. Master Sirina hadn¡¯t even agreed to help her rescue Master Neeman, and now she was leaving!


    ¡°Master!¡± Yisheera said, more loudly and desperately than she intended. Sirina looked at her and smiled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry padawan, I haven¡¯t forgotten about you. I will bring up the Alderaan situation in the Council meeting and include your testimony. After the meeting I¡¯ll come see you and let you know what¡¯s to be done.¡± Yisheera only felt slightly less ill, but she suppressed her feelings and forced a smile.


    ¡°Ok. Let me know as soon as you can.¡±


    ____________


    It was later that day when Master Sirina approached Yisheera and Izaara while the two sat meditating in the Senate gardens. Yisheera registered the blonde woman¡¯s approach immediately, and was already on her feet and walking towards the approaching Jedi Master by the time Sirina reached them.


    ¡°So?¡± She asked, a bit too forcefully. ¡°What did the Council decide? How many Jedi are we sending? When do we leave?¡±


    The expression that immediately presented itself on Master Sirina¡¯s face was all the answer she needed. Yisheera¡¯s heart fell into her feet, taking her stomach with it. She suddenly felt a surging rush of emotions; anger, frustration, helplessness, fear, and a deep, deep sorrow.


    ¡°They decided not to send anyone didn¡¯t they?¡± She spat. ¡°They¡¯re abandoning Master Neeman to die!¡±


    ¡°The Council decided that Alderaan is, at best, a distraction by the Empire to buy enough time for them to regroup. They believe that if we destroy the Empire and the Sith at their heart, Alderaan can always be reclaimed later.¡± Master Sirina said. There was no sign that she agreed with the decision, but Yisheera was still angry at her anyway.


    ¡°So they¡¯re just going to throw Master Neeman and all the people he¡¯s trying to help away like their expendable?¡± She accused.


    ¡°The Council is insistent on taking the long view.¡± Master Sirina said with obvious remorse. ¡°The only other Jedi Master who might have stood with me and swayed others to our side was Master Jay-Li, and he is leading troops on the front and wasn¡¯t able to attend, even by hologram.¡±


    ¡°You know this is wrong!¡± Yisheera said emphatically. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t abandon our own under any circumstances!¡±


    ¡°While I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiment,¡± Master Sirina replied, trying to sound as compassionate and understanding as possible, ¡°I understand where the other masters of the Council are coming from, and I am simply outvoted on the issue. I¡¯m sorry Yisheera, but the Jedi Order will not be sending anyone to Alderaan.¡±


    Tears filled the young Twi¡¯lek¡¯s eyes, burning twin paths down her soft blue cheeks. She struggled to reign in her emotions, but the tears just kept coming, and the fires of her anger simply burned brighter when she tried to suppress them. She ran off, ignoring the calls of both Master Sirina and Izaara, blindly running through the gardens as if in an attempt to outrun fate.


    When she finally stopped to look around and wiped the tears from her eyes, she noticed she was close to the Senate hovertaxi terminal. Digging around in her robes, she found the credits she needed for a ride. There was one more person she could try, and she had no intention of letting them tell her ¡°no¡±.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Master.¡± She whispered to herself as she ran towards the terminal. ¡°I¡¯m coming for you.¡±


    __________


    When Chizuu¡¯Kathara opened the door to the residence where her and her husband lived, she was surprised to see little Yish standing there. The beautiful young Twi¡¯Lek was like a daughter to Chizu, and the two had been friends since Yish was old enough to swing a training blade. By the look on the padawan¡¯s face, she was very distraught and upset, but she had that glint in her eye that Chizu knew meant she was determined to get something, and refused to take ¡°no¡± for an answer.


    ¡°Yish, come in, come in!¡± The older Twi¡¯Lek ushered the younger one inside the domicile, the door sliding shut behind her. ¡°You look awful dear, what is it? What¡¯s happened?¡± The padawan gathered herself with a long, shaky breath before speaking.


    ¡°It¡¯s Master Neeman, he was on Alderaan, and news just broke of a planet-wide communications blackout. I¡¯ve had a terrible feeling that something was wrong since this morning, but moments before I heard the news about Alderaan, that feeling became unbelievably strong. It still feels like something terrible is happening.¡±


    Chizu was not well educated in matters of the Force. Her husband was a Republic Senator, and she his aide. She knew things like this were out of her depth, but she couldn¡¯t say no to Yish, especially not when she was obviously in such deep distress.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t the Jedi going to do anything about it?¡± She asked. ¡°Surely if you can sense something is wrong, the other Jedi Masters can too.¡± Yish shook her head.


    ¡°They don¡¯t feel anything. Only I can sense it because of my connection to Master Neeman.¡±


    ¡°And the other Jedi don¡¯t believe you?¡± Chizu asked gently.


    ¡°No.¡± Yish said angrily. ¡°They¡¯ve decided to ¡°take the long view¡±, which is basically just an excuse to abandon Master Neeman and millions of innocent people to whatever fate the Empire has in store for them.¡±


    ¡°So why did you come here Yish? I¡¯d love to help, but Raash and I can only do so much. He¡¯s not the Supreme Chancellor.¡± Yish¡¯s fists clenched.


    ¡°But he can do something, contact friends, allies, call in favors, sway other Senators to our cause, convince the Senate that Alderaan is a serious potential hazard to the Republic¡¯s security.¡± Chizu felt the young girl¡¯s sorrow and frustration as acutely as if it were her own. Seeing Yish in such anguish made her heart ache, and even though part of her wanted to try and talk the young padawan down, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to do it.


    ¡°Come on,¡± she said, turning to leave. ¡°Raash is in the study.¡±


    Chizu led Yish through the living room and down the long hallway to the study, which was a large room with a view of the cityscape. Raash Temaru sat hunched over his desk, studying a stack of papers intently. He looked up when the two women entered.


    ¡°Chizu,¡± he said, a smile lighting up his face, ¡°and Yish? To what do we owe the pleasure?¡± His facial expression changed to a much more somber one when he saw the young Padawan¡¯s own expression. ¡°What is it? What¡¯s happened?¡±


    ¡°Love, you remember the recent events on Alderaan.¡± Chizu said leadingly. Raash¡¯s brow furrowed with concern.


    ¡°Yes, I received the news along with the rest of the Senate not long after it happened. I knew the civil war was heating up, but I never suspected that the Thuls were becoming so desperate.¡±


    ¡°Well, Yisheera¡¯s master, Master Neeman, was on Alderaan when this happened, and the poor girl has been plagued by a bad feeling ever since.¡± Raash looked at Yish.


    ¡°You can feel something? Through the Force I mean.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Yish replied. ¡°Master Neeman is in terrible danger, I just know it!¡± Raash leaned back in his chair and began stroking his beard as he processed the girl¡¯s declaration.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s not just him, if he¡¯s in danger it¡¯s likely that the rest of Alderaan is too.¡± The Senator sighed, leaning forward and rubbing his face with his hands, folding them in front of him while he continued to speculate. ¡°To tell you the truth I¡¯ve had a bad feeling gnawing at my gut since I heard the news. That this would come at a time when the Empire is in retreat is no coincidence. At the very least this might be a distraction that they are hoping will draw enough of our troops and resources for them to regroup. At worst¡­¡± his voice trailed off.


    ¡°So you¡¯ll help?¡± Yish said, her lekku twitching with excitement.


    ¡°I already intended to push for an investigation into the Alderaan incident in the special session tomorrow.¡± Raash said. ¡°If something nefarious really is going on there, we need to know what it is so we can be ready, however¡­¡± he said, his change in tone causing dread to blossom in Yish. ¡°I highly doubt that Supreme Chancellor Suresh will allow it. She smells blood in the water and is determined to finish this war by any means necessary.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Yish asked, trying desperately to control her anger and frustration, which once again threatened to consume her. ¡°Doesn¡¯t she see how dangerous this is? If the Empire controls Alderaan, they have a path directly to the core!¡±


    ¡°I know that, you know that, and I¡¯m sure even Suresh knows that.¡± Raash replied evenly. ¡°However, once she has her mind set on getting something done, Suresh is the kind of person that shoves everything else to the side and gets a serious case of tunnel vision. She knows the stakes if Alderaan falls, but I think she¡¯s gambling on this just being a case of the civil war getting out of hand.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a risky gamble.¡± Chizu interjected. ¡°With a path to the core the Empire could invade any system in the core at any time.¡±


    ¡°They already managed it with Corellia.¡± Raash acknowledged. ¡°Even though it was because the planet¡¯s government sold it out to them, they still managed to get an entire invasion force through our defenses.¡±


    ¡°You think Alderaan might be another Corellia?¡± Chizu asked him.


    ¡°I hope to the Force it¡¯s not,¡± Raash said in an exhausted tone, ¡°but I cannot ignore the possibility of that being the case. However, if Suresh chooses to use her veto to ignore those possibilities, we could be looking at just that: another Correllia.¡± Yish looked from Chizu to Raash.


    ¡°So, what are we going to do?¡± She asked.


    ¡°You will do nothing young lady.¡± Raash said, his voice taking on the quality of a stern patriarch. ¡°I will do my best to push for the Senate to dispatch a scout force to the Alderaanian system to determine the severity of the situation. I doubt Suresh will cooperate, but I am hopeful she will elect not to use her veto, which might allow for at least a small investigative team formed of intelligence assets to be dispatched to accomplish the task.¡±


    ¡°But the special session is tomorrow,¡± Yish complained, ¡°every hour that passes is another hour Master Neeman¡¯s life is at risk!¡± Raash sighed knowingly.


    ¡°Welcome to democracy, little Yish.¡± He said, using the same affectionate tone he had often used with her when she was a youngling. ¡°It works, but it¡¯s slow and ponderous in everything it does.¡± He smiled at her reassuringly. ¡°You know your master well padawan. Master Neeman is one of the wisest people I¡¯ve ever met, and is said to be one of the most powerful Jedi in the order that doesn¡¯t sit on the Council. He has 60 years of experience as a Jedi, and 35 years of experience as a master. Have faith, he will return to us unharmed.¡± While Yish couldn¡¯t deny the truth in his words, she knew in her gut that his faith was misplaced. She could feel that something was terribly wrong with Master Neeman, despite his wisdom, power, and experience; she knew that he was in great danger and couldn¡¯t save himself. She was determined to save him, even at the cost of her own life. The Jedi needed masters like him to lead them in the war against the Sith, in comparison, her life was expendable.


    Yet it seemed no one could take the actions necessary to save him. No one, she suddenly realized, but her. Her fists unclenched, her taught muscles relaxed, and she knew what she had to do. She allowed a genuine smile to spread across her face and she looked up at Raash.


    ¡°Thank you Senator.¡± She said, suddenly filled with peace that came from the knowledge that Master Neeman would soon have the help he needed. ¡°I will have faith, and I wish you the best of fortune in the Senate tomorrow.¡± Misunderstanding her change in attitude, Raash returned her smile.


    ¡°I imagine we¡¯ll have a wonderful conversation about all this when Master Neeman returns to us safe and sound.¡± He said pleasantly. ¡°He¡¯ll have plenty of stories to tell, of that too I am certain.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me,¡± Yish said, bowing slightly at the waist, ¡°I really should return to the Senate building. No doubt my friends and masters are concerned about me.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Raash said, inclining his head in a nod of dismissal. When Yish left the room, he looked at Chizu. ¡°That went over well.¡± Chizu, who was still staring at the closed door to the study, seemed less convinced.


    ¡°Yes. It did.¡±


    _____________


    Yisheera strode through the spaceport like a woman on a mission. She¡¯d sent the communiqu¨¦ to her contact an hour ago, and the response had been instructions to meet her in one of the many cafes that occupied space in the port. She was just about to turn a corner when she heard a familiar voice call her name.


    ¡°Yish!¡±


    She turned to see a tall, handsome young human male with messy, raven-black hair and a wiry build dressed in the robes of a Jedi pushing through a crowd of people towards her. ¡°Yish, wait up!¡± She obliged him and waited for him to finish maneuvering his way through the crowd to reach her. He wore his concern openly on his striking features, and his deep, lustrous green eyes were fraught with worry. ¡°Yish, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean what am I doing?¡± She asked. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Trying to find out what¡¯s going on that head of yours.¡± He replied. ¡°Seriously, why are you here? You aren¡¯t doing what I think you¡¯re doing are you?¡±


    ¡°What do you think I¡¯m doing?¡± Yish said evasively. The human looked at her, the truth dawning on him.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°So you are doing it.¡± He said. ¡°Just as I thought. You can¡¯t hide this kind of thing from me Yish. I know you, we grew up together remember?¡±


    ¡°I remember.¡± Yish said, the thought bringing back memories of their time together as children. Laughing, playing, wrestling, learning about the Force, talking about what they would do when they got their lightsabers and became real Jedi. The memories stirred something in her and she felt remorse at not telling him about her plan, but a part of her knew he wouldn¡¯t understand. ¡°It¡¯s not like I wanted to keep the truth from you Kayle. I just¡­¡±


    ¡°You just what?¡± He asked, leading her to finish the thought.


    ¡°It¡¯s just, I thought you¡¯d react like everyone else has.¡±


    ¡°Just hear me out,¡± he said, placing his hands on her shoulders. ¡°They have a point Yish, the Council isn¡¯t entirely wrong.¡± She moved to shake him off in anger, but he held her a little more tightly. ¡°Listen!¡± he pleaded, ¡°Just listen for a moment, I promise I¡¯m not on their side.¡± Yish hesitated, allowing him to continue speaking. ¡°But you can¡¯t do this alone. There are other Jedi who might agree to help us, we should go back to the Senate and try and convince some of the knights to aid us.¡±


    ¡°But that could take too long,¡± Yish protested. ¡°and we don¡¯t even know if anyone will help us.¡±


    ¡°But we have to try.¡± He insisted. ¡°We¡¯re just Padawans; we can¡¯t go running off by ourselves on a rescue mission.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to come.¡± Yish replied stubbornly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not letting you go on your own.¡± He said. ¡°Like I said, I know you, so I know it¡¯s useless to try and change your mind once you¡¯ve set out to do something, all I¡¯m saying is we need backup. Besides,¡± he added, ¡°neither of us has a ship, and the next shuttle to Alderaan isn¡¯t for a few days. We could use that time to gather support from other Jedi, and if we can¡¯t find anyone, then we depart on the shuttle together.¡± Yish shook her head.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already arranged passage.¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯m here to meet my contact.¡± Kayle looked at her in surprise.


    ¡°Who?¡±


    __________


    ¡°You never told me you were coming with a partner,¡± Captain Delriss Evik said to Yish as the two Jedi took their seats at the table, ¡°and such a handsome one too.¡± She said, taking in the young man with her eyes and allowing a sensuous tone to creep into her voice. Kayle blushed, embarrassed by the attractive older woman¡¯s forwardness. Yish felt a spark of jealousy ignite in her chest, ¡°let¡¯s get to business.¡± She said rigidly. ¡°There¡¯s no time to waste.¡±


    Discerning the source of the young girl¡¯s anger, Delriss smiled. ¡°Of course, to business then.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to take us to Alderaan, correct?¡± Yisheera said.


    ¡°Yes, provided you can afford your initial offer.¡±


    Yish reached into her cloak and took out a slip of paper and passed it across the table, facedown. Delriss lifted it up cautiously to peer at what was written on the underside.


    ¡°That¡¯s an account number and its security information.¡± Yisheera said. ¡°In it is the payment I promised.¡± The older Twi¡¯lek raised an eyebrow. ¡°What¡¯s a Jedi doing with personal bank accounts?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot about me people don¡¯t know.¡± Yish said defiantly. ¡°I prefer to keep it that way.¡± Delriss nodded knowingly.


    ¡°I understand. Privacy is a treasure we all crave.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯ll do it?¡±


    ¡°Once the payment has been extracted, my ship is your ship.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Yish said, still putting on a stiff, business-like front.


    ¡°So how long have you two been together?¡± Delriss asked, her tone as casual as if she had just asked about their opinion on the weather.


    ¡°W-w-what?!¡± Yish nearly squealed, bringing her voice under control at the last second. ¡°We¡¯re not together, we¡¯re just friends! That¡¯s all!¡± She regretted her emphasis the moment she finished speaking, but it got worse when she sensed Kayle¡¯s body language shift next to her. The knowing look on Delris¡¯Sevik¡¯s face mingled a healthy dose of anger with that pain.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kayle said, barely hiding his disappointment, ¡°I assure you there is nothing between me and Yisheera. We¡¯ve known each other since we were children, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Delriss said, and the twinkle in her eye told Yisheera that she did indeed see the truth.


    ¡°If you¡¯re done asking personal questions, when can we board?¡± She asked, trying to regain some composure. Delriss tsked at her like a mother or older sister might have done.


    ¡°Come now, Yisheera. There¡¯s no need to be so upset with me. We¡¯ve know each other for quite a while too. I¡¯m merely teasing you Tch¡¯unie.¡±


    ¡°Well I¡¯d appreciate it if you wouldn¡¯t.¡± Yish said, still mad. Delriss laughed.


    ¡°Alright, just give me a few minutes to transfer the money and we¡¯ll go straight to the ship. We¡¯ll be under way within the hour.¡± The beautiful woman rose to her feet and walked off in the direction of a credit terminal to make the transaction, Yish caught Kayle watching her go, and she smacked him upside the head.


    ¡°Ow!¡± He exclaimed. ¡°Force! What was that for?¡± His pain made Yisheera feel better, but only a little.


    ¡°You know what.¡± She said, not even trying to hide her anger.


    ¡°I sure wish I did.¡± He mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. ¡°Have you two really known each for that long?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Not longer than you and I have known each other though.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to keep talking like a broken protocol droid or actually talk to me?¡± Yish paused to try and come up with a snappy reply. When she couldn¡¯t think of one, she simply crossed her arms and leaned back, giving Kayle an offended look. He laughed. ¡°I really shouldn¡¯t like it when you give me that look, but I do.¡± For some reason his reaction annoyed her further, and she looked away, pretending to ignore him. Kayle fell silent, and the two waited without speaking until Delriss returned to collect them.


    An hour later, the Rider was taking off, ascending into the golden sunset. Yish watched from the porthole as she left the gleaming city of Coruscant behind. For a moment, despite her resolve to rescue her master, she felt a deep foreboding in her spirit. Somewhere deep within her, she felt she would never see this world again.


    ___________


    Yish was still half-asleep when she walked into the cockpit of the Rider with Kayle. Delriss had sent him to wake her up, as they were soon going to be arriving in the Alderaan system, and the older Twi¡¯lek had guessed Yish would want to be there when they did. None of them expected to be greeted by the sight before them when they lapsed out of hyperspace however. As soon as the brilliant blue streaks of the alien dimension faded into the blackness of normal space, the shocking scene that revealed itself to the observers on the Rider¡¯s bridge was so unexpected, so unbelievable, that it took them almost an entire minute to process what they were seeing.


    They were completely surrounded by an Imperial fleet. There were ships of all sizes, from tiny fighters and shuttles to Star Destroyers and even a few dreadnoughts. It seemed that the bulk of the Imperial Navy was present, crammed into the Alderaan system like suleksh in a can. The stunned passengers were shaken out of their daze by the whining of an alarm that indicated they had been captured by a tractor beam. Delriss cursed and began flipping switches and pressing buttons, to no avail. The comm crackled,


    ¡°Unidentified vessel, you are hereby ordered to stand down and surrender. We will be taking you and you ship captive, I repeat-¡± The voice repeated its previous statements as the Rider¡¯s cockpit erupted in a commotion.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Yish cried out. ¡°What are this many Imperial ships doing here?¡±


    ¡°It looks like they¡¯re preparing for a full-scale invasion of the Core!¡± Kayle exclaimed. ¡°We have to go back and warn the Republic!¡± He turned to Delriss, ¡°Come on, do something! Get us out of here!¡±


    ¡°Does it look like I can?¡± Delriss shot back. ¡°They¡¯ve got us locked in a tractor beam and we¡¯re surrounded by enough fully armed ships to invade twenty systems, one wrong move and we¡¯re all spacedust!¡±


    ¡°Send a message, do something!¡± Yish cried.


    ¡°You don¡¯t think they¡¯re jamming all communications?¡± Delriss asked. ¡°An operation this big there¡¯s no way they haven¡¯t planned for every possibility. We¡¯re stuck, its best to accept it and think about how we¡¯re going to get out of this mess.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a plan?¡± Kayle asked.


    ¡°Yes. In the cargo hold, about five paces in from the door and two paces to the left there¡¯s a trap door. It leads to a smuggling compartment. Normally it would only fit 1 adult-sized person, but I think the two of you can squeeze in if you don¡¯t mind close quarters.¡±


    ¡°But what about you?¡± Yish asked. Delriss smiled.


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m a smuggler, I have friends and contacts everywhere.¡±


    ¡°Even in the Empire?¡± Kayle said incredulously.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Delriss assured them. ¡°I might be able to weasel my way out of this, but not with two Jedi on board. So get to the cargo hold and don¡¯t come out of that compartment until I come for you.¡±


    ¡°What if you don¡¯t?¡± Kayle asked grimly.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t come back within a standard hour, assume that the worst has happened and that you¡¯re on your own. From there, everything is your decision to make. If we live through this, I promise you¡¯ll get a 70% refund.¡±


    ¡°Money is the least of our worries right now.¡± Kayle remarked.


    ¡°Go!¡± Delriss said, waving them out of the cockpit. The two teens dashed down the corridor to the main cabin, and ducked into the hall to the cargo hold. As Delriss watched the shadow of the Star Destroyer tractoring them fall over her ship, she found herself hoping that, whatever happened to her, those kids made it out alive.


    ___________


    ¡°Ow, move over.¡± Yish complained.


    ¡°To where?¡± Came Kayle¡¯s equally frustrated reply. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m comfortable over here either.¡±


    ¡°Well at least stop digging your knee into my leg.¡± Yish said, exasperated. There was some shuffling and she felt the pressure on her calf release, she was about to thank him when she felt his legs entangle hers. ¡°What are you doing?¡± She asked, completely bewildered.


    ¡°You asked me to stop, so I moved my legs.¡±


    ¡°Not there!¡±


    ¡°Yish there¡¯s nowhere else. Literally.¡± Yish sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re perfect strangers,¡± Kayle pointed out. ¡°We used to wrestle all the time as younglings remember? You weren¡¯t so prudish then.¡± He teased. Yish punched him in the chest.


    ¡°Ow!¡± He exclaimed. Then she suddenly felt his fingers lightly brushing her sides.


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s not-hahaha-hey stop!¡± But Kayle kept tickling her despite her pleas. ¡°Seriously-hahaha-what if the Imps walk in!¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t landed yet,¡± came Kayle¡¯s mischievous reply, ¡°until we hear those landing gear hit the floor of the hanger you¡¯re all mine.¡± She could practically hear the grin in his tone, and despite herself she couldn¡¯t help but feel playful too.


    ¡°Oh no boy,¡± she said with false menace, ¡°I¡¯m not stuck in here with you, you¡¯re stuck in here with me!¡± Her nimble fingers darted around to the back of his neck, and in seconds she was the one mercilessly torturing a squirming, laughing Kayle with the light brushes of her fingertips. He managed to get in a few good counter attacks but a poke to the stomach won her back the advantage. The ships comm crackled to life.


    ¡°To all passengers engaged in tickle fights, please cease all activity as we have landed and are about to be boarded.¡± Delris¡¯Sevik¡¯s voice sounded halfway between a sarcastic older sister and a disapproving mother. There was a long silence, then, ¡°Good luck guys. See you soon, hopefully.¡± Then the comm clicked off. For a moment the two Padawans lay in silence, physically closer to each other than they had been in the past ten years. Yish found herself enjoying the experience; Kayle¡¯s lithe body was pressed softly against her, his wiry muscle and solid chest oddly comforting. She felt like they were seven years old again, back when everything made sense. He didn¡¯t smell bad either, not that he ever did stink except right after physical training, but right now he smelled better than usual, and better than one would expect from a person crammed inside a smuggling compartment on a dirty ship. Having him so close felt¡­good.


    She mentally shook herself, She was here to rescue her master, not find love. Master Neeman came first, then the Republic, then her friends. Besides, Jedi weren¡¯t supposed to be romantically attached; it was against the code, still¡­She caught herself before she allowed her thoughts to drift off. Kayle was her friend, her childhood friend, she shouldn¡¯t think of him like that. She heard the distant sound of booted feet entering the ship, and heard voices with Imperial accents.


    ¡°Get down on the ground, hands where we can see them!¡±


    ¡°Ok, ok, no need for blasters guys.¡± Delris¡¯Sevik¡¯s voice didn¡¯t betray a hint of nervousness or fear. She sounded as cool as an Ilum night. The sound of cuffs being closed around her wrists followed, and Yish wondered why Delriss didn¡¯t even protest. Then she remembered, you never questioned Imperials on their territory. In the Empire, might made right. A lot of the booted feet left, but the two Padawans heard what they presumed was the voice of the commanding officer speaking to several others.


    ¡°Search the ship, confiscate anything illegal, and make sure there are no others on board.¡±


    ¡°But sir, isn¡¯t everything on this ship illegal?¡± asked one of the soldiers. Snickering followed.


    ¡°Standard rules of inspection sergeant.¡± The officer said. More snickering. The sound of a single pair of booted feet leaving the ship faded away, and they could hear the soldiers splitting up to search the ship. Two pairs of footsteps entered the cargo bay, and Yish froze in terror, trying not to breathe.


    ¡°So, you hear about how their covering all this up?¡± One soldier said from across the cargo bay, as the sounds of canisters being opened, rifled through, and closed echoed through the space above.


    ¡°No, I kinda wondered though. I mean we¡¯ve got dozens of ships coming in by the day. It kinda made me wonder why none of them get missed.¡±


    ¡°Apparently they brought in a lot of old Imperial Intelligence operatives and veterans,¡± The first soldier replied. ¡°and I heard they also have a full crew of face surgeons on the payroll.¡±


    ¡°Daaaaamn.¡± Soldier #2 said in an awed tone. ¡°You mean they¡¯re face-swapping?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡± Soldier #1 said. ¡°This isn¡¯t just a 3D op though, they¡¯re also using this as an opportunity to plant lots of operatives in just about every Republic faction. Most of the guys getting face surgery will just return home after the whole thing is over or get knocked as per protocol. But a few of the high-value targets we¡¯re probably going to net over the next few days are going to be replaced with sleepers.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± Soldier #2 sounded truly impressed. ¡°Whoever thought up this crazy scheme must be a genius.¡±


    ¡°Rumors say it was the Dark Council.¡± Soldier #1 offered. ¡°I for one, believe it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah you¡¯re telling me.¡± Soldier #2 said. ¡°Sith are something else. I pegged one once.¡±


    ¡°Yeah right.¡±


    ¡°No I¡¯m serious, this chick was hot man, you shoulda seen her. I¡¯d have given my left nut to be her personal bodyguard.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯d she look like?¡±


    ¡°Short dark hair, crazy purple makeup, crazy orange eyes, and a body like nothing you¡¯ve ever seen outside of the Nar Shadda Red Light district.¡±


    ¡°You get her name?¡± The other soldier laughed.


    ¡°No, but she wouldn¡¯t shut up about how her master was the Emperor¡¯s Wrath, well not until I filled her mouth with something other than empty bragging.¡± The two men laughed heartily.


    ¡°Seriously though, can you believe that? I mean everyone knows that¡¯s just a bedtime story.¡±


    ¡°You never know with Sith man,¡± came the neutral reply. ¡°I¡¯ve seen some of the stuff they do, I never dismiss anything people claim about them without solid evidence.¡±


    ¡°Fair point I guess.¡±


    ¡°Hey guys,¡± a new voice chimed in, coming from the cargo bay entrance, ¡°you done in here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah man just give us a sec, we¡¯ll catch up.¡± The two men waited until the sound of the third soldier leaving was all but gone before they continued speaking.


    ¡°So is any that stuff you were saying really true? You know, about the face-swapping and whatever.¡±


    ¡°How else do you think they¡¯re covering up a secret this big? Besides, it¡¯s what Shyrel told me is happening.¡±


    ¡°Shyrel is hot.¡±


    ¡°I can hook you up. Apparently Jaxer and her aren¡¯t getting along so well behind closed doors if you know what I mean.¡±


    ¡°Normally I might not because she¡¯s somebody else¡¯s girl, but Jaxer¡¯s an asshole.¡±


    ¡°Everybody knows he¡¯s only here because he blew the Colonel, but I heard the Colonel is getting transferred, and a lot of the guys feel the same way as you and me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah man, put in a good word for me with Shyrel. If you do I¡¯ll record the whole thing, put it on the holonet, and send you the link.¡± The other soldier chuckled.


    ¡°No problem, much obliged.¡± And the two men laughed.


    Their laughs died in their throats when, as one, Kayle and Yish sprang out of the hidden smuggling compartment and ignited their lightsabers. The first soldier cocked his gun, but Kayle Force-pushed him against the wall of the cargo bay, stunning him. The second soldier tried to activate his comm link, but Yish snatched it out of his hand with the Force, threw it to the ground, and crushed it underneath her foot. The soldier opened fire, but Yish deflected her opponent¡¯s blaster bolts into the walls before moving in and striking his helmetless head on the temple with the pommel of her lightsaber, causing the man to slump to the ground, unconscious.


    ¡°Much better.¡± Yish said, kicking the passed out man. ¡°If I had to listen to their brainless chatter for one more microsecond-¡±


    ¡°Come on,¡± Kayle interrupted. ¡°let¡¯s strip them down. Their comrades are waiting on them, any longer and they might come looking.¡± Yish thought about the plan for a moment while Kayle began removing his soldier¡¯s armor.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She said hesitantly. ¡°I think these disguises might be more trouble than they¡¯re worth.¡±


    ¡°All they have to do is get us to a place where we can disappear or onto a shuttle where we¡¯re not outnumbered.¡± Kayle supplied. ¡°Once we reach that point we hide them and figure out what our next move is.¡± Yish sighed and began stripping her soldier down too.


    ¡°Ok, but we¡¯re going to have to tie these guys up so they don¡¯t blow our cover.¡±


    Kayle smiled, flourishing several strips of plastic he¡¯d pulled from a nearby container.


    ¡°Waaay ahead of you.¡±


    In a few minutes, two Imperial soldiers disembarked from the Rider. They walked side by side down the ramp, and scanned the hanger as if looking for someone.


    ¡°Geris! Hygal!¡± Barked an officer from across the hanger. ¡°Move it soldiers!¡± The two double-timed over to where the officer was standing. ¡°What were you two doing in there? Going to town on the crew?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t find any crewmen sir.¡± Kayle said, doing his best to impersonate the voice of one of the men he and Yish had, fortunately, spent the last few minutes listening to. ¡°That¡¯s a damn shame.¡± The officer said, his lieutenant stars gleaming in the sterile light of the hanger. ¡°Because I¡¯m sure you boys could have used a good excuse to be standing around WASTING TIME!¡± The two Jedi stood stock still at attention, thanking the Force for the armor hiding not just their identities, but their nervousness.


    ¡°Double-time it back to the barracks gentlemen.¡± The lieutenant ordered. ¡°Our shift is over. Get six hours of shuteye and be bright and bushy-tailed tomorrow, because we¡¯ll have a lot more to do, I guarantee it.¡± Kayle and Yish saluted and marched off in the direction of the hanger exit.


    ¡°That was close.¡± Yish whispered.


    ¡°Good thing that second guy was your height.¡± Kayle commented. ¡°He might have noticed if one of his soldiers shrank a few inches in the space of a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°His armor¡¯s pretty spacey though.¡± Yish complained. ¡°I¡¯m having a hard time not looking like a skeleton in this.¡±


    ¡°Thank the Force for the undersuit too,¡± Kayle added. ¡°Without that he would have noticed the color of your neck.¡± He thought for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m starting to realize this plan might have been a little hasty.¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡± Yish said sarcastically. ¡°And what clued you into that genius?¡± Kayle didn¡¯t reply as a squad of troopers, probably the next shift, marched past them.


    ¡°Issues aside we¡¯re committed now.¡± Kayle said softly. ¡°We need to get to another hanger and commandeer a shuttle.¡±


    ¡°How do we do that without arousing suspicion?¡± Yish asked quietly.


    ¡°We say we were dispatched to another ship in the fleet.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. We¡¯re just grunts, we do what we¡¯re told.¡±


    ¡°You think that¡¯ll really fly?¡±


    ¡°If we¡¯re stopped and questioned, it¡¯s possible.¡±


    ¡°You mean to tell me your plan is to just march into another hanger, find a shuttle, board it, and take off?¡±


    ¡°You got a better idea?¡±


    ¡°Anything would be better than that!¡±


    ¡°As long as we look like we know what we¡¯re doing it should be fine.¡±


    ¡°Fine? Fine? None of this is fine!¡± Yish hissed. ¡°We¡¯re trapped on an Imperial warship surrounded by a fleet composed of almost the entirety of the Imperial Navy, dressed as Imperial troopers. None of this is fine!¡±


    ¡°Get a hold of yourself,¡± Kayle whispered back. ¡°We need to pull this off now before our cover is blown, just follow my lead.¡±


    The two walked down hallways and rode lifts, keeping an eye out for any sign of a hanger or shuttle port. Eventually, they realized that this tactic was getting them nowhere, and they ducked into a storage closet to remove their oppressive helmets and consider their options.


    ¡°So¡­the shuttle plan isn¡¯t going to work.¡± Kayle admitted.


    ¡°What made you think it would?¡± Yish asked. ¡°Even if we could find another hanger bay there¡¯s no guarantee your bluff would have kept our cover intact!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t hear you offering any better ideas.¡± Kayle shot back. Yish appeared thoughtful for a moment, before her face lit up.


    ¡°The escape pods!¡±


    ¡°Oh Force no.¡± Kayle groaned.


    ¡°You got any better ideas?¡± Yish replied mockingly.


    ¡°No.¡± He admitted grudgingly.


    ¡°If we can find some escape pods, I can rig it to make it look like the pod malfunctioned so they won¡¯t bother scanning.¡±


    ¡°But the success of that plan relies entirely on them not scanning the pod for lifesigns.¡± Kayle pointed out. ¡°At least with my plan we¡¯re inconspicuous once we¡¯re off the ship.¡±


    ¡°But we can fool the sensors,¡± Yish insisted. ¡°I can set up an interference field with the pods electronics and make it look like it¡¯s caused by the malfunction.¡±


    ¡°Wait you can actually do that?¡± Kayle asked incredulously.


    ¡°Yeah, I can.¡± Yish said, sounding offended as she donned her helmet and prepared to return to the corridor.


    ¡°No I didn¡¯t mean you specifically I just didn¡¯t know that was possible.¡± Kayle tried to explain himself, but Yish was already moving out of their hiding place.


    A few minutes later, the two Jedi encountered a set of escape pods, located the most out-of-the-way one, and Yish went to work while Kayle kept watch, trying hard to look inconspicuous. After a few nerve-wracking minutes with no interruptions, Yish reported success.


    ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± She said, standing up. ¡°Come on, get inside. We need to get moving.¡± Kayle followed her into the pod and the door shut firmly behind them.


    ¡°Are you really sure about this Yish?¡± Kayle asked as he stowed their Jedi robes in a storage compartment while the Twi¡¯lek fiddled with the pods various electronic systems to set up the interference field.


    ¡°It¡¯ll work, trust me.¡± She assured him, finishing her alterations and launching the pod.


    ___________


    Ensign Demrin Nyle noticed the blinking alert that indicated the launching of escape pod D0034R792. Confused and intrigued, he carefully inspected the console, and then checked the logs. The system had recorded a malfunction that had caused the pod to randomly eject. The malfunction appeared to have been something engineering should have picked up on days ago. Shaking his head at the apparent laziness of the engineers, Nyle turned back to his scans of the outer system. There were more important things he needed to be focusing on, like tracking incoming vessels from other systems, a random glitch in an escape pod¡¯s launch systems was not something he had time for.


    ___________


    The escape pod hit the atmosphere at an angle, and Kayle could tell they were going to land on the planet¡¯s night side by the curving angle of approach the planet¡¯s gravity had locked them into. Yish had tried not to use the pod¡¯s steerage systems so as to avoid attracting any attention, and it meant they had barely managed to enter the planet¡¯s gravity well at all. Frankly, Kayle was just thankful they hadn¡¯t rocketed past Alderaan and on out into space. Dying of oxygen deprivation in a failing escape pod left drifting in the void would have been the nicest result of that particular series of events.


    As it was the two Padawans found themselves plummeting through Alderaan¡¯s atmosphere at a pace that made them nervous, and made the pod itself rumble and shake in a way that did nothing to ease their minds. When they finally broke through the cloud cover and saw that they were plummeting towards a rather rocky mountain range, their nervousness became burgeoning panic.


    ¡°Hit the engines!¡± Kayle screamed. ¡°We¡¯re going to crash!¡±


    Yish obeyed, activating the engines in reverse in an attempt to slow their fall, while she also struggled to steer the pod away from the many rock faces and clusters of boulders that were rushing up to meet them at terminal velocity. As they got closer, she could see a large grassy area near a power dam with a trail running through it. She aimed at the makeshift runway and threw the last of the pod¡¯s rapidly draining power into increasing the reverse thrust from the engines.


    ¡°Hang on!¡± She shouted as the ground rushed up to meet them. The pod made groundfall with a stunning crash that would have flung the two Jedi inside around like pinballs had they not braced themselves against the bulkheads. The pod itself shook violently while the thunderous cacophony of screeching metal and soil being torn up deafened the pod¡¯s occupants, and when the noise and movement finally stopped, neither of them moved for a long while. They simply sat there, panting and trying recover from the shock of the rough landing. After a long while, Kayle moved.


    ¡°Yish, you alright?¡± His voice was filled with concern. Yish took stock of her injuries.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m ok, just a few cuts and bruises, you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ok too.¡± He said. ¡°My one knee hurts like hell and my arms are a bit battered but I think I¡¯m good.¡± Yish winced as she moved her wrist and a bolt of pain flew up her arm. Grateful for the darkness that shrouded her facial expression from Kayle, she banished the pain from her mind and began to crawl out of the smashed cockpit window, Kayle followed suit. She helped him to his feet and winced again as her wrist protested. Unfortunately, this time the moonlight let Kayle see.


    ¡°Dammit you¡¯re hurt aren¡¯t you.¡± He said accusingly.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine it¡¯s just a little sprain.¡± She insisted.


    ¡°Where?¡± Kayle said, his voice holding an equally insistent authority that she found herself reluctantly submitting to. She held out her wrist and he took it in his hands, feeling for any sign of a broken bone or damaged tissue. She couldn¡¯t help but hiss when he triggered another flash of agony. ¡°Sorry.¡± He apologized. ¡°It¡¯s your offhand so at least you can still kinda wield a weapon. But we should get to work on it as soon as possible.¡± He looked around, ¡°After we find a safe place to camp that is.¡±


    After a few minutes of exploration, the two discovered a second trail leading off of the first. The path lead up a hill to the entrance to an old mine that had a fading Dark Side signature. After a walking through it for a few moments it wasn¡¯t that hard to figure out why.


    The rotting corpses of a whole hive¡¯s worth of Killiks lay strewn about. The vast majority of them were in such a state of decay that they weren¡¯t even really decaying much anymore. They were little more than crumbling carapaces with the obvious remnants of lightsaber wounds on them. Putting two and two together, Kayle realized that they were in an old Killik nest that had obviously been purged at some point in the years past. By the faint echo of the Dark Side hanging over everything, the exterminator had likely been a Sith.


    When they finally reached a large, open area with platforms against the far wall, Kayle left Yish to work on healing her sprained wrist through the Force, while he went to go and find firewood and hopefully something more comfortable than rock and soil to sleep on.


    He returned almost an hour later with an armful of firewood, but sadly no suitable bedding material. The Padawans decided to ball up their cloaks, which they had recovered from the wreck of the pod, and use them as pillows while making do with solid earth for a mattress. In a little while they had a nice, comfortable fire going, and had chosen their individual sleeping spots.


    ¡°Kayle?¡± Yish asked softly.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± He replied.


    ¡°What are we going to do tomorrow?¡± Kayle briefly smiled at the question, but his expression quickly faded to become one of morose contemplation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know Yish.¡± He said honestly. ¡°We¡¯re lost on an Imperial-occupied planet with no hope of rescue, right in the middle of a major Imperial operation by the looks of things, with Thul and the Empire likely looking for us.¡±


    ¡°When you say it like that¡­¡± Yish trailed off as the gravity of the situation fell on her too.


    For a moment the two Jedi lay there in silence, then Yish spoke up again.


    ¡°We have to find Master Neeman.¡±


    Kayle nearly exploded.


    ¡°Now Yish? Right now? We¡¯re going to be lucky if we get out of this alive, let alone find and rescue Master Neeman!¡± The hurt and offended look on her face was there for a moment before it changed to anger.


    ¡°If there¡¯s anyone on this entire world who is our best hope for getting out of this alive its Master Neeman!¡± She shouted, letting her voice get quieter as she continued. ¡°He¡¯ll know what to do, he always knows what to do.¡± Embarrassment flashed across Kayle¡¯s face when he realized she was right.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± He apologized. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have snapped at you like that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok.¡± Yish said, looking a little ashamed as well. ¡°My reaction wasn¡¯t very Jedi-like either.¡± Once more the two fell into silence.


    ¡°He¡¯s ok Yish.¡± Kayle said reassuringly. ¡°If he was gone you would feel it, I¡¯m sure I would too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but there¡¯s no telling what suffering he¡¯s enduring.¡± Yish said mournfully. ¡°He may be a powerful and experienced Jedi, but he¡¯s still an old man.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Kayle said, sounding unusually confident and reassuring. ¡°But you¡¯re the result of his training, and if that¡¯s any indication, he¡¯ll be just fine.¡± He cracked a smile, but it seemed forced. ¡°If anything, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be the one to rescue us.¡± Yish didn¡¯t reply for a long while, then she looked up at him and smiled back.


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± She said. ¡°We¡¯ll see him soon, maybe even tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°But that still leaves the question,¡± Kayle said, ¡°what do we do tomorrow?¡± Yish seemed to think about it for several minutes before offering a suggestion.


    ¡°I say we scout the area, if we can find any noble houses nearby that should allow us to pinpoint our location really easily. From there we can figure out how to get to a noble house allied with Organa, and from there we can maybe muster some support or at least information on where Master Neeman is.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡± Kayle replied. ¡°Let¡¯s get some rest so we¡¯re wide awake when we¡¯re out an about. Wouldn¡¯t want a Thul patrol sneaking up on us because we¡¯re all bleary-eyed.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Yish said, rolling over. ¡°G¡¯night Kayle.¡±


    ¡°Night Yish.¡±

 Day 2

    The next day shone bright and sunny, with only the faint shadows of the orbiting vessels darkening the sky. After hiding the evidence of their stay in the abandoned nest, the two Jedi struck out into the mountains. The day passed without much fanfare, and the two Padawans encountered nothing more than the local wildlife and the occasional Imperial probe droid. The presence of probe droids worried them, but they managed to remain undetected.


    Just when the sun was approaching the horizon, causing dusk to slowly fall over the landscape, they finally reached the other side of the mountains. In the far distance, they could see the spires of a noble house rising into the sky.


    ¡°That¡¯s House Alde!¡± Yish exclaimed.


    ¡°How do you know?¡± Kayle asked.


    ¡°I recognize it, I¡¯ve been there before several times.¡± Her voice got lower as she suddenly realized what that implied about their location. ¡°That means¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Kayle asked in a worried tone.


    ¡°It means we¡¯re less than twenty klicks from House Thul.¡± Both Jedi looked at each other.


    ¡°That explains the probe droids,¡± Kayle said. ¡°an early warning system to alert the Thuls to an intrusion on their territory.¡±


    ¡°The good news,¡± Yish replied in a much more cheery voice. ¡°is that House Alde are strong allies with House Organa and the Republic! We¡¯ll know where Master Neeman is in no time!¡± She began to climb down the mountainside, and after a moment¡¯s hesitation, Kayle followed.


    When they reached the bottom of the rocky portion of the mountain and clambered down onto the grassy slope that lead down to House Alde, Kayle stopped and seemed to focus on the distant manor, then he abruptly reached out and grabbed Yish¡¯s arm insistently.


    ¡°Hey! Kayle wha-¡±


    ¡°Yish, look at it through the Force.¡± Yish did so.


    ¡°Oh, oh no.¡± She said as she registered the noble house¡¯s Dark Side aura. Kayle voiced what they were both thinking.


    ¡°The Thuls have taken it.¡± Yish shook her head.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t change anything.¡± Kayle looked at her as if she were crazy.


    ¡°What are you talking about? This changes everything!¡±


    ¡°No, I mean we still need to get in there to figure out where Master Neeman is.¡± When Kayle spoke next, it seemed to be through slightly clenched teeth.


    ¡°Just how do you plan on us infiltrating an enemy-occupied fortress?¡± Yish looked thoughtful.


    ¡°House Alde is the oldest noble house on Alderaan, with the Alde family being the original royal family.¡± She paused for a moment, the wheels in her brain still turning. ¡°If my hypothesis is correct, that means-¡± She suddenly tugged on Kayle¡¯s arm, ¡°come on.¡± She said, taking off in a southwesterly direction.


    ¡°Hey wait!¡± Kayle tried to stop her, but she was already too far away. ¡°Kark.¡± He swore under his breath as he took off in pursuit.


    When he finally caught up with her, she was on the west side of Alde and was opening a cleverly hidden secret passageway in the wall. She motioned for him to follow her, then clambered in. Once he was inside, Yish twisted her upper body to look back at the entrance and closed her eyes in concentration. When Kayle looked back, he saw the panel she had removed floating in the air, slowly moving back into position as Yisheera guided it with the Force. When the panel clicked into place, lights embedded in the ceiling activated, illuminating the cramped corridor. Kayle flashed Yish a smile and thumbs up. She smiled back.


    The two Jedi spent a considerable amount of time making their way through the labyrinth of passages and crawlspaces. After a few minutes, Yish detected something with her Force perception that made her stop. There was a person in the room on the other side of the wall of the passage, a very scared, very isolated person. Perhaps they were hiding or imprisoned. Either way, they weren¡¯t hostile and would likely be glad to help two Jedi figure out where a powerful Jedi master was being held and inform them as to how the Thuls had taken Alde. She began to search for an exit panel and found it in short order. As she fiddled with it Kayle crawled up behind her, whispering a question softly.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel that?¡± Kayle closed his eyes in concentration and in seconds his facial expression told Yish that he could feel it now too. When Yish finally got the panel open, they clambered out of the crawlspace and into a large, open room.


    ¡°Oh my goodness!¡± came the aged voice of the only being in the room, ¡°my goodness, what on Alderaan?¡± Yish looked up at the old man and smiled.


    ¡°Curator Derun. It¡¯s so good to see you again!¡±


    ____________


    Darth Imperious, formerly known as Serjay Thul, watched out the viewport as his personal shuttle came around to land on one of House Alde¡¯s many landing pads. He¡¯d come to supervise the final touches of House Alde¡¯s exile, having left the exile of House Organa in the hands of one of his most trusted advisors and a cadre of apprentices. The noble house was nearly emptied of its former inhabitants, filled almost entirely by Imperial soldiers and Sith. There were only a few remaining members of the Alde family on the grounds, and they were about to be sent off in the last shuttle, which would depart the planet and be held captive with the others by the Imperial fleet in orbit until the attacks had been carried out.


    Imperious hadn¡¯t changed his armor style since becoming king. He still wore his usual suit of ablative armor, dyed in black and grey. Now though, there was a long, black cape around his shoulders, and on his head rested a battle crown the same black as his armor. The crown also doubled as a helm, being made of cortosis, and protecting his jawline and cheeks with curving metal plates that made it appear that the crown was grasping his head. It wasn¡¯t entirely necessary to wear it, given that this was not a battlefield but conquered territory, but Imperious felt that a little intimidation might go a long way to making the removal of the last Alde exiles go smoothly.


    Despite House Organa¡¯s strong alliance with the Republic, it was House Alde that Imperious feared the most. Once they had been the greatest of the noble houses, each of their sons a warrior and philosopher in his own right, each of their daughters a master diplomat and teacher, held in high esteem the galaxy over. Alderaan¡¯s first king had been of their number, indeed the house was named after the planet itself, and if his own study of history had taught him anything, it was that great legacies and noble ideas were far more dangerous to a ruler than weapons of war could ever be.


    If there was a rebellion on Alderaan, it would be driven by and thrive on grand aspirations, dreams of equality and unity, and the legacy of the planet¡¯s past royalty. If he was to remain in power, these things had to be destroyed, or at least desecrated. The destruction of House Alde would be his biggest step towards consolidating his power thus far, fitting then, that it would happen mere hours after his ascension to the throne.


    When the shuttle landed and the boarding ramp extended, his honor guard went out first, taking up their positions before he himself descended the ramp to set foot on Alde¡¯s soil. He allowed himself to savor the moment. He was standing where history had been made countless times over countless centuries, and soon he would bring it all to naught. At his command this place would be bathed in fire and the huge columns and towers would tumble down in a hail of rubble.


    But his reverie lasted only a moment, for a stiff breeze arose out of nowhere, and through the Force he could sense something anomalous; the faintest hint of the Light.


    ___________


    ¡°Young Yisheera!¡± The old man exclaimed as Yisheera and Kayle got to their feet and brushed themselves off. ¡°You can¡¯t be here child, not now! You must get out of here!¡±


    ¡°We know about the Thuls, Derun.¡± Yisheera explained. ¡°We¡¯re just here to find Master Neeman.¡± The old man¡¯s expression fell.


    ¡°Then you¡¯ve come on a hopeless quest.¡± He said solemnly.


    ¡°He¡¯s not dead!¡± Yisheera said firmly. ¡°He¡¯s alive and somewhere on Alderaan. We need your help to find out where.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°I already know where Master Neeman is.¡± The old curator said sadly, taking a seat in a nearby chair. ¡°That¡¯s why I told you it¡¯s hopeless, young ones.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡± Yisheera nearly screamed, struggling to keep her voice low. ¡°Where is he?¡± Through the Force, Kayle could feel her desperation to find Master Neeman multiplying a hundredfold as the prospect of reaching him was dangled in front of her. The old man looked up at them.


    ¡°The Thuls took him, and now he¡¯s imprisoned in the deepest depths of House Thul, to be executed in one week.¡± The revelation stunned both Padawans into silence. It was then that it occurred to both of them that they should have guessed this from the start. Where else would one imprison one of the most powerful Jedi on the planet? Kayle and the old man were both brought back to reality by the sound of pounding, booted feet approaching down the hallway outside the door at the far end of the room.


    ¡°You two must go!¡± The old man said in a hurried whisper. ¡°The soldiers will be here any minute to take me!¡± Kayle turned to run back to the still-open wall panel, only to realize that Yisheera was still staring ahead blankly.


    ¡°Yish!¡± He said harshly, shaking her shoulder to jar her out of whatever daze she was in. She stirred and realized the situation, and the two were about to turn and make a beeline for the open hatch when the door opened.


    ¡°You, stop!¡± Barked a commanding voice with an Imperial accent. On instinct, the two padawans drew and activated their lightsabers, and just like that the battle began.


    __________


    Imperious started as his comm crackled to life. ¡°We¡¯ve got Jedi in the museum, two of them, armed and dangerous, requesting backup!¡± The whiff of the Light side that he had gotten moments before suddenly made sense, and at that moment Imperious understood that it might well have been the Dark Side that brought him here, and not his own decision. He barked a command to his guards and they moved off to assist and take up positions around the estate to prevent the Jedi from escaping. Imperious activated his comm,


    ¡°This is Darth Imperious, I¡¯m ordering you to take the Jedi alive. I repeat, I want those Jedi alive!¡± Then he himself began to move, following the scent of the Light Side of the Force as it grew ever stronger.


    __________


    Kayle and Yisheera ran through House Alde¡¯s corridors like blind rodents in a maze. Every now and then the ever-growing mob of Thul soldiers and Imperials would catch up to them or pop out from around an oncoming corner and one or both of them would have to hastily deflect the oncoming bolts, occasionally deflecting several of them into the crowds firing at them. The stakes were raised significantly when they encountered the Sith.


    The black-robed pureblood shot lightning at them, but Kayle absorbed the electric vipers with his lightsaber, which unfortunately slowed him down. If that had continued, the small army at their back might have caught up with them, but Yisheera was on the Sith in a millisecond, forcing him to break his concentration to engage in a lightsaber duel. He wasn¡¯t very good and by the time Kayle caught up to them, Yish had dealt the final blow and the two Jedi took off again, dodging down a side corridor just as their pursuers rounded the previous corner.


    Yish lead them into a holotransmitter room, where she locked the door and immediately started working on the console. A lightsaber blade pierced the door and began slicing down as the forces outside struggled to reach the trapped padawans. With a flurry of motion Yish entered a series of commands into the console, and the elaborate holoprojector shifted to the side, revealing another hidden passageway. Without hesitation, Yish practically dove into the tunnel and Kayle followed. As if on a timer or a sensor, the holoprojector returned to its original position, just before the door of the room slid open.


    Yish and Kayle moved as silently as possible, struggling to not make any noise as they crawled on their stomachs through the narrow shaft and away from the holoprojector room. When they reached an intersection, Yish took the left passage, and when Kayle tried to follow her, she turned back to him and said in a hoarse whisper;


    ¡°No, you take the right path. Go through two more intersections until you reach a fork, then go left. You¡¯ll enter a ventilation duct, go right and you¡¯ll come to a ceiling vent which opens into a large hallway. From there go left, away from the double doors at the far end of the hall, then left, right, then right again. From the balcony that¡¯s there you can see the shuttle pad that I¡¯ll meet you at to the south.¡±


    ¡°Yish, it¡¯s not a good idea for us to split up. Jedi are stronger together.¡±


    ¡°Well in this case it might get both of us killed or captured.¡± Yish pointed out. ¡°One of us has to rescue Master Neeman and get back to the Republic to warn them of what¡¯s going on here.¡±


    When Kayle didn¡¯t respond with a retort or counterargument, Yish turned back and continued crawling down the left corridor, while Kayle took the right.


    Following Yish¡¯s directions, Kayle eventually ended up at the ceiling vent. He managed to detach the vent and levitate it to the floor before crawling out of the duct and twisting nimbly in mid-air to land softly on his feet. Concealing the vent under a nearby chair, he began to move quickly down the corridor, repeating Yish¡¯s directions under his breath to keep from forgetting them.


    In minutes he arrived at the balcony where he was supposed to spot the shuttle pad. When he exited the building onto the large, circular platform, he noticed that the sky was choked with dark clouds that hadn¡¯t been there before, and the wind was blowing more harshly, chilling him as he scanned the darkened estate for the shuttle pad.


    ¡°I thought I might find you here.¡± The voice that came from behind him was dark, low, and powerful, the voice of a true Alderaanian noble. But this particular voice also had a strong Imperial accent. Kayle felt a dark presence settle over him, and with growing fear that he tried to squash, he realized who was standing behind him, blocking the entrance to the building.


    Kayle turned around to see Lord Serjay Thul standing there, his lightsaber still on his hip. He was dressed in a full suit of ablative battle armor that seemed a mix of fabric, plasteel, and laminoid. The two major differences between the Serjay Thul whose description Kayle had heard secondhand and the Serjay Thul standing before him was that this one¡¯s shoulders were adorned with a long, black cape, and on his head was a black, imposing battle crown that doubled as his helm. He seemed equal parts the terrifying Sith warrior of legend Kayle had heard wounded Jedi returned from the front talk about, and kingly leader. The image he cut and his bearing gave him the appearance of an ancient Sith warlord or conqueror that had just walked straight out of the pages of history. Despite himself, Kayle shivered.


    ¡°I can smell your fear, boy.¡± Serjay spoke, as the chilling wind picked up, causing his cape to billow to one side. ¡°I am Darth Imperious. Lord of House Thul, and king of Alderaan. Stand down and surrender, and I can promise you will receive fair treatment.¡± Despite his intimidating figure, the newly crowned monarch¡¯s voice was calm, steady, and sure. He spoke with firm but surprisingly gentle authority, as if he didn¡¯t want to fight Kayle.


    ¡°Never.¡± Kayle said, his voice stoic and unwavering, but barely concealing his fear. He drew his lightsaber and activated it, the green blade humming over the howl of the wind. Imperious looked resigned, as if this was not the response he had expected nor desired.


    ¡°Very well,¡± he said, drawing his own blade and activating it, the crimson blade casting a similar glow on his armor. ¡°come Jedi, prove yourself.¡±


    Kayle attacked, rushing across the space between them, calling on the Force to strengthen his muscles and enhance his reflexes. When he reached Imperious their blades clashed, red against green, and the Sith parried his blow effortlessly and followed up with a brutal counterattack that Kayle had to retreat to avoid. He charged his foe again, this time attempting to fake him out with a wide sweep in order to get in a thrust. Imperious batted away his attempt as if he were child playing with a stick.


    Again and again Kayle threw himself against the Sith, but over and over his enemy repelled his assaults with casual ease. It quickly became apparent that Imperious was toying with him, humoring him. Kayle¡¯s anger and frustration built, and his attacks became more erratic and sloppy as his emotions began to cloud his judgment and weaken his connection to the Light.


    ¡°Do you really think she cares for you?¡± Imperious asked, his tone indicating genuine curiosity. ¡°I¡¯ve met her kind before boy, trust me when I say that girl cares for no one but her master. To her you¡¯re nothing more than a means to an end.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Kayle shouted, leaping at his foe, his furious assault seeming to force his opponent to take him more seriously. Even so, his attacks were repelled expertly and when he was caught off balance by a particularly skilled parry, Imperious Force pushed him across the balcony to tumble to a stop on his hands and knees near the banister. His opponent didn¡¯t press the advantage quite in the way Kayle expected, and instead of a lightsaber piercing his back he was lifted up into the air as an invisible, unbreakable grip fastened itself around his neck.


    ¡°Wake up boy, and see the truth.¡± Imperious said, his voice both commanding and compelling. ¡°She will gladly throw your life away to save her master without a second thought. Don¡¯t sacrifice your life for an ungrateful weakling like her.¡± The Force choke lapsed and Kayle dropped to the ground, choking and gasping for air. With his first deep breath he looked up at Imperious and screamed.


    ¡°Shut up! I won¡¯t listen to your lies!¡± He leaped at his foe again, and their blades met. Kayle struggled to drive his opponent¡¯s blade back into him, but the Sith Lord had far too much leverage and strength for that strategy to work.


    ¡°Search your feelings boy; you know it to be true!¡± Imperious said urgently, as if he were pleading with Kayle.


    ¡°Shut UUUUUUUPPPPP!¡± Kayle¡¯s piercing howl was emphasized by a heavy overhand strike which Imperious weathered with a solid block. When the thoroughly enraged Kayle switched back to attempting to hack the Sith Lord into pieces, Imperious stalwartly and easily defended himself, but never launched a serious counterattack or pressed the advantage. After a few more clashes, another Force push sent Kayle flying back towards the railing again, and before he could recover, he was once more suspended in the air, and the Dark Side had a vice grip on his throat.


    ¡°You were meant for so much more than this.¡± Imperious insisted. The rage inside Kayle manifested to become an aura of pure power, and the air around him began to vibrate. He curled himself up into a ball, and released his power in an explosion of Force energy, his arms and legs spread wide, and his head thrown back with the exertion. The Sith Lord¡¯s grip on him was released, and he dropped to the ground and immediately flew across the meters separating them, screaming an incoherent battle cry.


    His vision and consciousness blurred by emotion, he somehow he managed to launch a furious flurry of blows that drove his opponent back. He moved with the speed and grace of a predator, while the strength and force of his blows exceeded the possible force he could have exerted under his own power. His mouth unleashed savage, animalistic screams of rage and exertion, and his face was twisted into a mask of anger, bloodlust, and hatred. Blow by blow, he drove his bigger, stronger, more skilled opponent into retreat.


    The moment didn¡¯t last however, Imperious used a moment of weakness to deftly disarm him with a flourish, sending the lightsaber flying out of his hand. The weapon deactivated with a hiss, clattering to the platform and rolling towards the edge, nearly falling off and plummeting to the ground far below.


    Kayle was immediately knocked onto his hind by a solid blow to the side of the head and found himself staring down a glowing rod of hot plasma. He looked up at the victor and his face showed his slow realization that the winner of this fight had never been in doubt. His eyes gave away the storm of emotions raging within him. His regret, his longing, his shame, and his fear were all made manifest in the verdant depths.


    ¡°The girl is holding you back, boy.¡± Imperious said in a pressing tone. ¡°You could be so much more than this. Join me, stand at my side and I can promise you the freedom to seize your own destiny.¡±


    ¡°I will never listen to a hateful monster like you!¡± Kayle snarled at him, his face twisting in loathing.


    ¡°Look into my eyes boy!¡± Imperious demanded, his expression becoming even more serious than before and his gaze intensifying. ¡°What hate do you see there?¡± Kayle looked. He looked and looked and looked but the more he did, the more the truth stared back at him from within those deep brown orbs. There was no hate, no anger, no hint of corruption in them. His posture and expression fell as the truth itself fell on him with the weight of an entire world, and in that moment, it seemed Imperious had won.


    Just then, they both sensed a disturbance in the Force, and in unison they stared in surprise at the gunship that rose up from below the balcony, its side door opening to allow access. At the controls sat Yisheera, her voice crackling over the vessel¡¯s loudspeaker.


    ¡°Get in!¡± With that command Kayle was up and running, calling his lightsaber to his hand as he did. Imperious stood still as the stolen ship¡¯s automated turrets swiveled to face him and opened fire. The guns unleashed an unending stream of plasma bolts at the king, but he conjured a Force barrier and began to back towards the door, his face a mask of concentration as he struggled to maintain his shield under the barrage of plasma fire.


    Kayle reached the open door and practically leaped inside, the hatch sliding shut behind him. The last thing he saw was Imperious, staring right at him as the door closed and sealed itself shut. As soon as the door sealed, Kayle felt the shuttle peel away and take off at high speed, nearly knocking him off balance with the acceleration. He moved to the porthole where he could look back at the receding sight of House Alde, and the lone figure standing stoically on the now scorched and damaged platform, watching the shuttle as it flew away into the darkened sky.


    ___________


    Darth Imperious watched as the shuttle flew off into the cloudy grey sky. His comm crackled as the voice of one of the Thul gunners and a commander came over the line.


    ¡°I have a bead on the target.¡±


    ¡°Prepare to fire.¡± Serjay¡¯s hand nearly flew to his comm.


    ¡°Hold your fire!¡± He barked. ¡°I want those Jedi alive.¡±


    ¡°My lord-¡± the voice of the stunned gunner, who¡¯d obviously forgotten himself momentarily, was cut off by the same commander who had given the order to fire.


    ¡°You heard the king soldier, hold your damned fire!¡±


    The silence that followed was broken only by a flash of lightning in the clouds, the rumbling of thunder overhead, and the first drops of rain falling on the first royal estate of Alderaan, now empty of those whose ancestors had filled its halls for countless generations.


    Imperious stood for a moment longer, watching the silhouette of the shuttle vanish into the distance before he turned and entered the building through the ruined door.

 Day 3

    Yisheera awoke the next morning to a brilliant light shining directly in her eyes.


    ¡°Ugghhh¡­¡± she groaned. ¡°Turn out the lights.¡± She heard Kayle chuckle, and wondered what could be so funny.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± He said, and a moment later the light mercifully vanished. Yisheera was able to slowly open her eyes and adjust to the dim light of the interior of the gunship. When she saw Kayle standing in front of the porthole from which the morning light was streaming in, the realization clicked in her head.


    ¡°Oh, thanks.¡± She said groggily, slowly stretching to work out the kinks in her muscles that had developed over night. She was so focused that she failed to notice how Kayle seemed mesmerized by the tightening and contraction of her muscles.


    ¡°Help me up?¡± She asked, extending a hand into the air in keeping with her request. Kayle stepped forward and seized her hand, pulling her into a sitting position as she groaned from her body¡¯s protests. ¡°Ugh, I do not feel like standing right now.¡± She said, half giggling half groaning at how ridiculous the complaint sounded, even as she spoke it. She was a Jedi, trained to survive in even the harshest conditions and outlast any suffering the galaxy could inflict on her, and here she was whining like a youngling about being sore. After a moment Kayle sat down next to her and looked her in the eye.


    ¡°So? What¡¯s next?¡± He asked. She sighed.


    ¡°There really isn¡¯t much a choice, despite all that¡¯s happened.¡±


    ¡°House Thul?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± She said, confirming their next target.


    ¡°Well,¡± Kayle said, turning away to stare at the doorway to the cockpit, ¡°I guess we¡¯d better strip this rig of anything useful that we can carry and get a move on then. Thul is probably farther away than it was before by now, it¡¯ll probably take three or four days to get there.¡± Realizing he was right, Yish groaned.


    ¡°Sorry, I guess I overdid it flying the ship this far.¡±


    ¡°On the contrary,¡± Kayle pointed out, ¡°if you hadn¡¯t they might have found our landing spot by now.¡± Realizing he was probably right, Yish smiled.


    ¡°You always know just what to say to make a girl feel better.¡± She said, half-jokingly.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Still is gunna be one hell of a walk though.¡± Kayle said less enthusiastically.


    ¡°Well,¡± Yish said, getting painstakingly to her feet and teetering a little on her still-sleepy legs, ¡°there¡¯s nothing to be done about it. We¡¯d best get started.¡±


    The two Jedi searched the gunship and managed to scrum up roughly two days of rations and four days of survival supplies. After stuffing the resources in a pair of emergency backpacks they¡¯d also found, they set off into the Alderaanian wilds, heading East towards where their Force-guided intuition told them House Thul lay.


    Nothing notable happened throughout the day until they encountered a Manka cat, which burst from the underbrush in a predatory leap. Both Padawans reacted on instinct, extending their hands simultaneously and sending the beast tumbling backward to slam against a tree trunk and collapse unceremoniously to the ground.


    Stunned but not unconscious, the tusked feline began to clamber to its unsteady feet, struggling to regain its bearings after having its initial attack go so horribly wrong. The two Jedi didn¡¯t give it time to recover, in seconds they both attacked it, their lightsabers leaving deep gashes in its front legs and flanks that caused it to howl in pain and anger. It tried to gash them with its tusks, but their quick reflexes allowed them to dance out of harm¡¯s way.


    The beast quickly decided they were not worth the risk to its life and scrambled away with its tail between its legs. Having ensured that it was gone, they continued the journey. By sunset, they had found a good place to camp and Yish set about constructing the best bedding she could out of leaves, grass, and various other plants while Kayle secured the perimeter.


    Roughly a local hour later, Kayle returned to camp. He¡¯d discovered a few Imperial probe droids in the area but had managed to remain undetected. Other than chasing off a few small predators and gathering firewood, his job had been easy. Yish had managed to cobble together some makeshift bedding out of various nonpoisonous plants and leaves. Sleeping on plants felt dry and crunchy, but it would be better than the hard ground. As they started a small fire and prepared for the night¡¯s rest, Kayle looked like he wanted to say something to her. Several times he almost seemed like he was going to speak up but he kept silent. The tension was killing Yish and she was starting to get a little annoyed with his angsty demeanor. Finally she¡¯d had enough.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She demanded, more forcefully than she¡¯d intended. Kayle flinched at the question and Yish suppressed the urge to kick him. ¡°Come on, something¡¯s wrong. Tell me.¡± He readied himself, drawing in a breath.


    ¡°My duel with Imperious.¡± He said, ¡°it was terrifying. He had so much power, he could have killed me in seconds but¡­¡±


    ¡°But he didn¡¯t.¡± Yish pointed out.


    ¡°Exactly, and that¡¯s what¡¯s bothering me.¡± Kayle said. Yish couldn¡¯t believe her ears.


    ¡°So you would rather he¡¯d have killed you?¡± She asked, equal parts confused and frustrated. Boys were so weird.


    ¡°No, no it¡¯s not that just, why didn¡¯t he? If he could kill me he should have, that¡¯s what Sith do isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°What good does it do you to agonize about what he did or didn¡¯t do?¡± Yish asked. ¡°You¡¯re here, you¡¯re alive. Isn¡¯t that all that matters? Besides,¡± she looked him up and down, ¡°maybe you¡¯re a lot stronger than you look. Did you think of that?¡± His smile made her feel she¡¯d brought him back to reality, but it vanished as quickly as it came and he was back in his morose mood.


    ¡°But it doesn¡¯t make sense. He¡¯s a Sith, he had no reason to let me live. Killing me would mean one less potential threat to him and whatever operation is going on here. There¡¯s a bigger picture here Yish, and we¡¯re missing a pretty big piece of it.¡± Yish sighed.


    ¡°Well it doesn¡¯t do us any good to spend time thinking when we need to be focused on surviving so we can rescue Master Neeman and get back to warn the Republic in time.¡± She said, failing to notice the look of absent-minded detachment Kayle had adopted. ¡°We should get some sleep and get ready to start our trek tomorrow.¡± She lay down and curled up on her improvised sleeping cushion, turning her back to the fire and to Kayle, who was following her lead and getting ready to sleep.


    ¡°G¡¯night Kayle.¡±


    The crackling of the flames and the various sounds of Alderaan¡¯s nocturnal life forms was her only reply.

 Day 4

    Yish had already been up for ten minutes when Kayle finally rolled over and groaned.


    ¡°Morning sleepy.¡± She said teasingly. His only response was another groan that indicated his displeasure at being awake. ¡°Come on,¡± Yish said encouragingly, ¡°get up. We¡¯ve got things to do.¡±


    ¡°Ugghhh¡­five more minutes.¡± Kayle mumbled.


    ¡°Really?¡± Yish said incredulously. ¡°You do remember we¡¯re not on Coruscant right?¡± Kayle shot wide awake as his groggy brain finally remembered the past couple days.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± He apologized, rubbing his eyes. ¡°Had amnesia there for a moment.¡± Looking around he noticed that Yish had already packed up their menial collection of belongings, he sighed. ¡°So straight to walking huh?¡± Yish slung one of the packs over her shoulder.


    ¡°Yeah, feel free to eat breakfast on the way, I already ate.¡± Kayle groaned at the thought of eating one of the tasteless ration bars, but then his stomach groaned louder and he grudgingly began to search through the pack. Once he¡¯d found his prize he slung the pack onto his back and, with noticeable stiffness, got to his feet.


    The day¡¯s journey took them through unfamiliar territory, but still they moved towards the slowly growing Dark Side signature to the east. At one point they crossed a long bridge that stretched over a deep gorge with a river running through it, that part was particularly harrowing. Not because of the bridge¡¯s condition or anything, it was a standard duracrete hovercar bridge with all the proper supports and safety apparatuses, rather it was the length and the possibility that at any moment a hovercar or speeder coming to or from House Thul could come tearing down the path from either end and they would be discovered.


    Thankfully, the Force was with them and they managed to cross the bridge and vanish once more into the forests, continuing their journey east.


    ___________


    Imperious breathed a sigh of relief and regarded the finished mountain of paperwork he had just processed.


    ¡°If I¡¯d known running a planet would be this much paperwork, I might have opted to stay a warrior.¡± He half-joked to himself as he stood up and began to leave the Royal Office. Once outside his ever-so-vigilant female aide fell into step behind him.


    ¡°What is thy bidding lord?¡±


    ¡°Prepare me a bath.¡± Imperious said. ¡°I wish to relax and unwind.¡±


    ¡°It will be done lord.¡± The aide responded, bowing her head and rushing politely off to do her master¡¯s bidding. Imperious, realizing he had some time to spare, decided to go and visit the prisoners, one in particular. As Imperious strode through the halls of House Thul towards the dungeons, he found his mind going back to the encounter he¡¯d had with the young male Jedi. The boy had talent, which had been obvious to Imperious the moment he¡¯d seen him in action. While he was mostly raw and untrained, he obviously had an exceptionally high affinity for the Force and unharnessed skill with a lightsaber. He also seemed to have an enormous potential for harnessing his emotions and passions, breaking out of Imperious¡¯s Force Choke had been clear evidence of that.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Reaching the entrance to the dungeons, Imperious opened the door and began the journey down the long flight of steps that led to the Thul palace¡¯s underbelly. As he passed the closed and sealed entrances to several torture chambers, he heard the screams and cries of some of their occupants. Most of the torture chambers were empty however; as there was little need to torture the prisoners. They were all being detained until they could be executed, which would happen only once Operation Omega had truly begun. Only a few of Imperious¡¯s apprentices were practicing their torture techniques, and mostly on the non-Jedi prisoners.


    Turning down a long hall, Imperious passed the cells of his Jedi prisoners from the raid on House Organa. Glancing inside, he could see the defeated Jedi huddled in corners of the cells or laying awkwardly on the hard wooden benches, their wrists bound in high-quality Force-suppression cuffs. Feeling their despair and melancholy wash over him, Imperious reveled in it.


    His elation was deflated however, the closer he got to the final cell, the one which held the prisoner he was here to see. The aura the man projected was not one of despair or sorrow, but apathy, humility, and deep contemplation. Reaching the barred hole in the floor, he looked down to see his prisoner sitting cross-legged with his back turned to him, his cuffed hands hidden in his lap.


    ¡°Old man.¡± He said, attempting to get the Jedi¡¯s attention. When the old Jedi didn¡¯t display any indication he had heard him, Imperious merely continued speaking as if he had. ¡°It seems your friends have come to rescue you, but all the Council could spare was two padawans.¡± That got his attention. For a moment Imperious thought the old geezer was going to actually say something, but then the man¡¯s grayed head merely bowed as if in disappointment. Smiling at his enemy¡¯s despair, Imperious decided to rub more salt on the wound.


    ¡°The girl is useless, but the boy, now that one has potential.¡± The old man stiffened visibly, and Imperious could sense his shock and horror at the revelation. ¡°Oh?¡± He asked. ¡°So you know these two troublemakers do you? That will make it all the sweeter when I turn them both to the Dark Side.¡±


    Finally breaking his silence, the old man¡¯s raspy voice echoed throughout the pit. ¡°If you think that will be easy, you¡¯re in for a rude awakening Thul.¡± Imperious laughed some more.


    ¡°The only one who is in for a rude awakening is those two Kath pups, it¡¯ll be easy enough to turn them considering the feelings they harbor for each other,¡± he paused, ¡°and for you.¡± The old man tried to hide his reaction but Imperious perceived it through the Force. ¡°The girl¡¯s weakness and attachment to her precious master will make her easy to turn, and thanks to his feelings for her, the boy will follow her right into the darkness.¡± He chuckled with malevolent glee. ¡°It¡¯ll be almost too easy.¡±


    The old man remained silent, and Imperious, having said what he had came to say, turned and began walking down the long dark hall. The old man waited until he had heard his footsteps fade into the distance before he sighed and murmured. ¡°Yisheera, I¡¯ve failed you.¡±


    ____________


    Yisheera sat hunched over by the fire, using the flames to illuminate the crude and messy drawings she¡¯d made in the dirt, Kayle squatting across from her. They both regarded the pictogram silently for a while, then Kayle spoke up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know Yish, there¡¯s an awful lot of ¡°ifs¡± in this plan of yours.¡±


    ¡°Trust me, it¡¯ll work.¡± Yish insisted. ¡°Master Neeman taught me a lot about Imperial tactics.¡±


    ¡°But these are the Thuls, not Imperials.¡± Kayle rebutted. Yish snorted.


    ¡°Same skrakk different Bantha.¡±


    ¡°Not exactly.¡± Kayle said, still sounding skeptical. Yish sighed.


    ¡°Look, Thul has become a vassal of the Empire. There¡¯s no way they aren¡¯t using Imperial tactics at least to some degree. The Empire doesn¡¯t believe in independent thought remember?¡± Kayle looked at the drawings again, seeming to be considering her words. Suddenly he reached out and began making some alterations.


    ¡°What if we did this instead?¡± he asked as he finished the changes. Yish looked at the newly altered diagram for a minute. There wasn¡¯t anything wrong with Kayle¡¯s changes, they were more cautious and safer, but they would take more time than her plan to execute, which could potentially increase the risk they would be discovered and would leave Master Neeman imprisoned for longer.


    ¡°I think we should stick with my plan.¡± She said finally. ¡°It¡¯s short and simple. Plus it lets us free Master Neeman earlier on, once we¡¯ve done that the rest of the plan will go like clockwork.¡± Kayle¡¯s shoulders sagged a little and he let out his breath.


    ¡°Alright. Your plan it is.¡± He didn¡¯t seem very enthusiastic about it, but Yish let it go. Kayle made his way over to the leaf mattress Yish had made for him and settled down to sleep. Yish took one last look at her plan after erasing Kayle¡¯s changes. It would work, it had to. She climbed onto her own leaf mattress and began to drift off to sleep, the crackling of the fire lulling her into peaceful slumber.

 Day 5

    The next day was filled with Force-assisted rock climbing for the two Jedi. Yisheera¡¯s plan dictated that they approach the Thul fortress from the mountain face into which it had been built. Thus they had to travel north until they reached the mountain, and then begin to climb it to reach the point at which they could begin moving into position to descend on House Thul. By noon they reached the actual rock face of the mountain, and by sunset were in position to begin moving laterally across to a position just above House Thul.


    The only thing of note that had happened that day was discovering several Imperial probe droids, but they had managed to either avoid or deal with them without raising any alarms. Their rations had finally run out, and as they sat around the fire, eating the roasted mountain shrew that Kayle had caught, Yisheera found herself staring up at the starry night sky. Despite the dark shadows of the multitude of ships in orbit, the sight was still a beautiful one.


    ¡°Kayle?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm?¡± The boy looked up from his spit-roasted piece of meat, grease staining his face.


    ¡°What are we going to do when we get back to Coruscant?¡± Kayle¡¯s brow wrinkled in confusion. He wiped the grease from his mouth before speaking.


    ¡°Whaddya mean Yish?¡±


    ¡°I mean us. We¡¯ve grown so apart lately. I feel like there¡¯s a distance between us that wasn¡¯t there growing up.¡± Kayle seemed to stop and think about that.


    ¡°Yeah, I know what you mean.¡± He said. ¡°I¡¯ve felt it too the past couple years.¡±


    ¡°So what should we do?¡± Yish asked. ¡°I mean, we¡¯re Jedi, we have responsibilities and studies, we can¡¯t just play around like when we were younglings.¡± Kayle nodded in agreement, considering things for a moment.


    ¡°Well,¡± he said finally, ¡°just because we¡¯re in training to become full-fledged Jedi Knights, doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t hang out more often.¡± He paused and seemed to consider his next words carefully. ¡°We could make more of an effort to be partnered together when the opportunity presents itself, or we could use our spare time to assist each other in our studies and training, and if the day ever comes when we get the same time off, there are lots of places on Coruscant where we could go and have fun.¡±


    Yish smiled. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± She turned to look at him. ¡°I¡¯m glad we had this talk.¡± Then she laughed. ¡°Funny how we had to get stranded together for it to actually happen.¡±


    ¡°This might be the best thing that ever happened to our relationship.¡± Kayle joked. Yish settled down on her patch of dirt, laying her head down on the bunched-up robes that acted as her pillow. Kayle finished his meal and tossed the stick away, cleaning his face off with his sleeve. Then he followed Yish¡¯s example. The two fell asleep looking at the stars, and dreaming of what might be.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ___________


    Imperious walked steadily down the hall towards the communications room. He was not going to be late for his appointment, although why it had been scheduled in the middle of the night was beyond him. He didn¡¯t need sleep, at least not as much as normal beings did, but he definitely preferred it. Reaching the room, he entered and sealed the door shut with his personal code so that no one could enter or leave. Then he booted up the communications terminal, and activated the holoprojector. In moments the call connected, and a tall, lanky, pureblood Sith appeared before him. Imperious bowed before the digital apparition.


    ¡°Darth Vowrawn.¡±


    ¡°Imperious my boy, how goes the clean up?¡± Vowrawn seemed exceptionally cheery, but Imperious chalked it up to Operation Omega being only two days away from realization.


    ¡°Very well my lord.¡± Imperious replied. ¡°I¡¯ve locked down all security threats and have an iron grip on the planet. My forces are spreading across Alderaan even as we speak, and I¡¯ve appointed a trusted supervisor to every noble house to act as my eyes and ears.¡±


    ¡°Excellent.¡± Vowrawn said with his signature enthusiasm. ¡°Now please, indulge me, how are our special guests doing?¡±


    ¡°The Jedi are thoroughly enjoying their accommodations.¡± Imperious replied with malicious humor. ¡°Just today I visited them to ensure they were taking full advantage of our hospitality.¡±


    ¡°Marvelous, marvelous.¡± Vowrawn said, rubbing his hands together with eagerness. ¡°Are you absolutely sure I can¡¯t just take them when this is all over?¡± He asked in a wheedling way. ¡°I have several contacts who are just frothing at the mouth to have their very own Jedi slaves.¡± Imperious smiled politely.


    ¡°My lord, I would be honored to surrender them to you, but the operation does call for their executions immediately following the launch.¡±


    ¡°No one would have to know.¡± Vowrawn prodded. ¡°I won¡¯t tell if you won¡¯t!¡± The twinkle in his eye and playful tone of his voice made it hard for Imperious to tell whether he was joking or just being charming. While the young king was enjoying negotiating on somewhat equal terms with a member of the Dark Council, he knew he was playing a dangerous game here.


    ¡°Come now, Darth Vowrawn.¡± He said in a serious, supplicative tone. ¡°Why put me in this position? Why not negotiate with the rest of the Council?¡±


    ¡°Those bores?¡± Vowrawn snorted. ¡°I¡¯d have more luck convincing a Nexu to surrender its freshly slaughtered meal.¡± Imperious tried again.


    ¡°But surely my lord they don¡¯t care about the fates of a few Jedi.¡±


    ¡°Then why so defensive?¡± Vowrawn asked, his tone as full of gleeful triumph as his eyes. ¡°Surely they wouldn¡¯t think to punish a newly crowned king for exercising his authority over his subjects?¡± Realizing he had lost the intellectual bout, Imperious surrendered.


    ¡°Very well.¡± He said. ¡°I must withhold one of them from you however, he is far too valuable to me to be given away, and far too powerful to risk letting him live in any case.¡± Vowrawn looked disappointed.


    ¡°While I¡¯m displeased to lose such a prize, I understand and applaud your caution. That trait will serve you well in the coming years.¡± Imperious accepted the truce.


    ¡°Thank you, my lord. If I may ask, how are things proceeding in orbit?¡±


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s delightful up here!¡± Vowrawn said, obviously pleased. ¡°The view is spectacular, and everyone is so focused and determined. I haven¡¯t seen such splendid teamwork and cooperation since the Sacking!¡±


    ¡°Not surprising given the nature and scale of this operation.¡± Imperious said, smiling as he remembered the tales he had heard of the legendary event decades before.


    ¡°Oh, by the way,¡± Vowrawn added. ¡°Darth Nox sends his regards. He asked me to pass along a message to you when next we spoke. He¡¯s simply too busy with his own preparations to contact you personally, so I promised him I¡¯d handle it.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Imperious said, his interest piqued, ¡°what¡¯s the message?¡±


    ¡°If I remember correctly¡­¡± Vowrawn said, seeming lost in thought, ¡°and this is a direct quote: A series of events is unfolding that cannot be stopped or diverted. Let your faith in the Force suffuse you, and the Dark Side will answer your ambitions.¡± Imperious nodded.


    ¡°That certainly sounds like him. I promise to meditate on this wisdom.¡±


    ¡°He will be pleased to hear that, I¡¯m sure.¡± Vowrawn said with a twinkle in his eye. ¡°Enjoy your new station, your majesty, and prepare to be the Empire¡¯s stronghold in the Core. Imperial Alderaan will not survive without a strong leader, but the Dark Council knows you are up to the task.¡±


    ¡°I will not fail the Council or the Empire.¡± Imperious promised.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t.¡± Vowrawn said, his smile vanishing moments before he did.

 Day 6

    The next morning saw the two Jedi awakening late and waiting until the sun was low on the horizon before they began their lateral traversal of the rock face. The goal was to reach a position from which they would only have to descend straight down the escarpment in order to infiltrate House Thul. The harsh, chilling winds buffeted them, making progress even slower and more precarious than they had expected. While the Force helped guide their hands and feet in the deep darkness that soon descended on the world, it couldn¡¯t fully protect them from the powerful gusts that threatened to unbalance them and send them tumbling down the sheer rock face to a messy and sudden death.


    Despite this, they progressed at a reasonable pace and by the time that the color of the horizon began to change, heralding the imminent sunrise, they were nearly in position. Suddenly, a foothold Yish had been using gave way, and she screamed in shock and terror as she lost her grip and felt herself plummeting to the ground far below. Her scream died on her lips when she suddenly felt as if a giant hand had caught her and was holding her aloft. She raised her head and saw Kayle, his body hanging off of the cliff in a rather dangerous way, one hand stretched out towards her while the other held onto a tenuous-looking handhold with the grip of a vice. His eyes were closed and his face was strained, and Yish could tell he was struggling to hold her. Part of her wanted to yell his name, but she knew that would break his concentration and possibly see them both plummet to their demise. So she kept silent, reciting the Jedi Code in a vain attempt to suppress the terror that roiled in her chest.


    Kayle began moving her to the side, his eyes still closed and his face a mask of intense but straining focus. His handhold began to crumble, and he slipped an inch.


    ¡°Kayle!¡± Yish cried out in alarm. He gave no sign he had even heard her, so intense was his self-induced trance. He slowly moved her to a point he seemed to have chosen, then began lowering her downward. Looking beneath her, Yish could see a ledge jutting out of the cliff wall and her whole body breathed a sigh of relief. That relief was short lived, as Kayle¡¯s handhold continued to fall apart and the young Jedi was now hanging on by only three fingers.


    ¡°Kayle!¡± Yish screamed. ¡°KAAAAYYYLE!¡± The scream seemed to jolt him out of his trance, and Yisheera immediately felt the invisible hand vanish. She braced herself for impact with the hard stone ledge, but even so it took the wind out of her. She recovered just in time to see Kayle lose his grip and start to tumble down the cliff. Just as he lost his grip however, Kayle performed a Force-assisted leap that saw him glide a few feet across the cliff face for a split second before all four of his limbs latched onto handholds so perfect it was as if they had been sculpted just for him at this particular moment. He braced himself against the wall and began to slowly make his way down towards the ledge below, where Yish was standing, watching in awe and relief. When he finally made the leap down, landing in front of the entrance to the cave that opened up onto the ledge, she rushed to him and embraced him.


    ¡°Oh thank the Force Kayle, I almost thought¡­¡± She struggled to hold back the emotions and tears that threatened to well up in her eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± He said, embracing her back. ¡°You¡¯re alive, that¡¯s all that matters.¡± She clung to him even tighter, and felt first one tear, then another, then another, escaping her eyes, and small, hiccupping sobs burgeon up from deep within her. She had almost lost him. That thought terrified her more than even the thought of her own death. To not just lose Kayle but watch him die, helpless to save him¡­


    He pulled away from her and at first she resisted, but his arms were slightly more insistent the second time and she reluctantly let him pull back so he could see her face.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Yish,¡± he said, his voice full of concern, ¡°what¡¯s wrong? Are you hurt? What happened? Did you get hurt from the fall?¡± She shook her head, and merely hugged him again, making it clear from the strength of her embrace that he wasn¡¯t to push her away again. He relented, and Yish felt herself melting in his arms. The feeling of his breath on her neck, the sensation of his arms wrapped around her as he tried to comfort her with soft whispers of reassurance as she let her emotions out felt so good. After so many years of holding everything in, burying her feelings under the stoicism and apathy that was expected of a Jedi, it felt so good to just cry as she held onto Kayle as if she would never let him go.


    It felt so good when she surrendered to her newly released desire and kissed him. Surprised at first, he soon began to kiss her back and their embrace quickly morphed into gentle caressing and stroking. When the tips of his fingers brushed across her skin, she felt the first sparks of pleasure. His lips tasted sweet and she found that she couldn¡¯t get enough of them. Their kisses became hungry and breathless, and her desires intensified as they began to disrobe each other. In moments they were pawing and massaging each other¡¯s nude bodies, their movements informed in equal measure by curiosity and passion.


    ¡°Oh stars Yish, I want you. I want you so bad.¡± Kayle whispered in her ear, each word making her shiver with raw anticipation.


    ¡°I want you too Kayle.¡± She said breathlessly, her body on fire with pure desire. ¡°I want to feel you, every inch of you.¡±


    They somehow ended up on the rocky ground, but were completely oblivious to the hard stone. It might as well have been a soft carpet of grass for all they cared. They lay together, wrapped in each other¡¯s embrace as they hungrily explored each other¡¯s bodies with lips, fingers, and mere skin-to-skin contact.


    ¡°I want it.¡± Yisheera moaned softly, pleading with him. ¡°I want you Kayle.¡±


    Kayle breached the entrance, and she felt a wave of apprehension mixed with excitement. She felt him pressing against her maidenhood and he stopped, looking at her with expectant eyes. She looked back at him and smiled.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok. Don¡¯t stop.¡±


    With her permission, he pushed forward and Yisheera felt the tear. She gasped and her fingers sank into his arm as a flash of pain shot up her spine to explode in her brain like a firework. She felt different, very different. Sparks of ecstasy and excitement overwhelmed the discomfort and pain she felt, making her breath come in short gasps as her chest heaved.


    ¡°Are you ok? Did I hurt you?¡±


    ¡°No, no I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t stop Kayle please.¡± She pulled him closer to her, pressing their flesh together and causing the hairs on his skin to bristle, making pimply bumps all along his arms.


    As he began to move back and forth, settling into a rhythm, Yisheera was caught up in an intense wave of lust that made her Lekku twitch and she clung to Kayle even tighter. Their lovemaking became faster and more insistent, more passionate, and Kayle¡¯s whisper in her ear sent thrilling shivers up and down her spine.


    ¡°Ohhh Yish. I¡¯ve wanted you for so long, I love you so much Yish.¡± She grabbed the back of his head with one hand as his speed noticeably increased, causing another wave of euphoria to sweep over her.


    ¡°Oh yes Kayle.¡± She gasped as the tides of euphoria crashed over her again. ¡°I love you so much. I¡¯ve wanted to feel you like this for so long. This feels like a dream, and I want to never wake up. Oooooo Kayle-ahhhhh!¡±


    She became lost in the storm of love and affection that had engulfed her. She didn¡¯t even realize that her nails were digging into his back, or that her lekku were twitching and spasming like writhing serpents. When she felt the rising crescendo of the long-awaited climax, she screamed Kayle¡¯s name and clung to him as her mind went blank and she was engulfed in euphoria so overwhelming and complete she couldn¡¯t describe it.


    ¡°Oh Kayle!¡±


    Through the all-consuming elation, she heard Kayle screaming her name, and she felt the release.


    ¡°Oh stars Yish, ohhhhh¡­¡±


    The joy that filled her was immeasurable, impossible to fathom or describe. It went beyond any experience she¡¯d had, even the time when her mind had first been opened to the Force. She felt connected, bound to Kayle by a bond that she knew transcended space and time. She¡¯d never felt such a raw, emotional connection to another being before. She felt something emerging deep within her, like a warm heat in her core, as if a softly burning star had taken up residence there. Bathing in the afterglow, she opened her eyes to see Kayle¡¯s own staring back at her, lost in the same love and passion she was feeling. She reached out to touch his cheek, and his hand came up over hers, first covering it, then wrapping around it. He leaned down and their lips met in a fiery kiss that turned into more and more kisses, each one more insistent than the last. Their passions, merely sedated rather than satiated, swelled once more and they gave themselves to each other as the first rays of dawn broke over the horizon.

 Day 7

    Yish awoke to the sound of rain pelting down onto the hard stone outside the cave entrance. She lifted herself up into a sitting position and groggily stared at the world outside the cave. The rain was pouring down mercilessly while flashes of lightning repeatedly split the gray sky and deep thunder rolled over the landscape. As she stared out at the gloomy picture, her memories of that morning began to surface. She smiled as she remembered the experiences and sensations, and a deep warmth began to spread throughout her body. But her joy was immediately tainted by the deeper realization of what she had done.


    She had broken one of the Jedi Order¡¯s most cardinal rules. Jedi were not supposed to have emotional attachments, they clouded one¡¯s judgment and led to pain and suffering, which in turn led to the Dark Side. What she and Kayle had done went far beyond emotional attachment, they were bonded now, she had felt it that first time. Sorrow and despair swept over her as she realized that she might never become a Jedi now, certainly not if the Council or any of the other masters found out what she had done. She could almost see the supreme disappointment on Master Neeman¡¯s face when he found out. Even if she and Kayle could keep their relationship a secret, the fact that she was a hypocrite would plague her the rest of her days.


    Her body felt weak and her heart fluttered as she slowly realized what she had to do, it was the only option that offered redemption of any kind. Just then Kayle stirred beside her, and her heart leaped with apprehension as she was confronted with the exact situation she had only just now realized was inevitable. Seeing her sitting up, Kayle moved in behind her and kissed her neck, wrapping one arm around her waist. She removed it, and spoke in as gentle a tone as she could muster, struggling to keep her voice steady.


    ¡°Kayle-¡±


    ¡°What? What is it?¡± He asked, genuine concern in his voice. Yish took in and blew out a shaky breath, still trying to prepare herself. ¡°Yish what¡¯s wrong?¡± Kayle pleaded, sensing her intense discomfort.


    ¡°Kayle, we can¡¯t do this.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Kayle asked, his voice higher in pitch. His own uneasiness and dread amplifying Yisheera¡¯s as she sensed it through the Force bond between them.


    ¡°We can¡¯t be together.¡±


    ¡°What? What in the Force do you mean Yish? Why not?¡±


    ¡°Our relationship flies in the face of everything we¡¯ve been taught.¡± Yish said emphatically. ¡°Jedi aren¡¯t supposed to become emotionally attached, it leads to the Dark Side.¡± Kayle stared at her in complete shock and utter disbelief, then a look that Yish had never seen before flashed across his features, and she felt a tremor in the Force that left a deep sense of foreboding in her spirit.


    ¡°Says the woman who came onto ME last night.¡± He said, an undercurrent of anger in his tone.


    ¡°I know.¡± Yisheera admitted, hanging her head. ¡°Trust me, that mistake will haunt me forever.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s all this was to you?¡± Kayle shouted, making no effort to hide his outrage, ¡°A mistake? An error in judgment? You feel nothing at all?!¡± Yisheera delayed her answer for a moment, considering what outcomes her answers could produce. After a long moment of consideration, she knew what she had to say. Even though it went against everything her body, mind, and heart were telling her was right, she defied them and said it.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Kayle¡¯s silence didn¡¯t scare her as much as the abrupt coldness that was suddenly transmitted through the nascent Force bond. She shivered involuntarily, and after a long moment Kayle got up and walked deeper into the cave, vanishing into the dark.


    Yish sat there in silence, staring at the rain, feeling more lonely and heartbroken than she knew she had any right to be. A single tear fell from her eye, then another followed suit, and the dam broke. Within moments, the rain falling outside the cave was reflected by a rain of salty tears falling inside it.


    __________


    Yish was preparing for the infiltration of House Thul when Kayle finally emerged from the depths of the cave. His face was as hard as stone, and Yish could feel his simmering anger towards her. She chose to remain silent and allow him to completely ignore her as she continued prepping. When everything was ready, without a word to each other, the two Jedi began the long descent down the mountain face towards House Thul.


    The rain made for tough going, as formerly perfect handholds and footholds became dangerously slippery and visibility was significantly reduced, but with the help of the Force, the Jedi made it to a position where they could execute a Force-assisted leap over the wall and into the estate. By staying low and sticking to the shadows, using the Force to disguise their presence as best they could, they managed to make it inside the building Yish had identified days earlier as the best access point to the dungeons.


    In total silence they navigated the largely abandoned halls with eerie synchronicity, what few guards were on duty they easily avoided. A nagging little voice in the back of Yish¡¯s mind told her that something was wrong, that this was too easy, but she pushed the thoughts away and stubbornly focused on the plan.


    Eventually, they reached the entrance to the Thul dungeons and found two guards on duty outside the door. Yish removed her lightsaber from her belt, and the two Jedi sprang from cover and were on their targets in a flash, Yish¡¯s opponent managed to squeeze off several shots from his blaster rifle before she sliced it apart with two swift strokes and sank the hilt of her lightsaber into his temple. The man groaned and collapsed to the ground like a sack of dirt. Kayle¡¯s opponent wasn¡¯t so lucky, he was lifted off his feet before he could even fire a single shot, invisible hands vising themselves around his neck and squeezing. He gasped quietly as his throat closed, making it impossible to even scream. Just when he was about to pass out, Kayle made a swift turning motion with his outstretched hand, and the man¡¯s head violently rotated 180 degrees with a moist ¡®crack¡¯.


    Yish turned back to stare at him in horror, but Kayle was already pushing past her and into the dungeons. After a moment of staring in shock at the corpse, Yish followed. The first few rooms they passed were empty, but soon they sensed the presence of other Jedi in the cells. Yish made a note to come back for them later as they rushed deeper into the dungeon, searching for the one Jedi that had been their reason for coming here in the first place.


    They soon found him, locked away in his cell in the deepest part of the dungeon. Kayle ripped the barred hatch off of its hinges with uncanny strength, and Yish leaped down to the hunched, robed figure sitting just on the edge of the light.


    ¡°Master! Master Neeman!¡± The figure stiffened and its head turned. Master Neeman¡¯s gray beard and piercing blue eyes settled on Yisheera, and she felt briefly overjoyed at seeing him again. ¡°Come on master, there isn¡¯t much time, we have to go!¡± She rushed to his side and began pulling him to his feet. He wordlessly obeyed, slowly getting up as if he hadn¡¯t used his legs in days. Once he was on his feet and took a few tentative steps however, he seemed to warm up to the idea of walking quickly. Yish cut through his Force suppression cuffs with her lightsaber, and one Force leap through the oculus in the ceiling later the three Jedi were running back down the hall they had come from.


    Yisheera stopped at the first prison cell they came to that housed a Jedi prisoner and sliced the command console. After freeing the surprised Jedi, Yish asked;


    ¡°Can you help free the others?¡±


    A wordless nod, and Yish hurriedly gave instructions about where the other Jedi were imprisoned before sending the woman on her way. Along their way out of the dungeon they freed several more Jedi, many of which remained in the dungeons to free the other prisoners and create a jailbreak.


    The trio rushed past the corpse of the Thul soldier Kayle had killed, the place where the other soldier had lain now empty. Just then, an alarm sounded, filling the gilded halls of House Thul with a horrible screeching noise. As the Jedi fled towards the exit, they kept encountering squads of Thul troopers led by one or more Sith. The first few squads were dealt with in short order, but squads started grouping up to form larger companies and began herding them through the corridors.


    With no option left but to run, the three allowed themselves to be herded into the throne room, which was empty except for the legions of Thul guards and their Sith commanders pouring in from every entrance. With the three Jedi surrounded in the center of the room, the guards cocked their rifles and trained their sights on them to ensure they made no sudden moves.


    ¡°Well, well, well.¡± Came a familiar voice from above them. Darth Imperious leaped off of the overhanging balcony a full story up, landing lightly in the center of the throne room.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°I knew you would come to rescue your master but I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d make such a mess while you were at it.¡±


    Yish desperately wanted to retort but was so full of fear and anger that she couldn¡¯t summon up coherent words to say.


    ¡°Nonetheless I expected something similar, your recently freed Jedi friends will be dead or recaptured within the hour, and as for you my friends¡­¡± he drew closer as he spoke, ¡°you will have the honor of being the first enemies of Alderaan that I officially execute as king.¡±


    ¡°Let us go Thul!¡± Yish shouted, Imperious laughed.


    ¡°Or what? In case you haven¡¯t noticed I hold all the cards here.¡± He paused and seemed thoughtful. ¡°Actually, you do have something I want.¡± He smiled wickedly. ¡°Both of you submit to me and become my apprentices, and I will let your master go.¡± Yish stared at the Sith in shock, and for just a moment she actually considered making the deal.


    Just then, an explosive wave of kinetic power burst out from Master Neeman, passing harmlessly over Yish and Kayle and sending nearly every soldier and Sith in the room flying like paper toys caught in a strong wind. Dozens of enemy soldiers hit the walls with loud noises that indicated they wouldn¡¯t be getting up again, and all but the hardiest of the Sith were sent reeling and tumbling backwards. Imperious and several of the more powerful Sith commanders remained standing, having cast Force barriers around themselves moments before impact.


    ¡°Kayle, your lightsaber.¡± Master Neeman said, his hand outstretched. Wordlessly and without objection, Kayle handed it over. The green blade ignited in the Jedi Master¡¯s hand, and he faced down Imperious with a confidence and stoicism that spoke of a thousand battles won, a million foes defeated.


    ¡°This is your last chance Sith.¡± Master Neeman said. ¡°Surrender, or die.¡± Imperious grinned wolfishly.


    ¡°It is you who will die, Jedi.¡± He snarled, unleashing his growling, crimson blade. Master Neeman turned his head to the two padawans, indicating a now-open hallway leading away from the throne room.


    ¡°Run.¡± He said.


    ¡°But master-¡± Yish started to say but he cut her off.


    ¡°Run!¡± He said authoritatively. ¡°And don¡¯t you dare come back!¡± Yish wanted to protest but Kayle grabbed her arm and began dragging her towards the door Master Neeman had indicated. When she reluctantly began running on her own, Kayle fell a little behind, his eyes scanning the room. When he found what he was searching for, an outstretched hand called the black-handled lightsaber lying near the unmoving body of one of the fallen Sith into his own palm, and he placed it on his belt as he turned to follow after Yisheera.


    Master Neeman had already turned his attention back to Imperious, his blue eyes filled with steely resolve. ¡°Now Thul,¡± he said with icy calm, ¡°let¡¯s finish what we started in House Organa.¡± Imperious laughed.


    ¡°With pleasure.¡±


    Imperious took off running and leaped at Master Neeman, his blade raised to execute a heavy downward strike. Instead of blocking it, Master Neeman simply vanished, Imperious¡¯s blade striking the marble floor. Imperious stood up and looked around for his unseen foe, the other Sith in the room also on high alert for signs of the Jedi Master¡¯s presence. Suddenly, the room echoed with the old man¡¯s laughter.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter boy? Can¡¯t find your enemy in the dark?¡±


    ¡°Come out and face me coward!¡± Another chuckle.


    ¡°I¡¯m too old to be provoked by a challenge to my honor.¡± Master Neeman¡¯s voice echoed throughout the massive chamber, seeming to come from everywhere at once. ¡°If you want to find me you¡¯ll have to do better than simple taunts.¡±


    Suddenly there was the sound of a lightsaber igniting and a pained grunt. In a flash of green, one of the Sith that was still standing fell to the ground in a heap, a large lightsaber wound across his body. Imperious¡¯s eyes darted around the room and caught another glimpse of the green flash as another Sith fell. He hurled his lightsaber at the place he presumed the old Jedi would be but his blade cut only through empty air. Realizing he was going to lose what advantage he had if he didn¡¯t act quickly, Imperious reached into the storage pack on his belt and produced a pyramidal artifact. Focusing on it, he began to channel it¡¯s power and the object floated in the air in front of him of its own accord.


    In another flash, another of the Sith went down, and the fear and terror of the remaining three had become a palpable presence. Imperious fed on it as he continued to channel the power of the artifact. Suddenly, a gray aura surrounded the remaining three Sith, and they all clutched their heads and shrieked in agony. The artifact began siphoning their energy directly out of their bodies, drawing it into itself and channeling it back into Imperious.


    Suddenly Master Neeman appeared from nowhere and charged the Sith Lord, having realized what was happening. He was thrown back by a powerful Force wave that burst from Imperious as the artifact channeled the last of the gathered energy into its owner. Imperious glowed with a red aura and wisps of shadowy darkness drifted off of him like tendrils of smoke. His eyes shone blood red, and when he spoke his voice was distorted and reverberated on its own.


    ¡°Ahh yes¡­I¡¯ve never felt such POWER!¡± He emphasized the last word by unleashing a Force wave that staggered his opponent, allowing him to close the gap between them and engage in martial combat. Who was the superior swordsman quickly became evident as they battled, with the old Jedi Master struggling to even keep up with Imperious. Most of the Sith Lord¡¯s strikes were blocked with bare hands wrapped in the Force or a well-timed localized Force barrier, and soon the Jedi Master was forced into full retreat. He recovered quickly enough however when he managed to deflect a particularly heavy blow and use his foe¡¯s momentary loss of focus to send him reeling with a powerful Force push. This in turn allowed the Jedi to dash away with Force-enhanced speed and put some distance between them.


    When Imperious recovered, he was faced with Master Neeman standing halfway across the massive chamber, levitating three large, ovular chunks of marble and stone that had been telekinetically ripped from the floor. The first chunk shot forward, rotating like a drill as it spiraled towards him at high speed. Imperious unleashed a blast of lightning and kinetic Force power that shattered the rock into dozens of smaller pieces that scattered every which way. The second chunk was already following the first however, and Imperious was briefly stunned at the coordination of the attack. His surprise only lasted a moment however, and he leaped from the floor onto the spinning rock, running along its length and leaping from the edge directly towards the final third chunk, which was homing in on him like an AI-guided missile.


    Channeling the Dark Side through his lightsaber, he swung the weapon downward and a kinetic wave sprung from the blade, slicing through the stone chunk like a massive scimitar. Imperious followed, flying through the cloven rock and coming down hard on Master Neeman¡¯s lightsaber, which was raised in defense and reinforced by psychokinetic energies. For a moment they stood there, blades crossed, as Imperious channeled the Dark Side of the Force through his body in an attempt to overcome the Jedi¡¯s willpower and the Jedi Master rallied all the willpower he could muster to keep his lightsaber from being driven back into himself.


    Then in a flash of movement, the Jedi Master kicked Imperious¡¯s right knee and used the brief distraction to duck out from under the Sith Lord¡¯s squeeze play. Imperious whirled around as Master Neeman moved to end the battle with an overhanded swing that would cleave the king¡¯s head in two, and dived forward under the sweep, driving his lightsaber directly into the old man¡¯s chest.


    The lightsaber clattered to the floor, deactivating once it left it wielder¡¯s grip, as Imperious pulled his blade out of his dying foe. He stood back as the old man fell to his knees, then fell onto his face, the light in his blue eyes vanishing as he fell to the floor. The moment that the body would have hit the floor however, it vanished and only the old, dirty, tattered robes struck the cold marble, collapsing into a heap.


    Staring in surprise at the filthy bundle of brown cloth, Imperious was struck by a sudden fear. It was impossible that the Jedi could have escaped; he had felt the life leave the Jedi¡¯s body. He poked at the cloth with his foot. It seemed the old fool was simply¡­gone.


    __________


    Yish felt Master Neeman¡¯s death the moment it happened, and tears started flowing freely down her cheeks. It became harder to run as her breath came in hiccupping sobs and she eventually stopped altogether, leaning over as the sobs racked her body. He was gone, the man who had raised her, taught her everything she knew, had always been kind to her, and never once lied to her was gone.


    She failed to notice Kayle had stopped as well, and was watching her from a little ways ahead in front of the entrance to a side passage. He looked like he was about to say something when something in the passage attracted his attention. He stared in stunned surprise which quickly morphed into fear as he gazed at whatever had drawn his attention, seemingly terrified but rooted to the ground, unable to move.


    Suddenly, he seemed to snap back to reality and quickly moved towards Yish, putting his hands on her shoulders and bringing her back up to a standing position. She wiped the tears from her eyes as he spoke, his voice bringing her somewhat out of the deluge of sorrow that had overwhelmed her when she felt Master Neeman¡¯s death.


    ¡°Come on,¡± he said, ¡°we have to keep moving.¡±


    The two Jedi soon reached a small shuttle pad three stories above ground level on which sat a lone shuttle, quite near the edge of the long permacrete platform. The rain was still coming down hard, and thunder pealed across the sky as they ran out into the rain. Kayle, who was closer to the shuttle than Yish, suddenly was stopped dead in his tracks and lifted off of the ground, his feet dangling in the air, his body rotating as it rose so that Yish could see him grasping at the invisible tendrils wrapped around his neck. She felt the familiar presence fall over her, and before turning around she knew exactly who was standing there.


    When she saw Darth Imperious standing in the doorway, his one hand raised in a choking motion, his activated red blade in the other, she drew and activated her own lightsaber, the blue blade glowing brightly in the dark night.


    ¡°Let him go!¡± She demanded.


    ¡°Join me.¡± He replied. ¡°Swear your loyalty to me and I will let him live.¡± Screaming, Yish attacked him. He dropped his free hand, allowing Kayle to fall to the ground as he engaged the furious Jedi padawan in a lightsaber duel. Yish¡¯s furious strokes were wild and unpredictable, but sloppy and careless. Imperious passed up every opportunity that he had to end it however, and eventually simply Force pushed the young Twi¡¯lek several meters away from him.


    ¡°Do you really think he cared about you girl?¡± He said, his face dead serious. ¡°He was a Jedi Master, they don¡¯t care about anyone, not even their own.¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡± Yish screamed. ¡°He was the only person I cared about in the entire galaxy and YOU TOOK HIM FROM ME!¡± She tried to charge him again but another Force push sent her tumbling back.


    ¡°So he really was the only thing you cared about?¡± Imperious pressed. ¡°The man you would give up everything for?¡±


    ¡°YES!¡± Yish screamed, her freely-flowing tears mingling with the rain. She was about to attack again when she noticed that the expression on Imperious¡¯s face changed. Moments before it had been a hardened mask of dismissive pride, but now an entirely new expression painted his face, one that took a moment for Yish to analyze. It was pity, empathy even.


    Her rage spiked. She didn¡¯t need or want his pity, she needed to make him suffer like she was suffering! She needed to-


    The sound of a lightsaber activating nearby startled her. The noise didn¡¯t nearly startle her as much as the strange sensation of something being terribly wrong with her stomach. She looked down, and was stunned to see a brilliant red blade sprouting from her abdomen like a morbid stalk. For a moment everything was still, then the red blade vanished with the sound of a lightsaber deactivating. It sounded hollow and far away. Yish couldn¡¯t feel anything below her chest, then the numbness spread to her upper body and neck. She felt her body impact the floor and saw the world turn sideways, but she felt no sensation, no pain, no¡­anything. Her vision began to darken at the edges and the outside world grew increasingly distant. Even the light of the Force, which had been with her constantly since she was youngling, became dimmer. She tried to scream or cry out, but her body wouldn¡¯t obey her, in fact she felt as if she were separated from it entirely. The shadows began to close in and her last thought before the candle of her consciousness winked out was:


    Why Kayle, why¡­


    ___________


    Darth Imperious stood over the body of the Twi¡¯lek girl, watching the boy as he stared down at the corpse of his former lover. The young man seemed to have briefly lost all connection to reality for a moment, his body perfectly rigid, his eyes staring blankly at his fallen friend¡¯s perfectly still face between the long bangs that hung over his eyes dripping rainwater. After a long moment, the boy came back to himself and sheathed his lightsaber, immediately turning to face his body fully towards Imperious and sank to one knee.


    ¡°My lord. I have slain the Jedi who attempted to escape.¡± Imperious smiled as he perceived the double meaning in the boy¡¯s words.


    ¡°I see that, but for what purpose boy?¡±


    ¡°To beg a favor of you, my king.¡±


    ¡°Oh? And what would that be?¡±


    ¡°Please my lord, allow me to prove myself worthy of being your apprentice so that you may train me in the ways of the Dark Side and help me unleash my full potential.¡± Imperious¡¯s smile grew bigger.


    ¡°You have already proven yourself worthy.¡± He said. The boy looked up at him, a new fire blazing in his eyes. ¡°Rise, my new apprentice.¡± Obediently, Kayle rose to his feet, and as a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky behind him, a flash of yellow appeared in the depths of his faded green eyes.