Young Writers Society

Erikenai Stone

Erik moved his queen forward, checkmating Ro for the fourth time in a row. Ro threw her hands up in the air, exasperated. "Where did you learn to play like that?"

Erik replied after yawning, "I once served aboard a merchant's ship a few years back as a cabin boy. The other cabin boys used to play holochess all the time, and bet money on it. On my first day aboard the ship, I lost all my money in the game. One of them took pity on me, and offered to teach me to play it properly, and a few tricks besides. I accepted, and gradually I developed a knack for it."

Ro replied, "Well, I'm bored with this game. The results are sooo predicatble." With that, she stood up, and started pacing the room.

Erik turned to the Firestone which Grin had let him store in the port cargo hold, where they are. The craft was anchored down with a 'block' on each wheel. The block was strapped on each wheel and the bottom of it was magnetic, and so it stuck to the floor, preventing the craft from rolling.

Then he turned to Ro, who was looking very bored. He looked at the control panel next to the door, and inspiration struck. "Hey, Ro!"

Ro turned towards him. "What?"

Erik grinned mischievously. "Want to try a science experiment?"

Ro looked curious. "What sort of science experiment?"

Erik's grin widened, and using an important sounding voice. "Well, it has to deal with the human emotions mainly. Basically, we are going to find out if, under conditions of zero gravity, your boredom becomes alleviated. Shall we begin?"

Ro smiled and replied in a fake voice, "Very well, Dr.Stone."

Erik moved to the control panel near the door and fiddled with the control panel, turning off the gravity generator. Then, he felt himself lift up.

He laughed as he flew around the room, bouncing off the walls. "My mother always told me I was bouncing off the walls!" he called to Ro. "I guess she was right!"

But Ro was too busy laughing for Erik to know if she had heard him. Erik was feeling happy, but then he remembered his family. His mother and siblings had each hugged him in turn, and they all had been crying. Then Cory punched him, calling it 'payback' for leaving them (but playfully) and they all had laughed. Still, the thoughts of the people who had brought him up made him a little homesick.

Ro shouted, "Erik, watch out!" shaking him out of his daydream. Erik turned to see that the cans of blue and yellow paint that Grin had lent him to paint his room had spilt, and their contents was floating in parts all across the room. And he was drifting right towards one.

"Oh, Kriff." he muttered, as he floated through it, getting paint all over him in the process. He looked at Ro, who was similarly coloured, and laughing hysterically.

"Alright that's enough!" called Erik, chuckling, and floated over to the control panel and turned back on the gravity. Everything fell to the ground. Including Ro, who landed on her rear with a thump and an indignant, "Hey!"

At that moment Grin called them up using the comm, and Ro grinned. "He's gonna get a shock when he sees us!"

A few minutes later, after Grin had briefed them on the change of plans, Erik asked, "Hey, Grin...if we're going to Myrkr, can we stop by to see my friend Zoruul?"

Grin looked curious. "Who's Zoruul?" he asked cautiously.

Erik replied, "A guy who owns a space station away from most large towns. People who don't want to be noticed land there."

Grin raised his eyebrows. "What sort of people would that entail?"

Erik replied, "People with...not so respectable professions. They've formed a small town around Zoruul's station. Zoruul practically owns the place. The planet's government has no control over the area, but Zoruul and his guards do. I think you'd know him better by his other name:Zed."

Grin paled. "You...you mean the-"

Erik waved a hand dismissively. "Arms dealer, gang leader, smuggler, whatever you were going to say, it's true."

Grin gulped. "And you're friends with him?"

Erik smiled. "Sort of. I saved his life once, when the ship I was on had landed in posrt. There was a gang war in town at the time, you see. In any case, Zoruul then declared himself forever indebted to me. He gives the best equipment available in the galaxy. Though, when I tried asking him for an extra pair of rocket boots, he said that they were too rare to be found...still, we can get good stuff from him. Plus, he can guarantee our ship's safety."

Before Grin could say anything, Jasek spoke up, "Umm...Grin?" he muttered nervously."The sensors are picking up multiple objects at high speeds...and I think they're meteorites!"

Ro Fidsmor

The last thing she remembered before everything went black was her father strapping her tightly into the nearest seat, and Jasek yelling that they were about to crash.

Now, slowly, after who knew how much time had elapsed, her eyes opened.

Fragments of a huge, green tree had fallen on the cockpit window, leaving a web of cracks, but no breakage.

She opened her mouth to speak, but her voice was all but a croak. Perhaps she'd screamed herself hoarse before blacking out - she couldn't remember.

"Hey." She heard Erik call faintly from the gunnery station seat, where he sat tangled up in his hurriedly-applied safety mesh. "Everyone's alive. Don't worry."

Ro nodded. She could feel that too. "Water," she managed to say.

Erik slipped away to get some. He returned a few minutes later with a medkit-toting Arsev, and a small cannister of water for Ro. She drank sparingly, until she could speak. "Thank you...."

In the pilots' seats, Grin groaned in pain.

"Daddy!" Ro exclaimed, rushing to his side.

Of the four of them, he looked the worst for wear. Evidently, he'd been the last to strap himself in. His right arm was trapped under a strap where it didn't belong - it was positioned unnaturally, like it had been dislocated, or worse. A mix of fresh and drying blood was collecting on his forehead - he must have hit th

Arsev hovered over, beeping pessimistically. The head injury wasn't as bad as it looked, but he'd need a doctor for his arm. He doled out a few painkillers for Grin, and bustled off to inspect his precious galley.

"But Jasek could fix it," Ro protested after him.

"I'm an engineer by trade, not a doctor," Jasek retorted weakly. All the navigational consoles were fried, but he reported that they'd just come out of hyperspace over Myrkr when the meteor shower had hit them.

"You two should rest up," Ro declared. "Then we can find out just where on Myrkr we've landed. Erik, come on. Let's check on Ebony."

They found the crientes tangled up in a few blankets, uninjured. Uncle Jasek had had the sense to line the entire enclosure with every soft blanket, pillow, spare mattress on the ship, and then some.

Bang bang bang!

"What was that?" Ro screeched, looking around.

Bang bang!

"The airlock," Erik and Ro exclaimed in unison. Someone - hopefully a civilized person - was banging on the airlock.

Bang bang! Bang bang bang! The hammering became desperate.

"How do we know if it's a friend or foe?" Ro demanded.

"We don't," Erik replied. Before Ro could protest, he unlocked the inner door.

A woman in tattered brown robes ran up the gangplank, practically flew up the gangplank. Leaves and twigs were tangled up in her fair hair. Her eyes were wide with fear and desperation. "Please, please, you've gotta get me out of here!" She proceeded to ramble, without stopping for a breath once, about someone coming to get her, how she'd called and called and called for help, but nobody came, and....

Ro and Erik stared at her blankly.

"Is she crazy?" Ro whispered, not taking her eyes off their visitor.

"She looks it," Erik replied.

Jasek came up behind them, walking unsteadily. "Let me take care of this. Dayo," he called gently.

At the sound of his voice, the woman stopped. "Jasek?" Suddenly, out of instinct, her posture straightened and she bowed. "Jedi Marin, please forgive my ... hysterical appearance."

"You know her?" Ro demanded.

"JEDI Marin?" Erik repeated.

Jasek seemed to ignore them, and carefully led their visitor (Dayo?) to the nearest upright seat. "Get her some tea, spirits, anything. She's not herself right now."

Ro hurried off to the galley and brought back a canister of something her father liked to drink on special occasions. He said it relaxed his nerves, but it was for adults only. Ro couldn't quite tell if this Dayo person was an older teenager or an adult, but she did what Jasek told her and brought the drink.

Dayo drank greedily, not realizing at first what she'd been offered, and coughed abruptly at the burning sensation.

"Everything's broken," she said cryptically, looking around. "I saw your ship crash, Jasek. You're stranded here too, aren't you?"

Jasek nodded. "Tell me, Dayoyme, how did you get here, and how long ago was that?"

Dayome Lung

I awoke to a loud bang nearby. It had to be someone here to rescue me. Mildum, my "pet", jumped at my frantic movements and watched after me carefully as I flung on my robe and slipped on my boots. I rubbed my eyes smearing my eyeliner across my face, but this wasn't time to make a good first impression, it was time to get out and save the galaxy.

I slid own the ladder, Mildum following at my heels, as I raced towards the source of the noise. I dashed to the ship found laying in an open spot and slammed myself up against the side of it.

"Help!" I called banging frantically on the side.

I banged harder and faster until the door flung open to reveal a young man looking at me as if I was insane. I must look it. I ran up towards the young man who stood beside a young redheaded girl who looked petrified.

"Please, please, you've gotta get me out of here!" I managed to gasp between intakes of air.

"they're here and he's going to get us." I whispered over and over looking at my fingers, I am having a panic attack.

I need to calm down, I need to calm down, I need to-. He appeared.

"Dayo." He called softly a chill running through my spine.

It was Jedi Martin. Instantly I straightened my posture and brushed off my robe. "Jedi Marin, please forgive my" I said bowing my voice drifting off.

The girl and the boy instantly started questioning Jedi Martin and he simply ignored them and walked over to I and led me to a nearby chair. He ordered the young one off and started to straighten me up almost absentmindedly as I attempted to calm myself.

The girl soon returned and I eagerly accepted the drink, drowning my self in its liquid. Until the strong taste flew over me, causing me to gag before emptying the rest of its container. I started asking Jedi Martin questions I didn't even realize I was saying until he interrupted me.

"Tell me, Dayoyme, how did you get here, and how long ago was that?" He asked with kind eyes and wonder.

"Well, after Jedi Solo died I traveled into the jungle knowing that I would be hunted down as I was still in training. So I went into hiding. I got here on a ship Jedi Solo and I had bought together and the crashed landed here. I have been stranded here for the past 6 years training for a war. And I believe that war is coming." I said making myself slow to gradually bring myself to my senses.

Jedi Martin nodded and the girl and boy sat in neighboring seats almost sucking in every one of my words.

"Who are you?" The girl asked almost keeping her distance from me.

"I am a Jedi, My name is Dayome Lung and that" I said pointing at Mildum who was creeping at the door of the ship, "is Mildum, he's quite kind once you know him."

"Do you have a light saber?" The boy asked curiosity filling his eyes.

"Yes I do," I said standing and moving into the open.

I clasped my saber as it attached and swung open. The girl was in awe. Hopefully these kids were as trustworthy as Jedi Martin.

Ro Fidsmor

"Wow!" Suddenly, Ro wanted to ask this Jedi girl a million and one questions about that lightsaber. First off, it wrapped around her hand, just like what she was trying to build. Secondly (and possibly more importantly), it was PINK! How did that work?

"Who's a Jedi?" Somehow, Grin had made it down the ladder with one arm in a makeshift sling. Abruptly, Jedi Lung sheathed her saber.

"Ja--" Jasek made a discreet shushing motion. "Jedi Dayoyme Lung," Erik finished. "Captain Fidsmor, she ... um ... needed our help, so we let her in."

Grin winced. Ro knew how he was about bringing strangers aboard. But, to her surprise, he didn't say anything.

Dayoyme approached Grin slowly and said, "You're the captain of this vessel?" When he nodded, she continued, "I'm most grateful to your crew, especially Jedi Marin, for letting me in. I was hoping I would be able to negotiate passage off this rock, but it seems you are stranded here as well."

Still frowning, Grin replied evenly, "So it seems." Ro saw him glare at Jasek, but her uncle turned away, avoiding his eyes.

"I can show you my ship at sun-up," Dayoyme offered. "It's spent - please take whatever you need to get yours running again. It is imperative that I get off this planet as soon as possible."


Grin Fidsmor

Grin swallowed another painkiller med and winced as he made himself comfortable on an uneven tree stump. Dayoyme had invited them all to take shelter in her camp, since the Jade Star was full of broken glass.

Here we are, stranded in the jungle at four in the morning, under the care of a hysterical Jedi girl who thinks there's a war coming.

That wasn't to say she didn't know how to cook. Whatever it was she had boiling over the fire smelled pretty good. Ro seemed to like it. Erik sniffed the bowl of broth Jedi Dayoyme Lung offered him with skepticism, but at Ro's encouragement, he ate some anyway. Even the crientes, who was resting tamely at Ro's feet, was enjoying it.

But Grin was having trouble finding his appetite. Not with Mr. Sad Tooka Eyes watching him from across the flames. Jasek Marin wore his guilty conscience on his sleeve.

Jasek, a Jedi? Grin couldn't believe it.

Eventually, Jasek grew uncomfortable being glared at. He walked away, into the trees. Grin followed after him. There was a perfectly good refresher in Dayoyme's shelter - it was obvious that Jasek was just avoiding him.

"I spent the last ten years trying to hide from all you Force worshipers," Grin called, kicking at the dirt. "To think you were there, the whole time."

Jasek stopped walking and turned around. "I was going to tell you eventually," he replied apologetically. "Ro is Ilyana's baby too. She has so much potential in the For--"

"Do not talk about Ilyana, and don't talk about the Force," Grin interrupted forcefully. "I knew someone was going to try and take our daughter away again, turn her into one of them. I didn't think it was going to be you, buddy."

"Grin, hey!" Jasek gripped his uninjured shoulder and looked him in the eye. "I'm not going to take Ro away from you. Nobody will, as long as I'm around. But if you'd only let me, I'd train her myself...."

Grin shook his head. "No. I don't care if she learns from the 'dark side' or the 'light' - ultimately, I know where she'd end up. If the Legion finds her--"

"You know, she's been off the pill for a few days now," Jasek cut in. "I can sense these things."

"You're kidding, right?" Grin groaned. That meant they were sitting ducks. "I need to talk to her...."

Jasek crossed his arms. "You know, Grin, you can't lie to her forever. Ro's a smart girl - she knows those aren't vitamin supplements she's taking every two hours."

"You're right," Grin said reluctantly. They started walking back to the camp as they talked. "I guess we've all been keeping things from each other."

Ryan


"Mighty Otundo Hutt, you honor me with your presence." I bowed into the direction of the Holgram. The slug like creature started speaking. After his speech, his translator droid spoke up." Darth Maxus, it is truly splendid you have slain yet another Legion commander. Otundo has delivered the credits to your account, and encourages you to crack down on the Legion, who have been interrupting all activity the Hutt clan may be a part of."

I bowed." I have many more legion to cut down Lord Hutt, have no fear. I will always be willing to lend a hand to any member of the Hutt clan." With that I ended the hologram, turning to Saka. Her brother was piloting the Heathen." I don't know why you kiss up to them. They're not as powerful as they once were." I shrugged, taking a seat." Like the Jedi and Sith, there has always been the Hutt's. Soon this war will be over Saka, and the Hutt's will still be here. And besides, it's always nice to have a rich patron."

She sighed." Why not get the Naboo Queen on your side? I hear she's been pining after you ever since you left your bodyguard job to hunt down Lord Nyx." I cocked my head." I don't know. I thought she would've hated me." Kaden entered the room with a chuckle." Hate you?? All I hear in ports is Koban this, Koban that. Maybe you should return. The money was always good, and you had a queen to keep you warm."

I threw an empty canister at the twins who laughed, leaving the room. And all it did was lead me deeper into my thoughts. Amera Sabin Toharas, Queen of Naboo, and in her second year. A beautiful woman sought after by every rich aristocrat in the galaxy. But what did she want with a mercenary and rogue Sith?? She knew, but she didn't seem to care. It only made her more intrigued. Is that all I was? A game?

Clearing my thoughts, I approached the cockpit." Set a course for Naboo. Master Tellas is there. I need to speak with her... And maybe I'll see if Amera is ok." The twins shared a look before punching in the coordinates. I returned to the cargo hold, gazing at the brand new fighter, and Mach-8 Beron fighter. Armor played, with 6 front guns, room for 4 torpedoes, a rear facing Gatling gun, to be handled by a co-pilot or my droid, R2. Attached to the bottom was my speeder bike. I glanced around the cargo hold one last time before returning to the cockpit yet again.

"Sir, it seems we're picking up a transmission. From... I don't know, but you may want to take a look at it. Putting them into holograph...now!"

Lamar Davis


Lamar's right foot swings lazily back and forth off the side of his bed. He lays on his back, left hand above his head, right hand on his stomach. He looks up into the bright lights and wonders how long he's been in this cell. He sits up, feeling light-headed for a few moments, the bluish afterimage of the light strip gliding across the door. The locked door. Lamar digs his pointer fingers into the corners of his eyes, feeling the dried-up tears. After stretching his arms above his head, feeling his shoulders pop, he goes over to the door and presses his ear against the cold metal.

Nothing.

Stepping back, feeling hopeless, Lamar tries once again to find out where things went wrong. He remembers sparring with Jimmy, then getting angry, so angry, at something he said. Then, just like that, Jimmy was gone, being carted off to the infirmary on one of those roll-y beds. And Lamar was stuffed in here, in this smelly, cramped, boring cell. With a flick of his Master's wrist, the doors were sealed, and Lamar was inescapably trapp—

Wait.

With a flick of his Master's wrist...

Lamar smiles crazily, bounding the short distance to the closed door. He clears his throat, throws his little hands up into a karate stance, and lets out a breath. He pieces it together in his head, psyching himself up for the intimidating task at hand. All Sith are Force-sensitive, and...I'm a Sith, so...I can use the Force, too, Lamar thinks to himself, seeing no flaws in his logic. Tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth, he concentrates on the door. And...OPEN. He wills himself to envision the door sliding open, just as fast as it slid closed. He imagines grabbing the door and tugging sideways with all his brain's might.

Nothing.

Am I overthinkin' it? Yeah, must be, Lamar thinks to himself. He steps back, turns around, and laces his fingers behind his neck, trying to recall what happened in all the action holograms he and his friends had watched. How did they get the door open? Just as Lamar is about to glance around for a fire extinguisher, figuring he could try ramming it against the door handle, it opens seemingly all by itself. It makes a full arc outward, revealing Lamar's Master, and two other Sith, both men. They stand in a triangle of sorts, with Darth Enitis in the front, looking at Lamar with a cold, impartial gaze, and the two men flanking her, their biceps bulging through their undershirt sleeves.

Lamar snaps to attention, and tries to mirror his Master's glare. He empties his eyes of all emotion, and pushes his lower jaw out to appear strong and defiant, as if he wasn't scared to high heaven about his fate. He lets out a shaky breath as his Master begins to speak.

"Lamar Davis, trainee of the Legion, you are hereby released from custody. You may report to the dining hall for your mid-day meal," Darth Enitis says in a monotone. To Lamar, it sounds rehearsed and confusing. Custody? It's already lunch time? Dwelling the longest on the latter, he swallows, and speaks.

"Is Jimmy good?" Lamar asks, watching the two men glance at each other, as if they didn't expect him to speak. Darth Enitis seems to bristle in anger, which made Lamar immediately regret his decision to say anything.

Turning her head to the side a little, Darth Enitis utters, "Dismissed," in a voice that reminded Lamar of the silence between the flash of the lightening and the boom of the thunder. They leave without hesitation, walking a little faster as they near the corner. Her head slowly makes the 45° turn back toward Lamar, who's skin prickles with—

"—the cold creeps, I'll tell ya. There's somethin' wrong with this'un," the fat man is saying, casting wary glances at a four-year-old Lamar. The man is his keeper, and he speaks to another man, scrawny, with bluish-gray skin. The one who sold Lamar to the fat man. Lamar is standing ten meters away, the skin on his left ankle raw and bleeding from the too-tight shackle. He slowly hefts the heavy hammer up and down upon the dented metal panel...clang...clang...clang. He was trying to listen to the slavers' conversation in between strokes.

"How d'you mean, wrong? He was a right fine worker when he was mine," the blue man said, adjusting his scarf. It was by no means cold on Tatooine, but when the winds kicked up, the sand could fly around at 170 miles per hour. Many residents wore scarves to cover their faces. The small pit-like scars on Lamar's back remind him of the two hours he spent stranded outside during a windstorm, when his slaver wouldn't let him in the shelter. He remembered how he pressed himself against the wall of a building while the sand pelted against him, feeling less like little pieces of dirt than thousands and thousands of needles, endlessly drilling against him. He tuned back in to hear the fat man's response.

"...and when he's around, weird things happen. The second he trotted intah dis buildin', BAM! Three li'l brown birds fell from the sky at my feet. Dead," the man said, as if Lamar could kill three of anything by just looking at 'em. He looked back to his hammer. Clang...clang...cla—

Lamar blinks hard, like he saw a bug fly into his eye, but no. He didn't see a bug. It was his Master's hand, he realizes, when his face starts to sting and his eyes well up with involuntary tears. He looks at Darth Enitis after a little gasp of surprise and pain. He supposes that she had been talking to him while he was in that strange trance. It was as if he was watching that section of his life like it was a movie.

"When I speak, I expect you to show some respect and listen," Darth Enitis says, not whispering anymore, but her voice is still startlingly scary.

"I-I'm sorry, Master. I didn't realize you was talkin' to me," Lamar stammers, at a loss for good excuses. "I didn't mean to sound all rude-like."

She starts again. "Since Jimmy will recover, the charges against you have been dropped. You will resume training as normal tomorrow, so think of today as your last day off for a while. In fact," his Master hesitates, as if she has bad news. "In fact, your actions have propelled the Dark Council to move you to the next level of your training." Lamar looks up in surprise.

"Next level? Whaddoes that mean?" Lamar doesn't know what to think. How could something good have possible come out of what he did to Jimmy?

"The Council thought that you have demonstrated a greater knowledge of the Force than what your current level accommodates for. They think you did exactly what you meant to do when you hit your partner," his Master says. Lamar is stunned. Part of him hates that he is being rewarded for hurting his friend, but he is also flattered. Maybe I really can use the Force.

"I'll escort you to the dining hall. After you've eaten, feel free to relax for the remainder of the evening. You've had a difficult day," Darth Enitis says, holding her arm out, gesturing that Lamar should leave the cell. He accepts that offer gratefully, and it takes all he has not to sprint down the halls. His Master walks beside him, her hands clasped behind her. Lamar swings his arms as he struts down the hall. As he turns the corner, he hears the door to his cell close behind them.

Clang.

Grin Fidsmor

He remembered the day clearly, the day he saw her standing on the balustrade above a crowded Jakku spaceport, looking lost and beautiful among the throngs of rough, pockmarked natives.

She told him her name was Ilyana. She wouldn't tell him her surname or where she'd come from - she said she didn't know, couldn't remember - all she knew was that she needed transport offworld, fast. She didn't care to where.

All the more unusual was the little boy - three or four years old, at most - who wouldn't leave her side. He wasn't her son, she insisted, though they shared the same curious amber-flecked eyes.

Grin had just acquired the Jade Star, and was traveling with Jasek. Work was scarce, and most of their crew had left for greener pastures, so they'd taken to smuggling. Transporting a passenger seemed pretty legit, and, Grin figured, she looked like she needed help.

Ilyana stayed aboard for a good six months before it was apparent that she wasn't planning on leaving. So Grin let her stay.

A year passed. Things began to change. Their relationship had changed - for the better, Grin hoped. They were married, and Ilyana was pregnant with their child.

But not every change was for the best. Over time, Ilyana started recalling things. Fleeting flashes of memories, but she'd wake up at night, screaming in terror or muttering things that made no sense....


"I tried to get this thing started," Dayoyme was saying, gesturing to a small jumpspeeders and drawing Grin out of his morose thoughts. "It was one of the first things that broke when ... Master Solo and I arrived."

The Jedi girl was leading Grin and Erik through the ruins of her ship, the insides a disorganized jumble of tools and broken equipment. Pickings were slim - their ships were so different - but if they could figure out how to get one of them in working order, they could get out of here together. The speeder bike was propped haphazardly against the remains of an escape pod.

Erik took one look at the thing, cleared his throat, and said, "I could fix it - well, I could try to, anyway."

Dayo shrugged. "Have at it. If it works, I'm hightailing it out of here to civilization. Not that I know where that'd be."

Erik told her about Zoruul, his friend with the small colony. Grin noticed the boy glossed over the fact that "Zed" was actually a wanted criminal, and that any place he had control over was sure to be an intergalactic cesspool of slime and villainy - no place for a dignified lady Jedi. Dayoyme's eyes lit up so hopefully, Grin didn't have the heart to tell her the truth.

Dayoyme excused herself, leaving Grin and Erik to work on the bike.


Ro Fidsmor

Ro sat on a fallen log, idly petting the crientes with one hand (avoiding her head, of course), and fingering the crystal pendant with the other. Jasek had gone for a walk to clear his head. Erik and Grin had accompanied Jedi Lung to the ruins of her starship, hoping to scavenge for spare parts or some other way to get out of here.

Not that Ro minded being here. To her surprise, Ro found the silence, the emptiness, the lack of people to be thrilling and relaxing at the same time.

Dayoyme, the Jedi lady, returned to the camp, and took a seat on one of the tree stumps. Ro saw her fold her legs under her, take a deep breath, and shut her eyes.

"What are you doing?" Ro whispered.

Dayoyme opened her eyes slowly and glared. "I'm meditating."

"Oh, sorry...." Ro cleared her throat awkwardly. "Could you show me how?"

Jin Iguru

"Approaching the drop point General." The pilot said. I turned to the gathered troops." Remember, we need to make it up the ravine. From there we'll have a defensible position. I want machine guns set up immediately so we can lay down fire in order to bring up more troops and equipment."

The green light flashed repeatedly and the blast doors opened. Commander Rylo turned to his troops." All right ladies, let's move it!! Go go go!!" He jumped out of the gunship as the other gunships began dropping off troopers. I leaped down from the gunship, the guns aboard firing rapidly up the canyon at a Legion defensive line. I ducked as a blaster bolt passed close to my head. I turned to Rylo." Get your soldiers moving!!" I shouted above the sound of the firefight.

I turned on my lightsaber, deflecting bolts back at the enemy. I watched as more of my gunships dropped off fresh soldiers, and as they began straggling to our defensive line, the first of our machine guns began firing at the enemy. Rylo was directing mortar fire at approaching Legion tanks. I grabbed my binoculars and watched as the mortars began to directly hit the tanks, knocking them out of commission as their crews ran for cover.

More and more troops began to amass at our location as I turned to Rylo." Get more men up here!! I want those legion ladies running with their tails between their legs." He began to shout into his communicator as I looked at the Legion defensive line. Several ranks of legion conscripts, with Sith ordering them around. They had a couple cannons, but not the good ones my men had. Than the Sith started to notice me. You could tell because they were shouting at other Sith captains and pointing at me. I tuned to Commander Rylo.

"Let's charge em." I said, a crazy smile on my face as I put my sabers into their staff form. I could see him shake his head in laughter before turning to the gathered troopers. He whistled loudly, getting their attention as our machine guns and mortars fired relentlessly at the Legion's troops. He turned to me expectantly. I turned on my lightsaber and raised it in the air." Let's go get em boys!" I shouted, turning towards the enemy line, and beginning to run towards them.

I didn't have to look behind me to know my men were following me. Charging strait at the enemy. Blisters fired behind me and at me. I deflected those I could. I saw a couple Sith turn on their lights sets and prepare to meet me. Their men were frantically trying to cut us down, but nothing could beat a good old Mandalorian charge.

Ten feet from the Legion trenches, I flipped neatly forward, using the force to push me forward. I landed behind a Sith captain who met my blade on his own. I kicked his feet from underneath him and did a spin, bringing my blade down into his chest. His scream was drowned out by the clash of Mandalorian troopers going at with their bare fists and combat knives against woefully unprepared Legion conscripts, who were probably dragged from some poor village.

I detached my lightsabers from each other as two Sith came at me from both sides. I blocked an overhand thrust and slashed quickly through their leg, than turned to face his ally. With a smile I watched as my padawans leaped into battle, cutting down Legion troops effortlessly." Shizeru!!" Commander Rylo shouted, opening fire on one of the Sith I was dueling. She fell down with a scream where the shots had penetrated. I turned to her downed partner and ex exited him with a quick slash across the throat, his rolling aimlessly in the sand.

I watched as my gunships came closer, strafing the enemy as my ARC troopers rappeled down, quickly joking the battle. It was a bloody day. Many soldiers were rolling around in the dirt, resorting to fists. I watched as Derryn Ordo flew over to me, propelled by his jetpack." A good day for death!" He shouted, aiming his dual pistols and taking out two Legion soldiers simultaneously.

I nodded and blocked a shot aimed at his back. He nodded his thanks before turning to his troops who were being dropped off gunships." Give em hell boys!!" He shouted. He pointed at an incoming fighter wing of Legion fighters." We've got aircraft!" He shouted.

I smiled at him." So do I." I laughed suddenly the Legion fighters exploded as a dozen of brand new Delta fighters zoomed past, obliterating enemy air support. Derryn turned to me, taking off his helmet." I see that kid managed to get you some fighters." I nodded." Soon, we'll have a full fleet." He nodded in appreciation as they approached for another strafe. I turned to my troops who were gathering wounded and prisoners as the battle slowly died down. My padawans approached me.

"Make camp! We're on to the Capitol tommorow!" I smiled as the men cheered and more gunships came, dripping off walkers and tanks this time. I turned to Rylo." Contact Admiral Liang. Let's get the Shizeru down here and we can start loading up the wounded and prisoners. And we can get our reinforcements." He nodded, turning to get his job done. I turned to Derryn." This was a victory my brother. There's two more Legion garrisons. One south of here. Take your men, and subdue them. Prisoners if you can, but it's not a neccesity. We're not the Republic. We're Mandalorian. I'll begin the siege of Veneer and wait for you before begining the final assault." He clasped his hand to his heart before walking away.

I turned towards my padawans." Good job out there today. When we return home to Coruscant I'll see to it you two become Knights. I see nothing more I can do." They both bowed before turning away, talking excitedly amongst themselves. I watched as the Shizeru entered the atmosphere, carrying medical supplies and food, and even more trips. This campaign will be over soon I thought to myself grimly.

Dayome Lung

"Watch close because I'm only showing you once." I said opening one eye to look at Ro, "You just get comfortable and let your mind drift into blankness. It takes a while to get there, but you will. It has a lot to do with breathing."

She nodded quickly and copied my positioning on the log and stated big exaggerated breaths in and out her eyes squeezed tight. I rolled my eyes at her innocence and fell back into my meditation. My mind drifted to the days of training with Master Solo.


"Your form is sloppy and tie your hair back it's in your face." Ben said circling me as I held my saber my long hair whipping around my face.

"My apologies Ben." I said quickly tying my hair back and fixing my posture.

"That's Master Solo to you, young lady." He said shifting my shoulders back and my arms up.

He threw an apple towards me and I swung quickly shutting my eyes as I did missing the apple by a mile.

"Dayome keep your eyes open, I would never intentionally hurt you." Solo said picking up the apple and tossing it quickly at me.

I took a deep breath and swung with all my power towards the apple watching it fall in two pieces towards the ground. Ben looked at me and ran over to hug me as I giggled and jumped around in joy.

"You did good Dayo, lets work on your ability with the force next." He said rubbing my head.

I opened my eyes to reveal the night sky and their ship lit up. Must have gotten some parts from my old thing.

I stood and rubbed Bens stump before returning to the ship to find everyone gathered either on chairs or the floor eating. I pulled a supplement packet from my robe and a bowl fro the table and poured the water into it revealing two pieces of bread a some cheese. I sat on the floor eating my dinner while everyone talked or ate. I started practicing and lifted a few things off the table and moving them to different places and then back to their original home. Ro was amazed.

"Ho did you do that? I wanna do it!" She said her eyes wide.

"Years of practice and natural gift." I replied finishing off the rest of my meal.

She nodded and then ran off somewhere after putting her bowl on the counter. I decided to settle in for the night on the couch and found a blanket hiding behind the counter.

I crawled into my fresh bed and started drifting off before a noise woke me.

Ro Fidsmor

It was late, and the Jedi girl had gone off to bed, but Ro didn't want to go to sleep, not just yet. She'd felt a bit self-conscious trying to meditate in front of Dayoyme, but now, only the crientes - She needed a name, how about Fluffy? - was around. She was going to try again.

Taking a deep breath, Ro let herself - body and mind - relax.

For what seemed like an eternity, all Ro was aware of were the noises in the trees around her, and the blackness of her closed eyes.

This isn't going to work, she thought dejectedly. Letting out the breath she hadn't realized she was still holding in, Ro resolved to try to breathe normally. That, she realized, was no easy feat when you're thinking about it.

Blankness. Dayoyme had told her to let her mind drift into blankness. How was that even possible?

Ro decided to think about nothing - nothing at all. But nothingness is something, isn't it?

"Blah." Ro fidgeted for a moment, letting her mind wander, not really thinking about anything important.

Sometimes, if you looked directly into the sunlight, when you shut your eyes, you saw colors. Ro took a long look at the crackling fire, shut her eyes, and watched the colors....

....

....

Finally, some clarity.

She heard a voice, muffled by some apparent distance, calling out ... to her. It was a woman's voice, the one from her dream. Could that be why it felt so familiar?

No, there was something more.

She heard Fluffy stir at her feet, but Ro balled up her fists at her sides, willing herself to ignore everything and focus on that voice.

Focus.... She felt the voice, whoever it belonged to, urging her on, encouraging her to reach out. That's it....

Suddenly, the connection was made. The voice rang loud and clear in her mind.

"Roenna ... hello, my daughter."

Equally suddenly, in her shock, Ro cut the connection. Tripping over Fluffy (no, that wasn't a good name for her at all), Ro ran blindly, in the general direction of Dayoyme's tiny hut, hoping to tell her what happened - only to crash headlong into Jasek.

"Ro, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"I think I did," Ro replied. "Or heard one, anyway."

Jasek led her back to the campfire, where the crientes - not wanting to be stepped on again - eyed them warily.

"What happened?"

Steeling herself, Ro told him everything: the repeating dreams, her newfound abilities, her suspicions about the "meds" Grin kept giving her.... But that good feeling evaporated when Jasek replied, quite simply, "I know."

Skye Merem

The sabers both clattered to the floor, rendered useless. Skye considered reaching out and grabbing them, but she wouldn’t have the time before he—

Zarash made no move, except to squeeze his eyes shut and shake his head. When he opened his eyes again, they were void of that adrenaline fueled glow. The crimson blades retreated into their matte black hilts with a snap.

“Skye…” He said quietly, looking like he was trying to calm himself. But that didn’t make sense. Why was he doing this? The facts weren’t adding up. “I’m not here to take you back… I’m leaving the Legion behind me as well.” He stopped speaking abruptly. Skye narrowed her eyes at him distrustfully. Yes, it made some sense now, but some things still didn’t add up. Zarash had worked his way up the ranks, earning himself the title of ‘Darth’. He became the Legion’s top swordsman. There’s no way he could just be leaving.

Zarash sighed. Skye saw him extend his hand and summon her daggers to it. He examined them while Skye shifted into a basic hand-to hand stance discreetly, knowing it was futile. He was just trying to get her to put her guard down, and then he’d strike, he’d drag her back to the torture rooms and condemn her to stay there for eternity, slowly bleeding out, her blood slowly replaced with pure Dark. He’d—

He looked up at her and handed her her sabers, and said, “I know you can’t possibly trust me right now, but I hope that you will at least hear me out.”

None of it made sense. Not one bit. But maybe, if Skye played along, she could at least find out why Zarash was here.

“Fine. But speak fast.”

Zarash let out a ragged breath. He appeared to have trouble beginning. Skye crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. “If you’re going to talk, you’d better actually do it.” Hearing those words, Zarash looked up. Was that… desperation she saw reflected in his eyes?

“I… I’ve been feeling the Light calling, more and more lately. You have no clue how…” he struggled for a few seconds. “How hopeful I felt when I saw you. I thought you could help me… cut ties. I don’t know. Forget it.”

He stepped back, head down again.

“Wait. Just a minute.”

Zarash stopped, and turned back around.

Skye was torn. That couldn’t be an act. The Sith were too proud to open up, even the little bit that Zarash did. What’s more was that the Force rang true with his words. When she gently prodded him mentally, he opened his shields just a tad, just enough so that she could see through and confirm it. There was mostly dark, yes, but there were some spots of light mixed in, and curling up on the edges. And Skye knew him, probably better than most back at the Legion did after all those years. As much as she hated to admit it, he was telling the truth. All the evidence said so.

“I’ll help you. Like those years at the Legion, right?” Skye smirked at him. “But if I help you, you’ve gotta help me back. When you have the time to get out of that hell-hole, comm me. I’ll meet you on some backwater planet and you’re going to help me with my saber techniques. I’m nowhere near a master of any of the forms. And I’ll help you get out. What was it you said? Sever ties?” She stuck her hand out and the comm on his belt flew to her. She fiddled with it for a minute, and looked up. Zarash met her eyes, stoic, but she could see the glimmer of amusement tucked away in his.

“Deal, Skye.” And then the comm blinked, causing Skye to look down, eyebrow raised.

“Expecting someone?” Skye asked dryly. Zarash held his hand out and the commlink flew back to him. His face held mild confusion.

“No, I’m not. I’m going to, uh, go into the other room,” Zarash stated. Skye nodded, still processing what just happened.

A childhood friend, for lack of a better word, had suddenly just appeared. Out of nowhere. What were the chances of that? Skye sat down on the crate beside her with a shaky sigh. It was just hitting her, how close she was to being taken back by the Legion.

A crash. Zarash came rushing out, saying something along the lines of, “I have to get back, now.”

Skye, not sure if she heard him right, replied, “Uh… Well, if you’re going back to the Legion, I can’t drop you off. They know my ship pretty well.”

Zarash nodded. “I understand. I’ll contact you.” He picked up his head scarf from the grated floor and fastened it back around his head. He walked to the ramp and pressed a button to lower it.

“Hey, Zarash?”

He turned to look at her one more time.

“Be discreet. You know what happens if they find out your desire to desert.”

Zarash nodded one last time, and with narrowed eyes, walked back out into the hub that was Coruscant. Skye watched him go, feeling somewhat empty.

Zarash Tichon

Zarash stood, listening intently to the proposal of his old friend, if that is what one could call Skye to Zarash: their relationship within the Legion had been mutually beneficial, and though the Pureblood now hoped that he could call her his friend, he could not know whether the same hope existed in the woman's mind.

He took only a moment to make up his mind. "Deal, Skye."

The words were barely out of his mouth before he felt a slight tug on his belt, glancing down to see his commlink fly across the gap and into Merem's outstretched hand.

"Expecting someone?"

He frowned in confusion, raising his arm and willing the commlink to return to him. The Legion couldn't possibly know already of his treachery..... could they?

"No, I'm not. Give me a moment, I need to see what this is about. I'm going to, uh, go into the other room." He mentally berated himself for the sudden devolution of his speech. Her appearance is affecting you more than you could have imagined... A voice in his head intoned.

Walking into the adjacent room of the starport, he stared for a moment into his commlink before activating the receiver. Almost immediately, the holoimage sprang up, a dark robed woman appearing in the air in front of him with a look of confusion on her face, no doubt due to his denial of a face to face conversation.

"Why have you disturbed me?" Zarash forced himself back into the Legion Blademaster's mindset; he knew that if there were any flicker that he would be found out and dealt with summarily.

"Lord Tichon, my apologies." The woman said. "I was told to notify you that one of your students has attacked one of his fellow pupils, one Lamar Davis, I believe..."

Zarash's calm broke. Lamar? The youngling? "What happened? Will the student live?"

There was a pause and the Pureblood's heart stuttered. "Yes. The boy will recover, given time, and Lamar is being released from isolation, but he will be watched."

The Blademaster sighed and rubbed his eyes lightly. "Alright. Is that all?"

"No, lord Tichon... There is a woman, as well."

He stared at the hologram for a moment, waiting for the sith girl to continue. "And?" He hissed. "Do not wait for my confirmation, girl. Who is she?"

The sith cringed and continued. "Her name is Anita Stone. The Legion has been watching her for some time now and an opportunity has recently presented itself. She is currently being held in the interrogation room at your station. The council has chosen you as her recondition officer."

Zarash's blood ran suddenly cold. Reconditioning... You know exactly what that entails, Zarash...

He cleared his throat and forced his voice into even tones. "Very well. I shall return shortly and begin her training. I assume that her blood has already been tested?"

"Yes, lord Tichon. We are awaiting the results as we speak."

"Good." Not good. "You can expect me within the next few hours. You are dismissed."

He let out a sigh of relief as the hologram faded and retreated into the commlink in his hand and placed the device on his belt before turning to- *BANG*

Zarash whirled around in time to watch as a small hand retreated into the air vent far above, an even smaller device on the ground below. A spy?! His eyes widened in fear before reaching out in desperation with his abilities. I sense...... nothing.....

His brow furrowed in confusion. The Legion would not send a non-Force sensitive, so who was that? That was the hand of a child...

He shook his head and swept out of the room, his cloak billowing around him as he approached Skye once more. "I have to get back, now."

Her eyes held a sort of amused confusion. "Uh... well, if you're going back to the Legion, I can't drop you off. They know my ship pretty well."

He nodded in response. "Of course, I understand. I'll contact you."

Looking around for a moment, he made a split decision and chose a nearby ship at random. No time to arrange for transport. I will reimburse the owner later.

Retrieving his scarf and goggles, he recovered his face and headed to the ship, an old 578-R Space Transport, and waved his hand, the ramp descending slowly as it responded to his command.

"Hey, Zarash?"

He turned to look at her one more time.

"Be discreet. You know what happens if they find out your desire to desert."

He nodded and narrowed his eyes. I know all too well... He turned again and strode up the ramp, the engines creating a gust of wind that blew his cloak all around him before the ramp finally closed. Bypassing the security on the old freighter was no issue, and soon he had programmed the necessary coordinates into the ship's navigational computer. He watched through the static-ridden security dashboard and silently bid farewell to his old friend as she grew small with the planet below. We will meet again soon. He told himself, but a cold dread was growing in his chest...

Anita Stone

"If you don't return that ship right now slave, you're going to be beaten so hard that..." I turned off the comm, what could my old slave master do if he couldn't find me? It was definitely not his wisest moment to let me repair his ship.

I made the jump to hyperspace, and for all of three hours the ride was a smooth one. But then, the stress of the trip began to take it's toll on the ship. I heard the groans of a complaining ship only a second or two before the piece of junk began to cave in.

I gasped, thinking that was going to be my last breath. However, destiny didn't exactly want it to be that way. The ceiling began to bend towards me, threatening to crush me, when it suddenly stopped. I didn't wait to make sure that this was going to last, I simply acted. I landed at the next planet with a breathable atmosphere.

I had several months to mull over what had happened, and I could only come to one conclusion: the force. It fascinated me that I could do such a thing, but it scared me even more so. One of my only friends had been taken by people because he was force-sensitive, and I was pretty sure that I didn't want to join him. I had to hide this, to make sure that no one found me.

***

The drift from sleep to reality was a slow one, and it must have taken five minutes for the world to come into focus. The first thing that I noticed when I woke up was that I was strapped down to a backboard, my arms, legs, and head buckled to it. Probably a good choice on the part of whoever it was, because I didn't take kindly to being kidnapped. I tested the straps on my arms, yep, there was absolutely no way I was breaking out of those things. My surroundings looked like some sort of interrogation room, but I couldn't figure out anything else about it.

I started to list what I knew right now, which turned into more of a list of what I had absolutely no clue about but I needed to know in order to escape. First- I needed to know exactly where I was, and who had just kidnapped me. That probably wouldn't be too hard, unless they had plans of keeping me in this room for a while, and what would be the point of that? I didn't know practically anything useful that they couldn't have just paid for. So they probably wanted me here to do something, and I wasn't sure that I wanted to know what it was.

It wasn't very long before boredom consumed me, and no one, least of all me, can explain what happens when I'm bored. I started singing children's tunes in an incredibly off-key voice, knowing that I was probably driving anyone who passed by absolutely insane, because most of the songs didn't take very long to become lodged in your head. Unless the door was sound-proof, in which case I was the only one hearing myself being utterly embarrassed.

It went on like that until I ran out of songs (Which took at least four hours.) and then I began visualizing how I would paint the walls if I could. A spaceship here, a creature there... And thus my boredom progressed until I truly understood why they had tied my head down- to keep me from banging it against the backboard out of pure boredom.

It must have been at least eight hours before someone showed up. I was starving, and to be quite honest I needed a change of clothes. I attempted to fill my thoughts with useless junk just in case whoever that was read my mind. Facts about different creatures from around the galaxy, I could think about them all day.

"Why am I here?" I asked in an attempt at calm.

"You have been seen as useful to the Legion."

Oh kriff, this is the legion. There are a million places in the universe I don't want to be and this was probably the worst of the lot. I have to find a way out of here, and fast. My thoughts tumbled one after the other before I could regulate them. Well what did they expect anyway? If I wanted to be here I would have come of my own accord. But letting them know that I was planning escape was definitely not my smartest moment.

This wasn't going to be a fun day.

Zarash Tichon

Zarash paced the small ship nervously for what seemed like hours as he attempted to calm his panicked and nervous mind. They'll know, they have to know....

He growled and smashed his fist suddenly into the jagged edge of the rusted wall and grudgingly scraped his red skin along the rough surface until blood was drawn. Keep it together, Tichon. It's up to you to get that woman out of there, and you're no use to her dead or captured.

He shook his head and pulled his gloves on, focusing on the pain that was now emanating from his hand and clearing his mind of all that had transpired in the past day.

Looking out through the viewport, he watched as the stars blazed past through hyperspace and he let out a shaky breath, knowing that soon he would be facing his former compatriots.

*****

Zarash opened a comms channel the moment his stolen ship exited hyperspace and let it be known that the Blademaster had returned, and not to fire upon the unknown ship tat was slowly descending into the atmosphere of the Legion's forward base and training grounds. "Prepare a shuttle for me. I will go to see the prisoner immediately."

Zarash pulled his headwrap from around his face and dropped it to the floor, stretching his neck and allowing his eyes to take on the orange hue of the dark side before preparing the landing sequences and walking slowly down the ramp, only to emerge from his ship before a landing party of armed soldiers, officers and even the dark lord, Darth Void himself.

"Greetings, Blademaster." The Sith lord's vioce flowed from under his hood like smoke, seamless, emotionless and cold.

Oh, kriff.

"There is little outside of the Legion that keep my mind occupied for long, Void."

Zarash kept his voice steady, though he knew that the Jawa would not be there without very good reason. After a moment of silence, the hooded figure nodded and a thin, dry laugh could be heard. "Of course, Darth Tichon. I will leave you to your..... work. Give the prisoner my regards, won't you?"

The Pureblood inwardly scowled, but spoke nonetheless. "Of course, Darth. When I'm through with her, she will know the name Void." I'll kill you someday, you bastard....

He nodded once more to the assembled men and the Sith lord before swiftly walking down the center of the hangar, making sure to cast a menacing look this way and that to maintain the effect, before disappearing down a private corridor that lead to his, among other's, private quarters.

****
Zarash entered his room and looked around bleakly before waving his wand minutely, setting the small, "hidden," camera in the corner to a loop and leaving him free to pack for his journey. Gathering a small bag, he stuffed his trophies inside, lightsabers taken from fallen foes, mainly Jedi, with a regretful look before covering them with a number of cloaks, a number of his signature battlesuits and topping off the clothing with a number of masks and goggles. One can never be too careful...

Glancing around, he made sure that no one was approaching down the hall before crossing the room and depressing a small and well hidden square on his desk, opening the drawer that presented itself from underneath and scooping out several fistfuls of credits into his bag, handfuls at a time. The Legion's Blademaster, without the funding of the Legion.... That'll be hard to get used to...

The Pureblood finished packing and set about cleaning his room to diffuse suspicion with his abrupt return and departure before donning a new battlesuit, cloak and placing his lightsabers once again upon his belt, now in plain view, before taking a deep breath, shouldering his pack, and walking calmly and quickly out the door, headed for the interrogation wing.

****

"I'm here to see the prisoner. My future apprentice, as I've heard."

The Legion trooper looked up from his console and stood to attention, his knees shaking slightly. "Right away, my lord. I'm sorry, my lord, I did not hear you approach."

"Be glad that I am not Jedi, then, Captain. At ease. I will see the prisoner now."

"Right away, my lord. Thank you, my lord." I certainly won't miss the groveling....

Zarash took on a look of minor annoyance as he walked into the cell, stopping suddenly for a moment when he realized that she was already conscious.

"Why am I here?"

Indeed. That is precisely what I am wondering.

"You have been seen as useful to the Legion."

With those words, Zarash looked to the camera and nodded, with a knowing glint in his eye. The Captain knew well by now the tactics that the Blademaster used in the "reconditioning" process, and in a moment, the blinking red light was no more.

Zarash immediately dropped his demeanor and sighed, cracking his neck before flicking his hand at the restraints the woman had been placed into. "Listen to me carefully. I will not yet tell you my name, nor will you tell me yours. I am escaping this place, tonight. I know that a Sith lord is probably not high on your most trusted list, and so I'm going to leave you the choice of coming with me or not. I will let you know, however, that if you should choose to stay, you will be executed without hesitation, or worse, reconditioned to serve the Legion as its pawn. Should you choose to say yes, you should also know taht there is every possibility that neither of us will escape this facility, and will both die trying." The Pureblood paused for breath and looked at the woman's confused face before reaching suddenly into his back and producing her lightsaber.

"I took the liberty of retrieving this from lockup. I hope this means something in how much you may trust me." He held out the blade for her to take.

I took my saber back. "I'll take any chance to escape, thank you. What can I do to assist?"

***

Word for the wise- ventilation shafts might be just barely big enough to crawl through, but they are not intended for such things. Also, note to future me- Bring a pair of wire cutters or something along those lines with you wherever you go, it'll save you a lot of time. Actually- just never take off your tool belt, you will need it. I probably would have had the tools taken from me anyway, but still.

I crawled my way to the hangar bay as fast as I could. I sneaked into one of the ships and began to remove any and all types of tracking devices from it. The Sith hadn't showed up yet so I made sure that everything else was in working order, targeting computer and weapon systems most of all.

The sith showed up soon enough, and if he'd done his part the bay doors would open right up for us. We boarded, and left without a hitch.

...Or so we thought.

About five minutes after we left three small fighters were sent out after us. I wondered if they were going out for some other reason, but when something starts shooting at you they probably want to kill you.

"Kriff!" I exclaimed as the first shot hit. I started up the targeting computer and began to shoot. I took out one of the fighters relatively easily.

"If we don't find somewhere to hide they're going to keep sending fighters after us!" I yelled.

Another shot hit. "They took out our targeting systems!"

"You think I don't know that?" I said, throwing a pair of smoking goggles away from my face. I still had two fighters to take out, kriff kriff kriff kriff.

I took a deep breath to contemplate the situation. We began approaching an asteroid belt, if we stayed alive in there we could possibly escape. But we needed to take out these other fighters. An idea tickled at the back of my brain, like a little voice.

shoot there. I didn't wait for another signal, I just did as the voice bid, what did I have to lose? An explosion followed. What the heck? I searched for the voice, and as soon as I started looking for it, it was like it was at my service. The voice told me where to shoot, and soon the last fighter was shrapnel floating through space. I took a deep breath and released it slowly. I began to laugh, the relief of not being dead crashing in on me.

"We survived!" I cheered, grinning from ear to ear.