She stood up and joined him at the console,ignoring Chris, "I think think that you are right, Admiral. This could be advantageous; however, that is not why I am ordering this to occur. I am still waiting confirmation from part of my team, but I can assure you that we will be ready when the time comes." They continued speaking about their strategy, mapping it out on the holoconsole in front of them. One thing that Elisabeth had learned from Mon Mothma was that it was beneficial to go over a strategy multiple times. The newly dubbed commander just listened on the side. "If we fail, the cost of lives will be high, Senator," the Admiral grimly told her as they were finishing their discussion.

"And if we surrender, all hope for the New Republic is lost." Elisabeth looked down at her hands and then up at the console.

"Our strategy is well formed, but it is risky." Both turned to look at each other.

"I understand that, Admiral."

"If that is all, I will be in my office. No matter the path we take, there will be difficult changes that face the New Republic," the Admiral said as a parting thought exiting the bridge. It left Chris and Elisabeth alone. As Chris was just about to speak, Colonel Deselvar entered, "Ah, Senator, it is lovely to see you once more."

"And you Colonel." Elisabeth smiled a bit, and Chris grimaced. The colonel moved towards Elisabeth, "I was wondering if you have had anything to eat recently. And if not, would you and...your friend... like to join me."

I out rank you, pal... thought Chris sorely to himself as he watched Elisabeth take the Colonel's offered arm. The trio walked out of the bridge to the exclusive high-command dining room.

"Colonel, that is correct; I will be. The Commander can attest to that." Elisabeth looked at Chris and diverted her eyes back to her empty plate.

Deselvar laughed a bit, "I'm sure that he can. However, Senator Organa, may I say that I am opposed to this plan of yours?"

She felt her cheeks redden and her composure slip a bit. Chris must have noticed as well, because he was watching the exchange intently. "If you must, Colonel," she replied with frost in her voice.

"It is dangerous, and you, as a Senator, and an important one at that, have no right to endanger your life. The people of the Republic desperately need your leadership in addition to your cousin's. In addition to this, the Imperial remnant will no doubt have every sensor avaliable up and running, watching the immediate parsec. I don't know if you have noticed this, but the moment we leave hyperspace, and emerge into the same system, we'll be in serious trouble. We will be caught by an undoubtedly larger Imperial Star Fleet."

"Colonel, as in any part of our military strategy, it is imparative to remember that if we do not act now, we could very well lose any chance the New Republic has to stop this Sith Lord and the re-emergence of the Empire. This is no time for delay. There is no time for caution."

"Yes. I see. Again may I say something, if I am not so bold..." Elisabeth paled at the possibilities of this conversation's direction. Taking out her lightsaber and silencing him would be a step towards the Dark Side, which was the last thing she wanted. There were none of her Jedi friends to be a distraction. Her normal methods of skirting around a conversation wouldn't work in this situation. There were no other people here to talk with or be interrupted by except Chris, and she doubted that he'd come to the rescue.

Just as she was about to answer, Chris turned to her, "Senator, you look as if you could use some rest, if you do not mind me saying so."

I wish that people would stop saying that. "I suppose that you are right. It has been lovely, Colonel. Please tell the Admiral to summon me when he returns to the bridge. Good evening," she said to the colonel, silently smiling inside. Chris got out of the booth and offered her his arm. She gladly took it, and whispered into his ear, "Thank you." He smiled in return and they left the colonel sitting at the table with a confused look on his face.

"I never thought that I was going to be free of that wretched man, how can I thank you?" Elisabeth smiled and walked at an easy pace back to her room. "You actually managed to have manners for once. I knew that there was more to you than your ego and your fixation with money!"

"Look, Senator, I agree with him," he said. The Senator stopped and turned on him, "You agree with him? You have my full attention."

"I heard about your little rescue mission, your mission where you're probably gonna end up being a martyr for the Republic. I agree with him when he said that you're too important to lose. The New Republic can't lose you, or your cousin, but that's not the point. See me? I can go on those kinds of missions. I'm expendable, you're not? Got it?" His tone was forceful, and scared her a bit.

"If we're going to do this, can we do it inside? I'd much rather the ship not be privy to our... debates."

"Yeah, fine. Whatever you say, Your Exhaltedness." They walked a few feet apart from one another in silence until they reached her room. "Be quieter, okay? I don't want Tierva to hear."

She sat calmly on the sofa in the suite, "My job as a Senator and as a Jedi is to help those in need. Right now, one of the people I know needs my help. I was elected into this position to help others. You can't very well expect me to sit and watch everything that I love get blown to bits again."

Chris had the perfect response crafted, but the last word caught him off guard, "Wait....Again?"

Elisabeth stood up and turned away from him, "Get out, Chris. Go."

He nodded and left her suite, just as she asked. After he'd gone, Elisabeth sat down on the couch in the suite and allowed the tears to come. Deep down, she knew that both men were right. She didn't want to let anybody down.

Outside, he keyed the door chime and waited for the Senator to answer.

After they entered, she closed the door again and sat back in her former spot on the couch, "I'm assuming that you have made your decision."

The Admiral looked petrified, "The Imperial Remnant has attacked Naboo... we were right about the other three locations being false. I have sent the three small fleets we sent to those locations to Naboo... from the reports in the distress call, I do not believe the entire Imperial fleet is there. Besides that, Naboo is not strategically valuable to the Imperial Remnant... I believe we should keep the majority of our fleet here. Mon Calamari is the logical place to attack."

Eitn and Choc took a seat in the back of the bridge and Elisabeth walked to the console opposite of the Admiral, "I agree with your order, Admiral," the console beeped as a transmission was coming in, "Wait... there's something coming through. It's a scrambled transmission and faint...hold on." Elisabeth nodded at a navigation officer, who turned a few dials on his panel.

"Code Clearance," the Admiral said.

"Epsilon Actual," the other line replied. Ackbar looked at a navigation officer, who nodded,"You may proceed."

"Admiral, our fleet is being depleted rapidly. The Imperials are too strong for this size of a fleet. We must retreat. If we do not, then we will be wiped out for sure. Much of Naboo is already destroyed."

The Admiral's face became troubled once more, "Senator, what do you believe the fleet should do? This is your call. I believe that we should reroute our forces to Mon Calamari; they will be a great asset if the battle comes here."

"Well, if they do not fight, the fleet could be destroyed on its way out. If they do fight, the fleet still has a chance of being expunged. The people of Naboo should be our largest concern right now. Defeating the Sith should come second. It is the people who we primarily protect, the institution of democracy second. I say that the fleet that we have there should stand their ground and protect that planet at all cost. Even if they all perish, they will have not died in vain." The Admiral nodded, they both had conflicting opinions. However, he had the final say. In the past, the Senator had made good decisions, and he trusted her reasoning.

"Did you get that, Officer?" Ackbar asked the person on the other line. "Yes, sir. We will hold our ground. This is the Third Republic Fleet signing out."

"There's not much more that we can do at this time, Senator."

"There is still more that we can do. Admiral, I suggest mobilizing the rest of the fleet on Mon Calamari. I fear what you have feared; Mon Calamari is a definate target. They will try to target our ship yards. It will be an advantageous move."

"Yes, Senator, you are correct," he turned to another officer, "Mobilize the fleet immediately. Get them off of Mon Calamari. That is all for now."

"Thank you, Admiral, I will be in the Officer's Mess getting a cup of coffee if you need me," she started to walk out of the bridge again, but turned to Choc and Eitn for a moment, "you're welcome to join me if you'd like."

She had walked into the Officer's dining hall, and sat at the bar and ordered a coffee. She mostly just looked at it and thumbed the mug. A short while later, Colonel Deselvar walked into the room, "The Admiral said that this is where I could find you." Not you again, thought Elisabeth with a groan, "Yes, Colonel, you have found me. How can I help you?"

"I am afraid that that I have an unfortunate message from the bridge," he said and Elisabeth's head immediatly snapped up, "there are reports that the Republic forces at Naboo have been obliterated. We recieved a very short communique before communications were cut. They're all gone."

Elisabeth felt like she'd been socked in the stomach. She'd told them to remain there, and ended up signing their death certificate...

"Senator, are you okay?" The Colonel put his hand on her shoulder. She shyed away from it, and returned to thumbing her coffee mug.

"Yes, I'm fine. If that is all, Colonel, you are dismissed." The colonel departed, and Elisabeth was left to thumb her coffee mug and think over the consequences of her order over and over again.

Their orders were to wait in empty space, outside of the Mon Calamari system, until the inevitable attack by the Imperial Remnant. Then they would flank the invaders, and hopefully take out a large portion of their numbers.

But that was not her concern.

Lo's job was to keep the minds of the men and women in this fleet safe from the mental influence of the Sith. She had been practicing with Master Plo Teep for many hours, and, when the time came, she hoped she would be able to cover this fleet as Master Plo Teep covered the majority of the fleet already at Mon Calamari. They would work together, melding their efforts, creating a wall the Sith would not be able to break through.

At least, that was their hope.

Determined to be optimistic, as Tol had taught her many times, she turned. Captain Bana, who had gotten used to the one-eyed Wookie by now, raised an eyebrow. "Would you like me to inform you once the fleet jumps to Mon Calamari, Jedi Logargh?" he asked.

Lo shook her head. /I'll already know,/ she growled in reply, then smiled. /By the time we make the jump, I will be in deep meditation, and must not be disturbed. If you need me to know something, just think it, and I will read your thoughts,/ she explained.

Captain Bana nodded, only halfway understanding. He had his orders... he did not need to report to the Jedi. However, he had seen men die in battle simply because they had given up hope, and thus had great respect for what Logargh was trying to do.

/May the Force be with you,/ Logargh growled, hoping she could make certain, with the Battle Meditation, that that was the case.

Captain Bana smiled. "And with you, Jedi Logargh," he replied, and Lo left the bridge to go to her quarters and begin her Battle Meditation.

(There. Her Battle Meditation won't be as good or far-reaching as Magus's and Plo Teep's, but it will be something.)

He moved a few seats down and sat next to the Senator. "Hey, bartender!" he shouted. The man came back and stood infront of Chris, "What'll you have, sir?"

"Do you have any Alderaanian ale?"

"No, sir. This is a military ship."

"'K. How about Corellian Spiced Ale?"

"No."

"What about Corellian whiskey?"

"No."

"Chandrilan brandy?"

"Yes, sir. We have a few bottles of that."

"I will take one... actually, make it a double. And one for the Senator as well." Chris said, gesturing towards Elisabeth. But she protested, "No, the coffee is fine. Thank you anyways." The bartender left and started to pour Chris's drink.

"What do you want, Commander?"

"So we're back to titles now? How would it make you feel if I called you Elisabeth. Lizzie. Or even Liz?"

She turned on him quicker than he expected with fire in her eyes, "Stop that. Elisabeth, if you must. Nobody ever calls me 'Liz'. That's what my father called me before he..." she trailed off and then started up again, "why can't you ever be sensitive, you nerf-herder?"

"Nah, I like 'Lizzie'. What's wrong, and don't think I don't know any ways to get around you not telling me. What's up?"

If there was one thing in the galaxy that she hated the most, it was explaining how she felt. Elisabeth hated feeling weak. She hated being seen as weak. It took a lot to admit what plauged her, not that she'd explain what happened to her family when she was younger, "I gave the order for the forces at Naboo to stay. They're dead because of me."

"Lizzie, it's not your fault. The Empire would have got them on their way out of the system. I can gaurentee you that they were gonna be tracked. If there's one thing I learned as an Imperial, it's that they hate to lose. You sure that's all?"

"Yeah, well, what else could go wrong? We're just waiting here for the Sith to attack us... poor Tinder is Gods knows where, and I don't even have my blaster anymore!" Elisabeth said forcefully, getting up out of her seat, "Well, this is where I say good evening." She turned to walk away, but he grabbed her arm, downed the full glass of brandy, and stopped her from leaving the room. After recovering from the spin that the brandy caused in his vision, he turned Elisabeth to face him, "Uh-uh. You're not getting away that easily."

Throwing a cheerful salute, she complied. "My feet are like wings!" she laughed and ran off, dodging in and out of the milling crewmen.

Despite himself, Choc grinned. Then, as he entered the communications room, he relaxed his face into the calm aura of a man who knows what he is doing. He held up his datapad. "I require an hour of secret communication," he announced to the technicians. "My authority comes from Senator Organa."

After a few protests, they complied, setting him up in a private cubicle and switching on a forcefield to prevent eavesdropping. He keyed in the contact numbers. From the green holovision, a face appeared, the eyes blinking in surprise. "This is Jedi Di'ka Epage. To whom am I speaking."

"One who needs twenty minutes of your time for a crash course in force-training," replied the half Corellian.

[I am assuming it will take us an hour or two to engage in the battle?]

Suddenly the Imperial fleet appeared out of Hyperspace at Mon Calamari. "Open fire!!!!" Magus shouted and seconds later the battle began. "This time I will NOT play games. I will use my full power of the dark side." Magus muttered and made his Battle Meditation more powerful then it had ever been.

It was probably an hour after after the modifications to Tol's fighters that many of the crew working in the hanger were greeted with a very rare sight. Not only were there a pair of Horansi, which few only knew about because of the card game named after them, but to see a pair of saber wielders dueling was hard to believe. Tol had started by explaining several things about Jedi and their feelings before, not to mention their role in the Republic as they modified his fighter. Then spent about an hour sharing his knowledge with her as a way to help her learn some of what he had to teach her quicker, he had a feeling that she was using Force Comprehension since he knew it and that combined with their link would have easily explained how come she was leaning so fast. Finally he decided to give her a lesson in saber combat while still explaining things about dueling and other Force abilities, mostly those that aided her in fighting or improving their senses.

Now he was showing her the finer points of duel wielding. "Well as you should know having two lightsabers gives you an advantage, but you must remember that the number of weapons desn't always win a duel. I remember once Master Skywalker decided that he wanted to test my skilles and he easily beat me with one saber. Also you should know that there are seven general styles, since Master Ti was from the old order she was able to teach most of them to me while she had records of the others. I manages to master the first five and that automatically allowed me to master the sixth, but I usually stick with one that I prefer. I am still trying to master the last form, but I don't plan on teaching it as it there is only one person known to have mastered it and not fall to the dark side." In his hand he held two blue sabers while Mira held a blue and a green.

"I understand Tol, but what are teaching me now and what have I been using before now?" Mira was curious and trying to allow her senses to guide her along with her instincts as he had instructed her. Being from a warrior race that still used primitive weapons allowed her to easily fight with the blades and gave her more to rely on than the Force.

"Well if I were to guess I would say Form VI as I saw bits of all the first five forms as you dueled, which is good since that is the basis of duel wielding. What I plan to do is teach you my personal style of combat that I developed, it is for both duel wielding and single wielding." He easily deflected the attacks from his sister. He attacked from different angles to test her reflexes and make sure she could protect herself, but there were still some openings and he pointed them out. When she attacked he would easily block and direct her on the where he should have attacked or how to counter. "You may be stronger than most human males, but you have to realize that you need to use your speed whe facing a stronger opponent."

Mira managed to dodge her brother's attack and brought her blades to defend, but left herself open. He was right about how she should use her speed as he was a little bigger and stronger than him, but he was still very fast too. "So will you show me some of those styles, maybe even that seventh one?"

"Maybe, but I don't want you to attempt to use it. I finally found you and losing is the last thing that I want." The two continued to train with both lightsabers and the Force during the trip.

(This is before the sith arrives. The thing with Dee, depending on programing droids and AI's have personalities as well as genders. Odd, but true)

" They're coming... " a voice said. She turned around... there was no one there. Turning around again, she heard rasping breathing... and looked at her feet to see a woman... or what used to be a woman, but was now a bloody, mutilated thing, barely breathing, with no skin...

"Mommy?" she asked in a small voice. The woman's eyes turned to her, but they weren't her mother's... they were black like Xarkun's.

"They're coming," the woman whispered again, and Sera knelt down to hear her better. Blood squished under her boots as she moved.

"Who's coming?" she asked the demon/ghost/vision/figment of her imagination. For this could not be her mother... her mother was dead, and couldn't whisper to anyone...

Suddenly, something flew past Sera's head. It was a mynock... how did it get onto the ship? It fluttered feebly for a while, it's wing broken.

"Oh. Them ," Sera replied, understanding. The Wounded Marnock. They were coming. Why?

"For you," the woman replied, shuddering on the floor.

Sera's eyes narrowed. "No. Not for me. For Tinder," she said, gazing into the skinless woman's face. The woman smiled, a bloody grin.

"You haven't killed her yet. Tinder is still there somewhere, my little girl is still in there..." the woman gasped, then coughed up blood. It spattered on Sera's red cloak.

Sera was cold inside. Of course... she could still feel the good in her, the conflict. This must be remedied. She knew, if she did not face those that came in the Wounded Marnock, she would never put to death all that she had been. It was important.

In the distance she heard two children's voices. She looked up... it was a boy and a girl. They were fighting.

"It was an accident!" the girl was sobbing, trying to grab the boy's shoulder, but the boy merely shrugged her off.

"I don't care! She's gonna pay!" the boy shouted back at her. Then the two children disappeared.

Sera looked back down at the woman who was bleeding onto her boots. The woman was shuddering. "S-so c-cold," she whispered, still looking at Sera as though peering into her soul.

Sera caressed the woman's cheek with her hand, watching tremors of pain go through the woman's body at the pain from the contact on raw nerves. "Maybe you're cold because you don't have any skin on," she replied softly... it was the same thing she had said to her mother last time, before she had killed her... only then, she had said it with the innocence of a child.

The woman gasped once more before she disappeared, and Sera knew that it wouldn't be long before that child was dead.

Standing up, Sera wiped imaginary blood off on her clothes. She hurried to the bridge... she could sense that they had just now left hyperspace, and had opened fire.

Without waiting for him to turn around or acknowledge her presence, she merely stated, "The Wounded Marnock is coming... and soon it will be time for you to make her pay." Without any further explanation, she walked away, so that she could view the battle from the bridge.

Admiral Ackbar sat in his command chair, watching data stream across his screen at the proceeding battle. "Yes, have them hold their ground. Let Delta One's group (that's you, Tol!) take out those shield generators, then focus all firepower onto the disabled ships," he transmitted, then began to smile as he saw the second half of the fleet come in behind the Imperials. "Spread out, don't let them get around us," he continued. He then pressed another button. "Senator, prepare your team. You may leave when I give you the signal," he said.

(This way, Elizabeth, if I don't happen to be online when the time comes, you can write Ackbar giving the signal... and it will take the timing off of Elisabeth's shoulders.)

(Okay... I'm not posting any more until Shadow posts... he is in the thick of the battle, it's only right he gets to write some of it, eh?)

"Tell me on the way to the hanger." The half Corellian strode off down the corridor, Eitn hurrying alongside.

"The signal from Tinder's implant has cut out. We're no longer able to track her."

His sudden stop nearly tripped her. His eyes flicked to and fro as he thought. "So, she's either dead or it somehow deactivated. What's the situation with the fleet?"

Eitn jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "According to ship-wide communication, we're about to engage the Imperial forces. There's a good chance that Tinder's on Xarkun's flagship and his flagship will be here, fighting." She shrugged. "Or not..."

Setting off again, Choc considered his options. Thanks to his talk with the three jedi to whom Organa deferred him, he knew a little more about the force, enough to feel proficient, if not comfortable and totally competant. If he had it his way, he would hold off the mission until he had a sparring match with an actual person, but...

At last, they reached the hanger, once again full of pilots and technicians, running to and fro, readying for the battle ahead. Through the crowd, Choc spotted a familiar face and broke into a run. When the startled Eitn caught up, the half Corellian was talking with Tol. The Horansi listened, nodded, then drew his sabers. Twin sapphire blades sprang forth and the furred being twirled them. People spread out to form a ring around the half Corellian and jedi.

Drawing his twin blasters, Choc let his eyes half close, then reached deep inside for the force. A black film wafted across his vision, an icy sensation trickling into his muscles. Then, he leaped forward, bringing his left blaster to bear. Buzzing angrily, the blades swept toward him and he dodged, the force guiding his movements. His eyes widened. "Whoa..." he murmured, time seeming to slow. Tol struck again and Choc flowed under the blade, managing to press one of his blasters to the horansi's wrist. "Point."

Tol's eyes showed amazement as he deactivated his sabers. "Use your speed. You have an incredible affinity for it."

After nodding, Choc walked off, back toward Eitn. The young Mistryl's jaw dropped. "That was it?!"

"Has to be. The Imperial fleet's arrived." He took out a comlink and raised it to his mouth. "Choquet D'Var to Senator Organa, awaiting orders."

As Sera watched the firefight through the viewing window (are they called windows on a ship?), her thoughts were on only two people in the Republic fleet.

Choc and Eitn.

She still felt attached to them, even though she knew they had betrayed her. If Lord Xarkun were here, he would be able to sense the conflict within her, and perhaps beat it out of her, but Sera would rely on good old fashioned meditation.

"You shouldn't have destroyed the implant," a voice said from behind her. Turning swiftly, she was confronted by the visage she hated most of all.

Her father, Dr. Malk.

Her head screamed at her, and she knew it was just another vision, as real as it seemed to her. She narrowed her eyes. "If you weren't already dead, I'd kill you," she spat, not noticing the many eyes of bridge personnel that were on the young Sith who was talking to herself.

"Your mother connected you to the Marnock, but I connected you to the implant. It's a part of you... whether you like it or not," the cold, cultured voice responded. The old doctor's eyes were black, like her mother's had been in the corridor, and she could see that disease had wasted him away to almost nothing. Sadistically she smiled, her nose even picking up the fumes of wasted flesh.

"You made me weak, old man. I'm stronger now. Like it or not," she said, turning away from the apparition.

It just appeared right in front of her the second she turned away, blocking her view of the battle.

"You won't be strong enough for what is to come. Oh, my pet, weren't you so much happier when you could not remember your past? When it was simply made up for you? It gave you true freedom, the freedom from worry or doubt. The freedom from your past-" he began, but Sera cut him off.

"Freedom comes through power," she hissed at him through her teeth, her fists balled up at her sides. Around her things started to vibrate.

"Ah, yes, power..." he continued, as though he had just remembered something. "Something you, remarkable a creation as you are, do not have enough of. They're coming for you, and it's highly unlikely you will survive the encounter," he said, as though he were discussing one of his experiments.

Which he was, really.

Sera forced her fists to unclench, and reigned in her power so that things around her were no longer affected. "If I won't survive, at least I'll die using the fullest of my potential," she said, and was taken aback. It sounded remarkably like something her father would say...

The man smiled sardonically. "My dear, you aren't even close to the fullest of your potential. You know this... that's why you sought me out, that's why you came back to me."

Sera's lip curled. "I did not seek you out! I HATE YOU!" she screamed, causing heads to turn. She did not care. She was going insane, but she would win this fight, she would!

The man chuckled coldly. "Oh, but you did, my dear. You sought out Lord Xarkun. Your Captain. Your father..." he said, and Sera froze. It... it couldn't be. "Yes, my pet. You missed me... you knew, instinctively, that you would only be a shadow of yourself without me to guide you, to lead you. And so you ran to the one person in your life who was the most like me... Xarkun, Sith Lord, wielder of power you could only dream of, master of all that you hated... and loved. He understands you, as I understand you... as no one else can. He shares your pain with you... your slipping grip of reality... your remote..." He caressed her cheek, the way she had caressed her mother's, and a cold chill swept through her. "You must accept the truth before you can completely grasp your power... take all the pain and hatred into yourself, become one with it, become host to it... you must completely lose yourself in it if you are to destroy what last vestiges remain of your former self..." he chanted rhythmically, and Sera's eyes closed of their own accord. Inside she could feel it, the swirling darkness, anger, bitterness, hatred... it burned like a cold fire, and her father's voice made the pathway clear. All she had to do was to accept the fire, to allow her soul to completely burn in it, to accept her place... at her father's side, as her father's incarnation... as the final masterpiece her father had spent a lifetime building.

She had to become a monster. Like Xarkun. Like her father. It was time to put away childish things, to completely and totally eradicate all that was Tinder.

She would not look back. In her mind, she plunged herself into the fire.

And she saw Eitn's body fall to the floor, and she knew what she must do.

(Okay, even if Inuno didn't like my idea, I'm sure there will be times when Eitn falls down at least, right?)

"I think that we've been hit," she said as she fidgeted in his hold, "let go of me this instant." He shoved her off of him. Elisabeth felt her commlink buzz. It was Choc. "Mr. D'Var, get to the Marnock immediately! Grab whatever armaments you can. You will await further instruction there. Is that clear?"

Chris grabbed her hand, "C'mon, Senator." He ran down the hallway with Elisabeth trailing Chris. "Where are we going?" she yelled after him.

"We're stopping by your quarters, my quarters, waking up the Jedi, and meeting those two on the ship. I'm getting you on that ship, and that's an order, Senator. Nobody knows how much longer this ship has," Chris said, actually sounding official. I'm not going to argue with that... she thought as they headed for her quarters.

A half hour later, they'd passed through both of their rooms. Elisabeth had recieved a message from the bridge, grabbed a change of clothes, her lightsaber, and an extra commlink. Chris had grabbed a few extra blasters that he'd managed to acquire after he became a Commander and a coat that he'd asked the quartermaster for. On the way out, he tossed Elisabeth a sleek blaster, identical to the one that she had lost to Raz. "Where'd you get it?"

"Don't ask," he told her, and she smiled a bit, "now wake up those Jedi friends of yours." She nodded and commed Tierva and Mira. He leaned up against a wall as she did so. When she was done, they both headed to the Marnock; hopefully Choc and Eitn would meet them there.

Her task seemed simple enough. She and Mira were to attempt to take out one of the critical systems of the enemy ship. However, despite the seeming simplicity of the mission, Tierva had a terribly bad feeling about it all.

"What was th..."

Mira was cut off by her brother's calm answer. "We are under attack and it seems that the Sith are here as well, not to mention I sense an annoying technique has returned."

Mira nodded, "What should w..." Again Tol managed to stop her from finishing her sentence.

"Find Tierva and prepare to leave for the mission we discussed earlier, I'll go to my fighter and prepare for my mission."

As the two felines were about to separate Mira paused. "You know that doing that can get annoying, right?"

Tol smiled and looked at her. "Yes, but it's fun sometimes and it pushed your mind away from the stress you were suddenly feeling." Mira thought about his words for a minute and laughed when she realized he was right. They then split up and prepared for their missions.

Minutes later Mira was tracking Tierva by her scent and through the Force, she needed to find her before they could leave. When the communicator that her brother gave her back in the Temple went off. She soon started heading for the hanger.

At the same time Tol was already in his fighter and preparing to leave, he was hoping that Dee was able to do what he asked her. It was a little strange for him not to have the AI there to watch his back, but he had to trust his instincts. 'It is said on my homeworld that when a mystic has something to say everyone listens, but as I am half mystic and a Jedi I need to be very cautious.' Soon his ship was in space and he focused his thoughts on the battle.

Tol then contacted the other fighters with him. "Here's the general plan, this group will split in two and each have a specific job. One will aid me in destroying the shield generators of the Star Destroyers and the second group will cover the first so that we can focus on destroying the generators." Once he finished talking the Horansi notice that they were in ranges of their first target and was already locking on to the shield generators with his ion cannons, though he had to dodge the enemies' fire as they obviously remembered them. "Well it seems that they are smart, but it's not enought ot stop me." With that he fired his cannon and waited for them to impact against the shields, the moment they dropped he and the other fighters would destroy their main defense before moving on to the next one.

"Yeesh, Choc, this is a lot to remember," the young Mistryl complained.

"Learn it and live, Eitn. Don't rely on the fact that all of us will be coming back." For once, his voice was soft and not abrupt.

She gave him a sideways glance, fiddling with a long lever on the console. "Aw c'mon, Chocky. Don't say that."

"Way of the universe. You never expected your sister to die."

Immediate walls grew up in her mind at the cold statement. "You were listening!" she accused. "You were supposed to be asleep."

"One of the things you learn is never sleep deep enough."

The mynock bashed itself against the wall, and a realization hit her. She turned to one of the officers. "A ship is coming, the Wounded Marnock. It will try to enter the hangar. Let it. Fix it with tractor beams, and bring it to the hangar, send a team of stormtroopers to the hangar and take the intruders alive. I'll deal with them personally," she said. Choc and Eitn would come to no harm... unless it was done by her. She had a Tinder to kill, after all.

"She's mine!"

"No, I love her! Give her back!"

"You can have her when I'm finished with her!"

"No, you'll hurt her!"

"She's mine! She'll pay!"

"No, please!"

Shaking her head at the two children, she turned and made her way to the hangar.

Elisabeth looked up at the cieling and rested her head on the wall, "I wonder if we'll make it out alive..."

"We'll make it out alive. It's just a few crazy mad men, what could be so bad about them? They'll get no pleasure from us," said Chris to lighten up the mood, not wanting to let on that he remembered vividly what it was like to be struck with Sith lightning. The comm buzzed, and he got up to answer it. "Bridge to Marnock. Come in. Secure communication channel being opened."

Chris sat down in the pilot's chair, not surprised to soon find Elisabeth hovering over his shoulder, and Tierva leaning up against the door to the cockpit. "This is the Marnock, go ahead and start the transmission." He let up on the comm button and turned towards the Senator, "Wonder whant's wrong now." She shrugged in reply. "Marnock, this is Admiral Ackbar. Do you copy?"

"Yes, Admiral, go ahead," said the Senator, getting an annoyed look from Chris. She smiled, "Sorry, you can handle it. I'll be quiet."

"Yeah, right. I'll believe that when--"

"Senator, Commander, Knight Faerlin I give your teams permission to leave and begin your mission. Upon departure, follow vector four-niner-niner-seven. The Gorgon is almost directly on that course 25 kilometers away. A number of small, one-man fighters will accompany you to divert any laser-fire. The ship is heavily shielded and carries an immense amount of firepower. Knight Toleen has already fired upon many of the Imperial vessels, and destroyed a few of the larger ones. Your trip will be safer in that respect, however do bear in mind that the Imperial remnant most likely has a larger troop force. You will be up against great obstacles. Your teams are the hope of the New Republic in this battle, do your best not to fail. This is no time for excessive heroics. Do what you need to ensure that the mission is successful, no more. All of you are a valuable asset to the the Republic. Until the Marnock makes contact with the Base, we will have radio blackout between the two ships. Afterwards, communications will be code-clearance. Senator Organa knows the code. The New Republic forces, upon your departure, will go to EMERGCON 1 and DEFCON 1. Follow protocol for these situations. Lastly, especially you Senator Organa, because we all know of your determination, use extreme caution. Stay with your teams, and if you must split up, arrange a way to do so. That is all. Safe flight, Marnock. May the Force be with you. Home Base out."

"Well, that's that. No heroics, Senator. D'Var, get in here!" Chris yelled as he was getting up out of his chiar to start powering up the Marnock with the switches on the wall behind him. Tierva and Elisabeth sat in the two navigator seats. Chris came back and powered up the rest of the ship from the pilots' consoles. "Make sure that the boarding ramp is up and that everybody's strapped in. This could be a bumpy ride." Elisabeth walked back into the back of the ship and made sure that the ramp was closed. She took back her spot across from Eitn as the Marnock made its way out of the hangar.

"I sure hope we make it outta there alive..." Chris muttered to himself as he hit the throttle. Soon a handful of one-man fighters appeared as escorts.

Back outside in the corridor, Elisabeth looked at Eitn. "I don't think I ever did get your name... well, I'm Elisabeth. Are you nervous?" she asked, but continued on, "well, I don't know if you are, but I am. You really shouldn't worry; we have the best teams that can be assembled. We'll keep you safe. I promise that I'll try to keep you safe. What's the worst that could happen?" Elisabeth wondered if she was trying to convince Eitn or herself. A moment later, an alarm went off in the Marnock, and Elisabeth ran to the cockpit, "What is happening?!"

Chris and Choc were furiously trying to work the controls to combat whatever had a hold of them, "Tractor beam. D'Var, throw the thrusters into full reverse! They're not gettin us that easily."

"This isn't going to work," Elisabeth said.

"It'll work," Chris replied back, pushing a few more buttons, "This isn't working! Why didn't you say that before?"

"I did say that before. You don't want to strain the engines anymore than you have to. I say turn off the engines and we'll get pulled in. We'll be pulled in anyways."

"No time to discuss this with a committee," he said trying one more ditch effort to evade the tractor beam, "Shut down the engines. Put it onto auto-pilot. C'mon, I have an idea. You too, D'Var." He grabbed the Senator and Choc followed behind. Choc and Chris tossed vibroblades to everybody and a few blasters each from the Marnock's stock. Then, Chris pulled up a panel on the floor, "Smuggling compartents, they had some just like it in my old sh. Get in. There's room for two of us in each." Mira and Tierva got into one, Choc and Eitn in to another, and Chris and Elisabeth into the last. Each pulled the cover of the compartment onto the top of them.

Above the Marnock, the hangar bay doors of the Gorgon opened, making a sharp and loud noise that could be heard throughout the ship. When the boarding party came on board after the ship had come to a stop, they scratched their heads... for there was seemingly nobody onboard. "Darth Sera or whatever her name is isn't gonna be happy about this one..." one of them said, leaving the ship untouched.

“Hey, kid, don’t get too comfy,” warned the Choc.

She nodded and contented herself with staring out of the bay shields in thought. The young Mistryl’s thoughts were a jumble of fear and uneasiness. She didn’t want to die. Who did? Was it worth it? She wasn’t a jedi. Far from it. Yet, she wondered. Were they wasting their time? Sure, she wanted to rescue Tinder. She was a friend, was one who saved her and Choc’s life. But why would someone like Xarkun keep Tinder alive? The implant may have been destroyed or the remote or both. The ending of the homing signal had proved that. Without them, Tinder would not obey Xarkun’s commands, right? What was her value, then?

Oblivious to her inner conflict, Choc continued tweaking the controls. It was strange, but he felt comfortable in the chair, something that did not happen often. He was an infiltrator at heart, not a pilot. And yet, the half Corellian sensed an odd connection with the ship. Perhaps it was because of the message Tinder left, willing the ship to him and Eitn. She probably wasn’t dead, but the thought of a ship of his own sparked his interest.

He noticed Eitn shaking and remembered the first time he saw action. “This your first time in a space battle, Eitn?” he asked in a low voice

“Yeah,” she murmured. Teeth chattering, Eitn hunched her shoulders.

"Excellent. Now that Home Base is gone, it is only a matter of time until the Republic loses." Magus muttered, grinning evilly.

(Is someone going to write Ackbar's last moments? Just want to know.)

After waiting a few seconds, the half Corellian reached up, traced the edges of the lid, then shoved up. The cover popped open, letting light in, showing Eitn’s pale face and scared blue eyes. “Gonna be all right, kid?”

She nodded mutely. Her leather half-gloves creaked as she gripped her electrostaff tighter.

As she hurried down the corridor, she was met by a stormtrooper. When he saw her, he bowed. "Lady Sera, the ship appears to be empty. We are searching it now, we are bringing a device that will-" he trailed off, as she continued to walk past him. Something was wrong... she felt it in the Force, it was warning her about something...

"I told you you may not survive," her father's voice whispered to her, but she kept going. She would reach the hangar bay soon... but would it be soon enough?

Whispers followed her as she began to run.

He sat in his chair as he saw the ball of energy coming towards him, ordered everybody to brace themselves, and then closed his eyes for the last moment. "Gods save the Republic..."

And then all was dark.

“By the way,” piped up Eitn, tucking her holdout into her belt. “What did the jedi teach you? That stuff with the blasters you were doing with Tol?”

Choc grunted as he hefted his blaster rifle. “Blaster-jiran. I started back in the Academy after watching ‘Mercenary of Dantooine.’”

“Hey, I saw that holovid,” interjected Chris. “I thought Blaster-jiran was just a gimmick.”

A shadow of a smirk passed over the half Corellian’s face. Tossing a thermal detonator up in the air, he caught it again and hooked it to his bandoleer. “Basically, all the jedi taught me was speed. With that, my Blaster-jiran got better.”

“Oh, great,” grumbled the young Mistryl. “And you said you’re terrible at shooting.”

The smirk came to life. With a swift movement, the half Corellian drew one of his blaster pistols. He leaped, somersaulted in midair, then landed right behind Chris, shoving the blaster right into the Corellian’s neck. “I’m terrible at aiming. That’s all.” He removed the pistol, tapped the scoundrel once on the top of the head, and holstered. “Let’s go.”

He moved towards the ramp, punched in the code. As it extended, Choc plucked a thermal detonator from his belt, primed, threw so that it bounced hard out of sight.

Bounce…bounce…bounce..bouncebouncebounce…KAROOOM!

Then, they all charged down the ramp undercover of the explosion’s aftermath, Choc and Chris in the lead, firing.

She had to get to that hangar!

Eitn charged a stormtrooper, twirling her staff overhead, then slamming it into the side of his helmet. Using the momentum, she swiveled and landed her boot in a roundhouse kick to the neck of another.

Meanwhile, Choc leaped over a storage container, landing both feet on the shoulders of a trooper, while firing his rifle on full automatic. Three others went down in the flurry of bolts. A twinge from the force, then he dodged and a blaster bolt zracked where his head was a nanosecond ago. He snarled and rammed the butt of his rifle into the joint where the helmet separated from the torso armor on another stormtrooper, and felt an odd satisfaction as it screamed through the helmet comlink and fell back.

It?

Choc nearly lost his concentration.

Sera stopped short as she turned the corner. There they stood before her... Choc and Eitn. They seemed different to her somehow... memories came rushing back to her, of the heart-to-heart chats she had had with Eitn, of the first time she had saved Choc's life... it all seemed so long ago, yet recent. Eitn's voice broke her out of her reverie.

"Tinder?" she asked, her voice small, as though she knew, deep down, that it was not her.

Sera cocked her head. "I had hoped you'd come," she said, her voice emotionless. "You see," she said, calmly crossing the distance between herself and Eitn. Choc stiffened, but the girl stayed still. "As long as you two are alive, I still have hope. Hope that someone will save me, hope that I can be free from Xarkun's evil touch..." she said, and in an instant her hand was encircling Eitn's throat in a vice grip. Choc rushed at her, but she flung him to the wall with the Force, stunning him momentarily. She turned back to Eitn. "That hope must die... Tinder must die," she spat, tightening her grip.

A well-placed kick by Eitn sent her sprawling, and quickly she got up. "And to kill her, I must first kill you!" she screamed, and ran at Eitn.

(There, Inuno, you can write the rest of this scene. I'm interested to see what surprises you have in store...)

Tol was having a difficult time destroying the shield generators after he took out a couple of ship, but then again he was expecting them to learn after he several ships were gone. As he ended more and more lives he felt a part of him returning, a part that he thought he long buried, a part of him that he thought was replaced by his Jedi life. It was the part of him that was a hunter and warrior that existed before he even met Shaak Ti. The reason that he got got rid of it was that it often led him to trouble, caused him to enjoy fighting and didn't mind killing. He wasn't blood thirsty or cold hearted, but part of him always enjoyed battles and it was for that reason that he wanted to learn Vaapad. Even though he didn't hate that side of himself and he respected the lives that he took, Tol knew that he needed to change in order to be a Jedi.

Because of the situation that he was now in it appeared as if his old self was merging with his current self. Tol could feel it, but he didn't bother trying to fight it. Both were part of him and always sensed that would happen, it was only a matter of time. For now Tol would just continue to destroy his enemy shields with the other fighters and let the larger ships destroy the Imperials. That was what he was thinking before he sensed a familiar dark energy, one that nearly hit him before his mission to Tatooine. He watched as the attack sailed through the void of space and took many ships with it until it hit it's intended target. "If he's there I hope Tierva will be ok, but she might be fine if Mira can help her." He closed his eyes and sighed, though his senses were still active to warn him if there was any danger. "Why do we keep loosing our leaders? Mon Mothma, Master Ti, Chett, and now Ackbar. Who next Master Skywalker?" He suddenly felt a feeling through the Force that he didn't like, he could only hope that Dee had managed to warn them.

Back with the battle Tol was glad that there were other high ranking offivers and Jedi in the area, he wasn't sure if he could lead a fleet that size and fight. Maybe he would have to deal with it later, but he had a mission and he would help the others on their missions when he could.

The two female Jedi moved quickly and quietly away from the battle in the hanger. The sounds of firing blasters rang through their ears, but neither one of them turned back as they made for a side door that lead out of the hanger. Only after they had slipped through it did Tierva dare to slow her pace.

Now the situation called for stealth. Though the two Jedi would easily be able to take out stormtroopers if they encountered them, Tierva wasn’t interested in being seen. There were a few instances in which the Force alerted her to oncoming troopers, and the Jedi were able to hide until the hostile forces had moved on. After making their way through hallway after hallway, Tierva and Mira finally arrived at the main reactor room.

A great feeling of foreboding washed over Tierva’s senses as she and Mira placed the bombs that would take out the main reactor. She wasn’t sure what, but she knew that something very, very bad was going to happen. Whether it would happen to her or to the whole fleet, she could not tell.

Chris turned to Elisabeth, "I was afraid that he was going to do something stupid. Stay on the ship." He ran off of the ship, yelling just like Choc was, firing in every direction.

Eitn and Elisabeth looked at each other once and then followed.

The smoke from the detoantor still hadn't cleared, but Chris and Elisabeth could tell that they were the only ones fighting; Choc and Eitn had disappeared. A blaster bolt whizzed past Chris's elbow, taking out the trooper ten feet from him, "Hey!"

"Somebody needed to save our skins!" Elisabeth yelled, standing next to him, firing at a few more stormtroopers.

"I thought that I told you to stay in the ship!" he yelled back to her over the ruckus of the blaster fire.

"Have I ever done anything you've told me to?!" Elisabeth yelled. She felt a moderate disturbance in the Force not far from where she was. Taking advantage of the dust that was still in the air, Elisabeth slipped away from Chris, dodging the blaster fire, and headed towards the Force disturbance.

"No..." Chris said, not noticing at first that Elisabeth wasn't there. Then he noticed. As he continued to blast the stormtroopers he muttered to himself, "Aw hell. Damn it, Elisabeth. Good riddance... I hope that she gets shot. It'll save me from doing it..." He dove behind a large stack of boxes and continued to shoot.

An invisible fist slammed into her stomach and sent her hurling against the wall. Across her face came a breeze of air as Choc tore past, blasters out.

The half Corellian was a blur of motion, whirling off roundhouse kicks, straight punches with a speed that left Tinder barely able to dodge them. "Do you realize," he snarled. "How much we've been through to rescue you?! Not once, but twice?!" Blue stunbeams shot from his blasters and Tinder ducked once more. "Now, you're telling us you're one of THEM?!"

It happened so fast even Choc was surprised. One moment, he was flying toward her, corkscrewing through the air, and the next, he lay on the deck, her boot pressing painfully into his throat.

"Oh, yes? And what of you, Choquet D'Var? I sense your feelings are closer to mine than you would admit." Her voice had lost all sense of Tinder that he remembered. "You call upon the dark side, don't you, D'Var?"

Eitn's eyes widened even more. Though she had managed to get up, all the nerves in her hands rebelled, refusing to work as Tinder continued, "You felt the death of the Home Base ship a moment ago as a burst of power, didn't you? You heard the screams through the force and grew stronger. Don't deny it."

His labored breathing cut the sudden silence. Choc could not look into the girl's eyes.

Tinder, or whoever she was now, smiled in triumph. "Poor Chocky," she sneered. Her eyes raised to meet the young Mistryl's. "Guess he's not the guy you thought he was."

With a flip of her hand, she sent the half Corellian flying across the corridor into the wall. Then, a ruby blade sprang from her hand and Tinder advanced slowly toward him.

"You're wrong." Eitn stepped in front of Choc, the electrostaff in her hands shaking as she trembled. Yet, her eyes glared into Tinder's, the blue depths radiating a fierce emotion. "I never expected him to be a saint. And even if he does fight like one of you, he's still Choc. There's still hope for him. And for you, Tinder." Here, her blue eyes softened. "Do you really want to kill me? Tinder?" she whispered.

*

-claws, rending his stomach. A ferocious howl. His? Or the wookiee's? All was adrenaline. Pain was power. His hand touched the wounds, the pain sharpened, but when he looked down, the wounds had closed, leaving deep black scars...

And now, it was Eitn's pain he felt. But no matter. If anything, his rage deepened. He rose up, stepped over the young Mistryl's body, the dark side of the force roiling in his ears, in his limbs, in every atom in his being. Shimmering curtain of scarlet light passed an inch before his face, then Choc caught Tinder's wrist, halting the waving of the saber. Then, she flew backwards from his kick, but landed and advanced again.

He ran towards her, felt the saber tear into his side, slipped, turned the slip into a sliding kick that knocked Tinder's feet out from under her, felling her onto his left fist. Her breath came out in a whoosh, he fired with the blaster straight into her sternum.

The young girl fell limp against him, her saber deactivating. Breathing raggedly, the half Corellian shoved her off and stood up. He looked down at his pistol. "Stun, eh?" he muttered. Pain from his side seared through him and he swayed on his feet. Just like he had done so long ago with the wookiee, he sharpened the pain and the wound closed.

Stumbling over to where Eitn lay unconscious, Choc turned her over and winced. By the looks of things, she'd lost an eye, a thin lightsaber wound tracing from her left cheek bone to center forehead. Grudging admiration filled him: if that was all she received from a fight from a sith, her reflexes were astonishing. He reached down and picked her up, slinging her over one shoulder.

"I was wrong."

Weariness flooding through him, Choc sighed and turned to see Tinder stand up and activate her saber once again. From their holsters, his blasters flew on invisible ropes toward her and she sliced them in two in midair. "You are no sith," she admitted as the pieces fell to the deck with steely clunks. "A sith would have killed me. However, you must never underestimate your opponent, D'Var."

"Like they say, kid, 'right back atcha.'"

Tinder leaped toward him, raising the lightsaber.

He raised his fist.

In it, a thermal detonator glinted. His thumb caressed the activation button.

The light brightened, brightened, expanded, filled Tinder's entire vision but she gathered the force around her in a protective shield, caught the ground with her feet, and leaped back, the explosion lending her momentum.

When at last she could see, all that remained was a pile of metal from ceiling, wall, and deck. No sign of Eitn or Choc save for a electrostaff and the remains of two blaster pistols.

Sera cast about with her senses, but could not feel them. They were gone... Choc had been crazy, she knew, and now had a mix of growing respect for the man and satisfaction at his death.

And Eitn...

Within her, a small voice screamed. She's dead , her mind jeered at the tiny voice. Pain lanced her heart as though she had been stabbed, and was replaced by cold, bitter cold.

She smiled. "Rest in peace, Tinder," she said to the empty corridor, then turned. There would be another way to reach the hangar... she was just lucky Choc's explosion didn't damage the hull of the ship.

It was on her way to the hangar through the cargo bay that she felt a familiar presence...

"Well, well... Senator Organa," she said, her voice taking on a new edge of coldness. She turned around to see the Senator standing there, surprise written on her features. Whispers rustled around her, and Sera cocked her ear to listen. They spoke of death... her death. Her father laughed from the corner, though Sera could not see him.

"What did you do to Choc and Eitn, Tinder?" the Senator asked accusatorily. Her face showed that she feared the worst.

Sera looked over her shoulder, then back at the Senator. "Who are you talking to?" she asked. She smiled. "The dead? You must be talking to the dead... because I killed Tinder the moment I killed Choc and Eitn!" she snarled.

Do not mourn them, for they have become one with the Force , a voice said.

Lo did not know whose voice it was, but let go of the sadness and anguish she had begun to feel. Instead, she merely strengthened her shields. Half of the fleet would be lost, but she would continue to keep her half of the fleet safe. She had to...

No.

No? She had a duty, to the Republic, to the soldiers in the fleet-

No. There is no more Republic.

Lo quieted her mind as she listened to the voice. Once more the dark times are upon us, the voice said. This battle is lost... continuing to fight will just lead to more loss of life. Law, freedom, justice, are all relative. The only thing that is important is life.

Lo was confused. /Then what do I do?/ she growled aloud.

Retreat. Hide. They must live... there is too much at stake. Do not let the Jedi die out again.

Lo knew what she had to do. Pressing a button, she activated her communicator. /Captain, give the order to retreat. There will be no more lives lost here... go back to Coruscant. I think something terrible has happened.../ she said, and closed the channel.

In one last act, she closed her eyes and used the Force to contact every Republic fighter, down to the last soldier, that she could reach. Retreat, her mind sent. Retreat now... Back to Coruscant. Retreat!

Just then the ship rocked with explosions...

It was not.

"Get out of here, Mira," Tierva whispered to her fellow Jedi. Her voice was cool and collected, but inside Tierva was trembling with fear. Before the Horansi could protest, she added, "We have a score to settle. Go back to the Marnock." After a moment's hesitation, Mira nodded and left.

Now Tierva faced Magus, the Sith Lord whose sister she had accidentally killed. She remembered their previous meeting on Coruscant and how her skills paled in comparison to his. She knew that her winning the duel was very unlikely, but she would meet him in battle nonetheless. It was unavoidable now. "Magus," she said, using the Forced to calm her voice.

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