The Tragedy of Darth Tamia

Prologue

Anakin

General Qymaen inspected Anakin’s arm before handing him another hilt; the General then looked to the gilded warrior who had just bested Skywalker.

“Sentinel,” the General beckoned. The combatant nodded, igniting either end of his hilt.

“Not this time, Kiber,” Anakin mocked, deflecting the second attempt to disarm him, but that had not been Kiber’s intention… a ruse, he thought, the opposite blade lodged in the crevice of his neck, stinging him.

“And you survived the Count of Serenno,” Kiber smirked, resetting his stance.

“We didn’t,” Obi-wan said, watching from the steps, Anakin threw a sneer, “From a certain point of view.”

Both Anakin and Kiber stood poised, awaiting the command to proceed; however, the General was busy examining a hologram of the past duel between Dooku, Anakin and Kenobi. He replayed the moment of Obi-wan’s demise, and then glanced at Anakin’s fall.

“Irrelevant,” the General said, briefly replaying Anakin’s dismemberment, “the battle was already lost,” before deactivating the holoprojector embedded within his wrist. He retrieved a curved-hilt lightsaber from his waist and threw it to Kiber.

“Form II,” the General said, he then looked at Anakin, “Form V.”

“Permission to speak, sir,” Kiber requested, the General nodded, “Djem So is the natural counter to Mikashi, perhaps Skywalker…” but the General dismissed his protest.

“Then perhaps Skywalker would have all his limbs,” the General gruffed, then bellowed a grunt to begin the duel. The Sentinel evaded and parried every one of Anakin’s strikes with the grace of a dancer, lancing Anakin below his ribs and behind his shoulders. Kiber allowed him a moment to regain his composure.

Anakin lunged at him, his saber but a blur; Kiber calmly kited him back…the curved-hilt coming to a pause below Anakin’s left arm. The Sentinel raised it ever-so slightly, singeing his underarm.

“Tell me, Skywalker,” the General said, “Is it your wish to become more like me,” revealing the cyborg beneath his robes, “Or do you actually have what it takes.”

Anakin released a howl of primal fury. The trainees that were sparring cleared the chamber, watching…Anakin was winning, striking down with all his might…all his hate…and then he fell face-first into the stone, Kiber had used the Tràkata, momentarily deactivating his light-saber, using Anakin’s own ferocity against him; he could feel the heat of Kiber’s point against the tip of his spine.

Anakin tried to calm his thoughts, but couldn’t as they took their stances. But the General came to the center.

“You’re your own worst enemy, Skywalker,” he said, “Take a seat, Sentinel.”

Kiber’s expression became one of concern.

Obi-wan motioned forward, but Yoda placed a hand to his knee.

The General ignited his lightsabers, all four of them, real lightsabers, not the ones used in training. He slowly marched towards Anakin, twirling two of them, while holding the others still.

It took Anakin a moment to absorb the situation before adopting Form III, just in time to block the intense barrage of the General’s wrath.

He continued to pace backwards, but the General pressed his assault…he was running out of space, he made to leap but Qymaen force pushed him against the wall, placing the talons of his remaining leg against Anakin’s wrist, pinning his blade, with all four lightsabers coming to a halt, positioned for immediate decapitation.

The General released him and walked to the opposite corner, relit his blades, inviting a second round. Anakin meditated for several moments, then reengaged. He leapt and danced around the cyborg using Ataru, having more success than Soresu; however, Anakin had to adopt the defensive stance multiple times to regain his footing, but he wouldn’t let himself be cornered, not this time, rolling to avoid the trap.

Then all he could see were the lights dancing in his eyes; Qymaen delivered a dirty kick to the groin. He switched to Form III, but staggered. He was promptly disarmed, with all four sabers repositioned about him as they were before.

“Dead…again,” the General said, deactivating his lightsabers, backhanding him several yards, to the jeers and gasps of the onlookers.

Anakin’s eyes turned yellow, he forced pulled his saber intending to deliver a death blow, but the General swatted it mid-air, cutting it in two, as if it were but a gnat.

The cyborg gripped him, hoisting Anakin for all to see, squeezing the air from his abdomen, the iron claws boring into the muscles of his back. Anakin’s own robotic arm was no match for the Kaleesh warrior, he couldn’t breathe… Anakin screamed…but not a human scream— a Force Scream.

Anakin fell to the floor, but the General had already recovered, pressing a talon into his thigh, all the way to the bone. He felt the cold embrace of steel as Qymaen held him once more, slamming his forehead into his.

Ahsoka

Ahsoka patted R2-D2 as he scanned the extent of Anakin’s injuries. Not meeting Qymaen’s glare, she said:

“A cranial fracture, six inches,” tracing the path.

“Good,” Qymaen responded, “He’s still fit for the mission. Take him aboard,” he motioned to the Sentinels, while donning his robe.

“Excuse me,” Obi-wan said, “He’s been assigned to Ryloth, we’re supposed to rendezvous…”

“Master Windu will complete your mission,” the General said, and then looked to Anakin, “I am his master now.” He then downloaded coordinates from his mainframe, handing the drive to Ahsoka. She wondered how Anakin could be bound to Master Qymaen without being accepted into the Sentinels.

“You shall go to Tatooine with Obi-Wan,” he said.

“Master Kenobi,” Obi-wan retorted.

“You’ve been demoted,” the General said, but then closed his eyes, “Know…that it wasn’t my choice.”

Obi-wan was in disbelief.

“You failed him,” Mace Windu said.

“We all did,” Qymaen said, leaning into Mace, their chests making contact, “I see right through you.”

Windu’s eyes widened, stepping back, and said, “See what,” motioning his hands.

“That which you cannot; that is how much it blinds you,” Qymaen said.

Ahsoka broke the feud, “Master Sheelal, what is our mission on Tatooine,” addressing the General.

“The coordinates are to the homestead of the Lars family,” Qymaen said. He turned to Obi-wan, leaning in as close as he could, “There you will bask in the glory of the Chosen One.”

R2-D2 made a noise of distress.

“Wipe its memory,” the General said, walking away. R2-D2 protested, firing his thrusters; but without turning, Qymaen halted the droid with the force.

Ahsoka knelt beside R2-D2, who began to squeal as she opened his torso. He’s a friend…recalling Anakin’s voice.

“No,” she said, rising.

The General turned around — whispers echoed throughout the chamber.

There was malice in his eyes; the Sentinels resumed placing Anakin on the stretcher, taking him away. Ahsoka made an attempt to break the General’s hold on R2-D2, but was met only by the crackling of her wrist.

“Do it,” he stated, feeling the bones in her hand beginning to give way just before Qymaen ceased.

“I’m sorry little guy,” she whispered. R2-D2 continued to struggle, Qymaen released his hold and the droid attempted to run again, tazing Ahsoka in his flight. She summoned the force and brought him crashing to her feet.

Qymaen flicked his wrist, silencing the screaming droid.

She placed her right-hand over the diagnostic unit. His mood indicator flickered from red to empty. She depressed the switch…but couldn’t, as another force user arrested her motion.

She raised her eyes to Master Yoda.

“Padawan Tano. Failed, you have.”

But now she could see that the General’s malice was never directed at her, but at the Grand Master.

“She held to her convictions,” Qymaen said, “And I do not endorse the torture of droids—never again,” he finished, wiping the dirt from R2-D2 while putting his roller back in place.

“Your Master trained you well, Padawan Tano, compassion…” the General began to say.

“Former Master,” Mace interrupted, then addressed Ahsoka: “You are now apprentice to Master Unduli.”

“What!” Ahsoka exclaimed, but she felt Qymaen’s cold steel rest upon her shoulder.

“I changed my mind,” the General snarled.

“That is not your decision to make,” Luminara said.

The chamber darkened as Qymaen stood to his full height; he hissed:

“One more word from either of you morons and I will take the Sentinels to Dantooine and end this war as I see fit,” he then looked again to R2-D2, giving him a pat, “My apologies. Gather two of your kind from medical and board the Invisible Hand . Prepare to depart.”

R2-D2’s mood indicator changed from red to blue, asking the destination.

“I shall tell you on board,” Qymaen replied, “Here take these and give them to your pals,” withdrawing pink vouchers labeled Debbie’s Droid Spa.

The droid took the tickets, retracting them inside his alcove, and hurried off in excitement.

Master Sheelal surveyed the present Council.

“Good,” he said, and exited the chamber. Ahsoka sprinted to his side.

“Did I fail?” she asked.

“The Council saw it as a test of obedience; I saw it as a test of character,” he finished lightly.

Ahsoka tilted her head, “But Master Yoda stopped me,” she remarked.

“No, I did,” he said, “They sought to break your master’s connection with the droid, and used you as the instrument to take the fall, and reign in your…rebellious tendencies.”

“Why!” she exclaimed

“To sever the bond with your former master,” he said.

“He is my master,” Ahsoka said.

“You misunderstood me, Padawan Tano. I said that from the perspective of the Council; I made it clear that that particular decision has been repealed. It was a tie vote, from which I initially abstained.”

“Why abstain?” she asked.

“Because some topics aren’t even worthy of discussion, let alone a quorum.”

“Why not vote against it?”

“Because I wanted to see if they’d actually do it,” Qymaen said, “This war has twisted their minds.”

“Do you think I failed,” she said.

“No,” Qymaen stated, he put his metallic hand to her heart, “It’s what’s in here that matters the most.”

He then looked down upon the brass of his body, scraping his foretalon across the stone, “I was once half a man, but with the destruction of my body—now, I am whole.”

She felt his steel cross her shoulder as he made for the hangar.

“Tatooine!” she cried, “What’s on Tatooine?”

The General stopped before rounding the corner.

“Pain.”

Anakin

He twitched, trying to turn over. Feeling pins and scalpels slicing into his lower back. He heard the alerting call of the droid beside him, but it sounded distant. Through the haze he saw Barriss place a finger between his eyes…he fell back into slumber.

He was knocking on her door, days past, he continued to knock. Luminara stepped out…

Stay away from her, she said.

He was now in a bacta tank, Barriss stood before him, separated by the glass, he faded.

He was at her door again, but he didn’t knock, he walked away.

Pelvic hemorrhage, a droid said. Pins and needles were plunged into his veins, sedating him once more.

She was attaching his arm and Obi-wan stood beside her, he tried to catch her eye, as the sands of Geonosis blustered through the window, masking her; they were now in the hangar.

Anakin, she said, don’t go, you must know…come back. He closed the cockpit. He felt her force energy esnare the vessel. He pressed the accelerator…the ship went forth at a crawl. Her hold weakened. She let go.

Palpatine

“Skywalker,” he said, standing over a cauldron. The Jedi had prohibited Anakin from being with Chancellor, fearing that Anakin was dangerous and potentially a threat. He needed to know what happened. All he could sense was a sadness, a past…romance…certainly this couldn’t be it…but all the same, it allowed passage into Anakin’s mind.

Anakin

He looked about the infirmary, two droids were removing a dressing from his scalp.

“Nice look,” Bariss said. Anakin scowled, the breeze revealing streaks of missing hair.

The droid spoke:

“Jedi Knight Barriss Offee will assume the remainder of your recovery,” opening the blast door and leaving to attend another patient. Anakin wondered why there were other casualties.

Barriss sensed his thoughts, “We’ve been tracking the disappearance of Masters Fisto and Secura,” she said, “Not everything went as planned, and you’ve been out for nearly seventy-two hours. Your command has also been suspended for the next fourteen days.”

Anakin now recognized the distinct coloring and decor of the Invisible Hand. He attempted to stand, but was met with excruciation, as fresh blood spluttered from his thigh.

“You couldn’t have fixed this while I slept?” he scoffed.

“No, it’s too deep. I will need your help,” she said, “just concentrate, it goes to the marrow.”

“I deserved it,” he said, “get the droids,” flicking away her wrist.

“You can push me away Anakin, but the General demands it, we’ll be exiting hyperspace within the hour,” she said.

They meditated upon the injury and it began to close. She sat beside him.

“Remember when we’re twelve and stole Jocasta’s speeder,” she said.

“We definitely had quite the tour…remember when she came to bail us out?,” he replied.

“She didn’t even have her teeth!” she said. They both laughed, recalling the incident.

“How about when we botched Mace’s mission on Kashyyk,” he smirked.

“The wookies were so pissed,” she said with a shrill, her cheeks reddening, holding his hand for a moment.

“Barriss,” Anakin said, with hesitation, “What was it that you were going to tell me.”

She turned away, “I don’t want to talk about it,” she said, “And what does it matter,” looking back, “We both know that ship long sailed.”

“I know,” Anakin said. They both stood, “but I need to know, what happened?” he said, gently taking her hand.

“After our mission to Alderaan, I began to feel sick. It got worse with each day…I tried to hide it…” but Anakin cut her off.

“What happened,” Anakin said, his features contorting, half his face concealed in shade.

“I was sixteen, Anakin,” she said, pleading.

“Why did you do it! ” Anakin roared.

“I didn’t ! ”

“You did,” shaking her; her tears streaming; their eyes met.

“She made me do it,” she whispered, as his mind was flooded with the image of Master Unduli.

Palpatine

The blue fire ceased and the smoke began to clear:

“A wound,” muttered Palpatine, the obsidian surroundings of Malachor’s Temple coming into view.

“I don’t see how this is pertinent,” Dooku said, as Palpatine ended the ritual, “It certainly doesn’t answer why Skywalker has been censured.”

“No,” Sidious said, “but we gained something of equal value.”

Dooku grunted in acknowledgement.

Walking to his shuttle, “See to it that they are both captured,” Sidious said, then, halting briefly, “You know the price of failure.”

“Yes, my Lord,” Dooku responded.

Qymaen

The General entered the infirmary, only to see the pair locked in an embrace. Neither of them acknowledged his presence, although they knew they sensed him. She glanced briefly from Anakin’s shoulder, nesting her cheek back in place.

Although he originally intended to reprimand them for their tardiness, he said, “When you two are ready, I shall meet you on the bridge.”

Someone else was there, Qymaen felt, or was. The ship left hyperspace, too early, he thought, he’d have to consider the presence later.

“Sentinel Nyeb,” the General said, returning to the bridge. He need not say more.

“We had to reset the route; these maps are too old: Stellar parallax,” she said.

“How long,” he asked, addressing the navigation crew.

“An hour, maybe more,” Sentinel Rannek responded, having emerged from the computer terminal, where several droids were conversing. Qymaen grunted. With nothing else to do, he began to polish his armor for the remainder of the calculation…but he soon heard the static of an unauthorized communication.

He initiated his decryption protocols, altering the wiring inside his hip, but he could only decipher the location of the speaker. It was coming from the end of the bridge. There stood Master Tol Skorr, observing the regal nebulae that enveloped the sector, his hands behind his back.

It has something to do with…he reached out through the force, securing his internal computers.

“And the Mirialan?” a fuzzy voice said. Qymaen made use of his biological leg to muffle his approach, as Barriss Offee was the only Mirialan that had been selected for the mission.

“She’s on board; coming straight to you,” Master Skoll said, ending the transmission. Skoll turned, only to ricochet off Qymaen’s chest.

“Gener—,” but Skoll never finished, as Qymaen impaled him through the heart.

“Master Sheelal,” Anakin said, with a bow as he entered the bridge, taking notice of the body that now hung from the window.

“There wasn’t time for a trial,” Qymaen said, “and we’re currently stranded in deadspace. The stars have moved significantly since anyone’s been here,” Qymane said.

“And, where is—here?” Anakin said.

“No where, if Rannek doesn’t chart a new course,” he said.

“We almost have it, sir,” Rannek replied. The droids announced they had detected the gravitational signatures matching the sun and planet of Malachor.

“So that’s where we’re going,” Anakin remarked, following Qymaen, “I read the tales.”

“So, you mean to tell me, you actually go to the archives? You never struck me as a reader, Skywalker,” he said, leading Anakin into one of the hallways and into a storage room.

“Well, no, but sometimes…Barriss would borrow something of interest, ” Anakin said, with some concern.

“About…whatever I just saw in the infirmary—it’s only natural—I’ve never been much for the orthodoxy,” Qymaen said.

“I wish the Council shared your point of view,” Anakin said.

Seeing that Anakin had become more relaxed, Qymaen said: “Still, I have a few inquiries, you don’t have to tell me all the details, but whatever transpired in there…may have jeopardized the mission, I can sense it.”

He told Anakin about the event concerning Master Skoll.

“How could he have known,” Anakin said, “I never really spoke to him.”

“I don’t believe he did, Skywalker,” Qymaen replied, “He seemed to be merely confirming her presence aboard the ship—when I came upon you both in the infirmary, I sensed a presence…a lingering shadow…and—a euphoria,” Qymaen tried to piece it all together, “Someone was watching.”

“Dooku?” Anakin said, “I cannot imagine how.”

“In the archives, there is mention of a Sith magic that allows practitioners to penetrate the minds of the weak and distressed,” Qymaen said.

“I’m not weak!” Anakin said.

“But you were distressed,” Qymaen replied, “Nor did I sense Dooku, although no doubt he already has the knowledge. I sensed…another…very familiar. If I weren’t so cut off from the force, I could pinpoint it, but I can’t.”

“Permission to ask you something, sir,” Anakin said. Qymaen nodded.

“What happens when you—lose your body,” Anakin said, looking at his own robotic arm.

“If I were your age, I only shudder to think. But I outlived the lifespan of my own species nearly two-fold. For me, it’s been a journey, giving me a new perspective. I’ve even come to have an affection for droids, they are smarter than we think,” he said.

“Am I the Chosen One?” Anakin asked.

“I’ve come to believe that we’re all chosen for something. I used to think I was the Chosen One, it was the prophecy of my own people. Others seem to think that they are as well, which is why not all admire your abilities.”

“But am I the Chosen One?” Anakin asked with even more doubt in his voice.

“That is for you to decide,” Qymaen said, “And even if you are, it may not mean what we think,” Qymaen took a seat upon one of the crates, “Now about my inquiry, I fear I will need to know the details…”

Anakin looked down, averting eye contact.

“If my premonitions are true, it is already in the hands of the enemy,” Qymaen said. Anakin continued to look down.

“Look at me Skywalker,” Qymaen. Anakin still would not.

“Look at me,” Qymaen said, “We’re at war, Anakin. The elation I felt, emanating from that presence, was that of a great victory,” Qymaen said.

Anakin told him of the event and his past history with Offee, but he knew Anakin was still withholding something.

“If what you say is true, then she would not have terminated the pregnancy—on her own; it would have taken a great deal of persuasion,” Qymaen stated.

Anakin gulped, and then said, “Coercion.”

“Hmm, I was wondering how she could have hid from Master Unduli,” Qymaen muttered, not needing to ask the identity of the perpetrator. Still, he thought, even Unduli put herself at great risk…a victim to the Code, just like Skywalker and Offee…and many others.

He raised his wrist to open the communicator.

“You can’t!” Anakin said.

“I swear this stays between us, Anakin, although I will have to privately consult Master Unduli. The enemy will use this to their advantage…they already have,” he said, tapping Skoll’s lightsaber, “I am a man of my word, Skywalker. It’s why I can talk so much shit to the Council, they know I mean every word I say.”

Anakin chuckled and said: “I suppose being an ancient cyborg helps as well.”

“Oh, and that too,” Qymaen responded, wishing Anakin had continued to smile. He instructed Barriss to meet them inside the storage unit.

“There will be no discussion, nor talk, until I am finished saying what it is I have to say,” the General stated.

Barriss looked at Anakin, “How could you?”

“I said no chatter,” Qymaen said again, “nor do I care about your affair, but rather the terrible danger that it has placed you in, and quite possibly, Master Unduli herself. I already swore to keep this between us, no one else has to know.”

After he finished confirming the story, he said, “Now, you must both regain your composure, we have a battle to fight”. They both said, “Yes, sir,” and they made for the bridge.

“So tell me Skywalker, what is it that you know of Malachor,” Qymaen said as they walked.

“Well, a thousand years ago, something bad happened, and—uh—something about the Sith,” Anakin said.

“I thought you said you read the tales,” Qymaen said, adjusting his vocals to convey his jest.

“It was more like she narrated,” Anakin chuckled.

“I rarely got far,” she said, her cheeks reddening.

The General breathed in, imagining the scent of berries on Kalee, how he wished to return home, “I had the privilege of living my youth, during which I charmed many a Kaleeshi lass. I was nearly thirty when I came into the Order,” he said.

“That is…quite the exception,” Barriss exclaimed.

“Well, if they hadn’t, I fear I’d be on the other side of this war,” he said.

“Who was your master?” Barriss asked.

“Sinube,” he said.

“There’s no way they trained you with younglings!” she laughed.

“No, more like I helped them spar, but Sinube guided me for the first few years, let me progress within the underworld of Coruscant, and when I was ready, Master Yoda took over the rest of my training…although I must say, I never abandoned Sinube’s views on certain matters.”

“Who was your first padawan,” Anakin asked.

“Ki Adi-Mundi,” Qymaen said.

“I thought he was trained by Master Yoda,” Barriss remarked.

“While I taught the boy, Yoda taught me how to teach,” Qymaen said. He gauged their faces when he had referred to Ki Adi-Mundi as a boy, only wishing he could share in their expression, “I was Mundi’s master in all but name.”

When they reached the bridge, Nyeb said: “We have the new trajectory.”

“Rannek,” Qymaen said, “Take us into hyperspace.”

“Yes, sir,” he replied.

“Skywalker,” Qymaen said, “Let me bring you up to speed: We shall be landing near a temple on Malachor, where Masters Fisto and Secura are being held hostage, and, if our intelligence is correct, Admiral Tarkin and Master Piell as well.”

“Obviously a trap,” Anakin responded, an eagerness replacing his gloom.

“Yes, courtesy of Master Skorr,” Qymaen said, pointing to the man that still hung before the majesty of the heavens. He motioned for the body to be brought down to the loading bay.

“The mission?” Anakin asked.

“You and the Consular are to remain with the ship, and, in lieu of your suspension, the 501st will be officially under her command.” Qymaen said, watching Anakin twitch, “It was ordered by Master Windu, I’m sure you two can work the situation,” to which Anakin and Barriss acknowledged with a light nod.

Activating his holoprojector, the General displayed a plateau situated more than a mile from the ancient temple, Qymaen continued:

“If anything moves, even so much as a dog, it is to be shot on sight. Our scouts were torn to shreds by wild beasts,” showing the rear guard a grisly clip of their fate, hatred oozing from the animals, “They are more than sentient,” he finished, reading Anakin’s expression.

He then handed Barriss a small holocron, “They are called Tuk’ata, hellhounds of Sith origin, the holocron contains the rest of what you do need to know.”

“I noticed two other ships in the base plan,” Anakin said, “How many in tow?” inquiring of their escort.

“Four battleships, nine cruisers and eighteen destroyers,” Qymaen said, “Although we’re not expecting a fleet engagement, once must always be prepared.”

As the fleet exited hyperspace, they found themselves unusually close to the sun.

“Even the orbit changed,” Rannek said, “Our scanners show Malachor…five o’clock…in aphelion.”

Qymaen enhanced his vision, focusing on the fist sized globe. Aphelion…he thought, the planet was sure to be in a winter state. His fears were confirmed after the fleet had repositioned; it was covered in ice and snow, broken only by wide expanses of desert, from which rose plumes of green smoke, an ancient evil of a time long past.

“The temperatures match those of Pantora,” Nyeb said, “Our troops will need double layer protection.”

The Invisible Hand made its way to the surface, nested between two destroyers. Fluorescent blue clouds enveloped them, forcing Qymaen to call off the bombardment. Although he knew a winterspell had overcome the region, these clouds weren’t natural…Sith magic.

“Sentinels Kiber and Rannek shall also remain behind, under the command of Master Drallig ,” Qymaen said, addressing Barriss. He turned the briefing over to Cin Drallig.

“When we engage Dooku, we expect Savage to attack your position, the scouts reported around a thousand droids…”

“That’s it?” Rex said, then hastily added “Commander,” appearing stern.

“Yes, which means Savage himself will enter the fray,” Drallig said, then looking to Barriss, “You must avoid his axe…Soresu is suicide,” he then eyed Anakin, “as is Djem So; use Form II for attack,” he finished.

“And for defense,” Kiber asked.

“Distance,” Qymaen said, “and unless you can secure a kill, lots of it.” He then looked back to Anakin, “Remember our lesson, Skywalker, don’t get cocky. One hit, you die,” flashing several images of Jedi being neutralized, the weight behind Savage’s swings passing straight through them, as if their lightsabers were made of paper.

“I understand,” Anakin said, as Cin Drallig moved the hologram into Anakin’s face, “I get it,” he said.

The upper clouds had mostly parted, but a thick blue haze still permeated the air, limiting their vision to forty yards, all beyond which became a blur.

“We’ve switched our scopes to microwave frequency, General,” Rex said, “The resolution will be shoddy, but at least we’ll be able to see through the fog. We erected batteries all along the northern rim,” he finished, using a slow wave of his hand to indicate the cannon placements along the edge of the plateau.

“We shall enter the valley then,” Qymaen said, “Skywalker, there’s a message inside the hilt, read after I’m gone.” Qymaen took the corpse of the traitor Skoll, hoisting it over his back, and set out with twenty of his fiercest warriors.

Half-way through their march, beetles erupted from beneath the snow, scurrying to the shelter of the larger rocks. Qymaen held up his fist. He growled, igniting his lower blades, having better dexterity with them. He let Master Skoll’s body fall to the ground.

The Sentinels followed suit, as more bugs began to unburrow, fleeing in haste. The General listened intensely, augmenting his hearing…a mistake…as guttural screeches pierced him…silooths…forcing him to ignite his upper blades to hack at the insectoid monstrosities that leapt overhead.

Four Sentinels dropped their blades, wielding the force to avert the acid being sprayed; however, unable to defend themselves against a direct attack, one of the creatures tore out the jugular of the youngest member.

“Dorn!” The General hollered, now tearing through the creatures with all his fury. He force choked the others that attempted to prey upon the other three Sentinels that were compelled to remain defenseless, lest they all be covered in acid. He looked down briefly at the boy, but he didn’t have time to mourn.

A matriarch appeared, ejecting slime all about; Qymaen and the platoon ducked for cover; hideous screams bellowed from those that were too slow; two Droidekas rolled in and kidnapped two of the fallen, leaving as fast they came.

There was a powerful explosion…several of them. Qymaen hazarded a glance; the 501st had launched a salvo of rockets at the creature, he moved quickly to finish the job.

“Got your back, Commander,” Rex called over the comms, “We’ll send a team…”

“No,” Qymaen said, “We agreed to this. Die here, stay here,” he said, ending the transmission making his way to one of the wounded.

“Please,” the man said, but he wasn’t begging for help, but for relief: His skin was sloughing off.

He nodded, delivering mercy.

He took the lightsabers of the fallen and performed a headcount, thirteen remained. He placed the body of the traitor back upon his shoulders as they continued their march.

Count Dooku stood at the height of the entrance.

“I’ve come to make a trade,” Qymaen said, allowing Skoll’s corpse to roll to the base of the stairs.

But what the General saw next shook him to the core:

Kit Fisto and Aayla Secura emerged from behind the Count of Serenno, wielding crimson blades; however, he would not allow this revelation to cause him further dismay.

“I prefer to negotiate with the upper-hand,” Dooku said. Two droids brought forth the Sentinels that had just been captured, moaning in agony from the matriarch’s attack. Yet, their wounds weren’t fatal, only their forearms and ankles had been affected.

Fisto took one of them, and Secura the other, their blades to their throats.

“I would like to make a trade,” Dooku reiterated, “Admiral Tarkin and Master Piell,” he said.

“For?” the General interrupted.

“Tell them to remove their masks,” Dooku said, indicating the Sentinels.

“You don’t think I was foolish enough to bring Skywalker, do you?” Qymaen said. He then rolled the body of the traitor so that his face pointed up towards Dooku, “And I can’t imagine what you’d want with the girl.”

“Let’s just say…Skywalker would do anything to save the ones he loves, and dare I say, avenge them, as well,” Dooku sneered. “A pity she wasn’t captured, she would have kept the boy true.”

“I suspect Tatooine was your doing,” Qymaen responded.

“I’d like to think I played a part,” Dooku said, “but it was all his doing.”

“Then how did you know?” Qymaen said.

“I have my ways,” Dooku replied, “How did you know?”

Ignoring Dooku, Qymaen said: “What brings you here, Master Fisto.”

“He has a particular affinity with the wildlife,” Dooku said. Fisto revealed a wicked grin.

“I asked him, not you,” Qymaen retorted.

“He’s not much of a talker,” the Count responded, “at least not anymore. He prefers to commune with the animals, I don’t think droids are his type.”

“And you,” Qymaen said, addressing Secura.

“She manages the kennels, and has become a valuable member of my research team,” Dooku said.

“Did you like them,” Secura said, “Soon they’ll be tame enough to fight alongside the dogs.”

“Why don’t you ask them,” Qymaen said, pointing to skin melting off the captives.

“To think you’d make a joke at their expense,” Secura responded. The Sentinel groaned as she placed her weight upon his injuries.

They’re already dead, he thought, breaking eye contact with them, and looking back to Secura. Her eyes were a violent shade of yellow, “It grieves me to think I had a hand in your training,” Qymaen remarked.

“And mine,” Dooku said, “One thing you taught me, was to always keep your word.”

“So what is it you’re proposing, Dooku,” Qymaen said. He could sense desperation, the Count was trembling.

“The original plan: If you get Skywalker on the call, I’ll release these two now,” Dooku said, motioning for Secura to resume her torment, “I still have something that would interest him.”

“I already saw to the Senator’s safety,” Qymaen stated, “I perform thorough background checks of all my applicants, even if they are the Chosen One.”

The Count went pale, Qymaen continued: “Tell me, how does your master punish failure—I’d love to hear the details,” Qymaen said.

The Count’s nostrils flared, a faint glaze of yellow leaving his eyes as quick as it had come.

“Tell me: How does it feel to abandon your men…to send them to their doom?” Dooku quaked. Qymaen said nothing, and so the Count continued in a drawl:

“Look into their eyes… tell them that’s all for the greater g—” Dooku raised his defenses. Qymaen had used the force to collapse the windpipes of the captives, not attempting to injure the Sith, as they would have anticipated the assault.

“I must get going,” Count Dooku said, “I have more important duties to attend.”

“A shame, I wished to add your lightsaber to my collection,” Qymaen said, “But they’ll do,” he finished, glancing between Fisto and Secura.

Dooku withdrew a device from his robes.

“I bid thee farewell in all of your future endeavors, Master Sheelal,” he said, feigning a bow. He then pressed a button. “And I would like safe passage,” Dooku added, as Admiral Tarkin and Master Piell were herded into his ship.

Qymaen hesitated. If he allowed passage, Dooku would know that the information being held by Tarkin and Piell was too valuable; if he let them die, it would be lost.

“You seem conflicted,” Dooku said; however, the General devised a way out.

“The Council constrains me,” Qymaen responded, “If it were my choice, I’d see your sails lit aflame.”

“I hear the tensions between you and Master Windu have escalated,” Dooku said, “Good to know the Council always has my interests at heart.”

The General opened communications to alert the fleet, “The Count is not to be fired on, the hostages are aboard,” he said. Rex responded with an affirmative.

“Thank you,” Dooku said, this time feigning a proper bow.

“General,” Rex said over the communicator, “There’s gotta be at least ten thousand clankers advancing on our position, they’re coming from—” but the transmission ended; a Seperatist battleship entered low orbit, blazing, as it jammed all communications.

Kit Fisto waved his hand and Tuk’ata hellhounds leapt from every corner. The Sentinels formed a circle to guard each other’s backs; Droidekas rolled out to fire upon the formation; Secura engaged the General, shortly followed by Fisto.

Another salvo of rockets rained down upon their position, disabling some of the Droidekas. Republic fighters flew overhead, forcing the rest to roll for cover, while pursuing a flight of vulture droids.

The Sentinels moved quickly, fending off the hounds, making for inside the Temple.

Qymaen drew Fisto and Secura away from the phalanx, but something was wrong…terrible. A tangible darkness was seeping from the cornerstone atop the Temple, leaking into the cathedral in which they fought.

It weakened him…drained him.

“Fall back to the ship,” Grievous said, parrying and backpedaling from the onslaught of the fallen Masters. A Tuk’ata pounced on his back, its teeth trapping one of his lightsabers. He propelled himself outside the temple, crushing it against a monolith. Fisto and Secura were already on him, he slashed her shin. She recoiled and withdrew.

He kicked Fisto into another monolith that was opposite him. Secura was back. He grazed her forearm, clearing the flesh across the bone. She retreated with a hideous scream..

The Temple’s aura was now taking a significant toll. Fisto came down with a flurry of hateful strikes. The General stabbed him in the upper arm. But Secura was back—unscathed—flipping, twisting and jumping about.

“What ! ” the General said, but now he saw it: The Temple not only drew from upon the living, but also from the dead. The corpses decayed rapidly, fueling and nourishing his foes.

Now he was frightened, this was a sorcery beyond even his experience, “Get back to the ship!” he said again, “Full retreat, I’ll hold them off,” delivering a slash to Fisto’s chest, it’s the least I can do, he thought.

He heard more screams, another two Sentinels had fallen, being devoured by the hounds and darkness alike; the others were stumbling, as if entering a drunken stupor…as was he…the snow was melting from underneath; green mists exuding from the slush…he wanted…to nap.

Sleep, a voice said, a nightsister.

No, he thought, rebuking the witch, blocking another sequence from Fisto.

Yes, she said.

He closed his eyes, he was on Kalee, in the gardens of his youth. He knew it wasn’t real. He stretched out through the force to continue the fight: dodge, dodge, parry, dodge, cross, strike, stab, dodge. His legs were moving, but he did not know where. His senses began to fail, he would falter.

He wrapped his hands around a melon, drinking from its nectar: “Qymaen,” a voice said.

“Qui-gon,” the General bellowed, returning to reality. Fisto was about to deliver a finishing blow. He kicked him again, sending him further than before. Two hounds grappled him. He cleaved them in half.

Secura beheaded the last of the Sentinels. She came for him. He aimed for the heart, but only managed to strike her side. He closed his eyes, his mother stood before the hearth. No…his iron knuckles met Secura’s windpipe. He fled, skipping in and out of his childhood memories, while deflecting an endless barrage of blaster bolts.

He diverted all power to his legs, running, it was only his cybernetics that kept him going…the desire for slumber beginning to retake him as the mists continued to rise.

He no longer saw where he was running, but let his legs continue. He stumbled… tripped…rolled. He now relied entirely upon his internal computers.

Then it all stopped, he had exited darkness. He looked back to see black tendrils climbing to caress the blue fog, the green mists forming an eerie neon glow from the base.

As he tried to ascertain his location; Kit Fisto arrived on a speeder, dismounting in a most acrobatic fashion, allowing Qymaen to disarm him. But even unarmed, Fisto was dangerous and the hounds were near.

Qymaen hadn’t enough stamina to fight, nor to remain conscious for much longer. Whatever Dooku activated within the Temple had sapped him of his strength. He made a gamble, as he knew Fisto knew not the extent of his weariness.

“This belonged to Master Pong Krell,” Qymaen said, taking a lightsaber from his belt, the decayed fingers of the previous owner still attached. He tossed it Fisto, “And I would like it back.”

The Nautolan Sith ignited the blade; his infamous smile replaced with dread. He began a backwards retreat towards his speeder.

The General paced towards him, moving faster with each step, twirling his lightsabers like a hurricane before he pounced.

Fisto spooked, jetting off on his speeder.

Qymaen opened the cannon atop his left bracer, aiming straight for Fisto’s back, forcing the Nautolan to swerve upwards and block it with his bike, sending him tumbling across the ice.

The General pretended to give chase; Fisto gave into his fear, harnessing it to dash away.

Now being able to look around, Qymaen deduced that he had run the wrong direction, by more than a mile, more than two miles, he thought, now fearing for the men he saw waging battle on the south side of the Temple. But he knew he needed to find shelter. Making for a small cave, he released a short but distinct distress signal.

Once inside, he terminated all auxiliary power and gadgets that were not necessary for his survival, finally allowing the sleep to claim him.

Barriss (At the time of Qymaens’s descent in the valley)

“So, let’s see what it says,” Barriss said, motioning for Anakin to open his hilt. She expected a tiny holocron or computer chip, but instead it was a handwritten note.

She watched him grimace and then chuckle as he finished reading it. He handed her the message.

The Planet itself will tempt you; but if you must harness it, control it…otherwise I’ll have to add it back to my collection.

She saw Anakin now looking at his new hilt with anxiety.

“No,” she exclaimed, “Let’s see!”

Anakin ignited the blade, it was crimson red.

“If you’re gonna be Sith, might as well be on our side than theirs,” Kiber laughed.

“You put on quite a show at the Temple,” Rannek said, chiming in.

“The General can be a clown at times,” Kiber said to reassure him, “Still, he never says anything without meaning.”

“Right,” Anakin said, deactivating the blade.

Barriss observed the General’s march and saw them fighting off a swarm of creatures. They were too small for the microwave resolution to reveal and the valley provided too much cover. All they could do was watch.

Then a larger creature emerged, it was clearly an insect, a mixture of a mosquito and carrion beetle.

She saw Sentinel’s ducking for cover by the glow of their blades. The blaster cannons beside her seemed to only anger the beast.

“It’s gotta be at least thirty meters tall,” Fives remarked.

“Fire the rockets,” Barriss said.

Rex gave the order when they got a lock; after which she saw the General himself put an end to the monster.

“Got your back, Commander,” Rex said, “We’ll send a team—,”

But the General said no, and closed the communication.

Dusk faded to twilight until the General made contact.

“There’s an incoming transmission from the General, Commander,” Rex said.

“The Count is not to be fired on, the hostages are aboard,” Qymaen said over the comms.

“I’m relaying the message to Admiral Yularen now, sir,” Rex replied.

There was distant grinding noise, the corner stone atop the temple shifted, a thick black smoke wafted from the opening as Dooku’s ship skirted past.

At the same time, the blue clouds that obscured their vision below the plateau had parted, revealing rank after rank of B2 battle droids across the plains, beyond the hills and into the dead and forgotten forests of Malachor.

At the front stood General Savage Oppress, his axe in hand and his dual-blade in the other, accompanied by a pack of loyal Tuk’ata. Separist supply ships were touching down and vulture fighters swarmed from high orbit.

“General,” Rex said, “There’s gotta be at least ten thousand clankers advancing on our position, they’re coming from the hills around the temple, your position is surrounded,” but there was only static, as a Separist battleship joined the fray, releasing a brilliant pulse, jamming all communications for both the Republic and Separatists alike.

“This certainly wasn’t what the General expected, what’s the plan, Commander,” Anakin said.

“One of yours,” Barriss replied.

“And what would that be?” Kiber asked.

“It means they don’t have one,” Rex said, to which Kiber winced.

“I’ll take a squadron east,” Anakin said.

“I’ll hold the center,” Barriss said, “Kiber, you go west with Rannek.”

“And?” Kiber said.

“I’m sure you two will figure it out,” Barriss replied, “We are all to regroup when Admiral Yularen secures our evacuation.”

“I’ll go with them,” Rex said, giving Kiber a pat on the back.

“I agree,” Cin Dragglig said, giving Rex a nod.

“Take cover!” Fives yelled. The vulture droids had now reached the surface, laying waste to the encampment; Republic fighters engaged them, relieving most of the pressure after the initial salvo.

The Temple itself remained clouded, Barriss viewed the confrontation taking place with the microwave frequency.

The image was of terrible quality, just as Rex had said it would be, but she could make out the shapes and heat signatures of two sith agents dueling with the General. She narrowed the focus to observe Droidekas firing upon a circular formation of Sentinels.

Fives stood besides her, seeing the same.

“Fire another round of rockets,” Barriss said.

“We may hit them,” Cin Drallig said with caution.

“Then we’ll do our best to guide them,” she replied.

“Ready, Commander,” Fives said, and launched them when she nodded.

Barris and Drallig mediated upon the projectiles, guiding them nearer the walls of the pyramid where Droidekas had been seen, striking their intended targets. Barriss then redirected a squadron of Republic fighters to avert the vulture droids that were making a beeline for the temple.

There was a disturbance in the force, she could feel it coming from the pyramid. She didn’t need binoculars

to see the cause: The black smog that had wafted down from the cornerstone was now billowing in all directions from the base of the temple.

The smog began to transform into long and thin shadowy tendrils. The fog is sentient, she thought, for it neither slowed nor hastened in speed as it spread, it moved with purpose.

“Order the captains to move the destroyers and the Invisible Hand further south,” Barriss said, addressing Fives, “And take a shuttle to the flagship, and tell them to fire at will into the maelstrom about the Temple.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Fives said, sprinting to the nearest ship.

It pained her to subject General Qymaen to friendly fire, but she knew his chances of survival were already non-existent. She would need the fleet to disable as many droids as possible during the evacuation.

“I must assume command of the Sentinels,” Cin Drallig said, looking into the maelstrom with sorrow, “We’ll be leaving here shortly.”

“General,” Barriss said in acknowledgement, as Cin Drallig made for the Invisible Hand.

However, Fives came running down the ramp.

“Admiral Yularen is dispatching all the battlations; the entire Separatist fleet came out of hyperspace,” he said.

She could see some of the explosions amidst the bright nebulae.

“I don’t understand,” Barriss said, “The hostages are gone and the General is dead.”

“The orders came from Admiral Tarkin himself, even Yularen didn’t seem pleased, but Tarkin outranks us all.”

“I shall muster the might of Sentinels,” Drallig said with a grim tone, his face stern as he boarded the Invisible Hand.

Fives was looking into the storm, “We can’t fight in that,” he said.

She knew he didn’t need to be force sensitive to feel the evil within.

“We won’t,” Barriss said, glancing at the rugged terrain to their south, “We’ll use a tactical retreat, the fog isn’t advancing that quickly.”

“An extended tactical retreat may be fine with a platoon or even an entire battalion, but not with an entire brigade. Each battalion has its own methods…and they don’t mix well,” he said, then looked again into the coming storm, “But I suppose that’s our only option. This will be—” he hesitated, he didn’t have the heart to finish the sentence.

“A massacre,” Barris finished, sensing what he had intended to say.

Useless, she thought, there’s nothing here to fight for, we’re all just going to fight for the sake of fighting.

“Have you ever had a feeling, Commander, that someone is pulling both strings on either side of this war?” Fives said, as frustrated as she was.

“Call me Barriss,” she said, “and yes…there is nothing here for either the Republic or the Separatists.”

“Exactly,” Fives said, “But I’m still going to call you Commander.”

Barriss frowned, he was quite handsome, then again they all look the same, she thought, dispelling the notion, then said: “If the Separatists were all as committed as we’re told to believe they are, then why do their ranks consist almost entirely of droids.”

“And why do ours consist mostly of flesh and blood,” Fives remarked.

She understood what he meant, “I don’t agree with this war any more than you do.”

“I know, I’ve heard your testimony besides Senator Amidala…not all us clones live in a bubble,” Fives said, “Still, orders are orders,” he finished, as placed another rocket into his launcher, cocking it, as they both headed to the edge of the plateau.

Anakin

Tupps and his crew were holding a ravine, laying down suppressive fire to distract the Droidekas that were naturally ill equipped to roll uphill, yet their shields held as they pressed their advance.

Anakin had gone around the side, deflecting blaster fire from the B2’s while his squadron began to roll grenades under the Droideka’s shields.

A republic fighter crashed into the cliff above Tupps; Anakin used the force to divert the debris. Something tore into his side, a Tuk’ata hellhound had sunk its teeth into his ribs.

Tupps blew its face off, the heat of his blaster bolt singeing an already grisly wound.

Anakin realized that the hounds could mask their presence until they attacked, as now there was an entire horde of them pouncing from every angle. Two medics from the Wildfire unit injected serum into Anakin’s side.

He felt dizzy and somewhat elated by the drugs. He wasn’t good at healing, but the relief of the painkiller allowed him enough focus to stem the bleeding.

He could still feel the effect of the injury as it lamed him while he deflected more blaster fire from the incoming wave of B2’s. If they didn’t have the high ground advantage, he wouldn’t have been able to block them all.

Tupps stood with his back to Anakin’s, using his sidearms to blast away at the dogs.

A shadow had reached the foot of the ravine, underlaid by a green mist. The troop fired their rockets in unison at the Droideka’s that began to roll up the terrain, Anakin knew they couldn’t do that without assistance.

Tupps took control of a mobile gatling unit to fend off a wing of vulture droids that accompanied the darkness, while the rest of the troop dealt with Tuk’ata, but the hounds randomly ran off, towards Barriss’s position.

Anakin stood at the ready, blocking the narrowest point of the ravine. He knew Savage was coming.

Four manga guards exited the darkness, receiving uncanny aid to deflect the clone’s blaster fire, one of the guards fired a rocket at him as it prepared it’s electro-staff.

Anakin backflipped to the rocks above, and then side leaped upon contact as they collapsed into the ravine. He felt a dull ache in his ribs as he rolled across the ice.

The magna guards had already leapt up, he ignited his blade, and took the stance of Djem So, but it didn’t suit the blade he held. Over the course of several exchanges, he adopted Makashi, it flowed so much better with the curved hilt. It was right.

The clones fired a small emp round, causing two of the magnaguards to malfunction and fight each other. The clones shot them down and Anakin took the opportunity to dispatch the third; however he had to take Form III as a crimson blade jumped from the ends of the advancing tendrils.

The assailant made use of his disorientation, disarming him… for it was not Savage…it was Aayla Secura. His hilt rolled into the shadows below as Secura delivered a round house to his already shattered ribs, knocking blood from his mouth.

He had never felt so much hate from a Sith, it was carnal. She struck down with her lightsaber, Anakin used his fear to halt the strike with the force, both his hands in front of him, desperately trying to ward it away, but her hate kept growing, her blade inching nearer.

She leapt away as Tupps opened an endless stream of blaster bolts from a Z-6 rotary cannon. The other troopers kept her busy as Anakin plummeted into the dark haze.

Upon entering it, he could sense the location of the lightsaber Qymaen had given him, the tendrils were all but pointing at it, leading him to it, the wound in his side healing as he approached..

It felt as if it was calling to him, he reached down, but the presence of another entity entered him when his face lowered into the green mist, a flash of a nightsister.

He heard the yells of the clone troopers above. He forced pulled the hilt and catapulted to the top of the ravine, where Aalya stood with the remaining magnagard mowing down the clone troopers.

Tupps was standing between them and Aayla, he could see Aalya toying with him as he blocked some of her crude swings with a cortosis rod, shattering it more and more with each blow.

The rod broke and Aalya went for the killing blow; Anakin force choked her, his will to save Tupp was more than her will to kill him.

She force pushed Tupp across the ice and broke Anakin’s hold, propelling herself like a tornado as she released a Force Scream.

Their blades locked, red against red, the shadow engulfed them. She hacked at him with bestial fury, but the darkness had brought a calm to him.

In the same manner that Dooku had fought him many years ago on Geonosis, he now fought her. He was patient, deliberate and mindful of the environment that surrounded him. He made a small step backwards, baiting Aayla forward; she tripped upon a piece of sheet metal, landing on her back as the metal slid along the ice.

When she attempted to right herself, he disarmed her. He had the strongest temptation to kill her, but he also wanted to know why she had turned to the dark side. No, I’ll just kill her, he thought, but then shook the idea again, it wasn’t his idea, it was someone else’s.

He could see her yellow Sith eyes rolling, the green mist was subduing her; then her eyes came into sharp focus, and a massive quake burst forth. They were both on the carapace of a giant insect.

They both leapt opposite directions as it bucked them off. Anakin force gripped Aayla’s lightsaber as he landed.

Whether or not the massive creature was going to assist her, she couldn’t duel with him without a blade. He started to consider the best approach, assuming she’d flee.

If she runs, I’m out of here, he thought, as he had no reason to engage the silooth unless she was foolish enough to make him.

“You can’t win,” Anakin said, wishing nothing more than to exit the mist. However, Aayla was not going to disengage.

“You underestimate the power of the dark side,” she said.

“You overestimate its allegiance,” he responded, summoning the shadowy tendrils to him.

She beckoned the massive beetle forward, it charged at him, spewing jets of liquid all around him. The tendrils encased him, intercepting the acid, while he rolled under the beast, plunging his blade into its underbelly.

The silooth roared and stomped, as he dragged the blade from its abdomen to the thorax, while severing one of its legs as he rolled out from under it—only to be met by something he had never before encountered in battle.

Aayla had lashed at him with a magenta light-whip, wrapping about his blade, the tail end grazing his face. Had the silooth not stepped her whip, he would have lost his blade entirely.

He used his sparring knowledge under General Qymaen to repel the next assault, as he ignited the second blade that he had just taken from her, Jar’kai was the only effective counter to such a weapon, but it could only defend. He had to stay at maximum distance, using his primary blade to meet the whip at its center, and the off-hand to deflect the tail.

The beetle came back to her side, he saw the essence of fallen clones being siphoned into it, restoring it.

It was only now that he realized that the darkness had healed his wounds by consuming his comrades. It filled him with anger.

He invoked the shadows to blind the beast, but shadows obeyed her as well, as she made a shooing gesture; the tendrils clearing. She leapt on top of the silooth and enhanced its already mighty speed, jousting at him with her whip suspended at its side.

A rocket flew straight into the monster’s mouth, exploding it from within, and the attacker paid the ultimate price, being drenched by the acid that erupted forth.

“Tupp!” Anakin yelled, as Aalya averted his attempt to shield him.

He could sense her triumph, as much as Tupp’s pain. For her it was erotic.

Now he hated her, he felt a massive contraction of his pupils, he didn’t just choke her, he strangled her, red mixing with the yellow of her eyes—but to her luck thousands of B2’s and Droidekas had made their march.

He tried to grab Tupp’s body, but couldn’t, as he laid in a pool of acid, his essence traveling to Secura as she hid behind the droids.

He sent a massive force wave, knocking them down, as he sprinted out of the maelstrom.

Barriss

Several transport ships had made it to the surface, providing enough reinforcements to hold the plateau until the rest of the brigade arrived. She could hear gunfire from the cliff’s edge as she provided instructions to the new arrivals.

“Commander,” Fives said, “DSD1 spider droids are scaling the cliff.”

“And those blasted hounds,” another clone said.

Barriss ran over to the makeshift battlements, and had to duck a crimson blade that nearly decapitated her from an incoming air speeder. She turned about taking Form II, preparing to engage Savage, but six hellhounds jumped from the crashed speeder…with Master Fisto?

One of the Republic tanks that had just disembarked released a massive blast between them, more of the Tuk’ata came leaping over the edge along with the DSD1 spider droids.

She resumed her preferred stance, clearing her mind of the upset.

Kit Fisto’s Shii-Cho and her Soresu were evenly matched, with only Fisto’s age and experience giving him enough of an edge to keep her on the defensive, while both of them had to deflect blaster fire from either side.

“Why?” Barriss said, as they were both on either side of a fallen vulture droid, taking shelter from the dogfighting aircraft overhead, “Why would you join Count Dooku?”

Fisto didn’t answer, and swung around, locking blades. He rolled to evade a sniper shot from Fives, motioning two hounds to dispatch him.

She saw Fives jump safely inside one of the tanks as she reengaged Fisto.

It seemed as if Fisto was the pack leader of the wolves, almost as if he was an animal himself, his Shii-Cho being the most basic and natural of the lightsaber forms. He grinned at her, she knew he had sensed her thoughts.

Two suicide wings of vulture droids descended upon the plateau, the edge of which was now totally consumed by the crawling darkness. They laid waste to many of the tanks before the Republic fighters took them down. She sensed Master Plo-Koon leading them. She reached out to him:

Master, she said.

Yes Consular, he responded.

She risked opening her mind further so he could see Kit Fisto slashing away at her.

I shall join you soon, he said, and he may not be alone.

She closed the connection to resume her full attention to the duel.

More tanks exited the transport ships, disintegrating the spider droids, but they had done their job, as an entire battalion of B2’s marched from the valley and up into the plateau, as Kit Fisto retreated behind them.

Anakin and his clone troopers were sprinting towards her from the east, she knew they had been overrun.

“Whatever you do, don’t go into the dark,” Anakin said, running past her, and then skipping and leaping towards the west. She briefly remembered a green flare during her duel with Fisto, and then understood where he was going.

“Where’s Tupp?” Fives said to the Wildfire unit, sticking his head out from atop the tank.

She felt his pain as they shook their heads. Fives lost control, firing haphazardly into the darkness. She had to force pull the tank towards her as he tried to ram the accelerator into the maelstrom.

He looked back at her, he knew she was saving him from certain death. She could tell he was suppressing tears, as his eyes watered. She held out a hand; he hopped out and she force pulled him to her side. He fired over his shoulder as they joined the battalion in a calculated retreat from the encroaching mists.

Some of the arriving ships seemed confused about where to land, some being forced to land too near the storm, with cries of agony shortly following.

Another air speeder ejected from the billowing mass, had she not seen Kit Fisto, she would have died from the shock of Aayla Secura force screaming amidst a four-turn pirouette, a light-whip in hand, swirling with her. Barriss backflipped from her position to higher ground.

“Fives!” she said, “Throw me your baton,” she knew she needed two weapons to survive the coming assault.

She would also need leverage to maintain the recommended distance, she directed a particular squadron to maintain suppressive fire on Secura.

But her skill with the whip was unparalleled, she waved it like a performer, the magenta blur forming streams and trails, as if still, but yet fluid, deflecting the blaster fire directly back at the clones, maiming and wounding them, while directing several of the bolts at Barriss.

Secura lashed at her with incredible agility as Barriss deflected the friendly fire. She caught the center of the whip and used the cortosis rod to deflect the tail. Their routine repeated over and over, with the rod losing integrity after each exchange, all of which occurred within the span of only a few moments.

The 501st sent rockets at Secura, allowing Barriss to deflect the tail end of her own whip into her face, the clones dared another round of fire, most of them hitting their mark, as Secura fell into the shadows. She saw Secura look up with a wicked wide grin as the tendrils closed about her.

Barriss had enough skill and talent in healing to sense what was beyond the veil. The faces of fallen clones were rapidly degenerating, as their essences poured into the storm.

She paced backwards to match the speed of crawling smog, keeping a distance of twenty meters, and was not surprised when Aalya lashed out from the shadows without revealing her body.

The clones fired at will into the maelstrom, while Barriss continued to parry the occasional strike from Aayla’s whip.

Barriss backflipped again to avoid the Droidekas that rolled out. The tanks opened fire, their guns sufficient to dismantle them. Barriss stood at the ready, knowing that Aayla would emerge with an entire legion of battle droids at any moment.

And when she did, hundreds of Tuk’ata leapt out followed by a wall of B2 blaster fire.

Most of the Brigade was now formed in a series of trenches half a mile to the south. Barriss issued a full retreat of the front lines that were dangerously exposed and being overrun.

General Cin Drallig formed a shield wall with Sentinels and Gungans, minimizing their casualties. Several cruisers could be seen aflame, plummeting through the atmosphere.

Another bright flare erupted from the west. She knew that Anakin, Kiber and Rex were in serious trouble, but there was nothing she could do, she could not leave the central position with Fisto and Secura waiting to strike.

“I’ve dispatched all of our labor droids to continue digging,” Cin Drallig said, pointing behind them, “There’s nothing but open plains beyond the spires.”

“The new AT-AT walkers will cover the men as they fall back between a successive series of trenches,” a republic officer added, “while the older AT-TE’s will provide a distraction.”

“Are there men inside them?” Barriss asked, concerned.

“Yes,” Cin Drallig said, “Sacrifices must be made.”

A third flare came from the west, but the location was all but enshrouded by the veil. She saw Kit Fisto and Aayla Secura running in its direction.

“Go,” Cin Drallig said.

“When Master Plo-Koon gets here, tell him I went west,” she said, taking off on a speeder.

Fisto and Secura both shot her a glance from the other side of the battle, and retreated in the shadows. She had an ominous feeling, but was not quick enough to dodge all the shots from a squadron of droideka snipers, lighting the speeder aflame. The explosion sent her rolling towards the fog.

An entire line of B2’s stepped forward, she heard the 501st dismounting in the distance, aiding her retreat, but she could not outrun the hounds. She took Soresu again, but it was not proper for the great multitudes of beasts, taking Form VI as the hounds slashed and nipped at her from all sides.

Secura had all but closed the distance between them. Barris released a force shockwave to disorient the hounds, she saw Fives and the clones advancing forward. A fighter jet crashed in front of them. She ducked the incoming shrapnel, as Aalya flicked it away with her whip and back at her, the molten steel burning her arm.

Two Sentinels leaped over the wreckage, and began to parry Secura, but their dual-blades were not only the wrong weapon, but the worst weapon to engage a light-whip. They were too slow to switch to Jar-Kai, as Secura lassoed them both and severed them in half.

The hounds leap over Secura, Fives and his crew entered the mist to repel them; Barriss resumed the previous dance with Aalya as Fisto began to cut down the clones.

Her cortosis rod shattered, now she only had her one blade. Fives jumped in front of her, using the cortosis plates on his armor, Barriss continued to intercept the center of the whip, and assisted Five’s motions as much as she could.

Four more Sentinels entered the fray, Fisto raised his hand, causing the green mists to rise. Barriss felt a need for slumber, straining to keep her eyes open. She felt Secura’s whip entangle her hand. It burned, burned, rousing her.

She saw Fives kneeling in front of Secura, the clones and Sentinels were maimed in their sleep. She cradled her right hand with her left, it only felt worse to touch.

“I think he likes you,” Secura crooned, standing behind Fives, and stroking across his chin. Secura compelled him to kneel and laid her whip in a coil around Five’s legs.

“Barriss,” Fives said, holding a grenade, “Run.”

Barriss panicked, using the force to dislodge it, exploding in the distance.

He looked at her in disappointment as she wept, his own tears finally escaping.

“Foolish girl,” Secura said, constricting the coil around his knees, severing his legs.

Kit Fisto stood silent, smiling, as Fives moaned in agony.

Secura fondled the dark tendrils about her, the essence of the dying clones being drawn, healing Barriss’s hand.

“You can still save him,” Secura said, looking to the dismembered Sentinels that still slept, “They’re strong enough.”

Barriss looked from the Sentinels, to Fives, he was now in slumber like the others. She met Aayla’s gaze, there was so much sadism in her eyes. She could feel Fives fading as he bled out.

She raised her hands, then dark tendrils came to her naturally, she felt out to the Sentinels, pulling on their souls, although they slept in body, they did not sleep in spirit. Their spirits cried out, begging her to stop; she continued, draining them as their bodies decayed into old age, and then into rotting corpses.

Fives stood up, he was shaking in rage, no, resisting something.

“Kill jedi,” he said, “Kill all jedi,” he reiterated, taking his sidearm and pointing at Barriss. Secura gripped the barrel with the end of her whip, breaking it, laughing like a maniac. She placed her finger on his forehead, and he fell back into the mists.

“I think you broke his heart—” Secura said, dropped her whip, raised her arms, calling to the shadows to protect her, but nothing could impede the storm of Force Judgment that came her way. Yellow lighting had burst forth from Barriss, electrocuting Aalya.

Barriss force gripped Aalya’s whip, slashing and whirling it about at the hounds, Kit Fisto intervened, and hounds brought Barriss to the ground.

She let go of the weapon, in an last attempt to avert the muzzle of the raging fiend intent on her jugular. When her hand met its face, time stopped.

She felt the rage in the animals, and could now see that they were all of different breeds, all taken from their native homeworlds, tortured and compelled into becomming beasts of war, and their will be to free.

The hounds eyes faded from red to a glassy blue, streaks of white revealed in the iris, like marble and ice.

Its wet nose nudged her face and whimpered.

The other hounds formed around her, growling and snarling at Fisto and Secura, whose light-inflicted burns had yet to heal.

Barriss called the light-whip to her side once more. The hounds charged and Barriss pursued them to the edge of plateau.

The duo had nowhere to run. Fisto attempted to bring the hounds back under control, but he was met with force lightning.

It wasn’t the yellow lightning that she had just conjured, but now that of hate, she hated him, hated what he did to the dogs, hated him for everything, as Fisto was jettisoned over the edge in a cage of red lightning.

“That’s more like it,” Secura said, as she turned back to Barriss. The hounds had Secura surrounded, drooling.

“Get it over with,” Secura said, as the hounds had their jaws about every part of her body, “and your path to the dark side will be complete.”

Barriss could feel a sense of fulfillment coming from Secura, as if it were her life’s mission to be destroyed by a stronger foe.

How could Secura have fallen from a devoted Jedi Master to fanatical and devout Sith Lord in so short a time, she thought. She looked towards Fives, but he was beyond her sight, as the fog had only thickened since.

“Why?” Barriss said.

“Justice,” Secura replied.

Barriss rubbed the hilt of the whip with her thumb.

“You don’t have the balls to do it,” Secura taunted, Barriss let the Tuk’ata sink their teeth in further. Secura screamed in joy, laughing like a maniac.

Barriss brought the whip down her, singeing her face, “Why!”

Secura continued to laugh, and Barriss lashed her again…and again…and again…and again…

Secura’s taunts turned into screams, Barriss kept lashing at her, “You will tell me.”

“Stop,” Secura pleaded, but Barriss no longer cared, she brought it down further, now ripping into her skin.

“Stop! Stop!” Secura cried, she momentarily blew the hounds back, her own lightning coming from her right arm, but Barriss caught her hand and severed it with the whip, as the hounds pinned her once more, one of them licking and nibbling at the stump of her wrist.

“Now you die,” Barriss said.

Secura connected with her mind: They shared a common past.

“So I’m not alone,” Secura rasped, “we’re on the same side.”

“How long ago,” Barriss whispered.

“Almost twenty years,” Secura said back, “You?”

“Seven,” Barriss said, “but I’m not on your side,” as she held the hilt high, igniting it.

“Nothing you do will bring back the child that kicked in your womb,” Secura said, “There can only be justice.”

The hounds raised Secura, her back to the cliff. Barriss stared Aalya in the eyes, rubbing the icy cold of iron hilt in her palm. She drew her arm back for maximum momentum, and took sight of Secura’s neck.

“Avenge us,” Secura said, her eyes losing their Sith hue. Barriss deactivated the whip, and called off the hounds, although they continued to growl and snarl.

“Go,” Barriss said.

“Join us,” Secura implored.

“Go!” Barriss yelled, reigniting the whip.

Secura was about to say something, but then her eyes opened wide in horror, her gaze slightly above Barriss’s shoulder, another blast of Force Judgment met her, sending her into the abyss.

“You made the right choice,” Plo-Koon said, “But not for the right reasons.” His presence was like that of an angel, the darkness dared not approach him.

He extended his hand, beckoning with his fingers; Barriss handed him the light-whip and Plo-Koon gave her back her lightsaber.

“I found it along the way,” Plo-Koon said, kneeling down to comfort her, as she sobbed on one knee; the hounds began to whine and whimper, one of them licking Barriss’s tears.

“They’re hungry,” she whispered.

“Take them with you,” Plo-Koon replied.

“Where are you going?” Barriss said.

“To deactivate whatever is inside the Temple,” Plo-Koon said, “And there was a clone trooper who tried to shoot me earlier. It seemed as if he was under some sort of mind control; I did the best I could.”

“Fives,” she said, “I—healed a wound he suffered earlier.”

“And he thanked you, and pointed me in your direction,” Plo-Koon responded. “But be weary, Consular, this planet is known to induce madness, he may strike again.”

“I know he made it to safety,” she said, “I can feel it.”

“Then you best be on your way, may the Force be with you,” he said, sliding down the edge towards the Temple.

Rex

Rex and 501st at his command kept moving to higher ground, as the darkness approached. Kiber and Rannek were in a fierce duel with Savage Opress.

The Zabrak General’s martial prowess kept the two Sentinels from making an escape, while raising the tendrils to block their paths.

Rannek was cornered, and Kiber was force pushed into a new green tinged mist that coupled with the smog.

Rex reset his aim, firing a sniper bolt at Savage. It distracted the Zabrak enough to prevent Rannek’s decapitation, but Savage still took his wrist.

Kiber leapt forth, but he seemed as if he were in a daze; Rex knew what he had to do, it was suicide, but they would all die if the last Sentinel fell to Savage.

His cortosis rod met Savage under the shaft connecting his ax. Their physical strength was evenly matched, but not their skill in hand-to-hand combat.

The Zabrak headbutted him, he felt one of his horns penetrate his helmet, impaling his forehead slightly. Savage swung his dual-blade around with his other hand, deflecting Kiber, but Rannek force pushed him, and Kiber knocked the dual-blade from his left hand.

Savage gripped his axe with both hands, now that the other was free. Rex and Kiber both rolled opposite directions, as it spun in arc.

Rex sheathed his rod, making proper distance, and took shelter behind a rock before firing at Savage with his sidearm. The axe was able to deflect blaster fire, but too clumsy to control the direction of the ricochet.

Although Kiber had mostly recovered, he saw him swaying between his ducks and rolls. Rex took a moment to release his final flare. He attempted to resume his fire, but Savage force gripped the sidearm and sent it over the western cliffside.

He reached for his rifle, knowing he was free to move in the open, due to Savage’s inability to redirect his blaster bolts, he made for the position of the troops above, while using his best aim to continue to aid Kiber.

He stopped firing to help Rannek reach the top of the ravine; however, Rannek met his fate, taking several shots to the back from sniper Droidekas.

One of his men unleashed a rotary cannon on the Zabrek. Savage rolled quickly into the mists. Vulture droids descended, there were no Republic fighters to intercept them.

He and men were exposed to the aerial assault, as the rocks in the ravine were only good for taking cover from a ground assault. Rex knew what would happen the moment the rotary cannon was turned upwards to the sky.

Instinctively he drew his cortosis rod, as Savage leaped from the maelstrom, over Kiber, slamming down on him. He blocked the brunt when he met the shaft of the axe, but it still plunged half way into the top of his left arm, putting stars in his eyes.

He grabbed his sidearm, but Savage stepped on his hand, pinning him. Rex rolled slightly to avoid the next strike, but Savage used it to surprise Kiber, completing the swing behind him, straight into Kiber’s pelvis.

We’re both dead, he thought, lighting a grenade, Savage knocked it away with the force, without even looking.

Rex decided he wasn’t going to die lying down, injecting himself with adrenaline.

“I will give you a warrior’s death,” Savage said, instructing the Droidekas to stand aside. Rex looked briefly behind him, his men were dead. He felt something strange, the Sith General was mending his arm with the darkness that had now enclosed them.

He nodded, knowing that this Zabrak actually did respect his bravery, knowing Savage would make it quick, unlike Kiber who was crawling along the blood streaked snow.

Savage lunged forward swinging his axe, Rex knew he had to fight to die peacefully. He rolled away, and went to grab his sidearm, but knew it would be against the rules.

He rolled in towards Savage on the next swing, clubbing his knee with the cortosis rod, and was met by a kick to the face, but he saw that he injured the Zabrak, who was now limping.

The Zabrak nodded, and resumed. Rex knew he couldn’t get away with the same move twice, he feigned a roll, into a tipsy sidestep, and struck the bone of the Zabrak’s wrist, and followed with a second strike to the small of his back.

The Zabrak turned with natural agility, as he was not using the force to enhance himself, allowing Rex to catch his shaft before his axe gained momentum. Savage punched him in the face. Rex took it in stride, dropping the rod, as he now had a grip on both of Savage’s arms, who dropped his axe in turn.

The grappled and wrestled, Rex remained weary of the Zabrak’s headbutt, several times they both got each other in a choke hold and managed to kick out as the green mists disillusioned both of them.

Then they were both raised into the air.

Skywalker force pushed all of the Droidekas over the cliff. His eyes were narrow, yellow and slitted, like a snake.

Savage released Rex, coming back into his powers. Rex ran over to Kiber as Anakin and Savage entered into glorious combat, his red blade doing circles around the axe of the mighty Zabrak.

“It’ll help you walk,” Rex said, injecting pain killers into Kiber.

More clones entered the darkness, dismounting from their speeders.

“When we saw your third flare, we knew you were still alive,” one of the soldiers said. The others began to take positions in an effort to assist Skywalker.

“He’ll be alright,” Rex said, stopping them, “Let’s get him out of here,” indicating the wounded Kiber.

Rex put Kiber in front of him as he mounted the speeder. They took off, escaping the darkness. They went as far to the west as they could to come around the back lines. Rex went forward looking for Barriss.

“Where’s the Consular,” he asked Cin Drallig, “Sentinel Kiber is bleeding out.”

Cin Drallig looked into the maelstrom, “You can find Sentinel Nyeb on the Invisible Hand, she is more than capable; where is Rannek and Skywalker?”

“Rannek fell to General Savage, and Skywalker appears to have become one of them, although he’s not their side…but I’m not sure if he’s on ours either,” Rex said.

“Get Kiber aboard,” Cin Drallig said, “and then report back, we need you.”

“Yes, sir,” Rex said, and took off towards the Hand, thanking his lucky stars that he wasn’t shot down in the crossfire.

He brought Kiber up the ramp, who was now unconscious. He assumed Nyeb had either seen his approach or sensed it, as she stood at the top, and began chanting over Kiber.

“Leave him here,” Nyeb said.

Rex gently laid him on the floor, he wasn’t the only injured Sentinel on board, there must have been at least forty of them. He saluted her and headed back to the front, this time on foot, so he wouldn’t be such an easy target.

There were at least sixteen to twenty trenches along the way. Each time he sprinted from one to the next he had to do so in a zig-zag.

The no-man’s land was an ocean of red, green and blue blaster fire, exploding shrapnel and whistling rockets. Half his escapes from death were due to slipping on the ice, the other half from his timely rolls behind the new and heavily armored walkers.

There were more dead clones than living ones, he was actually relieved when he reached Cin Drallig’s position, as the Sentinels were experts in deflecting the blaster fire, and had more support from both the air and ground, with a strong barrier of Gungan shields.

“The mist has stopped advancing,” Cin Drallig said, “Master Plo-Koon must have succeeded in his mission.”

“You sent him out there?” Rex exclaimed.

“General,” Cin Drallig said to remind him, but Rex only just realized what that meant.

“General Sheelal fell?” Rex asked.

“Yes; however, if Plo-Koon reached the apex of the temple, then if the General lives, Plo-Koon may yet find him,” Cin Drallig said.

Cin Drallig then looked at Rex with some concern and continued:

“Also, your friend, Fives, came out of the mist earlier. He tried to kill me, but also seemed very confused. We knocked him out and two Sentinels escorted him to a medical frigate.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine in the morning,” Rex said.

“If there is one,” Cin Drallig said, “Also, you should know that Fives kept verbally insisting on killing jedi, it’s possible this wretched planet can infect the minds of clones, and not just force sensitives. Keep that in mind for any tribunals your men might be subject to, cite my name if you must.”

“Yes, General,” Rex said.

After nearly an hour of intense combat, they had retreated to the final set of trenches.

Skywalker had returned from the west.

Rex nudged Cin Drallig, readying his sidearm, however he noticed that Skywalker’s eyes had returned to their natural state.

“Savage got away,” Anakin said, “Secura took him on an air speeder, she looked pretty beat up, Tupp would be proud of whoever did it.”

“Glad to have you back, Commander,” Rex said. He wished whoever did it killed her, having inferred that Tupp must have died at her hand.

An artillery shell soared overhead, sending massive chunks of ice towards them. Skywalker diverted them with the force; Rex pulled him down from a rocket that would have otherwise hit him.

With the mists having ceased to advance, the armored walkers formed a line across the middle, allowing the brigade to move forward from the trenches. Not even the heaviest rockets could penetrate their armor. In fact, the clones were almost perfectly safe behind them.

“Where is Barriss?” Anakin asked.

“I see her coming back now, from the western flank,” Cin Drallig said, “And what the hell is she doing with those monsters?”

Barriss ran forward to meet Anakin, with a following of six hounds, but they didn’t seem hostile, like the ones he had been fighting over the past hour.

“Making friends,” Anakin said, scruffing one of them, “We’ll call him Tupps…it is a him?” he added, looking under the dog, “Yeah, it’s a him.”

Cin Drallig looked annoyed as Tupps leaped up and sniffed Anakin’s face.

“Master Plo-Koon told me to take them aboard—for study,” Barriss said.

“Make it quick,” Cin Drallig said, “Skywalker, return to the east.”

“Yes sir,” Anakin said, and then sprinted east behind the cover of the walkers.

“Them clankers must be a dime a dozen,” one of the clones said, as they took shots from behind the walkers.

The clone went to throw a grenade.

“No,” Rex said, “You made it if things get rough.”

“Ah come on, we got this in the bag,” the clone responded, as the green mist now soared forth, while the black smog remained at bay. It was intensely bright.

The walkers all began to turn in haste, crushing many of the clones.

“Fuck,” Rex said, as they all became exposed to an endless sea of blaster fire, “You can use that now.”

Both he and the clone beside him threw their grenades, as did many others.

Cin Drallig grabbed him, using the force to propel them both onto the leg of a walker, shielding them from the blaze of battle. Although the walkers weren’t fast, their gallop was sufficient to outpace the blazing green storm.

No longer dampened by the black smog, Rex could see the green gas reflecting off the ice in front of them, he had to lower his visor to regain vision.

After crossing ten or more trenches, the walkers turned and reformed the line, but many of them had fallen to kamikaze attacks by overloaded vulture droids.

More transport ships were coming down in the south. Rex looked up, the night sky was now crowded with nearly a thousand ships in high orbit. He couldn’t imagine which was worse, the battle on the ground or the battle in space.

Barriss had returned, igniting her blade to deflect fire around him, allowing him to fire back at the B2 droids. A horde of forty to fifty Droidekas rolled up to engage Cin Drallig and Barriss, and Savage Opress was now marching forward with over a dozen Magnaguards.

Savage plunged his axe into the ground, and geysers erupted from beneath, the steam burning men alive and the natural force of the eruptions sending many of the remaining walkers high into the sky.

This had been a trap the entire time, he thought, all of it.

A group of ten Sentinels entered the fray, matching the Magnaguards, while Barriss and Cin Drallig began to dance around Savage.

Rex knew not to draw the attention of either the guards or Savage, and directed his men to begin dismantling the Droidekas; however, without proper cover, they were getting slaughtered by the onslaught of the B2’s.

A great shadow overcame the brilliant night sky, blocking out the nebulae, Admiral Yularen’s flagship was plummeting straight down upon their position, it was aflame and imploding, followed by massive explosions from its various ports.

Savage Opress force pushed Cin Drallig into a trench and said: “Cease Fire.” He called upon the shadows, sending them towards the downing flagship, the tendrils resisting its descent.

The clone troopers began to run, others diving into the furthest trenches.

The Sentinels, Barriss and Cin Drallig began to assist Savage with all their might; however, the flagship continued to fall, their efforts only delaying the inevitable.

“Keep firing,” Savage said, fleeing east towards the maelstrom.

Admiral Yularen contacted Cin Drallig, communications must have been restored.

“Remember us,” Yularen said.

Then all began to run for cover, even the droids disobeyed their final command, scattering in random directions, as Droidekas rolled at full speed down any terrain they could find.

Rex saw something that horrified him: Men were leaping from the flagship to escape the fire, some could be seen murdering each other over jet packs and parachutes, others hanging from the trusses of damaged fighter craft that spiraled into the ground.

And there stood the Consular, out in the open, trying to catch the men that fell with all her mind and spirit.

There were too many of them. Their bodies fell like rain, splattering and spurting gore from the impact, vulture droids shooting down those that had parachutes or jet packs. The entire ship had been fully manned upon its descent, thousands…Rex thought.

He heard Barriss scream as one of the bodies cracked beside her, spraying her in blood. He felt his head ache as she continued to scream. He covered his ears, but it did nothing, her scream was coming from within him.

He looked around in desperation, others in the trench were holding their heads as well. He felt as if every vein in his temple was going to rupture.

He reached into the bag of the deceased medic beside him, injecting himself with more adrenaline.

He ran to the Consular to get her out harm’s way and snap her out of it, but Cin Drallig forced pulled him, and raised a barrier around them.

He understood why almost immediately, there was bright blue lightning engulfing everything in every direction, every clone, droid and vehicle.

He looked from the side of Cin Drallig’s barrier. Barriss was roasting everything and everyone, even the fighter jets and droids that disintegrated before hitting the ground.

Then there was silence, only a distant thunder and the patter of a cold drizzle.

Barriss stood motionless, staring at the flagship that was about to make landfall. It would kill her. Cin Drallig didn’t move, Rex ran forward, grabbed Barriss and rolled into the trench, placing a makeshift piece of metal over them.

The ground shook, the flagship made an earthquake of dazzling proportions, deafening him, and the light of the explosion blinding him through closed eyes, as he instinctively placed his hand over them, and his other over Barriss’s eyes.

Barriss wept and sobbed, all he could do was hold her. That had been the most horrific battle either of them had ever been in, that any of us have been in, he thought.

More than an hour passed before he heard disant sounds from above, they must have been buried deep.

He tried to tell her that help was coming, but she just kept crying, huddled against his chest, he doubted if she was even aware of the situation.

Frigid rain began to pour through the channels in the debris.

“They’re almost done,” he said, as the trench was now submerged in several inches of water. He did his best to keep her from getting wet, raising her on his quads; the last thing he needed for her was to panic.

He could now make out the sounds of labor droids, but they were digging too far to the east. The water was now well over a foot high. His calves were going numb, he used the skeleton of his legs and back to brace between either wall of the trench, his hands were fumbling, his arms shaking, as he held her above the deluge.

The howls of wolves began to pierce through the debris; Barriss opened her eyes, a great warmth began to fill him, the hounds were howling straight into their position.

The debris began to rise.

“I don’t care if she’s dangerous,” Anakin vociferated, his voice muffled by the sounds of the grinding and howling overheard.

“Get away from me!” Anakin said, now more audible with more of debris being removed, some of the rain droplets now making their way inside, “How could you leave her to die! You knew where she was the entire time—didn’t you!”

“She will be the death of us,” Cin Drallig said, “I saw it.”

Rex looked to Barriss, it seemed as if she was only listening to the hounds, communing with them.

“Skywalker,” she whispered, holding up her right arm.

Rex’s body flooded with heat; the final layers of debris shifted sideways, revealing scattered clouds amidst a darkened nebulae; the rain was soothing.

He watched from inside the trench as she gently gravitated to Skywalker’s embrace, their lips meeting. Master Plo-Koon raised Rex from the mud that was now cascading into the pit.

One of the dogs leapt up putting its muddy paws on his chest, it must have been twice his body weight. He felt Skywalker catch him with the force before he fell back into the trench.

“Thank you,” Barriss said softly to him, as the dog placed its side against his leg.

“Tupps, right?” Rex said, recognizing the scar across the forehead and the missing tufts of hair on the hind of its leg. As he petted the mastiff it began to howl, the other hounds joining in chorus.

“He’ll watch over you,” Barriss said, and then walked away with Anakin with the other five Tuk’ata.

“So, you were going to leave us both for dead,” Rex said coldly to Cin Drallig.

“You saw what she did; you understand not what she will beco—,” Cin Drallig began to say.

“Court martial me if you like, General,” Rex said, as Cin Drallig hit the mud, rubbing his jaw, “The girl was traumatized.”

“And she still is,” Plo-Koon said to Cin Drallig, indifferent to Rex’s strike. Cin Drallig threw them both a look of loathing and stormed away.

“So what do you eat?” he said to Tupps, who was panting happily in the cold.

“Everything on board,” Plo-Koon said, “even the vegetables.”

“Well at least you’re not picky,” Rex said, giving Tupps a scruff, “Come on.”

He decided to check on Fives before getting a proper night’s rest. Tupps licked the scraps off the medical tray the moment he entered.

“Rex, we gotta talk,” Fives said, as Tupps laid down beside the bed.

After Fives told Rex of the encounter in the fog, Rex said: “General Cin Drallig said that the planet induces madness, we’ll be off this wretched world by the morning, and I’ll have you out of these restraints.”

“No, you don’t understand,” Fives said, “I have to be restrained. After the Consular…put my body back together…I kept getting intense urges to kill every jedi around and beyond me.”

“You seem alright,” Rex said.

“For now…it’s like a computer program or something, like a droid, one moment I’m fine, the next moment I want to kill jedi.”

“When we’re away from here, it should settle down. Apparently this planet was part of an ancient order that was at war with the Jedi, must be their ghosts or something—we saw a lot of strange things today,” Rex said.

“I don’t think so,” Fives cautioned, “It doesn’t feel like someone—or something—was influencing me, more like taking direct control of me, against my will—when the urges came, I was able to resist them initially, giving the Jedi time to react.”

“I’ll have you sent back to Kamino for proper treatment,” Rex said.

“No,” Fives protested, “Take me to the Temple on Coruscant,” he said, “Keep me restrained in private, tell only Commander Skywalker and the Consular, and only them.”

“Why only them?” Rex asked.

“I feel this goes deep, deeper than we know,” Fives replied.

“What are you a Jedi now?” Rex retorted.

“Use your head, Rex,” Fives said.

“Ok, just get it out,” Rex said.

“This was a pitched battle, even General Cin Drallig, Admiral Yularen and the Consular had no idea why we’d wage war on a dead planet in the Outer Rim. What was the objective here? WHAT WAS THE OBJECTIVE!” Fives screamed.

Rex thought about it, there was none. Fives continued:

“Admiral Tarkin reinforced us too early, it’s as if he knew this was going to happen. Trust me—please.”

“We’ll do it your way,” Rex said, “I will get you to the Temple.”

Anakin

“The General released his personal distress signal due north of the Temple…six hours ago,” Kiber said, peering into the raging maelstrom that continued to surge and grow around the Temple.

“We won the battle, Skywalker,” Cin Drallig said, “But we must accept that Master Sheelal did not survive the encounter, nor can we dispatch a search team into the haze.”

“Whatever witchcraft boils within those clouds remains perilous, and will for quite some time,” Kiber said.

“Tell the men to pack their things, we’re leaving,” Cin Drallig replied, heading for the remaining star destroyer.

Anakin continued to stare into the storm. He knew Master Sheelal was still alive, I can sense it.

“Skywalker, we must leave,” Kiber said.

“He’s alive,” Anakin said, beginning to kneel in meditation.

“Even if he is,” Kiber said, his tone being that of the hypothetical, “He won’t make it. Die here, stay here. Those were his own words, we all agreed to it.”

“Give me the transponder,” Anakin whispered, as he went deeper into meditation. He didn’t need to see Kiber shake his head, he could see it through the force…he could see that Kiber was about to assert himself…the darkness of Malachor penetrating Kiber’s mind, and entering his own…Kiber would make his move to compel him under false pretenses…insubordination was the word that Anakin read from Kiber’s mind.

“Skywalker, General Drallig demanded that we depart, that’s an ord—” he gasped. Anakin was choking him, while continuing to meditate on Qymaen’s position.

“Give me that,” Anakin said, using the force to gently remove the transponder from Kiber’s bracer, letting it slide gracefully into his own hand.

He raised Kiber further, whose legs now dangled more than a foot from the ground. Anakin tightened his hold, permitting when Kiber could and couldn’t breathe. “R2,” Anakin said, “Locate the General,” opening his palm for the droid to analyze the signal.

R2-D2 responded with a low hum.

When the droid finished pinpointing the origin of the distress call, Anakin released Kiber, watching him crawl towards a boulder, “Delete that recording from your memory, as well as the instruction I just gave,” Anakin said, knowing that R2-D2 always held the most recent forty-eight hours of footage.

R2 beeped in confusion.

“I don’t know!” Anakin said, “Use the clouds,” advising R2-D2 how to cover up and replace the deleted video.

R2-D2’s mood indicator turned blue in agreement.

“Also…” Anakain said, having had a brief premonition; his brow furrowed: “I need a deprogrammer.”

R2-D2 spat out a chip and then attended to Kiber, who was looking at Anakin with mortal fear.

Anakin mounted one of the abandoned speeders, but Barriss stood before him. She glanced at R2-D2 and Kiber climbing the ramp.

“I thought you were in for the night,” Anakin said.

“I—didn’t see anything, Anakin,” she said, “But if you go back in there, you’ll die,” she said, “I know it.”

“Find a way to keep them aground,” Anakin said, taking off.

He went east to circle around the storm. He quickly understood why the speeder had been left behind; however, he knew it would hold out until he reached the northernmost point of maelstrom.

He heard the sinister howls of hundreds of Tuk’ata from within the maelstrom, and the rain had turned into a downpour.

The black tendrils looked as if they were welcoming him, “Maybe this isn’t a good idea,” he muttered under his breath, remembering what Barriss had said…but he could still feel that the General was alive.

He found a squadron of damaged and dismembered B2 battle droids attempting to escape the turbulence. He dismounted from his speeder as near to them as he could, putting the bike to final use by slamming into the Droideka leading them.

He walked forward, calmly deflecting the blaster fire. When he closed the distance, he turned them on their bellies with the force. Keeping them pinned, he retrieved the deprogrammer, and converted the allegiance of the ones that were in the best condition and destroyed the rest.

He ordered the B2’s into the storm, walking behind them. He kept his hilt in-hand, the crimson blade being the only light in the darkness.

Four hellhounds came upon him, he dodged and parried them, as the B2’s shot them down, confirming his suspicion: The dogs were either trained not to recognize the droids, or were unable to sense their intentions, probably both, he thought.

He relished the look on Cin Drallig’s face when he returned with the General. Who was Drallig to give him orders, if Cin Drallig had any real talent he’d know the General was still alive. Cin Drallig was nothing.

He reminisced the smugness of Kiber’s face when Kiber had disarmed him in the arena, and reenvisioned the Kiber’s expression when he had just held his life in hands.

He had to beg me to breathe, Anakin smirked, now he knows his place, Kiber’s image merged with Master Windu’s, they will all know their place.

Anakin began to caress the dark tendrils that reached out to him, taming them. He would make Kiber kneel when he returned. He will make them all kneel, Sith and Jedi alike, and they shall call me Lord.

He knelt, placing his hands on the ice, drawing from the earth, inhaling the mist, metallic saliva filling his mouth, his breath turning to ice.

And if they don’t, I shall make them.

Yoda

“There is no longer any doubt that the Sith were involved in the escape of Aurra Sing, the testimony of these two survivors confirms it,” Mace Windu said, “Nor can they be released back into Republic custody, we must confine them within the Temple, and keep their capture a secret. I vote to seal the record of this meeting.”

“Master Yoda?” Shaak Ti asked.

“Yes…yes,” Yoda said, “To republic custody, return them, you shall.”

“I don’t think he’s listening,” Ki Adi Mundi remarked.

“Master Yoda,” Mace stated; Yoda did not respond.

“I suppose he’s having another chat with Qui-gon’s ghost,” Saesee Tiin jested.

“There will soon be another vacancy on the Council,” Coleman Trebor said, looking at Yoda with a sadness.

“I’ve been considering Masters Adi Gallia, Eeth Koth and Quinlan Vos,” Shaak Ti said, “They’re all very well accomplished, abide by the code and regulations—and most importantly, loyal.”

“Return to Kamino, you will,” Yoda said, pressing his hand to his forehead.

“What did Qui-gon say this time?” Saesee Tiin laughed.

Yoda did not intend it, but the force push of Skywalker traveled from Malachor and through the Grand Master, knocking Saesee Tiin flat on his back, along with the chair he sat in.

Yoda dropped his cane; he knelt on the floor, anguish…vengeance…justice?

“In grave danger, I sense, Skywalker…is…” Yoda said. He used his strength to look up at the Masters surrounding him, even Saesee Tiin stood alert.

“General Cin Drallig reported victory on Malachor,” Shaak Ti said, “I too can sense Skywalker’s pain, it could be that he’s mourning the loss of —”

Master Yoda cried in agony, force lightning exiting his palms, electrifying the floor, striking several of the masters before it faded.

“More like he’s punishing the loss,” Mace Windu snapped at Shaak Ti.

“Reach him, we must,” Yoda said in all but a whisper, motioning for the Masters to join.

“You all do what you want to do,” Mace Windu said, rejecting the invitation, “I’ll do what must be done, what should have been done a long time ago.”

But the Masters had already formed a circle around the Grand Master, they were too deep in meditation to even consider what Mace had said. Yoda briefly opened one eye, looking at Windu with shame.

Palpatine

“Senator Amidala may soon court enough support to block the financial reform bill, we shall have to put an end to her business,” Mas Amedda said over a holo transmitter, “And—pardon me, my lord—but I personally do not understand why you ceased our earlier efforts, she’s become a formidable threat.”

Sidious delivered a brief force choke, “You’ve been pardoned,” and ended the transmission.

There was no time to ready a cauldron, he would have to enter the disturbance through his power alone.

Dangerous, he thought. Without Dooku to intercede, his identity could be revealed. He had no doubt that the Jedi could feel it as well. This will be a battle of wills.

He considered issuing Order 66 to distract the Masters, they will be present if I don’t.

No, reconsidering, They are no match for my power.

Anakin

He could feel the very core of the planet, he was the planet, outstretching his arms, his palms to the skies, ancient geysers bursting from the deep.

Centipedes, beetles and worms wriggling as they emerged to bask in the warmth of the steam. They did not scurry, they came to him, followed him; he connected with the droids, imparting his sentience, they were as much as an extension of himself as were the silooths entombed below: Rise.

The acidic beasts ruptured the ice, quaking the very foundations of the earth, the monoliths falling about him. He made them fight, made them all fight, he felt their pain, their anger, their suffering…but an enemy approached, a rival.

From atop a leaning monolith stood Master Kit Fisto, with score after score of hellhounds at his command, or so he thinks.

Fisto sent them forth, barking and snarling as they sprinted; Anakin unleashed the silooths, and swarms of insects glided along the tendrils of darkness, stinging and biting at the hounds; the droids formed a wall, blasting them back, forcing the other dogs to scatter as they yelped and whined.

The neon mists began to rise, but they did not obey him, but they shall. He reached through the darkness, his robotic arm in a world between worlds.

Fisto leaped towards him, his blade held overhead, but Anakin didn’t have time for his nonsense.

With his left hand he brought Fisto to a pause midair; with his other arm he felt the throat of another, he could see her clearly as he tightened his grasp; she was decorated in red robes that levitated above her shoulders; the black paint surrounding her eyes maring the chalk on her face as she wept, her long nails digging into the iron arm to no avail.

“Who are you!” Anakin said, as the green mists parted. He tightened his grip with even more intensity, reveling in the fact that she couldn’t respond. He continued to fasten his hold, enamored with her knowledge of the impending doom that awaited her, blood now filling and erasing the whiteness of her eyes.

Mother Talzin, she screamed with the force.

I will not kill her, I will own her: “Kneel,” Anakin said, “Bow before your God,” releasing her.

“Never!” she responded with a torrent of emerald lightning, the darkness now flowing within and around her. But she was no match, Anakin caught her power, using the darkness to drain her.

Kit Fisto attempted to force push him on the other side when Mother Talzin struck with her lightning.

“You underestimate my power? Undermine my authority!” Anakin said, speaking to both of them simultaneously. He was on both sides at once, omnipotent and omnipresent, releasing the witch’s lightning into both of them, torturing them, humbling them.

“Submit,” Anakin said to Mother Talzin, “Submit ! ”

“I yield…I yield,” she cried.

Anakin smirked. He pulled his arm back through the otherworldly fabric, I will deal with her later.

He let Fisto fall in the freezing mud. Anakin looked upon him with curiosity.

Fisto tried to run and Anakin let him try. The remaining hellhounds were sent to distract Skywalker.

But Anakin seized control of them, and sent them nipping at Fisto’s ankles. They tackled him. Anakin held their tempers.

Kit Fisto was now crawling, still attempting to get away. Anakin slowly dragged him back, as Fisto’s coat and shirt caught upon various objects lodged within the ice, making him slide all but bare chested across it.

Anakin formed the dark tendrils into a noose, compelling Fisto to look him in the eye. Fisto’s eyes were no longer a Sith yellow, they had returned to their natural black.

“Your thoughts dwell…on Aalya,” Anakin remarked, sensing Fisto’s love and bond with Secura, “I shall make her my queen, and you shall watch as I ravage her, like a dog in the kennel,” he finished, petting the Tuk’ata beside him.

Palpatine

“Kill him,” Sidious said, encouraging Anakin.

But Sidious felt the rage and defiance of the Dark Lord that came through the shadows.

“Usurper,” Anakin said back, “You have no right to sit upon my throne,” now reaching for Sidious’s hood. The Master’s had also come, taking the opportunity, they were all reaching for him as well.

Sidious summoned all of his strength, knowledge and training, sending a force storm through the nether, terminating his own presence within the void.

Anakin

Absorbing the usurper’s energy, he saw that Kit Fisto had tried to make another run during the distraction, his lightsaber drawn, slashing away at the hounds that continued to harry him.

Anakin force pulled him back and then delivered a torrent of red lightning, causing Fisto to ping back and forth, whose body now smoldered, landing next to a matriarch silooth.

He was the matriarch: He ejected acid on the Nautolan’s tentacles.

“They’ll grow back,” Anakin said, glancing at the cornerstone above the temple, “And you shall be my harbinger.”

Anakin drew his hilt and in dramatic arc, began to carve off all of Fisto’s remaining tentacles, cupping Fisto’s face with his left hand:

“You will tell Dooku that I am coming for him, you will tell this Mother Talzin to worship me, and then you will go to the Jedi: Tell them that they will serve me, die for me, live for me.”

“Yes, my Lord,” he whimpered.

Anakin took notice of the fluorescent streams that swirled about him.

“Now go,” Anakin said to Fisto.

He began to wave his arms, the conductor of an orchestra, strumming chords from the black tendrils, the streams converting into walls of blue fire, blocking Fisto’s escape at every turn. The hounds began to howl, the silooths began to burrow, the flames wreathed over the droids.

The clouds parted, and nebulae shone, a brilliant quasar in the distance. The heavens bellowed and the constellations took the shape of the Mortis Gods. He raised the pillars in their reverence, for now he was one of them. They and the universe sang his song, the cries of the dying joining his symphony.

But another harmony brought discord to his melody.

“Obi-wan,” Anakin muttered, seeing the sands of Tatootine, how much hated the place, how much he hated him. He felt a slight sting across his heart.

Kit Fisto had plunged his lightsaber into his chest, “You will not hurt her, you will never touch her.”

Anakin blinked at him, pulling Fisto’s lightsaber from his heart. It had deactivated upon making contact with his skin.

Fistor ran as Anakin walked past him: “Obi-wan!” Anakin yelled.

Obi-wan

Tuskan skeletons were all about him, their final moments captured in time. He could see that a lightsaber had been impaled up and through the chin of the raider lying before him. Others were huddled together, held by the force as they watched helplessly while Anakin hacked away at them.

He could see it now, as if he were there, felt their terror and their suffering, but even yet, there was hope in the depths of the shadows, Anakin had allowed the Tuskan children to flee during the onslaught.

I should have killed them, Anakin said.

“Anakin!” Obi-wan said aloud, connecting with his padawan, witnessing the terrible beauty of the maelstrom on Malachor, it was not one of chaos, but of order, control. He peered at the one who brought shape and unity to the formless void. Skywalker’s eyes were not merely yellow, but a fiery orange, like the heat of the sun.

“You killed her!” Anakin said, “You should have freed her, you should have let me go to her.”

“Anakin, you can’t bring her back,” Obi-wan said, “What would she think of you now? This isn’t what your mother wanted!”

“You too underestimate my power?” Anakin hissed.

“You can not bring back the dead, no one can,” Obi-wan exclaimed, “Listen to reason, Anakin!”

Anakin

Anakin said nothing, he would show Obi-wan the true power of the dark side. He channeled the emerald mists of the feeble nightsister through to Tatooine. They enveloped the corpses of the Tuskans. They rose.

“This is the end for you, my Master,” Anakin said, he then continued to watch in silence as Obi-wan drew his blade, fighting off those who were already dead, reanimating as they fell.

Luminara Unduli came to Kenobi’s aid, he didn’t know why she was there, but he didn’t care, she’d meet her end, personally.

“Skywalker!” she exclaimed, as he brought her to a halt, directing the Tuskans around her, all but one.

Luminara

The Tuskan chief stood before her, reeking of rot and decay. She knew now that this had all been because of her, I’m the target of his rage, looking into the gusts that bled through from Malachor, the ice chilling her.

She winced, as bony fingers gently pressed against her belly. She wanted to scream, but she couldn’t, Anakin held her vocals shut. She knew what was coming, she tried to die, will herself to death, but the Dark Lord would not permit it.

As the fingers began to press in, Ahsoka landed in front of her, severing the Chief’s arms and decapitating him.

Anakin

“Ahsoka,” Anakin said, his voice echoing.

As their eyes met, the dead returned to rest.

As she looked beyond him, the fires quenched, the hounds ran, the music of his reign fading back into the void.

All that remained was the low howl of the winds between them, the sands of Tatooine and snow of Malachor.

A single tear streaked from her eye.

I’m going to lose her ; even the planet could find no fault in her.

“Join me,” Anakin said, extending his left arm, “Together, we can rule the galaxy.”

Ahsoka stepped forward, she closed both hands around his.

“I understand,” she said, “See you around, Skyguy,” with a little smile.

“Snips,” he said; the connection dissolved.

The furnace of hatred had perished, the cold invaded his bones, the tendons of hand felt as if they could shatter.

The General, Anakin thought.

He would not fail him, he would not fail her. I just need to get back

He could hear the hounds in the area, but he knew they would not dare approach him. Only his grief sustained him as made for the location of the distress signal. He found the beacon that Master Sheelal had discarded, but he did not know where to go.

“Help me,” Anakin said, he had felt the presence of the masters earlier, but had shut them out. He had to find the General before he himself succumbed to the storm, “He’s still alive.”

Although Anakin could neither see nor hear Master Yoda, he could sense him, he could sense them all. He looked to where he thought Yoda would be, and saw a small opening in the cliff. Anakin made for the chasm and came upon the body of Master Sheelal.

He had sufficient knowledge of inner workings of droids, he knew the cyborg’s parts couldn’t be much different. He made a few small repairs and then activated his power cells.

The General woke: “Anakin,” he said.

Qymaen

He quickly extended his arms and caught the boy. He felt the presence of the Masters, it was only through Anakin’s pain and anguish that he remained in contact with the Council.

He placed Anakin over his right-shoulder and walked into the chaos.

The Tuk’ata were closing in, he did not know why they were so patient, but he knew it wouldn’t be long before they decided to attack. He tried to communicate with the outside, but nothing could penetrate the haze.

“I won’t make it,” Qymaen said to the Masters. His talons crossed a cylindrical object, a flare that was stuck inside the grasp of a fallen soldier. It will never pass beyond the veil, he said.

Only if you don’t believe, Ki Adi Mundi responded, words that Qymaen once imparted to him.

Qymaen nodded; he lit the flare and let it soar.

The hellhounds were triggered by the projectile, they know what it means, he thought.

“Anakin,” he bellowed, “Get up.”

Anakin roused but continued to murmur the name of his padawan in a series of miserable apologies.

The General couldn’t fight this alone, and decided to teach him another lesson, backhanding him with enough force to knock out his lower molars.

“Ready yourself,” he said, taking Anakin’s hilt and placing it in his hands, lighting the blade for him. Anakin gave him a firm nod, and stood up with blood pouring from his mouth. They placed their backs to each other.

The hounds trickled in slow at first, testing them, probing them, trying to bait them into separation.

“I don’t know exactly what happened while I slept Skywalker, but you’re gonna have to do something,” Qymaen said, as the Tuk’ata now formed a wide circle more than hundred yards about them.

“No,” Anakin said, “I can’t allow it.”

“This will be your Great Trial,” Qymaen responded, “Control it. Find something you hate.”

Qymaen then tried a few suggestions as the hounds began their charge: “Unduli, Obi-wan, The Council, Dooku…Anakin, we’re going to die!”

Qymaen roared, igniting all his blades, but in an instant, the hounds were no more. They fell, some into the mud, others still skidding across the ice. The dogs had found peace in their final moments, their eyes turning to their natural blue as they laid their muzzles into the snow.

“What is it that you could have hated, and yet with such mercy?” Qymaen said.

“Myself,” Anakin replied.

“My body is losing power, Anakin, I have to maintain my vitals against this cold,” Qymaen said, “I launched a flare from where we’re standing. Your friend will come, I know it,” he finished, disabling his mainframe as he laid to rest.

Anakin

Anakin knew he had no choice but to hope that the flare was seen above the canopy of the storm. He gathered the clothes and linens of the fallen, placing them in a heap around the General.

He used his blade to light a fire and began to wonder which of friends would come to rescue them, if they would come at all.

Then he heard the engines of his Delta-7 fighter jet.

R2-D2 brought the vessel to a hover. The General was too heavy, but R2-D2 released several toe cables from his torso and locked himself into the astromech cubby, making a faint moan as the General hung haphazardly below the hull.

“Trust me, he won’t mind,” Anakin said, firing the thrusters, pointing the ship all but vertically towards the zenith.

When they exited the storm they steered to the star destroyer, Barriss had succeeded in keeping it anchored.

Cin Drallig, Kiber, Rex and a platoon of clone troopers and Senintels awaited them as he landed, being meticulous not to damage General Qymaen.

“He’s alive, sir,” Anakin said, climbing out of the cockpit.

“You’re under arrest,” Kiber said, as Rex cuffed him, the magnets sealing,

“Place him with Barriss Offee,” Cin Drallig said, “and take the astromech below as well.”

Qymaen

He was in the infirmary, several droids were repairing his limbs They had replaced his power supply. He nearly fell to the floor when he tried to get up, he was bound with cables and ropes. The droids alerted the bridge.

Cin Drallig stepped through.

“What’s the meaning of this,” Qymaen exclaimed.

“Master Windu ordered your arrest, he insists that you are the Sith Lord,” Drallig responded.

“Do you believe that?” Qymaen spat.

“I will let the Council decide the matter,” Cin Drallig responded.

“Contact them,” Qymaen said.

“I tried, communications to the Coruscant have been jammed,” Cin Drallig said.

“I thought you said you were in contact with Master Windu,” Qymaen remarked.

“He hailed Malachor from Onderon, where he shall be waiting,” Cin Drallig said.

“Cin Drallig, I need you to think about the situation. If Mace is coming alone, without the blessing of the Council, and—as you said—is accusing me of being the Sith Lord—”

“The Sentinels are under my command, a mine alone,” Cin Drallig said, “He will not be allowed to act until you are brought before trial before the Council.”

“I see,” Qymaen said, “You’re making the best of a terrible situation.”

Cin Drallig nodded, “Indeed.”

“What of Skywalker…and the Consular? I see she is not here tending to my wounds,” Qymaen said.

“They are also under arrest; Skywalker attacked Sentinel Kiber and the Consular sabotaged the ship, and after what I relayed to Master Windu, he also believes that Skywalker is your apprentice and Offee is your agent.

“What did you tell him?” Qymaen asked.

“The truth,” Cin Drallig responded, “That Skywalker used the force to strangulate Kiber and that the Consular unleashed a Sith Force Storm during Admiral’s Yularen’s plummet, and sympathized with Aayla Secura.”

“The Admiral…the flagship went down?” Qymaen said.

“Yes,” Cin Drallig said, “A lot happened in those six hours. Their sacrifice was not in vain.”

“What of the Consular?” Qymaen said.

“Plo-Koon reports that he observed Barriss Offee in the act torturing Aayla Secura, using a light-whip, only for her to stop due to some mutual understanding and shared hardship; although he did not say what this hardship was, but apparently it is what stayed her decision to execute her ”

“I think I know,” Qymaen said, “but I swore to the Consular that I would keep her secret. Was she in the storm when it happened?”

“Yes,” Cin Drallig said.

“Then forget about it, just be glad she walked out of it.”

“With a pack of loyal hellhounds,” Cin Drallig said ominously.

“Were they hostile?” Qymaen asked.

“No, adorable actually, it seemed she made them tranquil,” Cin Drallig said questioningly.

“Then what’s the problem? This is Malachor for Force’s Sake!”

“The storm she unleashed, that’s the problem; although, she claims to have no memory of the incident. Many men lost their lives because of it,” Cin Drallig.

“Then you’re not telling me something,” Qymaen said.

Cin Drallig told him about Barriss’s attempt to save the men jumping from Yularen’s flagship.

“And then you left her to die, sensing she was still alive and knowing her exact position?” Qymaen said.

“I saw what she would become,” Cin Drallig said, “When she channeled that storm, I had a vision. You, me, and every Jedi fighting a hopeless battle inside the Temple of Coruscant. And she was there, with dark tendrils all about her, lashing out alongside her as she wielded a crimson lightwhip, draining and drinking the blood of the fallen.”

“Sounds like you’ve been on Malachor for too long,” Qymaen retorted.

“Perhaps,” Cin Drallig said, “After we fix your biological leg, I must bring you below deck.”

“Just take me now, I’ll get over it. If it rots long enough they’ll chop it off when we get to Coruscant, do you know how strange it is to only have one real limb?” Qymaen said.

“Ok General,” Cin Drallig laughed, “I’ll take you then.”

“And please: Ensure that Mace Windu is disarmed before coming aboard,” Qymaen said.

“I can’t add his hilt to your collection,” Drallig said.

“Where is my collection,” Qymaen said with more concern than anything he had said previously.

“I put it on one of the cruisers, I know you’re obsessed with it,” Cin Drallig said.

“Each and every one better be there when I get out this shit,” he replied.

“They will; in the meantime, I’m going to have to play Windu’s game, it may be rough,” Cin Drallig cautioned.

“I understand,” Qymaen.

“And make sure Skywalker believes my charade, his feelings and emotions radiate like the sun,” Cin Drallig said.

“He’s never been subtle, has he?” Qymaen said, “But you know I hate lying.”

“You’re gonna have to,” Cin Drallig said, “And for the record, although I have faith in both you and Skywalker, I do not trust the Consular. When this is over, relegate her to a desk job or an off-site medical facility. I will refuse any mission that she’s invited to.”

Anakin

“Listen, I get that I got a little out of hand, but there’s clearly been a mistake,” Anakin said as they threw him into a holding compartment.

“Master Skywalker,” Barriss said, “Glad you could join me.”

They hoisted Anakin into a forcefield container alongside her.

“This is where the fun begins,” Anakin said, “Glad to see you kept them aground.”

“Only for you,” she replied.

R2-D2 was placed inside a metal box.

“The General will have us released in no time,” Anakin said.

“He’s alive?” Barriss said.

“Yeah, kinda had to walk through hell and back to find him,” Anakin replied.

“I’d love to hear the story,” she said.

“How about later,” he said, as the blast door opened, “Told you he’d get us out.”

The General was tossed inside, just as he was, and then placed inside a third field generator.

“That went as planned,” Barris remarked.

“It’s why I don’t tend to make any,” Anakin responded.

“Why is it everytime I do something with you we end up in shackles?” she said.

“I know you enjoy the suspense,” Anakin said, shaking the binds they hang from.

“Will you both shut up,” General Qymaen said.

“Have you found a way out?” Anakin scoffed.

“There is no way out,” Qymaen replied.

“If I may ask, Master Sheelal,” Barriss said, “But why are you in custody?”

“Mace Windu says I’m the Sith Lord,” Qymaen said, “How about you?”

“I punctured the hyperdrive to prevent the ship from leaving,” Barriss said, “Skywalker’s orders.”

“Well you did a fine job Consular,” the General said.

“It seems I have the lightest charge,” Anakin said, “Insubordination and premeditated assault in the first degree, although I think they’ll find a way to link us together,” winking at Barriss.

“I’d rather we be chained separately,” she replied, “And if the Council has accused Master Sheelal of being the Sith Lord, I’m sure they’ll bring worse charges against you.”

“The Council did not order our arrest,” Qymaen said, “Mace Windu is acting alone—or so I believe—as communications to Coruscant are jammed. He will be waiting for us on Onderon.”

“Would either of you mind if I plead guilty now,” Barriss said, “I think I’d rather be aboard the detention frigate.”

“Come on Barriss, what’s the worst he can do,” Anakin said.

“He will invoke Republic Military Law and execute us upon arrival,” Qymaen said, “According to General Cin Drallig, he has also accused both of you as my conspirators. He believes that you are my Sith Apprentice and that the Consular is my Sith agent, citing her open stance against the war and wanton use of Sith lightning.”

“I told you this is where the fun begins,” Anakin said.

Barriss rolled her eyes, “And Cin Drallig believes this?” she said, “I don’t even remember the force storm.”

“Apparently,” Qymaen said.

“He can’t execute us without a trial,” Barriss exclaimed, “The Council—”

“Will give him a slap on the wrist,” Qymaen said, “I guess Skywalker didn’t tell you what happened after the battle.”

“All he said is that he ’walked through hell and back’ ,” Barriss snapped.

“Yeah, I meant that quite literally,” Anakin interjected.

“Well why don’t you fill us in?” Qymaen said, “I slept through most of it.”

“I did feel something terrible,” Barriss said, “but I was too busy disabling the hyperdrive.”

“It’s a pretty long story,” Anakin said.

“I think we got time,” the General said.

“Well it started when Cin Drallig ordered our departure from Malachor. I knew you were still alive and Kiber wouldn’t give the transponder that picked up your distress signal,” Anakin said.

“And?” Qymaen asked.

“I’ll summarize the events before I elaborate,” Anakin responded.

“Fancy words, Skywalker, please do,” Qymaen said.

“I force choked Kiber while I meditated, took the locator, reprogrammed some B2’s to escort me into the fray, had delusions of overthrowing the Sith and Jedi, humiliated Kit Fisto, seized control of his hounds and threatened to rape his partner, summoned geysers and silooths, conquered a nightsister on Dathomir, severed Fisto’s tentacles and made him run through a maze of fire, thought I was a god, and raised the dead on Tatooine nearly killing Obi-wan, Unduli and my own padawan.”

“Is that all?” Barriss said, looking as if her fate had now been sealed.

“When you get to the chopping block, just hold your head high,” Qymaen said.

“Thanks!” she cried.

“Now Anakin, I will need to know all the details,” Qymaen said.