A/N: Written back in August 2004 for the Jedi Purge Challenge at the Jedi Council forums. Don't fit at all with RotS (which I knew nothing about back then, as I was spoiler free), but I kinda like it. I enjoy writing starfighter scenes, and I had a lot of fun writing this little thing.
Disclaimer: Don't own, please don't sue.
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She was frightened, and exhilarated at the same time. She knew perfectly well that such feelings were unbecoming of a Jedi, and that Master Mik would not approve of them. Drawing a deep breath, she tried to go through a couple of relaxing exercises; but the exercises, which were so easy in the calm Jedi Temple, were proving to be much harder now, when she most needed them.
Outside her cockpit colours whirled and twisted, the beautiful view of hyperspace. She tried to relax once more, mumbling the Jedi Code for herself. It had always helped her in the past, hearing the words uttering from her own mouth, and utterly believe them. But now, here... the words seemed so empty, so... alien.
There is no emotion, there is peace.
Yes, it had been easy to believe it in the close confines of the Temple, but here? She was sitting in a small cockpit, hurling through hyperspace, on her way to a place of war.
Where was the peace? She knew what her Master would say, that the peace was supposed to be within her, but still... it was so difficult out here.
A shrill tone from her astromech told her they would return to realspace in thirty seconds. She felt her heart beating, and steadied herself.
Relax, Temora. Trust the Force. It will guide you. Trust the Force and your own abilities, and you'll do fine.
She knew it was true. But as the timer counted down to zero and spitted her ship out into realspace and her first ever space battle, she still felt fear.
----
The vista was spectacular. They had reverted to realspace not far away from a gas giant, and it's everchanging, moving surface was dazzling.
Too bad I won't be able to just enjoy the view, she thought sadly, watching the small red dots on her display, indicating enemy ships.
"Temora, are you there?" The voice was male, deep and steady.
"Here, Master."
Another voice broke through, sounding relieved.
"Master Mik, we're glad you're here! We could need some help with these fighters here."
"Copy that, Master Tiin," Mik answered. He dove towards the congregation of ships, and Temora followed, tucked in neatly closely behind and to the left of him.
Well, here we go. May the Force be with us.
----
"Master Tiin, you've got one on your tail!"
Temora looked, horrified, at the small fighter following master Saesee Tiin's starfighter.
He'll never be able to shake it, I better...
She didn't even have time to think the sentence to it's end, much less have any time to act. Instead she saw Master Tiin loop around in an impossible corkscrew maneuvre that took him up away from the enemy, and then suddenly he was diving towards the enemy fighter, letting off a few short bursts of his lasers. They were enough. The enemy ship exploded in a brilliant display of fire.
But that's... that's impossible, she thought. Wrong. Not impossible. Just very, very difficult. I'd never be able to pull a maneuvre like that. And to hit the fighter in that speed, in that angle... I guess that's why Master Tiin's a Jedi Master and I'm just a Padawan.
"Temora, stop gawking at Master Tiin and mind your own tail! Brake port NOW!"
She went all cold inside. Stupid! She'd been so amazed with Master Tiin's flying that she forgot to fly herself. Things like that got you killed here. She yanked her flight stick hard to port and rolled away from a burst of laser, burning through space where she'd been just a moment ago. Then her ship was rocketed by an explosion, and the small dot on her display, representing the fighter that had tailed her, disappeared.
"Thanks, Master."
"Think no more of it. But don't do that again. Focus!"
"Yes, Master."
Sighting in on another enemy fighter, Temora brought her flightstick forward and picked up speed, trying to get the fighter in her sights. The craft she had picked out was flying rather predictable, and she had no problems blasting it out of space with a wellplaced shot. She smiled at herself. She could actually do this! She felt excited once more, and turned around to follow another fighter.
----
"Master Tiin, I get readings that a new ship just dropped out of hyperspace!"
"I copy. I see him too." His voice sounded a bit worried, and Temora frowned. What could possibly make Master Tiin worried, with his skills? Well, no use thinking about that now. She blasted a second enemy, and looped around to find her Master again. He was not far away, and she shot towards him to rejoin him as his wingman.
The ship came as from nowhere. Suddenly it was between Temora and Mik, and she felt a chill run down her spine. There was something that wasn't right with this craft. It did not look like the other ships in the battle, but was sleeker, pitch black, with two wing panels around a ball-like cockpit. But that was not all. The ship felt black, also. She shuddered. The whole ship oozed of evil.
Two brilliant green bursts of laser lanced their way from the fighter, streaming towards Master Mik's craft. It rocketed with the impact.
"NO!" Temora felt herself screaming, and even as she screamed she pulled the trigger, trying to shoot the strange ship. But the pilot in it was way too good. He easily sidestepped her shots, and let off two more green blasts at Mik's ship. The starfighter exploded, and Temora screamed again.
She turned around, trying to follow the strange ship that had killed her Master. Inside her different emotions were battling with each other; horror, fear, anger and sorrow.
Anger, fear, they lead to the Dark Side.
So her Master had told her on so many occasions, but she couldn't help herself. She felt tears streaming down her cheeks, and narrowed her eyes.
I'm coming, you creep. I'm coming to get you.
She pushed the stick forward, getting in behind the black ship, and pulled her trigger again. And again the other craft sidestepped her shots with almost arrogant ease. She gritted her teeth and tried to get in closer, but her quarry kept the distance.
It's almost like he's toying with me... the gall of that pilot!
"Temora, get back here! Get away from that fighter NOW!" She recognised Master Tiin's voice, but payed it no mind. She was going to kill this vermin who had shot down her beloved Master.
"This is an order, Temora! You're no match for him!"
"I'm sorry, Master Tiin," she said. "But he killed my master. I must..."
"You must what? Take revenge?" His voice was calm, and reasonable.
She went quiet. No. I cannot take revenge. That is not the Jedi way. But I must do something.
"Master Tiin..."
"Temora." He uttered her name quietly, and she realised he must be on a private channel to her. "Listen to me. You cannot kill him. If you continue following him he'll kill you. He's just toying with you now, luring you away from us others. Like a taopari, playing with it's pray." He went quiet for a second, and Temora heard how he hesitated. "That pilot is Darth Vader."
Her whole body felt numb. Fear almost overtook her. Vader... who formerly was young Anakin Skywalker, the best pilot the Jedi had known. And who now...
"No," she moaned. "No..."
The black craft ahead of her started to turn around, and she realised Master Tiin had been right. She had been drawn out, away from the others.
How stupid she had been! How could she not have seen this coming! On her monitor she saw Vader completing his turn. Automatically her mouth started to mumble the Jedi code, trying to calm her down. She closed her eyes and felt the Force flow through her, feeling the black taint in the craft behind her, and the sorrow in her comrades hearts.
There is no death, there is the Force.
She heard the shrill ringing of a target lock, and far behind, two deadly green beams shot towards her.