Return of Old Rivals, Rise of New Heroes

by munku6

This is my first Star Wars fic, so please be gentle! *ducks and hides* Anyhow, this takes place during Star Wars Legacy--What happens when you revive Cad Bane? Strange things....

Return of Old Rivals,

Rise of New Heroes

By Tumiaus

Note: Star Wars is the sole property of George Lucas (with the exception of my original characters), this story is purely fan-made and it is not to be distributed without notice to the writer. (Special guest appearance is a Na'vi from the movie Avatar!)

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The nightmare was occurring again, causing the dreamer to toss and turn wildly in bed, his breaths coming in large gasps. The figure of a young woman stood in his mists, her eyes blazing a deep gold color as she poised herself for battle against her foe. In mere seconds the opponent made the first move—the crimson weapon speared through her body with ease, causing the woman to collapse. The figure turned his head slightly to reveal red and yellow eyes filled with nothing but hatred. His weapon was raised high in the air to attack the dreamer—but the nightmare was cut short by a loud knocking on his door. He bolted upright with a loud gasp, his body covered in beads of sweat. His hand ran over his exhausted face as a female voice broke the silence, "Master Plo Koon? Are you awake sir?"

The Jedi let out a heavy sigh as he threw on his robes, trudging his way towards the door. Truth be told, Plo Koon and few more of his comrades were survivors of Order 66—and was now currently serving the new Jedi Order under Cade Skywalker. The survivors-counting himself-were able to create and/or find stasis pods to not only heal their wounds, but to preserve them in the times to come. His close ally Kit Fisto had a premonition that they would be part of the new Order being led by a Skywalker-despite the fact that it was set nearly two hundred years into the future. Nonetheless, the combination of the Force and the stasis pods kept them well preserved until Cade Skywalker and his comrades discovered the pods on the planet Ossus, buried deep below the old temple. By then Darth Krayt was defeated, along with his Sith Order. Since then the Jedi Order has flourished on many planets, including the rebuilding of the Jedi Temple of Coruscant.

Now the Jedi Master was among the future generations of eager padawans and knights, willing to learn more about his past. The female voice spoke once more with slight more urgency, "Master? Are you awake?"

"I'm coming young one, hold on.."

Once the door flew open, standing before him was Jedi Knight Lyra Starfighter; she had joined the Temple under the watchful eye of Cade's old Master Wolf. Her frizzy red hair was pulled back tightly as her emerald-green eyes peered into him, "I'm sorry to disturb your sleep Master, but Master Wolf needs you to go to Naboo immediately"

He cocked his head to one side in confusion, "Why the urgency?"

"Because he sensed a strong presence in the Force; a young human female was spotted in the market square earlier in the day trying to steal food for herself—but then one of the street vendors tried to take her down with a blaster, causing the child to panic. She used a strong Force Push on him, but nearly took out many of the civilians with her. Once the dust settled she was gone. Now we need you to go and bring her back to the Temple-the Force is strong with her but it needs to be harnessed to the point of control."

Plo Koon gave a slight nod as he quickly tucked his lightsaber onto his side, "Very well then; I'm to assume then a ship is already set up for my departure?"

"There is"

"Good; I'll return as soon as possible with the girl-alert Cade about the situation"

The jungles of Naboo was cloaked in a heavy fog, making it difficult for the Jedi Master to see anything or anyone. He focused into the Force, hoping to find some sort of sign of the girl—but that was task itself. He could sense a presence, but it seemed to be blocking him out. He breathed in deeply as he pulled back the hood on his cloak, feeling somewhat frustrated he was having great difficulty trying to locate her—it was like trying to find a Nerf in a haystack. The eerie silence was suddenly broken by a shrill scream, followed by a bellowing roar. Without hesitation he followed the sounds to the source, only to nearly be maimed by an oncoming tree trunk. He leapt into the air and landed onto a thick tree branch, his gaze suddenly falling upon to a small female child huddled beneath the bushes. Her long-matted black hair covered her face, but her body language didn't hide the fact that she was terrified of the oncoming creature. Soon he saw a number of plants and vegetation falling like dominos, revealing a rampaging Acklay through the fog. His mind began to run with numerous thoughts, "And Acklay? On Naboo? Something strange is amidst…"

His thoughts were interrupted by the girl's scream of terror, noting that the Acklay raising his claw-like arms to strike. He quickly activated his weapon and leapt from the branch with his weapon held high, slicing right on the right eye of the creature. It gave a loud screech as Plo Koon landed safely on the ground opposite of the animal. It reared its head towards the Jedi as its gaping jaws tried to grasp him, but to no avail. In mere seconds his lightsaber plunged into the creature's chest, hitting the heart clean through. The Acklay fell heavily to the ground as it gave another death-defying cry—he knew he had to end its life quickly so it would no longer suffer. He raised his weapon in the air and plunged it clean into the skull, the creature now completely lifeless.

He deactivated the weapon and tucked it away, his attention now drawn to the trembling child. She did seem quite young, almost seven years of age; even her clothes were tattered and torn from time and weather. As he edged towards her she quickly backed up into the rock wall behind her, tears staining her face as she stammered, "G-g-get away from me!"

He knelt to one knee as he spoke in a calm voice, "Don't fret child, I'm not here to hurt you"

As she removed a small curtain of hair from her face, her deep golden eyes nearly took the Jedi Master by surprise—they were very similar to the ones from his dream. He cleared the dream from his mind as he continued, "I'm Master Plo Koon, I'm part of the Jedi Council of Courscant; we are very much aware that you posses a special gift"

She shook her head vigorously as she tucked her hands into her clothing, "It's a curse, I almost killed a lot of people today….just like my family….I can't even remember what happen to them…"

He quickly took note that she had vampire-like teeth, making him aware there was more to this girl besides her gift in the Force. He allowed her to continue as fresh tears brimmed in her eyes, "I'm part Vampiya—meaning I don't always rely on blood; I can be like a normal person..but I'm not…I'm a monster…"

The Jedi edged an inch or two closer to her, being careful not to startle her, "You are no monster dear heart—you have a gift that many Jedi posses, you just need help focusing that power, and we can help you to do that"

She stared at him in silence, trying to contemplate the offer he was giving her. She breathed in deeply as she let out a shaky sigh, "And who would train me?"

Beneath his mask he gave a warm smile, "I would—the council has sent me to help you become a Jedi….if that is what you want"

A single tear escaped her eye, wiping it quickly with her sleeve as she spoke softly, "I'm Niche' Pano…"

"It's an honor to meet you Niche'…"

He extended out his hand towards her, offering it as a sigh of their bond as Master and Padawan. Tears began to run down her face a she wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder as she let out body-wrecking sobs. Plo Koon held her tightly in return, knowing these were tears of joy and relief. Little did he realize that she would have more of a challenge in the coming years

Thirteen years later…

"Keep up the pace Niche'! Don't allow him to intimidate you!"

The petite young Jedi kept blocking the Rodian Jedi's every move, doing her best not to loose her own footing of course. The past years have allowed Niche' to become a strong padawan, and quite recently she was dubbed as Jedi Knight by the council. Many of the Masters were pleased that Plo Koon had decided to take her as his padawan—it was if they were fated to be together. Though the memory of her family was still quite faded, not even the greatest of Jedi could unlock her past; they had decided by then that she would have to discover the missing key on her own no matter how long it took. Her golden eyes peered into the Rodian's as she quickly anticipated his next attack. Acting quickly she used the Juyo form to knock him off his feet. The small audience of padawans and knights alike gave a hearty cheer as Niche' deactivated her weapon, offering her hand to the defeated opponent, "You've been practicing Kybona.."

He merely smirked as he accepted her offer, standing nearly a foot taller than her, "And yet I still couldn't defeat you—I guess no one can beat you."

She gave a small laugh as she tied her long hair into a bun, "That's not entirely true; Master Plo Koon has bested me many times, even Shak Tii and Ahsoka."

"But you're still one the most powerful Jedi since Master Wolf"

"No one is as powerful as Master Skywalker"

Their conversation was abruptly cut short by Wolf as he spoke in a loud voice, "Niche', we need you and Kybona with the Council immediately"

The two knights glanced at each other for a brief moment before they headed towards the room. Kybona asked briefly, "Is something wrong?"

He glanced at the two briefly before replying, "There has been a disturbance in the Force, and it's shaken the Council to the core"

Niche' quickly chimed in, "What kind of disturbance?"

"Something I hoped was put to rest since the Clone Wars.."

The two knights stared at each other as a slight pang of fear stabbed into their hearts. As they entered the room, Niche' was the first to notice the grim looks on their faces. Cade Skywalker was the first to notice the trio—he had changed somewhat over the years, but he was still a bit reckless; his comrades Delilah and Jariah though were now official allies with the Jedi, helping them whenever the occasion called for it. Of course, he and Delilah became husband and wife soon after and even had their first child whom they dubbed Padme', after his great grandmother. His weary gaze fell upon them as he straightened himself in his seat, "I see Wolf told you the news.."

Kybona nodded in reply, "Yes Master, and we were told you wanted to see us specifically"

He nodded as he leaned back slightly, "That's right, Kit informed me it's an old enemy back from the Clone War days"

Niche' cocked her head slightly, "But that's impossible—many of the foes during that era were killed or died off"

"Not entirely true. Look at Sheelal for example—he was once General Grievous and was nearly killed by Kenobi; but a few stray Jawas found him and were able to repair him, then the doctors were able to restore most of his body to a normal state with the exception of his wiring and other mechanical parts. Afterwards he was sent into the stasis pods to preserve himself for the current times when he would be needed most. And since he still had the Force powers of Sifo-Dyus, he's now part of this Temple. So anything's possible."

He stood from his seat as he pulled out the holo-projector as he continued, "The disturbance they're feeling, is not Sith or Jedi, but a Bounty Hunter"

The imaged flickered for a moment or two before revealing the Hunter, almost making one or two Jedi squirm in their seats, "His name is Cad Bane—we think he might've been in a stasis pod for the past hundred some odd years, but someone—possibly a Sith--let him loose onto the galaxy. He could be working for someone for creds, possibly one of the Hutts. Our sources tells us he was last seen on the planet Rishi, whatever the reason we don't know; so we need you two to infiltrate his hideout and see what he's up to. You two are the most skilled warriors to date and we'll need your detective skills and cunning strategy to find him"

Plo Koon quickly intervened into the conversation, "I'm not sure this is a wise choice Skywalker; Bane is not only deadly but he is cunning. He'll know if someone if following him and will use extreme action to stop anyone crossing his path."

Cade breathed in deeply in reply, "But we're more aware of his skills now; and I think it's up to them whether or not they want to accept this mission"

The Jedi turned his attention towards them, hoping in the back of his mind that she would refuse the mission. Niche' quickly read off his emotions as she clasped her hands in front of her, "I can sense that many of you want us to refuse this mission, but I can sense that the Force wants us to complete this mission for a bigger cause, possibly even bigger then this Bounty Hunter. So Kybona and I shall accept the mission."

Plo Koon leaned back heavily with sigh, his head lowered slightly as he spoke, "I can't force you to stay my student, but I pray that you two will be careful"

She smiled gently as she bowed, "I plan to Master"

Cade approached the two, "Good to know; there's a ship that's prepared to take you to your destination. Keep in contact with us at all times and make sure no one discovers who you are, especially Cad Bane. May the Force be with you"

As the Council began to depart, Plo Koon caught up with the two knights before they boarded the craft, "Kybono, may I have a word with Niche' for a moment?"

"Of course Master"

The Rodian exited the scene while the two Jedi stood alone as silence hung in the air between them. The young warrior finally broke the eerie silence as she spoke, "Master, I know you don't approve-"

"It's not that dear heart…."

She smiled slightly amused, "You haven't called me that since I became your padawan.."

He continued as he held her hands in his, "Cad Bane is no ordinary Hunter—he has no remorse, no conscious, no morals. He kills without a second thought and will take down anyone that stands in his way, no matter who they are. I fear for your life on this mission, you are like a daughter to me, my heart would break if anything did happen to you"

She bit her bottom lip, her sharp canine almost drawing blood. She gave his hands a gentle squeeze with a small smile, "You've taught me well Master, I'm taking your wisdom and training with me. I couldn't have asked for a better teacher—and I'll contact you whenever possible, you have my word"

He sighed deeply, cupping her face in his hand, "You have grown quite a bit since our encounter on Naboo—I am proud of you Niche'.."

He pulled her into a tight embrace, holding her like a small child as she returned the hug. As the parted he spoke softly, "May the Force be with you dear heart…"

"And you to Master…"

Niche' began to board the ship, but not before waving one last time as the doors began to close. Her heart began to ach slightly; this would be her first time away from her Master since she became his padawan. Her thoughts were interrupted when Kybona spoke, "Better get seated, we're about to go into hyperspace in just a few seconds."

"Right"

She buckled in as she tucked her saber into her lap, breathing in a deep sigh as she settled into her seat. The ship's engine roared into their ears as they rose into the sky, blasting off towards the stars as they headed towards their destination.

The Rishi Catina bar was filled with rowdy characters as the Catina Band played over the ruckus, many regulars were either on the floor vomiting their drinks or trying to start a brawl with a stranger. It wasn't uncommon to find humans usually trying to start a fight or two. There was one stranger though that had many of the regulars speaking in low tones—just his mere presence had many people nervous and anxious of the newcomer. His brown leather trench coat hung an inch or two from the floor as his long brimmed hat covered his eyes. One of the female waitresses approached the bar, leaning forward slightly as she asked, "Can I get you another drink?"

He glanced briefly from underneath his hat as he replied in a mechanical techno voice, "Not tonight, just bring me the bill"

She gave a slight nod as she began to draw up his bill—but was quickly grabbed by a drunken man, "Hey hun, why don't we go somewhere and have some fun?"

His beer-battered breath burned the inside of her nose, causing her to cringe as she tried to push him away, "Get off me pervert!"

He backhanded the waitress, knocking her into the stranger and collapsing onto the floor. The man knelt to the floor and forced her onto her feet, but not before a blue hand pointed a blaster two inches from his face. His eyes widen in shock as he stammered, "I-i-i-it's you! But you should be dead! It's been over hundreds of years!"

The waitress struggled to get free of the drunken man as the stranger continued, "Then on your part you better do as I say—release the girl, NOW"

The drunk released her slowly as he stammered back, "Y-y-you got it Cad Bane sir…"

Cad Bane gave a wide grin as he chuckled coldly, "Good boy….."

He glanced at the waitress as he placed a handful of creds into her hand, "That should cover it I believe"

She blushed slightly as he tipped his hat towards her, her voice slightly shaky, "T-thank you, I don't know how I can repay you.."

Without warning he lifted the blaster and shot the drunk man point-blank at his heart; the guests and regulars let out a unison gasp as the body thudded to the floor. The Duro tucked the weapon away as he replied coldly, "That's for spilling my drink…."

As he excited the bar, he spotted his new 360 Bot called Todos II waiting patiently for him outside, "Another drunk wanted to pick a fight with you sir?"

He sighed as he motioned the droid to follow him, "Yes and no; you would think after two hundred and twelve years that there would actually be some courtesy in this damned galaxy."

"If only that were true…."

"Anything happened while I was inside?"

"An occasional local here and there, nothing stupendous really"

Before he could reply, a cloaked figure stepped in front of them—only revealing red-yellowish eyes beneath. The voice beneath the cloak was ragged and harsh that even made the Hunter cringe, "Are you the one called Cad Bane?"

His arms were folded across his chest as the droid hid behind him, "What's it to you?"

"I have an offer for you that might be of some interest to earn some creds"

He raised a single brow at him, "How much are we talking about?"

"More then you would have made serving Darth Sidious"

"That old crone is dead, the Sith don't even exist in this galaxy anymore"

The figure chuckled coldly as he reached into his cloak, pulling out a holo projector as he continued, "That's what history says, but in truth they still exist but in secret."

As he pushed the button, a holo-vision of Niche' appeared; this immediately sparked Cad's interest, "You want me to capture this Jedi?"

"Exactly—she is part Vampiya, part human, but all Jedi. Like Skywalker she has great power with healing abilities, and her heritage of the Vampiya gives her a unique gift, one even the Jedi haven't detected yet."

The Hunter raised a hand to stop him mid-sentence, "Before you continue, would you like to tell me what in the Force is a Vampiya?"

The figure smirked beneath the hood as he placed the projector back into his cloak, "Vampiya—like the Chiss—are a newly discovered breed of life forms that have hidden themselves from the galaxy. They feed on the blood of wild animals to survive, rarely eating normal food. A full-blooded Vampiya is completely pale as a sheet of paper with sharp fangs that cut through skin and bone, deep golden eyes that can detect their prey from miles away or sense Force-sensitive beings. They can survive little to no sleep and they have the ability to prolong their own lives or the lives of someone they love."

"How exactly?"

"With a single transfusion from the hidden Vampiya blood in their fangs; it only takes one bite and that extends a mortal's life by hundreds of years. Of course the only way to kill this new breed is to either burn them or take them down with a lightsaber—blasters rarely have any affect on them except minor wounds."

Cad Bane cringed slightly at the description of the creature, but continued to listen nonetheless, "Is that why you want me to capture this Jedi?"

"You catch on quick my friend; are you up to the challenge?"

He stroked his chin in thought as the droid finally spoke, "Sir, I would reconsider this notion…"

He glared at his robotic companion coldly, causing the droid to shrink back in slight terror. The Hunter gazed back at the cloaked figure as he replied with a toothy grin, "I might agree to hunt down this Jedi on a few conditions—I would like a ship with the works, the latest weaponry on the market, and housing. Oh, and triple my usual salary of course"

The figure nodded slightly as he gave Cad a com-link, "That's reasonable enough; I will contact you at some point of the location where you must bring the girl. I just hope you don't fail me"

He merely grunted in reply, "And you remember this my friend—No one messes with Cad Bane"

The figure merely nodded as he ran into the darken alley ways, leaving the duo alone. Todos II glanced up at his comrade as he spoke, "Are you sure you're doing the right thing here?"

Cad glanced at the droid as he tucked his hands into his coat, "Doesn't matter, as long as I get paid for this job it matters little to me"

Niche's eyes flew open as she let out a loud gasp, her forehead covered in beaded sweat. She had just had a vision of Cad Bane and the mysterious stranger talking, but of what she couldn't make out. She glanced out the window to see that they were still in space, while a faint but clear vision of Rishi was in their view. Kybona noted that she was startled about something as she moped her brow with her robe, "Something wrong? It looks as though you've seen a ghost"

She gave a heavy sigh as she leaned back into her chair, "It was dream, nothing more.."

"You're not a very good liar my friend."

She merely smiled in reply, "I'll explain later, let's focus on the mission at hand here"

"I guess you're right; one example would be where is the best place to stay for room and board?"

The next several minutes before landing, the two knights began to reminisce on old times and even told a few Gungan jokes. Soon their ship landing in the port bay where many locals and tourists flocked to do some trading for goods. As they exited the ship, Kybona couldn't help but feel something was amiss on the planet. His attention was soon diverted by a Jawa who was tugging at his lightsaber. The creature was beginning to speak in high pitches while trying to tug away his weapon, but the Knight was not impressed by its actions. With a wave of his hand he used the Mind Trick to ward the creature away. Niche' merely smiled at the motion as the headed into town to find hotel. As they entered into the streets though, the petite Jedi felt a strange disturbance in their area, causing her to glance among the crowd. Her comrade was sensing a presence as well, but of a different sort that sent chills down his spine. His eyes quickly fell upon a cloaked figure dashing into the crowd and onto an abandon air bike, speeding off towards the port where they had barely left. Kybona nudged his partner as he quickly spoke, "I think that figure there might be our Hunter, come on!"

The two knights quickly ran through the crowd in the hopes of catching up to the stranger. But as soon as the figure turned the corner, he simply vanished into thin air. The duo glanced around confused and frustrated. Niche pursed her lips into a thin line as she replied, "It wasn't our Bounty Hunter, but it was someone; I could feel the dark side of the Force flowing through our mystery figure"

The Rodian gave a slight nod with a sigh, "We should contact the Council about this"

"I wouldn't just yet—it wasn't strong enough to make any threats to us; we need to focus on finding Cad Bane then focus on this stranger."

He ran his hand over his face as he adjusted his robe slightly, "I guess so, but I don't feel comfortable about this."

"Why don't we go find a local Catina bar? I think once we get directions to a nearby hotel and something to drink, we can contact the Council and let them know we had reached our destination. And who knows? Maybe someone might have some information about our Bounty Hunter."

"Well, it's better then just standing around here"

As the duo began to head towards the local bar, the waitress from the night before quickly noted of what they were, "Hey you two! Over here!"

They glanced at each other for a brief moment before approaching the waitress, but they didn't have to wait long as she stood before them with eager eyes, "You two are Jedi aren't you?"

Niche' leaned on the countertop, studying her curiously, "And this is important to you how?"

She glanced at the regulars as she leaned towards the Knights, speaking a low tone, but loud enough for them to hear about the noise, "You guys here about that Bounty Hunter?"

Kybona straightened in his seat as he rested his arms on the counter, "What do you know about this Hunter?"

"He was a Duros with blue skin and red eyes, with a long brimmed hat and a long trench coat—his pistols though seemed a bit out of date. He ordered a couple of drinks before a local drunk tried to get a little frisky with me. Then when he lifted his pistol towards him, his name was mentioned before he decided to shoot him—but what's more strange is that the guy said he's been gone for hundreds of years"

"What was his name?"

She was silent for a moment or two before replying, "Cad Bane"

Niche' stood up abruptly as she leaned into the waitress's ear, "Can you tell us where he went?"

"Afraid not, he didn't give me any info of where he was staying"

The petite Jedi sat back on the stool with a heavy sigh, running her hand on her forehead, "Well, it's better then nothing I suppose….thanks anyway."

"Sure, what can I get you two to drink?"

"I'll take whatever you've got on tap, same for my friend here"

As she went to prepare their drinks, Kybona nudged her gently, "At least we know he was here recently, we might be able to track him down of where he's staying."

"I guess so….but I've got a bad feeling about this entire thing.."

The Knights exited the area a few hours later, contemplating what the next course of action would be of capturing the allusive Bounty Hunter. There were theories and random planning, but neither one seem to work—capturing this character would take more work and deep research. Entering into the local motel—which seemed to be strangely empty of guests--the Bith clerk at the front desk shifted uncomfortably as he fiddled with his pen, "How can I help you two fine Jedi?"

Kybona leaned on the desk in reply, "We need a room to spend the next few weeks—we have enough creds I believe to cover the costs."

The clerk gulped nervously as the creds were placed before him; Niche' could sense immediately that something was wrong, "Sir, are you feeling ill?"

"N-no, what makes you think that?"

She narrowed her gaze at the creature as she began to read his mind—revealing a shadowy figure with red blazing eyes and a long rimmed hat; her eyes widened in shock as she quickly activated her lightsaber, "IT'S A TRAP!"

Mere seconds later, laser blasts appeared from behind the desk--missing the knights by mere inches while the clerk hid beneath the tables. One of the blasts hit the Rodian Jedi on the shoulder, causing him to fall to one knee as he grasped the wound. The petite Jedi was about to aid him when she felt the point of an old blaster on her lower back; her eyes narrowed in anger as she spoke through gritted teeth, "I should've known you would set up such a trap Bane…"

The Hunter merely chuckled coldly as he kept the blaster pointed at her back, "You catch on quite quickly little Jedi"

Kybona was about to aid her when the Todos II sent a wave of electricity to render him unconscious. A low growl rumbled in her throat as the glanced at the Duros, her eyes glowing with fury, "What do you want Bane?"

He slowly stepped in front of her as he grasped her face in his hand, "You're the bounty I need to deliver…"

Niche' bared her fangs at him as she tried to jerk her face from his grasp, "To whom?"

"Does it matter? Once you're delivered I'll get my creds"

She clenched her fists tightly as the Force began to build within her, "Don't think I'll go quietly"

Without any warning she used Force Push to send him flying to the wall. He gave a low growl as he pulled out one of the new blasters that was provided for him by his employer, "No one messes with Cad Bane little Vampiya mutt—no one!"

She activated her weapon once more as she retorted with a cold stare, "Don't call me mutt!"

The two warriors collided in mid-air, leaving laser burns and marks on the walls and ceilings as they avoided each others attacks. Within seconds Niche' knocked the weapon out of his hand and pinned the Hunter to the ground, her weapon pointed at his throat. The droid companion began to panic about the current situation, until he felt a Force Push from the Rodian Jedi thus was rendered out of temporary commission. Kybona slowly stood on his feet as he grasped the wound, staring wide-eyed that his comrade had the Bounty Hunter pinned beneath her grasp—but he could sense a small bit of the dark side rising within her. She bared her fangs as the weapon inched forward onto his bare neck, "Tell me who you're working for Bane, or I'll rip your throat out."

Cad could tell from her tone that she wasn't joking, sending chills down his spine. Nonetheless he kept a straight face as he spoke, "All I know is that it was a Sith—didn't give a name or anything of that sort. He promised me he would pay me highly if I delivered you to him."

She leaned towards him with a growl, "But why me?"

He gave a cold laugh in reply, "Do you honestly think I would tell you mutt? You have nothing you can give me to change my mind"

The petite Jedi grasped his throat as she growled loudly, "I'll give you one last chance to spare your life, if you tell me why your employer wants me"

"I'd rather kiss a Wookie!"

Niche' let out a deafening screech as she bared her fangs, ready to puncture his neck with no remorse. Her comrade through grasped her arm tightly in reply, "Don't do this! You're border-lining towards the dark side! Master Plo Koon wouldn't want you to do this…."

Her eyes widen at his words, backing up as the Bounty Hunter began to sit up. Her breaths came in short gasps as she deactivated her weapon in the fear she would go off the wall again. The Hunter though merely smiled in reply, "I thought this would happen.."

He lifted his wrist as he pushed a button on his sleeve, setting off an explosion over their heads. Kybona shoved his comrade out of the way as the debris fell upon him. Her eyes went wide as her comrade disappeared into the rubble, "KYBONA!!"

Her anger began to bubble to the surface as she leapt towards Cad with bared fangs, "YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT HUNTER!"

He merely side-stepped as he launched a net catcher in her direction, causing her to be tangled up in electronic nets. She struggled beneath as he towered over her with a sickening smile, "Not so tough now without your comrade, aren't you Jedi?"

She was about to retort when loud cracks caught their attention. The leftover explosives caused a big enough shock wave to cause another explosion right over them—something he hadn't predicted. Chunks of the ceiling began to fall towards the Hunter, he was too stun to even move. Without even thinking the young Jedi was able cut through the net with her saber; within seconds she pushed him down to the ground as she used her own body to shield him. She began to use the Force to hold up what debris she could—a few of the chunks hit her square on the back and shoulders, causing her to wince in pain as she spoke, "H-h-hold on!"

He merely stared at her in surprise as she continued to shield him from harm's way, somewhat curious why she would risk her life for him. In seconds a stray chunk of debris hit the back of her skull, causing the darkness to overcome her.

Then silence.

Plo Koon's eyes snapped opened, clutching his chest tightly as he knelt to the floor gasping for breath. He was just in deep meditation when he felt his padawan's presence suddenly disappear. Shaak Ti noticed his comrade was on the floor as she snapped out of her own deep meditation; she grasped his shoulders tightly as she propped him straight up, "What is it?"

"It's Niche', I can't sense her or Kybona….something's wrong…."

Her eyes widen in shock as she helped him off the floor, "Are you certain?"

"I'm sure of it"

She closed her eyes as she began to seek out the young Knights, her mind cleared of all distraction. She felt two faint presences, but there was no doubt in her mind that it was them. The Master let out a soft sigh of relief as she gripped his shoulder in reassurance, "They're alive, but barely. Kybona's still in the same location, but it seems that Niche' has gone someplace else"

He stood in full height as he tucked his weapon at his side, "I'm going after her—she's in danger, I can sense it"

"Don't be to hasty my friend, she's not in any danger that I can sense—Kybona should be our concern for the moment"

"And what of Niche'?"

"We'll talk to Skywalker to see what we can do"

He lowered his head with clenched fists, his tone filled with anger, "I can't stand by and do nothing Shaak Ti! Cad Bane might have her hostage or worse!"

She grasped his clenched fists tightly, rubbing the knuckles with her thumb, "I know this is frustrating, but we must have faith in her; I have a feeling that something good will come out of this"

Plo Koon sighed softly as he allowed calm to overcome him, "You're right, I can't help but worry about her"

"I know….but I'm certain she'll be all right"

He pressed his forehead against hers gently as he replied softly, "Let's go inform the Council of the situation…"

"WHAT IN THE GALAXY WERE YOU THINKING?! WE'VE COULD'VE BEEN KILLED!"

"Stop your whining Todos, you're still alive aren't you?"

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT CAD!! WE'VE COULD'VE DIED BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO DELIEVER THAT CREATURE TO THE SITH!"

The Hunter glanced at the unconscious girl on the spare cot, her breathing somewhat labored. After Niche' was rendered unconscious by the falling debris, Cad was able to fling her onto his shoulder while holding Todos under his arm. He had quickly noted though that the Bith had pulled Kybona out of the rubble as he brought him outside to safety. With the click of his rocket boots he made a quick getaway to his new hideout where an abandon warehouse was located. It wasn't what many would call a livable area, but it would have to do given the current situation. He didn't realize then how badly damaged the Jedi was until he placed her on the cot, from head to toe she was covered in gashes and cuts. With an annoyed look on his face he growled at the ranting droid, "Well my friend, it was either get us all out of there—or leave you two to be crushed by debris….."

Todos II sank slightly on the ground, his head lowered in shame as he muttered an apology. The Hunter merely sighed as he reached into his bag for the bacta tape. His mind though was still in a confused state, still pondering why she had risked her own life to protect him. He merely blew if off as he sat on the edge of the cot, pushing back some of her hair to see if there was any heavy damage to her head. He quickly withdrew though when she began to stir back to consciousness; as her eyes slowly opened he spoke in a monotone voice, "About time you woke up mutt…"

Her eyes began to widen as she bared her fangs at him, letting out a noise between a hiss and a growl. He drew back a bit, assuming that she would try to bite him.

How right he was sadly.

Within seconds her fangs pierced his arm, almost digging to the bone. He jerked his arm back with a shout, clutching it tightly to him as she stood shaking from the bed. Despite her wounds she seemed to be ready to kill anyone or anything that stood in her way. Cad quickly stood from the bed as he held out his arm defensively towards her, "Easy girl, you're in no condition to fight me or anyone"

Blood began to drip steadily from the deep gashes, but she seemed oblivious to the fact that she was heavily wounded. She let out a low growl in reply, "Where am I? Where's Kybona?"

"You're friend is safe with the hotel owner—you on the other hand are in my new hideout. If you were left there you would've died"

She stood in full height, but nearly toppled over once or twice since she lost a great deal of blood, "Doesn't matter now; the moment you're not on your guard I'm taking you back to Coruscant to stand trial before the Republic!"

"Ha! Under what charges?"

Seconds later she was staring at him eye to eye, even if she was a foot smaller them him, "What charges?! Murder of the countless Jedi you tortured, and being in league with the former Sith Darth Sidious! The list can go on and on, but they can tell you that once you're on the stand!"

He grabbed the front of her robe as he retorted, "Look here mutt—I'm not going back there and you have no way of getting back to your planet anyhow. Your ship was torn apart by Todos II there from the inside out by his programming; so once you're healed completely, you're coming with me to turn you into the Sith, understand?"

Niche' let out a loud snarl as she bit his other arm, causing him to push her back from him. He narrowed his eyes at the petite warrior as he shouted, "WHY DO YOU KEEP DOING THAT?!"

She let out a cold laugh as she used the edge of the cot to support her, "Maybe because I don't like you!"

"Why you little—"

Before he could finish, he quickly noted that she had sunk to the floor on both knees, her breaths coming in short gasps. Todos II waddled towards her cautiously as he stammered, "Y-y-you see m-m-miss, he was trying to patch you up since you're—well—w-w-wounded…"

She finally spotted the blood coming through her robes, the gashes finally becoming visible to her. The Hunter knelt to her height as he tried to grasp her arm, but she let out a loud hiss between clenched teeth, "Don't—you—touch—me"

He sighed heavily as he rubbed his temples with his hand, "Look girl, either you cooperate here or you'll bleed out onto the floor, understand?"

Her golden eyes fell into her lap, her hands clenching into a fist; she knew she was at his mercy now given her current state of health. With a heavy sigh she glanced back at him as she replied flatly, "Fine"

Cautiously he grabbed her arms and helped her onto the cot, being careful not to jar her in anyway. He was about to take off her robe, but not without the Jedi growling at him, "I can do it myself, I'm not ten you know"

Slowly she disrobed herself until she was in nothing by her undergarments. Cad was slightly taken aback by the many scares—old and new alike—that painted her backside. He shook the shock off as he began to bandage up the gashes and cuts in silence, making the small droid a little uncomfortable.

He started humming a soft tune to himself, trying to break the eerie silence that was in the air. The small droid finally let out a heavy sigh as he spoke in a somewhat upbeat tone, "Why don't I make you two something to eat? You must be terribly famished after today"

The duo glanced at each other for a moment then back and Doros II. The Hunter was the first to speak, "Whatever you can scrounge up if fine by me. You want anything mutt?"

She glared at him coldly as she replied quickly, "It's Niche', and don't you forget it"

Her attention went back to the droid who was now nervously awaiting her order, "If you can find any live creatures for me, that'd be great. I need some fresh blood to help with the healing process"

"Uh—I guess I can check out in the street for something"

"Make sure it's alive when you bring it back, if I drink any blood of the dead it can make me extremely ill to the point of death"

The small droid made a gagging sound at her words, but nonetheless he quickly scurried out towards the street, thus leaving the duo alone. Cad rolled his eyes as he began to apply the last of the bacta tape onto her wounds, "I sometimes wonder why I have such an annoying droid"

Niche' merely smirked at his words, "True, but at least he's courteous to other people's well being—unlike some life forms"

He grunted as he stood from the cot and sat across from her, studying her from head to toe in curiosity. The petite warrior quickly to note of his actions as she tried to cover herself up with the spare blanket, "Do you mind?!"

"Not at all.."

He smirked at his own words as he leaned back onto the chair, tugging the brim of his hat over his eyes, "Tell me mu—Niche', why did you want to become a Jedi in the first place?"

She gave a slight shrug as she pulled the blanket up further to her neck, "I had no other place to go; no human or Vampiya would accept me as one of their own. I've been shun by every living creature I came in contact with."

Cad lifted his hat slightly, a single brow raised at her, "Then what?"

She sat up slightly as she continued, "Well, Master Plo Koon found me on Naboo and took me in—he became like the farther I never had. Our bond has been strong ever since then"

"And what about you're family?"

The young Jedi lowered her gaze sadly into her lap, sadness overcoming her quickly, "I don't remember what happened to them, or even what they look like. I've tried for years to unlock my memory, but to no avail.."

The Hunter felt a small pang of pity towards her, a rare trait he hardly felt or show. He quickly masked the feeling as he replied, "We almost have something in common there girl; I never knew my family since day one"

She stared at him with wide eyes in shock, "Never?"

"Nope. Wouldn't matter anyway if I found out who they were, they're all dead as far as I'm concern"

Niche' wanted to retort, but didn't know what to say. She laid on her side carefully, wincing at the pain in her body. The Hunter stood from his seat as he spoke, "If you'll excuse me, I need to do a weapons check. Don't even think about leaving.."

As he exited the room, she lowered her gaze as she pulled from her pocket a holo projector. Pushing the small button, it revealed the image of her and Master Plo Koon from her younger years. Her heart began to ache as she placed the projector back into her pocket. She knew she would have to find a way somehow to escape, but given the current status she could barely move without bleeding to death.

As of that moment, she was officially his prisoner; and there wasn't a thing she could do change it.

Mustafar bubbled with molten hot lava, the heat almost too unbearable for any life form with the exception of the locals that lived there.

With the exception of the current Sith living there, which made everyone around him feel uneasy and shaken to the core.

His billowing black cloak flapped against the current of heated wind, which didn't seem to make him uncomfortable in the slightest—his mechanical legs groaned as he walked into the control room to check up the status of the workers. Currently he was working on a new weapon, which in his belief, would bring the New Republic to its knees and bring down the Jedi Order with it. It had taken years of planning and monitoring, but the weapon was near completion. A member of the Banking Clan slowly approached the Sith Lord as spoke in a frightened tone, "S-sir?"

He turned his gaze towards the worker as he muttered, "What is it?"

"W-we-we-we-we—"

He grasped the front of his robs as his red and yellow eyes narrowed coldly at him, "Out with it!"

"W-well sir, we found the body of Asajj Ventress on Byss as you predicted; she seems to be in perfect condition."

A smile appeared beneath the cloak as he released the frightened Banker from his grasp, "Good, bring her to me…."

The worker bowed slightly as he motioned the Mustafarian to bring the stasis pod. As they laid the pod flat on its back, the Sith Lord examined the body from top to bottom—he knew for a fact that Asajj Ventress used the combination of the Sith practice and Jedi arts to keep her body intact, but her loyalty was still undecided of where she stood. As he opened the door, a rush of cool air surrounded him, but he felt nothing of the sort. His hand stroked her unmoving face as he summoned the Force to rouse her from her deep slumber, "Now, awaken Asajj Ventress, your time has come to serve me…"

Her ice-blue eyes flew open as she gave a large gasp, immediately bolting upright as the shock of her new surroundings slammed her in a flash. Her gaze darted for several moments before the Sith Lord spoke to her, "Woman, do you know where you are?"

She turned her gaze sharply at him, her hands clutching the sides of the pod tightly, "I-it seems I'm on Mustafar, not Byss—but how did I get here?"

He chuckled coldly as he cupped her chin roughly in his hand, "I had some workers locate your body; I am in need of your services"

She slapped his hand away as she slowly exited the pod, "What makes you think I will join forces with you Sith?"

He stared at her slightly surprised as she continued, "I could sense the Dark Side in you the moment the door was opened—and yet I'm surprised that you have lived this long Darth Maul…."

He gave a hearty laugh as he threw back his hood, revealing the red and black Zabrack. It was no illusion that he stood before Asajj, nor was his survival from Obi-Won Kenobi's blade that nearly ended his life. It has been said that those who serve the Dark Side can be reborn again—how though was still in question. He wasn't able to regain his lower torso, but he did gain mechanical ones that were nearly indestructible. The rest of his body though did show some signs that he aged; his upper torso was more built in muscle physic and his horns and gotten considerably longer. Parts of his chest and face and arms were newly decorated in scars from recent battles; even his clothing was weathered from time but was sewn together from his "trophies". He took a small step towards her as he replied, "I'm amused that you know who I am, considering that we have never met in person before. You would have known from Sith history though that those who are considered dead can live again—but you are not a true Sith."

She sneered at him as she stood in full height, "What is the reason you brought me here?"

"As I've said before, I am in need of your services. You have tracking skills and stealth that even most spies don't posses, making you the perfect tool for this operation"

"What operation would that be?"

He merely chuckled in reply, "To bring down the New Republic and the New Jedi Order indefinitely"

Her eyes widen in shock at his words—no one could bring such an Order down, it was nigh impossible! A sudden realization hit her as she asked cautiously, "How long have I been in that pod?"

"Nearly two hundred years, since the years of the Clone Wars and the War of the Galactic Empire."

Asajj nearly tumbled back into the pod at his words; TWO HUNDRED YEARS?! That meant that her comrades of the past are now long gone, dust and bones in the ground.

Even Obi-Won Kenobi.

Nonetheless, she knew which path she would take, even if it meant losing her life. She decided to conceal her answer for the moment as she asked, "And-and what would this item be?"

He smirked as he motioned for her to follow, "It is a small-fire colored lightsaber crystal, but this one is the most unique crystal, not to mention the most rare."

Her heart nearly stopped as she let out a loud gasp, "You don't mean the Darnagi Crystal?!"

He smiled broadly at her in reply, "I do—whomever wields its power can control the balance of the Force. Many have tried to use it in their lightsabers and nearly died since they could not wield its power properly. However, when wedded to a much larger weapon, one that has the power to destroy planets, the possibilities are endless"

Asajj raised a single brow at him in question, "Does this weapon even exist?"

He motioned his hand to look towards one of the working stations, her eyes nearly doubled in size of what she saw on the screen. Maul smiled coldly at he spoke, "What you see before you is what remains of the Death Star; it was created by Count Dooku originally before Darth Vader took his place. Twice it had been destroyed by the rebellion; but I was able to retrieve the blueprints from years ago and began to rebuild it. With the Darnagi Crystal as the main power source, each planet that is targeted will be shrouded by the Dark Side, allowing the Sith to rule once more. Of course though this crystal can only be activated by a Vampiya—I haven't heard from Bane yet if he had successfully captured her or not, but I digress…"

His eyes locked in on hers as he continued, "So you have two choices my dear: work by my side as my apprentice, or become my prisoner until you give into my words"

Asajj closed her eyes as a small smile appeared on her lips, "Your offer is very tempting Darth Maul—"

Her hand lifted slightly as she jerked one of his lightsabers from his pelt, her eyes now opened and filled with anger, "—but I'm going to decline your offer; I have no need of Sith or Jedi assistance, though I cannot allow you to misuse the power the Darnagi crystal possesses."

He snarled at her as he activated his own double-lightsaber, "Then you shall become my prisoner wench"

"So be it"

The two warriors collided in midair, their blades clashing together as sparks and loud crackling filled the room. Both were relentless in their attacks, showing no signs of giving in. The Mustafarian and Bankers alike watched in awe and fear as these ancient warriors fought flawlessly. Each attack was countered by another, each fighting style suited the fighters well.

But the battle would not last.

Darth Maul used Force Push on her, sending her flying to the ground. Asajj Ventress was up on her feet shortly as she prepared herself to strike. The Sith raised his hand towards her, sending out bolts of Sith Lightning that electrocuted her body from the inside out. Her face became contorted with pain and anger as he body flopped to the ground. He smiled as he continued the assault, quickly ceasing his attack as she suddenly became lifeless. He knew she was still alive as he retrieved his weapon, "Take her to the prison—make sure she has enough food and water to sustain her"

The Mustafiaran guards nodded as they began to drag the unconscious Ventress to the cell below. Darth Maul merely smirked as he gazed at the enlarged screen of the Death Star, his mind lost in thought, "Just wait young Niche', you will soon help this all come into play"

Three weeks had passed since there was any word of Niche's whereabouts, making Plo Koon more anxious by the day. Shakk Ti had reminded him time and again not to worry, but he couldn't help it. In the Bacta Tank, Kybona was still unconscious from the attack, even though most of his wounds were now completely healed. He was beginning to regret not persuading her more to stay behind, but he knew that she was strong within the Force. His thoughts were interrupted by a young male human padawan, no more then seven years of age as he spoke softly, "Master Plo Koon sir?"

He turned his gaze unto the young lad, his deep brown eyes staring up at him as he continued, "Master Skywalker wants to see you in the meditation room"

He nodded at the boy as he patted the top of his head, "Thank you young one"

As the Kel Dor Jedi Master headed towards the room, his mind began to wander back to when he first brought Niche' to the Temple—he could sense that she was nervous and intimidated by the other padawans since she was a unique species. She stuck to his side for several days before she felt comfortable around the others, but she was still quite weary of her powers from both the Force and her blood race. Still, they had become quite close over the passing years, making their bond unbreakable and unshakable. He was jerked back to reality when Cade's voice broke his thoughts, "Plo?"

He glanced at the Skywalker heir as he let out a deep sigh, "You wanted to see me?"

He gave a slight nod as he motioned for him to enter the meditation room, "Shakk Ti has told me that you've been stressing over Niche' for several weeks—even though we're doing our best to locate her"

Plo Koon lowered his head slightly before responding, "That is correct I'm afraid; I'm endlessly plagued by Cad Bane's image in my mind, even during meditation. He might have her killed or worse—and staying here makes me feel so—"

"Useless?"

He nodded as he leaned against the wall, "Precisely"

He chuckled softly as he leaned against the doorframe, "That's why I've called you here—I'm allowing you to go locate Niche' and Cad Bane, but under one or two conditions"

Plo Koons's head shot up in shock and surprise, but kept his actions calm and unreadable, "And that would be?"

He ran his hand through his blond hair as his free hand brushed against his lightsaber and blaster, "Allow Sheelal and Shakk Tii to accompany you on the trip, and keep in contact at all times on any new leads."

"Such as?"

"When that Bith brought Kyobona here to the Temple, he said that he saw a blacked-cloaked figure talking to Cad before his departure; and during the confrontation between him and Niche', Cad happened to mention that he was working for an unknown Sith Lord. Lastly, Asajj Ventress's body was taken from Byuss not long ago by some unknown pirates. There's something big going on here that connects all three together; and that's where the three of you come in."

The Kel Dor placed his hands on his hips as he replied, "And you believe that the three of us would be able to locate the Sith Lord's location?"

"Let's just say I have a feeling that Niche' and everything else that I've told you is all connected—I'm not sure how, but I can feel it"

"You do realize that with your daughter as Sheelal's padawan, she would be put at risk?"

He lowered his gaze for a moment before replying, "I know….but I do know that she's pretty strong for someone her age"

"She's only seven!"

"Padme's the same age Niche' was when you took her in, and she became a successful Jedi Knight"

"Still, I don't think your wife would approve of this action"

He couldn't help but chuckle, "You can relax Plo, she'll be with you three the whole time—she knows better than disobey a Master"

Plo Koon sighed heavily as he leaned against the wall, "All right Skywalker, we have reached an accord"

He smiled as he patted his shoulder, "Good; there's a ship already prepared for you three. It already has the coordinates set in for you to set your way"

The Master nodded with a slight bow, "I'm grateful for this Cade—"

"Don't get mushy on me, just go find her"

He smiled slightly beneath his mask, leaving Cade in the room to meditate more on his decision.

Niche' sat on the cot with her legs pulled towards her chest, dark circles sagging beneath her eyes. The past few weeks she had been healing from the wounds she received back at the motel, slowly but surely most of her body had healed, despite the fact that she was feeling somewhat lightheaded. But being the prisoner of a ruthless Bounty Hunter didn't make her life any easier. He would be up day and night fine-tuning his weapons while trying to contact his employer—her only "companion" was Todos II that would talk to her now and then, but nothing more. She nearly jumped out of her seat when the hunter's voice appeared out of nowhere, "Daydreaming again girl?"

The petite warrior only glanced at him for a moment or two, shrugging her shoulder slightly, "Too tired to daydream, especially when you're working on your precious tools.."

He quickly noted the sharp tone in her voice, but merely brushed it off as he replied, "Fine, I'll try to keep it down"

He sat across from her, resting his arms on his legs with a tired sigh, "I've got something I wanted to ask you for weeks now—it's been buzzing in my skull for what seems like ages.."

Cocking her head to one side, wincing slightly from the pain, she flatly responded, "Ask away"

The Duros slightly adjusted his position before replying, "During the explosion, you decided to protect me. Why?"

She quickly straightened herself up, taken by surprise by his question. Her face turned a very faint shade of pink before she replied, "It's part of my training—always protect those around you, no matter if they're friend or foe. I couldn't just let you get crushed by debris, no one deserves such a death, not even you"

He blinked at her surprised, trying to contemplate what she was saying. Lowering his gaze into his lap, he muttered softly, "I guess I should say thank you…"

Niche' smirked slightly at the embarrassed hunter, "No need, it's what I do"

Cad Bane glanced up briefly before standing up from his seat, "Just remember this, it doesn't change what will happen here once you're healed."

Her heart sank slightly, her sagging eyes staring at the ground, "No, I guess not…"

He quickly noted that her body language seemed quite different from the earlier weeks—she even seemed thinner then usual, her face somewhat sunken in. He knelt in front of her as he raised a questionable brow, "Have you been eating at all girl?"

The Vampiya raised her head slightly with a tired sigh, "Yeah, a little"

"Doesn't seem that way to me"

"I've only been eating whatever Todos makes you or whatever live food he brings me"

He narrowed his gaze at her curiously, his attention turned onto the pile of Womp-Rat corpses piled into the corner. Picking up one of the deceased creatures by the tail, he noticed quickly that something wasn't right about them—they seemed more sickly than usual. His eyes finally landed on strange puncture wound on the base of the neck, a low growl erupting in his throat, "Son of a Murglak"

She glanced at him from the cot as she sat up slightly, "What is it?"

He held the corpse close to her face as he replied flatly, "I know this puncture wound here isn't yours; whoever Todos has been getting these womp-rats from knows about what you can't and can eat. That's probably why you've been thinning out"

"That's ridiculous! I would know if—"

He sharply replied, "But you didn't know!"

A deep growl rose in her chest as she stood quickly from the cot, "Then we need to—oh…"

Her knees buckled beneath her in mere seconds, clutching her stomach as the pain spread out through her entire body. The hunter knelt to her height as he grasped her shoulders tightly, "What's wrong?"

Glancing up weakly the young Knight replied in a croaked voice, "I-I guess you were right; they must've had dead blood in them.."

She doubled over once more as the pain intensified, tears brimming in the corners of her eyes. He pursed his lips into a thin line as he tried to figure out what he could do in this delicate situation. A sudden thought came to mind as he quickly asked, "Is it possible to clean out the dead blood with fresh blood?"

"Y-Yes, why do you--?"

Niche's eyes widen in realization as Cad began to roll up his sleeve, revealing his bare skin where fresh food pulsated in his veins. She shook her head vigorously in reply, "No, no way! You don't know what effect this can have your body! I can't do that!"

His red eyes narrowed into her gold ones as he finished rolling up his sleeve, his voice somewhat cold as he spoke, "Mutt, you need to eat something that won't kill you—this will help flush out your system and boost your body back to normalcy."

"But there's a strong possibly that you can get sick or die!"

He cupped her chin roughly as he did his best to soften his tone, "I'm only going to say this once, don't worry about me, I'll recover, understand?"

Her heart thudded against her ribcage, somewhat surprised that he was strangely concerned about her welfare. With a hesitant nod she allowed him to place his arm in front of her; Her small hands grasped his lean muscular arm as she licked the canines with hunger. Her eyes glanced at him briefly as she spoke, "Just let me know when to stop"

He had no chance to reply as her fangs dug deep into his exposed flesh, the tips of the canines almost brushing against the bone. The Duros winced in pain as he felt her feeding, seeing small droplets of his green-colored blood splashing onto the floor. From the corner of his eye he noticed that she was getting some color back into her skin, she was even starting to fill out some. Her face though was suddenly contorted with pain as she released his arm, throwing her head back as she let out a shrill cry that nearly broke his eardrums. Her small body began to convulse with seizures on the floor, her shrill shrieks almost loud enough to break glass. Reacting quickly, despite the fact that his arm was still bleeding, he held her arms down as she arched her back from the pain. His mind began to wonder as he tried to grasp the situation—he thought it would be a simple procedure of cleansing the body, but the situation had changed dramatically since she fed. Seconds later her body seemed to relax, her breathing somewhat labored as she tried to sit up. Carefully he sat her up her as he tried to speak to her, "Girl? Can you hear me?"

Her weary gaze met at his as she gave a slight nod, "Y-Yes….are you all right?"

He gave a heavy sigh as he replied with sharp tone, "Mind telling me what just happened?!"

Niche' lowered her gaze for a moment or two as she wiped the blood from her lips, "This happens sometimes when a Vampiya drinks from a willing host—usually just to help clean out their system from the dead blood. As you saw, pain will occur once he/she has their fill, mainly because the body is adjusting quickly to the blood. Being part human though, the pain can be almost unbearable"

Her eyes fell upon the fresh puncture wound in his arm, grasping it gently as she examined it, "We better get you patched up, the last thing we need is an infection"

"You should be more concerned about yourself—"

"It's the least I could do since you became a willing host"

Cad stared at her somewhat surprised, he never had such kindness from anyone. Shaking off the thought he replied flatly, "All right, do what you want"

The duo slowly got onto the couch, being careful not to jar one another. She glanced around the cot to see if she could find the bacta tape, but to no avail. He sighed as he slowly reached into his coat pocket and pulled it out, "This is what you need, right?"

She gave a slight nod as she took it from him, unraveling it slowly since she was still recovering from the shock. She lost her grip on the bandage as it slipped back onto the cot; both weary victims reached for it, their fingers barely brushing against each other. Both withdrew quickly, their faces turning a faint shade of red. The Duros cleared his throat loudly before pushing the bandages towards her, "There you go"

"Thanks"

Carefully she grasped his arm as she began to wrap the wound, being careful not to cause anymore damage. He began to eye her carefully as she began to finish up the process. His mind began to wonder how she can show kindness to someone like him. He was no more than a ruthless Bounty Hunter, and she was a strange but courageous Jedi.

A very beautiful Jedi….

His thoughts were interrupted as she spoke, "All finished, you should be fine within the next day or two"

Bane glanced at the bandaged arm, rubbing it gently as he muttered, "Thanks"

Before she could reply Todos II came jetting in, almost crashing into the wall. He turned himself around quickly as he replied in a panicked tone, "I just heard the most terrifying screech coming from here! Is everything all right?!"

The Duros glared at him coldly as he stood from the cot, grabbing the top of the robot's head with a growl, "Where are you getting those womp-rats from?!"

Todos struggled beneath his grasp before replying, "B-beg your pardon master?"

"The womp-rats! Whom are you getting them from?!"

"From a local Trodarian called Suuko! He said that they were top of the line!"

He let out a snarl as he tossed the robot companion against the wall, "Idiot! He was filling it with dead blood and you didn't notice it?!"

"I'm sorry sir!!"

He raised his arm in the air to strike until he felt Niche's hands on him, "Don't! He didn't know better! Just give him a break, please?"

He glanced at her briefly, seeing the pleading in her golden eyes. Letting out sigh he lowered his arm in reply, "Fine, I'll let it go, for now"

The small robot sighed in relief as he waddled over and hugged Niche' around her legs, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Cad couldn't help but smirk in reply, not even realizing that she was still grasping his arm. Todos II glanced up at he quickly replied, "If you want me to sir, I can give you the location of the Trodarian"

"Not a bad plan"

In mere seconds he had graphed out where Suuko would usually sell his products—Niche' was beginning to wonder though what he had planned in mind. The small robot handed the coordinates to him as the Hunter replied, "I'll go search for him, you keep an eye on the girl here"

"Yes sir"

She tugged on his arm briefly as she retorted, "I should come along too, he needs to see who he's been poisoning"

He shook his head as he pulled his arm carefully from her, "Not a good idea, you need your rest."

"But—"

He placed his finger on her lips, her face turning a light shade of pink, "No buts; you're still recovering from that shock and are in no shape to fight"

She forcibly but gently removed his hand as she retorted, "I'm fine, really!"

Before he could speak, she began to topple over towards the floor, but not before he caught the falling Jedi with one arm. Glancing up she felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment as she sheepishly replied, "I hate it when you're right"

He led her back to the cot, carefully setting her down as he spoke, "You worry too much Jedi, I'll handle everything"

She sighed heavily as she turned on her side, "All right, but the moment I sense something's off I'm coming for you"

He chuckled at her reply, "I'll be back shortly—you stay here Todos"

"Yes sir"

As he exited the area, he leaned against the wall with a heavy sigh, running his hand over his face, "Getting too close Bane, getting too close….."

He glanced back at his bandaged arm, rubbing it gently where she had just bandaged it. A small smile appeared on his lips before he went to the market square, the thoughts of the Vamiya-mix Jedi still plaguing his mind.

The small Trodarian glanced around the bar as he sipped his drink, the merchandise laying besides him. It wasn't long ago that he received a transmission from Darth Maul and told him about the delicate situation. His task was to only make the Jedi ill enough so she would bend to his will—thus began his task with filling dead blood into the in-breed womp-rats. Somehow the transfusion didn't kill the creature instantly, most likely because he made sure he bred them with a strong immune system. He had hoped that Bane didn't discover that he was being double crossed by his employer; further information inquired that the Sith Lord was losing faith quickly in the bounty hunter, sensing that something was going on that he saw in his premonition. Once the girl was heavily ill, he would come for her himself and train her in the arts of the Dark Side, with the hope that she would be able to locate and activate the hidden powers of the Darnagi Crystal. With a heavy sigh Suuko took another swig of his brew, running his arm under his mouth to wipe away any droplets that were embedded in his prickly beard. He suddenly heard what sounded like a struggle with a small group of humans and an unknown mechanical voice—following quickly though by blaster fire. His eyes doubled in size when he spotted Cad Bane strolling across the room, leaving everyone in complete silence.

And he was heading right towards him.

Suuko quickly reached into his pouch and pulled out his own blaster, his hand shaking violently as he tried to form the words from his mouth. The Duros grasped his throat as he pointed his own weapon near his eye socket with a growl, "You're Suuko, yes?"

The Trodarian gave a shaky answer as he slowly reached for the trigger on his own blaster, "Y-y-ya….and you're the Cad Bane fellow"

"Right. I've got a few questions to ask you"

"S-such as?"

He knelt down and grabbed one of the live womp-rats, the creature squealing in his grasp as he continued, "You've been selling these to a small robot called Todos II?"

"Y-y-ya…"

"And you've been filling these things with dead blood to poison a Vampiya?"

He became hesitant with his answer as he bit his bottom lip—this quickly angered Bane as he spoke in a raised voice, "Answer the question Hutt slime!"

"YA! YA! I DID OKAY?!"

The hunter clenched a bit more tightly, but left him enough air to talk, "And who told you what her weakness was?"

"Some Sith Lord, his name was Darth Maul"

The Duros eyes went wide at the name—he had heard the rumors years ago that he was sliced in half by a mere padawan, it wasn't even probable that he would survive and live an extra two hundred years. He raised the shaken Trodian slightly higher as he continued, "Did he know about me?"

"Ha! He was the one that hired you! He's lost faith in you Hunter!"

Bane gave a low growl as his free hand clenched into a fist, "I told that sleemo that no one messes with Cad Bane…"

"And now I'm gonna blast you good Ya!"

He immediately felt a blaster bolt go through his right shoulder, forcing him to release the Trodarian from his grasp. He winced at the pain as the small creature aimed point-blank at his forehead, "Say good night Duros!"

"Good night"

Without warning Suuko was toss across the room as his small body collided with the wall. Bane glanced towards his left to see Niche' barely standing on her own two feet with her fangs bared—and the small droid tucked behind her legs. He gave a low grunt as he replied sharply, "I told you stay put mutt!"

"And I told you the moment I sensed danger I would come for you!"

He sighed heavily as he slowly stood, grasping the gaping wound on his shoulder. She slowly approached him with concern written on her face, "You're hurt.."

"It's nothing girl.."

Before she could reply the Trodarian rose up with anger in his voice, "YOU'RE DEAD VAMPIYA!!"

The entire bar quickly became silent, only a few mutters and whispers could be heard among the crowd. Niche' glanced at the locals as fear and anger overcame their senses, their weapons quickly being drawn. She immediately knew that an official witch hunt had begun.

Seconds later the bar was filled with blaster bolts, almost wounding or killing half the civilians. Suuko swerved his way through the maddening crowd as he drew out his weapon once more to strike. He quickly spotted the small trio trying to escape the area, "Oh no you don't!"

He aimed his blaster straight towards the young Jedi, which caught Bane's attention as he drew his own weapon and fired. To his misfortune the Trodarian had fired as well before falling to the ground, landing a clean hit in his lower abdomen. He doubled over in pain, his hand grasping onto Todos II, "B-blast it…"

Niche' quickly saw the wounded Duros, doing her best to drape his arm across her shoulders. One blaster blot skinned her arm, causing her to pitch forward with a shout. Both Hunter and Jedi fell heavily to the ground as the crowd began to gather around them. Her heart leapt into her throat as she had an immediate flashback of what happened on Naboo, causing her to panic. One heavy-set character sneered as he kicked the injured Duros with his boot spouting, "Some Bounty Hunter, can't even defend himself!"

She crawled towards him as she propped his head in her lap, her heart pounding in her chest, "Bane! BANE?!"

He was slipping in and out of consciousness, not knowing where he was. She glanced briefly towards her right to see Todos II trying to compute the closest ship nearby to hijack. The same character growled as he continued, "How sad! A Vamiya pitying a Hunter! I saw we take 'em both down!"

The crowd gave a loud cheer in reply, drowning out her pleads to release them. She felt another blaster bolt on her shoulder, glaring angrily at the prosecutor as he smirked in reply. Anger build within her as she slowly stood to face him, setting up an invisible shield around the injured Duros and the small droid. The whites of her eyes immediately became black as the Force build heavily within her. She bared her fangs as she cried out, "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

With a wave of her hand she used Force Push.

But it was more powerful then most Jedi could ever dream of.

The power she put into it sent a strong wave towards the crowd, sending them flying backwards and instantly flattening the buildings around her. Once the wave settled to a complete stop, the locals looked upon her in fear as she resumed to help the Duros to his feet. With a low growl she replied sharply, "If any of you dare to come near me again, I'll make sure each one of you will be drained of blood indefinitely."

The crowd quickly backed off as the small droid gave a shaky reply, "N-n-niche' ma'am? There's an old Republic Transporter that's still in working order that we can use to get off this world."

She glanced at him as Bane gave a soft moan, her eyes returning to their normal color, "Is it far?"

"Just around the corner there, and with an up to date Astro-Droid"

"Good, we have to move, now!"

Without a moment's hesitation she grabbed the small droid and used the Force to get to the location in limited time. Once they were at the ship, the Jedi couldn't help but gap at the size of the transporter—it would take a crew of ten men to run it! But she would have no choice but to rely on the Astro-Droid to run the ship. She dragged the injured Hunter aboard as she shouted to Todos II, "Tell that R-5 unit to set our course for Naboo! And make sure it can be cloaked from other ships!"

"Right away miss!"

She glanced around nervously at the new surroundings, trying to find a place to lie him down. Her gaze fell upon an empty medical cot that was in fair condition. Carefully she placed him down as his breathing began to grow weak. The roar of the engines nearly made her jump out of her skin, but she quickly relaxed as she saw the planet Rishi disappeared from sight; her mind was now more focused on tending towards his wounds. She removed the blood-stained trench coat and placed it besides her on the floor, her eyes doubling in size when she saw the damage, "Stars End…"

The wound was quite deep, even deeper then his shoulder wound—and he was loosing a great deal of blood. She glanced at the medicine cabinet to see if there was anything she could use, but it was completely empty. She suddenly heard his voice finally speak to her, though it was quiet faint, "G-girl.."

She grasped his shoulder gently as she replied softly, "Y-Yes?"

"I don't—think I'll make it—to Naboo…"

"Don't say that! You'll be fine…"

"Don't give me false promises Jedi….it's h-hopeless.."

He arched his back from the pain, letting out a loud groan before passing out in mere seconds. Her heart began to quicken as she placed both hands on the lower abdomen, calling onto the Force to guide her through the healing process. Like Cade, she too had to tap into the powers of the Dark Side to do this process, along with the spirit strength of the Vampiya ancestors. She closed her eyes tightly, beads of sweat forming on her brow as the combined forces flowed through her; it was taking every ounce of her energy to close the wound and to return some of the energy to his body. Her vision began to grow blurry as she used the last of her strength to heal the Hunter, collapsing heavily to the floor. The small droid waddled towards the duo, immediately panicking when he saw the both out for the count. He nudged the small Jedi as he spoke, "Niche'?!"

She sat up slowly while clutching her forehead, "I'm fine—is Bane okay?"

He probed himself up as he hovered over the unconscious Duros, letting out a small sigh of relief, "Unconscious, but alive"

"Good—tell that Astro-Droid to keep the ship on auto-pilot; I'm in no condition to drive. In the meantime I'll stay here and watch over Bane while he recovers."

"Are you sure miss? There's no spare cot in here"

"I'm sure Todos, just keep an eye on the ship"

"All right, if that's what you want"

He probed himself out of the room, leaving the duo alone once more. Niche' gave a heavy sigh as she sat besides the unconscious Hunter, her finger tips brushing against his hand. She was still surprised that he tried to protect her back in the bar, her face turning a faint hue of pink. But guilt immediately took over as tears began to pool in her eyes; she spoke softly to herself as she placed both hands in her lap, "Why is it when someone gets close to me, they get hurt?"

Tears began to pour down her cheeks, tears she had held back since she was a child. All she could do now was wait to see if he would wake, while the sadness consumed her.

Sheelal was deep in his trance, allowing his mind to clear of all distractions around him—from the roar of the engines to the faint humming of the control room, nothing seem to move him. Since his survival of Kenobi's attack, his hate had lessen against the Jedi as he began to find the true meaning behind his cyborg-like body. Most of his body was covered in artificial skin, very similar to his old body; of course his body looked quite different in height and figure, making him look quite menacing to some of the younger generation of Jedi. His only true article of clothing was his mask he once wore on the planet of Kalee—though he has never returned to his homeworld, knowing for a fact that he had a higher calling for the Jedi Temple. The council was first hesitant of letting him join, considering his past history during the Clone Wars as a collector of lightsabers and a harbinger of death to their fellow brethren. He was put through the Trials to prove himself worthy, but the true test came when Cade's daughter found the good buried beneath him. He swore a solemn vow to protect the latest generation of Skywalker, no matter the cost. His trance was immediately sparked by an enormous presence in the Force, almost knocking him off his seating position. His eyes snapped opened in shock as he sat up gasping for breath. His hand ran over his masked face, trying to shake off the shock. Sheelal suddenly heard a small female voice from behind him, "Master?"

He glanced over his shoulder to see young Padme' staring at him, her eyes full of concern. She had the same likeness of her father, with hints of blue highlights in her blonde hair, her skin a few shades lighter then her mother. The young padawan was quickly progressing through her training, and she had incredible insight into the future like most of her ancestors before her. He sat up as she sat next to him slowly, "Master, did you sense it to?"

He stared at her curiously, "The strange presence in the Force?"

She gave a small nod of recognition in reply, "It felt like it was coming from Niche'"

He leaned forward slowly, his curiosity suddenly peaking, "Are you certain?"

"Yes Master—but I wasn't able to find out where she was going…"

He patted the top of her head with a sigh, "At least we know that she's still alive. Tell me this padawan, were you able to sense other forms of life as well?"

Padme' nodded once more, "Cad Bane, but it was really weak—but then his presence was back to normal. I think before he was dying, but Niche' revived him"

He cocked his head to one side in confusion—he was still trying to make a deeper connection in the Force, but it wasn't an easy task for someone who was nothing more then a ruthless general, "Why would Niche' revive the Bounty Hunter?"

She gave a small smile with a giggle, "It's because she's starting to have feelings for him, and the same goes for Bane"

The Kaleesh Jedi glanced into his lap, concern for the duo clouding his thoughts. This mission had now become more complicated, and he had a small hunch that Plo Koon wouldn't be pleased with the news. He began to stand up when he heard the young padawan give a cry of pain. He glanced down quickly to see Padme' curled up into a ball, clutching her head tightly as she gasped for breath. He knelt to her height as he touched her shoulder, trying to tap into the Force to make contact. He quickly felt her body relax, her breathing slowly returning to normal. She sat up with wide eyes, trembling violently from the shock. He cupped her chin as he spoke gently to her, "You saw something, didn't you?"

The young padawan gave a shaky nod as she drew her knees to her chest, "Y-yes, and I saw the Sith Lord."

"Can you tell me who it was?"

She blinked back threatening tears as she lowered her voice to a whisper, "Darth Maul—somehow he survived Master Kenobi's attack and has been alive for nearly two hundred years. He also hired Bane to deliver Niche' to him, but immediately turned on him once he found Asajj Ventress body on Byss. He's building some sort of weapon, but he needs Niche' and a rare lightsaber crystal in order to make it work. I think he felt my presence in the Force and he—"

A small sob escaped her lips as she wrapped her arms around herself, obviously too shaken to continue. He pulled her in a gentle embrace, placing his head on hers as he tried to give her some sort of comfort. He glanced towards the door to see Shaak Ti and Plo Koon listening into the conversation; and by the looks on their faces they were as shocked as well. The Kaleesh Jedi gave a slight nod of his head, signaling for them to leave them be for now. The two Masters strolled down the corridors in silence, allowing the words to sink in. Shaak Ti finally broke the uncomfortable silence as she asked somewhat bluntly, "You don't approve of your former padawan's feelings towards Bane?"

He stared at his comrade with a clear look of surprise on his face, but he replied with a hint of disappointment and anger in his tone, "I cannot see why she would start falling for such a character—he is nothing but a killing machine"

"And yet, he's protected her from Maul after he turned against him. There is some good in him if Padme' could sense it"

"That doesn't mean she was right"

She glanced at him in surprised, but quickly repressed her feelings, "She is a Skywalker Plo—and their visions and feelings are never wrong. You should know that by now."

He gave a heavy sigh as he placed his hand on her shoulder, "You're right, my mind isn't clear at all, not since Niche' was captured."

She gave him a warm smile in return, "I understand that you're feeling discourage about this, but you must allow her to follow her own path. There is no doubt she'll stay in the Order, how she feels about the Bounty Hunter will reveal itself in its own time"

He grasped her hand in his gently as he spoke, "Thank you, your words always seem to comfort those in times like this."

"For now, let's just hope we can defeat Maul before it's too late"

Todos II eyed the sleeping Jedi carefully, wondering why she would feel such compassion for the unconscious Duros. Then again, no robot can understand such feelings—they're only built to serve their masters. He was confused though why she decided to take refuge on the floor instead of a bed. He suddenly heard a low groan from the cot, his scepters falling upon Bane. The Hunter glanced at the probing droid as he croaked out, "I-I'm alive?"

The small droid gave a nod as he sat on the edge of the cot, "Indeed sir; if it weren't for Niche' you would be dead right this moment"

He sat up slowly as he glanced down to where the wound was originally located, shocked that it was completely healed as well as his shoulder. His gaze immediately fell upon the sleeping Jedi curled up on the metallic floor, no blanket or pillow to make comfortable. He turned back to the droid as he asked softly, "She healed me?"

"Yes sir"

"But why?"

He shrugged slightly, "Maybe she feels—differently about you"

His face turned a light shade of red as he leaned down to put on his coat, "How can you be certain?"

"I'm not, but judging by how you two have been acting lately—"

"Shut it!"

He slid off the cot as he knelt by her side, nudging her gently as he tried to rouse her, "Hey, time to wake up Jedi"

She stirred slightly at his touch, her eyes fluttering open when he spoke. She glanced upwards to see the Hunter staring down at her with curiosity. The young Jedi sat up in shock, letting out a sound between a laugh and a sob as she wrapped her arms around her neck, "Thank the Force! I didn't know what to think after what happened back on Rishi!"

He was stunned by her reaction, not knowing how to react. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders in reply stiffly while trying to clear his throat, "Well, I'm still here aren't I?"

Niche' pulled away gently as she tried to regain control of her emotions, "How are you feeling?"

He shrugged slightly before replying, "Little sore, but that's it"

He quickly noted that her eyes were somewhat blood-shot and swollen, sparking questions in his mind, "Were you—crying?"

She lowered he gaze into her lap, her fingers strangling the fabrics of her robes, "N-no, why wou—"

Cad Bane laid his hand on her shoulder, his eyes peering into hers, "You don't lie very well girl…"

Those words brought back the image of her comrade, her heart sinking into the pit of her stomach. She cleared her throat as she sat up on the floor, her voice becoming monotone, "Why would it matter to you? Don't you consider that a weakness?"

He breathed in deeply as he leaned against the cot, tipping his hat over his eyes slightly, "Hard as it is to believe, even I need a good cry once in a blue moon."

Niche' gazed at him surprised, leaning forward slightly with curiosity, "So, you wouldn't consider it a weakness?"

He gave a slight shrug of his shoulders as he pulled the hat away from his eyes, "Just because I don't show much emotion, doesn't make me a complete monster"

The petite warrior gave a slight nod of recognition, making it clear that she understood completely. The Hunter leaned forward towards her, his gaze piercing hers once more, "So, care to answer the question?"

She bit the bottom of her lip, the sharp canine drawing a small bubble of blood. Before she could reply, the small droid blurted out, "Sorry to interrupt, but our Astro-Droid says that we're almost at the landing station on Naboo. Might I suggest though that we should be cautious around the locals—after what occurred on Rishi, word may have gotten out"

Niche' gave a slight nod as she stood up from the floor, followed closely by Cad Bane as she spoke, "You have a good point there; we'll just have to keep our faces hidden until we can straighten out the situation"

The small droid probed himself back to the main control room, muttering concerns and worries among himself. The Duros grasped her shoulder once more as he asked, "Just a question girl—why did you choose Naboo in the first place?"

Her swollen eyes glanced at him for a brief moment, allowing a long pregnant pause to intervene before she replied, "This was where I was born; I also think it might help me unlock my memories of what happened to my family, and possibly found out why this Sith Lord is after me"

She threw the hooded cloak over head, walking briskly out of the ship as he followed close behind. Once they were off the ship though, they were in for a "welcome party". The Jedi's eyes snapped opened in shock as a small angry mob gathered round the, waving blasters and such with fury. A middle-aged stocky built man approached the front, his steel gray eyes focused on her. He gave a snarl as he spouted, "Don't think I don't remember you mutt! You tried to steal from my stand years ago! And word is now that you're a Dark Jedi!"

She recoiled at first as the anger of the crowd grew louder, but she quickly regained her composure as she replied, "I was a child then, but I'm no Dark Jedi. I only come here in peace, I swear it"

"Tell that to the people you nearly crushed back on Rishi!"

The mob began to move forward, their eyes filled with nothing but vengeance. Niche' stared at them in fear, but stood her ground as she activated her lightsaber and held it up defensively, "I don't want to hurt any of you! Just let us pass!"

"Not a chance mutt!"

One of the crowd members shot their blasters at her shoulder, causing her to cry out in pain. Another blast nicked her side, her body buckling to the floor. The whites of her eyes suddenly became black again, anger building up as she began to summon the Force within her. She bared her fangs as she stood in full height, causing the mob to back away somewhat. Before she could use Force Push, three loud blaster shots quieted the crowd down and shocked the Jedi back to normalcy. She glanced towards her right to see Cad Bane staring down at the crowd, his lips curled slightly in s snarl. He kept his blaster in the air as he spoke, "Have you ever considered that you are the monsters here? You're prosecuting her of something that happened years ago, and as a child! You should all take a good hard look in the mirror, it might do you some good."

She couldn't help but stare at him in awe—he was truly defending her against the crowd. He began to lower his weapon slowly as he continued, "Now we need you all to step aside, unless you would prefer the alternative…"

The crowd began to move aside, muttering among themselves as the trio began to move towards the town. Niche' glanced at the Hunter as she mouthed at him, "Thank you"

He merely smirked as he winked at her, causing her face to turn a slight shade of pink. Her thoughts were quickly interrupted by a husky male voice in front of her, "Are you Niche' Pano?"

Her eyes went wide in recognition, a smile appearing on her face, "Master Zenaku?!"

The Na'vi's cat-like eyes gazed at her, smiling as he revealed his own fangs, "Who else?"

She wrapped her arms around his upper torso, hugging him tightly with a grin, "I haven't seen you since I arrived on Coruscant!"

He chuckled as he patted the top of her head, "You were much younger then"

Before she could reply, Bane cleared his throat loudly as he straightened out his hat, "Care to tell me who this is Jedi?"

She sighed as she regain her composure, standing between the two with a small smile, "Bane, this is Master Zenaku—he was part of the Coruscant Jedi for awhile before transferring to Naboo. He taught me quite a bit with lightsaber techniques."

He raised a brow at her then at the strange Na'vi, hesitant as he reached out his hand to shake his. The Na'vi were barely discovered a few years ago beyond the Outer Rim, around the time Niche' entered into the Temple. There was still much to learn about the species themselves—but one thing was certain, they can be quite strong in the Force. Zenaku smiled slightly in reply, "I've heard quite a bit about you from Coruscant"

Bane's eyes went wide for a moment, "How long ago was that?"

"Few weeks ago—but we'll talk about this later. I'm also aware that Darth Maul is tracking you two down."

Niche' lowered her gaze before replying, "Afraid so…I just wish I knew why…"

He cupped her chin gently as he spoke, "He knows what you're capable of, that's why he was after you when you were merely a youngling"

Her heart was suddenly caught in her throat—this was something she didn't expect him to say, "W-what?"

The Na'vi Jedi sighed heavily, motioning the trio to follow, "Come, all will be revealed in time"

The Hunter noted that she was hardly moving, it was as if the creature had cast a spell to make her unmoving like stone. He grasped her shoulder, causing her to jump slightly. She bit her bottom lip as she quickly followed the Master, but he had a feeling that they were about to see something they weren't prepared for.

Darth Maul stood at the station glowering at the monitor—the workers were working at a slow steady pace on the Death Star, and he still didn't have the Darnagi Crystal. Asajj Ventress hasn't spoken to him either since they first encounter each other, not that it mattered. What disturbed him though was that he felt the presence of a Skywalker not long ago, making him question how close the Jedi were of discovering his plan. He sighed heavily as he headed towards the dungeon where Ventress was being held. He nodded towards the guard to allow him to pass, the door flashing open to reveal the warrior huddled in the corner. Multiple cuts and bruises covered her body, her clothes weathered and soiled from her time spent in the prison. He smiled coldly as he knelt to her height, "How are we feeling today?"

She weakly raised her head towards him, her eyes full of hate and anger, "What do you think?"

He cupped her face, causing her to recoil at his touch, "Come now, surely you want to be out of this hell-hole?"

She sneered at him in reply, "At least I don't have to see you all the time Hutt-slime"

The Sith stood in full height, pacing around the cell as he spoke, "I actually discovered a new lead involving the Vampiya mutt that I didn't foresee some time ago"

"And that would be what?"

He stopped pacing for a moment, allowing the silence to hang in the air for a moment. He turned his gaze towards her as he continued, "She possesses the crystal in her lightsaber—someone on the council knew of her abilities and secretly entrusted it to her. She is unaware of the power she wields, and I need her skills with the crystal in order to activate the weapon"

Ventress let out a cold laugh in reply, "Do you honestly think she will obey you? She's an extremely powerful Jedi, she could possibly even surpass you!"

He leaned against the wall with a smirk, "She only has a small bit of experience in combat—she has none against the Sith."

She was about to reply when one of the Bankers peeked into the room, "Sir? One of our droids have pin-pointed the location of Cad Bane and the Jedi"

His eyes sparked with interest at the news, "Where?"

"On the planet of Naboo—they just landed there not long ago"

He placed his cloak on as he adjusted his lightsaber on his belt, "Prepare my ship for immediate take-off—make sure we have droid soldiers and electronic shackles for the prisoners. I want to depart in a few hours"

"Y-yes sir!"

As the Banker exited the room, Maul stooped down and pulled the weak warrior to her feet roughly, "You'll be accompanying me my dear"

Her eyes narrowed at him with a snarl, "Why do you need me?"

"Let's just say you'll be a bit of a bargaining chip for when the other Jedi arrive"

She struggled in his grasp, trying to break herself loose, "I won't allow you to use me in such a manner!"

With a flick of his wrist, he sent a jolt of Sith Lightning in her body, rendering her unconscious as she fell into his arms. He began to carry her out of the dungeon as he spoke, "Unfortunately my dear, you have no choice in the matter. Soon my plan will be complete, and the New Order will be eradicated once and for all"

Master Zenaku had been leading the trio through the thick jungles of Naboo for several minutes, leaving them to wonder where he was taking them. Though the words he spoke earlier to Niche' still plagued her mind ruthlessly. Cad Bane glanced at her from time to time to make sure wasn't falling behind, while Todos II struggled to keep up, "Oh dear! I wasn't built for such harsh conditions!"

The Duros just rolled his eyes in annoyance, "Just try to keep up…"

"I am!"

He turned his attention onto the young Jedi, her hand pressed against her forehead as her face was filled with pain and confusion. He shouldered her gently to get her attention, "Are you all right girl?"

She glanced at him for a brief moment as she let out a heavy sigh, "Hard to say—I haven't had a headache this bad since I was knocked in the head by Master Wolf"

The Na'vi Master glanced over his shoulder as he replied, "Here we are, your old house…"

Niche' gazed at the desecrated area, her blood running cold. It seemed so long ago that she played there as a child, but only a hollow clay building was there to greet the group. Zenaku turned his attention onto them as he spoke, "When you were just a child, you barely began to discover your bond in the Force; your mother was human, while your father was a Vampiya Jedi from the Temple of Ossus. He was going to take you to Coruscant when you were just six—but tragedy struck; and you've been blocking that memory out since then."

Her mouth opened and closed numerous times, the shock overwhelming her senses. Bane finally spoke as he stood behind her, "Is there another reason you brought us out here?"

"Yes—she also possesses a very powerful and rare crystal in her lightsaber; I brought it to her at the Temple once she began her training, very few Jedi knew about her ability to control the Darnagi Crystal and they have kept it silent until Darth Maul discovered it in the Sith Holocrons"

Bane ran his hand over his jaw line in thought, "That would explain why he's been hunting her down all this time"

The young Jedi finally gazed at the Master as she spoke softly, "W-will this help me remember what happened to my family?"

"Only if you feel you are ready young one…"

She gave a shaky nod as she went towards the house, her hand extending towards the wall. The trio watched from behind, curious and frightened of what she would discover. Sucking in a sharp breath she placed her hand on the wall, allowing her mind to unlock her forgotten memory:

The six year old Vampiya-mix was kneeling in the dirt, trying to focus her energy on levitating a small pebble. Her face was scrunched up tight a she bit her bottom lip in frustration. She suddenly felt a strong but gentle hand on her shoulder, a soothing voice breaking her concentration, "Having trouble Niche'?"

She glanced up to see her father smiling down at her, his golden eyes meeting hers as he sat besides her. She gave a small pout in reply, "The pebble won't move at all, no matter how hard I try!"

He chuckled warmly as he patted the top of her head gently, "Patience daughter, soon you'll be able to do all kinds of things with the Force"

"When daddy?"

"Soon, I promise"

She smiled at him in reply, her eyes glittering with hope. Her mother strolled in behind them as she replied, "All right you two, it's time for lunch."

Before her husband could reply, the pebble shot up in the air and went towards the jungle. Niche' cocked her head confused for a moment, but she immediately froze when she saw a dark-hooded figure step towards them, "D-daddy…"

He stood in full height, baring his fangs slightly as he stood in front of his family, "What do you want Sith?"

The figure pulled back his hood, revealing Darth Maul grinning coldly at the family. With a wave of his hand he summoned his Acklay companion to appear before them. The creature let out a bellowing cry but stood its ground behind its master. The Sith Lord finally spoke as he took a step forward towards the Jedi, "You're daughter is quite strong in the Force, and even in her Vampiya trait. She will make an excellent apprentice…"

Her father immediately activated his lightsaber with a growl, "You will not touch her!"

He gave a heavy sigh as he pulled out his own weapon, "Then I'll have to take her by force."

He lunged forward with his double-edged weapon, clashing with the Vampiya Jedi's weapon. Both of them began the dance of battle, each one countering and predicting each other's move. Maul's strength and speed was increasing rapidly while her father's was quickly declining. He glanced over his shoulder to see the Acklay lunging towards his daughter with opened jaws, but not before her mother shoved her out of the way. The creature's jaws clamped down tightly on her middle torso, blood dripping heavily onto the ground. The young girl stared in horror-struck as the Acklay began to tear her apart piece by piece, not knowing what to do. The Jedi warrior Force Pushed Maul into the bushes as he went to aid his daughter, grasping her shoulders tightly as he spoke, "You need to run to the village and get to safety—I'll fend off this scum in the meantime"

Tears pooled in her eyes as she shook her head wildly, "I WON'T LEAVE YOU DADDY!"

He hugged her tightly as a single tear rolled down his cheek, "Just remember, I will always be with you in spirit and in the Force…I love you my daughter…"

He glanced over his shoulder to see the Sith Lord running towards him, his face filled with hate. Without hesitation the Jedi used the Force to carefully but quickly throw her into the thick jungle; her eyes went wide with terror as the crimson blade pierced his heart clean through. She let out a shrill cry as she flashed back to the present:

Niche's staggered back from the house, falling to her knees as she let out loud gasps of shock. Master Zenaku knelt to her height as he tried to grasp her shoulders—she recoiled quickly as she stood, tears blurring her vision as she staggered into the forest, "LEAVE ME ALONE!! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

She ran into the forest in seconds, leaving the group alone in shock. Bane glanced at the Jedi Master briefly before replying, "I'll go find her—she needs someone other then a Jedi to comfort her, no offense"

"None taken—I only hope you can fix this problem"

Plo Koon jolted upright from his seat—he had just seen his former padawan on her home planet, but her heart was now heavy with sorrow. He ran his hand over his face as he let out a heavy sigh; at least he had finally located her, but he could feel her sadness. He glanced over his shoulder to see Shakk Ti staring at him curiously, "Was that Niche'?"

"Yes, but she has a great deal of sadness overpowering her. She's on her home planet with Bane and Zenaku—and I believe she's discovered her lost memory"

Her eyes were full of concern as she sat next to him, her hand on his lap, "What now?"

He placed his hand on hers, giving it a gentle squeeze in reply, "I'm not sure—as of now we need to make sure that Darth Maul doesn't reach her first."

She gave a slight nod, "Agreed. I've already told Sheelal to put the ship on course to Naboo in hyperdrive—we should be there fairly soon"

He smiled slightly beneath his mask, "You already knew, didn't you?"

She couldn't help but return the smile, "You could say that"

She leaned forward and brushed her lips lightly on his cheek, his face turning a slight shade of red. Before he could reply a small voice intervened, "Am I interrupting something?"

The duo glanced at young Padme', their faces suddenly turning beet red. Plo Koon cleared his throat loudly as he stood from his seat, "Um-no-not really…"

She giggled at the duo before responding, "I'll leave if you two need some time alone"

Shaak Ti quickly intervened, "Not necessary padawan—did you have something you needed to tell us?"

She placed her hands behind her back while rocking back and forth on her heels, "Master Sheelal said we should be heading into hyperdrive shortly, so we want to buckle in for the ride"

The two Masters nodded in unison as they headed towards their seats, the ship beginning to rock with anticipation. The young padawan buckled herself into the chair, hearing her Master's voice over the intercom, "Hope you're all buckled in, this ride is going to be a bit bumpy."

The ship jerked back for a second or two, the stars blurring together as the ship headed towards its destination.

Niche' had finally stopped running after going through thick jungle for several minutes. She was huddled by one of the trees as her body trembled from the shock—she couldn't believe the memory she unlocked about her past, the visions she saw weren't a dream after all. Why did she block them out in the first place? Why didn't Master Zenaku tell her sooner what had happened with her family? She leaned against the bark as the sadness began to take its toll. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a familiar mechanical voice, "Jedi?"

She glanced at him slightly before staring back onto the ground, "What do you want?"

He placed his hands on his hips with a sigh, "I just wanted to see if you were all right…"

She narrowed her gaze coldly at him, slowly getting to her feet with a slight growl, "Does it look like I'm okay? I just found out that Darth Maul killed my family when I was six and I couldn't do anything about it! AND YOU HAVE THE BALLS TO ASK ME IF I'M OKAY?!"

He recoiled slightly at her tone, but remained calm as he took a step towards her, "Yes, I do have that right to ask—you need someone besides a Jedi that will listen to you—no offense"

The young Jedi stepped towards him, tears blurring her vision as she retorted, "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I'VE GONE THROUGH! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LOSE YOUR FAMILY WHEN YOU'RE JUST A CHILD! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!"

He was about to reply but she quickly intervened, "I WASN'T STRONG ENOUGH TO STOP MAUL FROM KILLING MY FAMILY—HOW CAN I POSSIBLY BE STRONG ENOUGH TO STOP HIM NOW?! I'M NOTHING BUT A MUTT, A MONSTROSITY! I-"

The Hunter suddenly wrapped his arms around her shaking body, pulling her in close in a strong embrace. This notion took her completely by surprised as he spoke after a long pregnant pause, "You're too hard on yourself Niche', you're one of the strongest warriors I've seen in my lifetime—your father would be proud of what you've accomplished in your training. What's past is past, you just need to grief from time to time and look towards the present and future. Most importantly, you need to look inside yourself and discover what a talented woman you are"

She stared at him curiously as a tear or two rolled down her face, "Why are you telling me all this suddenly?"

He cupped her cheek in her hand, rubbing his thumb under her eye to catch a stray tear, "Maybe spending time with you may have changed me—you are one of a kind. When you need a shoulder to cry on, I'll be right here."

The young Jedi bit her bottom lip as she tried to speak, "C-c-can I cry on you now?"

He gave a silent nod in reply, pulling her in gently as her face nestled against his chest. Tears began to flow down her face, staining his coat and shirt as her body wracked with sobs. He pressed his head on top of hers as he began to rock her back and forth, "It's all right Niche', I'm here…"

Gently he pressed his lips on her forehead, breathing in the smell of her scent. The duo stayed in the same spot for what seemed like hours, as he continued to plant gentle butterfly kisses on her forehead and face as comfort.

Master Zenaku stared at the setting sun over the tree-tops, his mind lost in thought. He had begun to wonder if Niche' would ever return to her normal state of mind after what she discovered of her past—more importantly though, did she have the strength and power to defeat such a powerful Sith? He knew Darth Maul had much anger and hate inside him that he has kept flowing through his self-being for the past two-hundred years, but that didn't mean he wasn't infallible. The Na'vi Master suddenly felt a tug on his sleeve from Todos II as he spoke, "Excuse me sir, but I think my master and Niche' are coming this way"

His ears perked up slightly as he felt the young Jedi's presence, a sigh of relief escaping his lips, "So he was successful after all…"

The duo appeared from the thick vegetation, looks of calm and peace were written on their faces. He noted though that Bane had his arm wrapped around her shoulders in a somewhat protective manner. Niche' glanced up at the Na'vi as she replied softly, "I'm sorry about what happened earlier, I wasn't expecting that…"

He nodded in reply as he placed his hands in the pockets of his robe, "It's quite understandable young one; you've been through quite a bit not only during the years of your training, but the past few weeks have been a trial on you as well."

She tilted her head confused, "What do you mean?"

"It's quite obvious that you two have form a bond with each other, almost as strong when you bonded with Master Plo Koon—but in a different sort of way."

The duo lowered their gaze slightly as their faces turned a deep shade of red. The Duros breathed in deeply as he replied, "You could say that—I haven't felt this way in quite some time…"

Zenaku smirked slightly as he approached them, "Now the question is how do you two present yourself to the Council?"

The young warrior ran her hand through her hair nervously, "I'm not sure…"

He placed his hands on their shoulders in reassurance, "I'm certain they'll make an exception—they have changed quite a bit since Luke Skywalker brought the Order back years ago"

She smiled in reply as her hand reached for Bane's on her shoulder, "Thank you Master…"

The Na'vi opened his mouth to reply, until he felt a great disturbance heading right towards them. He quickly drew out his double-edged lightsaber, his lips curling into a snarl, "He's here…"

Niche' felt her blood run cold, but quickly masked it as she activated her weapon. Bane quickly drew out his blasters as he snarled in reply, "That Hutt-Slime will pay for backstabbing me!"

The young warrior opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the marching beat of droid soldiers. The robotic creatures appeared before them in not one—but two units, their weapons set to stun or kill once the word was given. They quickly surrounded the small group as the blasters were pointed straight towards them. Todos II trembled violently as he huddled behind the Na'vi Jedi, "I have a very bad feeling about this…"

"As well as you should droid…"

The group turned their gaze unto the Sith Lord, his eyes filled with nothingness as he pulled the weakened Ventress behind him. His yellow-red eyes fell upon the petite Jedi, his smile reaching ear to ear, "And so we meet again young one—how long has it been? About thirteen years or so?"

She bared her fangs at him as her grip tightened on her weapon, "You have some nerve to talk to me—I remembered now that you killed my family when I was just a child. I'm no longer that little girl you've frightened long ago…"

"That doesn't mean you can defeat me little mutt—I have much more experience on my belt then you have in your short life"

"I'm not afraid of you anymore"

He merely laughed as he pulled Ventress to his side roughly, his gaze settling upon Cad Bane next, "And you—don't think I've forgotten you Hunter. It seems that you've lost your edge since you met this Jedi pup"

The Duros gave him a cold stare as he sneered, "Don't think I haven't got what it takes to bring you down—you've messed with the wrong Bounty Hunter"

Maul merely smirked in reply as he advanced a few steps towards Niche' while dragging the weakened fighter with him, "I've come to make you an offer you can't refuse—Asajj Ventress was to be my assistance in searching for your lightsaber crystal; however she refused my offer and she is now my prisoner. I will release her if you agree to join me and complete my plan"

She gave a low growl as she swallowed her fear, "And if I don't?"

He quickly pulled out his lightsaber, the blade almost pressing against her bare neck, "Then she joins the rest of your fallen Jedi brethren in the Force"

Zenaku finally chimed into the conversation, "I didn't think you would stoop this low to get what you want—I'll make another bargain with you. You fight me instead—if I win, you release Ventress and surrender yourself to stand trial for your crimes"

He gave a cold laugh as Ventress glanced at the group desperately, "Do you honestly think I'll fight you? You can't match up to my skills"

The Na'vi glanced up at the sky for a moment, a smile appearing on his lips, "Maybe not, but he can"

The Sith raised a questionable brow at him, his mouth slightly gaped opened. He was about to retort when he felt someone kick him from behind, forcing him to release his hostage as he collapsed against the droids. He glanced up to see a familiar figure standing before him, his eyes wide with shock, "GRIEVOUS?!"

The Kaleesh Jedi carefully helped Ventress to her feet as he growled beneath his mask, "I no longer go by that name pup! It's Sheelal now!"

"Th-this is impossible!"

Plo Koon leapt from the tree tops, landing next to his comrade as Shaak Ti and Padme' followed close behind. The Kel Dor grasped his weapon tightly as he replied, "Nothing is impossible in the Force—I though you knew that"

Niche' smiled in relief when she saw her old Master before her; but her joy was short lived as Darth Maul cried out to the droids, "Kill them all! But leave the Vampiya to me!"

Blaster fires quickly descended upon the group, but the Jedi warriors were quick to act as they called upon the Force to shoot each other instead. Bane quickly noted the Sith Lord running towards the young Jedi with anger in his cry. Acting quickly he fired his blasters at him, striking his mid-torso, arms and legs in the hope of slowing him down.

Maul though didn't seem to be affected by the blaster bolts much—he raised his hand towards him as Sith Lightning began to run through his veins. Niche' saw what was about to occur as she ran towards the Duros at full force, "WATCH OUT!"

She shoved him out of the way of the attack, taking the full effect of the Sith attack that stopped her body cold. A cry of agonizing pain erupted from her throat as Bane watched in horror, "NO!"

Once the lightning had ceased she fell to the ground heavily, her body suddenly unmoving. Plo Koon felt his anger rise within him as he charged head on towards the Sith, "YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"

He was shoved back by Maul's Force Push, sending him colliding with Shaak Ti and Zenaku. Ventress and Sheelal were next to attack—despite that she was in a weakened state, she had enough strength to call upon the Force to assist her. But their efforts were in vain as he used the same maneuver to send them flying back into the vegetation of the jungle. Padme' made it past the destroyed droids as her small lightsaber plunged into his mechanical leg, a sharp pain that made him cry out in shock. He glared down at the small padawan as he grasped her by the throat, pulling her upward so they could see eye to eye, "Some Skywalker…you're nothing but an impudent pup!"

He threw her roughly aside, causing her to crash into Todos II. The Bounty Hunter rose as he began to fire his blasters onto the Sith warrior, his eyes filled with anger and determination. Maul merely chuckled as he used the Force to crush his blasters to nothing, leaving the Duros weaponless.

Or so he thought.

Bane withdrew his secret weapon, something he had been currently working on for the past few weeks. Beneath his coat revealed a beaten-up lightsaber from the Clone Wars, one he had found on the black market some time ago. He activated the weapon as it gave a low hum, readying himself to attack as the Sith retorted, "How is it possible that you have a lightsaber? You're not even a Jedi!"

He merely grinned in reply, "I have many talents sleemo…even if I don't know how to use the Force…"

He lunged forward head on, clashing the weapon with his. But the moment the two collided with each other, Maul easily Force Pushed him towards the empty house, rendering him unconscious for the time being.

The Sith Lord gazed at his surroundings, seeing the litter of bodies that were spread out before him. His gaze finally fell upon the unconscious Jedi he had been pursuing for years, a sick grin appearing on his face. He reached down as he scooped her into his arms, carrying her towards the ship that was hidden in the jungle. Niche' stirred slightly but quickly fell limp, not knowing what was going on. He merely smirked as he thought to himself, "Now everything is coming together—as well as it should be…"

Night had fallen on the battlefield, the warriors still unmoving from the earlier events. Cad Bane was the first to move, groaning as he sat up clutching his head, "Son of a Murglak…"

He glanced around him to see if Niche' was all right—but she was nowhere to be seen. He stood abruptly as he opened his mouth to speak, until he heard young Padme' give a slight whimper from behind him. He saw her lying on the ground next to Todos II who was nudging her shoulder, "Come on! Please wake up!"

The Duros knelt to the ground as he carefully helped her to sit up, her eyes fluttering open, "Are you all right girl?"

She gave a slight nod as he small hand touched her forehead, "I-I think so…"

"Good, we need to check on your other Jedi friends too"

The young padawan skidded to her knees to Sheelal and Ventress, both of who were barely rousing from unconsciousness, "Master? Are you hurt?"

He gave a slight shrug as he supported Ventress to sit up, "Nothing major padawan, just a few minor scratches"

Bane knelt by the other three Masters as they sat up from the attack. Plo Koon gazed at the Duros as concerned filled his voice, "Where is Niche'? Is she all right?"

The Hunter lowered his gaze sadly in reply, "Maul must have taken her while we were out…"

His teeth gritted together beneath his mask, standing abruptly as he tucked his weapon to his side, "Then we have to track them down now!"

Bane tilted his hat slightly as he replied coolly, "That shouldn't be any problem…"

The Kel Dor glared at him beneath his goggles as he retorted coldly, "I suppose you have a solution to our current situation?!"

"As a matter of fact I do…"

He pulled out a holo projector as the Jedi gathered round him, showing the image of Mustafar before their eyes, "When we first met on Rishi, I was able to plant a tracking device onto him, one that even Sith or Jedi can detect because it was made from Yuuzhan-Vong technology. But we need to leave immediately if we want him to stop him"

Ventress stood upright with support from the Kaleesh Jedi, "I-I know what he plans to do with her…"

Zenaku glanced at her slightly as he replied, "You mean about using the crystal for his own use?"

"That—but the weapon you wonder about is one that Darth Vader used years ago…the Death Star; and he plans to use not only her crystal, but her as well for his own personal use, a way to extend his life even more…"

Bane's lip curled in disgust—the mere thought of Maul forcing Niche' as his own personal slave made his stomach lurch. Shaak Ti finally spoke as she turned her attention towards the Na'vi, "Do you have a ship close by that we can take?"

He merely smirked, "Truth be told, I have the original Millennium Falcon in peak condition, along with an upgraded Astro-Droid and the new state of the art hyperdrive. It's just a few meters away from here being guarded by my former Tusken Raider padawan Niamo Sharad. He's quite the pilot—"

Bane waved his hand to silence him as he replied, "Then we best head on our way—we'll also need to contact someone on Coruscant to send fighters to blow up that ship"

Padme' beamed at his words, "We can contact my dad! He can recruit the best star fighters around!"

Sheelal patted the top of her head, smiling beneath his mask, "We'll do so once we reach the ship—so we best start moving"

The group nodded in unison as they followed the Na'vi Master through the thick forest. Plo Koon walked besides the Duros, staring at him curiously as he asked, "So, you truly care about Niche'?"

His red eyes stared into his goggles in reply, "You could say that…"

"Let me rephrase the question—do you love her?"

The question threw the Hunter off by surprise, he wasn't expecting him to ask such a thing. He ran his hand on the back of his neck as he finally replied, "I would give my own life to protect her"

The Kel Dor stared at him surprised for a moment or two, but calm emitted on his face as he spoke, "You have changed since the Clone Wars—I'm impressed"

"Impressed that I haven't killed any Jedi, or impressed that Niche' loves someone other than a Jedi?"

He chuckled softly, "A bit of both actually. I do also wish to offer my apologies for my tone towards you back there, I had no right to be cold to you"

The Duros smirked slightly at his words, "I take it you're the Master she mentioned to me some time earlier—I can see where she gets her wisdom from"

Plo Koon smiled beneath his mask as he gave him a hearty clap on his back, "When this is all settled, I will talk to the council on letting you join us"

Bane stared at him in shock, his mouth slightly gaped open, "Why? I'm not even a Jedi…"

"We do have some allies that our part of our Temple that are not Force Sensitive, but they serve a great purpose to us. I believe you can serve a great deal to us…"

He shrugged slightly in reply, "I'll have to think about it—after we get Niche' back and cut down that Sith slime"

Zenaku finally called out to the group, "We're here!"

The group stared in amazement at the Millennium Falcon in all its glory—it was if time itself has stood still as the ship stood before them. Padme' placed her small hand on the cold metal, a smile appearing on her lips, "Amazing…"

The Na'vi tapped on the door as he called out, "Niamo! We need you to let us in!"

The intercom replied in a crackling voice, "There are more people outside?"

"Yes, we don't have much time so open the hatch!"

"All right! Don't get your lightsaber in a knot!"

The hatch door opened to reveal the Tusken Jedi leaning against the door—what surprised some of the veteran Jedi was that he almost had the same appearance as their former comrade A'Sharad Hett. Of course his vocabular gave him the Raider's accent as he spoke, "Well, this is it Master?"

"Of course"

He gazed at the group for a moment or two as he replied, "All right, come on in boys and girls"

Zenaku rolled his eyes in annoyance as he replied to the group, "His manners still need some work I'm afraid…"

He noticed suddenly that Sheelal was guiding Ventress unto the ship, almost in a tender sort of way; This caused him to wonder if the two of them had a different kind of bond. Padme' scooted next to Niamo with a grin, "How often do you fly this?"

He gave a slight shrug in reply, "Quite a few times—you an expert in flying?"

"Flew my dad's starfighter once or twice—even though I didn't ask him…"

He chuckled in reply, "I'll have to show you a few of my tricks once this is all over"

"Deal!"

He turned his head over his shoulder to make sure everyone was fastened in, "Everyone ready?"

The group nodded in unison as the ancient engines echoed throughout the hulls of the ship, "Hold on tight boys and girls—it's gonna be a bumpy ride!"

The ship gave a slight jerk once he pulled the handle, groaning slightly as it hovered above the ground. Seconds later it jolted straight towards the sky, but left quite a crater in the area. The Tusken Raider began to calibrate the coordinates to Mustafar as Shaak Ti finally spoke, "We best contact Cade at the Temple, let him know what's going on so he can gather some of our best pilots for action."

Ventress slowly raised her hand in reply, "I also have the coordinates to where the Death Star is located, I can transfer them to him in seconds through the computer system."

She gave a nod in response as she began to activate the holo-com link, "Let's just pray we're not too late…"

Kit Fisto was walking past through the infirmary, eyeing the conscious Kybona as he sat up in bed. He had finally regained most of his senses, but he was still in no condition to fight anytime soon. His thoughts often wander about his comrade after what occurred on Rishi—even though there wasn't much he could do at the current time. Kit began to enter the room when he heard a loud crash from the other side of the hallway, making him jump slightly. He heard the echo of two voices coming his way, causing the Master to moan in reply, "This doesn't look good…"

Cade skidded down the hallway as he ducked from an oncoming droid head, missing his face by mere inches. His hands were raised defensively as he backed up slowly towards the infirmary, "Delilah, honey, I know you're angry with me—"

BAM.

He was struck by a broken blaster squarely on his jaw, causing him to topple backwards into Kit. Delilah came storming towards him with clenched teeth and a stun blaster in her fist, "I'm not angry, I'm FURIOUS!"

He was about to retort when the Master stood between them, "Easy you two! This is an infirmary area, not a gladiator ring!"

She glared coldly at him in reply as she shook the blaster two inches from his face, "I COULD CARE LESS WHERE WE ARE! THIS POMPOUS NERF HERDER LET OUR DAUGHTER GO FIGHT A SITH! A SITH OF ALL THINGS!!"

Cade quickly intervened into the conversation, "Actually, she's with three other Jedi Masters, so she's not a—"

"SHUT IT! I OUGHT TO CASTRATE YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID!"

Kit quickly backed away into the infirmary, "I see this is not a fight I cannot win…"

Before the couple could reply, Lyra ran down the corridor with the holo-comlink in her hand, "Master Skywalker! Master Fisto! We have an incoming message from Shaak Ti!"

The two Jedi glanced at each other briefly before Delilah snatched the gadget from her hand, "Ti? Is that you?"

The holo image of the Master flickered for a brief moment before she replied, "It is, and we have a few more passengers as well. You remember Master Zenaku and his padawan Niamo Sharad?"

The two Jedi waved at the trio, with Padme' waving excitedly along with them, "Hi Dad, hi Mom!"

Cade smirked in reply, but his wife gave him the death glare in reply before she spoke to their daughter, "Are you all right honey?"

"I'm fine! No worries!"

"That's what I'm afraid of…"

Shaak Ti cleared her throat loudly as she continued, "We also have Ventress on board—she's recovering quickly from her time on Mustafar with Maul, and she has vital information that you need to know"

He grasped the comlink as he asked quickly, "And what about Bane?"

The Duros stood in front of the Jedi as he replied, "Right here Skywalker…"

Cade glared at the image, readying himself to retort to the Hunter. But he was cut short when Bane continued, "Before you start bantering me, Niche' and I have grown quite fond of each other the past few weeks…"

His eyes went wide in shock, almost feeling the vomit rise into his throat, "Uh—wasn't expecting that…"

The Hunter tipped his hat slightly as he continued, "Anyhow, Ventress has coordinates for you concerning Maul's newest weapon—or to put is bluntly, a weapon from the past."

The trio stared at him confused as the data was compiled in a separate holo-projector. Kit activated the gadget as it revealed the domed weapon that nearly froze Cade's blood, "By the Force…that's the Death Star!"

Skywallker glanced back to the image as he asked, "How did he rebuild this?!"

"Does it matter? You need to gather your best pilots and blow that thing to kingdom come!"

He bit his lower lip as he glanced at the trio, letting out a heavy sigh, "Kit, contact our best pilots pronto—Lyra, have all the star fighters set on autopilot to the Outer Rim, that's where the Death Star is. Delilah hun, get R2-D2 prepped for take off"

The group quickly departed, leaving Cade alone as he continued, "I'm guessing you guys are heading to Mustafar?"

Plo Koon finally spoke from the back, "We are. Maul is planning to use Niche' as his personal slave in order to extend his life…"

He cringed at his words when he heard a familiar female voice behind him, "Do you mind if I help lead the flight crew?"

His head swiveled over his shoulder to see Ahsoka Tano standing behind him. She had aged quite a bit since she was awoken from the stasis pods with the others, maturing into a powerful young woman and even more powerful Jedi. She strolled towards Cade as she continued, "You and I can partner up so we can pin-point the weakness in the system, kind of like what your great-grandfather did back in the day"

He couldn't help but smirk in reply, "Sure thing Snips, I'll meet you on the landing port in a few."

She gave a quick nod before running off the opposite direction. Cade turned his attention back to the group as he concluded, "Make sure you take Maul down quick and fast—he's been prepping himself for this day and he's not to be underestimated. I'll make sure our crew takes out the weapon in no time. May the Force be with you all."

The group muttered in reply the same response, the holo-comlink finally tuning out. He stood in full height as he ran his hand through his hair, letting out a heavy sigh until Syn spoke up from behind, "So, are we talking about a small fight, or a big fight?"

He glanced over his shoulder to see his comrade slightly smirking from ear to ear, his weapon held tightly in his grip. Cade nodded slightly as he replied, 'You could say it's pretty big. I actually need you to monitor the crew from here—that okay with you?"

He shrugged slightly as he clapped his shoulder, "You know I do anything for you man, no worries"

He exited down the corridors as Skywalker stood alone, gazing at the holo-portraits of his ancestors past, "Well, hope you guys give me a hand in this, I gonna need it…"

Niche' slumped against the wall heavily, her hands and legs electronically chained against the concreted. She had finally awoken from her deep slumber, only to discover she was staring across a lava pit while droids and Mustafarians were running amuck. It suddenly occurred to her that her lightsaber wasn't on her belt, but on an examination table being taken apart by Bankers. She gave a low growl as she shouted, "Get your grubby hands off my lightsaber!"

One of the Bankers turned his head slightly, only to grunt in reply as he continued his work. When she jerked at the chains, a large shockwave rampaged her body, letting out a cry of pain as he head slumped forward. A cold chuckle was heard behind her as Darth Maul sauntered in front of her, "Did you sleep well my dear?"

The young Jedi bared her fangs in reply, "I had better…"

He cupped her chin roughly, turning her head slightly as he examined her from top to bottom, "It's a shame your parents had to die a cruel death—they would still be alive if they actually did what I requested of them"

She jerked her head slightly from his grasped, "Why don't you just kill me and get it over with?"

The Sith Lord grinned coldly as paced back and forth in front of her, "I have no reason to kill you, not when you can be of use to me"

"What are you—"

Her eyes went wide with realization, causing her to let out a shrill shriek, "YOU TWISTED BASTARD!"

He merely smiled as he stood a foot from her face, "You catch on quick, I like that in an apprentice"

"I wouldn't extend your life even if you paid me! And I'll never be your apprentice!"

His hand stroked her cheekbone lightly, sending chills down her spine, "Such a beautiful creature, hidden from the world for so long. I can see why Cad Bane had fallen for you…"

His lips suddenly made contact with hers, a cry of disgust erupted in her throat. The kiss itself was rough and coarse as he quickly parted from her face. The petite warrior growled as she spat onto his face, the saliva sliding down his skin. He sneered at the response as he turned his attention towards the table, "Have you found the crystal yet?"

One the Bankers grinned from ear to ear as he lifted the fire-colored crystal into the air, "We've found it sir!"

Maul nodded in approval as he examined the object carefully, turning his gaze to the young Jedi, "Soon young one, you will see the eradication of your Order and the Republic—soon the galaxy will be ruled by the Sith once again"

He approached the computer which had a special casing for the crystal, placing it in as the equipment began to scan the object carefully. He glanced at the droids as he motioned them to turn off the electronic chains, allowing Niche' to fall heavily to the ground. The droids lifted her up from the ground, dragging her over to the computer as the Sith Lord grasped the back of her neck tightly, "Now, go ahead and activate the crystal…"

She glared at him coldly, the whites of her eyes slowly turning black, "No…"

He furrowed his brows in frustration as he backhanded her hard, a trickle of blood dripping down her lip, "Activate the crystal, NOW."

A deep growl erupted from her throat, "I said no…"

He snarled as he lifted his hand to strike her again, until one of the Bankers skidded in covered in sweat, "Sir! We have a situation!"

He rolled his eyes in annoyance as he retorted, "What is it now? Did one of the droids accidentally shoot one of your own again?"

"Worse! We have Jedi and the Bounty Hunter on the landing dock!"

His eyes doubled in size as he activated one of the cameras, his blood running cold when he saw the warriors on the screen, "THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! HOW COULD THEY TRACK ME?!"

Images of the Jedi taking down the droids in seconds sent a shiver of fear throughout the lair. He turned his attention towards the battle droids as he spouted, "Get out there and wipe them out! I don't want any one of them left alive!"

"Roger, Roger"

The echoing sounds of the metallic footprints grew loud, then faded as they left the lair. Little did he realize that the Bankers and fled the scene, allowing the young Jedi to her own devices. With a quick flick of her hand her lightsaber was quickly reassembled, pulling towards her silently as Maul began to give orders over his comlink to the droids and the Mustafarians. While he was still distracted she used the Force to crush the container that contained the main source of power for her weapon, shards of glass and metal flying to the ground as she quickly placed the crystal inside. Maul's head suddenly shot up when he felt the disturbance, a snarl escaping his lips as he activated his own weapon to strike her down—but not before her weapon clashed with his. He growled at her coldly as he began to over power her, "Such foolishness from a young warrior—you have no chance!"

His face suddenly contorted into confusion when he saw the whites of her eyes were suddenly black, sending a chill down his spine as she began to repel his back. She bared her fangs as she replied coldly, "How does it feel to be the victim on the other side of the blade?"

He grimaced at her words, but quickly regained his stature as he threw off his cloak, "We'll see how confidant you are once I run you through"

A cold smile appeared on her lips as she got into her fighting stance, "Not if I slice you like Kenobi did…"

The two warriors ran straight towards each other, weapons held high in the air as their battle had only begun

Cade and Ahsoka were leading the charge towards the Death Star, along with fifteen other Jedi pilots close behind them. Many thoughts went through his head as the crew edged closer to the weapon, feeling a great disturbance in the Force that made his stomach lurch. His co-pilot stared wide-eyed at the colossal machine, her heart sinking into the pit of her stomach, "Holy Hutt…"

It seemed that the weapon was near completion—and judging by the skittering droids it was nearly fully operational. He clenched his teeth tightly as he broke the uncomfortable silence, "R2, can you calculate where the weak point it?"

The small droid beeped and chattered as the data was transferred onto his screen, a pang of hope sparking in his chest, "One thing all Sith have in common, they have the tendency to repeat history…"

Ahsoka glanced at him from the cockpit confused, "Meaning what?"

"Meaning that they didn't calculate how heavily guarded the port should be—it's about the size of a Womp Rat—I can make the shot but I'll need heavy duty cover"

"Hey Skyguy—in case you've forgotten, we don't have enough Jedi to cover you, and we're completely outnumbered by droids"

He cursed under his breath, letting out a heavy sigh as he glanced briefly at his co-pilot, "You got a plan then?"

She gave a cocky smirk as she straightened in her seat, "You could say that…"

Silence hung in the air for a moment or two, causing Cade to become a bit irritated, "I'm waiting!"

She let out a short chuckle in reply, "I made contact with a few Kamino Cloners that were still available, and they still had Jango Fett's DNA to make new and improved Clone Troopers—ones loyal to the Jedi and Republic, no Sith involvement whatsoever."

He raised a questionable brow at her, "Why did you do that in the first place?"

The Jedi shrugged her shoulders slightly as she replied, "During the Clone Wars, I could tell that some of the Troopers, like Captain Rex, never followed through with Order 66—that is one of the many reasons some of us survived. And those few thought independently about how they felt about us as not just leaders, but as comrades"

Before he could reply, a cackled radio contact reached their ears, "Captain Rex 2.0 reporting for duty sir"

Ahsoka grinned as she replied to the Trooper, "Good to hear your voice Captain, how many units do we have with us?"

"About five units ma'am"

"All right then, I'll let Cade give the orders here"

Skywalker glanced at her briefly with pursed lips before replying, "I gotta say, I'm pretty impress…"

"I knew you would be"

He grinned for a moment as he spoke into his headpiece to the Captain, "All right Rexy, tell two of the units to attack the east side of the weapon, while the other two attack the west side. You and the rest of your buddies follow me to where the weak point is of the weapon. Finally, make sure you keep your men and the rest of the Jedi alive"

"Can do sir, Captain Rex out"

He breathed in heavily as R2 beeped and whooped in reply, "Don't get your circuits in a bunch; we'll be fine, I can feel it"

His co-pilot gazed at him curiously, "Where did all this confidence come from?"

He smirked in reply, "Let's just say I have a good feeling about this…"

She smirked in returned as she spoke to the other Jedi and Troopers, "All right people, we've got our mission—may the Force be with us all…"

The droids were relentless in their attack, shooting each blast bold towards the ship and the crew aboard it. Todos II began to scramble frantically around the ship in a panic, "WE'RE GONNA DIE! WE'RE GONNA DIE! WE'RE GOING TO UTTERLY DIE!!"

Bane gave a low growl as he grabbed the droid by the head, slamming him against the floor, "Will you shut up!"

Plo Koon activated his weapon as he turned his attention towards the group, "We need to move, now!"

All of the nodded in unison, each one activating their weapons without hesitation. Sheelal however raised his hand towards his padawan, "Not you Padme', you stay on the ship with Todos"

Her eyes widen in surprise at his words, "But Master, I can fight besides you, I know I can!"

"This is not a battle you can help with—you could easily be killed"

"But—"

Bane quickly intervened into the conversation, "We can't afford to have her stay on the ship—we need all the help we can get out there! Just make sure she stays close to you at all times"

The Kaleesh gave a low growl in warning, but Plo quickly replied, "I have to agree with him on this—we're taking heavy fire by just staying in here!"

Niamo grinned under his mask in as he spoke to Todos, "Hey droid! Access the ship's shield drive a sap!"

The small droid nodded vigorously as he entered into the main system, activating shields to repel the fire power. Zenaku couldn't help but chuckle, "You never cease to amaze me…"

The Hunter smirked in reply, "So let's get out there and take down some droids!"

The doors flashed opened, revealing the droid units preparing for another assault. Shaak Ti quickly Force Pushed a large number of the robots towards the lava, causing one of them to reply nervously, "I think we have a problem…"

"Roger, Roger"

The group of Jedi rushed towards the mechanical soldiers, slashing them down as quickly as they fired their blasters. Ventress quickly spotted two spared blasters on the ground from one of the fallen droids, using the Force to send them over to the Hunter, "Bane!"

He quickly caught the weapons in mid-air, a grin appearing on his face, "Now this is more of my style"

Without hesitation he began to shoot down the robots right and left without breaking a sweat, leaving Padme' in awe as she stood close to her Master, "Whoa…"

The Kel Dor suddenly felt two familiar presences above him, his heart leaping into his throat when he saw the two forms battling above the lava pit, "NICHE'!"

Bane turned his gaze where the Jedi Master was staring, his mouth opened agape when he saw the erratic sword movement the young Jedi was displaying. The Kel Dor Master clenched his weapon tightly as he spoke in a nervous tone, "This is what I was afraid of…"

The Hunter stared at him confused, his voice filled with irritation, "What are you babbling about?"

"The white of her eyes are no longer white, but black"

"How can you tell from down here?!"

He turned his goggled eyes towards the Duros as he continued, "I can sense it—but that's besides the point; blackness in a Vampiya's eyes means that they are border lining the Dark Side, tapping into the core of their deepest power. If she doesn't work her way out of this state, she will succumb to the Sith…"

Bane gritted his teeth as he clenched the blasters tightly in his hands—he knew he had to think of something fast before it would be too late. He glanced at the Kel Dor as he replied, "Get ready for a ride Jedi…"

"What are you implying—"

He suddenly felt the Duro's arms around his waist, his eyes widening behind his goggles, "What the—"

Bane quickly activated his rocket boots as they jetted up towards the site of the battle, hoping in the back of his mind that they could turn the tide

Enemy star fighters were sending waves of blaster bolts towards the Jedi and Troopers, but they weren't succeeding in taking them down. Cade had specially chosen his top fifteen pilots since he trained them personally for this type of combat, while the Clones were secretly trained by Ahsoka on Kamino by using old Clone Wars techniques. Each one of them were taking down the enemy fighter one by one flawlessly, but they knew the real test was up ahead at the Death Star. He suddenly heard Synn cackle through this head set, "Hey Cade! We got a problem!"

"What is it?"

"Seems they've added a few Pulse Cannons on there to repel your star fighters!"

He cursed under his breath before contacting Captain Rex, "Listen up—we've got a few Pulse Cannons on that battle station, make sure you keep out of their firing range"

"Copy that sir"

He suddenly saw the hatches of the ship open, the cannons surfacing quickly. His co-pilot's eyes went wide with terror as she quickly contacted the other ships, "All units prepare for evasive actions!"

The cannons were suddenly activated, the pulse wave taking out the first fifty fighters in mere seconds. Cade grimaced at the site, but immediately regained his composure as he spoke to Ahsoka, "Hold on tight Snips, we're going in!"

"Are you crazy?! What about those Pulse Cannons?!"

"We need to let the Clones do their jobs, and we have to do ours!"

"Cade—"

The comlink cackled to life as Captain Rex intervened into the conversation, "He's right ma'am; we'll try to cover you from the rear here—just focus on the mission."

She gave a heavy sigh, glancing back towards Skywalker, "All right Skyguy, let's do this…"

He gave the ship a jerk as he propelled forward to the weapon of destruction, allowing the will of the Force to guide him.

The two warriors kept deflecting each other's attack, neither one of them showing any signs of backing down. Darth Maul could sense the Dark Side slowly consuming her from the inside out, but was baffled the amount of strength she possessed with each stroke and clash. The petite warrior didn't show any retaliation as she sliced his weapon in half, a cold smile appearing on her lips. He snarled as he attacked head on, pinpointing his anger and hate towards the Vampiya mix. Her fury began to build as she used the Force Push on him, sending him flying straight through the metal peer. Numerous cuts and gashes decorated his body, but it didn't seem to slow him down. He ran at full speed as his weapon clashed with hers, the blades sparking and humming at the touch. Niche' growled as she kicked his gut, causing him to double over as her blade sliced the tips of his horns. His metallic leg slammed against her knee, causing her to snarl in anger as her blade pierced through his shoulder blade. He cried out in pain but quickly replied with his saber slicing on her cheek. A low growl ruptured in her throat as her hand grasped his throat, using the Force to squeeze out what life he had left in him. Her eyes were cold and hard as he struggled in her grip, almost bringing a smile to her lips. The moment was short lived when blaster bolts separated the two, causing the Jedi to snarl, "WHO WOULD DARE—"

"I would"

She glanced up to see her former Master and the Hunter to land between them, firing three more shots at Maul's arm thus rendering it useless. Plo Koon quickly retrained the Sith Lord, his arms pinned behind his back while his weapon rolled towards Bane's foot. Niche' gave a snarl as she raised her voice towards the Duros, "What are you doing?! I had everything under control!"

He grasped her shoulder tightly as he retorted, "Your Master told me what was happening to you—you're losing yourself to the Dark Side!"

She jerked her shoulder back roughly in reply, "You don't know what you're talking about! I'm perfectly fine!"

"If you were, then you wouldn't be feeling such joy in taking his life!"

"What are you talking about?!"

"Must I repeat myself?!"

He reached into his pocket as he pulled out a small mirror—which he only uses for "special" missions—shoving it towards her face with a snarl, "Just look at yourself!"

Her face fell as her fingertips stroked the edge of the glass, her hand trembling violently as her lightsaber dropped to the ground, "N-no…I—"

Her eyes were beginning to return to normal, the mirror crashing at her feet as tears misted over her eyes, "What have I done?!"

Her Master intervened as he kept his grip on the struggling Sith, "Part of it is because of your heritage, that is something you cannot change. But also because you witnessed something tragic as a child, a memory you've kept it locked it up for many years. The point is you can control it, you just need to dig deeper into the Force…"

She shook her head vigorously, her hands clenched into tight fist as they shook violently, "I might as well become a Sith! I've brought nothing but pain and agony to those close to me!"

Maul gave a cold smirk in reply, "Yes young one, lose yourself to the Dark Side, it's your des—"

CRACK.

Bane had cracked the Siths' jaw hard his fist, his lips curling with disgust, "You have no say in the matter…"

He turned his attention back towards the young warrior as he continued, "The Jedi's right you know, you can control the darkness within you—you just need to focus"

She was about to reply when the Sith Lord elbowed the Kel Dor hard in the torso with his good arm, pinning him to the ground with his metallic foot, his weapon pointed at his mask with a snarl, "You're too late anyhow! The Death Star is already operational—and as we speak, you're comrades will be destroyed!"

The star fighters were dodging the Pulse Cannons right and left, but various ships were caught in the blasts. Cade though was fully focused on getting to the weak point of the ship, listening to the voices of his ancestors as they guided him through the Force. R2-D2 beeped with panic as stray blaster bolts knicked the fighter and his dome, causing concern to rise within Ahsoka, "This doesn't look good—Rex and his crew are having a bit of trouble back there"

"And what do you want me to do about it?"

"Maybe I can deport and give him hand"

"He's fine Snips, trust me…"

She pursed her lips into a thin line, frustration building up within her as she continued to ward off the droid fighters. A crackle on the com link got her attention as it spoke, "This is Captain Rex—the crew is taking heavy damage from those Pulse Cannons—I don't know how much longer we can fight them off!"

Ahsoka glanced a worried look towards Cade, "Skyguy…"

He sighed heavily, his eyes never leaving the target. He glanced briefly at his co-pilot as he replied, "All right fine—make sure you stay close to Rex; I can handle the rest just fine"

She grinned in reply as she contacted her comrade through the comlink, "Hold on Captain, I'll be right there!"

"Roger that ma'am"

With the push of the button, her pod ejected from the starfighter and jettison to the location of the Clones. Cade could only smirk slightly as he suddenly heard Luke Skywalker's voice loud and clear, "Just let your mind clear itself of all distraction, let the Force guide you"

He smirked in reply as he turned off his navigational system, "I think I got it gramps…"

He could feel his ancestor smirking at him in reply as he fired the blasts into the port hole, sparks and metal flying outward towards him. He tapped into his comlink as he communicated with the other starfighters, "All right everyone, let's blow this pop stand and get out of here!"

Unfortunately though an enormous droid ship blocked his only way out, the weapons surfacing from the cockpit, "R-2, get those shields up now!"

The shields were immediately activated, but one of the blast nearly nicked the Astro-Droid's dome clean off. He pushed one of the controls to get the guns out, but the signal was jammed. His heart began to sink fast when a second droid ship landed in back of him. Lips pursed into a thin line, he glanced at the two ships as he tried to decipher what his next move would be. His thoughts were interrupted when he spotted Lyra's star fighter blasting down one of the droid ships, "Hold on Cade! I'm coming!"

The second ship went after her in the open space, allowing Cade to quickly fix the controls to his weaponry. With a smirk he replied to his foe, "Suck laser!"

With only two shots the ship was obliterated, leaving only a few metal bits floating before him. His moment was short-lived when the other droid ship was aiming straight towards him—until Lyra slammed into the other ship head on. The ship only teetered from the Jedi as she spoke, "You get out of here! I'll hold it off!"

He glanced at the sparking port hole as flames began to erupt, a look of worry spread across his face, "I'm not leaving you Lyra! You'll be killed!"

A sad smile appeared on her face as she replied softly in the comlink, "I'm dead anyway Master—that head on collision has damaged the hyperdrive and guns beyond repair; and the fuel lines are leaking fast. This is my last stand here, the least I can do is help you escape…"

Cade bit his bottom lip, tears brimming in the corners of his eyes as he gave a slight nod, "You won't be forgotten Lyra, I'll make sure of that…"

A single tear ran down her cheek as she continued to smile, "Thank you…may the Force be with you…always…"

"And you too…"

With a determine look on her face, she jettison her star fighter towards the droid ship as Cade flew quickly into the openness of space. She sneered at the ship as she replied, "Okay you piece of hardware, let's end this!"

The two ships suddenly collided, releasing an enormous explosion. The few sparks and flames from the ships helped enlarged the fire on the Death Star. With each explosion pieces of the weapon dissipated in seconds. Both Clones and Jedi stared at the site, letting out cheers and whoops in celebration. Ahsoka tapped into Cade's comlink as she spoke, "We did it Skyguy!"

He lowered his gaze sadly into his lap, "But not without sacrifice—we've lost some great Clone Troopers today, and Lyra along with it…"

Her heart began to ache at his words, "I'm so sorry…"

"Never mind that now—we need to get back to Coruscant and see if we heard anything form Plo and the others; and pray that they've succeeded in their mission…"

Sheelal and the others fought of the droids relentlessly, but their strength was waning quickly. He had noticed that Ventress had fallen to her knees from exhaustion while a droid soldier was about to blast her head off. With a snarl he leapt in front of her, slicing the head clean off with ease. She glanced up at him surprised, a hint of blush on her cheekbones, "Thank you…"

He nodded as he helped her to stand, seeing for the first time Padme' and Niamo fighting side by side in complete unison. It was if they were reading each other's move as the robotic creatures were taken down in twos and threes. He was surprised though to see Zenaku speed past the droids in large groups—taking them down with one slice of his lightsaber. The Na'vi quickly glanced up to see Maul towering over Plo Koon, his weapon nearly at his throat. He gave a growl as he turned to the others, "We best end this quickly! It seems Maul has the upper hand!"

A glint of mischievous planning appeared in Padme's eyes, deactivated her lightsaber as she knelt to the ground with her eyes closed. Todos II stared in shock as he turned frantically towards the Kaleesh Jedi, "WHAT IS SHE DOING?!"

His reptilian eyes gazed at her curiously, until the realization hit him as he turned towards his Jedi brethren, "Follow her lead…"

All of them knelt besides her, the droids staring at them confused. One of the droids spoke to break the silence, "Uh—does anyone know what they're doing?"

Before either one of them could reply, enormous pile of debris rose above them, casting a menacing shadow over the robots, "Uh oh…"

"Roger, Roger…"

In one fell swoop the metal debris crushed them in seconds. Todos II stared in shock—and in terror as he waddled back into the ship. Padme' opened her eyes as she quickly replied, "We have to hurry and help the others—something terrible is about to occur"

Zenaku glanced over his shoulder to see an elevator in working order, "This way, come on!"

Darth Maul stared below with anger and frustration in his eyes, the weapon in his hand trembling slightly, "Don't Jedi ever die?!"

Niche' merely chuckled in reply, causing Maul to turn his gaze towards her, "You don't get it do you? Good is stronger then evil, that's why the Sith has always failed…"

He let out a snarl as he raised his weapon to slice off Plo Koon's mask—but not before Cad Bane shot hand thus releasing the weapon. The Kel Dor kicked his mechanical leg, rolling over him as he grabbed his weapon and stood besides his former padawan and the Hunter. The Sith though was quick with his hands—using the Force he lifted the Kel Dor into the air and slammed him into a pier, rendering him unconscious. The young Jedi felt her anger rise in her as she activated her lightsaber, "Let's end this Maul, just you and me…"

"Not quite that easy my dear…"

He leapt over the Jedi as he twisted the Duros arm onto his back, summoning his lightsaber as he pointed it at his bare throat. Niche' felt her heart stop for a moment or two, her hands trembling violently, "Let him go! He's got nothing to do with this!"

The Sith only smirked coldly in reply, "On the contrary, I know now he's your weakness. I'll make you a wager mutt—join me and become my apprentice, and Bane goes free. If not, he dies along with the rest of your comrades here. I suggest you choose wisely…"

The Hunter struggled in his grasp, but relaxed quickly as he settled his gaze onto the young warrior, "Listen to me Niche'—I've lived a long life, my time is over. Just take me out with this sleemo, I want you to be able to see other planets and galaxies and all the other wonders out there. So don't worry about me….I've already accepted my death…"

She bit her bottom lip at his words, not wanting to kill him on the spot. Her thoughts and feelings were now torn in between about the situation, but she knew she had to choose. A soft voice suddenly spoke in her ear, "Niche'…"

"F-father?"

She closed her eyes for a moment, allowing herself to see her father's spirit stand before her. He stood before her with a determine look on his face, her heart overfilled with joy, "I can't believe it…"

"Believe it daughter—nothing is impossible. And there is a way you can save him, but you might be killed in the process"

"I don't care, as long as the sleemo Sith is taken down"

A sad smile appeared on his lips in reply, "There is a technique you can use with the combination of Form Seven and Force Push—it is a risky move since Bane is in the way…"

"I'll do what I must to save him…"

He gave a heavy sigh as his image began to fade, "I'll trust your judgment daughter, never forget that I love you…"

Her eyes flashed opened, her gaze falling upon the confused Sith. The Hunter narrowed his gaze in suspicion as she slightly lowered her weapon. With a flick of her wrist she used the Force Push to get Bane out of harm's way, nearly knocking Maul off his feet. Within seconds she issued form seven onto him, her weapon clashing with his. She seemed to have the upper hand in the situation as she forced him to his knees, a look of terror appearing on his face. With one swift motion she sliced off one of his arms, causing him to double over in pain. Her weapon was pointed right on his forehead as the Duros watched from the sidelines where Plo was beginning to come through. The Sith growled as sweat began to bead on his forehead, "What are you waiting for? Get on with it…"

She clenched her teeth tightly as she kept a tight grip on her weapon, seeing the empty pity in his eyes. The young warrior suddenly deactivated her weapon, sheathing it onto her belt as she replied coldly, "I'm not like you—I'm going to let you live, but in pain and sorrow for the rest of your days on this desolated planet for the rest of your days…"

Niche' turned on her heal as she began to walk towards her former Master and the Hunter, a look of calm emitting from her face. Bane smiled at her for a brief moment, but it quickly changed to a look of horror, "BEHIND YOU!"

His words came too late.

The crimson blade pierced through her chest, pain searing throughout her entire body. Her eyes were filled with shock as a trickle of blood escaped her lips. Maul sneered from behind as he pulled the weapon out of her chest, allowing her to collapse to the ground, "Don't think I was going to let you get away that easily mutt…"

She began to gasp for breath as she clutched her bleeding chest, propping herself with one arm as she choked out, "Y-y-you've forgotten o-o-one thing though…"

"And what would that be?"

A sudden pain flashed in his lower torso, his face contorted with shock and pain. He glanced down to see Niche's lightsaber run clean through his body, her eyes filled with a hint of blackness, "I don't fall that easily…"

She roughly pulled out her weapon as he staggered near the edge, but he had enough strength to raise his weapon above the wounded Knight—until he heard the Hunter reply coldly, "Pay up sleemo…"

With one clean shot the bolt blaster went through his head, causing the Sith to plummet into the lava pit below. Niche' spotted from her blurry vision the rest of her comrades exiting the elevator, until she could no longer hear the blurred voices surrounding her as she laid on the ground.

Then complete darkness.

Strange beeping noises echoed in her ears, a strange mechanical voice seem to speak to her, "Can you hear me miss? Miss?"

Niche' slowly opened her eyes, only seeing blurred figures at first. Seconds later everything around her became crystal clear. Her weary gaze fell upon the teal-green Medical Droid as he checked the IV tube on her arm, "You've finally awoken, that's good"

She sucked in a sharp breath, her hand weakly feeling the bacta bandages on her chest where Maul had pierced her. The young warrior suddenly realized that she was in the infirmary back at the Temple, covered in bandages while hooked up to monitors that beeped endlessly. She turned her head slightly to see Kybona—balancing on a pair of crutches—smiling down at her, "How you feeling?"

A weak smile appeared on her lips, "It's good to see you too—even if I do feel worse for the wear"

He chuckled slightly in reply, "At least you're alive, that's the important thing"

"I guess so—what about the Death Star?"

He lowered his gaze slightly before replying, a hint of sorrow in his voice, "They were able to destroy it, but many Clone Troopers plus Lyra were killed…"

"Clone Troopers?"

"Long story…"

A look of regret filled her face for a moment, "I just wish I had a chance to tell Lyra goodbye…"

"Do not be sadden by the outcome dearheart…"

Both Knights turned their gaze towards Plo Koon as he entered into the room, a warm smile appearing under his mask, "Koy-to-yah Niche'…"

"Koy-to-yah Master…"

He sat on the edge of the bed, gently cupping her face in his hand, "Do you feel any better?"

She shrugged slightly in reply, "Not really…"

"In time you will."

"How long have I been out?"

He sat up slightly in reply, "Almost three weeks"

"THREE WEEKS?!"

She yelped at the pain, but relaxed quickly as she asked softly, "What of Cad Bane? And the others?"

The Kel Dor leaned back slightly before responding, "Our comrades are all in good health—it even seems Ventress and Sheelal have formed a bit of bond. Zenaku and Niamo have also decided to take residence here on Coruscant."

"But what about Bane? Did the Council already decide his fate?"

A look of fear was written on her face, waiting anxiously for his answer. He chuckled warmly in reply, "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

He moved off the bed to reveal the Hunter leaning against the doorway, his signature smirk appearing on his face. He strolled towards the bed as he carefully sat besides her, her smile spreading from ear to ear, "Miss me?"

She gave a slight nod of her head as he hand weakly brushed on his knuckles, "I have—so you decided to stay here after all?"

He shrugged slightly in reply, "I can do quite a bit around here—such as using my skills to hunt down wanted criminals or building new weapons to help them out in upcoming battles"

Niche' began to sit up slightly, wincing at the pain as he continued, "Some of the Jedi were a little anxious to see me stay, but Skywalker made sure that they'd warm up to me. Most of all though, I wanted to stay because of you"

Her heart skipped a beat or two, the blush rising in her cheeks, "R-really?"

He nodded as he cupped her face in his hand, rubbing her cheek with his thumb, "You've changed me more then I ever anticipated—you've changed me for the better, and that's why I love you…"

The young warrior's eyes went wide for a moment or two, "Y-you actually love me?"

He nodded in silent reply, allowing his words to sink in. She bit her bottom lip for a moment before replying, "I wasn't sure if you felt that way about me after I saved you back on Rishi—but now I know"

"And?"

She chuckled slightly in reply as she raised her hand to his face, "I love you too…"

His own heart skipped a few beats, but he grinned nonetheless. Carefully he leaned in as he gently pressed his lips to hers. She was surprised at first, but she returned the notion as her kiss deepened. They were lost in their own world, not even caring who was watching them. Plo Koon smiled beneath his mask, motioning for Kybona to follow him, "I think they need some time alone…"

The Rodian nodded in silent reply as he followed him out of the room, leaving the lovers to enjoy their moment.

Months had passed since the incident with Darth Maul, and life couldn't be better for Niche'. She was given the status of Master, thus allowing her to train her own Vampiya padawan named Idina Chanoa. Even Plo and Shaak Ti had finally admitted their hidden feelings for each other after nearly two hundred years of silence. Kybona was now back in action as he joined forces with Zenaku and Niamo, thus becoming a force to reckon with in the galaxy. Ventress and Sheelal had made it official that they were a couple, even if many other Jedi thought the relationship was a bit strange—but it didn't matter nonetheless. Todos II also had an exciting career for himself—being the Clone Troopers assistant techno droid (though he fears on many missions that he would likely be killed or turned into scrap metal). Of course Padme' was still as mischievous as ever when it came to borrowing the Millennium Falcon without anyone else knowing—almost giving her family a heart attack each and every time despite that she was a skilled pilot. Finally, Cad Bane was made head technician of the Temple and head investigator as well. Niche' and Cad though still kept their love strong, even through the toughest of times and trials. The conclusion of the story you ask dear reader?

Nothing is impossible.

The End