A/N: Okay, so, firstly, I screwed up. I naively expected the line-breaks to transfer over from the file to the website document (if that makes any sense), and it didn't. Whoops. My bad, sorry. Secondly, there are only 2 chapters left! And I feel that this story is doing well enough to try a series (yay!) but I don't actually have a whole bunch of ideas (not yay!). So I need your guys' help. If you have anyone you wanna see, a story or plot idea, or even just a scene suggestion, please comment or PM me! (Seriously, I need the help)

The first alarm bell went off in Optimus' processor when Miko texted Bulkhead during school. It was something the teen didn't normally do, despite having voiced multiple times her dislike for school. The second was when Raf did the same. Both had asked where Jack was. While normally he would've had Arcee check on him, Arcee was off on a mission. The third one activated when she returned with several unusual wounds inflicted by a weapon that she described as similar to Rachel's, but with a black hilt and a red blade made of what appeared to be pure energy.

He had ordered Ratchet to attempt to track Jack's cellphone. Ratchet came up empty, which was bad news.

Then Skyfire's signal had come up, flying at high speed off what must've been the cloaked Decepticon warship. There were three human life signs onboard: Jack, June, and Rachel.

And then, just because nothing could go right for long, Skyfire took a nosedive, indicating he'd been shot, most likely by the alien ship in pursuit of them. "Ratchet," Optimus said, "lock onto those coordinates and open a GroundBridge."

Barriss' smile widened as the shot connected with the Autobot and sent them down toward the planet's surface. The Padawan was foolish enough to use the Force to aid her escape, but hanging out the boarding ramp? Was the girl completely idiotic?

No, she couldn't have been, because she'd evaded the Inquisitor this long, and of course she would have to possess a great degree of intelligence for that. But this game of cat and mouse had gone on for long enough. She shouldn't have ever allowed the Decepticons to handle it.

Morons.

She directed her ship and followed the falling Cybertronian to the surface.

Rachel knew what crashing was, and there was no way Skyfire could salvage this. He was barely even awake. Rachel rushed to the cockpit and took the controls. "Strap in!" she shouted. They did so, and she got it- got him nose up. She guided him toward the sandy ground beneath as well as she could - she was no pilot – while ignoring the blaring alarms going off, as well as the chatter going on around her. She needed total concentration.

She was able to get him into something of a decent landing position, despite there not actually being a 'landing position' or runway. The landing itself was rough, and even if they'd had landing gear, it would've done no good. They sunk into the sand as the slid to a halt. At least it cushioned the blow. She groaned as she turned to look. "You guys alright?' she asked, a little worried about how out-of-it she sounded.

"Ugh..." Jack groaned. June sat up and unclipped from the seat, moving to examine Jack's head wound. "Mom?" he asked blearily.

"Hold still, Jack," she said. "Mild concussion," she concluded after a moment. "Is there a way to call the Autobots?" A sharp, mechanical whine outside and a burst of warm air indicated a ship had set down near them, likely the one that shot them down.

Rachel marched out and saw the ramp lowering. There was a cresting wave of the Dark Side, surrounding them small group and clouding Rachel's senses. The Inquisitor herself stepped out, and Rachel was visibly shocked to see it was Barriss Offee.

Everyone knew about the Padawan who'd bombed the Temple. Rachel had even worked with her a time or two, but had never actually formally met the Padawan. She was also slightly surprised to see that it was the same person she'd seen the phantom of in the bathroom just that morning. Has it really only been that long?

It was nighttime now, or getting close to it. The sun hadn't set completely, but the full moon was already out and shining down on them. It reflected off the sand, lighting up the area with such brilliance that it was easy to see her opponent. Barriss smirked and pulled the double-blade lightsaber off her back, igniting it. The blood red blade lit the black armor she was wearing. Rachel pulled hers and did the same. Her sapphire blue blade light enveloped her, giving her confidence. There were three things Rachel had to do.

One: She had to get Barriss' attention off the others and firmly on her, no matter what. Two: She had to lure her away from them so if she did lose Barriss' interest, she'd have time to recover. Three: She had to keep the others alive long enough to the Autobots to find them. And she knew they would; she could sense it.

"Do you fear me, Jedi?" Barriss said, spitting the last word at her like an insult.

"No," Rachel answered, standing tall. Barriss frowned, and then charged with a battle cry. Rachel blocked the first blow, and was slightly shocked and disheartened by how strong it was. She blocked the second blow, stepping back to absorb it. The third blow knocked her back further.

Barriss smiled, and Rachel started actually fighting. She parried the next blow, and followed it up with one of her own. "That's the spirit!" Barriss taunted. Rachel swung again, aiming for the Inquisitor's knees, then her shoulders, then her waist. Varying the target site and thus, forcing her to defend everything. The Inquisitor had little problem with this, telling Rachel that Barriss had leaned other forms of lightsaber combat. Rachel herself practiced Forms III and IV, and had a fair handle on the battle, to a point.

Barriss had a whole lot of energy, a whole lot of training, and a strong connection to the Dark Side, and maybe that was what drew it out.

The ground began to shift and move just as Rachel started to lose. The sand started to fall away, as if something was opening beneath them. Rachel tried to stay ahead of the hole opening up. She failed to, but it stopped expanding after she fell through, which meant while she was trapped down there with Barriss, the others weren't.

With two goals secured, she could focus on fighting. She regrouped and attacked Barriss again, this time with a new energy.

Light was now virtually nonexistent, so their lightsabers provided the only illumination, thus hindering their visibility. Sapphire blue crossed blood red, and the area was bathed in purple that somehow unnerved her as much as it intrigued her. She forced the feeling away as she struggled to find the serenity she was supposed to have as a Padawan. Barriss forced her further back as she tried this, and she almost got cut twice.

"In a fight, do not think about what methods you will use, nor about staying calm and collected. Your focus must be on the battle. Fight as you would fight, not as a manual tells you. That is how you win."

Her Master's voice echoed in her head, a memory from an early training session coming back to her. She backflipped away and collected herself. Three questions, she thought. Who am I fighting, what is my goal, and how do I achieve it? She was fighting Barriss Offee, a failed Jedi Padawan; she needed to delay the Inquisitor for long enough for the Autobots to arrive and force her surrender; and she had to outfight or manipulate the woman into a situation where she had the advantage.

Once her focus shifted from meditation and serenity to actually fighting her way, she made progress much more easily. She forced Barriss back to the only ray of moonlight that managed to filter through, needing the advantage of seeing her opponent while staying shrouded in shadow. The Inquisitor brought her lightsaber down some kind of pedestal, and the whole area lit up with a deep orange glow, coming from lights under the many columns that were now visible.

Any advantage Rachel might've had with stealth in darkness was now lost completely. The fight gained new life now that they could see each other and weren't just looking for lightsabers and the glint of light on clothes or armor. It went back and forth now, with both gaining and giving ground as they travelled around the room.

Barriss was talented and skilled, but Rachel was determined and cunning. Barriss managed to nearly take off Rachel's hand with a lucky swing, but Rachel dropped and rolled away just in time. Rachel got to her feet and jumped up on one of the columns, trying to get the high ground. Barriss did the same. The two ended up close enough that their lightsabers could touch, but not touch each other.

It was a stalemate for a bit as they tried to put enough momentum into the swings to get the other to lose balance and fall. It was a careful act, an exercise in judging distance as much as it was balance. Barriss finally had enough and dived for Rachel's column, slicing it in two about three feet down from the top, and sending Rachel to the floor with a surprised shout.

The Padawan hit the ground hard, and rolled to absorb what she could and keep moving. Barriss approached her, and Rachel got to her feet, wincing when she put pressure on her left ankle.

It was twisted.

Which meant it would recover, but she was gonna have to fight like crazy in one spot for it to get a chance to. That was a major weakness, and one she could ill afford against such a powerful opponent. Barriss smirked and charged again. Rachel stood her ground until the ground started to move.

And shift.

And crack.

With a giant beast taking its place.

It rose, and the long limb she was on twisted and she was forced to deactivate her lightsaber to get a good enough grip to hang on as it went vertical and took to the air. "Whoa-oa!" she exclaimed. Barriss also shouted as she had to do the same. As it rose, Rachel realized what it was:

A Zillo Beast. On Earth. How were they supposed to defeat this?

The black and purple femme stealthily climbed out of the revealed cavernous room. She smirked as the beast rose from the very ground beneath the two fighting humans. Yes, their weapons were new, and yes, one was not a human, but they were still squishy and fleshy and oh-so-breakable. Besides, she'd gotten chatter that the blonde was Arcee's new partner. Another pet for the two-wheeler. Killing her would be a special treat. Her long extra legs carried her as she crawled along the wall and toward the two humans.

"Oh, Arcee, when will you stop being so careless?" the spider asked, though the blue Autobot wasn't around. "Guess I'll just have to keep your dear friend company."