Jeck had been awoken by the sliding of the mechanical doors and the clanking of the droids entering the cell. Each metallic clank seemed to be in sync with his throbbing body. There was no pain but he knew it stung; his body must've been numb. The droids didn't pay any attention to the limp body that seemed to dangle once they got him raised back up in the air. They took position in the back corners of the room. Moments later he heard footsteps coming down the corridor. They stopped close by. Next thing he knew the door opened and in walked his "warden." She seemed a little shocked but as soon as it came it dissipated.

"So I see the droids got here first… They followed their orders right down T for once." She stood adjacent to the door. "Leave us…"

The droids looked at one another gave a nod and exited the room. The moment they could no longer be heard down the hall Stacy closed the door. One thing went through Jeck's head and it was torture, possibly more painful than what he had endured the previous day. Though the cuts were extremely shallow, and should heal in a matter of a few days, they stung worse than he could recall ever feeling.

She walked over to the pulley and lowered Jeck so he could stand on his own and not have so much stress on his arms. Jeck watched Stacy out of the corner of his eye. "Where is your blade to cut me?"

"I melted it…" She faced Jeck. "Jeck… I… I can't begin to… I'm sorry…"

He turned to face her. "Sorry? You cut me and told me that you would be torturing me until I begged for death and you tell me sorry?"

"Jeck… Please be quiet!"

"I won't be quiet… I think this is just another one of your plots; to kill me kindly. Is that it? Is that the plan Stacy?" He waited for all of two seconds, she opened her mouth but no words came. "Is it?"

Stacy jumped at him raising his voice like that. "Jeck please… listen to me…"

"I'm done listening to you! You might as well kill me now because whatever you want from me, you won't get it!"

"Jeck, shush before you get us both killed!" but Jeck kept yelling. "Jeck you're going to make me do something that I will probably regret for a very long time if you don't hush!"

"What? Are you going to kill me Stacy? I'm already passed that. You can't scare me or hurt me anymore than you already have!"

Stacy pleaded once more but Jeck's rage was still out loud. Stacy knew that this couldn't carry on for much longer. There was only one thing that she would think of that might keep him quiet but that's a gag and they don't work too well, that and she doesn't have one with her. Stacy could hear droids nearing, even with Jeck yelling. She would have to act quickly, but before she realized and without thinking she pressed her lips to his. It worked and he was quiet until the droids were passed the cell.

Jeck's head was spinning. What the hell happened? One moment I'm screaming at the top of my lungs, then… what? Why did she just kiss me?

Once Stacy pulled away she looked down. "I'm sorry… You weren't listening… and the droids would have come and figured out that I was trying to help you escape… It wasn't just torture for you Jeck…" She finally looked back up at him. "They were coming and we were already lost. I had to act quickly… I just didn't think that I would actually have to… torture you… Never on my planet, not even with its bloody past, was there such a cruel torture planned or performed." She put her hand on Jeck's cheek. "Jeck I'm so sorry! I couldn't have warned you ahead of time even if I tried it would've been too late. I had to act and face the consequences. I would've never done… even had thought… not even for a second…" she took her hand away and looked back down. "That I'd have to be so cruel and heartless…"

Jeck looked at her and he might've forgiven her right then and there but, how could he trust her? All her deception and this could be her worst one yet. "Stacy… I'd love to forgive you but… How can I even be sure that what you're telling me is truth now? After everything you've done, how?"

"You still have my light saber Jeck…" She reached into his "empty" holster and pulled out a silver cylinder. She let the rest of the chains go and they slipped right off of Jeck's wrists. She activated the saber and out came a white rod. She took it and put it in Jeck's hand. "If you still wish to kill me, or whatever, then please do it now. I will not fight, I will not struggle." Jeck watched as Stacy got down on her knees and closed her eyes.

Jeck weighed the light saber in his hands then he looked down at Stacy. "I think I'll take my chances…" The saber whirred and Stacy lifted her head ready for the blow. She was there waiting for the heat and the burn to come and then the feeling of nothing, but instead the light saber was turned off. Stacy looked up at Jeck. "I'll take my chances with you…"

Stacy grinned wide. "Th- thank you Jeck… You won't regret it honestly! If they come I'll stay and fight and I have the ship all ready! It just needs a pilot and a destination! C'mon!" Stacy put the cylinder back into his holster and took Jeck's hand. "We need to get the other half of your armor on you first though!"

Stacy dragged Jeck out into the hallway without looking. She dragged him to his first cell and typed in a pin to open the door. When Jeck got a look inside it was much different. It was very clean, full of medical supplies and his upper armor. She pulled him in and closed the door.

"Okay now… we are a bit pressed for time as Ventress will want to see you be tortured again… Then once she finds that you and I cannot be found… Oh boy she'll really want my head on a silver platter then!" She sat him down in a chair and was moving at such a speed it gave him a headache. "I just have to fix you up a little. Then you have to get your armor back on… Then we have to make it to the air hanger… Fun…"

Jeck watched her work and put bacta that she collected on his wounds. He watched before his eyes his cuts already beginning to heal. Had the cuts really been that shallow? He went back to watching Stacy. "Stacy… Are you alright?"

"What, who me, am I alright? Oh yeah I'm fine… It's just that there is about a thousand droids in the hanger all preparing for the arrival of the Emperor… Two hours of sleep… Nah I'm fine. I can live." She looked at Jeck and he could see the exhaustion in her face. "I'll be fine, honestly."

"You really were planning my escape… weren't you?"

She smiled. "I keep my major promises, maybe not in the way expected, but I'll keep them. I'm just sorry that you ended up getting hurt again." She finished with the last one. "Okay… They should be completely healed in about twenty four hours. You should get your armor on, and hurry!"

Jeck got up and started to put his armor on while Stacy pressed her ear to the door. She could hear voices down the hallway. This worried her, but she was soon calmed by the fact that they turned down a different hall. Jeck had finished getting his armor on and was about to speak when Stacy but her finger on his lips. "Shhh." She pressed her ear back to the door and Jeck put his helmet on. Stacy picked out the voice of Ventress. "Crap!"

She took the blaster and put inside of her holster and pulled out the control panel of the door. She hardwired it shut. Jeck looked at her confused. "Great now how are we going to get out?"

She looked at him and winked. "Use your imagination Jeck." She turned her gaze to the far corner of the room.

When Jeck followed her gaze he shook his head. "Oh you've got to be kidding me…" It was a small air vent that Jeck would have to worm his way through if he'd fit at all. "I won't fit Stacy!"

"Keep your voice down!"

"There is no way I'm fitting in there Stacy."

"Now, now no need for dampening thoughts! You will fit fine! You go first that way I can close the vent because yes I know I'm rather small, so I know that going through will be a breeze. Now go!" She pulled the grate off and Jeck hesitantly got down on his knees and entered the small square.

############

Just down the hall

"Master I wasn't able to find Stacy inside of her room but she doesn't often go there to begin with. My only guess is that she's having some fun with the prisoner."

"I don't think I like knowing that she is getting back into the swing of things that her planet did Ventress. You didn't encourage this did you?"

"I asked and she offered. I had no idea that it might affect her negatively at all."

"Ventress if she formed any friendship with that clone at all we're lost! It would be like asking her to surrender her planet to us which we learned the hard way that she wouldn't. If you let her alone with him at all you better pray that she is still under our influence!"

"Master please you must be calm. The clone's cell is just this way."

Ventress led Count Dooku and several droids over to the cell. Dooku almost immediately noticed the scrubbed door. "Don't tell me she is worried about the blood…"

"She ordered a rinse of the prisoner after a fair amount of blood accumulated on his body. Why?"

"This isn't looking good Ventress. I hope you aren't wrong, now open it."

Ventress hesitated for a moment. She almost regretted telling her master about the prisoner not talking. "Yes my master…" She punched in a short code and the door hissed open and instead of a clone hanging from the chains a commando droid was hung by the neck. Ventress began to feel fear for her own safety but Dooku was not surprised at all. She was far too kind when she attacked him is what he thought.

"This is her warning Ventress. I advise you to remember it well, for if her rage is strong enough, you will end up like this droid." He turned and gave orders to the droids they came with to look for them then walked away.

Ventress walked up to the commando droid and noticed every mark that was foreign to its body. Its only hand that it had left held something and when Ventress examined closer the fingers were twisted and mutilated so it couldn't let go. It held an image recorder that was ready to be played. She pried the fingers apart the best she could and held the disk in her hand. When she played it she saw a fully functional commando droid. Moments later a figure came and destroyed it in the most gruesome and violent way even Ventress couldn't have thought of. Her eyes were soaked in fear especially when the figure turned and showed their face. It was Stacy with the most evil eyes she's ever seen. Her master said it was a warning and indeed it was. But Ventress also took this as a challenge in which she accepted. She crushed the disk and ran out to find her and the clone.

Ventress was so determined to find the girl this time that she didn't notice when she picked up followers. Twelve of their own commando droids took aim… then fired. If it hadn't been for the force Ventress would've been dead. She couldn't move though. She was stuck fending off her attackers until they were all dead or until she was.

##########

Inside the war room

Count Dooku found himself in a small complication when he was ambushed by four droidekas and ten commando droids. He didn't know what was happening but he was certain of who was behind it. The only person that could wipe the droids memory and reprogram them to attack the person of their choice in a moment's notice was Stacy. He never understood the way her brain worked, no matter how much he picked and prodded at it. He would try and influence her at her most vulnerable but she came back much more violent and wiser. She was always three steps ahead of him no matter what he did. But as he was slowly cornered a thought struck him as to how her mind might work.

###########

Western sector of the east air hanger

Jeck slid out of the air vent easily but landed with a loud thud once his body was out. Now would have been the best time to say he developed claustrophobia even though he didn't. Stacy came out moments after and he helped her out so she wouldn't fall like he did. They were amused at the fact that they managed to come this far. Their goal seemed so close now.

"Okay Jeck… Do you see that ship up ahead there; the one with 'Stardust' written on the side of it?"

"Yeah, is that our ticket out of here?"

"… It's your ticket out of here Jeck."

Jeck snapped around to face Stacy. "What do you mean? You're coming with me I thought… You can't stay here they will kill you without thinking!"

Stacy kept a solemn face. "And I have years of experience of many other people that wanted to kill me without thinking but I lived through that too. The only difference is that they have these flashy sword thingies they call light sabers and use this power called the force. No different than what I can already do. Now please go! I can slow the droids down if they come."

Jeck's shoulders dropped slightly. "… How can I give you your light saber back if you won't come with me to the resolute? You can't expect me to be able to find you somehow can you?"

"Keep it then… I have no need of it."

"I beg-to-differ Stacy."

The sound of droids spotting them out ended their discussion and they ran towards the ship dodging the blaster shots. Stacy shot off her blaster and killed off as many droids as she could that was in front of them. Once they reached the ship Stacy opened the door for Jeck shoved him inside and resumed firing.

"Stacy! Come with me! If you've been nothing but honest the senate will try you fairly."

"No Jeck you've got to go and I have to make sure you leave alive!"

"You can do that from inside the ship."

"Go and start up the damn hyper drive already! It takes a few moments to warm up. Use this time that I'm out here shooting these things wisely. GO!"

Jeck turned and activated the hyper drive and started the engines to the ship. He ran back to the door of it. He came just in time to watch Stacy fight off some droids that came her way without blasters. He then ran back to make sure the status of the ship was good.

Stacy was struggling to keep up with the bots. No way could she over power them for too much longer. She shot off her blaster multiple times and managed to hit more than she anticipated. When she turned around she shot the last droid that was near her. It fell but she felt a warm tingling feeling down her leg. When she looked down she noticed there was a lot of blood around. Droids don't bleed but her legs could. She looked at it and found a deep gash that wrapped around her leg. Her last thoughts were, how the hell…? Then all was black just as the world begun to spin rapidly and the floor came up to meet her.