Aeric-Although I already sent you a PM about this, for a reminder, Lumiya is not Mara Jade. They are, in fact, two separate people. And yes, Luke and Mara are married.

Luna345-Glad you like. And yeah, it's sorta obvious, but not something her friends are comfortable confronting her about.

Chapter Five: Betrayal of the Worst Kind

"You sure this is a good idea?"

Luke turned to the Jedi Master with the reddish hair and lithe figure." Yes, Mara. I need you to stay behind in case Lumiya sends Leonia or Daala on a counterstrike." He walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, pulling her in for a kiss.

When they broke, Mara kept him in the embrace. "Just be careful, okay?" Luke could only nod.

Barely a half-hour passed by before the Rock Dragon was soaring through Yavin IV's atmosphere. Mara blinked back tears as she watched it recede into the sky before vanishing. She turned back to Kam and Tionne. "Let's get ready, just in case."

Tionne nodded. "I'll get my guitar ready."

Kam arched An eyebrow at his wife. "Your guitar?"

She smirked. "To write the epic opera when he returns and their tale is told."

Mara's mouth broke into a full-fledged grin. "Tionne, I knew there was a reason I liked you."

At the controls of the Rock Dragon, meanwhilesat Jaina and Haruka. Both ladies worked in almost-perfect sync, inputting hyperspace coordinates and double-checking their flight plan. As soon as they exited the moon's gravity well, Haruka pulled a set of levers on the control panel down. The ship's engines flared, and in a flash of light, the ship rocketed into hyperspace.

Jaina let out a breath. "We've got three days to kill. I just hope Uncle Luke's got a plan."

The tall Amazon next to her smiled. "I think he'll be able to handle it." She quickly unbuckled her crash webbing and got up. "Shall we?"

Jaina nodded. "Sure." She followed suit, and the two made their way to the rather spacious main cabin, fit for a Hapan princess. Ami and Tahiri had blast helmets on and were fending off training remotes under Jacen's tutelage. Anakin and Hotaru. meanwhile, were off to the side chatting. Jaina noticed Anakin was talking and laughing a lot more than when he talked with Tahiri, but said nothing. Zekk and Lowie were checking out their blasters and bowcaster respectively. Finally, Luke, Michiru, Setsuna and Luna were sitting in the middle of the cabin. Each had a look of intense concentration on their face as they meditated.

Jaina sneaked up behind Zekk, but before she could do anything the lanky young man leapt up and tackled her to the ground. "Don't you know that's rude?" he asked, smirking.

Jaina returned the smirk. "You'll have to discipline me later."

A small "Ahem." coming from their feet interrupted the two. It was Luna. The small black cat walked up to Jaina and Zekk's face and looked them in the eye. "I trust your carousing won't affect your duties?"

Jaina sweated a bit in embarrassment. "No, Luna. It won't." Both young ones got to their feet as the rest of the Jedi and Senshi stopped their activities and gathered around Luke.

The Elder Master of the Force looked over his group. "Michiru, Setsuna and I have been meditating, trying to discern information from a vision Michiru and I had two days ago." He motioned to the elegant lady, who sat up straight. "Unfortunately we haven't been able to find anything new concerning just who is threatening us with a lightsaber."

Jaina spoke up. "I think we know it's Lumiya who's got the lightsaber."

Michiru shook her head. "The woman in the vision didn't have a red-colored lightsaber. As I recall, Lumiya has the traditional scarlet-colored blade of the Sith."

Anakin hesitated before speaking up, his words halting. "I don't mean to disparage a friend… And I hope I'm wrong about this, but you said that one of us falls to the Dark Side, right?"

Michiru nodded mutely, already knowing what he'd say next.

"Well, who's missing then?"

Jacen sputtered in anger as he realized what his brother was saying. He marched over to him and spun him around. "What the hell are you saying? Tenel Ka would never fall to the Dark Side!" Spittle flew from the corners of his mouth as he spoke.

Anakin's ice-blue eyes betrayed a flicker of anger as he pulled away. "I said I hope I'm wrong, but face facts. Michiru's vision described a woman with long, flowing hair. Tenel Ka has hair just like that. Also, you can't deny she's been acting a little off ever since she gained the powers of the Senshi." He looked over and waved his arm at Haruka, Michiru, Ami, Setsuna and Hotaru. "These ladies have trained for over a decade and wield powers that rival the greatest of Jedi Masters. Maybe they were simply too much for her."

At that, Hotaru got up. "Anakin! I hope you're not blaming us." Her voice wavered slightly as she spoke. "Our powers are great, but they can't be blamed on somebody going to the Dark Side."

The young man quickly shook his head. "I'm sorry, Hotaru. I didn't mean to imply that. What I meant was maybe Tenel Ka's not strong enough to handle them."

Setsuna nodded at that. "I agree with him. Senshi powers are nothing to sneeze at." She pointed at Haruka and Michiru. "If I remember correctly, you two were fairly callous toward the Deathbuster's victims. You almost lost yourselves to the Dark Side, even before you heard of the Force."

She stood up. "Tenel Ka is used to being in control of what abilities she has. She has been training for what, two weeks? Power can corrupt anybody. I've seen it happen countless times before."

Zekk interrupted her before she could continue. "So we're just assuming that Tenel Ka's going to be a Sith apprentice when we get there? I don't buy it. I can't buy it. She's one of the humblest persons I know. There's no way she'd ever turn dark." He crossed his arms, as if to say. 'Go ahead, disagree with me.'

Anakin cleared his throat. "I'm sorry to bring this up, but you turned to the Dark Side rather easily when the Shadow Academy kidnapped you and began training you in the Force."

At that, Zekk rushed over and grabbed Anakin by his shirt collar. Everybody in the room could feel his anger rising. "Listen, pretty boy. I've had a difficult life. I know the mistakes I made, and I sure as hell don't need you telling me when and where I went wrong."

Anakin's hand shot up and, with one swift movement, removed Zekk's hand from his collar. Both men stood there for a moment, Anakin's ice-blue eyes locked with Zekk's flashing green eyes, before a powerful telekinetic shove separated them. Everybody there turned their heads to Luke, who was sitting there with his arms crossed and an annoyed look on his face. "We're embarking on a dangerous rescue mission, and we don't need you two acting like a bunch of spoiled Kuati nobles!"

He stood up, walked over to the prone Anakin and extended his hand. The younger Jedi hesitated for a split second before grabbing on and hauling himself up. Then Luke walked over to Zekk and helped him up as well.

An awkward silence descended over the group as Luke made his way back to his chair. "All right," he said, sitting down. "We've got a group of three Imperial-Class star destroyers and various other ships at Tangrene. Anybody have any ideas?"

Ami hesitated before clearing her throat and speaking up "We could set the Rock Dragon on autopilot, and use sailor teleport to get in."

Jacen shook his head at that. "What about us men? We can't simply close our eyes and will ourselves to another location. Besides which, we won't even know which star destroyer Tenel Ka's on."

Luna, silent all this time, spoke up. " You seem to have a deep connection through the Force. I surmise it wouldn't be too difficult for you to locate her once we emerge from hyperspace. And you boys can simply stand inside the circle when we teleport."

Jacen looked down at the cat and nodded. "Great." He then looked up at his uncle. "Will you be confronting Lumiya, Uncle Luke?"

The Jedi Master nodded. Concern mixed with apprehension on his face. "Yes. It is time for the legacy of the Sith Empire to be ended. Lumiya is the last. It won't be easy, but…" Luke's voice trailed off as he heard a small voice whisper in his ear. There is another…

Luke's eyes gradually opened, revealing four concerned faces in front of him. Jacen, Jaina, Anakin and Ami simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank the Force!" said Jaina as she stood up and grabbed Luke's left arm. Jacen grabbed the right, and the twins hauled him into standing position.

Ami was running her mini-computer over Luke's body. "Your nervous system suffered a shock, forcing it to shut down. I'm not detecting any lasting effects, but you should take it easy."

Luke nodded. "How long was I out?"

Anakin checked his chronometer. "About ten minutes," he said. Luke blinked several times in order to clear his eyes. The rest of the Jedi were standing off to the side, unsure of what to do.

"Are you all right?" asked Hotaru.

The Jedi Master nodded, glad for the concern. "I'm fine. And thank you, Hotaru."

He looked over everybody. "Let's get some sleep. We'll pound out the details of our plan in the morning."

Jaina headed for the cockpit. "I'll check our position," she called out before leaving.

Tahiri latched onto Anakin's arm. "You want to talk a bit before turning in?"

Anakin gently pried his arm form the young blonde's grip. "Sorry, but I think I'll be turning in early tonight."

He turned around-and smacked right into Hotaru. The Senshi of Death and Rebirth promptly fell on her butt and let out a cry. "Ow!"

Anakin's face twisted in embarrassment as he helped her up. "Sorry. Are you okay?"

Hotaru rubbed her lower back. "I think so. Could you walk me to my bunk?"

The youngest Solo smiled and nodded before taking Hotaru's hand. He glanced over his shoulder and said, "Good night, Tahiri."

As the pair walked back to a hallway leading to the crew quarters, Tahiri could only stand there staring as the pair walked off. Her normally pale cheeks flushed crimson as an odd feeling of anger swept over her. I can't believe this! she thought. I'm jealous! She turned away and headed for Ami near the side bulkheads. "Hey, Ami. What're you doing?"

The blue-haired genius looked up from her mini-computer. "Oh, I was calibrating the sensors in my visor. I should be able to determine whether or not a person has fallen to the Dark Side."

Tahiri nodded. "Neat! Can I help?"

Ami thought for a second. "I don't think so, but thank you anyway." Ami walked off, leaving a glum Tahiri in her wake.

She was about to go to the aft crew quarters when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and almost smacked into Luke. "I noticed you were looking for something to do. Would you mind helping an old man hone his dueling skills?"

Tahiri's mouth dropped open. "I would be honored, Master." Tahiri knew what Luke was doing, and she was glad that the Jedi would take time out to help her get her mind off Anakin, at least for a little bit.

Lumiya, Dark Mistress of the Sith and heir apparent to the Sith Empire, almost felt happy as she presided over a meeting of her elite staff. To her right sat Callista and Sailor Dathomir. To her left were Admiral Daala and Moff Leonia. Directly in front of them lay the map to the ancient book of the Sith. Callista reached over and examined it. "I still can't believe they simply carved it into a hunk of metal. Why didn't they encode it in holographic crystal?"

Daala chuckled at her. "Who would suspect a bent piece of metal held a map to the greatest power in the galaxy?"

Lumiya's cybernetic fist slammed her fist into the table, denting it and causing everyone to jump. "Enough! I haven't time for this bickering." She turned to Dathomir. "Have you shielded yourself from the Jedi?"

Dathomir nodded robotically. "That is a fact. It will be next to impossible for them to locate me."

Lumiya though for a second, formulating a strategy. "When they arrive, broadcast your aura like a beacon. It will draw them to this star destroyer. You told me of an interesting Senshi ability, the ability for some of you to 'teleport' from one location to another. Do you believe they'll do this?"

The brainwashed Jedi nodded. "Yes. Jacen will track me through what he believe to be our Force bond. I assume when they teleport onboard we kill them?"

Lumiya's face contorted into an approximation of a smile. "Not all of them will die. I can already feel Skywalker coming. I want to see his face when I take my rightful place as ruler of this galaxy."

When Sailor Dathomir remained in her seat for a fraction of a second longer than necessary, Lumiya's green eyes arched in anger. "Go, now!" she commanded. Dathomir blinked in surprise before bolting out of the room.

Lumiya settled back in her chair. "Callista, you will deal with Skywalker. I assume you can distract him long enough for the brats to be dealt with?"

Callista chuckled, her short blonde hair bobbing. "I'm certain I can 'distract' him long enough for Daala and Leonia's stormtroopers to deal with the kids."

Daala rolled her eyes at the Sith apprentice. "Do you honestly believe he'll have any feelings for you after so long? He'll probably blow you off yet again." Daala chuckled at her own joke, but her chuckles turned to coughs as an enraged Callista telekinetically constricted her throat. The rogue admiral slid out of her chair as spots danced before her green eyes.

Callista rose from her chair and walked around to Daala. She knelt in front of her and grabbed her by the chin, bringing her head up for eye contact. "If he does blow me off, I'll be sure to give him a proper sendoff this time." Callista waited until Daala's eyes were starting to roll into the back of her head before letting up on the pressure. Daala collapsed in a panting heap as Leonia jumped from her chair to help her.

Lumiya suddenly slammed both hands into the table. "They're here!" she yelled excitedly. The Mistress of the Sith quickly grabbed the map and ran out the door. She activated the comm. "This is Lumiya. Have three platoons of stormtroopers in the hanger deck. Our prey has arrived."

She turned back to Daala, Leonia and Callista. "Hurry up, you three! There are Jedi to kill."

Callista hurried after her master, while Leonia helped Daala up and out the door. "Don't worry, I'm sure Lumiya didn't mean anything by it," she said.

Daala coughed a bit and groaned in disgust at the juvenile-acting Moff. "Must you be so naive all the time?"

Leonia pouted, making her seem even more childish than usual. "I'm not that bad!" As the two made their way out of the room and towards the turbolift, Leonia walked by Daala's side. "I can show you how smart I am later."

A flash of light and a blur heralded the arrival of the Rock Dragon in the Tangrene System. The Hapan cruiser sped toward the group of star destroyers, ion engines blazing.

Inside, the Jedi and Senshi prepared for an unusual occurrence; sailor teleport. Jaina, Tahiri, Haruka, Ami, Hotaru, Michiru and Setsuna had already transformed into their Sailor Senshi identities and were holding hands in a circle. Luke, Jacen, Zekk, Anakin and Lowie were standing in the middle.

"Are you sure this is gonna work?" Zekk asked nervously.

Luna, who was held by Luke, twisted her head around and spoke up. "It got us to this reality. It'll get us over to-what did you call it, a star destroyer?"

Zekk nodded and smirked. "Actually, it's a Mark II."

Sailor Corellia spoke up. "We've got about a minute before this ship's destroyed. Can you feel Tenel Ka, Jacen?"

Her twin reached out with his senses, searching for the young woman he loved. "She's aboard the Behemoth." He visibly winced, as if in pain. "We better hurry."

Sailor Pluto nodded and spoke up. "All right. Corellia, Tatooine, I want you to focus on that star destroyer out there. Find Tenel Ka's presence over there." The two younger Senshi half-closed their eyes and let their consciousness drift across the cosmos. After a few seconds they nodded. "Good," said Pluto. "Now envision yourself over there."

A suffuse glow enveloped each Sailor Senshi. Lowie's snout wrinkled in confusion as a strong wind came out of literally nowhere. He barked a question, which was translated by Em Teedee on his belt. "Master Lowbacca asks. 'What the hell is going on?'"

Jacen's heart hammered in his chest as he felt a massive spike in the Force. In the midst of the storm stood Luke, holding onto Luna. Suddenly the Jedi Master shouted, "Sailor…" Luna spoke up a second later, "…Teleport!"

Five seconds after the Jedi and Senshi vanished, blood-red turbolasers from the Behemoth struck the Rock Dragon, blasting the small passenger cruiser apart and leaving little more than dust motes in its wake.

Jacen wasn't aware of the change in scenery. One minute he was on the deck of the Rock Dragon, the next he was on the gunmetal-gray hanger deck of the I.S.S. Behemoth. He looked around-and nearly fainted. The Senshi quickly broke the circle and swiveled around, hands coming up and beginning to glow. Over a hundred stormtroopers surrounded the group, each one with blaster rifle drawn and ready.

Everybody went for his or her lightsabers, but Luke quickly stepped in front and raised his arms. "No! There's no way we can fight out of this. I don't want a Geonosis here." He turned back and looked up. "I surrender, Lumiya."

Sailor Uranus sputtered. "Huh? How does he know she's here?" The Amazonian received a gentle elbow in the ribs to get her attention.

"Look up," whispered Neptune, who was staring blankly at something near the ceiling.

Uranus looked up, her gaze finally resting on a catwalk near the ceiling. There stood a woman clad head to toe in a black jumpsuit. Lifeless green eyes stared down at the group. To her left stood Daala and Leonia. To her right stood Callista-and Sailor Dathomir.

In a flash, Uranus' hands held her space sword. "You traitorous dog!" she yelled. "I'll kill you, in the name of the Force!" The Senshi of wind leapt thirty meters in the air, sword brandished and ready to gut.

Lumiya's mouth turned up in the barest hint of a smile as she raised her right arm. Bluish-white bolts of electricity shot from her arm, enveloping Haruka and stopping her dead in space. After a moment, she fell straight down. Sailor Neptune's eyes widened in horror as her best friend struck the deck with a thud, denting it with her body.

Heedless of the stormtroopers around her, Neptune and Mercury pushed through to Uranus. The latter had her mini-computer out and visor down. "She has a dislocated shoulder and a concussion. I'm also detecting internal bleeding," Mercury said, her voice cold. Neptune, meanwhile, was cradling Uranus' head in her arms, even as her Sailor Fuku was stained with blood.

Luke's anger spiked, while his students displayed equal mixtures of anger and fear. "Tell your stormtroopers to leave, Lumiya. I can't guarantee their lives otherwise."

Lumiya smirked. "Don't try any mind tricks on them, Luke. I've conditioned them against that." She patted Dathomir on the shoulder. "Just like my little Senshi."

Jacen's face went ashen as he looked up. "Tenel Ka, you can't be a part of this, right?"

Sailor Dathomir looked at him with cool gray eyes. "I am a part of this, 'friend'. Lumiya has opened my eyes to the truth." She held up her left hand and clenched it. "You took my arm." She then pointed at Corellia with the other. "You took away my ability to get a new one." Dathomir grabbed hold of the railing and jumped over, plummeting to the ground. Unlike Uranus, she landed without even a sound.

Dathomir unclipped what appeared to be a large tooth from her belt. She pressed a button on it, causing a turquoise energy blade to spring forth. The Senshi circled around her former friends, finally stopping at Mercury, Neptune and Uranus.

Neptune was still holding the unconscious Uranus, and was shaking visibly. Sailor Mercury looked up from examining the injured Senshi, visor still wrapped around her eyes. A look of surprise and shock crossed her face as her visor scanned Dathomir.

Instantly, the young genius leaped to her feet. She cupped her hands together, forming an off-white ball of energy. "Shabon…" she started to say, even as stormtroopers brought their blaster rifles to bear on her. "Spray!"

The ball of energy exploded outwards, expanding into a dense fog. Almost immediately, Luke and his trainees grabbed their lightsabers, igniting them even as confused stormtroopers began firing indiscriminate shots.

High above stood Lumiya and Callista, both looking down into the chaos. Callista turned to the Sith Lord. "I can't see or sense anything down there!" She fingered a 30-centimeter rod clipped to her belt, but Lumiya grabbed her hand before she could do anything.

"Don't be rash. That fog down there is pure Light Side. We'd be helpless down there." She turned to Daala and Lumiya. "Signal the bridge. We enter hyperspace now." A sneer crossed her lips as she continued. "Once there, Skywalker won't be able to do a damned thing."

Anakin Solo's blue lightsaber flashed as he deflected a half dozen rifle blasts. Directly behind the young man stood Sailor Saturn, the fifteen-year old Senshi of Death and Rebirth. Although neither could see in the dense fog, their Jedi senses were actually magnified by Sailor Mercury's attack. Anakin turned his head around slightly. "Well, this isn't what I expected."

Saturn turned her head slightly in order to look into Anakin's eyes. "For us Senshi, this isn't so bad, actually," she half-joked.

Close by was Luke and Sailor Pluto. His green blade and her golden blade moved almost too fast to see. And while Anakin was content to hold his ground, the Jedi Master and the Senshi of Time were advancing along the stormtrooper ranks, slicing the white-armored troopers down like a hurricane. "Can you see what will happen?" he asked her.

Pluto's mouth turned upward ever slightly. "Always in motion is the future." She promptly stabbed a stormtrooper in the gut, then brought the blade back in time to deflect an incoming blast back to the shooter.

Luke gritted his teeth in frustration. "I hate it when you throw that line back at me." He suddenly leaned forward and groaned. "The Behemoth's entered hyperspace." He locked eyes with Pluto. "In three days this ship will be above Korriban."

Pluto, however, wasn't paying too close attention to Luke. "Neptune, Uranus, Mercury and Corellia have escaped the hanger deck. Although I'm not quite sure where they're headed."

Luke nodded. "Well, at least they can get Uranus to a medical facility. A dunk in bacta's what she'll need."

Pluto's face screwed up in confusion as she deflected another bolt. "Um, excuse me, Master Skywalker, but what is 'bacta'?"