Chapter Twenty Five

The sound of the screams startled AJ at first, before she shook her head and forced herself to ignore the sound. She had her part to do, and she couldn't lose focus because someone was in trouble. She blinked, thinking of Skirata and Vau. The two Mando'ade who had taught her all the stuff she knew ever since she arrive in this universe.

She trailed through the ventilation shafts, as if they were sidewalks. She stopped suddenly, as she looked at a screen on her arm. "Kristy. I've arrived. What's the Jedi's status?"

"Secura's down, Matt is continuing to target."

"Are you serious?"

"He didn't have much choice. Someone forced the lift to close and move on before he could step off to retrieve Secura."

AJ nodded and suddenly smirked behind her helmet. She knew that Matt wouldn't have willingly left her behind. There was a reason behind everything he did. This time is was a forced cause and effect.

"Copy that. Orders?"

"Hold position. I'll alert you when Matt is near. Over."

AJ sat back in the vents, and waited, sharpening her vibro-blade to pass the time.

"Commandos! Lock and load DeeCees!" Boss shouted. Kristy walked in slowly, her clone armor on, but her helmet under her right arm, DeeCee in her left hand. Boss nodded her way. "Captain on deck!"

Kristy walked around and faced all four Commandos as they stood next to each other, like the true bothers that they all were.

"Boss. Fixer. Sev. Scorch. You were all more than trained for combat. You were bred for it. While it wouldn't wasn't my idea, I still feel responsible for sending you into situations over and over, even though the Republic you were supposed to be fighting for is now gone."

She looked at each and every one of the four commandos. "Buckets off, please."

The four looked around at one another, before slowly removing their helmets and tucking them under their arms. Kristy took in a breath as she looked around at each of them. They all looked the same. Except for Kristy saw the differences. Their personalities. The Cloners could control the speed of their aging, and how they learned, fought, and all that jazz. But the one thing they could not do, was control the personalities that each clone adopted. It wasn't on purpose. It was just they was… things were.

"No one cares about you. No one cared about you. No one but the group of people you are with and fighting for at this very moment. No one except for me especially. These past few months and even days have been pure hell on Mustafar. But I am proud to have fought alongside all of you! So with that said…"

She let out a deep breath, and loaded her DeeCee. "Let's go kill this new empire and bring back our old Republic. Vode An!"

"Vode An!" The commandos rang out.

The lift slid open and Matt stepped out slowly. Hood up over his head, he glanced left, right and then stared forward, before taking one step forward, which led to the next step, over and over, until he was marching directly for the only set of blast doors that was in sight.

He didn't flinch as the doors opened when he approached, and he passed through them, before they closed – and locked shut with a second emergency set of a blast doors. He found himself in a dark hall, with few lights on, spread selfishly among the corridor. He started down it, unnerved.

He heard the whispers as he moved down slowly. He made no motion for his light saber. His fear for anything had vanished, replaced by pure rage for Aayla. "Come out, cowards." He whispered.

"Yes… let the fear and anger consume you. Use it…"

He stopped in the middle of the corridor, and didn't move, listening. The whispers had suddenly ceased. Matt closed his eyes and suddenly the grating on the sides of the corridor which made up the walls began to fly off, all around him. He put his right fist into his open left hand, closing it up around the fist.

"Is that the best you can do?" He whispered calmly, through the chaos. Suddenly the gratings suddenly just stopped, dropping from dead air. Matt extended his right fist out and suddenly the trooper appeared, hanging in the air as his cloaking device deactivated. He grabbed at his throat, choking, until finally, his neck just broke from extreme pressure.

Matt opened his fist and watched the dead man drop to the ground, before turning and marching forward once again. He had to find Sidious.

Kristy sighed as she looked at Lara and Rebecca. The two had to go into combat, regardless of whether they liked it or not. It was the only way to ensure their survival in a way. At least they wouldn't just be sitting around waiting to be killed.

"Ladies… I know you don't want to do this. But it's the only way I know your okay."

The two girls just looked at Kristy blankly. She pursed her lips. "I need you to each take a blaster. Okay? Just, aim and shoot if anyone tries to shoot at you."

She handed them both a blaster pistol, and they both took it, reluctantly. "We are going with you, right?" Rebecca asked. Kristy smiled. "Yes, Hun. You are coming with me and the commandos. Now then, grab your stuff. We've got to go help Matt and AJ."

Rebecca and Lara grabbed their packs and tossed them over their shoulders and followed Kristy out, where they found the commandos standing ready. "Alright. Let's go." Kristy said.

Matt stopped in a massive room, where there were two statues on either side of a pair of blast doors; Jedi obviously. The statues were large, and maybe a little daunting. But Matt shrugged off the feeling. He rubbed his temple as the whispers started again.

"You are close. I can feel you… come in. Face the true power of the dark side…"

Matt shook his head and shoved his hands forward toward the door, causing it to explode open. He stepped through it, light saber hilt in hand. The short hall was dark, but the room ahead was well lit. He moved into it, and found Darth Sidious standing at the end, seemingly alone.

"Good…" He purred. "Good. Come here, boy…"

Matt closed his eyes and took a step forward. "You know that I'm here to destroy you."

"Of course. I've waited a long time for this. You should know by now, you can not destroy me completely. Only by turning yourself completely to the dark side of the force can you wipe me out."

Matt narrowed his eyes. "I don't think so…"

Sidious smiled. "You want her to be safe. To be alive. Only the dark side can save her! Only I can save her!"

"NO!" Matt leapt across the room, and the blue flash of his blade clashed with the blood red blade of Sidious.

There was a sudden beeping on Kristy's wrist. She looked at the tracking unit. Matt was at the target's location. "Shit." She activated her comm link. "AJ! He's already there. Move in now!"

"Copy. Moving in Kay."

AJ practically slid down the ventilation shaft, until she reached her exit. She stopped and ejected her wrist gauntlet and slashed the grating locks off. It fell through and AJ dropped down after it. Her helmet motion detection went off almost immediately.

She spun around, swinging her arms – and wrist gauntlets, into several soldiers which came at her from different directions. As the first two dropped, she leapt upwards, and kicked her legs to either side, knocking two more down, before somersaulting down and rolling back up onto her feet, both blasters out. She blasted the last soldier and then took off running through the blast doors, which had been forcefully removed.

She raced through the short, dark hall, and into a brightly lit room, where she saw something that made her breath a sigh of relief. Only for a second. And only one sigh. The two blades clashed, flashed and crackled as the two men engaged each other in deadly combat.

"Oh God."

Kristy stopped and checked for pulse. There wasn't one. Kristy closed her eyes. Matt had to be furious. "Oh my God…"

"What is it?" Sev asked. "He's in danger. AJ's in even worse danger then he is."

"Open fire!"

All seven spun around and dove for cover as Storm troopers entered behind them, and open fired.

"Damn it!"

"You're telling me!"

Lara looked around in panic. They were going to die if someone didn't do something. She stared at the lift.

"Evac onto the Lift!" She screamed. "Someone has to call it down, first!" Fixer shouted.

"Fierfek! Cover me!" Sev screamed. "07, no! Stay under cover!"

But Sev ignored the order by Boss, and leapt from his cover and raced over to the lift controls. "Forward fire! Cover him!" Boss screamed in unison with Kristy. Everyone was firing at the troopers, whom were attempting their best to target Sev, who was wide open for a kill shot. Or ten.

"Fire! Fire!" Scorch shouted loudly. The blaster bolts engulfed the lift area behind their cover – and with it, Delta Oh Seven.