"Look out!"

A ball of fire crashed through the window, raining shards of shattered glass into the small room of the abandoned hovel where Meetra, Kreia, Visas and Captain Rikken were strategizing. The three escaped and ran into the chaotic streets of Iziz.

Men were attacking their fellow countrymen with rudimentary farming equipment. Bomas and other beasts were running through their streets, attacking any who got in their way. Countless homes and shops were ablaze. Onderon was in a full blown civil war.

"Follow me," Rikken yelled as he ran to the palace. Finally, he stopped and looked to Meetra. "Go up this ramp and to the left. It'll take you to the Sky Ramp and that will lead you into the palace, but I won't be going with you. I've got to get the situation down here under control." Kreia let out a single, loud laugh at the captain's words. Meetra glared at the old woman for her rudeness, but knew the laugh was somewhat justified. The situation in the street seemed hopeless and far beyond the help of a single military man.

After thanking the captain, Meetra bounded up the ramp, Visas and Kreia following close behind. The three were able to sneak by relatively unnoticed - most of Vaklu's men were engaged in combat with Queen Talia's men or trying to regain control of loose bomas. Before long, they arrived at the palace.

The palace's beige walls were adorned with hanging fabrics of deep purples, reds and golds. The high ceilings were supported by ornate stone pillars - each column was covered by paintings of pivotal moments in Onderon's history. If not for the dire situation, Meetra would've liked to taken in the beauty of the decor and inspected the artwork - although Jedi were bound to a spartan life, she'd always appreciated architectural beauty and art.

"You're too late, Jedi," a cold yet familiar voice sounded out. Meetra looked to the huge brown doors before her - Colonel Tobin was standing in the threshold, attempting to lock her out. She sprinted for the doors, but he closed them just before she could get inside, a loud thud signaling the doors had been locked.

"Dammit," Meetra muttered as she kicked the doors. These doors were the only ones that led to the throne room where Talia and Kavar were hiding. By the time she broke through these doors, she doubted the queen and the Jedi Master would still be alive. As she ran her hands through her hair in frustration, a voice called out from around the corner.

"I believe I may be of some assistance." The voice was oddly chipper given the circumstances. Only one person could be that positive when the world was crashing down around them - Meetra spun around the see Mical, smiling wide.

"Mical!" she smiled as she rushed to hug him. Relief washed over her as he enclosed her in a warm embrace. "I was afraid you'd died."

"No, no," he smiled. "I brushed with death several times, but the Force had other plans for me. I met with Talia and Kavar soon after you left. Both are absolutely fascinating people. Such strategic prowess. Such knowledge. Such radiant beauty."

"Radiant beauty?" Meetra asked with a smile. "I've always thought Kavar was good looking, but I didn't realize you thought so too," she said sarcastically.

"Oh, no, pardon me. I must not have been clear," Mical blushed. "I was speaking of Queen Talia. She truly is an incredible woman. So loyal to both the Republic and her people's unique culture." As smart as Mical may have been, sarcasm was still a foreign concept. "Did you know that when the queen was 17, she -"

Visas cleared her throat loudly, hoping to keep Mical on track. "You said you may be of some assistance?" she asked, graciously cutting him off so Meetra didn't have to.

"Yes, forgive me. I tend to get carried away at times. There's a secret passage that leads to the room just beyond these doors," he stated, tapping the doors that separated them from Tobin. "Follow me." Mical led them down the hall, filling Meetra in on some of the more important details that had happened on the planet since she left. "Ah, here we are," he smiled as he lifted a floor tile to reveal a small tunnel. "It may seem unorthodox, but I assure you the passage is safe."

"I'll go," Meetra said as she took off her heavier outer robe. "I'll get them open and open the doors for you three. Wait outside." Based on Mical's reaction, you would've thought she'd stripped down to her underwear, just as she had when she and Atton first met nearly a year ago.

After nodding they understood, Visas and Kreia ran to position themselves by the door, but Mical stayed, looking as if he had something to say. "Yes?" Meetra asked as she lowered herself into the hole.

"I wanted to discuss something with you," he replied.

"Now?" Meetra wrinkled her face. If he hadn't noticed, this really wasn't a good time.

"It will only take a moment. Please humor me. It's been heavy on my mind since you left." Meetra nodded, giving him the go ahead. After a long pause, Mical spoke. "I love you." The three words made Meetra's throat go dry. Unsure of what to say and still recovering from shock, she was beyond grateful to hear Mical continue on after a momentary pause. "Before you left, you kissed me. I'll admit, during my weaker moments, I had thought about kissing you from time to time," he said softly, his cheeks reddening.

Meetra exhaled deeply, wondering what the Disciple would think if he knew all Atton thought about. The few times she'd heard his thoughts, it was far more than just kissing.

"When you kissed me, it made me feel things I'd never felt," he continued on. "It made me feel alive. In that moment, I realized just how much I love you." A wave of guilt washed over Meetra as she looked down, knowing she couldn't return his affections. Kissing him had been impulsive - Kavar had always warned her that she needed to control her impulses, especially in moments of great stress. It was a lesson she'd never fully learned.

"Mical, I -"

"Please, forgive me," he interrupted, raising his hand to halt her words. "I have a little more to say." Biting her lip, Meetra nodded, allowing him to finish his thought. "I know you love me, but it isn't the same kind of love. I know your heart truly belongs to another." A hitch caught in Meetra's throat as she looked into his bright blue eyes. "Even one such as I can see your love for Atton. Although I may not understand it, I wish you all the happiness in the world, I truly do."

"I -" she stopped, unsure of what to say, never having dreamed of being in this situation. "But what about you?" she asked clumsily.

"I'll be alright," he smiled. "I have to admit, I've become quite taken with Talia. Please don't take offense." Although she didn't love him in the way he loved her, his childlike innocence was endearing.

"Once we get out of this, maybe you should talk to her about it," Meetra smiled. "You'd be a great catch." Her heart belonged to Atton, but she meant what she said - Mical was dear to her heart. Anyone, including a royal, would be lucky to have him. "We can talk more later if you'd like, but ah," she paused, motioning to the hole she was standing in, hoping he'd get the hint.

"Yes, of course," he nodded. "See you on the other side." Without another word, he turned to catch up with Visas and Kreia.

Meetra took one last glance around the great hall before lowering her head, moving the tile back into place and pressing forward into the darkness, determined to rescue Queen Talia and Master Kavar...

"Why am I always crawling through damn caves?" Meetra complained under her breath as she dragged her body along her stomach. It had only been a few minutes, but the heat of the hole was overwhelming. She crawled and crawled until she ran into a wall of dirt. A faint outline of light creeping above her head through a small crack.

Meetra lifted her arms above her head and gently pushed the tile up. It lifted slightly before being pushed down - she tried once more only to encounter the same result. Growing frustrated, she paused for a moment and closed her eyes, using the skill of Force sight Visas had taught her. Her heart dropped when she saw the problem: someone was standing on the tile above her, blocking her only exit and her only hope of saving Talia and Kavar.

"Great," Meetra muttered sarcastically. Nothing was ever simple. The entire plan rested on being able to sneak into the room, open the doors, then attacking with the help of the others. Once she pushed the man off this tile, there would be no going back - she'd have to fight whomever was in the room alone. It was a suicide mission, but it had to be done.

With one final deep breath, Meetra put her hands above her head and channeled the Force to jump out of the hole. The tile lifted, sending the man who'd been standing on it to his back. "Jedi," he wailed. It was Tobin. Of course.

At this point, every soldier in the room had turned their attention to the commotion that was Meetra. There were nine, including Tobin, along with one huge beast, the likes of which she'd never seen before. Before the colonel had an opportunity to get to his feet, Meetra sprinted for the door as she drew her lightsaber, striking down one of the men with ease as she went. One.

Another rushed for her, meeting the same fate as his fallen comrade. Two. Meetra was almost to the huge doors. As she edged closer, she could see the doors' lock. It wasn't a normal lock. It was a huge horizontal beam that stretched across both of the equally massive doors. She didn't have to test it to tell it was extremely heavy. As she looked at the beam, she sensed someone swinging a sword from behind - she ducked, spinning around as she did so and cut her attacker's legs out from under him. Three.

She knew she didn't have the strength to lift the beam - she'd deduced the beast now ramming the throne room door had done the majority of the lifting. Instead, Meetra decided she'd try sliding it off the plasteel prongs holding it tight against the doors.

Suddenly, a blaster bolt hit the wall behind her - she turned and began blocking the shots of the soldier with her lightsaber as he ran toward her. Instead of aiming the bolts at him, she deflected them at other opponents. Four. Five. Six. Seven.

In the lull between fighting, Meetra began pushing one end of the beam. After a moment of pushing to no avail, the beam began to move. Hearing footsteps approaching, Meetra looked over her shoulder to see yet another man rushing for her. She let go of the beam, ignited her lightsaber and engaged the man in combat - he was far more skilled than the others and wielded his double-bladed sword with great precision.

The two traded several blows before he kicked the inside of Meetra's knee with his plasteel-toed boot, kicking her legs out from under her and sending her to her back. The man took advantage of her moment of vulnerability, jumping at her with his sword raised above his head, going for a killing blow. As he neared the floor, Meetra lifted her lightsaber as high as she could and closed her eyes - it went through his stomach and reappeared through his back. When she opened her eyes, she gulped - his blade was mere inches from her nose. Eight.

Meetra pushed the man skewered on her blade off as she rose to her feet, ignoring the pain in her knee. She looked around - Tobin was nowhere to be found. Taking advantage of this moment, she began pushing the beam once more. It lurched forward. Using all the power in her being, Meetra freed the beam from two of the three plasteel prongs holding it against the door when she was interrupted once more. An arm wrapped around her neck and a cold blade was pressed against her side. Tobin.

The colonel pulled Meetra away from the door. He moved the blade into the hand wrapped around her neck for a moment as he grabbed her lightsaber from its holster and threw it across the room. Tobin then moved the blade back to its original hand, pushing it against her side once more.

"You think you're going to save the queen, Jedi scum? You think the Force is going to save you now?" Tobin asked in a high-pitched and crazed voice, gritting his teeth against her ear as he spoke. "We'll see how much the Force can help you with this." The colonel jabbed and twisted the blade into Meetra's side - she cried out in agony as she slipped through his arms and fell to the floor. Tobin looked at Meetra as she lay on the floor in fetal position, clutching her side.

"Get up!" he yelled as he kicked her stomach. She yelped once more as her eyes watered. Help was only a few feet away, but was blocked by the door. "I said get up!" Tobin screamed as he kicked her once more. Meetra couldn't even cry out - all of the wind had escaped her body.

Laughing manically, he looked at her before kneeling on the floor near her head. He grabbed her mussed braid and pulled her head up by it. "Vaklu will reward me handsomely for this," he smiled as he looked into her eyes. With a laugh, he slammed her head against the tile floor and began walking toward the beast that had rammed the throne room door open, calling Vaklu's name as he went. Apparently General Vaklu had already infiltrated the throne room.

Meetra tried to stand, but the pain was overwhelming, making her head spin. After a moment of laying in her original position, she took a deep breath, reluctantly accepting the fact that she was about to die.

She closed her eyes and thought about her life. About everything she'd done and everything that she wanted to do. Scenes of the war, of her days at the Academy, of her time in exile swirled in her head. Her mind wandered to influential people in her life. It began with Kavar and Revan before turning to Atris, Griggs, Alek and Kreia. Each member of the crew flashed in her head - Bao-Dur, T3, G0-T0, Visas, Mira, Mical, Atton.

Atton. The man she'd rescued from a force cage nearly a year ago on Peragus. Atton. The man who could make her laugh and cry and feel things she had never felt. Atton. The man in whose arms she felt safe. Atton. The man she had fallen in love with.

Love.

He didn't know she loved him.

Though it pained her, Meetra opened her eyes - she couldn't die knowing Atton didn't know how happy he made her. How catching a glimpse of his smile made her go weak at the knees. How whenever he said her name, her stomach was in knots. How even after all this time, the simple touch of his skin on hers sent her mind racing.

Meetra mustered every ounce of strength in her body to stand. She limped to the door and rested her weight against the beam. Despite the agonizing pain, Meetra took a deep breath and yelled as she shoved the beam off the final prong. Kreia, Mical and Visas burst through the door the instant the beam fell to the ground. Exhausted and losing massive amounts of blood, Meetra fell the the ground behind one of the doors as she saw her companions running to the throne room. Knowing they would save the queen brought a smile to her face.

Then, everything faded to black.