Disclaimer: KotOR garay va akarya'a at ni. (That isn't gibberish either, but it's different not-gibberish)

The Basilisk and shuttle launched about ten minutes later. Meetra's students headed through the jungle along with Kelborn and his squad. The weather worsened; a gusting wind yielded to a torrential downpour, with thunder rolling and lightning striking the mountaintops. They were moving for perhaps fifteen minutes when Kelborn held up a hand to stop the group. "We're close. I know this area well. There's a hanging valley in the mountains ahead. It's pretty isolated, with steep hills on three sides and a sheer cliff on the fourth. The only way in is to fly, or with mountaineering equipment."

"Sounds like a good place to hide something," Mical said. "I don't want whoever sent those transmissions to know we're coming. Let's keep searching on foot; if we find signs they're up there, we'll have to call one of the Q-Carriers to lift us up to the valley."

They didn't know exactly what to look for, but Mira found it. There was a well-worn trail through the jungle, leading to the base of the hills which surrounded the valley. It was mostly boma tracks, but the hunter found prints from armored boots. Someone had passed by within the last day, hoping the bomas would trample their tracks. They followed the trail right up to the rock face. Vines and underbrush hid a tunnel entrance. The passage sloped upward, a hidden route into the valley. Mical halted the group at the opening and sent Mira to scout ahead. She crept forward carefully, and she was right to do so. A quick look around, then Mira backed off to report in.

Mical brightened as Mira popped out of the tunnel. "How does it look?"

"They've got a perimeter set up." Mira pointed. "The tunnel is mined. Not many, just two at the narrowest point. The far exit is under surveillance by a type 2 perimeter motion relay. A little outdated, but it'll do the job. If anything moves within 6 meters of that, then they know they've got visitors. I could see one turret outside the opening. I assume that there are more, but I couldn't get any closer to get a good look."

"We need to get in there, find out who 'they' are, and what they're up to." Mical rubbed his chin. "We need to get through the perimeter, either completely undetected, or fast and hard enough to blindside them. That means dealing with mines, sensors, and turrets. Suggestions?"

"Cloaked approach," said Kelborn. "My squad has stealth field generators. We can move through the tunnel while avoiding the mines, then sabotage the relay and blow the turrets. It'd be slow going, but we've done it often enough before."

Atton shook his head. "I dunno. You'll be way out in front, and we Jedi will be stuck behind active mines. The enemy will be alerted when the turrets are destroyed. If there are Dark Jedi in the area, they'll wipe you out before we can get there."

"Wipe out Mandalorians?" Kelborn grunted. "They might at that."

Mira held up her launcher. "I can neutralize the relay with an ion rocket, then Atton and I could disable the mines without being detected. That just leaves the turrets."

"I will handle them." Handmaiden glanced around the group. "If the mines are clear, I can sprint right up to the turrets and take them out."

Atton nodded. "The storm will help. Visibility is reduced, and they won't hear us over the rain and thunder."

"I like it." Mical clasped his hands. "Be careful."

Mira nodded and slid a rocket onto her launcher's rail. "Ready here."

Handmaiden got down into a sprinter's crouch, her face a mask of concentration. "I am prepared."

Atton and Mira moved as far forward as they could without tripping the sensor. The mines were in plain view, sitting on the rocky floor of the tunnel. Atton got down on his belly, security spike in one hand. Mira took aim and fired. The rocket burst in the air next to the relay; it spat blue sparks and stopped oscillating. Atton crawled forward and began working on the first mine. It took him about a minute. Mira crawled past him and got to work on the second. As soon as it was disarmed, Atton gave the signal. Handmaiden erupted out of her crouch, passing through the tunnel in the blink of an eye. There were three turrets guarding the exit; they fired well behind her as she moved in a blur. She slashed the center turret in half, then threw her saber to wreck the one on the right. The final turret was aiming at her back when Atton and Mira emerged from the tunnel and shot it to pieces. None of the three got a single hit.

Atton, Handmaiden and Mira took a quick look around. There was no sign that they had alerted anyone. They had come out onto a grassy slope, about halfway up the mountainside. Above them, the mountain was bare rock, too steep to walk. The terrain was ruggedly beautiful: high peaks ringed the open, grassy plain on three sides. The valley floor was mostly meadow, with a few clumps of trees. There was a sizeable lake at the upper end, draining into a creek which ran down the center of the valley before plunging off a cliff into the jungle below. The waterfall was probably spectacular, but they didn't have time to admire the view.

The activity was on the shore of the lake. There was some kind of large structure on the mountainside, but the rain made it impossible to tell what. There was a pair of heavy lifters landed nearby, and a cluster of what looked like tents. Kelborn scanned the enemy position through his helmet's built-in macrobinoculars. "They're Sith, all right: same uniforms as Revan and Malak's people. I don't see any dar'jetiise, just troopers with droids and turrets in support, maybe two hundred hostiles all together."

"And more inside the structure, no doubt." Mical raised his own macros. "There isn't much cover between here and there; we're sure to get spotted. We Jedi will form a line in front, and deflect blaster fire during our advance. Once we reach the camp, you'll hang back and support us." He turned to the other students. "We'll use our usual pairings once we get close in. Mira, you don't have a partner, so stay with the Mandalorians. If one of us gets into trouble, you'll move to back them up."

Mira nodded. "We need to hit those shuttles first thing. Twin blaster cannon on each arm-if they get off the ground, we're in trouble." She glanced at Kelborn. "I'll hit one with a rocket; have your men concentrate fire on the other."

G0-T0 spoke up. "Jedi, the droids are susceptible to my override. I would have to get closer, but if you can cover me, I can slice a small number and cause chaos in the enemy ranks."

"That will help to counter their numbers," said Handmaiden. "We should strike now, while we still have the element of surprise."

They moved from one clump of trees to the next, the storm concealing them. At the last good hiding place, they faced three hundred meters of open ground. The structure was easier to see now; it was a ziggurat of black stone, with two tall statues on either side of the ramp to the upper tier. Troopers had set up turrets on the lower levels, and there were sharpshooters up high. There were large cargo containers on the ground at the base of the building. The Jedi and their Mandalorian allies spread out, communicating with hand signals. Kelborn kept his riflemen in the middle, with a repeater gunner at either end of the line. Mira stood and fired a high-explosive rocket into one of the shuttles. It blew sky-high and the Sith soldiers all jumped, grabbing for their weapons.

The Mandalorians began firing at the second shuttle; Kelborn swore as the ship's shields came up. Mira fired again, but the shuttle lifted off and the rocket passed beneath it. The ship swung around to bring its cannon to bear. Everyone scattered, running for cover as the shuttle opened up. The pilot walked his fire toward the spot the rocket had come from. Mira ran sideways, diving behind a rock outcropping as she reloaded her launcher. The pilot climbed to get a better firing angle. There was nowhere for Mira to run; she looked up and the world went white.

A loud crack shook the ground and sky. The shuttle had climbed too high into the storm and been struck by lightning. It went completely out of control and plowed into the lake nose-first; the explosion threw up a cloud of mud and water. Kelborn shouted and the Mandalorians regrouped. The repeater gunners fired suppression while the Jedi formed their line. They advanced on the camp at a fast walk. The Sith troopers fell back to the lowest tier of the ziggurat while the war droids held their ground. The Jedi concentrated on saber work, letting the Mandalorians handle the offense. The Sith had numbers and an elevated position, and they didn't make it easy. The silver-armored troopers laid down heavy fire, and forced the allies to stop and take cover. A platoon of droids moved to guard the stairway.

G0-T0 advanced, raising a small antenna from one of the hatches on his chassis. A handful of the droids jerked, then turned on the others. The 'loyal' droids returned fire. The Sith couldn't tell which were friendly, so they kept on shooting at the Jedi and Mandalorians as the droid force tore itself apart. G0-T0 extended his weapons array and shot the last two droids to pieces. He retreated to the Mandalorian line before the Sith could blast him. The two pairs of Jedi split left and right and began moving in as the Mandalorians gave them covering fire.

A squad of troopers descended the stairs; they were wearing the red armor of elite Sith soldiers. One of them hit a control on his wrist. The cargo containers opened and a dozen boma beasts emerged. The red-armored troopers ran down the stairs, coming up alongside the creatures. The bomas didn't attack, they waited. The Sith pointed and the bomas charged the Jedi.

Mical waved his saber; the Jedi took the bomas while the Mandalorians handled the Sith on the ziggurat. The Sith beast-handlers moved in with force pikes. The beasts tried to circle the Jedi and attack from the sides. Mira emptied her launcher's magazine, loaded another, and emptied it too. She killed three bomas and two of the Sith elites before they got in close, then drew her saber and joined the other Jedi. The bomas fell quickly, and the handlers fell back. Atton made a hand sign; Mira fired a rocket into the Sith on the ledge. The explosion killed two and blew up a heavy turret. Handmaiden drew on the Force and leaped up to the first level of the ziggurat; Atton jumped and she hauled him up. They began working their way along the platform, attacking the Sith flank and driving them out of cover. The Mandalorian repeater gunners shifted fire to the far side of the line, while the riflemen picked off anyone they could hit. Visas rushed up the middle with Mical and Mira behind her. The Sith tried to run, but none of them made it.

The door at the top of the ziggurat opened with a rumble. Eight Sith stepped out onto the upper platform. They wore grey bodysuits with black hoods and masks. Atton sucked in a hissing breath. "Those are Dark Jedi apprentices."

"Eight of them, five of us." Mical waved the others to rally at the base of the ziggurat. He glanced at Atton and Handmaiden. "I need you to take the four-on-two."

"They won't have to." Kelborn drew his beskad, and so did the other Mandalorians. "You forgot to count us."

Mical smiled faintly. "Right. Hold the repeater gunners and a few others in reserve. I want them to watch out for troopers and keep our backs covered." Kelborn nodded; he and half the squad joined the Jedi while the rest fell back.

The Sith ignited their lightsabers. They leaped and flipped from one level to the next until they reached the ground. The Jedi each picked a Sith to face; the Mandalorians moved in as a group to take the last three. The Sith made the first move; one of the apprentices threw a push and blew Atton off his feet. He flew backwards and landed on his back. The Sith tried to move in and finish him off, but Handmaiden blocked the way. A second apprentice ran up alongside the first; they tried to take Handmaiden two-on-one. The Echani knocked them both back, then whirled her saber to a ready stance. The Sith raised their scarlet blades and closed in.

Visas took the offensive right from the start, driving her opponent back with a flurry of strikes. To her right, a Sith apprentice was attacking Mical full-force… which was exactly how Mical liked to fight. The Sith couldn't land a single blow. Mira had joined the Mandalorians in facing the other four apprentices; they were holding their own for the time being. Atton was back on his feet and fighting shoulder to shoulder with Handmaiden. The Sith facing them were trying to regroup, but the Jedi pair didn't let them. Visas knocked her own opponent back and threw her shoto at him. The Sith blocked the attack and extended his hand. Visas staggered as her throat constricted. The apprentice squeezed tighter, throttling the Miraluka with the dark side. Visas struggled for breath and pulled her saber from behind the Sith. The Sith deflected again. Visas dropped her remaining saber and threw both arms out, blasting outward with a strong Force wave. She hit the Sith choking her, but also caught Mical and his opponent. Visas grabbed her lightsabers and braced for another round.

Mical angled his saber. The Force wave had blown him back from the apprentice he was facing, and he had to reset his feet. The Sith knew how strong Mical's defense was; he circled, trying to find an opening. Mical heard a yell from his left, followed by roars of anger. He glanced over; one Mandalorian was on the ground; the Sith standing over him had been swarmed by the others. Mira had crippled a Sith and was fighting another two-on-one with Kelborn. The last Sith had joined the fight against Atton and Handmaiden, who were still holding their own despite being on the wrong end of a three-on-two. Mical blocked another slash from his opponent, then struck, taking the apprentice's left arm off at the elbow. The Sith screeched in pain and Mical finished him with a slash to the head. He joined Visas, and they finished her adversary before running to help the others. With the tide turned, the rest of the apprentices fell in minutes.

"On me!" Kelborn waved a hand to rally the Mandalorians to him. "How many casualties? Mandalorians, sound off!"

The survivors spoke up one by one. Three Mandalorians were dead and another three more badly injured. The Jedi had all taken some hits, but they were still in fighting shape. Mical and the others gathered at the base of the ziggurat.

"What is this, a temple?" Handmaiden looked up at the dark, imposing stone structure. "I can sense the power from this place. It's like the light abandoned it long ago."

Kelborn shook his head wonderingly. "I'm pretty sure that this is the Tomb of Freedon Nadd. We knew it was somewhere on this moon, we had no idea how close it was to our camp."

Mira whirled and pointed warningly. "Don't say it!"

It was too late; Atton was already grinning. "I've got a Nadd feeling about this."

Mical groaned like he had a stomachache and covered his face with one hand. Handmaiden giggled, and Visas shook her head. "I don't know what you see in him."

Mical became serious. "We need to move quickly. A little over forty years ago, Onderonian cultists led by King Ommin summoned Nadd's spirit from Chaos, in an attempt to gain victory in the Beast Wars. I fear the Sith here might be up to something similar."

"Not to mention the beasts." Mira scratched her head. "The boma were obeying the Sith troopers like attack dogs! How could they accomplish that?"

"I don't know." Mical crossed his arms. "Properly trained Force-users can command animals, but those weren't Dark Jedi, just ordinary soldiers. The Sith haven't been here long enough to have learned to control the beasts, though I suppose they could have hired Beast Riders from Onderon. In any case, the answers we seek are inside the tomb. We must enter, and stop whatever the Sith have set in motion."

Visas had knelt down to examine the dead apprentices. "These aren't the same Sith we faced on Korriban; these are my Master's men." She stood and took a deep, calming breath. "Fortunately, he is not here; we all would have felt him. As I have told you, my Master trained me into his Shadow Hand, his eyes and ears in the galaxy. But a Sith Lord has two Hands; I suspect that the other is the one in command of these Sith." She crossed her arms. "I never knew his real name; he calls himself the Iron Hand. He's a beast, tremendously powerful in addition to being a skilled warrior. Do not underestimate him."

Mical glanced at Kelborn. "Call for reinforcements to secure the camp. We will enter the tomb and clear it."

Kelborn tapped his right fist on his chest plate over his heart. "It will be done, Jetii. Go send those chakaare to hell."

The door to Freedon Nadd's tomb slid open with a wet grinding sound. Mical led the way in, with the rest close behind. They found themselves in a wide hallway of black granite, trimmed with inlays of polished red and gray stone. They began walking, coming to a large, high-ceilinged room. There was a large group of Sith waiting: regular troopers, red-armored elites, boma beasts, and three Dark Jedi, one a Master.

"You see our Masters' power?" An elite trooper stepped forward, brandishing a force pike. "They have erased the minds of these beasts and made them our obedient servants! With an army of these, no one can defeat us!"

Atton waved as if in greeting. "Hello there, I'm No One. Pleased to meet you." He glanced at the others. "Mical, Handmaiden and I will handle the troopers and bomas. You take care of the Dark Jedi."

"The Jedi fall here." The Sith Master drew a double-bladed lightsaber. "These intruders cannot be allowed to reach our master. The ritual must not be interrupted. I don't need to mention the price of failure."

The Sith charged. All five Jedi threw their lightsabers, cutting down more than a dozen before the battle was joined. Mical took the Sith Master, presenting his usual Soresu defense. Mira and one of the apprentices began circling, while Visas attacked her opponent head-on. Several troopers tried to move to help the Dark Jedi, but Handmaiden attacked, forcing them to face her. The last of the bomas leapt at Atton; he dodged it and stabbed down through the top of its head. The massive beast fell dead and Atton moved on to help Handmaiden with the troopers. Mira feinted and slashed at her enemy's throat, but he dropped under the attack and tripped her with a leg scissor. She hit the ground and barely got her saber up before the Sith finished her off. He hacked away at her, denying Mira space to get back to her feet. Off to the right, Mical was in trouble too. The Sith Master was putting the pressure on, not giving Mical any room to gain the initiative. He was defending himself, but the second he made a mistake, he'd be dead.

Visas threw her lightsaber at the apprentice standing over Mira. He blocked it, but Mira kicked him in the crotch and rolled out from underneath. She scrambled to her feet and returned the favor by throwing her kal at Visas' opponent. He ducked the dagger, but Visas took his head off. She pulled her shoto in and ran to help Mical. Mira raised her saber and faced her own adversary. They locked blades; Mira pushed off into a backflip. She kicked off the wall and cut the Sith in half as she went by. Mira retrieved her dagger and joined Atton and Handmaiden in cleaning up the troopers. Visas ran in at the Sith Master, slicing low for his legs. He parried her strike and countered. Mical stepped in to block, leaving Visas open to attack again. The Sith stopped her with a powerful push. Visas skidded backwards, but kept her feet. She moved in carefully, angling her sabers. He matched her with his double-blade, then spun to block Mical's attack from behind. Mical had been feinting; he hopped away and blew the Sith back with a push of his own, driving him into Visas' cross slash.

"Seven hells." Mira took a deep breath and began healing a minor cut on her arm. "They want to keep us out pretty bad."

Handmaiden folded her arms. "I do not know what they plan here, but it is evil. I can feel it."

"The Sith Master said something about a ritual. He didn't want it interrupted." Atton cracked his knuckles. "Let's go interrupt it."

"Cocky, Atton." Mical smiled faintly. "I agree. We need to hurry."

The entrance to the tomb's inner sanctum was a pair of massive stone doors. They grated open to reveal a chilling sight. A seven-meter-tall statue of Freedon Nadd was reflected in a rectangular pool of water. Before the statue, the sarcophagus served as an altar to the ancient Sith Lord. Seven Sith Masters knelt in a circle around the altar, waving their hands as they worked their spell. Above them, a blood-red cloud of pure dark side energy pulsed and crackled.

One of the Sith looked up at the sound of the doors. "Break the ritual, now!"

The Sith Masters dropped their arms. The cloud of evil energy flashed bright; massive bolts of violet lightning blasted down and struck three of the Sith. They fell dead on the spot.

The lead Sith strode forward, throwing back his hood. Mical gasped. "He's a Massassi!"

Visas was right-the Iron Hand was a beast. Taller than Bao-Dur and heavily muscled, the Hand had crimson skin, a pair of fleshy tendrils hanging from his cheeks, and glowing yellow eyes. He wore black-and-silver armored robes, heavy boots, and a black leather headband with engraved armor plates. He bared his teeth. "You are too late. We have done what needed to be done. Soon Onderon shall fall, and with it, the Republic shall die."

"You lie." Visas crossed her arms. "Your ritual is incomplete, and we will not allow you to attempt it again."

The Hand glared at her, then his eyes widened. "The Miraluka? You still live?" He smiled cruelly. "He is your Master too, Shadow Hand. When I have finished your friends, I will bring you back to him."

"I would rather die," Visas said. "I will never serve Darth-"

The Hand drowned her out with a bellow of rage. "Silence! He is the hungry shadow, the end of all life, and his name is not to be spoken, especially by your worthless lips!"

Visas shook her head. "I will not be cowed. We will defeat you, and my Master will defeat him, as surely as the next sunrise. You fear him-fear his very name." She stood straight and proud. "I name him! Nihilus!"

The Hand jumped slightly, then snarled. "You will pay for your disrespect. The Jedi will die, and our Master will drink your despair as you kneel at his feet!"

Visas moistened her lips. "Mical, I will need your help with this one."

He nodded and moved up on her left side. The Hand raised one hand and shot lightning at Visas. She caught the bolt on the palm of her left hand and sent it right back at him. He ducked and glared at her. The Hand drew an extra-long saber hilt and grinned menacingly, then ignited the blade. It was a greatsaber-the blade was more than two meters long. The Massassi roared a challenge and charged, bringing the huge saber around. Mical set his feet and angled his saber for a perfect Soresu block. It didn't work; the force of the Iron Hand's blow knocked him off his feet and across the room. The Hand ran to finish Mical, but Visas ran into his path. The big Sith laughed and swung vertically. Visas deflected the blade and countered with her shoto, landing a painful but harmless cut to his shoulder. The Massassi grunted and kicked Visas in the side. She staggered but Mical ran in; he blocked the Hand's follow-up and shoved him back. The Jedi pair dropped into defensive stances side by side.

Atton moved left, eying one of the Sith Masters. Handmaiden stepped up next to him. The Sith gestured and a second Master moved in to form a fighting pair. The Jedi shifted, Handmaiden moving slightly ahead. She powered on her lightsaber, the twin silver blades shining in the murky tomb. The Sith drew their sabers; one faced Handmaiden with a long and short set while the other readied a single lightsaber. Atton began to move in, then had an idea. He doused his saber, then activated his stealth belt and vanished. The Sith froze for a moment, then both advanced on Handmaiden. She took a deep breath then ran in full speed, denying the Sith time to get set up. Her assault was classic Ataru: a hail of strikes from all angles as she leapt and spun around her opponents. The Sith Masters were stopping all of her attacks, but it was taking both of them to hold her off. Handmaiden began changing her moves to influence where the Sith stepped and which way they were facing. She spotted an opening and thought now, Atton!

Atton's saber blazed to life as he struck from the shadows. The Sith Master he was attacking moved as fast as Meetra to block in time. He faced Atton silently for a moment, their locked blades reflected in his silver mask. The Sith braced and pushed, hurling Atton backwards. Before he could hit the floor, the Sith caught him in a grip. He slammed Atton into the walls over and over, then threw him. Atton bounced off the statue of Nadd and splashed into the reflecting pool. Handmaiden made to run to him, but both Sith blocked her path. Handmaiden fought frantically, trying to break through. She couldn't see where Atton had fallen, couldn't tell if he was just lightly injured and getting his breath back, or unconscious and drowning… A moment's worried distraction, and one of the Sith Masters twisted his sabers and spun her double-blade out of her hand. The second Sith brought his blade around, but Handmaiden backflipped out of the way. She reached to the small of her back and drew her staff just as the first Sith threw his shoto to finish her. Handmaiden blocked just in time and angled her staff defensively as the Sith spread out to surround her.

Mira parried a saber strike and countered with an upwards diagonal slash. She was doing all right one-on-one, but the others were in trouble, and she couldn't figure a way to help them. If any of the others fell, the Sith would be all over her. Then she saw it-Handmaiden's saber, lying on the floor a short distance away. Mira ducked a high slash and rolled to the side. She staggered her adversary with a kick to the knee, then blew him back with a push. The Sith Master whirled his double-blade and began advancing. Mira raised her right hand and began firing darts. The Sith spun, dodged, and flipped, avoiding all ten. Mira launched her last rocket. The Sith took a tremendous leap as it hit and exploded behind him. Mira ran hard and scooped up the saber. She called out to Handmaiden and threw it. Handmaiden caught it, extended the blades, and staggered the Sith with a flurry of strikes.

Mira was turning back to face her opponent when she was lifted into the air by a whirlwind. She spun crazily and was thrown to the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of her. Mira tried to stand, but the Sith kicked her in the ribs and sent her sliding across the stone floor. The Sith was raising his saber for a fatal blow when Atton de-cloaked behind him and cut him down.

He limped over, leaned down, and pulled Mira to her feet. "Are you all right?"

Mira stood gingerly and felt her ribs. "I can fight. You?"

Atton had a bloody nose and a cut lip to go with the injured leg. He nodded grimly. "I can fight."

They turned and moved to help Handmaiden, who was fighting desperately with her back to a wall. Mira arrived first, crashing into the battle in a full sprint. She threw a push at one Sith and drove him back. Handmaiden jumped, kicked off the wall, and landed next to Atton. There was a brief pause, then both sides went on the attack. Atton and Handmaiden took the Sith carrying two lightsabers. He fought with Form V, using every parry as the start of a counterattack. Atton got in with a quick move and managed to spin the shoto out of his hand. The Sith dodged a slash from Handmaiden and let out a Force-enhanced scream. The piercing blast of sound made both Jedi fall to their knees. The Sith delivered several powerful kicks to Handmaiden's head and upper body, then raised his saber to finish her. Atton sent the Sith into the wall with a tremendous push, then pulled him in for a stab. Handmaiden was unconscious; Atton and Mira faced the last Sith together.

Mira circled, threatening the Sith Master's flank. He parried her attack, then Atton's. They dueled for a minute or so, the Sith spinning back and forth in a blur. He staggered Atton and slashed downward; the pilot got his blade up in time, but was still knocked to the ground and lost his saber. He tripped the Sith with his good leg, then dove on him. They wrestled over the remaining saber, each trying to use it on the other. They were in such a tight clinch that Mira couldn't intervene without hitting Atton too. Atton slammed the Sith's saber hand into the floor until he dropped it; Mira ran up and kicked it away, then went to check on Handmaiden. The Sith got a hand free and punched him in the jaw. Atton responded with a headbutt. They both tumbled into the pool, with Atton on the bottom. He kneed the Sith in the groin and rolled. Atton managed to mount, then grabbed the Sith by the throat and forced his head under the water. He ignored the Sith's punches and held him down until the bubbles stopped and the Sith went still.

Visas dodged a swing of the Hand's massive saber. She and Mical were battered, but they'd given as good as they got and the Massassi warrior was tiring. He threw lightning at Mical, who deflected it with his saber. The Hand followed up with a leg sweep. He connected and knocked Mical down. Visas ran between them. She parried the Hand's attack and slashed vertically. The Hand blocked high, then slashed for her legs. Visas went for the standard Shien counter and jumped over the attack while kicking for her opponent's head. The Hand knew it was coming and caught her leg. Visas lashed out with her other leg; the Hand took a kick to the gut, grunted in pain, then swung Visas and threw her like a doll. Visas used her momentum to land, spin, and throw both sabers. The Hand blocked them both and whirled to lock blades with Mical.

"Jedi fools," he hissed. "You should never have come to this place. I will leave your corpses for the beasts of the jungle!"

Mical shook his head. "Whatever your Master's plan for this system, it ends here. Yield."

The Hand snarled and shoved, then took another swing. Mical blocked it and Visas leapt in from the right. The Hand sidestepped, but Mical came back in and knocked his blade upward. Visas came in under his guard and struck home with a rising cross slash.

Visas and Mical stood for a moment, catching their breath, then went to check on the others. Handmaiden had regained consciousness, but was dazed and weak. Atton could barely walk, and Mira was in pain with every breath. They helped each other to the entrance and outside. The storm had ended and the sky was a brilliant, clear blue. A Q-carrier had arrived with reinforcements, and Kelborn was waiting for them.

Mical waved. "I've got wounded here!"

Several Mandalorians ran up and got Atton and Handmaiden onto stretchers. Kelborn stepped up next to Mical. "Is it done, Jetii?"

Mical smiled tiredly. "It is. What happened with Master Meetra?"

The others leaned in to listen; Kelborn sat back and began filling them in on Meetra's part of the mission.

A/N: This is a big moment, the first time the Padawans really have to stand on their own. It's a massive test, and it needed more of a boss than a generic Dark Jedi Master, so I created the Iron Hand. For those of you who play SWTOR, 'Massassi' is the warrior sub-race of the Sith Pureblood.