CHAPTER LI

Rescue Mission

Your time is now passing quickly. I'll give you a few days more, but I swear that power or no, Force or no, your life will end soon. You are too troublesome to be kept alive now.

Palpatine's voice echoed in Jaina's mind, the words returning to haunt her, continually refusing to leave. The entire incident that had taken place between the Sith Lord and the Jedi had shaken her to her bones. Never before had she felt such power rush through her. The memory of it still lay within her, giving her weakened body a small amount of strength she would have otherwise lacked after being released from the force field.

She was in her cell. As always, it was dark and she was unable to see the walls around her. Jaina lay curled on one side, her left arm pressed firmly against the cold, hard floor to give her some sense of stability she could not gain with her prosthetic one. How much longer now? Her entire life had revolved around life-or-death situations – in some ways, she had grown up with them – but now to be waiting in the silence and the dark for someone to come along and kill her was different. Her stomach tightened. It was impossible to keep track of time in this cell. She had tried calling out to the one person who always heard her, but A'Sharad was gone. He did not answer and there were no sounds from his side of the wall. Most likely the Emperor had dealt with him too, as was the fate of all Jedi in this prison.

Without warning, the door slid open. Light burst into the tiny room and Jaina flinched, shutting her eyes from the sharp pain that struck her eyes as the brightness flooded her cell. She sat up as a shadow crossed the light's path. It was not Krayt – this person was shorter than him. Jaina squinted and immediately recognized the dark-haired woman who was always present whenever they were required to bring Jaina from her cell to another part of the prison. However, she was always accompanied by other guards. This time she was alone.

Jaina slowly got to her feet. "What do you want?" she demanded, her voice hoarse.

The woman folded her arms as she leaned against the wall. "Oh, you really are a pitiful one, aren't you?" she said coldly. "What a performer, always playing the brave Jedi, yet here you are, desolate and…" There was something equivalent of a sneer in her eyes. "Lost," she finished, smirking.

Jaina's eyes narrowed. "Really? So, what are you going to do then? Taunt me to death?"

The woman's expression hardened. "No," she answered. "I have come out of curiosity. I am not a Jedi, I am not a Sith. The ways of the Force-sensitives are strange to me, but still they are merely beings, just like I am. And just like us lesser mortals – as you seem to view us – there are several paths that you could have chosen to walk. From the reports you seemed like such a warrior. How does a woman of such status become what you have? It is clear that there is nothing left for you with the Jedi. There never will be. The Emperor gave you a way out. Why did you not choose it?"

Jaina's hands clenched as her eyes met the officer's cold gaze. She felt a strange, detached laughter begin in her stomach and suddenly she found herself chuckling. The woman did not look impressed.

After a moment, Jaina was able to control her laughter. "You're a fool," she said, "the prime example of a perfect Imperial. You take the quickest route to survival with no thought for the condition of anyone else. You take orders because it means that you get to keep your life. I won't submit to serving Palpatine forever. I refuse to. We have the power of choices. I'll control my own life."

The woman's cheeks flushed red. Her expression turned steely. "Don't you understand?" she hissed, unfolding her arms and stepping across the floor towards Jaina. "You have no more choice. The Delik-66 is slowly killing you. It's infected you and it is out of your hands." She laughed coldly and then crossed the room to the door. Since she was standing in the harsh light of the corridor, Jaina could no longer see her face. "Before you die, I have one last thing to say to you. If you had joined the Emperor, he would have given you a cure."

The door slid shut, immediately blocking out the light. Jaina shivered. She did not want to believe the woman's words, but she could not help wondering if they were true. A cold, despairing feeling was beginning to rise in her. She fought to ignore it as she sat down and hugged her knees close to her body.

No matter what happens to me, she thought furiously, your time is coming to an end, too, Sidious.


The frosty sixth planet of the Hoth system loomed far away in the distance as their ship flew towards the asteroid field. Anakin's mind was so filled with anticipation of arriving at Kuduran that he could almost sense the prison. After all this time of searching, after all this time wondering whether Jaina was dead or alive, not knowing where she was or how much pain and torture the Sith Lord had put her through, Anakin was finally going to get some finality. Who knew what they were speeding towards? Palpatine had to be on that desolate piece of rock – and when Anakin did arrive, he meant to have an audience with his Highness. As soon as Jaina was in safe hands, Darth Sidious would be a marked man.

"Anakin, pay attention to what you are doing!" Obi-Wan's voice snapped.

Anakin blinked and saw the asteroid flying towards the ship. He immediately regained control and veered the ship to the left, darting in and out between the pieces of rock. "Better hang on," he said, glancing out the viewport at the labyrinth of asteroids outside. "This is going to get pretty bumpy."

Obi-Wan groaned. "This is why I hate flying!" he commented through clenched teeth.

Behind them, R2-D2 whirred.

"Quiet, Artoo, I'm trying to concentrate!" Anakin shouted.

"Yes, please, Artoo," Obi-Wan agreed fervently. "Let Anakin do his job."

Anakin rolled his eyes. It was always the same whenever Obi-Wan was in the co-pilot's seat.

Another asteroid shot towards them. The ship dropped and narrowly avoided it.

"You know," Anakin said, his mind carefully searching out other asteroids that could potential be on a collision course with the ship, "sometimes I don't understand why people do stupid things."

"Really," Obi-Wan said sarcastically.

"—like building an entire infrastructure that will pound—" they narrowly avoided another asteroid – "you to death if you're not careful." Anakin relaxed. "This is one hell of an asteroid field, even though it does make a great hiding spot."

Behind them, Kyp laughed.

"What?" Anakin swung his chair around.

"Jaina's father once navigated this asteroid field to escape Imperials," Kyp explained.

Anakin's ears perked up and his mind started to wander away from thoughts of asteroids and ships and prisons.

"Anakin—" Obi-Wan's voice warned.

"Really?" Anakin felt curiosity stirring. "So, he's a pilot?"

"Where do you think Jaina gets her talent?"

Anakin raised his eyebrows.

"Leia doesn't fly much," Kyp clarified.

"Anakin!"

"So?" Anakin said, ignoring replying to Obi-Wan and turning his chair around. He flew the ship upwards and out of the way of an oncoming asteroid. The current danger had passed, but Obi-Wan was still looking much discomforted. Anakin continued the conversation. "These things can… uh… miss a generation… or so."

"There are some very excellent pilots that don't need to rely on the Force to fly," Kyp pointed out. "Jaina's father is one of them."

"Huh."

"Do I sense disapproval?"

Obi-Wan glanced over his shoulder. "I think it's more along the lines of resentment."

"Master!" Anakin objected. "I'm trying to fly here!"

"Then fly," Obi-Wan replied. "And – and try not to run into any asteroids!"

He still looked overly nervous. Anakin rolled his eyes. Obi-Wan was perfectly capable of flying, but it seemed that whenever Anakin himself was involved in the same flying as Obi-Wan, his old master got uptight and edgy.

It was not much later that the large asteroid upon which Kuduran was built came into sight. It was dark shadow on the surface of the rock. Similar to Desolation Alley, the prison was protected by energy shields. Transport ships and other varieties were arriving and leaving through a small hole in the shields.

As soon as he saw it, a shiver ran down Anakin's spine. They were almost there.

"How are we going to get in?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Same way we got into Desolation Alley," Anakin answered. He clenched his teeth, searching for a ship large enough for them to land the ship on and pass undetected through the energy shields.

"This isn't an ordinary prison," Obi-Wan said, "the security will be much higher—"

"Think I don't know that?" Anakin snapped. "I'm tired of sneaking. We'll just… smash our way in if we have to."

R2 beeped.

"Not now," Kyp told the droid flatly.

R2 beeped again, even more persistently.

"What?" Kyp demanded.

A string of furious electronic noises escaped the little droid. Anakin turned his head and glanced over his shoulder at R2. He had never seen the droid act like this before.

"All right, all right," he said. "What is it? Make is fast, I need to decide what to do."

R2 rolled towards the console and plugged himself in. A long strip of red letters flashed across the screen.

I WAS FORUNATE ENOUGH TO GREET THE CENTRAL COMPUTER SYSTEM AT DESOLATION ALLEY. IT TOLD ME THAT SOMEONE HAD LEFT NEW INFORMATION ABOUT THE KUDURAN PRISON ON IT. I WAS ABLE TO NEGOTIATE TERMS THAT RELEASED THAT INFORMATION. THE PRISON SECURITY SYSTEM IS ABOUT TO ASK FOR ACCESS CODES. I CAN PROVIDE THEM FOR YOU. ONCE YOU ARE THROUGH, THEY WILL INSTRUCT YOU TO LAND AT A SPECIFIC DOCKING BAY. YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO IDENTIFY YOURSELVES, SOMETHING WHICH SHOULD NOT BE DIFFICULT FOR JEDI. YOU WILL THEN NEED TO PASS THROUGH A DOOR WHICH REQUIRES ANOTHER SET OF CODES THAT IS PROGRAMMED INTO PERSONNEL IDENTICARDS. STEAL ONE.

I AM UPLOADING THE ACCESS CODES SO YOU MAY TRANSMIT THEM TO THE PRISON SECURITY SYSTEM. STAY ON COURSE.

The ship continued on its way towards an opening in the energy shield. Anakin relaxed, staring fondly at the droid. "Artoo, what would I do without you?"

YOU WOULD HAVE NO ACCESS CODES. THANK YOU FOR THE COMPLIMENT.

"Well, that certainly makes things easier," Kyp said.

A voice came through on the system. "Unidentified craft, you are heading into restricted territory. Identify yourselves and prepare to be boarded."

"Spoke too soon," Obi-Wan muttered.

"Transmit the access codes, Artoo," Anakin said.

R2 beeped. The console screen flashed several times and the Jedi waited in silence for the response to come.

"Permission to land in docking bay D-761 granted," the voice said.

The ship passed through the energy shield without incident.

"Is that it?" Anakin asked, slightly bewildered. "I thought it would be harder." Shrugging, he set the ship on its course towards the docking bay.

"Why do I sense a trap?" Obi-Wan muttered.

"Master, to you, everything is a trap."

The ship glided towards the docking bay with ease. However, as they drew closer, Anakin was beginning to feel uncomfortable. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he tensed, his anticipation growing even stronger. Suddenly, everything around him blacked out.

"Anakin!"

His mind threw him back into the present moment just in time to careen the ship into the docking bay without crashing into anything. His hands were clenched so tightly on the yoke that his knuckles had turned white. For a moment, he thought that he had, in fact, gone blind but there was nothing wrong with his eyes.

The Force was gone. Anakin couldn't sense anything – none of the people moving around the docking bay, his companions, the ships, the prison – nothing. He shivered and slowly released his grip on the yoke. He glanced at his friends. Obi-Wan's face had paled. Kyp's expression was one of extreme revulsion.

"Ysalamiri," he muttered.

"What?" Anakin demanded.

"Ysalamiri," Kyp repeated. He stood up and signalled for the others to follow him. "They're creatures from Myrkr. They block the Force. The entire infrastructure must be filled with them – that's why none of the Jedi have been able to use the Force to escape from here. It's why we haven't been able to sense them. Why I haven't been able to sense Jaina since she threw my name into my mind when we all thought she was dead. She must have found a pocket that wasn't affected by them and used it to her best advantage." They rounded the corner of the ship. Kyp paused before hitting the button that would release the ramp. "If this base is filled with ysalamiri, then that means that Palpatine won't be able to feel it either. He won't be able to sense us—"

"And when we find him," Anakin finished, his eyes flashing, "then he'll just be a defenceless old man."

"Exactly," Kyp said. He punched the button and the ramp slowly lowered onto the docking bay floor.

They rushed down the ramp, R2 speeding after them. There were many personnel walking throughout the docking bay. Anakin quickly looked around, taking in the environment. They would need to ambush at least one or two to steal the identicards that they needed to access the rest of the infrastructure.

"Keep walking," Obi-Wan muttered under his breath, his eyes on the prison personnel who were watching them. "We're already drawing some suspicion. There's a terminal over there on the right side by the door. Have Artoo locate Jaina's cell. I'll go distract one of the guards."

Before Anakin could say anything, Obi-Wan slipped away and walked across the docking bay towards the closest guard. R2 beeped as he caught up with them and they continued on their way to the terminal. Once there, the droid plugged himself in and began sorting through information, which he then displayed on the corresponding screen. Anakin was reading the information as quickly as R2 gave it to him; Kyp kept an eye out for any approaching guards.

"She's in cell 1296 in cell-block K-132 on level nine," Anakin muttered under his breath. "Artoo is giving us a general location, but he can't seem to pull up a plan – wait."

"What?" Kyp turned around. R2 beeped hesitantly as both Jedi read the information at the same time.

"They're going to kill her," Anakin breathed.

"In less than an hour!" Kyp hissed.

They both turned around as R2 unplugged himself from the terminal. They headed towards the door, but couldn't get through as they did not have access yet.

"Where's Obi-Wan?" Anakin demanded.

As if on cue, Obi-Wan reappeared. There was an identicard in his hand. "I was only able to get hold of this one," he said, holding it up for examination by the computer at the door. There was a beeping sound and the door slid open. They passed through quickly before it shut behind them.

"What did you do?" Anakin asked. "You can't have mind-tricked him—"

"I used the smugglers' equivalent," Obi-Wan said simply. "I knocked him out and hid him somewhere they won't find him for a good long while."

Anakin chuckled reluctantly.

"We have to hurry," Kyp said quickly. "We've got less than an hour to find Jaina – she's been scheduled for termination."

Obi-Wan's expression hardened. "Was Artoo able to get a plan of the building?"

R2 beeped a negative.

"Then let's hurry."


"You called for me, your Highness." Ursel Isard knelt on the floor at the bottom of the stairs that led up to the Emperor's throne. His back was turned away from her at the moment; the Emperor's gaze met only with the vastness of space that could be seen out of the large window that took up much of one wall in the throne room. It was here that the Emperor was in command of his full power as this was the only place where there was a ban on the presence of ysalamiri. The creatures could be moved around the infrastructure to allow the presence of the Force where the Emperor desired it, but there would never been one anywhere near the throne room.

"Yes, Ursel." His throne swivelled around. "I did."

Isard kept her head bowed. Now that Krayt was gone, fallen out of favour and only a mere annoyance on the shoulder of the great leader, she was the Emperor's favourite. Had she been Force-sensitive, she would no doubt have been made his new apprentice. However, this was a gleeful little fact that she kept to herself at all times – there was no point in endangering her position by making it look like she was ready to rise above her station. Still, she couldn't help but evoke a small smile as of all the officers in command of posts at Kuduran, she was the only one whom the Emperor called by first name.

"You may rise, Ursel."

She slowly got to her feet. Emperor Palpatine looked down at her, his expression unreadable. "Come, my dear," he said, standing up and gesturing for her to join him. "We have an incident to discuss."

Isard quickly stepped up the stairs and joined the Emperor at the top. They walked towards the window and watched the asteroids float by.

"There has been an intrusion," the Emperor said.

"Of what kind?" Isard inquired.

"It seems as though Jaina Solo's Jedi friends have finally made it to Kuduran," the Emperor said. "It was only a matter of time before they did. Anakin Skywalker is one of the most stubborn men I have ever met – when he sets out to do something, he will do it no matter what the cost." There was a mocking expression on the Emperor's face. He was in control. The Jedi would be in for a surprise when they tried to rescue Solo. Isard knew it.

"What would you like me to do?" Isard asked. "Hunt down these Jedi and put them in their place?"

"I know it is very much what you would like, Ursel," the Emperor said, smiling at her. His eyes glittered. "But there are events afoot that one such as yourself would never fully comprehend. The Jedi will be forced to separate. Two will go to Jaina Solo's cell. The other will find me. I want you to carry out Jaina Solo's scheduled termination before the two Jedi searching for her arrive at her cell. Then, when they do come, I want you to kill them. They will be hindered by their inability to feel the Force, but be warned – these are two of the most dangerous and skilled men you will ever encountered. I need someone I can trust to carry out these plans. You are the most suited officer."

"Thank you for your selection, your Highness," Isard said. "It will be done."

"Then you are dismissed."

Isard bowed and began down the steps, her head held high and her back straight. She would carry out this mission. She was more than a match for two Jedi, Force or no Force.

"Oh, and Ursel," the Emperor called.

She turned. "Yes, your Highness?"

For a split second, it seemed as if the Emperor's eyes flashed red.

"Do not fail me."


The corridors of the prison were strangely quiet. The Jedi barely passed anyone as they wove their way through the labyrinth of white halls, trying to find the closest elevator. The docking bay was on level two and they would need to descend seven more levels if they were going to find Jaina's cellblock.

And they were running out of time.

"Artoo, do you think that you can try again?" Anakin asked. "We're not getting anywhere."

The droid beeped and whirred.

"Artoo," Anakin snapped.

The droid whirred again and trundled over to the nearest terminal and plugged himself in. Several officers passed by while they waited. Anakin kept his eye on them until they turned the corner and went out of sight.

Suddenly, alarms blared. R2 whirred very loudly and shot himself backwards, colliding with the opposite wall. He beeped and twittered unhappily.

"What just happened?" Anakin asked.

"The terminals inside the prison must be encoded," Kyp muttered. "Artoo wasn't allowed through and accidentally set off the alarms—"

"—and alerted them to our position," Obi-Wan finished. "Run!"

They turned and ran as guards came around the corner, their blasters pointed directly at them. Anakin swore under his breath as his natural reaction to the attack was quickly exterminated – there was no way to access the Force and utilize it to throw the guards off. Given time to adjust, Anakin was sure that he could take them on, but he couldn't help but remember all the times in the past months when he had barely survived being assaulted by throngs of troops and how it had only been his connection to the Force that had allowed him to live without sustaining any major injuries. The Force was deep at the core of his being; to be separated from it was worse than when he had lost his arm. For one instant, as he sprinted down the hall, he almost felt helpless. No matter of searching would return it to him.

The Jedi spun around a corner in the corridor and cantered down the hall. Anakin glanced over his shoulder – the guards were not very far behind them. Three of the soldiers that were in the lead fired at them as they ran. Anakin ducked, avoiding the blaster bolt and rushed after Obi-Wan and Kyp.

Prior to arriving at Kuduran, Anakin had known that breaking Jaina out was going to be difficult. But now, everything was going to be even more difficult than it should be. He was wondering how they were going to possibly throw the guards off their backs when something Obi-Wan had said only several minutes ago came back to him. "I used the smugglers' equivalent."

If non-Force sensitives could break into all sorts of interesting and dangerous places, then so could he.

Up ahead, R2 beeped at him. Anakin sprinted down the corridor and caught up with the droid and their companions.

"Why are we stopping?" he demanded as he skidded to a halt.

"I think Artoo managed to slice some useful information from the central computer before it locked him out," Kyp said, glancing at the little droid as he trundled up to the door they were standing beside. "He was insistent that we stop here."

Anakin looked down at R2. "I hope he's not about to short-circuit on us," he groaned, "because that would mean we are in a lot of trouble."

The sounds of stampeding boots on durasteel echoed down the hall. Anakin unclipped his lightsaber. Even though the balance of the weapon would be off as he could not feel the Force and wield it as it should, he was not entirely defenceless. Neither were his companions – despite being temporarily disabled, the guards should not be able to take three of them down. Instead, the guards would slow them down and the Jedi were on a very tight schedule.

"Come on, Artoo," Anakin muttered.

R2 whirred at him. Moments later, the door slid open and Anakin darted through it ahead of Kyp and Obi-Wan.

He wasn't expecting what was behind the door. Anakin found himself sprinting on to a long bridge that spanned immediately deep chasm of what appeared to be the central core shaft of the building. Small lights lined the smooth durasteel walls, providing the only light in the vast, dark space. He slowed himself to a stop about halfway across to allow him to look back at his companions. Kyp was already running towards him, but Obi-Wan was waiting for R2 to make it through.

"Master!" Anakin called.

"Keep going," Obi-Wan called back. "I'll make sure that those guards won't be getting through any time soon."

Anakin nodded and sprinted to the end of the bridge, Kyp following him. R2 twerped as he came through the door and Obi-Wan flicked one of the levers on the control panel, closing the door and sealing them off from their pursuers. With that accomplished, Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber just as Kyp reached the end of the bridge and stood beside Anakin. He and Anakin watched as Obi-Wan plunged his lightsaber through the control panel, making sure that the door could not be opened easily by a control override. With that complete, he began sprinting across the bridge, R2 rolling along beside him.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang and Obi-Wan flew backwards, landing near the edge of the side of the bridge. R2 was shaken from his position and fell over with a thump, whirring madly. There was a clang and the bridge detached from Anakin and Kyp's side and began retracting towards its point of origin.

"Master!" Anakin shouted.

Obi-Wan threw himself to his feet and sprinted back to the landing as R2 ignited his arm-rockets and blasted upwards into the air just as his patch of bridge disappeared. The bridge was quickly catching up with Obi-Wan. At the last moment, he flung himself forwards just as the bridge disappeared from under his feet and caught hold of the very edge of the landing. He struggled for a few moments before managing to pull himself up and on to the stable surface of the landing. R2 alighted next to him.

"Are you all right?" Anakin called across the chasm.

"I'm fine, Anakin," Obi-Wan answered. "You two go on and find Jaina. We're running out of time, don't worry about me. R2 and I will get out of this."

Anakin swore under his breath. He didn't want to leave Obi-Wan stranded on the other side, but there was no way for him to cross. The controls were completely disabled and they couldn't waste time trying to find another way. They would have to separate.

Anakin glanced at Kyp.

"There's no time," he said.

"I'll be fine!" Obi-Wan said.

Anakin nodded. "We'll catch you up," he called.

"Anakin, go!"

With one last look over his shoulder, Anakin turned and ran through the door leading out to the corridor. He just hoped that Obi-Wan would be able to find a way out of the mess.

Concentrate, Anakin, he told himself firmly. You need to find Jaina.

He and Kyp skidded to a halt at an intersection of the corridors. There were no signs of where in the prison they were. Anakin looked around hurriedly for somewhere to go, somewhere to run that made sense. The alarms continued to blare in his ears – the sound was deafening.

"Oh, shut up!" he snapped at the ceiling.

A red light flashed by one of the doors, catching Anakin's attention. As he turned towards it, it slid open and four officers exited. They spotted Anakin and Kyp, who had not had time to hide. Knowing that there was an impending fight coming up, the two Jedi ignited their lightsabers. There wasn't going to be an easy way out of this.

"The intruders!"

Anakin ducked. Instead of trying to fight back, he flung himself by the Imperials and into the lift. The moment Kyp flew into it, Anakin jammed the button that closed the door and they zoomed downwards and away.

"Well," Kyp said, "that was different."

Anakin was about to reply when the lift jerked to an abrupt halt, throwing both of them off-balance.


The alarms were still blaring loudly as Obi-Wan heard the clicking sounds from the opposite side of the door that were a result of the Imperials attempting to get it open. He glanced at R2, who was whirring and beeping worriedly at his side.

"No chance of getting me across, eh, Artoo?" he asked.

The droid beeped a negative.

"That's unfortunate."

R2 bleeped his agreement.

"What do you say we do, Artoo?" Obi-Wan said. "Bust our way out of here and lead them on a wild bantha chase?"

R2 beeped.

"Yes, I thought so, too."

The door slid open. A dozen soldiers with their blasters raised faced Obi-Wan and he lifted his hands up in surrender as a leader stepped forwards to speak.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," the officer said, "I am placing you under arrest for infiltration of two prison bases, crimes against the Empire and treason committed against the Emperor himself."

"How wonderfully exciting," Obi-Wan said blithely. "Don't you think so, Artoo?"

R2 bleeped fervently.

"Unfortunately, officer," he added, "being arrested really isn't my style."

He ignited his lightsaber and threw himself forwards just as R2 blasted forwards on his arm-rockets, knocking half of the guards over as they tried to avoid being fried by the dual combination of the droid's small blasts of flame and the Jedi's lightsaber. Obi-Wan ducked several blaster bolts that the remaining soldiers fired at him, but he was already out of their reach and sprinting down the hall before they could re-ground. R2 rolled after him.

One of the major difficulties with Imperial centres was that everything looked the same. The halls were stark white and twisted their way around each other so much so that it soon became difficult to tell which way one had come and which intersection one had reached. It was only when the shade of the corridors' walls changed to a darker grey that Obi-Wan knew that he had left one section behind.

Now the thing to do was to find some sort of schematics of the place.

The sound of guards running up and down the halls followed them everywhere they went. Now searching the grey-walled corridors for a computer terminal, Obi-Wan sped around a corner and came face to face with the unwanted attention of a dozen or so blasters pointed in his direction.

"Oh, not good."

R2 beeped wildly. Obi-Wan turned and ran back around the corner, dashing down a different corridor, listening to the sounds of the approaching guards. Knowing that it was impossible to run forever without being caught, he began looking for some place to hide until the guards passed him and he could leave in the opposite direction from which they came. Darting down one of the darker corridors, Obi-Wan rushed passed a door. He skidded a stop and slammed his palm against the button that should have opened it. He swore under his breath when it didn't, cursing the ysalamiri for his inability to connect with the Force in this prison.

"Artoo, can you get this door open?" Obi-Wan asked.

The droid bleeped and rolled over to inspect the door. He whirred and beeped for several long moments before the door sprang open. Obi-Wan quickly entered the dimly lit room and R2 trundled inside after him. The door slid shut behind them, just in time before several guards made their way down the hall outside.

Obi-Wan stood still in the dark, listening to his own shallow breath as he focused on the voices of the guards.

"Split up," one of them commanded, "the Jedi should be around here somewhere."

Their footsteps echoed down the hall, getting farther and farther away.

They were gone.

Obi-Wan let out a sigh of relief and then turned to see exactly what he had wandered into. As he began moving, dim lights snapped on one at a time overhead, slowly shedding light on the room.

Computers, screens and strange equipment were scattered throughout the low-ceilinged chamber. Obi-Wan walked through it, inspecting some of the equipment and glancing at the computers, all of which were humming with activity, flashing words and numbers across their screens. R2 bleeped uncertainly.

"What is this place?"


The jolt had thrown Anakin to the floor, but as he tried to get up, the sudden momentum of the lift flying upwards threw him careening into the wall. Pulling himself up, Anakin looked around for the quick exit that would be necessary if the elevator stopped where he thought it would stop.

"Up," he said.

"What?" Kyp asked.

"Up," Anakin confirmed, still staring at the ceiling. "There should be a hatch or something that will lead us to the top of the lift."

Kyp raised an eyebrow. "And?"

Anakin grunted. "And therefore when the Imperials come to call, as they will be doing in a very short amount of time, they won't be able to find us because we'll be on top of the lift."

Kyp stared at him, his expression unchanging.

"It's no worse than the air duct plan!" Anakin protested.

Kyp sighed and glanced upwards. "Do you see a hatch, Anakin?"

"Uh…" Anakin looked up again. To his dismay, the ceiling was quite smooth, unblemished by hatches of any kind. "No." He paused. "We could make one?" He raised his lightsaber hilt.

"Right, and all the Imps will have to do is follow the piece of ceiling that will be on the floor back to where it came from," Kyp said sarcastically. "'Hmm, I wonder where this random piece of metal came from? Oh, they must be on the roof!"

Anakin exhaled sharply. "Point." He grunted. "So, what then?"

"Easy solution," Kyp said. "We're going down. Hang on to something."

Before Anakin could say anything, Kyp stabbed his crimson lightsaber into the lift control panel. Immediately the elevator came to a screeching halt, throwing Kyp backwards into the wall. His lightsaber fell and deactivated itself as it hit the floor. Kyp reached for it as it began rolling to the other side of the car. There was the sound of metal slowly moving against metal. The lights flickered and there was a high-pitched screeching sound before the lift dropped downwards, whooshing towards the bottom of the shaft at an increasingly fast pace. Anakin kept still as the lift rattled, picking up speed. Suddenly, the lift jerked to a stop, throwing Anakin and Kyp to opposite sides of the car. The lights went out, leaving them in the dark.

There was a tiny beep and then the door creaked open.

"Level nine," Kyp said, getting to his feet.

Anakin quickly stood up and they exited the lift. The corridors were bright white and took off in several directions. There were no alarms sounding down here and all was deathly quiet.

"This is not working," Anakin groaned, glancing at the multiple routes. "I don't even know which way to start."

"And we're running out of time," Kyp said flatly.

The words were barely out of his mouth when a lone guard came running down the hall to inspect the commotion the lift had made when coming down the shaft. He caught sight of Anakin and Kyp and immediately reached for his comm, but Anakin was too fast for him. Flying at the guard, he delivered a well-aimed punch that knocked the Imperial off his feet. Anakin snatched the binders that were clipped to the guard's utility belt and quickly bound his hands behind his back before seizing the comm and crushing it with his boot.

"We're on a bit of a tight schedule," Anakin said in the guard's ear, holding him in a tight headlock. "It would be a very good idea to tell us where cell 1296 in cell-block K-132 is. They're holding a Jedi there. Ringing any bells?"

The guard choked.

"Anakin," Kyp said, "you're holding him too tightly, he can't talk."

"Oh." He eased up his grip.

The Imperial coughed and spluttered before recovering enough breath to speak. "Yes. I know where that is. But I won't be taking you there."

Kyp ignited his lightsaber. "That's really not necessary," he said darkly. "We'll find it on our own if you give us the precise directions. I'd really suggest doing just that. Accidents aren't likely to be pleasant."

The guard's eyes widened. "All right, all right!" he choked. "I'll tell you where it is, just don't hurt me!"

Anakin released his grip slightly and dragged the Imperial to his feet. "Tell. Now."

"Straight down this hall, turn left at the third intersection, right at the second intersection from there and then the entrance to cell-block K-132 is the first large door on your right. You'll need an access key to get through."

Kyp leaned forwards and grabbed the guard's identicard. "Will this do?"

The guard nodded nervously. "The cells are numbered. It should be easy enough to find it."

"Let's go," Kyp said.

Anakin nodded, dropping the guard on the floor. They sprinted down the corridor, whipping around the corner as they followed the guard's directions. Anakin glanced at his chrono as they ran. The bright red numbers flashed before his eyes. They were almost out of time.

The Jedi skidded to a halt in front of the door. Anakin pressed the identicard against the scanner for identification and the door slid open. They sprinted inside, the grey walls of the cell-block flashing by as they searched for Jaina's cell.

There was a bend in the cell-block. Anakin and Kyp, following the bright numbers above each of the cells, turned the corner and suddenly skidded to a stop.

Up ahead, there was a cell that had been opened. There were several guards standing near it.

"Jaina," Kyp breathed.

Without waiting for Anakin, he dashed forwards. The guards, alerted by the sound of Kyp's stampeding boots on the floor, turned and fired at him. Kyp ignited his lightsaber and managed to deflect a few of the blaster bolts without even needing to Force to sense where they were going to go. Anakin sped after him, igniting his own blade, and leapt into the fray.

Blaster bolts bounced around the corridor. Red light flashed and was re-directed as it collided with the lightsabers' blades. However, the space was too narrow and without the Force, the close combat was endangering Anakin and Kyp of being shot by one of the bolts deflected off their own lightsabers. Anakin dove out of the way of another shot, rolled on the floor and leapt back up to his feet, knocking one of the guards to the ground while Kyp grappled with another. Once the guard was disarmed, the Jedi charged towards the cell and ducked into the cell.

Anakin took in the scene with one sweep of his eyes. There were several guards in the cell, along with a black-haired woman who was clearly their leader. Jaina was on the floor, her eyes closed, struggling to rise to face her enemy, but it was evident that she had almost no strength at all. Anakin's breath caught in his throat when he saw her – she was almost unrecognizable. She ws dressed in a grey prison uniform, her hair had been shorn off, and her body was covered with bruises and cuts and lacerations that twisted over her left arm, some of which were half-healed. Where her right arm should have been was a metal prosthetic.

Anakin's own metal hand clenched into a fist.

"Jaina!"

Kyp rushed towards her, but he was stopped by the guards who seized him. The black-haired woman turned to face Anakin, her cold eyes narrowed. "I was expecting you, Jedi," she said.

"Kyp? Anakin?" Jaina's hoarse voice groaned quietly from the floor. She opened her eyes, but she seemed to have difficulty focusing her vision.

"I'm here, Jaina," Kyp said, struggling against the guards' grasp.

Anakin raised his lightsaber, its blade casting blue light around the small, dark cell. "Release her," he stated, his eyes boring into the Imperial's. "Now."

The woman laughed, smirking. "I don't think so. You see, Jedi," she said, "I am in control here. There is no Force for you to manipulate to your advantage. You are outnumbered, outmatched. So put that toy away and come along quietly. I have business with the girl that needs completion."

"If you think that Jedi are helpless without the Force, you are wrong," Anakin snapped.

"Is that a challenge?" the woman responded, raising her eyebrows.

"Try me," Anakin hissed.

The woman chuckled. "Not today, Anakin Skywalker," she said. "Not today. Guards," she commanded, "seize him."

Anakin attempted to strike out at them before they reached him, but the soldiers were too fast. They grabbed him from behind, taking his lightsaber from his hand. Anakin snarled and fought against their grasp. "Who are you?" he shouted.

The woman's expression remained unchanged. "Very well, then," she said. "I am Ursel Isard and I am the woman who is going to kill you."

"I thought you'd leave that up to your Emperor," Anakin hissed. "Or do you want to take the grandeur of killing the Chosen One for yourself?"

"Hmm." She paused. "Yes, I do."

"Challenge accepted," Anakin snarled. He jammed his arms down abruptly, the force of the action pulling his captors down with them. He managed to kick both of them in the head before picking up his lightsaber and activating it. The woman's hand slid into her holster and pulled out a small, compact blaster.

Behind them, Kyp managed to free himself from one of the guards.

Isard fired at Anakin, but the blast missed him and struck the wall. The second bolt bounced off his blade and careened into the far wall of the cell. Jaina cried out, unable to see what was going on.

"Better be careful," Isard taunted, "or Solo could end up dead by your own hand, Skywalker."

She fired again and Anakin dove out of the way. He was now at the door with Isard advancing on him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kyp deliver a blow to the second guard, which knocked him against the wall. The Imperials now out of the way, he rushed to Jaina's side.

Red light flew towards Anakin and he spun out of the way and into the cell-block corridor.

"Better watch your step," Isard hissed, keeping her blaster on him as she advanced.

Anakin raised his lightsaber. "Oh, I am always very careful."

He launched himself at her. Her weapon fired just as his lightsaber swung towards her chest. The motion set her off-balance, causing her to fall sideways. The blaster bolt flew into the opposite wall, charring it, and Anakin's lightsaber plunged into the wall he was now facing. He caught Isard with his left hand, pinning her against the wall close to the spot where his saber was slowly melting the durasteel. Her eyes glanced up at the sparks and soft, red-hot metal that was so close to the top of her head.

"I'll have you know that I have no aversions whatsoever in killing you right now," he hissed.

Her eyes met his and she tilted her head. "Doesn't that speak against your precious Jedi code?" she sneered. She struggled against his grip, but Anakin pressed her even tighter against the wall.

"There is no code now," he snarled. "The Jedi Order doesn't exist anymore. But what I do have is my conscience and you know what? I think I can deal with your death."

Isard tutted mockingly. "What a shame," she said, her eyes boring into his. "You would have made an excellent Imperial. The Emperor was wrong to give up on you so easily."

Anakin sneered. "The Emperor isn't going to make it out of here alive."

"Heh." Isard shrugged. "You'll be surprised what your enemy can do when you're not expecting it."

Anakin cried out as a sharp pain shot through his upper arm from where his prosthetic arm connected with his real one. Isard's grasp was tight as she twisted his arm behind his back in a ruthless movement. His lightsaber fell from his grasp, deactivating when it thudded to the floor. Isard swiftly picked it up and ignited it, bringing the blue blade so close to his neck that Anakin thought that his skin was going to burn.

"How poetic it will be," Isard whispered in his ear, "that the great Jedi Skywalker is killed by his own blade?"

"You wish," Anakin hissed back. He tugged sharply and his metal arm slid free from her grip. Isard gasped in pain as the quick movement of the metal torn the upper layer of the skin of her palm. As she was momentarily distracted, Anakin grasped her other hand and pulled the hilt of his lightsaber free. Raising it, he lunged at her but she kicked him in the shins, causing him to crash into her, pinning her on the floor beneath him. Isard snarled as Anakin lifted his lightsaber once again. Blue light cascaded over her face.

"Going to kill me?" she snarled.

Before Anakin could respond, a sharp pain ripped into his side. He howled, falling backwards onto the floor. He saw Isard's cold eyes reflect the light of his lightsaber for an instant and then the blade plunged into her chest. Her body went limp as sparks glanced off her face and then her eyes glazed over, all signs of life leaving her.

Anakin deactivated his lightsaber and sat on the cold floor, wincing with every movement he made. He looked down and saw the handle of a vibroblade sticking out of his side. Gritting his teeth, he took hold of the handle and pulled the blade out. The thin, short blade was smeared with blood. Exhausted, Anakin pressed a hand to his side and leaned forwards and used the vibroblade to cut a band of material from Isard's uniform. Leaning back against the wall, he lifted his tunic and wrapped the cloth strip tightly around his stomach.

"Anakin, I need your help!" Kyp's voice called desperately from inside the cell.

Anakin used the wall to pull himself to his feet and he stumbled along into the cell. Jaina had collapsed onto the floor, her head cradled in Kyp's lap. His face was pale.

"She fell unconscious when you started your fight with Isard," he said. "I haven't been able to wake her. She's been tortured badly." A mixture of fury and anxiousness came over is expression. "Is Isard dead?" he asked, glancing at him.

Anakin nodded.

Kyp's eyes flickered to the blood on Anakin's side and hand. "She stabbed you?"

Anakin nodded. "Hurts like hell," he said, wincing, "but I don't think she punctured anything vital. I'll live."

Their eyes returned to Jaina's limp form.

"Help me with her," Kyp said.

Anakin clipped his lightsaber back on his belt, wiped the blood off the vibroblade and slipped it into a pocket. Kneeling down, he put one of Jaina's arms over his shoulders and helped Kyp lift her off the ground. Together, they half-carried, half-dragged her out of the cell, Anakin limping slightly under Jaina's weight.

"Guards will be back soon," Kyp said darkly as they made their way back down the corridor, negotiating their way by the unconscious guards they had knocked out when they had made their initial assault. "We're not out of this yet."

"No," Anakin said. An image of Palpatine flashed in his mind.

"No, we aren't."


There was something menacing about the room. There was a greenish cast to the lighting and it was eerily dim and cold. As Obi-Wan walked through the chamber, an ominous feeling kept resurfacing, more present now than ever. There was something very odd about this room, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what.

From his observations, it looked as though it was some kind of experimental station. There were lab benches that supported vials of liquids of strange colours. There were several evil-looking devices that he couldn't quite decide what they were for before realizing that he probably didn't want to find out. He stopped by one of the labs and picked up a vial of a bright yellow liquid.

There was a very loud bleep behind him and Obi-Wan jumped in surprise. He spun around and almost cracked the vial as his hand grasped it tightly. R2-D2 whirred in front of him. Obi-Wan sighed.

"Really, Artoo, would you mind being more careful?" he asked.

The droid let out a string of bleeps and bloops, some of which were slightly apologetic in sound. He then spun around and rolled towards one of the computer terminals, beeping all the way.

"What did you find?" Obi-Wan said, following him.

R2 beeped loudly.

"All right, all right, give me a moment."

Obi-Wan arrived at the computer and looked at the screen. There appeared to be a data sheet pulled up on the screen, but what the data was for, he couldn't tell at first glance. His eyes flickered to the top.

Delik-66. Creator: Jarvlis Arkheenan. Date Retrieved: 6497:5:15.

Obi-Wan shivered as he stared at the date. Something about it wasn't right. If it was written in the ReSynchronization format, then this date was centuries in the future.

Palpatine, he thought.

"This is not good, Artoo," he said.

R2 beeped in agreement.

Obi-Wan continued to read. Beneath the name of the substance, the name of the creator and the date, there was a list of "test subjects." The first on the list was that of Master Agen Kolar. Obi-Wan froze and he re-read the entry.

Agen Kolar. Male Zabrak. Jedi Master. One and a half weeks. Deceased.

The next entry was similar and no less chilling.

Kit Fisto. Male Nautolan. Jedi Master. Half a week. Deceased.

Obi-Wan's heart pounded as he continued to read the listing of test subjects, all of whom were Jedi and all of whom were non-human. His fingers clenched into fists. All of them were dead. He finally knew what had happened to them in the end. Many of the Jedi he had known were listed here.

So this is what the Empire does with its captives, he thought furiously. Throws them into prison, tortures and experiments on them, degrading them and ultimately killing them with this Delik-66, whatever it is.

He was about to turn away when the final name on the list caught his eye.

Jaina Solo. Female Human. Jedi Knight. Test malfunction.

"Oh, no," he breathed. Needing to know what was in her file, Obi-Wan selected her name. The screen flashed as the file downloaded and he began to read. As he scanned the information, he froze, unable to move, his eyes glued to the screen.

R2 beeped inquiringly.

Obi-Wan ignored him and continued to stare at the screen. His brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of the data.

"What the hell?"