Rise of The Wraith

by DFM23

A Separatist experiment results in the creation of a deadly super-soldier, engineered to eliminate the Clone Army and annihilate Republic forces. As his notoriety grows, the Republic experiencing his fury in full, questions arise as to who he is. Is there more to him than a monster? A certain Togruta padawan is determined to find out. M for violence and mature situations. AU

201. The Best Laid Plans

Author's Note: Holy good gravy I do apologize for taking so long to finish this one. However, it's here now and there's still plenty more to come. Enjoy!

Tonight... Ahsoka rolls her eyes. Dynnal runs away. And Hondo attempts a get-rich-quick scheme.

---

-Chapter 133: The Best Laid Plans-

Location: Florrum

"Good intentions tend to collide with the agendas of others."

The images flicked past one by one, each a still-shot taken from a prior recording. They slowed for a moment, central image processing and analysis system highlighting facial features, taking in each line and contour to assess the being in question. They were being studied, a compendium of images uploaded into recognition software to determine a match. Within moments, the available data had a confirmed match. Reaper knew these grounded systems were far more capable and reliable than his mobile ones, therefore their readouts and conclusions were far more trustworthy.

Of course, there was always the possibility that electronic recognition could be fallible. One thing Reaper knew, however, was that organic recognition was not.

"Oh no..." Doctor Scipio gasped, the Pau'an clutching his chest as he laid eyes on the mercenary called 'Dynnal'. An armourless Reaper turned around in his seat as the Pau'an remained fixated on the two images on the monitor before them. One was of Dynnal from Onderon, the other was stock photogenic of Wraith, the program deeming them a 98% match.

"That's him?" Reaper inquired. For a moment, Scipio did not answer. Then he swallowed nervously and slowly nodded.

"Y-Yes." Reaper accepted his response. Few knew Wraith better than Scipio, who had spent seventeen years with him. If the doctor could confirm his identity, then there was no disputing it.

"You know I have to upload this to Count Dooku." Reaper added.

"I do." His answer was simple, but his tone was heavy and despondent. Reaper did not emote his own feelings but kept them under wraps. Obviously it was difficult to comprehend that their greatest ally had turned on them, making them their greatest threat. Regardless of how this had happened, Reaper focused on what he was going to do about it. Saving the facial recognition file, he stood and made to leave. "Where are you going?" Scipio gently inquired, his voice rather weak as he was still reeling from the confirmation.

"Wraith is against us now which, given his skills, is not a good thing. If I'm going up against him, my current armor won't cut it." Reaper simply responded. He needed to get in touch with his originals handlers in the Techno Union. He needed an upgrade...

---

It had been a day since they recovered T'lea, one day since Dynnal learned that he, technically, had a sister. A half-sister, one a Human-Twi'lek hybrid, but he didn't care. It was stunning to learn but also rather cool, knowing he now had a sibling. T'lea had taken to it far quicker than he had, actively referring to him as her 'big brother' for the rest of his visit. A cute title and one he was certainly fond of, Dynnal thoroughly enjoyed getting to know his new sister and began to wonder how he might introduce her to Ahsoka. She'd probably be as flabbergasted as he had been the moment his parents and Hahlli revealed the truth.

For now, though, he had other worries in mind. In the hours since that revelation, he had noticed a distinct change in his mother's attitude. She'd been quiet, in a rather brooding manner, her responses simple and short, seemingly curt at times. It simply wasn't like her to be this forward and Dynnal had a feeling he knew what was bugging her. And it was a matter he needed to discuss with his father.

The opportune time to discuss arose not long afterwards when Corsair invited him on a trip. After the events of Onderon, it was time for a supply run. Being a fairly savvy businessman in his own right, Corsair would go to seal the deal for new supplies and, under the cover of needing experience, Dynnal would go with.

The boarded Horzon's Edge together, the shuttle leaving Coruscant and entering hyperspace without issue. Once they were enveloped in the blue tunnel of light, Corsair let his body sag with a sigh before he fished a cigarra out of his vest and lit up.

"Something wrong?" Dynnal asked.

"Naw, 's fine." Corsair waved him off. "Jus' baskin' in somethin' simple's all." Dynnal grunted his agreement, not entirely convinced, and leaned back as well. "So... 'ow's life wit' a sistah?"

"Well, you can tell we haven't grown up together." Dynnal remarked, seeing as there was no preeminent sibling rivalry between them. "If anything... I don't know, I'd like to get to know her some more. I think she could be a close friend."

"Keep tellin' stories an' she's bound ta stick wit' ya." Corsair mused, a long drag on his cigarra filling the cockpit with a brief cloud of smoke.

"She did enjoy my variation of Zygerria." Dynnal continued, warding off some errant smoke with a wave of his hand. "Had to edit it profusely, but she still enjoyed it. I should tell her some more involving Ahsoka, that way she can be all hyped up when I finally introduce her."

"Ya plan on doin' that, eh?" Corsair queried.

"Well, if anything, it's only fair that I introduce my lovely lady to my half-sister." Dynnal explained, leaning back as his thoughts drifted to his Togruta sweetheart. She'd briefly commed him to explain that she'd be too busy to talk for the next few days but would happily fill him in the next chance she got.

"Glad ta know tha two a' ya are gettin' along." Corsair mused, another long drag following his sentence. "Sure had me stomach all in knots explainin' it to ya."

"I confess, I was surprised. But, then again, I think I've had more than enough surprises for one lifetime so I wasn't really all that fazed." Dynnal mused, his the revelation of his Force-sensitivity was by far the most shocking surprise he'd ever faced. "Guess all that really rocked me was how T'Lea was born after me..." Corsair let out a sigh.

"Yeah." He paused, grabbing the butt of his cigarra with thumb and forefinger before he dropped it into a convenient ashtray mounted on the console. He proceed to fish out his lighter and another cigarra from his vest, repeating the process he'd just done just over a minute ago.

"How many have you gone through? A pack?" His son wondered from the co-pilot's seat. Corsair would've scoffed at that, if not for how mirthless he felt.

"Somethin' like that." He muttered instead, taking some very long drags after a few puffs got the cigarra in working order.

"I thought this was all sorted out with Mom, why're you still bothered?" Dynnal pried. Corsair did not answer until his cigarra was well and truly lit and he was puffing on it, stashing his lighter back within his vest.

"What makes ya think I'm bothahed?"

"You've gone through a pack." Corsair failed to supress a smirk. His boy sure was a smart one.

"Well... le's jus' say yor mothah ain't too happy 'bout this." He finally replied. "She may hide it, but I know."

"Actually, she's not doing a very good job of hiding it." Dynnal interjected, having sensed his mother's roiling emotions more than once. "But it's understandable, both your feelings and hers."

"Yeah, I don't blame 'er." Corsair grunted, leaning forward. "But... not even I knew 'bout T'lea."

"I know. But, maybe it's time to stop with excusing things. Maybe own up to it."

"Haven't I?"

"I don't think you've addressed the whole 'choosing to spend the night with Hahlli' bit. You've apologized for it, but Mom still thinks there may be an excuse or two wrapped up in it." Dynnal elaborated. "Now you need to prove you're sorry. You need to be all about her, all about Meline, from now on until she relaxes and knows you're her faithful husband. That is what you wanna be, right."

"'Course." Corsair readily responded, a good sign in his eyes.

"So maybe the best thing to say to her now is to prove it. All you can really do is let her know that you're sorry and you know you messed up." Dynnal stated. Corsair nodded slowly, feeling as if he'd done just that several times already. Still, in the eyes of a perturbed woman bound to her mindset, there might be no other way to salvage this. If there was any salvaging it at all.

"Guess tha's all I can do." He thoughtfully mused.

"Give her time, I'm pretty sure Mom will come around. She's likely not happy about you and Hahlli at all, but when she sees you and knows you I'm confident she'll let it go and realize it truly was a mistake." Dynnal promised. His optimism was welcome, but Corsair felt as if he was severely underestimating this, deeming this fractious moment in need of a patch-up and nothing more.

"Yor certain a' that, are ya?" Corsair remarked as his teeth clamped down on the cigarra.

"Well, what's the worse that could happen?" After a moment, the mercenary shrugged.

"'Soka ran Wraith through with 'er saber." He commented. His son scowled and his right hand absentmindedly slid across his abdomen.

"I'd rather not remember that." Dynnal quietly remarked.

---

Later...

Far out in the Outer Rim and located in the eponymous system of the Serta Sector, Florrum was a notorious pirate world and the home of the Ohnaka Pirate Gang, led by the Weequay criminal Hondo Ohnaka. As notorious as they come, Hondo was well known for his ability to ship, procure and sell just about anything people needed, especially when it came to black market goods. He was always about profit, about a good business venture that would pan out in his favor... regardless of how it panned out for his client. Corsair had met Hondo years ago and had been able to cut a straight deal with the unscrupulous pirate many a time, making the Ohnaka Gang his go-to source for restocking the tools and tech the Titans used so often. Corsair didn't trust Hondo in the slightest, but knew how to strike a fair deal with him.

From orbit, the dusty world appeared inhospitable and uninviting. Dynnal suddenly recalled the time Count Dooku had been a prisoner of Hondo and, upon his return, Wraith had been hopping mad, literally begging the Count for the chance to go to Florrum and slaughter the pirates. Dooku had denied him, explaining that vengeance came to the patient and that they had other pressing goals to see to. Now, in retrospect, it seemed to Dynnal like Dooku had forgotten all about the pirates, for the Separatists had never gone near Florrum again.

They breached the atmosphere and soared low over dusty canyons and small geysers, Florrum appearing uninviting in every regard. "Ya won't find a mor' wretched batch a' scum an' villainy anywhere else." Corsair remarked as he guided the shuttle towards an obvious base where all manner of hover tanks and pirate saucers lay spread out like a heavily disorganized military base.

"Speaking from experience?" Dynnal wondered with a smirk.

"Considerin' I used ta be 'scum an' villainy' ya might say this 'ere's a trip down memory lane." Corsair replied with a chuckle. Guiding their ship to an adjacent tarmac, father and son could see a great many Weequay milling about, many of them armed and seemingly expectant. In their midst, a Weequay robed in red, seemingly more important than all the others, stood with his hands on his hips, addressing several of them. "That there's 'Ondo. Whatevah ya do, make shor' ya don't seem weakah than 'im. Tactic fo' tactic." Corsair cautioned.

"Got it." Dynnal nodded in affirmation, ensuring the blasters in his shoulder holsters were primed. Their shuttle slowly landed before the assembled Weequays, most of them watching with guarded interest just in case someone intended ill-will towards their boss. But when Corsair descended the boarding ramp, his smile was smug and friendly.

"Hondo Ohnaka!" He called out in a loud voice. The red-coated Weequay turned about suddenly, squinting through his goggles for a moment before he beamed.

"Well well well! If it isn't the infamous Corsair!" He greeted, sauntering over to the ramp as Corsair stepped down. "Whatever brings you to my doorstep, you old scoundrel?"

"Business." The Titan answered, knowing Hondo's favourite words. "A good ol' fashioned arrangement 'tween businessmen."

"Ah, yes... my favourite word." Hondo agreed, his arm wrapping around Corsair's shoulders. "And what manner of 'business' did you have in mind?" He asked. Corsair shrugged.

"Some tools. Some tech. A good ol' resupply. An' when we're done, maybe a drink ta celebrate."

"I do love the way you think, Corsair!" Hondo laughed. "But first, I'm afraid I must conclude some business of my own before beginning another venture."

"Oh yeah? Wha's hoppin' in yor world?"

"Let's just say that something of mine decided to 'grow legs' and try to escape." The Weequay described.

"Ah... lil' bit a' thievery, eh?" Corsair mused.

"You could say that. It is mine and therefore, I want it back!" Hondo then paused, turning as he noticed the other being to accompany Corsair here. "Say... who's this strapping young lad? I don't recall ever seeing him before." He asked curiously, appraising Dynnal with a scrutinizing gaze. "You recruiting them fresh out of school, Corsair?"

"This 'ere's Dynnal, new kid, figahed 'e needed some experience." Corsair simply explained with a wave of his arm. "Plus, I'm pretty shor' ya didn't wanna see Theris again."

"Oh yes, there's a woman who's hard to forget." Hondo remarked with an almost nervous chuckle. The way his hand lowered towards his legs was evidence enough for Dynnal to determine just why Theris was 'hard to forget'.

Suddenly, there was a clamour off to one side of the base as a WLO-5 speeder tank arrived on the scene. It came back alone, but it seemed as though everyone was expecting it. "Ah! My goods have returned!" Hondo announced. "Be with you in a moment, Corsair."

"Colour me curious, 'Ondo. What kinda 'goods' we talkin' 'bout?" The mercenary asked as he pursued the Weequay.

"The kind of goods that people will pay top credit for." The pirate answered, rubbing his hands together greedily. Dynnal soon caught up with them and tilted his head in confusion.

"You know what's going on?" He asked.

"'Parently Hondo's got some sorta thieves afoot." Corsair explained, shifting to get a better look at the tank. "He was jus' waitin' on-... oh bloody hell!" He abruptly stopped, speaking and moving, cursing under his breath. Dynnal followed his gaze to the arriving speeder tank and could not hide an audible gasp of shock as he recognized who was on the tank.

A pair of Weequay stood guard, armed with blaster rifles. But riding on the outside, shackled, bound and clearly under guard, sat Ahsoka Tano. She was not alone, six children of varying species were also aboard the tank, each of them chained like she was. Based on their robes, they were all Jedi.

"Wha-... but... I don't... W-What is she doing here?! In this state no less?!" Dynnal sputtered, clearly distressed by the sight of his captive girlfriend.

"Dunno. Hondo's clearly goin' fo' broke again." Corsair muttered, quickly pushing ahead through the Weequay to find out more, Dynnal right behind him. Soon enough, they were close to Hondo as he addressed the kidnapped Jedi.

"I admit, I'm impressed you got as far as you did, little Jedi. But it seems it was not nearly enough."

"Thanks to your goons, our ship has been destroyed. Your gang has destroyed Jedi property." A defiant Ahsoka responded. "This doesn't bode well for you, Hondo."

"Why? What will you do about it, Tano?" He asked, leaning over her in a simple yet aggravating display of I'm-free-and-you're-not.

"Master Kenobi is on his way, as we speak." The human child declared. Hondo took his answer in stride, merely chuckling at the prospect.

"Ah, my old friend Obi-Wan Kenobi. Yes, surely he will come to bargain for your release." The pirate mused.

"There won't be a bargain, Hondo. Either you release us, or you'll have trouble with the Jedi." Ahsoka promised, even though she herself was uncertain of it. "And you wouldn't want that, would you?" Hopefully she could press the issue enough to convince Hondo to release her, because trouble with Jedi always spelled inevitable defeat for the challenger. For a moment, Hondo appeared to weigh the deal in his mind, considering each option like a seasoned businessman.

"You're right, I would not." He finally answered and Ahsoka felt a glimmer of hope. "Therefore there will not be a bargain. You'll be sold before he gets here!" His proclamation caused that hope to shatter... but she did not give up just yet.

"Whose selling whatnow?" The sudden question drew her attention to the Weequay crowd where someone whose presence caused her to gasp most audibly. Dynnal's massive form towered above the other pirates as he rushed the tank with Corsair by his side. The green eyes of her lover were ablaze with mixed wonder and worry, but it was Corsair's hard slanted frown that got to Hondo first.

"Hondo, what tha bloody hell're ya up ta now?" He curtly wondered.

"This, Corsair, is good business. Do you realize how much the right people will pay for a Jedi?" The Weequay asked, a sweeping hand gesturing to the captive Jedi. "And what's better than selling a Jedi? Well, selling seven Jedi!" The call to his men erupted into whoops and cheers, all of them eager for credits and showing a blatant disregard for life. Dynnal turned his father, saying nothing, but the look in his eyes was narrowed and critical as if to say Is he for real? But Corsair wasn't sure if there was something he could do. Hondo had already made up his mind and there seemed to be some prior history at play he did not know about.

"Ya shor' 'bout this?" He asked the pirate. "Remembah tha last time ya tried holdin' Jedi fer creds?"

"Ah, but there will be no Republic involved this time. No Separatists either! And the buyer is most keen and eagerly waiting." Hondo responded.

"An' 'o's that?" Corsair wondered.

"Ah ah ah, I will not share such information so flippantly." The Weequay tutted. "But, please! Stick around, let us drink and do business and you may yet meet him in person!" Hondo offered, an arm around Corsair as he led the Titan towards the base. "Bring my Jedi to the main room... and let us drink to our hearts content!" The pirates were swiftly roused by the promise of drinks and made to do as Hondo ordered while Corsair slipped out from under his arm, slowing down as Dynnal jogged over to him.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." He murmured.

"'Cause yor girl's involved?" Corsair remarked in equally low tones.

"Duh." Dynnal remarked with a roll of his eyes. "But the fact that Hondo's got... kriffing hell, they look no older than initiates. Not even full Padawans yet. And he plans to sell them? You know how I feel about those two topics."

"Yeah, an' a handful a' dead Zygs can attest ta that too." Corsair agreed.

"We can't let him sell them, Corsair. It's not right."

"I'm with ya there, kiddo. But we gotta be patient. I can tell yor burnin' up fer 'Soka. But ya can't let 'er go ta yor head. Thinkin's what'll save yor girl." He promised. Dynnal exhaled, but not out of exasperation. He seemed to calm himself down, to focus on logic, but he could not ignore the welling unease

"Yeah... I see your point." He said quietly. Corsair grinned and clapped him on the back.

"That's tha spirit."

---

Rowdy and obnoxious. Two words that best described the Ohnaka Pirate Gang, especially when alcoholic beverages started flowing. Chaos was the order of the day, the pirate base far from a civilized bar or tapcaf and more of a... constantly shifting brawl of drunken proportions. There were no rules or friends here, just you and your drink and anyone who happened to run into you by mistake.

Because of this reality, Dynnal stuck to the sidelines, taking his time to do some perimeter reconaissance as he surveyed the unfolding situation around him. He sat with Corsair and took stock of the situation as Wraith had once had, analyzing patterns, noting potential weaknesses and calculating a narrowing list of possibilities. At the end of the dining hall, a grand table where Hondo usual sat stood brimming with food, drink, equipment and technology, a random assortment that was the true testament of the pirates' lack of regiment. Behind Hondo's table, Ahsoka and the younglings were cuffed and suspended within individual stasis fields, special Force-inhibiting cuffs binding their hands. The sight alone was enough to agitate him, and his constant shifting of his feet from one posture to another was clear evidence.

Corsair threw back a mug of grog and exhaled heavily as he finished chugging. "This stuff'll let ya know yor alive." He remarked.

"I bet it's loaded with toxins." Dynnal dryly remarked. His gaze shifted back around the room, eventually completing his sweep and landing on Ahsoka again.

"If it's a home brew, yor prolly right." Corsair agreed, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. "Ya shor' ya don't want some?" His question jerked Dynnal's gaze back towards him.

"I'm, uh, not in the mood for Weequay home-brew." He said simply. "I prefer something... less-harsh." Corsair snorted.

"Good luck findin' that 'round 'ere." He remarked, then drained the rest of his mug. Dynnal's gaze had drifted back to Ahsoka. "Oy, boyo," Corsair prompted, nudging his arm. Dynnal was back on him.

"Yeah?" He asked, sounding as if he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't be doing.

"Relax. We'll get 'er out." Corsair promised in a knowing tone.

"Uh... Y-Yeah... Yeah. I know." Dynnal replied in a distracted tone.

"Lemme chat with 'Ondo a bit mor'. I'm pretty shor' we can work somethin' out. We go way back he an' I, did some work tagethah when I was 'bout yor age..." Corsair's story slowly became drowned out by the rhythmic drumming of Dynnal's fingers against his thigh. He couldn't focus, not when Ahsoka was so close. He turned back to her, catching a brief glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye before turning to look upon her again. He fidgeted in place, feeling antsy and worried. His foot began to tap, adding to the impatient beat he was constructing. He began ti survey the building for insecurities and possible weaknesses. Everyone here was within reach of a blaster, if he so much as belted Hondo there would be an instant firefight. That wouldn't do. Maybe if the whole room erupted in a drunken brawl he could sneak them out-

"Dynnal."

"Huhyeahwhat?" Dynnal spluttered as he turned back to Corsair. His father exhaled and patted his arm.

"She's gonna be alright, boyo." He promised. Dynnal sighed.

"Yeah... keep telling yourself that." He muttered, not-too-certain of that fact. Corsair shook his head, disappointed or emphatic he did not know.

"Stay 'ere, I'm gettin' ya somethin' ta drink." The Titan leader stated as he got off and disappeared into the throng of Weequay pirates. Now on his own, Dynnal sat in silence for a moment before his eyes turned back to his Togruta, a sole bright batch in the midst of this dreary room.

Reaching out with his abilities, he tested Ahsoka's attitude. She was agitated, possibly even annoyed by Hondo's actions, but was greatly concerned for the younglings. She seemed confident in escape and survival, though, which was good but not enough to ease his own feelings. She wasn't a hyperactive teen any more. She was still a teen, but she was mature and collected which bode well for them all. Dynnal closed his eyes and exhaled, "She's gonna be alright." He said to himself, relying on Ahsoka's feelings for comfort.

Yes, keep telling yourself that. Your inaction sickens me. The sudden voice within his head jerked Dynnal harshly and he gasped for air with wide eyes. A pulse of fear filled the pit of his stomach and he quickly tried to compose himself as Wraith continued. I would be tearing this place apart, piece by piece, showing these scum the error of their ways. I would, that is, if I still cared for that whore. His blatant remark about Ahsoka shook Dynnal so much he spluttered for an answer. Yeah, that's right. I called her a whore. What will you do about it?

"Demand an apology for one thing." Dynnal hissed under his breath. "That was uncalled for!"

Is it? She stabs me, leaves me for dead, and then moves on to you. Sounds like something a whore would do. Wraith shot back. Dynnal shook off his comment, his fear growing at the notion that Wraith was back and rearing his head once more.

"H-How is this even possible?"

The same way you did it with me. Time and energy eventually allowed me to come back, to become your conscience for a change. Not so smug now that the boot's on the other foot, are you? The phantom soldier mused in a sneering tone. Dynnal said nothing, attempting to calm himself down. You're always so calm. Too calm. Not enough action. Or is it because you are incapable of taking action? His words may have been veiled, but Dynnal knew exactly what he was talking about.

"I will not be the monster you were." He vowed.

So high and mighty... Wraith scoffed. The hands you use to touch Ahsoka are the same hands that have ripped Clones in two and torn out Jedi innards. Dynnal briefly shuddered at the thought that Wraith may have been active during his intimate moment with Ahsoka on Onderon. You think you're more than me, but you're not. You and I will always be intertwined... just a matter of who comes out on top.

"By that logic, it seems like I'm winning." Dynnal mused rather confidently. A sudden pain struck the side of his head sharply and Dynnal clutched his head, briefing querying if something had been thrown his way.

Action equals results. Wraith snickered. You should try it sometime, instead of this weakling-level behind-the-scenes poodoo you keep spouting.

"So you can give me a headache, congratulations." Dynnal sniped with a soft growl.

You always were my headache. Just thought I'd return the favor. Wraith remarked. Now... which one of these pirate scum will feel your fury first? How about the one on the transport with her? I bet he did and said nasty things to her.

"I don't know that. And I will not act unless I know beyond a shadow of a doubt." Dynnal calmly responded, causing Wraith to grumble in annoyance. "Besides, I thought you weren't interested in her?"

I'm not. I'm giving Admiral Sereva a great many second thoughts. Wraith curtly told him.

"Is that so..." Dynnal trailed off, his mind hardening into a singular path as he sought to escape Wraith's badgering.

And when I'm back in control... well, I'm gonna make you watch us-... hey, what're you doing? Wraith's train of thought ended as Dynnal got up and started to walk, carefully and inconspicuously stepping behind Hondo's table while ignoring the pirates as he drew closer to the Jedi. He said nothing more as he decided to steal a moment, with the pirate gang preoccupied and Hondo busy somewhere, and approached Ahsoka. With her Force powers currently nullified by the containment field, their bond was closed off and he could not telepathically communicate with her. But her honed senses seemed to pick up on his arrival and she looked up, her expression even and unchanged while her eyes showed relief and happiness instead of the disdain directed at the pirates.

"Are you okay, Master Jedi?" He asked, trying to sound like just another outsider.

"Could be better." The Togruta admitted. "And please, Dynnal, after Onderon I really don't mind if you call me Ahsoka." She added with a smile, knowing there was a story to maintain in front of these younglings.

"Heh... Very well." He responded with a small grin.

Ugh. If I had a body I'd be on the verge of retching. Wraith complained. Dynnal paid him no mind. "Uh... hungry? Thirsty?" He queried.

"Both, really. I think I ate just after we left Illum" She answered. Fetching a small container from his belt, Dynnal unscrewed the lid.

"Here, it's a vitamin drink." He offered. Since her arms were restrained he had to carefully help her drink it, lifting the small canteen to her lips and tilting it to allow the pink liquid to pour into her mouth. He was careful and his aim good, ensuring the flow was slow enough not to backslash and easy for Ahsoka to swallow. It would've been more romantic had her hands been free, she and Wraith having taken turns feeding each other while on a date once. It had been fun, plenty of giggles abounding as one attempted match alignment and posture with the other to avoid spilling food. For now, though, she appreciated his caring attitude in the midst of everything.

And Dynnal did care. He knew Ahsoka to be strong an independent, so being unable to even drink without aid must really chafe her. He did what he could, but even now he felt... anxious for her. That was the word. But was she all that anxious? She didn't seem so, just irritated. Maybe his feelings were simply his own, his anxiety caused by something far deeper.

The flow of liquid ended and Ahsoka felt refreshed. "Thank you." She whispered. Her senses felt a little sharper, the sudden zesty tang prompting her to feel awake and alert as it settled into her system.

"So... what, uh, what's a Jedi doing in a pirate's den?" He asked.

"It's a long story... but Hondo crashed the trip we were taking back to Coruscant from Illum." Ahsoka briefly explained. "I think he wanted the lightsaber crystals at first, then he said he had plans for me." She didn't have the Force, but saw the brief flash of disgust in Dynnal's green eyes.

Yes... foster that disgust for Hondo. Turn it into your fuel, use it to unleash your strength. Wraith urged.

"Huh. It almost sounds as if he knew where you'd be." He mused, trying to brush his feelings aside.

For kriff sakes...

"Any insights?" Ahsoka queried. Dynnal shook his head.

"Nothing so far. The boss is busy chatting with him, maybe he can work out a deal."

"Of course Corsair knows this guy." Ahsoka muttered with a shake of her head. "Hondo kidnapped my master once. Held him and Master Kenobi in prison with Count Dooku for a while."

"So I heard." Dynnal replied in a rather distracted tone, his eyes darting from left to right as he considered his options in the moment. His movements were subtle but extremely frequent, wrought from his ill-feelings about their current situation. Every minute adjustment of his body did not go unnoticed by Ahsoka, who did not need the Force to observe he was anxious.

You're about to start pacing. Wraith noted with a scoff. You're hopeless.

"How do you know this guy, Padawan Tano?" One of the youngling's asked, snapping them both from their personal musings. Ahsoka turned to the one in question, a young Tholothian.

"We've... worked together before. He's a mercenary, a member of the Titans." She truthfully explained. She hated having to lie to ones so young, but absolutely no Jedi could be permitted to learn of their relationship.

"The ones hunting the super-soldiers." The human one noted.

"The same." Dynnal affirmed. Ahsoka turned back to him.

"Dynnal, this is Byph, Ganodi, Petro, Katooni, Zatt and Gungi." She introduced, going down the line of captives. Dynnal quickly memorized who was who; Byph being an Ithorian, Ganodi a Rodian, Petro a human, Katooni a Tholothian, Zatt a Nautolan, and Gungi a Wookie.

And they were all just kids. No more than ten or twelve years old.

He bristled at the memory of Hondo's plans for them, Dynnal unable to ignore their plight any longer. He had to get them out of here, one way or another. He had to speak with Ahsoka, draft a plan with her. She was always so mindful and forward-thinking... he paused, his thoughts drifting from the younglings and back to her. What about her did he not love? The answer was simple: nothing. He loved her looks, the way she thought and acted, the way she carried herself with a tenacious sense of determination. No matter what was set in front of her, she put her mind to it and would not rest until that task was done.

It was rare to find a young woman with such quality these days.

He'd sensed before that she was determined to see these younglings to safety. Even now, her tenacity was obvious and he smiled to himself.

"Artoo and Master Huyang are with Hondo's other droids." The Nautolan, Zatt, added for good measure and stirred Dynnal from his thoughts.

"Right, then we can't forget them when we get you out of here." Dynnal quietly mused, hands on his hips as he surveyed the scene with quick, jerky movements. Each one of their stasis fields were the same, if he could find a way to disable the power systems on one, it should be the same for all seven.

"You're going to rescue us?" Ganodi excitedly asked.

"Keep it down!" Dynnal quickly hushed her, striding over and kneeling beside the young Rodian. He glanced back and forth again, making sure no one had heard her, and then addressed her again. "I'm sure gonna try." He promised. Deducing the best opportunity to try and spring them all would be once the pirates were either blackout drunk or passed out, all he needed to do was wait and time things accordingly. "But not now. Patience is a virtue." He told Ganodi with a simple wink. Dynnal stood and suddenly had a mug of drink thrust into his chest as Hondo Ohnaka made a sudden appearance.

"And just what were you telling my Jedi, young man?" He wondered with a look that was somewhere between knowing and drunkenly tipsy. "No false promises I hope."

"Of... course not." Dynnal said with a nervous gulp, accepting the mug. Hondo chuckled and promptly threw his arm around his shoulders.

"So, your boss tells me you've worked very closely with Jedi." The pirate mused. Dynnal shrugged, trying to downplay everything while calming his swelling anxiety.

"Only on our Onderon job." He said nonchalantly.

"Ah, but it was a once in a lifetime experience was it not?" Hondo wondered, pausing to chug his drink. Dynnal said nothing more and removed the Weequay's arm from around him.

"Look... Captain Ohnaka-" He started to say, only for the pirate to nearly choke on his drink as he burst out laughing.

"Come come! My dear boy, only the ladies call me 'Captain'." He said teasingly. "My friends call me Hondo."

"Fine... Hondo," Dynnal began again, "I really need a moment alone with Commander Tano." The pirate cocked his head as Ahsoka turned to glance at him simultaneously.

"Why? What for?" Hondo queried.

"As... an employee for a paid Republic service," Dynnal quickly described, trying to sound extremely important. "I have some matters to discuss with her in private. Military things." He added. Neither were true, but given the recent war reports he'd tuned in to before coming here, he at least had an alibi to work with. "I-I promise I won't try to free her." He then added.

"Ah, but who says you will try...?" Hondo wondered, brow raised. Dynnal swallowed nervously, trying to find a way out of this. He was having trouble thinking clearly, this recent burst of inspiration both sudden and rare for his current circumstances. Hondo then laughed again. "I'm joking, dear boy... uh, whatever your name was again..." He said, rambling slightly.

"Dynnal."

"Dynnal! Yes, that's it!" The pirate boisterously declared in joyous remembrance. Dynnal couldn't help but roll his eyes at his overexuberance. "Now, this is because your Titans are working with the Republic, eh? Tsk tsk tsk, so sad to see a mercenary company no longer operating of its own free will." Hondo mused.

"Oh, we're... pretty free. Just ask Corsair. He'll tell you he doesn't give a Hutts tail about who tells him to do what." Dynnal quickly proffered.

"Ah, that most certainly does sound like your boss. Always riding the hard edge and taking flak from no one!" Hondo reminisced with a chuckle. "I used to work with him, you know. We got into all manner of trouble together but we were also filthy rich!" With a contented sigh, Hondo seemed to perk up a little. Dynnal wasn't sure if it was the conversation or drink that was loosening him up.

"Uh... so about my mo-"

"Yes yes, alright, I'll give you your moment. But only a moment! No longer!" Hondo stated. He then waltzed over to Ahsoka's stasis field and promptly deactivated with a nudge from his boot. Ahsoka dropped to the ground and Dynnal jerked to help her, only to find she'd landed acrobatically on her feet and was no worse for wear. "Follow me you two!"

Danny, what's going on?

If this goes the way I hope, you'll see. With no choice but to trust him, Ahsoka followed Hondo as Dynnal brought up the rear, the pirate leading them down a short hall until he turned and opened a storage closet.

"Alright, this'll do. In you go!" He stated, urging them both in. "And remember, no funny business!" He chortled, slamming the door shut behind them. Now in near-darkness, Ahsoka shook her head in confusion.

"Dynnal, what's this all about?" She asked, tthe man in question quickly setting his mug down on an empty shelf.

"For starters... are you okay? How are you doing?" He asked, curious. Ahsoka slowed, paused, and reflected on the events of the past few hours.

"Could be better, could be worse, you know?" She determined.

"Yeah, I know." Dynnal emphasized.

"This is the second time I've been prisoner here."

"Wait, second?"

"Hondo captured me first, the younglings tried to save me and, well, that didn't exactly pan out. Now we've got no ride home." Ahsoka described. The Crucible had been shot down and was now nothing more than another wreck decorating the surface of Florrum.

"I'll get you all out of here. I promise." Dynnal vowed, his hands settling on her shoulders.

A hair-brained scheme will get them all killed in the process. Wouldn't that be a sight to remember? Wraith suggested with a dark chuckle. Dynnal shivered and fought off a sudden cold sweat.

"Danny?" Ahsoka quietly asked, her eye dilated and questioning. "Are you okay?" He breathed in and steadied himself.

"Y-Yeah, yeah I'll be fine. I'm just... worried about you. About all of you." The barest of smiles tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"Danny," his name, said quietly, made his heart pulse. Her hands gently rested on his arms. "I'm okay. We're all okay. Hondo wouldn't hurt us. He's many things, but he's not stupid. If his buyer wants us whole, no one's gonna lay a hand on us." Ahsoka assured him.

"And no one ever will." Dynnal quickly vowed in a low tone. "You have my word. I'm getting you all out of here, one way or another, even on my own if I have to."

"I hear you, and... thank you. But I don't know how you're going to convince Hondo otherwise. I've already tried and he's very committed to his business." The Togruta told him, rather at a loss for ideas. Dynnal nodded in understanding... but then, he had a thought.

"Business..." he trailed off. He recalled what his father had told him about the pirate and a plan began to form. Suddenly piecing together Hondo's penchant for doing buisness with the first readily-available client willing to pay, as well as what intel he knew about the ongoing war, his eyes brightened and a genuine smile crossed his features. "That's it!" He gasped. "Ahsoka, you're a genius!" With a happy smile of satisfaction, Dynnal pulled Ahsoka in for a kiss. Taken by surprise, Ahsoka couldn't help but giggle slightly as she reciprocated.

"Time's up!" Hondo announced as he suddenly burst into the closet. The two immediately pulled away form one another, turning to the pirate with wide eyes as Ahsoka's headtails darkened in embarrassment, both of them sensing each other's fear. "Oh!" The pirate exclaimed, until he grinned like a devil. "Ohohohoho! Naughty naughty Jedi." He teased, wagging his finger at Ahsoka.

"Uh... H-Hondo th-this wasn't-" The Togruta tried to explain, backing away from Dynnal to put some distance between them. But Hondo ignored her and made a beeline for Dynnal.

"So this is why you wanted to sneak away with her, eh?" He mused with a chuckle. "You sly devil!"

"Um, Hondo, I'd, uh... I'd like to make a business proposition." Dynnal interjected, clearing his throat. The Weequay's gaze perked up beneath his goggles.

"Oh really? And what might that be?" He queried. Dynnal took a moment to compose himself, hopefully diverting Hondo's attention away from what he'd just walked in on.

"Well... let me put it this way," he began, "As you know, Obi-Wan Kenobi is on his way here. What you don't know is that he's bringing a battle fleet here, to Florrum, because he really wants this crew of younglings back on Coruscant. And he wants them back yesterday." Ahsoka turned to him with a puzzled expression, his words not matching what she knew to be truth.

"An entire fleet? For me?" The pirate sounded surprised.

"Oh yeah, and he's not in a negotiating mood." Dynnal quickly added, capitalizing on the knowledge-gap between them. "Now, do you want to face down the wrath of a Republic battle fleet? Didn't think so. But I'll tell you what, you let these younglings go and Corsair an' I will bring them back, then we'll put in a good word for you. We'll tell them you staged a 'daring rescue mission' because there were Separatists around and you didn't want to see them hurt. The Republic will probably reward you, quite handsomely, more than any scumbag buyer if you know what I mean." He offered. Hondo appeared to mull his offer over, fixing Dynnal with the steady glance of a seasoned scrutineer.

"And you expect me to believe you?" He said at length.

"No. But I do expect you to be smart and choose the right thing. Come on, Hondo," Dynnal encouraged, taking a chance to put his arm around the pirate's shoulders, "you stand to gain everything here. We Titans are tight with the Republic, we know everything that happens before it happens. Take my word for it, Kenobi's coming and he's not happy. But, you let us get to him first and we'll make sure he doesn't conduct an orbital bombardment on your humble dwellings. What's the point of getting rich if you're not free long enough to enjoy it?" He described, painting a verbal picture for Hondo of what 'might' happen. "So? Whaddya say?" Hondo offered him a bemused look for a moment before his smile grew broad and genuine.

"And you'll vouch for me? Just like that?" He asked.

"I'll tell General Kenobi myself." Dynnal promised. Hondo laughed.

"I'm surprised you're not a pirate like me, Dynnal! A liar and a scoundrel and a fine one at that!" He chortled, clapping the young man on the back. "Of course, you know I captured these Jedi children, right?"

"Absolutely. But the Jedi don't have to know that. And what they don't know won't hurt you, but reward you instead." Dynnal responded in a knowing tone.

"My boy, if you ever choose to leave the Titans, you'll certainly have a place here among my men." Hondo offered. They shook hands to affirm the deal and his gaze shifted to Ahsoka. "Guess you and your wards are going free."

"Just like that? No last-minute bargaining?" The suspicious Togruta asked.

"Well, if it really is Obi-Wan on his way over, I'm sure he's not too fond of me from the last time he was here." Hondo mused, recalling the time he'd tried to sell him, Anakin and Count Dooku to the highest bidder, only for his plan to backfire. "But if your boyfriend here keeps his word-"

"He's not my boyfriend." Ahsoka quietly interjected in a sheepish tone as it was really pointless to do so.

"then maybe I could stand to profit a little more this way. Therefore, you all go free!" Hondo announced.

"And our droids. I want Artoo and Master Huyang freed as well." Ahsoka quickly added.

"Fine fine." The pirate relented, turning on heel and leading them back into the dining hall. "Release the Jedi! All of them!" He called out to his men. His orders had several moving to deactivate the stasis fields within moments. Dynnal and Ahsoka made to check on the younglings only for Hondo to stop them both with hands on their shoulders. "Oh, and, one more thing you two, be sure to tell them all about 'the convorees and the can-cells' alright?" He teased. Ahsoka huffed and shrugged out of his hold, making a very quick beeline for the group of initiates as they rubbed their wrists.

"You're all okay?"

"Well, we are free, so it can't be that bad." Zatt remarked and Gungi growled in affirmation.

"We're going back to Coruscant now, Padawan Tano?" Ganodi asked.

"Yes. Once I make sure Corsair's giving us a lift." The Togruta affirmed.

"I can wait to tell everyone about this! We survived being captured by pirates!" Petro eagerly exclaimed. Ahsoka allowed herself to smile, the spirit of the initiates seemingly unchecked by the enormity of this detour.

Corsair sauntered over to his son and Hondo, a very quizzical look on his face.

"What's goin' on, 'Ondo?"

"It would seem, Corsair, you've got several passengers to take with you on your return trip. I'm certain your ward will fill you in." The pirate said, patting him on the shoulder. "I'll have your order sent out within the week... and my bill will be attached!" He called over his shoulder as he strode off. Corsair turned back to Dynnal and raised an eyebrow.

"An' jus' what've ya done ta secure their release?" He questioned. His son shrugged.

"It helped he was kinda drunk, but I just did what you told me to do, boss." Dynnal said simply. "Don't appear weaker than him."

---

Later...

The Jedi collected all of their lightsabers along with Artoo and Master Huyang before they made to depart alongside the two Titans. The aging droid master, who still needed his arms reattached, was equally pleased by the wellbeing of the initiates as Ahsoka was but less-so by the loss of their ship Crucible and the need to be airlifted out by mercenaries.

"Mercenaries have always been bad business. One never knows when they might turn on you for the right price."

"An' bein' dismembahed by a pirate's any bettah?" Corsair remarked with a scoff. What did this droid know about the galaxy apart from lightsaber construction?

"At least the pirate's were forthcoming with their plans. You have not informed us about any potential payment plans or if we're even welcome abaorad your vessel." Huyang responded. Corsair stopped walking and turned around to face him, the initiates pausing as they hovered around the confrontation.

"Look 'ere Huyang; lotta stuff's been 'appenin' in tha galaxy while yor ferrying younglin's ta Illum an' back. I jus' so happen ta be under Republic contract." Corsair described, levelling a finger at the droid's yellow photoreceptors. "I'm supposed ta be helpin' Jedi... don't you gimme a good reason not ta." He added. Dynnal laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Uh, Corsair? Boss? Master Huyang's been pulled apart by pirates, he's had a bad day. Maybe cut him some slack?" He suggested.

"I'm sure the Council would happily reimburse you for any... emotional damage you've suffered from Master Huyang's malfunctions." Ahsoka added with a slight roll of her eyes, as if annoyed with Corsair. In reality, she used to be, but the common ground they found in which she was dating his son helped smooth some things over. Taking both points into account, Corsair turned and continued to lead the initiates back to Horizon's Edge. Artoo whistled and tweeted, adding his own comment to the resolution. "Can't say as you're wrong, Artooie." Ahsoka mused with a smile. She trotted up alongside Dynnal and sent a small pulse through their bond, akin to a playful elbowing. "Guess you're an alright negotiator, merc. Although I can't condone the lying." She said.

"I didn't exactly hear you trying to stop me." Dynnal retorted, his tone equally playful. "You wanna share the onus?"

"How about I just wash my hands of this one?" Ahsoka responded.

As the group continued on, Byph paused and turned towards the cliffs surrounding the pirate base. He'd heard something...

Hello? Can you hear me? Where are you?

The voice seemed to carry on the wind, spoken sweetly and longingly, like an invisible hand was reaching out to him. Byph felt the Force around him grow inky and cold and he shuddered as he heard the voice again.

Please... come back to me. Who are you?

He felt the hand reach him, curling around him like some slippery, slithering substance that wound its way around his body and tried to get into his mind. Still transfixed by the gentle nature of the voice, the young Ithorian muttered his name in response.

Byph? Byph, will you help me? I'm lost and lonely...

The sudden growling of Gungi snapped Byph back to reality and he shook his head with a start, turning towards the young Wookie who waved him over with a furry paw. Glancing back at the cliffs only to sense and hear nothing more, Byph quickly made to rejoin the other younglings as they crowded around Ahsoka, who had something to tell them. He'd missed part of the conversation and even the question she was answering, so Byph arrived to hear their Togrutan chaperone glance towards the sky as the loud droning of an approaching craft put Ahsoka on alert. It was a sound she'd heard many times and it immediately aroused alarm within her. In moments, a sizeable, familiar shape was descending to the surface of Florrum; an unmistakable four-winged C-9979 landing craft.

"Separatists?!" She gasped with wide eyes. Corsair, Dynnal and the others had spotted it as well and the Titans led the group around the side of Horizon's Edge to conceal themselves. Crouching behind the parked shuttle, they watched as the front bay doors of the slid open upon landing, disgorging a massive column of B1 battle droids led by a blue and white figure in silver armor.

"Banshee!" Dynnal muttered, recognizing the Umbaran in a heartbeat. The younglings gasped.

"A super-soldier?" Zatt asked, incredulity filling his voice. Byph offered a nervous rumble from the back of his throat.

"What's a super-soldier doing here?" Ganodi wondered. None of them had ever seen one before, it was almost fascinating to actually see something so deadly this close up.

"Dunno." Corsair replied, sizing up Banshee with his good eye. They all watched as she approached a pair of pirates moving to intercept the arriving Separatists only for her blue lightsabers to blaze to life as she cut them both down with quick swings that dismembered their bodies. "But she clearly ain't 'ere on a social call." He remarked.

"We need to get out of here, it'll be bad news if they find even one of us." Ahsoka whispered to Dynnal, grabbing his arm.

"There's no way we can launch." Dynnal whispered back. "Those landing craft had to be deployed from a cruiser."

"An' I'm willin' ta bet it's got ordahs ta shoot anythin' tryin' ta leave." Corsair gruffly determined. "I ain't riskin' us all gettin' blown outta tha sky. We bettah hol' up an' see where thing's goin'."

"They've gotta be here for a reason." Dynnal mused. Ahsoka was struck by a sudden thought.

"Maybe Dooku's finally repaying Hondo for his previous hospitality." She suggested. That made a lot of sense to Dynnal.

"Of course. He'd do so today, of all days." He grumbled. But Ahsoka was soon proven to be closer to the truth when General Grievous emerged from the landing craft, the menacing cyborg striding behind the battle droid column and flanked by several BX commando droids and a pair of IG-100 Magnaguards as droids on STAPs flew past. The concealed group watched as MTT troop carriers arrived and began to unload columns of B2 super battle droids, each one primed and ready for combat. All of them were making for Hondo's bunker...

"An invasion." Corsair realized, reading all the telltale signs. The mercenary turned to the Togruta behind him. "Pretty shor' yor right, 'Soka. Dooku's comin' callin' an' 'e ain't in a good mood." He remarked.

The droids made their way into the pirate den, catching Hondo unawares as he fed his pet Kowakian monkey lizard with one hand while twirling a datachip bearing scandalous information with the other. He was abruptly interrupted when a Weequay burst in from outside.

"Boss! Boss!" He cried, out of breath. "We're all in trouble!" Those were the only words he managed to shout before a trio of green bolts cut through the back of his head, killing him instantly. Her optics glowing in the dimly lit dining hall, Banshee entered with her twin battle pistols drawn, an aura of terrifying calm about her. Other pirates swiftly drew holdout blasters and longblasters, whatever they could get their hands on, only to be gunned down with ruthless efficiency.

The commando droids filtered in after her, holding the rest of the stunned Weequay at gunpoint. Having learned from their fallen fellows, they didn't dare reach for weapons. General Grievous then entered the hall, the clang of his clawed feet digging into the floor echoed throughout the space as Banshee stepped aside to let him approach the calm and collected Hondo unhindered.

"Hondo." He rasped, stepping up to the captain's table.

"General... 'Grievous', I presume?" The pirate responded. "What a surprise. Have a seat." He invited, keeping his cool as commando droids, Magnaguards and Banshee flanked the cyborg's approach. "What, may I ask, is the honor?" Hondo pried.

"You can dispense with the pleasantries, pirate." Grievous thundered as he stepped onto the table and towered over the Weequay. "This planet is now under Separatist control!" He announced, a clawed hand reaching down and hoisting Hondo into the air by the cuff of his jacket.

"Uh huh... and what do you suppose that means?" Hondo blithely replied.

"It means you have a new master, pirate scum!" Grievous responded, turning and roughly throwing Hondo to the floor. The pirate was quick to recover as Grievous stepped off the table, tossing a holocom towards his feet. Hondo half-expected an explosion to go off, only to be surprised when a towering hologram of Count Dooku shimmered into existence before him.

"Hondo Ohnaka... we met again." The Count cordially greeted. "As I recall the last time we met face to face, I was your prisoner. And you attempted to barter me off to the highest bidder." Hondo knew where this was going and scrambled for a response,

"Uh... but can you blame me? I mean, a Sith Lord," he described, trying to weasel his way out of the situation, "can you imagine what a handsome price you'd-"

"Silence!" Dooku commanded. "You are going to pay the price for your treachery."

"Well, I'm a reasonable man." Hondo relented. "Name the price, I'm sure we can reach-"

"There will be payment, but no deals, only demands." Dooku interrupted. "Your entire arsenal will be melted down. Everything you own is now property of the Separatist Alliance." He stated with a cruel smile.

"No! You go too far!" Hondo retorted. "Unacceptable! This is an outrage!" The pirate attempted to counter Dooku's statement, trying to barter his way to safety. But there was no debating with a Sith who had made up his mind. A single gesturing from Grievous had Banshee snapping up her arm and unleashing a blast of ultrasonics that drove Hondo to the ground, covering his ears as unbearable pain engulfed his body. The Magnaguards moved in next once the sonic assault had ended, roughly lifting Hondo from the ground and carrying him away into the bowels of the pirate den, kicking and screaming. "This is not good business!" He shrieked, finding his voice. Banshee merely scoffed.

"Nice doing business with you." She teased, giving the Weequay a small parting wave before she and Grievous turned to Dooku.

"You two know the plan, proceed as discussed. Every ship is to be destroyed, every blaster confiscated." Dooku instructed them.

"What about the rest of these scum?" Banshee asked.

"I do not care whether they live or die. Judge for yourself if they are worthy of being kept prisoner." Dooku said dismissively. Banshee ignited her lightsaber blades.

"I like to think I'm a pretty good judge of character." She remarked, words reeking with sinister intentions.

---

Having retreated to a safe distance, the Titans and Jedi crouched on a cliffside overlooking the pirate hideout as they studied the rapidly unfolding situation. With new orders distributed, the droids were actively working on destroying Hondo's exterior resources, taking apart ships and tanks as they stripped them down for parts and melted the rest. With a pair of electroscopes, Corsair swept over the scene with a grim expression.

"This isn't good." Dynnal mused beside him. "The droids are taking apart his assets one by one."

"An' they're workin' on our shuttle too!" Corsair growled. "Slaggin' buckets a' bolts!"

"The fact that Grievous is here with an entire fleet means that Master Kenobi must've been overrun." Ahsoka determined.

"He was busy fighting Grievous?" Dynnal inquired, the Togruta nodding in affirmation.

"If he couldn't hold him off then this entire system is now in Separatist controlled space." She added.

"What should we do? There's nowhere to run." Katooni worriedly asked.

"We can't fight all those droids, can we?" Petro wondered, his tone of voice somewhere between hopeful and curious.

"Maybe if we 'ad mor' manpowah." Corsair mused.

"And how do we come by that?" Dynnal sardonically wondered. In a few moments, he had his answer when Ahsoka spied movement below the cliff.

"Looks like some of Hondo's cronies managed to escape the droids." She said, pointing to a trio of fleeing Weequay who were attempting to stealthily move from ship to ship to avoid being spotted by the droids.

"An 'every man for himself' situation?" Dynnal asked in a pondering tone.

"They'd only break rank if tha boss was in trouble." Corsair determined.

"Which means Grievous has Hondo already." Ahsoka added in realization. "The moment the droids spot them trying to leave, they're dead men walking. I think we should help them. They might be able to help us find a way off this planet."

"What makes you so sure?" Dynnal innocently asked. Ahsoka flashed him a smile.

"A little insight from the last time the Republic had to deal with him." She said. "Now, I need you up here, on ranged detail. Think you can peg any droid trying to gun us down?"

"Just don't cause a big scene. I can't pick off a whole army." Dynnal remarked, drawing one of his S-5's and flicking the scope into position.

"Corsair, you and I will go down there to secure the pirates." Ahsoka then ordered.

"Kriffin' beautiful." The Titan begrudgingly agreed. Katooni gasped.

"Language!" She admonished, causing Corsair to roll his eyes with a sigh.

The two of them started down the cliff, moving carefully and quietly across the rocks as Ahsoka kept the three pirates in view. From her vantage, she could also see dozens of droid companies moving about the base. Clearly the Separatists had every intention of converting this place into either a naval yard or a scrap depot... or maybe even something else of military importance. And with Hondo's assets, they had plenty of material to jumpstart their plans.

Master Kenobi needed to know about this.

Just as the two of them made landfall, the whine of a STAP flying past overhead drew their attention and prompted Corsair and Ahsoka to duck low. They watched its flight path for a moment.

"'E's circlin'." The Titan noted. "Eithah 'e's tryin' ta find us or-"

"He's setting up an angle of attack!" Ahsoka quickly realized. Sure enough, the STAP turned around and blitzed the three pirates in a strafing run, killing one of them as the other two rolled for cover. Brandishing their weapons Corsair and Ahsoka moved to intercept, only for the droid's head to be shot off at the apex of its upward rise by a green blaster bolt, the STAP careening off into the air on an uncontrollable flight path. The Togruta smiled slightly at her boyfriend's promptness as she and Corsair quickly urged the remaining Weequay to follow them. They did so gladly.

Scaling the cliff again, the pirates quickly hit the ground for a breather, adrenaline wearing off as they survived their near-death experience.

"You lot didn't have anything to do with this lot showing up, did you?" The thinner of the two asked.

"Naw, they were pullin' up when we were tryin' ta pull out." Corsair answered. "Seems like tha Seppies trounced tha Republic forces in tha sectah an' are in tha mood ta move in."

"You've got that right! Word is they've already got the boss under lock and key." The pirate remarked, confirming Corsair's earlier suspicion. "Hey, you got a ship, yeah? Maybe we can make a deal with 'em and save our skins, eh?" He suggested, eager to leave this place behind.

"Grievous didn't come here to make deals." Ahsoka cut in. "He already controls the planet and the system. He already has what he wants. You try and angle with him, you're bound to be killed." She darkly stated.

"Tha Togruta's right. We want out, we're gonna need more 'n pleadin'." The Titan leader concurred.

"The only thing to do now is punch past Grievous' lines. And to do that, we need whatever firepower we can scourge up and whatever pirates are still alive." Dynnal strategized.

"We have a common enemy in him, if we work together we can stop him." Ahsoka offered the two Weequay. "Surely you have some other ships that we could use. You are pirates after all." The larger, stockier Weequay looked to his partner, who was quick to spill his inside secret.

"Hondo's got a private fleet, but only he knows where those ships are." He told her. Corsair pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Don't tell me we gotta rescue 'im aftah we jus' left 'im." He grumbled. Ahsoka nodded in reply.

"We know Grievous and we know droids." She continued, gesturing to him and Dynnal. "Together with what you have to offer, we stand a chance. Help us and you'll both get out alive." The pirate mulled over her words very briefly and, seeing as there weren't any alternatives, he chose to accept her offer.

"You got yourself a deal, Jedi."

---

A plan was soon developed to get past the legions of battle droids guarding the pilot base, making use of a wayward pirate tank to do so. Artoo, wired into the vehicle's control circuits, remained visible as he piloted the vehicle into the middle of enemy territory, moving calmly and simply to not draw attention. He paused before a droid commander to sought to inspect him.

"Halt!" The tank slowed to a halt and Artoo beeped and tweeted his rehearsed answer. "You captured this tank? Not bad for an astromech!" The B1 applauded. Artoo chirped his thanks. "What's your ID number?" The commander asked, entering information into a datapad. Artoo gave a few short whistles in response. "Hey! Do not get smart with me! I outrank you!" The commander snapped.

Behind him, unseen and sticking to the shadows, the group of eleven took cover behind some crates. Pausing and waiting to ensure the commander's attention was completely occupied, Ahsoka waved them ahead as the droid continued to pager Artoo.

"I could have you melted down with the rest of this junk!" The B1 threatened. Artoo shrank back, uttering a low groan of apology. "That's right. Now take it over to hangar twelve." Artoo quickly started up the tank's engine again and floated ahead. "And no detours. We'll be watching you." The commander added for good measure, watching the tank leave.

Unbeknownst to him, the ragtag band used his obliviousness to sneak past his guards and enter the pirate base, quickly finding their way down to the cellblock. Most of them were unguarded, but there was one with two B1 droids on either side of the door.

"Gotta be 'Ondo's." Corsair mused.

"I got this." Dynnal said, drawing his twin S-5 pistols. Taking aim, he would've pulled the trigger if not for Ahsoka lowering his arms.

"We need to do this quietly. Can't afford a shot alerting anymore droids." She countered. drawing her lightsabers, she summoned the Force to dash across the halt and had both blades lit before the droid's photoreceptors could even recalibrate. Their heads were soon on the floor as the door to Hondo's cell slid open. The pirate in question was held off the floor by a stasis field, cuffs around each wrist and another binding his ankles. He looked up in surprise to see Ahsoka standing before him with green and yellow sabers at the ready. Behind her, the whole troupe of younglings along with Corsair and Dynnal and two of his pirates filed in.

"Jedi?" He mused in questioning surprise. "Here I thought you'd made your escape. No?"

"No." Ahsoka answered. "There were... complications."

"There's a few dozen Separatists between us and getting outta here." Dynnal stated.

"Now we have to put our differences aside and be friends." Ahsoka continued. "Or else we're all gonna die here."

"Ah, very diplomatic." Hondo chuckled. "I knew you did not come back to rescue Hondo... how do you say it...? 'Out of the goodness of your hearts'. No no no no, you need something from me." The Weequay deduced.

"Always was a smaht one." Corsair remarked.

"A ship, to be specific." Katooni replied.

"Ah, yes! A ship, a ship... but where would we find one of those?" Hondo asked aloud. "My new 'friend' General Grievous has destroyed all my ships. That and his little super-soldier friend has killed most of my men." Dynnal, Corsair and Ahsoka all shared a look at the mention of a super-soldier. They would have to handle them, as the presence of a single enhanced being put all six of the younglings in danger.

"We know you have one. A whole pirate fleet!" Petro stated. Hondo looked surprised, until his lip curled as he eyed the two Weequay with them.

"And one of my old friends has apparently been talking too much!" He snapped. The two shrugged nervously. "Ah, what does it matter? We'll never reach the vault anyway. Grievous' army is way too big."

"Don't give up. We can fight!" Petro urged, putting on a little shadowboxing to prove his readiness. Corsair raised an eyebrow, slightly shaking his head. Enthusiasm was one thing, skill was a completely different and separate thing.

"If I may sir," Master Huyang cut in, "I have instructed Younglings for over a thousand generations and these are among the best I have ever seen." He described. The six youths felt a little bigger and glowed at Huyang's recommendation. Taking the droid for his word, Hondo pressed the matter.

"Well then... show me. Show me your swords, tiny Jedi. Show Hondo you are ready to fight!" At his word, all of the Younglings drew their newly-constructed lightsabers, green and blue blades igniting to light up the room... save for Katooni's, that is, which was still in pieces. "And you, child? Where is your saber?" Hondo inquired, noticing how she did not have a blade to brandish.

"It's not finished. I never finished it, I've done everything right but it won't work." The Tholothian described, holding out the parts to visibly define her complaint. Master Huyang bent over for a closer look.

"You must trust that the components that form your lightsaber are meant to be together." He sagely instructed. "There is no other way. It is the Force that binds them." Corsair released an audible huff and rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I was just going to say that." Hondo quickly interjected. "Finish it now! Please, finish!" He urged Katooni. "This is worth the price of a ship. To see the construction of a Jedi lightsaber is... priceless!" He sounded almost giddy at the prospect. "Finish it and, together, we can defeat Grievous." He urged the young girl.

---

Elsewhere...

One Weequay lay dead on the ground, three more were backed into a corner. Before them, Banshee loomed ominously with her twin blue lightsabers ignited and ready to kill. She stalked towards them, her optics gleaming brightly as they attempted to bargain with her.

"Hondo's got a nice little stash of treasure tucked away in his personal quarters. You let us live and we'll take you there, whaddya say?" He offered, hand held out in an open gesture of goodwill.

"I'm not interested in your wealth, pirate filth!" She snapped, her blades flashing through the air and cutting his hand clean off. He cried out in pain and recoiled. His compatriots watched helplessly as Banshee's arm snapped out and her hand grasped around his neck, lifting him off the ground and strangling him. With a vicious twist and squeeze, his neck audibly cracked and his body fell still. Banshee threw him to the side. "You and your fellow scum dared to threaten Count Dooku. Today, the Confederacy takes affront to your actions!" She growled, thrusting her blades forward. The left blade pierced clean through a pirate's eye and skewered his head to the wall, the second blade piercing the wall parallel to its equal and narrowly missing the head of the final Weequay. He stood still, frozen with fear as Banshee yanked her blades free and the third pirate corpse fell dead. He raised his hands in a show of surrender, ensuring Banshee knew he intended to put himself at her mercy. Her simmering anger causing her blood to run hot, Banshee would've done him in immediately if a battle droid hadn't approached her from behind.

"Commander, patrol Bek-Two has failed to report in and we've received word that one of our speeders has crashed on the far side of the compound." It stated. Pausing to dwell on the information, Banshee allowed herself to put an end to her current engagement by swinging her blades and slicing clean through the pirate's fingers and head, bits and pieces of body falling to the floor before his corpse joined them. Then she turned to the droid.

"Any sign of an assailant?" She asked, blades dissipating back into her gauntlet.

"Negative." Banshee thought for a moment, considering who might be so bold or so willing to attack even just one of their units amid a full-blown takeover. The pirates had been dealt with, so who was left...?

"Take me to General Grievous. I suspect this might have something to do with the reported Titan shuttle we found earlier." She ordered.

---

Enough prompting, focus and concentration had netted Katooni exactly what she needed to finish the construction of her lightsaber, the Force pulling each piece together until the focusing mirrors, power cell, emitter and every circuit in-between came together with a harmonious click.

"Amazing..." Hondo gasped, "That is truly amazing." Her weapon finished, Katooni stood and toggled the emitter switch with her thumb. A blue blade flashed to life with a snap-hiss, definitive affirmation of her success. "Well? Cut me down, little Jedi! It's time to leave!" Hondo encouraged. With a swing of her weapon, the field shorted out and Hondo dropped to his feet. The Younglings crowded around Katooni to celebrate her success as Hondo approached Ahsoka, Corsair and Dynnal.

"So why the big show? You didn't really have a choice." The Togruta pried. "You know we have to work together."

"Because, Jedi, you know what we are about to attempt is very dangerous. And I may be a pirate, but I do not like taking children into battle." The pirate admitted, allowing a portion of his feelings to show in a rare moment of empathy. Dynnal and Corsair exchanged glances as Ahsoka pressed the issue.

"That didn't seem to bother you when you attacked us." Hondo laughed.

"Well, today is a new day." He dismissively told her. "And lucky for you, today, I like children."

"You attacked a Jedi transport?" Dynnal questioned.

"But of course? How else was I supposed to collect crystals that would fetch such handsome prices on the aftermarket?" Hondo responded.

"Yor cracked, mate." Corsair remarked.

"Maybe so, Corsair. But, you know what I always say: what's the point of getting rich if you're not free long enough to enjoy it?" The Weequay replied. "Now let's free the rest of my men." He urged, quickly darting out the door as the group pursued him.

"You know I'm the one who told him that phrase?" Dynnal remarked to his father.

"That's ol' 'Ondo fo' ya." Corsair replied with a chuckle.

One by one, they fanned out to the other cells in the cellblock and began opening doors to free other trapped Weequay until they had a small army on their hands...

---

As the droids burned equipment and vehicles, reducing Hondo's resources to mere metal slag, General Grievous arrived on a speeder platform to receive an update from the local tactical droid. He stepped off his ride and strode over, hunched down with his hands behind his back yet had no time to inquire of their progress when his communicator beeped an alert. Withdrawing the holocom from his waist, a projection of Banshee quickly materialized in front of him.

"Sir, I've checked the Titan shuttle over and cannot find any evidence of someone aboard." She reported.

"They must be here somewhere. Keep searching! Find them and kill them." He ordered in return.

"With pleasure, General. I've got a plan in mind to catch them, make sure the droids leave their ship alone." Banshee responded. Knowing the penchant super-soldier's had for being tactically clever, Grievous was willing to allow Banshee some room to maneuver.

"It will be done." He affirmed. The transmission ended on Banshee's end and was immediately replaced with the render of a battle droid.

"This is OM-87, General. The prison area is under attack, there are several miniature Jedi here!" It described. If Grievous had eyebrows, he would've raised one.

"You aren't making any sense! What Jedi?" He demanded.

"The little ones!" 87 described. "Half the size of normal Jedi. They're freeing the prisoners and-" the report was abruptly halted when Zatt's green lightsaber passed through its legs. "My knees!" It cried in alarm before Petro's blue blade severed its neck joint. Grievous caught a passing glimpse of the youngling before the comm ended and he turned to the tactical droid.

"Prepare to open fire! We will bring the building down on their heads." He ordered. It was quickly passed on to the ATT's outside the compound, their gunners sealing hatches and a powering up targeting computers as drivers moved them into position.

Turrets raised up and red cannonfire began to pound the exterior of the compound, causing dust to roll off the sides in a cloud of debris that rained down. Other combat units moved into position outside the building, row after row of B1 and B2 droids armed and ready for a fight that came soon enough.

Ahsoka led the charge into the open, the pirates and younglings swarming the droid ranks alongside her as she sprinted into one B2 and promptly sliced it in two with a spinning slash. She landed and the twin B1's before her were cut down by blaster bolts from Dynnal. Together, boyfriend and girlfriend went on the offensive, Ahsoka's blades whirling pinwheels of green and yellow light as they hacked droids to pieces as Dynnal got into the action with blazing green bolts that took down droid after droid.

The pirates, fuelled by a renewed sense of hope that they might be able to save their skins, took on the droids with a flurry of blaster fire as their rifles grew hot and neared overheat levels as they took down droids by the dozens.

The Youngling, though short in stature, worked together in pairs as they tag-teamed droids and cut them to pieces with their blades, getting their first taste of combat that normally would never take place during a Gathering. In a way, it was rather fun to get to test their skills on these droids. Finally they could apply all the skill and eagerness they possessed and channel everything they'd learned into this battle.

Alongside them, Corsair and Hondo attacked as a seasoned duo, the Weequay swinging a vibroblade cutlass as Corsair pegged headshot after headshot with his trusty sidearm.

"Ah, reminds you of that one time on Kessel, doesn't it Corsair?" Hondo inquired.

"Shor', at least droids go down easier 'n energy spidahs!" Corsair remarked in reply. "Come on, help me get ta tha shuttle an' we'll make a real quick getaway." He urged.

"I like the way you think!" Hondo agreed, the two moving ahead and clearing a path towards Horizon's Edge. Corsair led the way, eager to get back inside his own craft and put an end to this misadventure. The landing ramp was still down, making it easy to climb inside and get to the controls. It suddenly occurred to him that he'd need to find a new supplier for the Titans, seeing as Hondo was in no shape to do business with anybody just yet.

His thoughts were suddenly stopped when an explosion lit up the back of the shuttle and blew out the front of the open boarding ramp, the ensuing shockwave knocking Corsair flat on his back. He managed to gether his senses and looked up in dismay, the ship collapsing in on itself as it was reduced to a smouldering, fiery ruin.

"Aw, bloody hell!" He cried in frustration, picking himself up. "Toolie's gonna kill me!" He groaned. But then, a shape began to emerge from the flames, taking on a feminine form as red optics stood out from the cracklings yellow flames. Banshee soon made herself known and rolled her shoulders in anticipation of a fight.

"Not if she gets to you first!" Hondo remarked, grabbing Corsair by the shoulder and pulling him back towards the fighting. "Come! I've got speeder bikes waiting for us!"

"Go get yor ships, I'm stayin' in this fight." Corsair responded, locking a fresh power cell into his pistol. He was not happy and spoiling for a fight with Banshee, eager for some payback for blowing up his shuttle.

"Suit yourself!" Hondo relented and hopped aboard one of the bikes as the surviving Weequay took to the others. Katooni quickly took a seat behind him.

"I've got your back." She eagerly stated.

"Great... I feel so safe." Hondo half-heartedly replied, toggling the thrusters and cranking the accelerators until they were zooming away from the compound. Corsair quickly found himself a spot aboard Artoo's tank along with the rest of the Jedi, the astromech shifting the driving-thrusters to maximum as the tank took off at top speed... which was surprisingly fast. Together with the speeder fleet, they plowed into the remaining droid armies and flattened them in swaths, narrowly buzzing Grievous as they made their escape. The cyborg cackled.

"They run! Quickly, after them!" He ordered, stepping onto his hover platform as Banshee sprinted over and found herself a seat beside him, Grievous maneuvering the craft around as he led half a dozen BX commandos on STAPs after the fleeing pirate vehicles.

Hondo led them into the yawning chasms of Florrum's craggy surface, juking and winding past jutting rocks and slanted slopes as they tore through them at brake-neck speed. Red bolts lit up the terrain around them as the Separatists attacked them from behind, using their built-in weaponry while Banshee used her burst pistol. They scored a successful hit on one of the bikes, sending it careening out of control until it hit the ground in an explosion of fire and smoke. Other salvos went wide of the pirate group and struck overhead rock arches, blowing them to pieces and raining debris down on them.

It was then that Hondo used the debris clouds to take a sharp right turn and break away from the hover tank, leaving the Separatists to pursue them while he and his men got away. Katooni looked over her shoulder, concerned for her friends and allies.

"They went the wrong way!" She worriedly told Hondo.

"Don't worry." He replied, taking a transponder from his belt. A section of canyon wall in front of them began to recede revealing a doorway located beneath the rusted remains of a G9 Rigger-class light freighter. It had once been known as The Twilight.

Hondo led the rest of the pirates inside, where a massive suite of pristine spacecraft were revealed to Katooni, the Tholothian's eyes widening as she took in every member of Hondo's private fleet. There were too many models to count for her, but the gang stopped before one in particular: a heavily modified Firespray-31-class patrol and attack craft... formerly owned by Jango Fett and known as Slave I.

The gang dismounted and immediately headed inside, Katooni tagging along. "What about the others? We can't just leave them!"

"You are welcome to come, small one. You may join our merry band of pirates." Hondo offered.

"I won't just run away! Ahsoka trusted you. We all trusted you." She said sharply. Her words struck home and the Weequay paused to let out a sigh...

---

Grievous had successfully managed to board the tank, attacking Ahsoka as Dynnal and Corsair traded fire with Banshee as she took control of Grievous' speeder platform. The Younglings stood by, ready to engage, but the two Separatists leaders were leagues beyond any of them. Master Huyang recognized this and ducked into the control seat.

"Artoo! Do something!" Artoo tweedled an inquiry. "I don't know! We have to do something to shake Grievous off, and get that super-soldier off of us too! Something aggressive!" The ancient droid master urgently replied. Artoo quickly performed some calculations and adjusted the tank's engine output, jerking them left and right and throwing everybody off balance. Banshee backed off as the tank pitched from side to side, Grievous clinging on as his clawed feet dug into the armor plating. Artoo's wild maneuvers quickly sent the tank into a spiral until it crested the canyon wall and skittered across the ground, until a collision with a boulder forced it to a painfully abrupt halt, knocking everyone off and sending them sprawling across the ground.

"Too aggressive." Huyang groaned as he pitched his armless body onto the top of the tank. "Far too aggressive!" Using his booster jets, Artoo warbled an apology to everyone as he emerged from the tank.

"'O taught that damn droid how ta fly?!" Corsair wondered irritably, dusting dirt and debris out of his hair.

"General Skywalker, I think." Dynnal replied with a groan, giving his head a shake.

"Figures." Corsair scoffed. His son climbed to his feet and quickly moved to where Ahsoka was sitting up.

"Are you hurt?" He queried, helping her the rest of the way up.

"Nothing some bacta can't cure." Ahsoka said with a wince as she stretched out a bruise. "You?"

"Just enough to make me... interesting." He mused with a slight grin, making her chuckle. Quickly dusting off her shoulders, Dynnal let her alone as Ahsoka went to check on the younglings. Artoo landed next to Huyang and chirped a query.

"Well, yes, it was an effective strategy," the master relented, "but not what I would recommend." He stated, walking off. Artoo muttered something in binary before he extended his third wheel and rolled over to the group. It was then that Gungi growled a warning as something disturbed the dust clouds rolling across the flat plains of Florrum. Like a mechanical spider crawling into view, the terrifying monster that was Grievous was soon on his feet and brandishing his lightsabers, seemingly unhurt by the crash. The younglings ignited their blades as Ahsoka stepped between them and the cyborg, her moved prompted by the arrival of Banshee as her speeder sled slowed to a halt and she dismounted, stepping up beside Grievous and igniting her own arm-mounted blades.

"Like shooting silverfish in a barrel." The Umbaran mocked.

"Yes! So many lightsabers to add to my collection!" Grievous cackled. Byph challenged him to come and take them, but was cut off when the drone of an engine drowned them out and Slave I emerged from the canyon behind them. The craft turned on end as its boarding ramp was exposed, revealing Katooni urging them inside.

"Come on! Hurry!" Seeing as Hondo was, surpringly, fulfilling his end of the bargain, Ahsoka knew the younglings needed to get out of her.

"Run. All of you, run!" She ordered them, the five with her dutifully obeying their chaperone and making for the ship.

"Look at the children running... they are wise to listen to you, Padawan Tano." Grievous snarled.

"Aw, she's like their mommy." Banshee teased in a sinister tone. Ahsoka merely raised a brow marking, appearing unimpressed. Dynnal, meanwhile, turned to Corsair.

"Go with them. Keep them safe." He urged. His father shook his head.

"I'm not leavin' ya... not without givin' ya this first." He responded, grabbing Dynnal's hand and shoving a familiar object into it. Raising his hand to find it gripping the hilt of Meline's lightsaber, Dynnal nodded back in understanding as Corsair patted him on the shoulder. He turned to join the Younglings, leaving Dynnal and Ahsoka together to face off against Grievous and Banshee.

"Pick your dance partner." He offered, igniting his orange blade.

"I've got Banshee." Ahsoka stated.

"Then I'll take Grievous." Dynnal determined.

Grievous. Out of those two you want to handle Grievous. Great. You've killed us both. Wraith sardonically muttered within his head. Dynnal ignored him and stepped towards the cyborg as Ahsoka broke off to challenge the super-soldier. His arms snapping open into their four-piece configuration, four blades quickly lit up as Grievous went on the offensive. Dynnal exhaled hard. "Hoo boy." He mused, calming himself and gripping his blade tightly.

Dooku had taught him to always have fear, intimidation and surprise on his side during a fight. Ever a master of all three, Grievous brought everything to bear against Dynnal as he unleashed a whirlwind of bladed strikes, Dynnal doing everything in his power to maintain a steady defence as Grievous struck him with the force of a tempest.

Ahsoka ignited her blades and crouched low as Banshee approached.

"Are you attempting to beat me or simply buy your precious younglings a few more seconds of life?" The super-soldier inquired.

"Either or, I'm not picky." Ahsoka replied in a steadfast tone.

"Time to teach these kids what a dead Jedi looks like!" Banshee retorted, surging ahead with her iconic war scream. Her swings were wild and heavy, Ahsoka nimbly back-stepping and blocking each one as they came, keeping an even head as she battled the super-soldier with gusto. For all Banshee was as a super-soldier, she had not the calm and determined focus of a Jedi.

The Younglings aboard Slave I watched the battle unfold in awe, counting themselves privileged to get to watch Ahsoka Tano in combat. And Dynnal was no slouch either, but he seemed to be doing a lot more backing up instead of actually trying to fight Grievous. But he could still meet the cyborg blow for blow, no easy feet considering how fast Grievous was moving.

The cybernetic Kaleesh was a warrior in every sense of the word; fast, powerful and driven. He kept Dynnal on his toes, pressing every advantage as his four arms moved like they were Force-driven flesh and not metal. Ever moving, always striking, Grievous even made use of his feet to catch his lightsabers and strike Dynnal with five or six limbs instead of just four. He attacked swiftly and without mercy. Putting Dynnal on a definite backpeddle when he loosed the connectors in his shoulders and body to allow his entire suite of arms to spin around like a multicolored sawblade. The Titan could only look on with wide eyes. "Bloah!" He exclaimed with a gasp, his gaze attempting to keep up with the massive amount of movement unfolding before him. Grievous advanced, his blades striking Dynnal's one after another with enough force to nearly tear his lightsaber from his grip each time.

"Are you okay?" Ahsoka called out in wonderment as she battled Banshee back.

"I'm fine! Just fine!" He called out, rolling back and quick-stepping to the side as Grievous' hulking body came crashing into the ground where he'd once been. A clawed foot swun up with his blue blade and the force of impact nearly put Dynnal on his back. "Contrary to popular belief, I'm just fine!" He promised, backing off as Grievous landed six blows in quick succession.

Despite his words, Ahsoka was uncertain of their truthfulness.

He was clearly struggling, and that bothered her in more ways than one. Dynnal, the premier super-soldier formerly known as Wraith, was struggling against the likes of General Grievous? Impossible! He was defending to much, trying to be passive and not active in this fight. He wasn't using his strength to overpower and overwhelm the cyborg. Wraith would've... Wraith always-

Ahsoka killed the thought just as Banshee whipped around with a screech, her twin sabers raised just in time to block the super-soldier's. Her frown she dedicated to focusing on her own battle instead of her conflicted emotions about Dynnal. "You wanna switch?" She asked.

"Why? Do you?" Dynnal responded between grunts of exertion as he barely warded off another flurry of blows from Grievous. Ahsoka let out a grumbling sigh, his determination to do everything for her sake was starting to grow wearisome. As Grievous attacked with all four blades and sent them crashing into the ground where Dynnal had once been, the Titan backflipped away and landed on his feet behind Ahsoka, putting them both in a prime position.

"Yes! Switch!" She commanded. In an instant, they were both moving. Ahsoka flipped over Dynnal in a horizontal spin as he fell to his knees and spun-swept under her, the two of them suddenly changing positions to spar with new opponents. Dynnal's blade rose up just in time to block Banshee's incoming slash and Ahsoka was in a ready stance just as Grievous came at her with blades spinning. She backflipped away from his thrust and struck back with several hard twin-strikes, using both blades to finally put Grievous on the defensive.

Having dueled Banshee before, Dynnal was well-aware of what was required of him. He lacked the armor and additional offensive capabilities she possessed, but his skill and focus could be just as dangerous in this close-quarters game. He played defensively again, allowing Banshee to attack him with snarls and growls, hoping to tire her out and wear her down so he could land a disabling blow or two. Her blades struck his and sparks erupted from the clash.

"I see you got that optic repaired." He mused.

"I have yet to repay you in turn." Banshee growled.

"Don't start yet, I've yet to break the other one!" Dynnal said with a smirk, a small act that irritated Banshee fiercely and she broke through the clash to attack with a roar.

As Grievous attempted to duck and dodge Ahsoka's strikes, the Togruta found a weakness in his tactic and exploited it by summoning the Force to send him flying backwards. The General drove his blades into the ground to slow himself down, before he managed a foothold and propelled himself back into the fight, all four lightsabers spinning around as Ahsoka rolled back to avoid the strike. Armed and ready, Ahsoka catapulted herself forwards and swung her blades around, each strike clashing with Grievous as the General met her blow for blow. Sensing a potential opening, Ahsoka attempted a low thrust only for two of Grievous' sabers to cross and trap her, driving her blade down as she was forced to defend an overhead attack.

We have to keep them guessing. Switch back. Dynnal suddenly said telepathically.

You sure? Ahsoka queried, surprised by his willingness to go back to Grievous.

Positive. His affirmation sounded confident, like he had a plan, and Ahsoka relented. Freeing herself from Grievous, the Togruta vaulted back in a corkscrew jump as Dynnal turned and hacked into the unsuspecting Grievous with a quick spin. Landing in a crouch, he drew his pistol and fired a shot that struck Greivous near the neck and caused him to recoil.

Ahsoka crashed into Banshee from above, rolling off her twin saber block and springing around to drive her blades across the Umbaran's armor, leaving glowing scars behind that faded as quickly as Banshee could move. She was on Ahsoka again in a heartbeat, shrieking and laying into her with heavy-handed blows the Togruta was able to dodge with ease.

"What was that about a dead Jedi? Guess you're a failure of a teacher too." Ahsoka teased with a smug grin. Banshee loosed a throaty growl.

"Jedi whore!" She roared, surging forward with her Shriekburst emitter primed to hit Ahsoka with a powerful burst of condensed ultrasonic energy. It caught her full-on and pitched Ahsoka across the ground, her sabers still in grip but unlit.

"'Soka!" Dynnal cried out, catching a brief glimpse of her shifted situation. Grievous had laid into his defence will all four sabers and he was struggling to keep his ground against the cyborg's mechanical might, his divided focus not helping in the slightest.

"Your compassion for the Jedi will be your downfall!" Grievous hissed, rearing back his arms only to grab Dynnal with a clawed foot and turn with a whirl, smashing his body into the ground.

Banshee moved far quicker than anyone suspected she could and soon jerked Ahsoka to her feet by her headtails. A sharp cry left her lips as Banshee promptly rounded another sonic-fuelled punch that hit her hard in the abdomen. Her innards rattled as sonic energy passed through her, Ahsoka took the follow-up hard blow to her face and was thrown to the ground again. Skittering across the dusty terrain, she was confident there would be a bruise and forced herself to stand, calling on the Force to numb the pain receptors currently flaring. The super-soldier was charging her again, lunging forward with her fist out to score another blow.

Thinking quickly, Ahsoka recalled her combat lessons from Wraith and drafted a counterattack.

Ducking low, Banshee's fist passed above her as Ahsoka channeled her swirling emotional energies into her fist, striking Banshee in the chest hard with a Force-powered blow that left a dent in her armor as the super-soldier was propelled back with incredible speed. Shifting her focus, Ahsoka turned to see Dynnal get tossed against by Grievous, his shirt torn open and blood trailing from his ribs after a brush with a sharp rock.

"Hold on, Dynnal!" She cried, charging towards Grievous just as he righted himself. He parried the twin blades coming towards him and, sensing Ahsoka's approach, drove Grievous' arm down to give Ahsoka an easy target. True to his intuition, Ahsoka's green blade cut clean through Grievous' wrists as her yellow shoto deflected his overhead strike. The General staggered, both figured it was time to leave.

"Go, I'll cover you." Dynnal urged her, slowly backing up. But Ahsoka grabbed his shoulder.

"No, you're gonna need a boost." She stated, telling him through the Force that he couldn't use his powers in front of the Younglings. Accepting, Dynnal moved at a sprint beside her, the two of them charging Slave I as the Younglings urged them onwards. Ahsoka made it to the cliff edge first and propelled herself off and up with the Force, using her momentum to reach out and grab Dynnal in the process. She landed gracefully, he landed shoulder first but used his momentum to roll to his feet. Together they joined the Younglings within the ship as the durasteel door sealed them within the safe confines.

Below, Grievous ignored the loss of two hands and merely chuckled. "Yes, run little Jedi! You cannot survive us... you will not survive what is to come!" He threatened. All of a sudden, Slave I righted itself and the twin cannons opened up as Hondo trained his sights on the cyborg. In a flash of mechanized movement, Grievous was moving faster than any organic sentient could, rolling and leaping as cannonfire trailed after him and kicked up clouds of dust.

"Did we get him?" Katooni wondered.

"I can't tell." Petro said, trying to peer over the console. The ship shuddered violently as shells from arriving ATT's exploded around it, the tanks attempting to blow Slave I out of the sky.

"Show's over kiddies! Let's get out of here!" Hondo declared, maneuvering the craft away form the battlefield. Grievous slow led to study their retreat, chuckling to himself as he basked in a long-overdue victory. Banshee, meanwhile, had picked herself up and brushed off the dent in her chest armor, quietly cursing Ahsoka in the process. As the aftermath of battle settled in and her senses cleared, she paused and reflected on the fight. The duo of Dynnal and Ahsoka seemed... familiar to her in some way. Then it clicked and she knew she needed to make a call. Prior to today, she thought his conclusion stupid and impossible at best. But now? Now something very real was afoot. She reached for her helmet and activated her long-range comms.

"Reaper, this is Banshee. That theory you've been working on since Onderon? I think I have some new evidence for you..."

---

Later...

Having linked up with Obi-Wan Kenobi's battlegroup, Hondo had boarded the Jedi's cruiser and returned the Younglings to Republic hands. All six of them were positively buzzing over their misadventure and couldn't help but crowd around Dynnal and Ahsoka with Master Huyang as they praised and admired their efficiency in battle while the two secret lovers were checked over by Clone medics. Hondo and Corsair, meanwhile, had plenty to speak about with Obi-Wan. Namely payment.

"...and let me see, the cost of the fuel I had to use. Lot of fuel. The general wear and tear on my men and equipment, a couple of them died. I think." The pirate listed off. "Believe me, Kenobi, staging a rescue... ah, it is not an inexpensive proposition." He summarized.

"So you mean to tell me you were staging a rescue, not attempting to hijack a Jedi starship?" Obi-Wan asked.

"You're welcome!" The Weequay cried. "The thanklessness! What an accusation! I am gone, I will send you my bill!" He loudly declared in an offended tone. As Hondo promptly walked off to rejoin his men aboard Slave I, Obi-Wan merely shook his head. Then he turned to the Titan.

"And you, Corsair? I presume you have an extensive bill for the Republic as well." The Jedi inquired.

"Ya know, I could be like ol' 'Ondo. But, ya know what? Since 'e just handed ya a bloody laundry list, I'll cut ya some slack an' just bill ya fo' half tha cost of a new shuttle." Corsair told him.

"How very generous of you." Obi-Wan dryly remarked.

"Enjoy it, Kenobi. I don't dish it out often." Corsair cautioned him. Together, they strode over to the cluster of Jedi. Dynnal's shirt was lifted as a bacta gauze was applied to the cut on his side, offering but a glimpse of the sharp muscles there. Ahsoka, on the other hand, had her bruises and scuffs examined with a MAHI, having faired a bit better than he did.

"Ahsoka, it's good to see you're all safe." Obi-Wan told her.

"It's good to back in safe territory, Master." Ahsoka responded.

"And you, Mister Karn? Faring well after a bout with General Grievous?" Obi-Wan inquired of the young man.

"Titan training prepares you for a lot of stuff." Dynnal responded with a simple shrug of his shoulders.

"You should've seen it, Master Obi-Wan! It was incredible!" Zatt excitedly told the bearded Jedi.

"Yeah! They went back and forth and fought Grievous and that Banshee soldier, it was awesome!" Petro readily agreed, mimicking the motions of the fast-paced duel he'd witnessed. Obi-Wan couldn't help but chuckle at their young enthusiasm.

"My my, sounds like you got a little more than you were expecting." He mused with a smile. "Yes, we had quite an eventful Gathering. Pretty sure mine wasn't nearly this... action-packed." Ahsoka confessed as the trooper cleared her and she stood.

"I agree. I can't say I've ever been on such an eventful Gathering since the time Master Yoda went to find his Lightsaber crystal." Master Huyang added. The Youngling's eyes lit up at the prospect of that story, all of them eagerly turning to the droid master in hopes of hearing more.

"I'm afraid that story will have to wait." Obi-Wan quickly interjected to a chorus of disappointed groans.

"Aw man, and here even I wanted to hear that one." Dynnal remarked.

"For now, be proud. You've survived an ordeal few your age could." Obi-Wan continued. Drawing his lightsaber and igniting it, he held out the sapphire blade towards the middle of their circle. "Welcome home, young Jedi." Taking that as a cue, one by one the Younglings collectively lit their blades and joined Obi-Wan in forming an intrinsic circle of coloured light, their initiation complete. Even Ahsoka joined in and added her green blade Dynnal briefly glanced down at the hilt clipped to his belt before shaking his head. "Nah."

He was most certainly not a Jedi.

Afterwards, once the Younglings had been escorted to their designated quarters, Dynnal walked with Ahsoka over to hers.

"Smooth moves out there. You handled Banshee and Grievous like a champ." He praised her.

"Hey, you did too. It was a team effort." Ahsoka responded, casually giving him a brief elbow to the side. She meant it as a joke, but it fell flat when she struck his cut and he hissed in pain. "Sorry! Sorry! I forgot, I'm sorry!" She quickly apologized.

"No no, no need, I'm fine." Dynnal promised, a hand quickly concealing his wounded nerves. The stinging died down and he rolled out the subtle ache. "Still, you did all you did after languishing as a prisoner, so kudos to you." He told her.

"Ah, you know, could've been worse and all that." Ahsoka brushed it off.

"You need anything? I could get you something to eat-" Dynnal offered.

"No, I'm fine Danny." Ahsoka quickly responded. "Honestly, I just need a shower more than anything." She said, glancing down at her dirty, dust-covered tunic.

"Maybe I can help you with that?" He wondered, wiggling his eyebrows. Catching on to his connotations, Ahsoka couldn't help but burst out laughing.

As the Republic departed Florrum, a single transport entered the system and hovered over the planet. It was briskly turned back by the controlling Separatists and, when he received no answer regarding the pirates who once lived there, Sono Molec was most displeased...

---

Come. Come home to me, Byph. I miss you.

The young Ithorian stared out the viewport as his eyes searched readily for the source of the voice.

"What is it, Byph?" Zatt wondered. The Ithorian pointed towards the stars, explaining what he felt and heard. "I don't hear anything." The Nautolan youngling replied, frowning as he peered out towards the stars. His friend pressed him further, promising the voice was coming from out there. "You sure you didn't get hit on the head during our escape?" He wondered and the Ithorian rolled his eyes.

Seemingly no one else could sense that which was calling to him... whoever or whatever she was.

The door to their wing opened and Obi-Wan stepped through, the younglings quickly abandoning their activities in reverant respect of whatever the master wished of them.

"How is everyone doing here?" He kindly asked.

"We're fine, Master Kenobi." Zatt promised him and Gungi growled in agreement.

"Yeah, never better! Thanks to Padawan Tano and those two Titans." Ganodi quickly added, doing the Rodian equivalent of grinning ear to ear.

"That is pleasing to hear." Obi-Wan answered. "Nice to know Corsair and Dynnal were so willing to assist you all."

"They were more than nice, you should've been there Master Kenobi! It was incredible!" Petro energetically told him, splaying out on his bed.

"Yeah! The way Padawan Tano and Mister Dynnal fought side by side, back to back, it was epic!" Katooni excitedly continued. Byph and Gungi added their own exclamations, Obi-Wan mentally translating the two younglings recounting moments from their apparent battle against General Grievous and a super-soldier whose description matched that of Banshee.

"Oh yeah, you'd almost think they've done that before." Petro added.

His comment, seemingly innocent and naive, suddenly gave Obi-Wan pause and he raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean by that, Petro?" He gently asked the Youngling. "Do explain for me why you think Ahsoka and Dynnal might've fought together before..."

---

Author's Note: And just like that, we've surpassed 1,000,000 words! This could not have been done without the continual support and engagement of every one of you. So thank you, thank you for even just dropping by to give this a glimpse. I appreciate it well and truly.

Next time, it snows! Not literally, but there's no such thing as summer on Fest.