TATOOINE
Naturally, the starship of Ailyn Fett would look alarming to a Jedi or ally, but the crime syndicates would think nothing of it entering Tatooine space.
The sound of Hoff's banging inside the cargo hold was fortunately faint.
As Slave II approached the planet of Tatooine with Kira and Sam in the cockpit, the disgraced Major asked his old friend, "Have you seen anybody else after...you know? Before coming to help me?"
Kira closed her eyes with grief and shook her head. "You're the first. It's a long story, but...I was doing nothing for a long time, months. Just wandering planet to planet. Then I decided to seek out force knowledge that the Jedi don't have."
"You mean like the trick you used with my father?" Sam asked, "I don't think they taught you that at the Academy."
"There was somebody watching me, somebody watching everything that's been happening in the galaxy. An old Sith Lord who was thought dead."
"You learned from a Sith?" Sam marveled, not able to hide his surprise and slight horror.
"Just one technique, the power to control midichlorians. And he said that he wasn't a Sith anymore, but I guess he changed his mind. Ultor got to him."
"You've seen Ultor?" Sam asked.
"Not yet," Kira said with a slight growl. She was still high off of her demonstration of the midichlorian exploits, and she felt all the more eager for a fight. "But I know that when I do see him again, I'll be ready. He'll be an easy job to finish."
"You sound very sure of yourself," Sam said, shaking his head, "You've changed quite a bit since I last saw you."
"I'm sure you've been in touch...with everybody?" Kira asked.
"That's why I got caught," Sam replied, "I stayed in contact with Tahiri, helping the Jedi stay ahead of the Republic."
This caused Kira to turn her head sharply, an inexplicable and sudden discomfort taking hold of her.
"You've been in contact with Tahiri?" she asked- a mix of remorse and jealousy coursing through her veins. It did nothing to keep down her dark urges.
She could not entirely hide a scowl.
"She's been worried about you too," Sam said, "she'll be very excited to see you."
"I'm sure," Kira replied distantly.
The suns had nearly vanished from the red and purple sky by the time the two Coalition battleships arrived out of lightspeed.
From the main Hutt Cartel Dor'bulla, Krunge the Toydarian major domo spoke via hologram with both Rotta, who had entered his father Jabba's palace deep within the Dune Sea's rocky region, and Gorga, who had led an army of IG assassin droids into Mos Espa's main administration building.
"There's two Sith crusiers approaching Tatooine space," Krunge said, "It seems as though the Dark Master has finally shown up."
"We cannot be under his thumb any longer," Gorga determined, "shoot him down before he can land."
Ultor glared from the command bridge of the Phantom Revenge at the Hutt Cartel fleet.
Behind him, both Plagueis and Talon approached. The Shadowtrooper workers below deck were already positioning the cruiser's cannons to fire.
"What shall we do, Dark Master?" the lead officer inquired from down below.
"Destroy everything in your path," Ultor replied.
He used the Force to activate the floor projector, which brought to life the full- color image of Darth Bane.
"Lord Bane, lead the Sith crew and destroy any Hutt vessels in sight," Plagueis said, using the Force to maintain the spell he had cast on the undead.
"We will crush them without mercy," Bane replied.
"Do you feel them down there, Master?" Talon inquired, "the Jedi?"
Ultor nodded, reaching out to sense all Force energy coming from the surface of Tatooine.
"The day of reckoning is at hand," he said, "And we will no fail to eliminate the Jedi. Skywalker and Kira Solo, I will attend to personally. The rest of the Jedi, your Sith army can deal with."
Plagueis nodded his understanding. "They will not fail the dark side."
"Come with me, my lord," Ultor said to the older Sith, starting to walk away and beckoning for Plagueis to follow.
Talon started to join them, but Ultor said, "Command the ship as it prepares to attack."
Talon looked hurt, glaring resentfully after Plagueis as he followed Ultor into the corridor.
"I think it's time you upheld your end," Ultor began as they walked up the staircase towards his private quarters, "I am giving you the chance to lead the climatic battle that will extinguish the light once and for all. I think it is time that you shared your secrets with me."
"The midichlorians?" Plagueis asked.
"Yes," Ultor replied, "Show me what you showed the Solo girl."
Plagueis considered this. "I could, but I do not wish to harm my partner in the ultimate crusade of darkness."
"You flatter me, good master," Ultor replied with no touch of pleasure in his voice or expression, "We have a crew of expendable men whose lives are more than worth the sacrifice."
"Very well," Plagueis replied.
He hobbled to the exit of Ultor's quarters and spotted a passing Shadowtrooper.
Using the Force, Plagueis seized the armored man's throat with his aged, bony hand and pulled him into the air and into the chamber.
Ultor watched with mild amusement as Plagueis let the man drop to the ground, gagging.
"Master, what's happening to me?" the Shadowtrooper asked, looking to Ultor with terrified desperation.
Ultor finally managed a smile as Plagueis extended his skinny arm to the sprawled man, taking his life force through midichlorian control.
"I'm putting his midichlorians to sleep," Damask explained, "When they are no longer active, he will die. If I reverse the process, he will return to life."
Ultor watched with facination, but also felt a surge of envy. He knew that if he could not master this ability soon enough, he would have to find a way to get rid of Plagueis.
The soldier continued to fight for his life before finally passing out, his brain and heart functions finally ceasing.
"Feel his midichlorians as they go to sleep," Plagueis said, "I can kill with hardly any physical effort, and revive the dead. I can order the midichlorians to stop their host from dying. The Jedi would never dare attempt any such thing."
Ultor could not help but feel a touch of genuine, yet grudging, respect.
"I want to learn," he said, "I want to have this power."
Plagueis looked away, pondering his next move. He did not want Ultor to match him in power, but he knew that he needed the young man's alliance for now.
"Once we have destroyed the Jedi, we shall go to the Wellspring of Life," Plagueis replied, "It was there that I discovered the birthplace of the midichlorians, and communicated with them. The Wellspring of Life is the source of all Force generation, and the root of its communication with living beings."
"This wellspring...this is a place that we could really go?" Ultor asked, determined not to sound too interested. He kept a growl to his voice as he listened curious.
"It is near impossible to find without a deep connection to the Force," Plagueis replied with his raspy voice, "But I have discovered it before. Together, we can again."
"I am trusting your word alone," Ultor said, maintaining his cold demeanor. He began to exit his quarters, glaring at Plagueis. "I hope you will remember that, Dark Lord."
Plagueis narrowed his sunken eyes in reply.
As the two Sith Lords returned to the command deck, a heavy artillery blast came from the Dor'bulla, causing the entire cruiser to rock from the explosion.
"Destroy them all!" Talon was shouting. The shadowtroopers scrambled to return fire, operating all laser cannons on the Phantom Revenge.
The entranced Dark Lords of the past were serving as the crew of the other Dreadnought, following Bane's commands as they attacked the Dor'bulla fighter.
A Falleen lieutenant said to Krunge, "I don't know how long we'll last against that firepower."
Krunge wiggled through the air as the Dor'bulla took a massive hit.
"We must..." the rest of his sentence was cut off as the two Sith vessels sent waves of fire into the Dor'bulla, causing it to erupt in flames and gas and crumble into several chunks of flying aluminum into the cosmos.
The remaining Hutt Cartel ships began to return fire, with Syck fighters emerging to assist, but they were nowhere near as fast as a cruiser controlled by a team of Sith Lords.
Explosion after explosion lit up the orbit around Tatooine as the Phantom Revenge sped around the revolution of the planet.
The Hutt council members who remained in orbit began to slither as quickly as they could towards the Hawk gunships specialized to carry beings of their weight, as crew members and hired guns likewise scrambled in panic.
Rotta spoke via holoconference with the remaining Hutt council members who were in a position to communicate.
"We must contact Black Sun, and the Pykes, and any other syndicates willing to fight," he said, "Our way of life will be under attack from the Sith just as much as it is from the Republic."
Down in Anchorhead, as the young Jedi ushered the citizens into the shops and shipyards for cover, Jysella pointed up at the very visible battle between the villainous ships.
"Looks like we've got more company," she said.
"Big trouble for us," Ganner said, "There's definitely Sith up there."
"There's more of them in the city!" a moisture farmer exclaimed fearfully.
"Sith?" asked Tahiri.
"No!" the farmer pointed as a unit of IG droids and Gammorean guards appeared from two separate alleyways.
The Knights activated their lightsabers to deflect fire from the droids and guards, immediately doing so as the droids fired.
Tahiri used the Force to push one Gammorean into another, knocking out the second one and stunning the first.
The sound of more speeders came overhead as the Masters rushed to join their students.
"We can't beat that one so easily," Tionne said, deflecting shots from the assassin droids, "His armor is resistant to our lightsaber blades."
Luke arrived in his landspeeder a moment later. Leaping out, he raised both hands to send a big wave at the remaining Coalition forces, sending them flying into the shadows of night.
"The Sith have arrived," he said, "Far more than there were in the Coalition."
"How could there be so many?" Glut Nodlad wondered, "Ultor only had six lieutenants."
"There's deeper and more sinister forces at work here," Luke concluded, "dark powers beyond even Ultor."
Tahiri gasped and took a deep breath as she sensed the Force-presences approaching.
"I don't believe it," she breathed, watching a Firespray fly from the twilight sky into the atmosphere towards them.
"None of us can," Tionne replied, "That is why we must..."
"No, it's Kira!" Tahiri exclaimed, her fear immediately replaced by joy and elation.
Luke gazed at the approaching ship with apprehension, resembling his last conversation with his niece. He sensed an improvement in her, she was no longer angry with the Jedi, but there was also something more frightening within her.
Back at the Lars homestead, Leia ran into the shed inside the Larshomestead,which they had converted into living quarters where she and Han took residence.
"Han, Han!" she shouted.
"What is it, sweetheart?" Han asked in alarm.
"Han," Leia repeated, trembling.
Han slipped out of his cot quickly and took hold of his wife, shaking her.
Slave II docked in the midst of Anchorhead's main avenue, where the residents and farmers had taken cover.
Tahiri was the first to approach the Firespray as it's engine shut down, the ramp sliding down in a slow, dramatic fashion.
She froze with a mix of excitement and a new sensation of nervousness- how would Kira react to her now?
Sam was the first to come out, smiling faintly. He still wore his old uniform, but he looked bruised and scratched like he had taken a beating.
"Sam!" Tahiri shouted, running to him.
Kira froze inside Ailyn's ship as she saw Tahiri hug Sam like an old friend. There was something about this that she did not like, so much that she felt the dark impulses that the midichlorians had introduced surging forward once again.
Tahiri asked, "How did you get away?"
"An old friend came to help me," Sam replied.
He gestured towards the hatch of Slave II, where Kira was standing with a cold expression on her face.
Behind Tahiri and Sam, Luke was also studying the scene tensely. He was glad that his niece had returned, but he sensed a new darkness in her that had not even been present when she had fled from the Jedi Order.
Tahiri gently approached the ramp, her heart racing with nervous dread.
"Kira..." she said in a soft voice, "I'm so glad that you're here. Ive missed you, we all have."
Kira did not move for a long minute, scowling while not knowing why she was reacting this way. Tahiri was her best friend of five years, her first friend at the Academy. Why should she not be happy to see her? And why should Tahiri not be happy to see Sam either?
Finally, Kira ran to her and flung her arms around Tahiri, who hugged her friend tightly.
"I'm sorry," Kira ranted, "I should never have run away, or treated you the way I did."
"I worried about you the whole time, everybody did," Tahiri replied, "You were going through unimaginable grief and pain and we wanted to help."
Kira finally looked over to her uncle Luke, who had remained silent. She still felt a flash of resentment at the sight of him, but it was mingled with definite sorrow.
She remained silent until Luke took the merciful first step.
"It's good to have you back, Kira," the Jedi Grand Master finally said, "Now, we all have a serious challenge ahead of us, possibly the greatest battle the Jedi has ever fought."
"I can win it," Kira said confidently, "I'm more powerful now. The Sith and the Coalition don't have a chance."
Luke raised his eyebrows, surprised. Tahiri looked similarly worried. Only Sam seemed to understand.
"Are you going to do to all of those people the same as you did my father?" Sam asked.
"What is he talking about, Kira?" Luke asked with growing concern.
"He's alive," Kira replied hastily, hurrying up the ramp of Slave II to re-enter the ship and open up the cargo hold, "He's right here."
As soon as Kira opened the door, Hoff Praxium came bursting out, wielding a blaster from Ailyn's collection.
"Don't move, Jedi scum," Praxium hissed, backing Kira outside and down the ramp.
Praxium froze as he saw seven armed Jedi and a large cluster of Tatooine civilians, all gathered together, with a trail of Coalition casualties in their wake.
He dropped the pistol and backed into the ship once again.
"Coward," Kira spat fiercely.
Sam turned to Luke.
"Are there more of you here?" he asked.
Luke nodded. "The Jedi are sheltered at the old homestead of my aunt and uncle, beyond Beggar's Canyon. We've built a larger safehouse to host everybody."
"I'll take my father there to keep him out of the way," Sam offered, "Is General Solo here too?"
Luke nodded, and both Kira and Sam squirmed with discomfort.
"Are my parents okay?" Kira asked, "Have they been all right, since I left?"
Luke bowed his head sadly. "They've mourned the loss of both their children, but they'll be overjoyed to see you again."
"We will have to deal with the Sith soon, before they overtake the planet and the entire Outer Rim," Tionne chimed in.
"I think they'll be occupied for a while," Luke said, gazing up at the space battle overhead.
Up in orbit of Tatooine, additional Hutt Dor'bulla had joined the fight against the Sith cruisers. In addition, a Black Sun skyhook was deploying fighters to keep them busy.
"Crush them all!" Darth Bane ordered as the Sith Lords continued to operate the cannons.
Meanwhile, Talon had boarded her personal Infiltrator to join the fray, blasting down every fighter within her path.
In the Phantom Revenge, Ultor was hurrying towards his own ship in the main hangar, which was trembling from blast after blast. Darth Plagueis followed behind him, staggering from the blows and his own evident fragility.
"We have a far more significant battle to attend to," Ultor declared, boarding his craft without another second's delay. Plagueis hobbled in a split second later, and the ship blasted off the hangar floor and towards the surface of Tatooine.
Watching the space battle between the Sith and the Coalition, Luke flashed back to a day many years ago. He had been with his friends Biggs and Camie, telling them about a space battle he had witnessed on the sky between the Rebels and the Empire.
"There'll be more Coalition men here soon," Ganner said, "What're we going to do, Master?"
"I'll deal with the Sith, the rest of you nuts stay with the people here to keep them safe," Luke said.
"I'm not staying here," Kira said firmly, "I will face Ultor again. You know he has to die, Master. He's a scourge on the whole galaxy."
Luke knew she was right. Palpatine couldn't have lived to continue his menace, and sadly it seemed that Ultor somehow needed to be put down.
"Are you going to kill him, if you face him?" Kira persisted.
Luke shook his head with sorrow. "I will do what is right by the Jedi code, and the galaxy."
"I've made up my mind," Kira replied, "And I have the ability."
"Kira, we're going to have to talk," Luke said, "about these powers..."
"Hey!" Tahiri yelled suddenly.
Hoff Praxium had jumped onto a swoop bike, clumsily climbing aboard the seat.
He flipped the engine switch to activate it and took off into the night.
"Are we going to let him go?" Tahiri asked.
"He is not worth our effort," replied Tionne gently.
"We have no time to lose," Kahn said.
To the farmers and other residents, Luke said, "My Jedi here will keep you safe when the Coalition comes. The Hutts are determined to take back Tatooine, but we won't let them."
A cry of exhilaration rang through the crowd of civilians.
"We are ever indebted to your service," an older farmer said
"Kira, before I leave, I'm going to have to talk with you," Luke said with a sigh, turning to depart down the alleyway.
Kira began to follow apprehensively as Luke began to stride towards the outskirts. The moon had risen over the desert sky by this time.
"Kira, you've learned a very dark power from a Sith," Luke said, very matter-of-fact about his statement.
"Did Anakin tell you?" Kira asked.
"Not directly, but he is going to do what he can to make sure you don't fall too far into the inferno. That's the role of all Jedi spirits- to make sure that their wisdom as well as their base knowledge is maintained after their deaths."
"But with the midichlorian powers, you don't ever have to become a spirit," Kira argued, "Damask has been able to keep himself alive for decades. You already know what he's done with all those Sith."
"My father has already spoken with you about the dangers of life force manipulation," Luke replied, "And you've seen the true nature of Darth Plagueis, and his abilities. You saw how easily he slipped back to evil when provoked. Look at the battle above."
"He has a powerful weapon that we don't have," Kira asserted, "Why can't we use it to win?"
"Because there are more important things than being alive," Luke replied, "and immortality is not the greatest power at our disposal."
He stopped in front of an abandoned abode building with two stories and a walkway onto the rooftop meant for observing the stars.
Kira followed Luke into the small structure and looked around at the various parts and mechanical goods that had been left.
"Where are we, Uncle Luke?" Kira asked.
"Tosche Station," Luke replied, "This was an old hangout of mine, when I was your age."
He fondly touched a small device composed of wires and a long antenna.
"Power converters."
Luke was feeling uncharacteristically sentimental right before the ultimate reckoning, he realized.
"I hope you understand the truth about the midichlorians even with it's apparent benefits, they are not meant to be tampered with they the beings that they occupy, it's a symbiotic bond."
Kira was silent, pondering everything. Luke turned to exit the abandoned Tosche Station.
"We should stay focused on the moment," he said, chiding himself far more than Kira, "I need you to rejoin the others and stay with them."
"Where are you going?" Kira asked.
Luke stared up beyond the rooftops of Anchorhead determinedly.
"I have to preserve the sanctity of the Jedi and the light, and that means stopping its threats at the source."
"You're not going anywhere without forgetting us, are you kid?" asked a voice that made Kira shudder with dreaded anticipation.
Luke turned to find Han and Leia arriving in the street, rushing to him.
"We thought you needed the help," Leia added.
"This is something I must do," Luke said, "It's my responsibility."
"We understand," Leia replied.
Kira's throat and chest were locked as she slowly shuffled out of Tosche Station to fully view her parents.
They both gaped as soon as they saw their grown daughter, who was radiating a mixture of nerves and restlessness.
"Kira," Leia gasped, choking on the name.
"Mom, Dad, I've come back," Kira said in a small, meek voice that did not match the volcano raging inside her.
"It's really you," Han replied, not daring to believe what he saw. He stepped forward to slowly place his hand on his daughter's shoulder, as if touching her would make it more real.
"I'm sorry for leaving when I did," Kira said, "especially after Ben..."
She stopped, finding it physically impossible to finish.
"We understand," Leia replied, wrapping both her daughter and husband in a tight embrace.
Luke could not help but smile warmly at the sight.
He needed to see this reconciliation before the inevitable that remained ahead.
Han and Leia looked over to Luke from behind Kira, silently giving him their love and encouragement.
Luke returned the gaze, giving a salute before walking off to his landspeeder.
Han and Leia's arms remained draped around Kira as they returned to join the other Jedi.
Luke was inaudibly exchanging words with his fellow Masters before climbing into his speeder.
A moment later, the Grand Master began racing down the main avenue of Anchorhead, towards the plains.
As soon as the Solos rejoined the party, Han glanced over at the young officer who was in the middle of instructing a group of young moisture farmers in shooting.
Sam looked up from the teenager he was directing at the wall target inside the hollow cantina and looked at Han anxiously.
"Excuse me," he said, exiting to greet the Solos.
"You're looking worse for wear, kid," Han remarked slyly.
Sam blushed and said, "General, I've never felt good about the way we left things off."
"Don't worry about it, Commander, I was too harsh," Han replied, "What matters is that we're all here now."
Ultor's Herald gracefully began to dock on top of Red Cliff in the Jundland Wastes.
Side by side, the two Sith Masters exited the craft, surveying the landscape of the desert night.
"I will deal with Luke Skywalker," Ultor said definitively to his senior, "The others can be yours for the taking, Lord Plagueis."
"I sense the Solo girl among the gatherers below," Plagueis replied, "She is eager for a fight, all the more now that I have introduced her to my secrets."
"They'll do her no good now," Ultor sneered, glaring at the town below.
In the system surrounding Tatooine, the syndicate fleets were beginning to overwhelm the two Sith cruisers.
"How much longer can we hold out against those ships?" Darth Erebor, a muscular Neimodian, asked.
"We must be pragmatic if we are to win this battle," Bane replied, "Issue a retreat until we can come back with greater firepower."
In the midst of a dogfight with a swarm of Vipers, Talon watched with surprise as the second Coalition cruiser began to make the jump into lightspeed.
"Weak fools," she snapped, "I knew those tricks were no good."
She began to steer her Infiltrator through the massive battle towards the planet surface, deciding that there was no ground to be won up in the stars.
As Talon began to flee, several new warships began to appear out of lightspeed, belonging to the navy of the New Republic.
On the lead ship, the Serpent Claw, Cal Omas watched as his cruisers deployed their Interceprots into the chaotic fray.
"Prepare for maximum firepower from the enemy," he said into the Comm channel that broadcast throughout the fleet.
"Remember, our goal is to pave a way to the surface," Admiral Ackbar chimed in.
Luke's mind was clear as he sped across the desert back to the Jundland Wastes, the past and future no longer existing as entities.
Not even the dark shadows lurking overhead plagued Luke's thoughts as the towering cliffs and ledges drew closer. His mission was to stop the powers responsible for the revival of the Sith, and keep them from ravaging the planet and the rest of the galaxy.
Finally, when Grand Master Skywalker reached the lowest pathway that led up from the sandy beds into the Jundland Wastes, he pulled the lever to halt his landspeeder.
He took a deep breath as he exited and began to climb his way into the beast's lair.
Ultor stood alone on the ledge as he waited for Luke's arrival. With Plagueis inside, the Herald took off into the air, aiming low with the intention of landing in the Dune Sea near the town of Anchorhead.
The army of about thirty moisture farmers and workers stood strong alongside the Jedi as they watched the arrival of the Hawk gunships carrying additional mercenaries.
The magical hum of the lightsaber snapping to life was multiplied by eight as the blades ignited.
The Tatooinians raised their blasters and various weapons to open fire as the Coalition ships approached, wasting no time in letting loose their own ammunition.
"Fall back!" Han shouted as a volley of missiles struck the nearby spaceport, reducing it into a ball of ash.
Kira ran along with the others as they hurried away from the incoming fleet, deflecting shots that came her way with her lightsaber.
Suddenly, Durge's boot struck the alleyway, and he tore into the city, in search of the Jedi.
His arm cannons were showing no restraint as he came across Glut Nodlad, striking the Duros Master hard with his fist.
"Kira, it's that bounty hunter we fought!" Sam yelled, pointing at the towering Durge.
Kira saw him and did not hesitate, charging at him as he gazed her way.
"Time to finish the job," Durge said in his deep voice, raising a fist to slam into Kira.
"Kira, no!" Han yelled as his daughter charged across the alleyway to confront the bounty hunter as he tore apart a junkyard entrance with his bare hands.
Kira remembered the rage she had directed at Ailyn Fett and Hoff Praxium, and the hatred she still felt towards Ultor.
She concentrated on the mechanisms of life within the metal bounty hunter as she reached out to him, ignoring the steel fist about to crush her.
"No!"
Leia used the Force to catch Durge's arm in midair, pushing him back and away from Kira.
Tahiri joined the fray and assisted Leia as Durge struggled against their might.
"I can kill him!" Kira yelled as she continued to advance, "I'm stronger now!"
Durge let out an angry bowl as he continued to resist the Force pushes from Leia and Tahiri.
"Kira, come on!" Tahiri cried.
Black Sun bombers had began to sail over the desert, ready to let loose on Anchorhead.
At that moment, however, the Millennium Falcon, piloted by Chewbacca, entered the scene, leading a team of fifteen Jedi StealthXs, piloted by the young Knights and Masters who had stayed behind at the homestead.
"It's Chewie!" Han yelled.
Leia and Tahiri were distracted from Durge, allowing him to reach Kira in a second, catching her with his giant swinging hand.
Kira swiped her lightsaber at him and stuck the visor that revealed the Gen'Dai's eyes.
Durge roared and hurled Kira aside, causing her to fly over the domed and rectangular Adobe rooftops with a scream, before landing on top of Tosche Station.
Kira could barely move from the agony as her bones burned from the blow.
"Everybody aboard!" Han yelled as he and Sam began to guide the civilians aboard the Millennium Falcon, instantly filling up its round corridor and passenger hold.
Chewbacca had emerged as soon as the old ship landed in the main square of Anchorhead and begun firing his bowcaster at the enemy ships, covered by the Jedi pilots.
Kira gazed down at the retreating Jedi and Tatooine residents from the roof of Tosche Station, watching as Durge continued to mow down everything in his path.
"Where's Kira?" Han asked as he and Leia reached the cockpit of the Falcon.
Durge's fist tore into the building nearest to the Falcon, causing a layer of rubble to strike the hull.
"We have to go, Han!" Leia replied as she jumped into the pilot's seat.
Narrowly avoiding Durge's wrath, the Falcon took off into the night, streaking through the volleys of enemy fire.
Kira managed to hop down from the rooftop as soon as her parents' ship took off.
She remembered Ailyn's craft and began to stagger in the general direction of it, before the sound of a Herald-class shuttle sounded over the roars and rampage of Durge.
Kira knew instantly who was in there, not to mention the danger she was in.
She activated her lightsaber once again and waved it cautiously in front of her as Ultor's ship landed just outside of the city.
Kira walked slowly towards the town border, past a herd of grazing eopies as the Herald docked.
Kira widened her stance and gripped her handle with both of her small, clammy hands. The hum of her blade seemed to drown out all other noise as the Coalition ships departed.
Finally, a lone figure emerged from the Sith craft, tottering yet full of dark power waiting to be unleashed.
Kira approached Plagueis with no fear, ready to strike him down.
"You decided to side with him," Kira growled, eager to display all the bravery within her, "That was a mistake you won't be coming back from."
"I will, soon enough," Plagueis replied with a predatory snarl, "Once you and the rest of your kind are dealt with."
Kira took one more step towards the old Munn, who did not move from his position just off the ramp.
"What are you waiting for, Jedi?" Plagueis asked, "Go ahead, strike me down. I'm the perfect target for all the rage inside you. Use it the way you set out to."
Kira knew better than to waste any more time.
She let out a yell of fury as she charged at Plagueis, her blue blade illuminating the dark shadows on the sand.
Plagueis raised his spidery hands and released a web of lightning to intercept the young Jedi in her path.