They had been tracking him for years but at that time their hunting teams had come particular close to catching him

The Game

After the little talk with the unfortunate Padawan Roj Kell could be certain of his hunters' identity, but that did not make his situation any easier. If the boy's master drew the right conclusions he could have the station's security on Kell's trail in no time and there was nowhere to run for him either. And he still did not know what the Jedi where planning. Maybe he should try a bolder approach then. Smiling a bit at the prospect Roj Kell walked into the open plaza nearest to the shop they had met in. He threw a long, hard look at the ships hovering outside, pondering his options of obtaining this vital information. He could theorize on their target, of course, but unless he could find evidence that just remained mere speculation. And he had to be certain before he could act upon the problem. The easiest solution seemed to be to force the Jedi Master to reveal the target, but there was the chance that he did not know at all. With security this tight his not knowing became a high probability.

Actually Roj Kell was well aware of the fact that he would have no problem at all obtaining that information, but the consequences were what held him back. Even if he got the target's location and even if he had enough time to contact Bane noone could guarantee that they could warn the Sith in time. Kaan did not trust Kell's student and even if Bane was with the strike group he would have a very hard time to convince his brethren of retreat before it was too late. Additionally acting this openly would ultimately seal Kell's fate. The other option was even more dangerous and even more loath to the ancient Sith. By sabotaging the Republic fleet he could gain more breathing space for the Sith and maybe they could be finished with their deployments by the time the fleet was operational again. And this possibility too meant death for him. But, did he really have a choice here? He could not simply walk away, and besides, the Jedi were already on his trail. How he hated being surprised like that. And a surprise it had been. He was caught between a rock and a hard place, with nowhere to go.

Well, he had four days left, four days until the fleet would leave. Until then he should be able to come up with a suitable plan of action. One that would keep him ahead of the Jedi. Hopefully. But first he had to show them that noone played games with Roj Kell. Ever. Whirling around abruptly he left his place in the plaza and wandered over to one of the many public parks, small green spots that he hoped would help fuel his creativity. He sat down on one of the small benches dotted across the lawn and lost himself in the sound of an artificial waterfall nearby. It was quite idyllic, actually. And he found that somehow he needed this peace and quiet the older he got. Once there had been something to rekindle the fire in his soul, but it had died a long, long time ago. He realized that even the fate of the Sith did not touch him anymore the way it had only a few years back. The fact that he was hesitating at

all now told him that he had to be very, very careful.

If he lost his emotions he would lose his flexibility. He would be no more than an organic processor analyzing everything around him without noticing the finer undertones and flavors.

He would be dead. But was there a way to overcome this paralysis? And did he even want to overcome it? That question he could answer immediately. He would not let the Sith down, even though they had betrayed his trust time and again. He remembered a young Jedi Knight, from memories long past, who had told him that he was trying to force the Sith into something that could never be and that his efforts would be in vain. Today he found that she had been right. He had failed so many times now, that he did not want to count them anymore.

Still, the fact that he was feeling himself die ever so slowly did not mean that the Sith had to share his fate. They would survive. Somehow.

"Alright," Master Kattewa was just saying. "He does have a few possibilities to obtain the information he will need and I have alerted everyone who needs to know, but we cannot be sure if he is the only scout in the vicinity."

"Then what are we going to do?"

"We will observe him carefully. And we will continue to keep an eye out for any suspects."

"What if he wants to talk to me again, Master Kattewa?"

"I doubt that he will return here at all. He will probably try to lie low from now on."

A knock at the door startled both of them. The Jedi Master rose with a frown and walked over to have a look at their visitor through the tiny spyhole. Almost imemdiately he drew back again and turned around to face Hagen, throwing him a meaningful glance. The young Padawan felt his heart stop for a split-second when the door opened to reveal their quarry. Roj Kell stood in the doorway, bold as you please, a polite smile on his lips, that turned into something much colder almost immediately. Slamming the door shut behind him he strode past Kattewa briskly to come to a halt in front of Hagen. The boy stared up at him gape-mouthed, his eyes locked with the other's, but then the older man's voice broke the spell only to replace it with another one as its enchanting melodics reached for Hagen's heart.

"We meet again," he said calmly, ignoring the Jedi Master coming up to hover next to him.

"Who are you?" Kattewa snapped irritably.

"I do not see why you have to ask even though you know the answer just as well as I do."

His right hand shot forward and bony fingers dug into Hagen's throat mercilessly, choking him. Kattewa jumped, poised between action and submission.

"Let him go," the Hortek hissed viciously.

"You know what I want," Kell purred, "and you can either give it to me or else watch your precious apprentice die."

"What makes you think that his life is worth that much?"

"That is quite beside the point, don't you think?" Roj Kell asked, arching his eyebrows coolly and turned his head to look over his shoulder at the Jedi Master. Their eyes met for a long moment and in the end Kattewa subsided.

"Very well. You will be too late anyway. A few months ago we were informed of an impending operation on the part of the Sith that was to be staged from Ruusan."

"Who told you?"

"Someone."

"A Sith?" Kell asked, tightening his grip around Hagen's neck. The boy was paralyzed with fear, his mind completely blank, the beating of his own heart pounding in his ears the only thing he could understand.

"A Sith," the Hortek confirmed and shot a concerned glance at his struggling Padawan.

"And you are planning to strike at Ruusan?"

"The fleet will leave in five days, once everything is prepared. We knew, of course, that you people would try to uncover our plans too. Which is why I am here."

"I see. But you are mistaken. I am no scout."

"No?"

"Surprise!" Kell exclaimed, laughing in delight. "All that effort for nothing. Unfortunately I will have to kill you nevertheless. Hagen here said you have a holocron?"

"If you try to warn your brethren you are dead."

"I know, Jedi. But who ever said that I would try? The holocron?"

Hagen's eyes followed his master across the room as he unpacked the device from his bundle and presented it to the Sith. Kell took it without even looking at it, but was careful not to touch it, letting it hover above the palm of his left hand instead.

"A beautiful piece. When was it designed?"

"About a thousand years ago."

Roj Kell's low hiss sent a shiver down the young Padawan's spine when the holocron activated suddenly and a small model image of a giant Ho'Din appeared in a glowing sphere of green above the cube's surface. "May the Force be with you. I am Master Jeldo." Suddenly the image seemed to hesitate. Hagen stared at the holocron in surprise. That had never happened before. But then his eyes met that of Roj Kell and he realized that it had something to do with the Sith. "Be gone, Dark One, there is no knowledge here for you," the device's gatekeeper said in the end.

"As if I wanted anything from the Jedi," Kell answered with a smile.

"A quick death perhaps?"

Master Kattewa's voice was icy cold, but the Sith Lord did not hesitate at all. Whirling around suddenly he ignited his lightsaber, thereby releasing Hagen from his hold, and the boy immediately made a grab for the man's left arm, hanging on to the injured limb with all his weight. Roj Kell screamed in pain and anger and the holocron toppled to the floor, the Ho'Din's image wavering slightly before it went silent. Kattewa tried to use that moment of surprise to batter his own lightsaber down and split Kell's skull, but the Sith was faster. Pinning the Jedi Master to the door he jerked his arm out of Hagen's reach, dropping him to the floor unceremoniously.

"Insolent Jedi!" he roared. "Did you truly think that you could get away with this game of hide and seek?" His right hand whipped around forcefully, the handle of his lightsaber breaking the Hortek's jaw with a loud crack. Kattewa's face twitched in agony, but he had recovered enough to mount a counterstrike. Scrambling out of the way Hagen tried to think

of any way to help his master. But he needn't have bothered. He was far too late.

Roj Kell aimed a kick at the Hortek's chest and battered his left elbow into the alien's back, having the satisfaction of hearing quite a few bone plates crack. Momentarily dazed the Jedi Master did not react when he was shoved forward and bounced to the floor hard. Kneeling down on his opponent's back quickly Roj Kell prepared to stab his lightsaber down when a sudden movement to the right made him change the arc of his blade. It stopped short of burning through Hagen Dycos' face and for a second the boy's features were frozen in shock. His emerald eyes were wide open with silent pleading as he whispered:

"Please, don't kill my master."

Those innocent words should have sealed his fate, but Roj Kell found that they touched him on a deeper level than he would have anticipated. Looking down at the Hortek he made his decision and rose gracefully. Tears rimmed the young apprentice's eyes, reminding the ancient Sith of a love long dead, making his guilt over her death return with renewed fire. Turning around he fled his own memories, feeling despair reach for his heart again. He had truly believed that he could forget her, but apparently there was still some of herself left in his very soul. No, he was not dead yet, and his feelings were neither. There had to be a way to recover the past and save the future. Picking up the holocron he shot Hagen a last hard look and turned around.

He stormed down the windowless hallway outside intent only on getting away, but then the full import of what the Jedi Master had told him hit home once more. A Sith had betrayed his own. That should not surprise him, they had always been at each other's throat, but not now, not at the brink of an important battle. Additionally he could think of only one man who would take advantage of them like that: Roj Kell. But he would never let them become destroyed totally. Never. And then he remembered the talk he had had with Bane just before leaving. The young Sith had told him then that he would make sure that there would be no waste of ressources and energy anymore. Could he have meant their total destruction? It seemed insane. And yet, it was also the most efficient way to accomplish his goal and start the order anew. He had to hand it to his disciple: this was a most impressive feat and a plan that boasted a shrewd deviousness that was at least equal to Kell's own little games.

How he could get out of Bane's trap though was still to be seen. The close encounter with the Jedi Master had shown him clearly that he had to fight against two very adept adversaries. This Kattewa had already proven that he could think beyond the obvious. And in the previous exchange both he and Kell had tried hard to put each other on edge. But Kattewa had to realize that the Sith Lord would not let himself be discouraged by the odds. Besides, Kell did not believe that the Jedi Master would really fall for his deception and not follow him anymore. So, more obscure facts for both of them, sowing a bit of uncertainty into the smooth flow of Bane's plan. One thing was clear though: Roj Kell would do everything in his power to blunt his strategy, as his former student knew very well. And the ancient Sith still had quite a few tricks up his sleeve the younger man knew nothing about.

Walking the empty hallways of the deserted fortress Bane was smiling to himself. The taste of distrust and deceit still lingered on and he breathed its sweet aroma deeply, laughing. In three days they would reach Ruusan and by then the Jedi would already be waiting for them. Undoubtedly they knew by now that it had been a Sith who had betrayed his brethren and he did not expect any gratitude for his small service for the good of the galaxy. They would try to find him. But he had learned his trade from a master at stealth and deception. Roj Kell had survived for so long without the protection of soldiers or followers and in that lay true power.

And even though his former mentor was in other ways quite incompetent there was something about his persistence and patience that had rubbed off on Bane.

Now, if he was not mistaken the old man would try to get out of his web and warn the Sith no matter what. But there was still the good Master Kattewa to take into account. The Hortek was a famous hunter, someone who always found his quarry. He was not so much a peace-maker as a thief-catcher. Not a typical Jedi. And in that lay his strength. Roj Kell enjoyed a good challenge and he would find that this challenge was be a bit more than he could handle. And once he had realized the truth he would bow out of the game like the good loser and teacher he was. If not, Bane would make certain that he did so anyway, even if involuntarily. Brushing a gloved hand over the windowsill of his master's old quarters Bane looked out into the open, the evening falling outside already, the darkness creeping over the horizon like a distant storm. And once the storm died down peace would envelop the galaxy and everyone would be content. Oh, yes.

Hagen was watching his master steadily as the Hortek tried out his newly repaired jaw. They were sitting together in the medical ward of the Saber Dawn, and Commander Lockba was looking at the Jedi Master with some concern. She had her flippers crossed behind her back and was stalking the small expanse of the private room restlessly.

"I still don't understand why you did not kill him," she sighed.

"It is not as if I had a chance," the Hortek replied wrily and Hagen smiled a bit. It was only too true.

"What do you suggest we do now?"

"He tried to surprise me by telling me that he is no scout, but I do not quite believe it. Undoubtedly he knows that he cannot warn the Sith in time. Therefore we have to prevent him from getting some smart ideas."

"Such as?"

"Sabotaging the fleet."

"Of course! But he could not accomplish this feat alone..."

"No, you are right. I want you to suspend all board personnel. None of them is to visit the station. Destroy his ship too."

"We should simply hunt this Kell down and be done with it."

Kattewa shook his head slowly: "I do not think that this will be as simple as you make it. None of the crew should get in contact with him and the security personnel of the station are no Jedi. They would not stand a chance against him."

"Then it falls to you to eliminate this threat. What about others?"

"We will keep our eyes open, but getting this one out of the way should be first priority right now. As for his plans of sabotaging the fleet, I have a small suggestion."

"Go ahead, Master Kattewa. I am listening."

An hour later Hagen patiently stood at his master's side as the Hortek made a last check on the log files to see if they had been tampered with. The Saber Dawn and her sister ships had been set on red alert and traffic between the fleet and Thando Station was under tightest security. There was no way a Sith could make it past those checks. But Hagen knew that his master would not be content until Roj Kell was not safely put away or else dead. As the artificial day neared its end the young Jedi thought about what had happened in the last few hours and he understood that the space station had been turned into both battle-field and hunting ground. Once he and Master Kattewa returned on board Thando Station they would be committed for the next three days. Security would back them up, of course, but a Sith was no petty criminal.

And once the time was up they had better be able to show success.

He had found a hiding place somewhere in the bowels of the station, wedged in between rubbish and the homeless, and even those were subjected to controls. Wearing his long dark cloak he had the hood drawn deep into his face, but that did not stop the guards. And yet, they were no match for him, and bending their minds was easy for someone whose mental shields allowed him to remain relatively undetected even amidst his enemies when using the Dark Side. Besides, there were so many beings on board Thando Station that pinpointing his location would take so long that he could be quite a few levels away by the time the Jedi could react. After the last control squad had finally walked away Roj Kell snuggled up against the bulkhead and pulled the holocron from a pouch inside his robes. Activating it he overrode the automatic lock on the second try, convincing Jeldo that he was no Sith, but a Jedi Knight, and called up all information he could get on the Jedi Master Belana Jen. He smiled at her image, the earnest expression on her beautiful face. But Kell found that he did not feel anything really, looking at her now. His memories were so much more vivid, as distant as they were, but in his heart she was more alive than seeing her there in the holocron's green projection and hearing her story in the solemn words of the Ho'Din.

"I need to let go," he finally whispered, affectionetely, regretting his words even before they were out of his mouth. It was an admission to a weakness he had tried to shed over the past years. But to let go of all emotions would doom him, that he was sure of. Still, he almost had no choice. Laughing quietly Roj Kell mused that he would not survive anyway to see if his lack of feelings would trap him in the end. No, he would not make it easy for his hunters to track him down, and he would certainly not let them kill him just like that. Flexing the fingers of his left hand he cursed quietly. He could not move just yet, if only for the sake of tactics and confusing his enemy. Master Kattewa would expect him to attack his troops, and he would expect him to move as fast as possible. But Roj Kell was not someone who let his enemies dictate his actions. No. He had to make Kattewa move first. Rising slowly he limped down the dank corridor, assuming the defeated gait of the downtrodden denizens of Thando Station. Suddenly a power lance barred his way and two soldiers stared at him grimly.

"You cannot pass. Noone is allowed to roam the station at this time."

"You will let me pass," Kell whispered pleasantly.

"We will let you pass," they echoed in unison.

"Good boys."

He left them behind, completely unconcerned. After all, he did not want to remain hidden. No, Roj Kell did enjoy toying with his prey before he struck. Just as he would do now. Raising his head he closed his eyes for a moment, searching. He had a plan that would leave the Jedi Master gnawing his bones in frustration and his little Padawn shaking with fear. And he was really looking forward to that. "Let the game begin," he said aloud, and started stalking down the hallway purposefully.

It would be the last night on board the Saber Dawn and Hagen felt strangely happy and safe in his cabin, glad to sleep in a familiar bunk instead of the one in that small cantina on Thando Station. Snuggling his head into the soft pillow he sighed deeply and smiled a bit, the sound of Master Kattewa's steady breathing a distant, soothing rumble next door. But the young Jedi found that he could still not let go of the events of the past days. Meeting Roj Kell had opened his eyes to another world, one he had known only in theory. And Hagen found that he did not like the look of it at all. The face Kell gave the Dark Side was one of invincible grace, a sharp mind and polite ruthlessness that appealed too much to Hagen to deny it. But what was worse was the sound of the Sith's voice still lingering in his mind. There had been something, a sadness and pain that told the boy that Roj Kell was suffering on a very deep level, maybe unknown even to himself. And he wanted nothing more than to soothe the Sith Lord's aching soul. It was then that Hagen understood what danger Master Kattwea saw in his student's innocence, and at that moment it frightened him too. Had not Kell himself warned him of being too trusting? And yet, Hagen was convinced that his was the right approach, even if it should cost him his life. Life, the tiny voice of reason admonished him, what do you know of life, young one? What indeed.

The alarm sirens suddenly starting to scream outside froze his brain in panic. Kell! He was here! In his frenzy to get out of his bunk Hagen managed to wrap himself in his blanket and crash to the deck hard. The door to his cabin swooshed open to reveal the imposing figure of Master Kattewa.

"Hagen! Are you alright?"

"Yes, Master," he replied timidly and tried to free himself. Bending forward the Hortek helped him without another word, then drew him outside.

"He is indeed a sly one. Coming here to send a transmission is possibly the least obvious option left. But also the most dangerous. How he managed to bypass security is beyond me." Winking at Hagen he unclipped his lightsaber from his belt. "I guess he will be happy to tell us all about it once we have him nailed down."

The sound of boots pounding over the deck snapped their heads around and they let the squad pass before following them toward the communications center of the huge cruiser. Hagen kept a respectful distance from his master, and the further they went the more nervous he got.

"Hagen, stay calm and keep a cool head. This will be your first combat situation and I want you to survive it, alright?"

"Yes, Master."

"Good."

But when they had finally reached their goal all they found were very confused troops and an angry Commander Lockba.

"False alarm," she snapped and gestured toward the main comm panel. "The comm's been tampered with, and the alarms were activated with a timer. Someone has been on board, that is for sure. Whether it was your Sith, I do not know."

"Was a transmission sent?"

"No."

"No? Are you certain?"

"The encrypt staff will confirm it, no doubt. He wants to put us on edge."

"A provocation? I would not dismiss this incident that easily."

"Rest assured that we will double-check everything, Master Kattewa," she replied, her tone a little bit frosty.

The Hortek gave her a sharp nod and followed her into the room, while Hagen stayed outside, his heart pounding in his ears. The corridor emptied gradually as the soldiers went about their business, and in the end the young Padawan found himself all alone. Almost. The slight warning tingle in his scalp made him turn his head ever so slightly to see Roj Kell leaning against the wall, a shadow among shadows. The cold smile on his lips froze the boy instantly and his mouth dropped open in utter astonishment. His mind was screaming at him to warn his master, but he found that he could not move at all. After what seemed to be an eternity had passed the Sith Lord detached himself from the wall and bent toward him ever so slowly.

"Hagen Dycos," he whispered, his voice wrapping itself around the young Jedi's head like a viper, caressing his face with its deep timbre. "Tell your master that there is only one way to defeat a Sith. And none to defeat me."

And then he was gone.

Hagen took a deep breath before he screamed at the top of his lungs: "Master!"

Roj Kell let his mind withdraw, savoring the fear in the Padawan's emerald gaze. Projecting himself like this always took a lot out of him, but this time it had been worth it. And the deception had worked out. Now he only had to get his puppet off the ship before they could catch up to him. The tiny TSP shuttle completed its round gracefully and returned to port, the Saber Dawn falling away in an orbit that took her in the opposite direction of the Thando Security Patrol ship. And if the transmission did not get lost in hyperspace Kaan should receive it just in time. Gaining control over the pilot's mind had been the easiest thing of this operation since it was always very difficult to keep that control steady even throughout such maneuvers as piloting or building a booby-trap. He had had the man install a timer not only in the comm station of the Saber Dawn, but also on the Station's previously deactivated relay for long range comunications. The Jedi would be so busy getting to the bottom of that incident on their precious flagship that they would not have any chance of tracking the transmission. After all, they could only control the flow of communications between ships and those originating from Thando Station. Now, by sending the coded message directly over the relay Kell had been able to bypass this net. And additionally it was encoded as a very normal report of the TDS shuttle pilot to base, a code that would be decrypted automatically once it reached its destination. A shame that this ship had no hyperspace capabilities though. Although he probably would not have made it before being shot to pieces.

Once the pilot had safely landed Kell let go of his mind, slumping back against the wall of his new hiding place. The warning was out and now he only had to prevent the fleet from leaving.

That was much more difficult, and he would need to rest before taking on this immense task. Before long his hunters would already be frantically searching for him and that meant that time was running out on him. Two days left. He had to move tomorrow, under any circumstances. But for now he needed some sleep. Kell had found shelter in one of the apartment blocks on the second level, and was now the proud owner of a two-room flat whose residents he had eliminated previous to moving in, with a nice view on the fleet assembled outside. He rose slowly from his seat on the large bed and walked over into the living-room to find something to drink. Unfortunately he could not stay here for long. They would undoubtedly control these anonymous blocks first, but he should have a few hours at least to rest. Kell gave himself three hours that he would spend in a trance, then he would move on. If this Kattewa was really as good as he thought him to be he would be on his trail by noon at the very least. And by then Roj Kell would already be elsewhere.

The engineers were bent over the comm panel, frowning, but Hagen was intent only on watching his master at work. The Hortek was looking at a display that showed all comm and space traffic of the last twenty hours and his eyes were constantly darting from one list to the other. Suddenly a low hiss escaped his lips. Pointing at the glowing screen he beckoned to Commander Lockba who had been anxiously hovering next to the engineers.

"Look at that," Kattewa began and Hagen bustled up to the older Jedi to have a look too. "There's been a transmission from one of the long range relays. It must have been reactivated! And the only ship coming even close to that thing in the past days was a Thando Security Patrol ship. The pilot even sent a status report. See?"

"Highly unusual procedure. When was the report sent?"

"Two hours ago. Far too late to intercept it now. I guess it is an encrypted message, which means that he is ahead of us again."

"Damn!" Lockba cursed whole-heartedly. "What do we do now?"

"Proceed as we have planned. We can still surprise them that way. And our dear Sith friend here too. Have security start combing through the station right away, maybe we can corner him. At least we have to keep him busy and on the run until tomorrow." Turning away he gave Hagen a long look before leaving the comm center, his apprentice in tow. "Hagen, you know that I have been a bit reluctant to introduce you to sparring, and I am still loath to teaching you about that yet. But you should not go back down unarmed. And I promise that once this mission is complete we will start training with a lightsaber. Alright?"

Hagen was positively beaming at the Hortek: "Yes, Master. That would be great."

"Now. What weapon do you feel most comfortable with then?"

"None really."

"It has to be something small, I guess, something that fits your speed and reflexes. Ah, of course. I already have an idea."

"Oh, good," Hagen mumbled feeling a bit strange. Weapons were not something he liked to be around, and even though he felt that the lightsaber was not only a sign of office for a Jedi, but also a very effective tool of destruction, he also knew that weapons were inferior to the Force. Master Kattewa had explained to him once that the sword was not what killed the opponent, but the mind of the wielder. And Hagen found that his mind was not yet ready to take someone else's life. It was good that he felt this way, the Hortek had told him, but in some situations he would be given no choice. And as a Jedi he had to protect life, after all. Even though sacrifices sometimes were needede a Jedi should not act suicidal either. The decision to give his own life for others was a very noble, of course, but one that should be made very carefully and only if there was no other way. It came down to logic and reason again, to gut feelings even, and in that Hagen found that being a guardian of life was so much more complex than the duties of a mere soldier. Hopefully he would get a chance to prove to his master that he could make the right choices at the right time without jeopardizing anyone by his actions. It was a test, he knew, and one he resolved to pass alive.

Bane was a bit surprised when the fortress was suddenly filled with the distant beeping of main comm control. There was noone here to take any incoming call after all. Except for him, that was, but he did not expect a transmission. Suddenly suspicious Bane strode down the hallway steadily and came to a halt in front of the blinking panel. He stared at it in annoyance before he hit the switch to accept the call. A life-size hologram appeared instantly, causing him to take a small step back. He bowed respectfully to the Dark Lord before Kaan's grating voice broke the awkward silence.

"Bane! What is yor master thinking! I just received word that the Jedi will launch an attack on Ruusan in two days. Two days, Bane! Does he think me a fool, or what?"

"Probably," the younger Sith countered.

"Take care," the Dark Lord growled. "We will reach Ruusan today, and by the time the Jedi arrive we will already be on our way elsewhere. He knew that. Why the warning now?"

"I have no idea."

"Really? I do. He wants us to lose our heads and move now. It won't work though. You can tell him that noone forces me to do anything. Noone! I have planned this carefully and no matter what Roj Kell thinks, this plan will be put into action when I say it will!"

"Of course, Lord Kaan. I shall tell him."

"See to it."

The transmission died, leaving the young Sith all alone again. He was even more surprised now than he had been when this unexpected call had first come in. How had the old man managed to get this warning out? It was, actually, quite impressive. Bane had underestimated him, and undoubtedly Kell had reasoned by now that it had been his student who had betrayed the Sith. Which was why the warning had gone directly to the Dark Lord, despite the odds of it being dismissed as a trap. Knowing Kell this had not been the last of the measures he would take to prevent Bane's plan from succeeding. But what could he do? Not much. One thing he might try, of course, was to keep the Republic fleet from leaving Thando Station, but one man against a whole armada of warships seemed a bit too much, even if that Sith's name was Roj Kell. Still, Kell would not give up, but Bane was certain that Kattewa would not let him get away either. If the old man had been in control of this plan there would have been no problem at all, yet Bane had made sure that it was the Jedi Master who dictated the rules. Kattewa knew how to play this game, and he could still surprise Kell, if he knew how to play his cards. And Bane himself would be safely away from the battle to come, should anything go wrong.

Morning came all too soon and Roj Kell found that he had not been able to get as much rest as he would have preferred. Still, he felt that the pressure he was under would substitute the lack of rest easily, and the adrenaline racing through his veins was already driving his brain's synapses to unexpected heights. He would succeed, had to, and despite the odds he hoped that he would survive too. Thando Station's security had increased their patrols and were checking everyone caught outside while working their way through the shops and apartments all over the huge space station. Twice they had come close to tracking him down, but he had managed to evade them each and every time. Now, stalking down a deserted corridor, Roj Kell kept his mind alert, sweeping the area for possible threats. But nothing could have prepared him for the sight greeting him as he stepped into the open of one of the domed plazas only to find space around Thando Station nearly empty. A few yachts and freighters remained, but there was no sign of the Republic fleet. They were gone, had left two days in advance of the original date. In hindsight it seemed the best way to counter any attacks on his part and Roj Kell knew that he should have seen it coming. As it was though the shock over having miscalculated so badly almost drowned out the fury over having been outsmarted by a filthy Hortek Jedi Master. Almost.

Whirling around he could not keep himself from shaking with anger. This had never happened to him before. He always was in control of events around him! But not this time. If the fleet had left approximately fifteen hours ago, which had been the last time he had checked, since he had been too busy from then on to do so again, they could be at Ruusan in about twenty-four hours, enough time to surprise the Sith even if they had taken his warning seriously. According to Kaan's timetable their ships would have arrived late at night local time yesterday and deploying soldiers always took time. Time they did not have left. He felt like screaming, but knew exactly that his rage could not save them. Not anymore. They were on their own now, and he hoped with all his heart that they would get away somehow. Kaan woul not be so stupid and make a stand. He was an accomplished warlord, after all, who knew the prize of failure as well as any common soldier. The distant sound of boots pounding over metal snapped his head around to see a contingent of guards jog into the open plaza from the corridor opposite from his current position and only seconds later they had spotted him too. Cursing loudly Roj Kell made a dash for the nearest corner and vanished into the bowels of Thando Station. What was keeping Kattewa anyway? He was certain that the Jedi Master was only waiting for his chance to get at him. And he could have the soldiers wear him down too. This was madness, He was already tired and now they could virtually keep at him until he was too exhausted to go on. The only possibility to get out of this would be to either find a transport very quickly or else to make a stand. Opting for the first Kell decided to make his way to the port.