Chapter three

Commander Damon eyed the data pad, and then the smiling man before him, on the other side of his desk. He breathed in.
"Could you – how should I put it? Rephrase what you said you can do for me, and you've already proven it you say?" The man, his untidy jet black fringe falling in his eyes as he leaned forwards, smirking wryly.
"I can do oh, so many things for you, Commander...for instance, if you provide the people, I can train terrible assassins to get rid of your enemies. And I've already done it before." He leaned back in his chair, satisfied. Andrew frowned. What was this young man thinking? Could he read his thoughts? True, Andrew was only slightly older than the person before him. Could he really be as resourceful as he seemed? The data pad in his hand seemed to say so.

"It's an interesting proposal..." Visions of power danced in the other's dark eyes.
"Think of it, Commander! I can become a new, say, Darth Vader, or even better. I can defeat...say, Skywalker's son for you?" The Commander seemed doubtful.
"What about Jorhus C'baoth? He was powerful, and, indeed, mad, yet he failed Thrawn miserably. And Darth Vader? He failed the Emperor." He shivered as the other gave that icy, spine-chilling smile again.
"Oh, but my dear Commander, I've already started. Haven't you heard? Leia Organa Solo was almost killed in her bed, if it weren't for her Jedi senses. Can you imagine what I can do to a non-Jedi? If it's my youth you doubt, then you're very wrong there. The younger you start, the more powerful you become. You've already proved that yourself." He narrowed his eyes, leaning forwards again. "And, Commander, never compare me with Vader or C'baoth. They were failures, true; and they never were able to control the power they held. But I can." Damon stroked his chin thoughtfully, glancing at the data pad again.
"You have an interesting past, Master Jun." The smile came again.
"If you care to listen, good Commander," he said, softly, "Then I shall tell you of my victories over my enemies."

À À À À À À

Adi wrenched herself from the burning, twisted wreckage of what ten minutes ago was the Firebird, the billowing smoke flying upwards into the darkening sky. She felt a throbbing in her side, and found some sort of huge piece of metal buried slightly above her hip. Luckily, her belt, lightsaber and blaster were untouched. Grunting, she jerked the nuisance out, and examined the pointed object. To her dismay, it was the end of the Force pike she had sliced off. She then dove into the wreckage again, retrieving a medpack, a parka and her survival kit. After slinging it over her back, she slapped cold snow on the wound to stop the shrieking pain. She then opened the medpack for some bandages to keep it from bleeding further. Pulling herself up with the pole end of the pike, she surveyed her surroundings, munching on a ration bar.
"I've been here once," she muttered, "But where am I now? There has to be some sort of life round here." She started towards what she decided was north, and glanced back longingly at her ship. She had built the ship herself, carefully combining the parts until it created a beautiful, sleek and elegant crimson ship. But now...she wiped away a tear, and after forcing herself away, trekked towards the mountains she was directing herself at as night fell.

Hours of walking passed, and by now, the numbness had worn off and the searing pain had started up again. She channelled the Force to her aching side, in an attempt to heal some of the damage done. As she staggered forwards, her eyes caught a cave in the mountainside. Speeding up a little, she stumbled towards it, gasping and resting against the walls of the mouth of the cave. A deep rumble came from the inside, and she pulled her lightsaber out of its sheath.

Lumbering, an ice wampa tottered into sight, its bloody mouth open in a roar. It raised huge paws, waving them in her direction. Adi darted inside the cave, to the creature's surprise. Adi knew that inside, it wouldn't have much room to swing those great arms. She ignited her lightsaber with a snap-hiss, swinging. She sliced of a chunk of the wampa's arm, the piece hitting the icy walls of the cave. It bellowed, raising to strike. She ducked, swinging again. This time, she scored a hit. It seared through its side, and, mortally wounded, it fell in death. Breathing slowly, she leaned on the cave walls, clutching her aching side.
"Okay...let's get this thing buried," she muttered, closing the blade. Using the Force, she dragged the body outside, shifting the fresh snow away, making a hole. She lifted the wampa into the hole, moving the snow back. Sighing, she limped inside, pressing her back against the wall. She glanced down at her wound again, groaning to realise that the little exercise had caused it to bleed again. Some had already got onto the walls, and she moaned softly.

Time passed and the night grew closer. A storm was brewing outside, and a mist had already fallen. Almost paralysed with cold, she weakly turned her head to the world outside. She stiffened, her pain forgotten. In the distance were two bright lights, like those tracked vehicles...she pulled herself up, before staggering outside. In pain, she half-ran, half-stumbled towards it, lighting a flare in her emergency pack. She waved it as she gained speed in her run.

She followed it, and it seemed to draw closer, but as night fell, so did the skies. The storm broke fifteen minutes after she started, raging around her. Winds shrieked in her ears. Pain is something you have to ignore to get through life, she thought fiercely, stumbling again. So ignore it! But now, the storm and pain in her side was unbearable. Faltering, she slowed, just as the lights seemed to be no more than a hundred metres away. And, feeling dizzy, she faded into unconsciousness, her cheek resting on the snow.

À À À À À À

When Kyle came round, he found himself staring at Anakin's anxious face. He shot up stiffly in bed, staring around him. To his dismay, he wasn't in the Firebird, but the Millennium Falcon. He glanced at Anakin, searching his face for any feelings of doubt.
"Where's Adi?" He questioned, leaning back on his arms. Anakin remained silent, lowering his eyes. Kyle repeated his question.
"Where's Adi, Anakin?" Anakin let out a little sigh.
"I...we...thought that she was with you, in the escape pod...but she wasn't. It was only you. The Firebird went into hyperspace." Kyle wailed, and closed his eyes as he leaned against the wall behind him.
"It's my fault," he groaned, "I had my back to her...we had argued whether Adi should go or not. She wanted me to save myself, but I refused...and then, she told me to sit down. I felt something come down on my head, then nothing..." he looked up at Anakin. "Did she leave anything in there with me?" Anakin slapped his forehead.

"Oh, yeah! Wait, I'll get it..." Anakin arrived back, Ben with him with a small cylinder in his hand. "There's some sort of code on it." Kyle fingered it, and pressed the various keys. There was a beeping, and a recording played.

"Sorry, but I can't let you stay...but thanks for offering. In times like these, it's better to be alone. Thanks for everything." There was a beep and click as it ended. Kyle felt tears running down his face.
"She was always prepared to sacrifice everything," he whispered, resting his head on his knees.
"Do you know where she went?" Asked Ben, urgently. Kyle thought a moment.
"It was...K'fiyanne. Yes, K'fiyanne the ice planet near the Cardivarus System, the place of our home. I'll give you the coordinates from memory..." he sighed. "But K'fiyanne's the sort of place where you can't find anything unless it's under the snow."

Luke glanced up at his son.
"You sure you want to do this, Ben? From what I know inside, K'fiyanne is dangerous." Ben placed his hands squarely on the table.
"I have to find her, Father! You don't understand how it is between us..." he gained a dreamy look in his eyes. Luke lowered his gaze, running a hand through his hair.
"If you want to, Ben, I guess you can. Go, but make sure Kyle goes with you. I'm sorry, but we need Jacen, Jaina and Anakin here. Take your mother's ship, the Shrike; but don't crash it like the-" Ben cut him off.
"Okay, Dad, I'll take care," he said quickly, embracing his father. "Bye, Dad!" Luke shook his head in amusement.

"May the Force be with you, Ben..." he heard his son's replying call in the distance.
"You too, Dad!"

The Shrike, Mara's ship, was a sleek, swing-wing' craft, a ship with wings that swung to form landing gear. It was swift and manoeuvrable, with updated engines and two lasers. Luke put an arm around Mara as they watched their son leave with Kyle, the large maroon craft disappearing into the outer reaches of the atmosphere.

"I hope he takes care of my Shrike..." she said, before catching Luke's glance, "And himself..." she finished, quickly. Luke squeezed her, reaching out with the Force to touch his son's mind. Be careful out there, Ben, he thought to him. He smiled as he felt the reply.

No worries, Dad. Mara smiled too as she had picked up the reply.
"Let's go back and see what other news there is," she said, turning around. Luke sighed. They walked towards the main audience hall, feeling empty without their only child.

"Wow...I've never been able to use my mother's ship before," said Ben, running his hands along the controls. Kyle, being the skilled man he was, steered the ship towards K'fiyanne, a little regret weighing on his heart. He didn't want Adi to go on her own, but she was incredibly stubborn...
"Ben, how do you feel about Adi?" Ben laughed softly.

"A man-to-man talk, huh?" Kyle smiled back.
"I guess you can call it that." Ben leaned into the co-pilot's seat.
"She's the most wonderful thing that's ever happened to me, Kyle," was his response. Kyle sighed with relief.
"I'm glad, Ben, that she has someone has good as you. She's never been as cheerful as this. I thank you for that."
"'Welcome," mumbled Ben, abashed. An embarrassed silence followed before Ben spoke again. "Kyle, how was Iddyl Jun?" Kyle shrugged.
"I only saw his face, Ben, and that's only touching the surface. Who he is lies deep inside him and Adi's childhood memories that she refuses to bring up." Kyle pulled the lever back for the lightspeed jump. The stars dissolved into starlines as the ship hurtled into hyperspace. Through the jump, they held another silence. The elder's eyes were fixed on the hyperspace dial, counting down the seconds for them to emerge. 6...5...4...3...2...1...he pushed the lever forwards, and in front of them was an ice-covered planet.
"That," said Kyle, "Is K'fiyanne." As they made their way down to the planet, the comm-link beeped.
"Incoming transmission, Kyle. Should I answer?" Kyle nodded.
"M'n'alskini f'liom r'tibbin?" Came a voice that was a cross between a mew and a seethe.
"It would be nice if you can speak in Basic," Said Kyle, leaning over to the comm. There was a pause.
"Yes, travellers. Who are you?" Kyle exchanged glances with Ben.
"We are merchants," he said, "Uh, we're low on a few things, and we have bits and pieces to trade, if you want." Another pause. Ben glanced back at the boxes in the rear of the ship.
"Not Renegades?" Replied the speaker.
"No," said Kyle, stroking his beard. "May we ask who you are?" There was the sound of conversing, then another reply.

"You may know who I am already, Master Kyle," said the creature. "You may land at the following coordinates, merchants. We are transmitting them to you now." There was a break in his speech, then he continued. "I shall warn you now, there're pirates known as Renegades on this planet. They will fire upon you the minute they catch sight of you. Try and dodge their turbolaser bolts – the gods know where they got them from – and we'll help you as soon as we can." Kyle smiled wryly.
"I've got a better way, F'lonorayd. I'll get down to you in a moment." He signed off. Ben raised an eyebrow.
"Another way?" Kyle's smile stayed.
"Just sit back and enjoy," he said, giving Ben a glance. He steered the Shrike through the clouds, out of reach of any fire. As they neared the coordinates, he twisted the ship into an almost-insane corkscrew roll, coming down for a rough landing on a crude landing pad. Ben jerked forwards on impact, gazing wide-eyed at the other.
"How did you do that?" Kyle got up, taking off the safety straps.
"The Force, of course," he said, grinning. He turned to the back of the ship, digging out a parka and tossing another to Ben. "Let's go..." as they lowered the ramp, they found that a Togorian-like creature with fur, pointed fuzzy ears, a bushy tail and wide eyes like those of a cat's was waiting with them. It was a grey-white, its five-toe paws resting on a silver belt. It blinked its light blue eyes before bowing to them.
"Ah, Master Kyle! You come again," said the creature, flashing its teeth in what was a grin. "I am K'lain, assistant to F'lonorayd." He turned to Ben, and bowed again. "Ah! The son of the famous Master Skywalker. You are the image of your father," he mewed, raising a paw. "Please! Inside, out of the cold and into the warmth." Ben gave Kyle a confused look, unsure of what was going on.
"You know these creatures?" He whispered to the elder.

"Yes...when I tell them that I'm a merchant who's low on a few things, they know it's me. Old joke." He paused. "They're K'fiyannese. Such resourceful creatures, they K'fiyannese. I've been here before, with Adi, you see. We're old friends. I helped them fight off a few of the pirate Renegades." Ben nodded as they walked through the elegant slopes of K'lfaan. They often passed viewports that were hidden from the outside, and various laser turrets that were manned by the K'fiyannese. They reached a waiting elevator to the bridge room. K'lain pressed a furry paw to the print-screen beside it, and the doors slid open.
"We go in here, Master Kyle," the K'fiyannese said, "And we reach Control. Please follow." They stood inside the elevator, waiting while it climbed to the top. A few seconds, and they were there. The doors slid open, and there was a large viewport with control panels lining it underneath. The computer stations were sitting around the room, with the furry feline-like creatures sitting by them. At the sight of Kyle, they stopped, and a K'fiyannese sitting in the Commander's seat overlooking the viewport of the snowy plains got up. His yellow eyes shone as he took Kyle's hand.
"Master Kyle! How wonderful to see you again! And your friend..." Ben took a deep breath, taking the paw in his hand.
"Obi-Wan Skywalker, but please, call me Ben." The yellow eyes widened.
"The Obi-Wan Skywalker? As in Luke Skywalker's son?" He hissed gently in question. Ben nodded. "An honour, Master Ben! An honour! Welcome to our humble city/defence station! Oh, you do look like your father...you're a spitting image of him." Ben blushed.
"Well, I get that comment a lot," he retorted, hiding his face. Kyle nudged him playfully, turning back to F'lonorayd, grim-faced.

"But I'm not here on a pleasure trip, Commander. You see, Adi..." the K'fiyannese sighed sadly.

"Oh, yes! Your lovely daughter did not accompany you today..." Kyle shook his head.
"No, I'm not referring to the fact that she couldn't come – it's that her ship crash-landed here a while ago, and she's missing." He explained everything from when they had left Amaroth to the attack on the Firebird. F'lonorayd stroked his chin.
"I think one of my people was telling me about a dark red ship crashing, but I didn't pay too much attention as the pirates often illegally ship our stolen gems from here to places like Kessel." He turned around, hissing at another K'fiyannese, "K'limanisa f'l'iniskat'bartoon?" The creature nodded and got up, bowing to them. The K'fiyannese had deep violet eyes that had hints of dark blue at the edges of the irises. "This is K'limanisa," said F'lonorayd, after turning back to them. "She'll tell you the details."
"Welcome, Master Kyle, Master Ben," she sung, her voice high and melodious. "If you wish to get to the details straight away, then I will begin. We were taking tauntauns not too long ago, perhaps a day? We stopped at the sight of what we thought at first was a shooting star. It was very dark, you see, and it was a very bright object. But when it hit the snow, there was a wreath of flame, and we went to investigate with caution. But we were called back before we could make a move for something else, so we couldn't see immediately. When dawn came, we went back to see it. Only smoke came from it. There was a storm during the night, so fresh snow had settled, smothering the flames. There were a few things on the ground – a medpack, and some empty ration bar wrappers. We decided to leave it as it was, just in case there was more buried under the snow. I can show you the wreck, if you like." Kyle nodded.

"Please...it was crimson, you say?" The female nodded, her ears twitching. F'lonorayd took Kyle's hand in his paw.
"We shall do everything we can do in our power to aid you, Master Kyle. May the spirits flow strong."

They set out later that day after passing the huge city of K'lfaan that was built within the mountains. They passed busy, packed streets, with its natural underground lakes and waterfalls. Dome-like buildings were aligned up neatly, markets lining the streets. But it was cold even inside the mountain, though not as cold as the outside. Guards patrolling on tauntauns eyed the strangers warily before moving on their patrol routes.

"This place is amazing," whispered Ben to Kyle as K'limanisa took them on a speeder through the wide routes. As they progressed, the air was colder, and they found this was because she had brought them to the southern exit, which was another wide cargo bay door. The Shrike was being serviced there by engineering K'fiyannese. K'limanisa rapped out a few orders to some of the guards nearby, and they came running back with four tauntauns.
"It will be easier to take them," she said, her harmonious voice light. "They are undetectable by the pirates, you see. If you please...? If you excuse me, I shall return." K'limanisa went through one of the normal doors at the side of the cargo bay while Ben, who hadn't ridden a tauntaun before, pulled himself onto its soft, woolly back. K'limanisa returned with another K'fiyannese.
"This is J'lfain," she said, indicating the dark-blue-eyed creature beside her. "He knows the area better than I do, and has been through more pirate-K'fiyannese skirmishes than I have. I may be guiding you, but I'm not as aware as him of the dangers. He shall help us." J'lfain nodded, showing his teeth in a smile before mounting the tauntaun. He had a laser rifle slung over one shoulder, an emergency supply pack over the other.

"Let's go," he said, his voice deep and smooth. The tauntauns thumped over the soft snow that muffled their quick footsteps.

They had ridden for at least three hours when they came across something dark scarlet protruding from a mound of snow. On the side, there was an image of a bright amber, gold and red phoenix aflame, golden letters written by it.
"The Firebird!" Cried Ben, rushing to it and running his fingers along the side. Kyle sighed.
"Five years it took to build that ship," he said, shaking his head. "Let's check the interior, Ben." He climbed gingerly down into the ship, feeling around. He climbed back out, hands empty. "Nothing," he sighed again. Ben was feeling around in the snow – and his fingers closed in on a sharp, pointed object.
"Oh, Adi," he whispered, staring at the bloodied end of the Force pike. Kyle was muttering something, eyeing the mountains in the distance.
"I told her when she was younger that she should always go for major landmarks like mountains if she saw em...so, knowing her, she would've gone in the direction of it." Ben still worried.
"Kyle...what if she went out in the snow? K'limanisa said there was a large snowstorm last night. Do you think..." Kyle rounded on him.
"No," he said firmly. "She wouldn't, she can't..." tears pricked the back of his eyes. "I hope not."

"Stop, look!" J'lfain pointed to an icy cave not far from where they were riding. Following his paw, they thudded towards it, dismounting outside it. "Look, another ration bar casing. And...here..." he shifted the snow aside to reveal a very dead ice wampa. "I trust she's a good Jedi, Master Kyle?" He shook his head and kneeled.
"She must have been exhausted...I mean, that Force pike end was enough to prove she's wounded..." Ben gave a cry from inside. When they ran in, they stopped in their tracks. There were laser streaks on the wall, and blood lining it here and there. There was also the part of the ice wampa she had hacked off. "Adi...this is her blood...and the wampa... well, she probably used her last energy in fighting it. But why would she leave the cave?" There was the thudding of a tauntaun outside, and K'limanisa dashed into the cavern.
"Master Kyle...I found this." She handed him a cylinder-like object. It was the flare. He handed it solemnly to Ben. Ben rested his head against the wall, closing his eyes.
"Oh, Adi," he sighed.