Fog wrapped around the bridges of Angel's Wings, dulling the rainbow-hued titanium to gray, cloaking the wind-and-surf-wrought pillar of pure white angelstone that gave Angel Cove its name. A favorite spot for tourists, the pillar's graceful metal 'wings' spread the width of the small harbor – touching the Street of Flowers to the west and the so-called Quarter of the Households to the east.

Time had worn the stone so that the pillar even resembled a figure facing out to sea with wind-whipped robes trailing behind. Just before the fog engulfed the span completely, a small figure in scarlet pressed against the stone – making it seem that the angel bled.

~

Her leg felt as if it was on fire.

Abhaia had been in such a distracted state, that two of her grandfather's men had been able to jump down on her from one of the repulsor platforms. Wystran and Yso were two of the most fanatically loyal in 'the Project' and often acted as enforcers when Grandfather had a point to make. Yso's saber had cut deeply into the back of her left leg; the cauterized gouge ran from just above the bend of the knee to the middle of her thigh. Apparently, they were under orders to capture, not kill, and were intent on following them. Only a barely controlled leap from the walkway to the one below allowed her to escape.

She had landed badly, with the injured leg giving way beneath her and tumbling her into a titanium railing. Now her ribs sent sharp barbs of pain with every breath, and it felt as if she were not getting enough oxygen.

Pressing against the cool stone, Abhaia took stock of the damage and cursed softly. Speed and agility were her only weapons; her fighting form was based on them. Wystran and Yso had done their homework; if she could not maneuver, then she could not hit the spots that would cripple her opponent. The fog covered her completely, turning everything around her a whitish gray.

Sound, oddly flattened and muffled reached her. If she could get to one of the weight-activated descent platforms

Biting her lip, she peered into the fog. Repairing the damage or looking for her opponents would leave her defenseless, even the lightest trance could give them the opportunity to gasdart her. Not even a Healer's metabolic control was proof against the blood gas-diffused tranquilizer; three seconds after injection and she would be unconscious.

Vader's approach felt like the coming of a cyclone; while he could find her with no effort, she had only the most general idea of his location. Angel's Wings had kilometers of walkways and levels - even with knowing where to find her, it could take him some time to get to her. Naum was a solid and determined presence homing in on her as if she were a landing beacon.

Abhaia was sorely puzzled – Naum should have been safely unconscious for at least eight hours. How had he fought off her compulsion?

Keeping her back to the smooth stone, Abhaia began to edge around the pillar. She kept her saber at ready, but did not ignite the blade.

In the mist, she found what she was looking for – a red circle denoted a drop platform and a blue one next to it an ascension platform. Stretching her senses, she felt through her healer's abilities for any life forms around her. Not even the most thorough shielding could stop a healer's sounding.

Close, but she had to risk it.

Rushing the platform, Abhaia dropped flat as it began to descend. At the terminus of its course, she lay utterly still for a minute before rolling off the platform and rushing the next one. Red and green flashes lit the fog in the direction of the Quarter – it seemed that Vader was closer than she assumed. Quelling the sudden urge to jump off the bridge and swim for freedom, she flattened against the platform as it began its leisurely descent. Wystran and Yso were midway between her and Vader, and Naum

old now, scarred by war but whole of spirit lay in his bed. The body that had housed his spirit for so long was now a shell he would soon leave behind. One could almost see the Light of his spirit shining through his skin like the sun through paper. They all gathered close, some of them old enough to remember the day he came to take them away from

the cold plains of sand stretched in all directions and the stars were as bright as diamonds on a jeweler's silk. Weeping, she lit the torch, sheltering it with her body against the scouring winds. She had wrapped him in his cloak, combed the mesas for oilwood and made the pyre in a small hollow between the dunes

She lay gasping on the platform, shaken to her core by the strength of the Sight as well as the fact that it had come without her being prepared. The Sight had only come to her previously while in the deepest meditation; the only visions that were comparable were those she had while giving birth – and those had been as fearsome as they were confusing. No, these visions showed her even more firmly the path that she must take at whatever the cost to herself.

Abhaia rolled off the platform and ducked behind a load-bearing titanium pillar as she fought off the aftereffects of the Sight. Of all times, now it was critical that she be clearheaded.

On the walkway immediately above her, two male voices engaged in a brief conversation. Muffled by fog, most of the words were indistinct but the tone was clear. Angry. Fearful.

" ditched us to die, Yso!"

" the witch's doing loyal If we can get her "

" not trying two dead Jedi and a Sith whore bounty hunter's retirement"

Letting herself sample the emotions of her hunters, she judged that she had little chance of convincing them to let her go.

The platform she had just used reached the end of its programmed wait period and began to ascend.

The voices stopped.

Abhaia cursed and ignited her blade.

~

"Die forever, Sith."

The dying man's spit hit Vader's chestplate just as the red blade of his lightsaber cut the man cleanly in two and sent the halves of his body falling into the ocean far below.

The dense fog covered the bay and headlands completely, allowing Vader to see less that three meters in any direction. The restless sea muttered and growled under his feet, while in the distance, he heard the hissing clash of blades as his apprentice fought for her life. The Jedi he had sensed was on the bridges, as well, moving to intercept Abhaia with a single-minded determination.

Vader reached for her with the Force, got a fix on her position and moved with all speed to get to her before the Jedi could.

::: Who is it that you are trying to save, Jedi? ::: Vader mocked.

There was no answer other than a jumble of images.

Vader could sense the pinpricks of darkness within the man. It was almost like an image of white noise - a confusion of black, white, and gray randomly overlaid. The Jedi liked to think that he and Vader were nothing alike, but Vader saw the truth quite clearly – but for choices made, they were almost exactly alike. Bit by bit, the Jedi was having the veils of self-deception ripped from his sight, each gauzy lie falling away to reveal truth with all its brutal clarity.

In time, the Jedi's faith would break under the weight of that truth. What would become of him then depended on how strong he truly was.

There was a brief flare in the Force accompanied by a roar and orange glow muted by the fog. Two more of the odd Darksiders flashed into whatever world awaited them. Now there were only two – the ones who were skirmishing with the girl.

Abhaia was flagging badly, injured and overwhelmed, it would be just a matter of time until

A memory leaped from a dark space in his mind and before he could question its origin, he opened a link to Abhaia and sent a flood of energy into her. It was a very short-term measure, but would buy them the minutes they needed. Her opponents' shock took the form of curses and vigorous defense as Vader reached the set of repulsor platforms and began Force-leaping from one to the other, coming up on the walkway next to the broad span where Abhaia was fighting.

Even injured, her unique form was evident as she shunted a thrust from the smaller opponent aside, circling her blade into a block as the larger man came in with a powerful slash. Her grunt of effort was audible as her arm folded flat to her ribcage and she gasped for breath. Falling to one knee, she crossblocked a sweeping down-stroke and sent her opponent leaping backward with a quick cut at his legs.

Vader launched himself across the six-meter gap and joined the battle.

~

The speed with which a Jedi could move was the stuff of legend, but running from span to span in the thick fog, Naum Koghan felt as if he was getting exactly nowhere. Vader's taunting made the experience even more frustrating, and he wondered briefly if the Sith could somehow be clouding his mind.

Or maybe it's that his shots are hitting awfully close to the mark?

Naum shrugged away the prickles at the back of his neck and continued toward the clash of blades.

Abi would not have put those thoughts in his head if she did not want to be helped. That's what the plea for remembrance was, he knew it. The fog boiled in front of him and suddenly the battle was before him. He stopped, blinking and unsure at the sight. Abi, obviously injured, was holding off a man who looked to be from a high-grav world, while Vader was involved in an intricate duel with a light, fast opponent.

The hair on Naum's neck tried to stand on end. Someone once said that once you saw him fight you never forgot it, and it was true. Vader might have lost much in the furnace that forged him out of Anakin Skywalker, but strength, accuracy, and speed were not among them. The Sith Lord moved with all the power of a predator at the top of the food chain and it was easy to see why so many skilled and experienced Jedi had fallen under the blade of his lightsaber.

If he's this good now, how good was he then? The thought was chilling.

The small man was pressed now. Vader's jabs and driving attacks were overwhelming his speed and ability to dodge. A barrage of stabs was barely parried, forcing him to defend instead of attack. The conclusion was inescapable. Vader locked blades with the smaller man, then shoved him back. The hissing of his breath never quickened as he brought his blade around in a blurred, flat arc of ruby light and sent the bisected corpse tumbling to the surf below.

The Sith stood between Naum and Abi, who had fought her way down the span and was dueling with her opponent on a tiered cascade of balconies linked with spiraled stairs that created the edge of one 'wing.' Vader dropped into fighting stance - weight forward, heels barely touching the ground, and waited.

Drawing a deep breath, Naum ignited his blade and stepped forward, his muscles unexpectedly tight and his breath short.

"Fear is my weapon, Jedi. Your fear sings louder than your blade." Vader's taunt was well-placed. Naum was afraid, and ashamed of it. "No shame in fear. I have killed hundreds who were more powerful, more skilled, more determined, but very few who were as persistent."

Naum's retort was cut off by a man's scream. Abi's opponent lay on the platform minus one leg and Naum had the utterly inappropriate thought that the marine life forms below were eating well tonight.

The man rolled onto his back, drawing what looked to be a holdout blaster from a pouch on his belt. Abi moved for in, twirling her blade to gain momentum for the killstroke.

ChuffChuffChuff! Three small, fast somethings hummed for Abi's torso.

Abi's blade flared twice before she was thrown back and spun to the left by the force of a projectile impacting the hollow of her shoulder.

"Son of a " Her lightsaber tumbled from her fingers, falling with a clang to the balcony below. Eyes closing, she slumped forward as her knees buckled, sending her stumbling into the railing and then over it. A thump denoting the terminus of her fall made Naum feel as if he had fallen with her. All the breath went out of him as Vader leapt over the railing to the walk below.

Naum sprinted down the platform and leaped from the same spot from where Abi had fallen. Blade ignited, he came up to face Vader standing over Abi's limp form as a predator over a kill.

~