Chapter 2

Luke stepped into the poorly lit tavern, his eyes adjusting to the dark surroundings. He could hear a band playing loudly in the background, mixed with the dozens of conversations in the cantina. Several beings turned to look at him, then returned to their sabacc games.
It reminded Luke of his visit to the Mos Eisley Cantina with Obi-Wan and the droids, all those years ago. He had been a naive, bright-eyed kid back then, unprepared for the harsh reality of the galaxy.
Now here he was, a Jedi Master, wise beyond his years. With his daughter lost.
Luke closed his eyes, calming his mind, allowing the Force to take over him. Hope, he whispered to himself. Can you hear me?
There was no answer.
He sighed, determined not to be overcome with panic or hopelessness. Hope was not dead; he would have felt it if something had happened to her. No, she was still alive--but where was she?
He was determined to find out.
Luke went over to the bartender, who seemed to engaged in a verbal battle with an overgrown Talz. The Jedi Master tapped the human on the shoulder. "Excuse me."
The bartender--a dark-skinned man with a scar running down his cheek-- turned to face him, clearly irritated. "Not right now. I'm busy," he said in a gruff voice.
"I'm looking for someone," Luke said in a neutral voice.
"Not my problem," the bartender snapped, and turned back to the gray- furred Talz.
Luke reached into his pocket and took out a small pouch of credits. "Fifty credits here says it's worth it." The bartender faced him again, his attention now aroused. He locked eyes with Luke, considering the offer, and waved the Talz away. "We'll finish this later," he said.
The Talz merely snorted and headed off to look for more trouble.
With the alien gone, Luke now had the man's attention. "So, who exactly are you looking for?"
"A little girl," Luke replied. "Three years old. Blue eyes, brown hair."
The bartender recoiled in surprise. "A three-year-old in the Underworld? She's probably dead by now."
Luke felt his temper flare at the mention of his daughter dead, but he let it go by. Don not give in to anger, not now..."It's a long story," he said. "Her name is Hope Skywalker."
The bartender's eyes widened. "The Hope Skywalker? Daughter of the Jedi Master?"
"You've heard of her," Luke said, unimpressed.
"Actually, I have. Heard her name mentioned a few days ago from some guy."
Luke looked up at that moment. "A guy?" he said. "Who?"
The bartender shrugged. "I forgot."
Luke knew he was lying; he considered using the Force to wring the information out of him. That would cause a scene, though, and he was trying not to draw attention to himself.
Reluctantly, he took out another credit pouch. "Will a hundred credits help?" he asked politely.
"Yeah," the man said as he snatched both pouches. He leaned in and whispered, making sure that his voice would not be heard above the rest of the conversations. "Black Sun."
The answer caught Luke completely off-guard. "Black Sun?" he said, his heart sinking.
The bartender nodded. "From what I heard, there's this guy who wants Skywalker's daughter. Don't ask me why, but I'm guessing a ransom or something. He's hired at least a dozen bounty hunters to do the job. Some of the best."
Several named popped up in Luke's mind: Dengar, Korahh Thorlia, Nashpu..."It's starting to make sense now," Luke said, and he gave the bartender a nod. "Thank you, sir. You've been most helpful."
"Anytime," the bartender said.
As Luke left the tavern, he felt a new sense of dread. Black Sun was back, and they wanted his daughter. If that was true, then the Republic had to be informed immediately.
But first, he had to find his daughter...before Black Sun did.
As he headed back out into the mist-covered alley, he wondered how Callista was doing.
Callista smashed into the opposite wall, making an impact so hard that several bricks feel loose to the ground. Her ears rang like an explosion, her entire body numb with pain. She felt her legs nearly collapse from the strain, and she almost fell.
Don't fall! You'll lose if you fall!
 Callista somehow found the strength to stay standing, and turned to face her opponent, wincing as she did so.
The black-cloaked fighter was already heading toward her, her cloak billowing around her like a pair of wings. "Come on, Callista," she said as she grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her back against the wall. "I've stepped on spider-roaches--"
Her knee went up, striking Callista painfully in the face.
"--that put up a better fight than you!"
A backhand knocked Callista down to her knees.
Callista groaned and tried to get back up. As she tried to clear her vision, she swore she could recognize this woman's voice--
The attacker snatched her by the arms as she stood, squeezing with enough strength to snap the bones. Callista let out a small squeak as she tried to shake herself loose from the woman's hold.
"Stop struggling, Callista," the woman said, clearly enjoying the pain she was causing. Her face was still hidden by the hood. "What's the matter? You don't recognize me? It doesn't surprise me any, considering that you killed me!"
Callista's answer was a powerful head-butt that snapped the other's head back, forcing her to let go.
"I don't know the hell you are or what you want," Callista said as she moved in to continue fighting, "but I'll tell you this."
As she spoke, she snapped a kick to the midsection, sending her opponent further back.
"You're not--"
She swung an uppercut to the jaw.
"--going to--"
A second punch.
"--hurt my family--"
A third punch.
"--anymore!"
She finished with a roundkick, twisting the cloaked woman to one knee.
She was up in an instant, probably smiling, although Callista couldn't tell. "Nice moves," she said, as Callista threw another right hook. She blocked the blow with her arm, grabbing Callista by the hand again.
She shoved Callista against a broken glowcrystal pole. "But I'm not impressed," she said as a blue blade exploded outward from her hand. Callista cursed, realizing that she had a hidden lightsaber.
The attacker struck with an arc toward Callista's head. She ducked, and the blade ended up slicing right through the pole, sending it crashing to the ground. The cloaked killer tried a second time, and Callista rolled, narrowly missing a jab that put a hole through the duracrete.
As Callista finished the roll and rose to her feet, she felt her opponent's hand grab her by the throat and lift her high into the air. She gagged as her air supply was cut off.
The cloaked figure stood before her; her face was hidden, but Callista could tell that she was smiling. "Should've used the Force, Callista," she taunted. "Haven't you learned that by now?"
Callista could not answer, but she vowed to break this woman's neck as soon as the opportunity arose.
"Bon voyage," the other said, and threw her into the air with incredibly inhuman strength. Unable to control her momentum, Callista plummeted, almost flying, and hit the ground like a meteorite, sliding headfirst against the sidewalk.
After nearly an eternity, Callista rose weakly to her feet. Her head was badly scraped from the impact; the rest of her body had fared little better. If she didn't think of a plan soon, she was done for.
The cloaked woman stood in the middle of the street, watching her. "Your move," she called out, her voice echoing.
Callista strode toward her adversary, planning to do just that--when her eyes rested on Anakin.
The little boy had been watching the battle, cradling his unconscious father's head, terrified beyond words. Callista looked at the woman, and realized that Anakin was what she wanted.
And she had to get him as far away from this killer as possible.
Abandoning the battle, Callista ran over to her family. She gathered Anakin in one arm, and used her other arm to bring Han to his feet. "Come on," she gritted, draping him over her shoulder. "We're getting out of here."
"I'm scared, Aunt Callista," Anakin whispered.
Callista gave him a sad smile. "Me too," she said, kissing him on the forehead.
She started running with the two in tow.
Cray watched as the threesome fled the alley. She let them go. It would be far more exciting to pursue her prey this way.
Once they had turned the corner, she pulled back her hood brought her comm-link from her robes. She contacted her Kerash warriors, who were waiting in the alley darkness.
"My warriors," she said. "Skywalker has escaped. And she has the boy. Find them, and kill his father. But bring Callista and Anakin to me alive. Tsin has plans for them--big plans."
Within seconds, half a dozen speeder bikes emerged from the thick fog. Cray pointed the direction Callista had headed, then nodded. The warriors--one on each bike--raised their golden staffs into the air and took off in unison, their war cries sending a shiver of anticipation down Cray's spine.
Callista didn't even stand a chance.
Prince Xizor sat in his private chamber, stoically gazing at the viewscreen that displayed the boundless skyscrapers of Imperial City, wishing for nobody to disturb him until it was news from Boba Fett. He closed his eyes and relaxed, contemplating what had happened in the past few years.
The galaxy thought he was dead, and rightly so. Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, had destroyed his skyhook in a battle orbit over Coruscant over a decade ago, just before the destruction of the second Death Star. Everyone had assumed that Xizor had been on board the skyhook when it had exploded.
But what most people didn't know was that Xizor had discovered the wonderful technology of cloning before his demise.
Years ago, Xizor had uncovered an ancient cloning facility deep within Coruscant's underground caverns. It had been around since the time of the Clone Wars, but it had been abandoned after the fall of the Old Republic, and eventually forgotten...until the day Xizor's men had discovered it.
Realizing that he had many enemies--Vader and the Rebels being the chief ones--Xizor had ordered to have over a dozen clones of himself to be constructed in the laboratory using a piece of his skin tissue. The experiment was a success. Xizor kept all his clones in the lab for a long time, knowing that he would someday put them to good use.
That fateful day finally arrived when Vader destroyed his skyhook. After hearing of his death, his Human Replica Droid companion, Guri, had returned to the cloning facility and awakened the first clone. The clone was an exact replica of the original Xizor: it contained the same features, the same scars, the same memories...
Ever since the battle of Endor, and Vader's death--which Xizor was pleased to hear at that time--he had put his plans to work. Over the years, he kept his operation a secret underneath Coruscant, where no one could find him. He had an entire fleet raised, soldiers numbering in the millions- -
--and the most powerful weapon of all, the Order of Kerash.
The Order of Kerash had first been founded centuries ago, before the time of the Republic, before the time of the Sith. Little was known about them, for they dated pre-history. All Xizor had known about them was that they spanned three galaxies at their height, before a great war scattered them in different corners of the galaxy. They weren't exactly dark siders, for they did not use the Force in battle. Rather, they were something else. Something different...
Xizor had been surprised to receive a visit from the leader of the Kerash, a woman by the name of Cray Mingla. She had claimed to have resurrected the ancient order, and was willing to join forces with him. Xizor had been skeptical at first, before she took them to the world of Anasazi (where the Order of Kerash originally came from). There, Xizor saw thousands of trained warriors, people who only knew one thing, and that was to fight. The two eventually signed a treaty that confirmed their alliance, and they became sworn enemies of the New Republic.
All Xizor needed now was the daughter of Skywalker.
Skywalker... The name sent a burning wave of anger down Xizor's throat. Skywalker had been the man he had been after around the time of his death. He indirectly had been the cause of what had happened all those years ago, including the destruction of his beautiful palace.
And now Skywalker had a child.
Xizor had no interest in the girl's Force abilities. He merely wanted her for the ransom. With the daughter of the vaunted Jedi Master in his custody, the Republic would have no choice but to cooperate. That would be the first step in his plan to conquer the mighty government.
That would come soon. Very, very soon.
The door slid open, and Guri stepped into the room. "My Lord, I have good news."
Xizor nodded. "Yes?"
"Boba Fett has just contacted me from Slave IV. He has the child."
Xizor allowed a smile to stretch across his green-skinned face. "Excellent. I knew I could count on him. Soon, the Republic will be brought to their knees." He looked at the Human Replica Droid. "Thank you, Guri."
Guri nodded and left as quietly as she had arrived.
Xizor laid back against his throne and heaved a relaxed sigh. "Very soon..."
Callista groaned as she supported Han and carried a crying Anakin down the mist-infested street. It was an extremely demanding task, and one that she couldn't do for much longer if she didn't get help fast.
She looked back over her shoulder to see if the stranger was following them. Thankfully, she wasn't.
Who was that person? she thought as she started to turn a corner. Her voice...she sounded so familiar to me. But who...
"C-Callista?" Han was starting to come to.
Callista nodded. "Hang in there, Han," she soothed. "We're almost out of here."
"Wh-Where are we?" Han slurred, looking up at Callista's face. "You're hurt."
"And you're even worse off," Callista pointed out. "Someone attacked you back there and knocked you out. You're in pretty bad shape. We need to get you a doctor."
"Anakin," he said deliriously. "Where's my son?"
Anakin wriggled from Callista's grip and ran to his father's side. "I'm here, Daddy," he said as he held Han's hand.
Despite his wounds, Han managed a weak smile. "Glad to have you back," he said. "But...what about Hope?"
Callista felt a pang at the mention of her daughter. "We still haven't found her yet. But we will."
"Who the hell was that person who attacked me?" Han said, spitting out some blood. Anakin remained next to him, concerned.
"I wish I knew," Callista said, trying not to think about it. "But we'll figure out all this later. First, we have to..."
She was interrupted by a salvo of blaster shots that came out of nowhere, hitting the duracrete at their feet.
"Sithspawn!" Callista cursed as she nearly lost her balance. She turned back to see where the shots had come from--
--and gasped.
Far off in the distance, but growing closer, was a group of speeder bikes, at least over half a dozen. They flew together in a perfect triangle, their cannons speaking with deadly laser fire. One bolt struck the glowpole next to the threesome, toppling it onto the street.
"Run!" Callista shouted, and began doubling her speed, still supporting Han.
But it did no good. Han was far taller than Callista, and twice her weight; far too heavy for her to carry all the way back to the turbolift. Callista herself was exhausted from her battle with the cloaked stranger, and was in no condition to run carrying a grown man and his son.
Within seconds, she had slumped to the ground, unable to continue.
"Aunt Callista, what are we going to do?" Anakin cried, on the verge of panicking.
Callista took a deep breath. Calm...She had to remain calm. "Han, you and Anakin get out of here and hide. Go into one of the buildings, and don't come out until I say so."
Han, predictably, disagreed. "You can't fight them all by yourself," he said. "You're gonna need help."
"I know," Callista said back. "But look at you. You're hurt. If you try to fight them, you'll only get killed." She looked back to see the enemy moving closer and closer. "I'm going to contact Luke and Leia through the Force; they'll be here in a few minutes. But until that happens...I have to keep them busy."
"I'm not leaving you," Han protested stubbornly.
More cannon shots came at them, smashing through buildings and duracrete.
"Go," Callista said, looking at Han and his son, using the only persuasion she knew that would make him change his mind--the Force. "Now!"
Without argument, Han scooped Anakin up in his arms and limped over to the closest run-down building. He closed the door shut behind them, where they would be safe for the moment.
Leaving Callista alone.
Her eyes hardened as she watched the riders approach. She couldn't make out their faces; like the mysterious woman who had attacked her earlier, they wore black robes. Luke, she called out through the Force, knowing that he would hear her in a matter of seconds. Leia...come quickly. I need your help...
"Come on, you sons of banthas," she growled, unbuckling her lightsaber from her belt. "Come and get some."
The topaz blade burst to life with a snap-hiss. Callista held it out in front of her like a shield, ready to deflect any bolts that came her way.
The riders continued firing, aiming with frightening accuracy. Several enormous bolts shot out in her direction like a group of shooting stars.
Using the Force to guide her moves, Callista blocked bolt after bolt. Each impact was so powerful that it nearly knocked her off her feet, but she steadied herself. If she fell, she would be dead within seconds.
The speeder bikes broke away from their triangular formation and began heading toward Callista in all directions, firing mercilessly.
Callista moved fast, rolling away from another barrage of red-hot missiles. She took refuge behind a garbage dumpster, several bolts exploding over her head. Small pieces of granite began falling down on her like a miniature avalanche.
Callista watched as the speeder bikes circled the street, searching for their prey. They obviously didn't see where she had gone. All the better for her.
Suddenly, Callista had an idea.
As one of the bikes sailed past her, the Jedi woman, drawing upon her physical and mental strength, leaped over the garbage dumpster, somersaulted high into the air like a human rocket, heading for the closest bike.
Using her feet as a weapon, she kicked the rider of the speeder bike off, letting him--or her, she still couldn't tell--collide none too gently into the street. Callista settled herself in the driver's seat and readied her blaster cannons.
The odds had suddenly improved in her favor.
In the deep cold space near Corellia on a semi new looking ship, ice blue eyes watched the dot as it blazed across the screen before her. In a blink of an eye it flashed once and disappeared. Pounding the computer with a furry so hot that it could melt Hoth, she yelled, "Darn you, Boba Fett!" Pushing her siliverish white hair out of her face, she took a deep breath to calm herself and muttered, "No matter. The hyperspace jump will not hide you for long."
Pulling up on some files she quickly skimmed through them. "If my information is correct, you have just finish your last job. So, now...... on Coruscant did you meet you new employer or your victim? Doesn't really matter ... at the moment." Switching on the holographic map she silently studied it severely, trying to predict where Boba Fett was heading to. After making her decision she swiftly made a slight flight adjustment, punched the coordinates in, pulled back the lever, and watched as the stars became streaks of light.
Freeing herself from her crash webbing she tossed her dark blue cloak aside to reveal a midnight blue jumpsuit. Walking out of the cockpit she open a door with a touch of a button to reveal a room filled with weapons. Starting to the right and working her self around she studied each of them, closely. Half way into the room she carefully picked up what seemed to be a very, strange, silver hair piece that had an unusual sharp end, like a blade. Nodding once to herself she muttered, "It's always good to have an element of surprise on your side." Sliding it into her pocket for the moment, she continues to the next weapon.
A Lightsaber! Gracefully she picked it up and studied it a couple seconds before clipping it to her belt with a single thought, I might need this later. After several minutes had past, she put a vibro knife into her right boot leg, grabbed a blaster, and headed back to the cockpit.
After pulling her hair into a French twist she carefully inserted the deadly hair piece into her hair. Once done she looked up and promised, "I will pay you back, Boba Fett, for what you did to me and my family. I will not allow you to do what you did to them to anyone else, anymore. I swear it,"
"Leia!" Luke called out as he ran to catch up with his sister. "We have got some serious trouble!"
Leia turned to him, startled. "What is it, Luke? Did you find Hope and Anakin?"
"No, but I found out something else. Something that may endanger the lives of our children." Luke stopped to take several deep breaths--he had had to run a good distance to find her--and continued. "I went to one of the local taverns, and the bartender told me that Black Sun wants Hope."
Leia's eyes widened. "Black Sun?" she said, incredulous. "But--how? We defeated Black Sun years ago when Xizor was killed."
"I know, it sounds crazy, but I can feel it," Luke said. "There's a dark malevolence here in Imperial City. An evil...and it wants my daughter."
Leia still didn't seem entirely convinced.
"Use the Force, Leia," he urged. "And you'll know it's true!"
Leia finally acquiesed, and closed her eyes, summoning the powers she rarely used. For years, Luke had tried to have his sister open up more to the Force--for she had potential to become every bit as powerful as he was now--but for some reason, she always pulled back...as if she was afraid of using her mysterious powers.
Leia suddenly gasped, one hand going up to her heart as if someone had just stabbed her. "You're right," she said, her eyes opening. "Luke, the Republic has to know about this as soon as possible. They have to know that Black Sun is on the rise again."
"I know," Luke said, clamping his hand on her shoulder. "But first things first--let's find our children."
"I just hope Black Sun hasn't found them yet," Leia murmured.
As they started walking, Luke could hear Callista's voice scream in his head. Luke, Leia, come quickly! I need your help! I've found Anakin, and Han is badly injured. We're under attack!
Luke let out a gasp of shock as he felt a deep coldness pierce his heart. He turned and saw Leia reacting the same. "Did you feel what I just felt?" he asked.
Leia nodded. "It's Callista. I know where she is."
Together, they ran.
Callista fired up the speeder bike's repulsorjets to their fullest and sped toward her attackers, determined to take down every last one of them.
It had been a long time she had navigated a speeder bike. The last she could she remember using one was during the Clone Wars, before she had infiltrated the *Eye of Palpatine*. It had been one of the most frightening experiences of her life, and she had barely survived it.
Now, history seemed to be repeating itself.
The rest of the speeder bike riders had now noticed Callista, and they sped toward her as one, their blaster cannons firing relentlessly.
With the Force helping her, Callista anticipated each and every attack, and swerved aside to avoid the salvo. With her hair flying around her face, she sent the speeder bike toward her enemy.
The closest rider, a few feet ahead of her, doubled its speed toward Callista, its cannons starting to glow with fire as it prepared to shoot.
Callista bit her lower lip and waited for the right moment.
When both speeder bikes were only inches away from each other, and the other began firing, Callista twisted to the right, and she ended up passing right below the other bike, her head nearly hitting the bottom of the vehicle. She ignited her lightsaber and sliced through its control vanes, sending the speeder bike spinning wildly out of control. Its rider shrieked--her voice indicating that it was a female--as she fell off and landed on the seat right behind Callista's bike.
Callista turned her head around, startled, and met eyes with the cloaked woman.
The woman laughed. "Skywalker, I have you now--"
Callista's elbow greeted the woman's face, knocking her off the speeder bike.
"Two down," she said as she prepared to continue the battle. "Four more to go."
Callista swerved the speeder bike around so that she was facing the four remaining attackers.
The four speeders had formed a tight circle, wary of Callista this time. Apparently, they were not going to take anymore chances with her; they had underestimated her at first, and their companions had paid for that.
Callista gritted her teeth. This was make the fight even harder to win than before.
As she powered up her blaster cannons, she risked a glance toward where Han and Anakin were hiding. She could barely make out Anakin's face staring out through one of the boarded windows. His eyes were wide with fear and concern for his aunt, but she could hear him through the Force, silently urging her on.
Callista gave her nephew a quick nod, and sped toward her opponents.
Both sides fired at each other, lighting the empty street with the fire of their laser blasts, eerily resembling the fireworks the people on Chad would fire into the sky during winter solstice. Callista twisted, turned, and swerved, avoiding the blasts headed in her direction. Almost almost singed off her left leg, drawing a Chadrian curse from her.
Too close, she thought.
Two of the speeder bikes sped ahead of their companions. The cloaked riders drew out weapons from their robes. From the looks of it, they looked like staffs made out of solid gold. The riders twirled their weapons in the air, showing off their impressive combat skills.
Callista was thoroughly not impressed.
Let's see how well they can hold up against a lightsaber, Callista thought to herself with a small smile as she reignited her Jedi weapon.
The three speeder bikes quickly closed the gap between them. The mysterious riders swung their staffs in unison, aiming to strike at Callista's head with enough force to knock it off her shoulders.
Callista's blade came up to shield her face, smashing squarely into both staffs at the same time. The weapons were both severed into two neat halves. The force of Callista's attack was powerful enough to knock both riders off their seats and crash into the hard duracrete, knocking them out cold.
Leaving two more.
The third rider--using this moment to his advantage--attacked Callista from the side seconds after she was done with his two companions, taking her by surprise. Callista was unable to move away in time as he rammed his speeder full force into hers.
Callista cried out as her speeder bike veered off course, heading for a head-on collison with one of the run-down buildings.
Without wasting a moment, Callista leaped off her doomed vehicle. Using the Force to safely propel her away, she landed on the other side of the street and watched as her speeder bike crashed into the building and climaxed into a spectacular explosion that lit up the entire street, debris falling in all directions.
Her attacker zoomed in for the kill, his blaster cannon already firing at her. Callista ducked, barely evading the blasts that would have disintegrated her if she hadn't seen them coming. Now that her speeder was destroyed, the two remaining riders had her at a disadvantage.
Callista held her lightsaber in a fighting stance and waited until the speeder bike was inches away from her. She could see the rider whipping out another of the gold staffs, preparing to strike her down.
Callista could feel her palms sweating, her heart beating at the anxiety of being several seconds away from death. Come on, come on...
The rider swung his staff in a wide arc for Callista's head--
Just as she attacked with her lightsaber, the topaz blade cutting through the staff like cheese. As the rider recoiled, half of his weapon clatterin to the floor, Callista reached out with her arms, grabbed him by the collar of his robe, and pulled him unceremoniously to the ground.
Ignoring the fallen man, Callista leaped atop the speeder bike and sat herself down, readying the blaster cannons. She fired up the jets and spun around--
--to face the final rider.
The cloaked rider--a woman, Callista sensed--had been hanging in the background during the entire fight, silently watching as Callista methodically took her companions down one by one. This one was going to be interesting to fight.
"You must be the leader of this group!" Callista shouted across the street. "Kinda cowardly to sit back and let your goons do all the dirty work, don't you think?"
"Good guess," the rider replied, and it was most definitely a woman. She pulled back her hood, revealing a young, beautiful woman around the age of twenty-five or six. She almost looked humanoid, with milky-white skin, short black hair, and eyes that burned green in the dark. Callista could make out tattoos of half-moons and fish embedded in her opponent's cheeks. "I'm Armenia, the second-in-command of Kerash."
Callista looked on at the woman, startled *Kerash?*
Armenia let out an ululating shriek of challenge as she charged at full-speed toward Callista.
The two speeder bikes met each other in a blinding flash of light as blaster bolts danced all around them, none striking their intended target.
Callista swerved her bike so that she was ride side-by-side with Armenia, close enough to scrape the other speeder bike.
Armenia screamed as she struck at Callista with her gold-covered staff. She ducked, and it sailed past her head with a deafening swoosh. Armenia snarled, enraged that her opponent had not died--apparently, she had never fought someone of Callista's caliber before--and tried for a second blow, this time heading for Callista's shoulder.
Callista brought her Jedi weapon up, the hilt knocking aside the incoming staff. Armenia struck several more times, but each blow was blocked by the hilt of Callista's lightsaber. The two riders sped down the street, exchanging blows.
As Callista fought, she realized that this woman was not Force- sensitive, and yet she was impressively holding her own against a Jedi Knight. No being in the universe, no matter how physically strong, could possible beat a Jedi in combat, especially if said Jedi was armed with a lightsaber.
There was something about this woman and her companions, Callista knew. Something about her that she wasn't sure of yet...
Kerash...
Armenia swung her staff at her again, and by now, Callista had had enough. With a single slash of her lightsaber, she cleaved through the staff, slicing it in half. The top half of the weapon fell to the ground, now useless in the battle.
Weaponless, Armenia uttered a wordless cry of rage, and leaped off her speeder, body-slamming into Callista with surprisingly powerful strength. The two women were both knocked off and fell crashing into the street. Callista tried to erect a Force shield around her body to protect herself, but her mind was in such a dark turmoil that she couldn't concentrate. She braced herself as she sailed through the air, ready for the worst.
Seconds later, it came.
Callista and Armenia hit the hard duracrete with enough force to knock out a grown ronto and continued rolling, unable to stop. Every cell in Callista's body screamed with pain, and Callista felt something crunch-- either arm or her leg, she couldn't tell. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the two unattended speeder bikes slam into the ground and burst into flames. Finally, she stopped rolling when she hit the side of a building, trying to breathe again.
Armenia was lying a few feet away, looking as bad as Callista did. Her body was dotted with cuts, lacerations, and bruises, and blood seeped out of her nose and mouth. Groaning, she started to get back up.
Callista was up in a second, ignoring the shiver of pain that shot through her body. Grabbing her lightsaber, she ran over to the downed woman and held the blade up to her neck, preventing her from getting to her feet.
Despite her weakened state, Armenia still managed a small. "You won't kill me," she said arrogantly. "Jedi aren't supposed to kill."
Callista pursed her lips as she slowly brought her lightsaber back. "You're right," she said. "I won't kill you."
She landed a powerful kick into Armenia's face. A satisfying crack resonated in the street as Armenia fell back, out like a glowbulb.
"Sweet dreams," Callista said in disgust.
"Callista!"
She turned at the sound of her name and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Luke, Leia, and the Republic guards running toward her.
"Luke," she said weakly as she embraced her husband. "Took you guys long enough."
"Sorry," he said with a laugh, then looked at the cloaked bodies strewn all over the street, and the burning wreckage. "Looks like we missed some fun. Who are these guys?"
"That's what I'd like to know," Callista said.
Luke turned toward the guards. "Cuff them, and take them to the Imperial prison. We'll question them later."
Leia looked anxiously around the street. "Where are Han and Anakin?"
"Mommy!" Anakin squealed as he bounded out of the building and ran into his mother's arms.
"Anakin, my son!" Leia said as she gratefully kissed him, tears of relief pouring down her face. "Thank the Force you're still alive. I had thought I had lost you forever."
"Mommy, Daddy's hurt," Anakin said.
"Don't worry, he's going to be all right," Leia said as she kissed him again, holding onto him for dear life, as if she was afraid she would lose him again if she let go. "Don't ever leave me again, Anakin, do you understand? You had us all worried sick."
Anakin looked down at his feet, avoiding his mother's face. "I'm sorry, Mommy," he said, ashamed. "It won't happen again." He looked around at the group and asked curiously, "Where's Hope? Did you guys find her?"
Leia, Luke, and Callista all exchanged worried glances. Callista felt a deep sorrow as she realized that they still hadn't found her daughter.
Luke must have felt her emotions, for he laid a comforting hand on her arm. "We'll find her, Callista," he said.
Callista nodded. "I know," she said, although she wasn't sure she believed her own words.
Hope finally regained unconsciousness, which was immediately followed by an unpleasant surge of pain. She blinked groggily, her gray eyes adjusting to her new surroundings. Where in the name of the Force was she...
The last thing she recalled was the scary-looking monster--from what she remembered, his name was Boba Fett--grabbing her by the arm and knocking her out with a stun beam. Was she on his ship now? And if so, where was he going to take her?
This place is scary, Hope thought, silently whimpering in fear. I wish Mommy and Daddy were here.
She managed to steady herself weakly on her feet, and looked around the small cell. The room was empty, devoid of any furniture. Not even a meager cot for her to lay on. This Boba Fett guy is not very hospitable, she said to herself.
Hope went over to the cell door, and saw that it was locked. Angrily, she banged against the hard metal, yelling, "Open up! Open this stupid door!"
No one answered.
Hope sighed, and tried again. "My Daddy's a Jedi Master! And when he finds out that I'm missing, he's gonna be very mad, and he'll beat you up. So if you know what's good for you, open this door now!" She banged her fists against the door, nearly breaking her fingers.
But no one answered.
Hope moved away from the door, sucking on her sore knuckles. Stupid people, she thought to herself. When my Daddy gets here, you're gonna be in a lotta trouble.
As she looked around, her eyes still growing accustomed to the dim light that shone from the ceiling, she wondered briefly what had happened to Anakin. Was he still in the Underworld, lost? Did Boba Fett want him too?
That stupid Anakin. This is all his fault. I told him I didn't want to go down into the lower levels, but noooooooooo...
Hope stopped in mid-sentence as she realized she was lying to herself. If there was someone to blame for all this, it would have to be her. For it was her idea to leave the apartment, her to go out and have some fun in the Underworld. Mommy and Daddy had told her several times about the dangers of Coruscant's lower levels, that it was no place for little children. And despite their warnings, she had deliberately disobeyed them.
And, to make things worse, she had dragged Anakin along with her. Now he was lost as well, without anyone to help him. And she would probably never see him again.
Tears started to well up in Hope's eyes, and she sunk to the floor, cursing herself for her stupidity.
The door to the cell suddenly slid open, and Hope looked up, unable to stifle a gasp. A tall, green-skinned humanoid entered the room, looking down at her with kind eyes.
"Why are you crying, my child?" he asked in a sweet voice. "Don't be afraid; I mean you no harm."
Hope stood up, awestruck by this new person. He was pretty handsome...for an alien. His skin was as green as grass--kinda like a Rodian, Hope thought, but they're ugly and smelly, and have big, stupid bug-eyes--and he was bald save for a single black ponytail hanging from the back of his head. He was dressed in the prettiest robes Hope had ever seen. He must be very rich, she thought.
"Who are you?" she finally asked.
The handsome man smiled. "I'm a friend. This is my home."
Hope looked around the small cell. "I feel sorry for you," she said.
The man chuckled. "No, no. This is just the guest room. My real home is outside this door. And trust me, child, it is quite breathtaking."
"Why did you bring me here?" asked Hope.
"I've heard so much about you," the handsome man said. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you are Hope Skywalker, the daughter of the vaunted Jedi Master."
Hope was startled by this. He knew her name! But how...
"Yes, I am," she said. "How did you know--?"
"My dear, everyone knows about you," the handsome man replied. "You are quite the famous child."
Hope had to smile about that. "Famous?" she said. "Get out of town!"
"No, it's true. In a few years, you will probably become one of the most famous figures in the New Republic. You will more than likely take your father's place as head of the Jedi Academy. Just imagine...Hope Skywalker, Jedi Master."
Hope smiled even wider. "Me? A Jedi Master?"
The man nodded.
"Well, I don't wanna brag, but I am pretty strong in the Force. Did you ever hear the story of how I single-handedly saved my Mommy and Daddy from death on Dathomir when I was only a baby."
The man gasped. "You did? That's wonderful."
"Yep, and I didn't have any help from anyone at all."
"Well, I must say, I am quite impressed," the handsome man said. "And that was only when you were an infant. Just imagine all the good you can do when you're an adult."
Hope beamed. This guy was turning out to be pretty neat. Then a thought occurred to her. "Hey, you still haven't answered my question. Why did you bring me here?"
"Because nothing would honor me more than to have the daughter of the legendary Skywalker be a guest in my home. Just a few days is all I ask. After that, I will personally escort you back home."
Hope thought about this. He did seem to be really nice. But something still troubled her. "But why did that Boba Fett guy have to be so mean to me?"
The man waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Don't worry about Fett. He's just not very good with children. I will personally make sure that he is fired at once without delay."
Hope smiled wickedly. "Yeah, and feed him to the space slugs!"
"It shall be done." The man smiled and took Hope by the hand. "Come, Hope Skywalker. Let me show you my home."
Hope shrugged and followed him out of the yucky cell. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all.