Chapter 4

The Imperial City Database was one of the largest areas on Coruscant. It was located deep under the palace, where few knew where to find it. Over a million records of everthing you could ever want to know about the universe--solar systems, planets, cities, individual people, important dates in histories--were stored within its data archives.
Callista, dressed in a blue jumpsuit, marched down the sterile corridor. Her lightsaber hung loosely at her side; she didn't know why she brought it, but her instincts told her to bring it along.
Better safe than sorry, she guessed.
The hallway was much colder than the rooms above, and she wished she had brought a jacket to wear. But if she could survive being crucified in an icy tundra in the midst of a battle, she could certainly survive this.
She finally reached the entrance door moments later. Survelliance cameras built into the walls swerved instantly to view her, and the two uniformed guards who were standing by the door stopped her. "We need your identification, ma'am," one of them said.
"Callista Ming Skywalker," she replied, showing them her ID tab. "I need to speak to one of the Holocrons."
The two guards exchanged a glance, and then let her pass.
Beyond the door was an array of over a dozen different consoles and information ports. The room was empty save for her, for most people in Imperial City were asleep by now.
Callista's eyes scanned the place until she found what she was looking for: a shelf off to her right that was stacked with Holocrons.
Callista was very familiar with Holocrons. Back in the glory days of the Republic, before the rise of the Empire, Holocrons were used by most Jedi Masters to record their past experiences and document the ancient history and lore of the Jedi Knights. Master Djinn had kept one as well, and used them frequently in his lessons. Most of the Holocrons were destroyed when Palpatine became Emperor, but a few managed to survive through the decades, and were only recently rediscovered deep within the lower levels of the city. The ones that were found were stored here, where they would be safe.
Callista counted twelve or thirteen Holocrons in all. She picked one that resembled a cube with carvings of circles and squares on its sides. So simple, and yet striking at the same time.
Cupping the Holocron with one both hands, Callista activated it.
Almost at once, a human-sized three-dimensional image of Nomi Sunrider appeared in front of her. Nomi Sunrider had been Callista's idol as a child, and she had loved studying about her while at the Jedi Academy on Coruscant all those years ago. She had fought been one of the most well- regarded Jedi Knights in history, as well as a member of the now-extinct Jedi Council, and had fought four-millenia ago in the Sith War. She was a hero.
"Who dares to read the Holocron?" she asked. Despite the fact that this was only a holographic image Callista was seeing, Nomi still had a strong commanding presence about her when she spoke. For a moment, she felt like she was speaking to her actual spirit.
Nomi had been a striking-looking woman, with red-brown hair and blue- green eyes. A bit roughshod, but still beautiful. In a way, she reminded Callista of Mara Jade.
"Nomi Sunrider, my name is Callista Skywalker," she finally said. "I've come to ask for information about the Order of Kerash."
The image froze for a moment as it processed Callista's request. It took longer than expected--almost six minutes--and the image finally asked, "Why do you want to know about the Kerash?"
Callista sighed and sat herself down at one of the consoles, still facing the image. "My daughter, Hope, is missing, Sunrider. She disappeared in the Underworld, and I went off to search for her. I ran into a group of warriors, and they attacked me. The leader of the group, Armenia, said that she was the second-in-command of Kerash. They were after my daughter."
Callista took a deep breath before continuing. "I need to know more about this Kerash. Who exactly are they, where do they come from, why do they want my daughter?"
As she spoke, she briefly remembered the one time she had heard the word "Kerash" before: during one of her Master's Holocron lessons. The Holocron image--she forgot which Jedi Master it was--had mentioned it in one sentence:
Using techniques learned from the now-extinct Order of Kerash, the Sith Lord Kri Orplan was able to wipe out the entire colony with little resistance.
And that had been it. Callista had asked Master Djinn what the Order of Kerash was, but even he didn't know about it. None of the Holocrons they had did. Perhaps this one would.
"The Order of Kerash has been extinct for millions of years," Nomi Sunrider said. "It is a cult so old that it dates pre-history, which is why there are little to no records about it. The information I have is sketchy at best, but hopefully what I do know can help you."
Callista nodded. "Anything that can help find my daughter will be greatly appreciated. Please, tell me what you know, Jedi Master."
"Kerash was first founded by a group of nomads who lived in the farthest corner of the galaxy," the holographic image of Sunrider said. "It was the first major religion to have been founded. Who these nomads exactly were is unknown, but they apparently wandered from planet to planet, converting non-belivers to their ways. Anyone who resisted was sujected to a slow and painful death."
"What did they worship, exactly? The Force?" Callista asked.
The image shook her head, blurring out for a few seconds as she did so. "No, the Force would not be discovered for centuries. And from what my sources say, none of them were gifted with it, either. No, these people worshipped a sun goddess named Arak. I am not sure if she was a goddess of good or evil, though."
"Well, judging by the way they treated the skeptics, I'm leaning towards the latter," Callista said, now intrigued by this. Finally, she was getting somewhere--but she still had many more questions to answer. "Please, continue."
"After years of wandering, the followers of Kerash finally established a permanent stronghold. I do not know the exact location, unfortunately, though it is most likely somewhere in the Unknown Regions, where few peope ever dare to venture out. They began training their followers, developed them into lethal warriors. Using the sophisticated technology of their time, they brainwashed their disciples, ridding them of their old memories, and implanting new ones, erasing their true identities. They turned all their followers into practically zombies with only one purpose in life: to convert the rest of the galaxy into the Kerash Order, or kill them."
Callista swallowed a lump in her throat; this sounded frighteningly similar to the rise of the Sith Order and the Emperor's extermination of the Jedi Knights.
"What happened?" she asked. "Did they succeed?"
"Partially," Nomi replied. "They set out in vast fleets of battleships they built and eventually conquered over three major galaxies. Whole cities were annihilated, planets were laid to waste, millions upon millions of innocent people were massacred, and even more converted."
"So, who stopped them?"
"No one...they stopped themselves."
Callista recoiled in surprise. "I'm afraid I don't understand," she said.
"The Kerash was made up of only warriors, people who only knew one thing, which was to kill. Once they established their empire after the conquests, they quickly fell, for none of them knew how to rule an empire. So the leaders of the Kerash tried to split the empire into three halves, but that just weakened them even further. Fueds and riots broke out, leaders were assassinated as other Kerash loyalists tried to seize the throne. It was utter chaos. Eventually, a rebellion consisting of dozens of solar systems emerged and overthrew the last remnants of the Kerash Empire, scattering them into nothingness. They were all inevitably hunted down and executed for their crimes. And the Kerash never rose again."
Callista laid back in her chair, amazed by this new knowledge that had been given to her. At last, many of her questions had finally been answered. But there was still something that troubled her, something that was missing...
"Wait," she said as she sat up. "About their goddess, Arak...could you explain more about her?"
The image complied. "The original followers--the nomads--always believed that when the end of the universe approached, the goddess Arak would appear from the heavens and envelop the entire universe with fire and light. Those who were faithful to her would be rewarded, and those who weren't were doomed to perish in the fire.
"But in order for Arak to be brought into our world," Nomi continued, "the Kerash priests needed two beings who shared a powerful connection unheard of before in the galaxy. A power that would open the portal that led into Arak's dimension. The goddess would emerge from the portal...and would bring about the end of the universe."
A chill rushed through Callista's veins as she listened to the brutal story. Surely, this Kerash theology had to be false. If the Force existed, then how could Arak also exist at the same time? It just didn't make any sense.
Then Callista remembered what Nomi had said. Two beings who shared a powerful connection...
Hope and Anakin had shared a certain bond that Callista had never seen before; she had first witnessed it on Dathomir, and then when she and Luke were dying and about to cross over. Hope and Anakin had saved them from death.
All because of that special bond.
"Oh, stars," Callista gasped as she stood up, her heart sinking. If her hunch was correct, then those Kerash warriors would be after Hope and Anakin...
"Thank you, Nomi Sunrider," she quickly said as she switched off the Holocron and set it back in the shelf. "I need to find Anakin before--"
"Before what?" came a voice from behind.
Callista whirled to see a cloaked woman standing outside the open door. The same woman who had assaulted Han and Anakin. Callista saw the two guards who had let her in lying on her stomachs behind the figure, blood leaking on the marbled floor underneath them.
"Finally figured it out, did you?" the woman said in a sweet, sickening voice. "You know what I want, Callista. I already have your daughter. Give me the boy, and I won't kill the others."
Callista stepped forth as she unbuckled her lightsaber and ignited it with a snap-hiss. "Who are you?" she demanded. "And how do you know my name?"
The figure slowly pulled back the hood that covered her face with both hands. Callista saw a mound of long blond hair, and when the woman brought her face up so that she was looking straight at her, Callista's heart almost skidded to a stop.
"CRAY?!"
Leia's eyes snapped open from her slumber as the terrible shatter of glass cut into the darkness. She sat up in bed immediately and gasped at what she saw. Someone had just come in through the window of their room.
"Han, Han!" she shouted, shaking her husband awake. "Someone's broken in!"
Even before he started to stir, Leia leaped out of bed, determined to find out who these people were and fight them, if she had to.
Almost immediately, one of the attackers grabbed her by the shoulders and knocked her down.
Leia got a good look at the man's face and instantly recognized him. It was the Kerash warrior Callista had killed earlier. Which meant that he must have broken free from his cell...along with the rest of his companions.
Leia's blood ran cold as the Force screamed in her mind. The children! They were after the children!
At the same time, Jaina awoke to hear her mother screaming in terror, accompanied by the sound of someone crashing in through a window.
She got up out of her bed, unable to stop the panic that took over her body. What was going on?
She opened the door to her room and saw Chewie bounding toward the living room. His eyes fell upon Jaina, and he roared at her to stay inside her room.
Jaina, being the typical five year old she was, followed him.
The Wookiee cried out as a black-cloaked woman--one of those warrior guys Aunt Callista fought, Jaina realized--slammed full force into him, bringing him down by the sheer impact. She brought out her golden staff and pressed it hard against Chewie's throat, choking him.
Jaina thought fast, and her eyes rested on the couch in the living room. Closing her eyes and concentrating, Jaina called upon the Force, and lifted the furniture high into the air. The Kerash warrior continued strangling Chewie, unaware of the couch that was hovering quietly behind her.
Jaina counted silently to three, and brought the furiniture through the air with her mind as fast as she could. It smacked into the woman's back, throwing her off the Wookiee and into the wall. She slid down to the carpeted floor, temporarily down.
Chewie remained in the floor, gasping for air. Jaina ran over to see how badly hurt he was--and cried out as someone grabbed her from behind.
She felt herself being spun around, and she found herself staring eye- to-eye with another warrior. "Get your hands off me!" she shrieked.
The woman snarled, not sounding human at all. "You're not the one we're looking for."
Jaina screamed as the woman knocked her into the air with her staff, sending her careening into the holovid in the living room. Stars exploded in the little girl's head, and the world around her quickly became black.
Leia finally let out a frustrated yell and threw the man off her with the Force, shoving him onto the floor. She hated using her powers-- particularly in a battle, for she feared giving in to her anger--but desperate times called for desperate measures.
As Leia clambered unsteadily to her feet, someone else grabbed her from behind, locking her arms behind her back. Leia couldn't see the person's face, but her feelings told her that it was one of the Kerash fighters. She struggled with all her might, trying to untangle her arms, but the attacker's hold was firm and refused to let go.
The man she had knocked down slowly rose to his feet, a staff now in both hands. Leia watched as a wicked smile crossed the Kerash's face. He sauntered toward the two strugglers, raising the staff above his head.
He leaned into Leia's face. "It's nothing personal," he whispered. "But it is the will of Arak."
"HAN!!!!!!!" Leia screamed at the top of her lungs as the man prepared to strike.
Callista could barely believe her own eyes. The woman who had attacked her in the Underworld, the woman who had taken her daughter away from her, the woman who was behind all that had happened, was standing right before her.
A woman she had thought was dead.
But she was dead, Callista thought. Cray had given Callista her own body before sacrificing herself to stop the Eye of Palpatine. And yet here she was, standing right in front of her, in the flesh.
How was this possible?
Words could not describe what Callista felt now. She could barely even speak. "C-Cray?" she stammered, her heart pounding painfully against her ribs. "You're...alive?"
"Yes, I am," Cray said in that all-too-familiar voice.
"But...how? How is this possible?" Callista demanded, nearly dropping her lightsaber. "This can't be happening, because I saw you die on the Eye of Palpatine."
"Looks like your attempt to kill me on the Eye didn't quite work as well as you had hoped," the woman replied in a voice seething with hatred.
Hatred toward Callista.
"Cray...I never tried to kill you," she said, shocked that the woman who had given up her body for her would say such a thing.
"Don't tell me you're suffering from memory loss now, Callista?" Cray said, clearly amused. "Don't you remember activating the destruct system on the Eye? Or when you told us your intent on destroying us when the station was about to explode? Surely, you couldn't have forgotten that."
Callista had no idea what Cray was talking about, for none of that had happened at all. Had Cray had been brainwashed? How was she even alive, since Callista was inhabiting her body? Something didn't seem right here; the Force was warning her about this...
Callista finally dropped her weapon and took a few prudent steps toward Cray, openly exposing the palms of her hands to show that she was unarmed. "Cray, please, you've got to listen to me..."
She didn't have time to finish her sentence before Cray came forth and attacked.
At the sound of his name, Han was up in an instant. It took him the space of three seconds to take in everything that was happening, and then he was out of bed like a womp rat bursting from a flaming nest, slamming his body into the Kerash warrior before his staff struck his wife. The two fell to the carpeted floor in a mess of limbs and flying fists.
Leia's strength and confidence returned, and she brought the back of her head into the warrior that was holding her by the arms, striking him squarely in the face. The man screamed as blood streamed down his face, and his grip weakened. Leia finally was able to free herself, and grabbed the warrior by the arms, flipping him over her back.
No sooner was he on the floor did Leia pick him up with the Force and hurled him into the far wall. The wall cracked under the impact, and the Kerash fighter hit the floor, unconscious.
"Leia!" Han called as he struggled with the other warrior. "Get to the kids, quick!"
"What about you?" Leia asked. She was not prepared to leave her husband alone with these barbaric people.
Han gave her a lopsided grin. "I can take care of myself," he said. "But the kids need you. Go, now!"
Leia nodded. "Good luck." Then she turned and dashed out of the bedroom.
Han wrapped his arm around the warrior's neck and pinned him against the carpet, holding him immobile. "All right, pal, you've got answering to do," he said in the man's ear.
The Kerash warrior smiled. "Answer to this."
He punched Han in the face.
Leia ran down the darkened hallway, not even bothering to turn the lights on. She could hear the sounds of fighting and screaming--including Jaina's frightened shrieks--coming from the living room. Without wasting a second, she headed in that direction.
"Chewie!" she shouted. "Jacen! Jaina!"
She finally reached the living room, and switched the light on. The sight that greeted her nearly made her scream in horror.
Chewbacca was lying prone on the floor; he was still breathing, but he was badly injured. Up ahead, Leia saw her daughter lying amidst the wreckage of their holovid, surrounded by metal and glass. From what she saw, her body was already badly cut up.
Leia's hand went up to her mouth. "In the name of Alderaan," she whispered, tears running down her cheeks.
"Oh, Mistress Leia!"
She turned to see Threepio staggering into the living room. "Threepio," she said. "What happened?"
"It's terrible, Mistress, just terrible! They hurt poor Chewbacca and Mistress Jaina. I-I tried to help them, but--"
As the droid spoke, Leia saw someone sneak up on him from behind. "Threepio, look out!"
Threepio spun around, and ended up getting smacked in the head by a staff. The blow was so vicious that it completely decapitated the protocol droid, knocking his head onto the floor. Threepio's lifeless droid body toppled down seconds later.
Leia had barely recovered from her shock before a pair of strong hands snatched her from behind and threw her over the wreckage of the living room couch. Leia hit the floor hard and slid right against the wall.
"Where is the child?" one of the warriors demanded as they headed to where Leia had fallen.
"You know what we want, Solo," the Kerash warrior said as he stood over Han, tall and looming in his black robe. "We want your son. Give him to us, and we will spare the rest of your family."
Han stumbled weakly to his feet, wiping away a smear of blood from his lips. "If you lay one hand on my son," he snarled, an anger he had never felt before blossoming in his core, "I will hunt you down to the ends of the galaxy and kill you."
The Kerash warrior sighed in mock-regret, and his fist flew into Han's nose.
Han was sent careening against the wall, his mouth throbbing from the blow. He grunted in frustration and swung a jab for the man's throat.
The Kerash must have anticipated the attack, for his arm came up and knocked Han's fist away. At the same time, he threw a jab right into the mouth, and an uppercut knocked Han right back into the wall. The Kerash spun and brought Han to his knees with a powerful sidekick to the chest.
Han laid on the ground in a shriveled, embryonic position, his ribs burning with intense pain; several of them were probably broken. He tried to get up, but the fight had gone out in him. The Kerash warrior would just send him back down again.
"Your child will be ours, Solo," the man said as he left the room. "And there's nothing you or your friends can do to stop us."
Leia tried without much success to shake the dizziness out of her head. She had banged into the wall pretty hard, and had sapped away a lot of her strength. Her vision swam as she got up.
The Kerash warrior who had thrown her laughed. "Look at you," she said. "The mighty Chief of State. I always figured you were overrated. You can't even beat a pair of two mere warriors like us."
Before Leia could reply, the woman struck her hard across the face, dropping her to one knee.
"Mom!"
Despite the pain, Leia managed to crane her head to the right and saw her two sons standing in the hallway leading into the living room, horror- stricken. It was Jacen who had shouted.
The Kerash who had struck Leia pointed a clawed finger at Anakin. "That one! Get the little one!"
"No!" Leia shouted as she struggled back up. "Anakin, run!"
Without needing any further encouragement, Anakin turned and ran toward the door that led out of the apartment, moving as fast as his pudgy little legs would allow him, which unfortunately wasn't very far.
The other Kerash warrior in the room followed the running boy, her fist striking Jacen down as she moved past him.
Leia felt a surge of anger at that moment. These people had hurt her family too much for her to bear. She looked up at the Kerash woman, who was obviously enjoying herself, and Leia snapped.
Her fists came out in an instant, striking the woman, once, and then again in the jaw. Leia heard a very satisfying crack as the woman's jaw broke, and she fell back onto the broken couch, taken aback by Leia's ferocity.
She quickly recovered and was on her feet in the blink of an eye. Leia tried for a third punch, but the warrior was ready. She sidestepped, grabbed Leia by the arm while it was still in the air, and shoved her violently to the floor.
She then started to head off in the direction Anakin had ran.
Thinking fast, Leia stuck her foot out as far as she could. The woman didn't even see it coming, and she tripped over Leia's foot and landed flat on her chin.
With her opponent down for the moment, Leia got up as quick as she could and headed over to the mantle, where she kept her lightsaber. She was through pulling punches, and would not let these monsters hurt her family anymore.
Even if that meant killing every last one of them.
As Leia switched the weapon on, the Kerash warrior leaped to her feet. The two opponents locked eyes for a brief moment, then charged toward each other, each determined to take the other down.
As they bore down on each other, a woman's voice burst into the room. "Enough!"
Leia and the warrior, both surprised, turned to see Armenia enter the living room, twirling her staff in both hands.
"This one is mine," she said with a smile of anticipation slowly spreading across her face. Her emerald-green eyes narrowed as they focused on Leia.
The Kerash warrior back away from the upcoming battle, leaving Leia alone as she faced the leader of the Kerash group.
Leia could feel all the blood rushing into her head as she faced Armenia. Her palms were covered with sweat, and she almost lost her grip on her lightsaber. She tightened both hands around the metal hilt to prevent it from slipping.
Her eyes remained on Armenia the whole time.
The other woman smiled--a sneer of pure joy of what she had done--and Leia fought the urge to strangle her. This woman had broken into her room with the sole purpose of taking her youngest son away from her, attacked her family, hurt her daughter, trashed her home, and was preparing to kill Leia in combat.
Leia could feel the anger returning, threatening to overwhelm her heart. No, she could not give in to it...
"What's the matter, Organa Solo?" Armenia said, taking one step closer, the staff held in front of her like a shield. "Are you afraid. Come on, you know you want to kill me. I tried to kill your family. So ahead; give me your best shot."
You have no idea how much I want to, Leia thought to herself. But she held back. "No, Armenia," she said. "I refuse to strike the first blow." She lowered her lightsaber, but didn't drop it. "You'll have to kill me."
Armenia shrugged. "Your call."
She came at her with a furious animal shriek, swinging her staff toward Leia's head.
Her Force instincts warned her of the attack, and Leia ducked. The weapon flew just over her head, almost touching her hair.
Armenia snarled--apparently not seeing that coming--and tried for a second attack. As before, Leia dodged it, and the staff smashed into one of Leia's Alderaanian vases on the mantle.
The Kerash warrior drew back, and struck again, this time heading for the knee. Leia leaped over the staff, the tip of it brushing against the sole of her foot, and landed in a crouch.
Her lightsaber crossed with the staff a second later, easily severing it in half. As both halves of the weapon fell to the floor, Leia brought the ruby-red blade across Armenia's thigh, cutting deep into the skin and burning her flesh.
Armenia shrieked and fell to one knee, temporarily weakened. Leia stood up and brought her lightsaber over her head, determined to put an end to this woman's life once and for all, before she could take her son--
"No!" Armenia said, her eyes wide with fear. She held one hand up to shield herself from the blow. Leia could easily slice through Armenia's hand as if it wasn't even there and take her head off with it...
But she faltered. She looked into Armenia's eyes, and could sense her terror. This woman, despite all the things she had done to Leia and her family, was still afraid to die. Leia knew fully well what Armenia was capable of, and that killing her would help her in the long run...something inside her told her not to.
Reluctantly, she dropped her blade. "You're not worth it," she said in a cold, hateful voice.
The fear immediately disappeared from her eyes, replaced with confidence. Too late, Leia realized that it had been a facade. Armenia had led her into a trap.
Before she could retrieve her lightsaber from the floor, Armenia stood up in a flash, smashing her elbow into Leia's face. Her head was brought back at whiplash speed, her nose spurting warm blood.
As she tottered off balance, the Kerash woman kicked Leia in the stomach, and the air left her body, leaving her breathless and gasping. Armenia spun, and sent her leg into Leia's feet, dumping her to the floor.
Leia laid on her back, relearning how to breathe, no longer able to fight. Armenia stood over her, victory shining in her green eyes.
"You should have killed me when you had the chance," the woman said, disgust evident in her voice. "I will understand you Jedi."
"Armenia!" One of the Kerash warriors entered the living room, holding Anakin by the hair with one hand, the other hand gripping his throat. "I've got him."
"Good." Armenia's eyes returned to Leia. "Now, if you'll excuse us."
"Mommy!" Anakin screamed as the Kerash dragged him out of the apartment.
"A-Anakin..." Leia said weakly as she tried to get up. But her fight with Armenia had taken its toll, and she stood up too fast. Almost immediately, she collapsed to the floor in a crumpled heap.
She fell into blackness.

Mommy!
 Luke heard his nephew's scream in his dreams, snapping him awake in an instant. He sat up in his bed, and saw that he was alone in the bedroom. Callista was gone.
What was going on?
"Anakin!" Luke said as he remembered the boy's scream, quickly getting up out of bed. He put his robe on, snatched his lightsaber, and headed toward Leia and Han's apartment.
But something inside him told him that he was already too late.

Callista's reflexes exploded as Cray brought the lightsaber down upon her head. Thinking back to the lightsaber spars she had practiced with Master Djinn, she quickly dropped to one knee and felt the blade slide inches above her neck, almost close enough to burn. She reached forth and retrieved her lightsaber, and brought it to life with a flick of the switch.
All this happened in the space of four seconds.
Callista took several backward steps away from Cray, holding her saber in a defensive stance. Cray remained back, her posture almost mirroring Callista's. The two women looked at each other, unblinking, the hum of their weapons burning through the cold air. "Cray, I don't know what's happened to you," she said, "but don't do this. Let me help you."
Cray laughed bitterly. "You help me? Now, that's rich! The woman who murdered my lover now wants to help me? Tell me, Callista, do you have dreams of Nichos dying on the Eye of Palpatine at night? Do you hear him screaming as the flames rip away at his body? Do you find that satisfying? Well, I can tell you one thing. I don't, because I see him in my dreams every day since he died!"
"Cray, you have to listen to me!" Callista said, but Cray apparently was not willing to. The two blades intersected like a pair of comets colliding through space, sizzling and sparking. Callista wiped a brow of sweat from her eyes as she backed off and parried a slash to the hip.
"You're holding back, Callista," Cray said. "Honestly, I was expecting a lot better from you. Perhaps the years have made you slow and complacent. I spent years training with the Kerash, learning their fighting styles, and look where it got me. I am now the leader of the entire Kerash Order. I am their strongest warrior. I am stronger than you." She twirled her lightsaber in her hands, her eyes frenzied with barely controlled anger. "And now I'll use the skills I have learned to kill you!"
"Cray, I don't know what's happened to you ever since the Eye," Callista said, "but I did not kill Nichos."
"Yeah, right," Cray said. She jabbed her lightsaber forth in an attempt to stab Callista through the ribs. The other woman sent her blade into Cray's, producing an impressive array of sparks that flew into both their faces. Callista was temporarily blinded from the flash. She blinked her eyes several times to get rid of the spots that danced across her vision, and looked up at Cray.
"Cray, I'm your friend," Callista said.
"No murderer is a friend of mine," the other said. She lunged forth in a flurry of attacks, hacking, slashing, and jabbing at her opponent with all her might.
Callista, abandoning all chances of talking her friend out of fighting, parried the woman's blows, attuning herself to the Force. The two women fought on for over five minutes in the large chamber, evenly matched...at least for now.
But Callista knew it wouldn't be long before she started to tire out. And if she did...Cray would kill her.
Callista ducked as Cray chopped down, and the blade ended up slicing through one of the consoles. Callista rolled, and landed right behind the other. She stood and swung her sword in a wide arc for Cray's head, a killing blow--
But she spun around with amazing speed, blocking the attack with her own blade. Her hand the shot up, snatching Callista by the arm that held the saber. She twisted it with such force that she almost broke the bone.
Callista gasped as a flaming river of pain surged through her entire arm. Cray kept a hold on her and brought the hilt of her lightsaber into Callista's face. It struck her squarely in the nose, smashing it open in a wash of blood. Callista blacked out for a split second, and when she looked up, Cray struck her again.
"You are making this far too easy, Callista," Cray said, as she sent her knee into Callista's gut. She let out a breathless gasp as a painful sensation burned in her stomach from the impact, and she nearly passed out. But something--probably the possibility of never being able to see her daughter--kept her from losing consciousness.
But that wasn't able to stop Cray from elbowing her straight in the face.
She finally let go, and Callista collapsed to the marbled floor. A tiny river of blood flowed down her nostrils and spilled onto the floor, and her stomach still throbbed. Drawing upon the last fraction of strength she still had left--Hope, she thought, keep thinking of Hope--she staggered almost feebily to her feet, glaring at the other woman.
"I don't want to fight you, Cray," she said in a weak voice.
Cray merely smiled. "Well then, that just makes my job of killing you a lot easier."
She charged forth, and Callista reached down into the endless well of the Force, using it to leap high into the air. She came at Cray like a rocket, bringing one foot back, intending to strike the woman right in the chest, which would hopefully take her out of the fight.
But Cray was more than a worthy match for her. As Callista bore down on her, Cray spun around--as she did, the entire room and time itself started to slow down--and delivered a powerful kick into Callista's belly, sending the Jedi crashing back into the floor, against the shelf of Holocrons. Several of the ancient artifacts fell down upon her in a small avalanche.
As time speeded back up, Callista looked up, on the verge of throwing up, and saw Cray standing over her like the grim reaper about to take away her soul.
Callista uttered a single groan, one hand clutching her stomach, as if trying to squeeze the pain out. "Cray, please don't do this. The Kerash will kill us all if we don't stop them. Join us, and help rid the galaxy of this great evil."
Cray paused a moment, as if contemplating the matter, and then shook her head. "Sorry, Callista. I promised myself a long time ago that I would avenge the death of Nichos, and I intend to keep that promise," she said, and started to raise her lightsaber up.
Callista closed her eyes, knowing that there was nothing else she could do, and waited for her inevitable death...

Luke knew that when he saw that the door to Han and Leia's apartment was left wide open, something terrible had happened. He could feel the sense of terror and despair emanating from his sister's home, and he silently cursed himself for not having arrived sooner. He was a Jedi Master, and he had failed to save his family.
Luke finally reached the open door and entered the apartment, and could scarcely believe what he saw.
It was far worse than he had imagined.
The apartment was in shambles. He could see that someone had broken the living room couch, and the holovid had been shattered into millions of tiny glass shards. Blood stained the bluish-green carpet, and when Luke got closer, he could see Leia lying unconscious on the floor.
"Leia!" he cried out, horrified, as he rushed to his sister's side. She was bleeding heavily from her nose. Panic nearly burning through his heart, Luke checked for a pulse on her neck, and thankfully felt it underneath his fingertips. She was alive, thank the Force! "Leia, are you all right?"
Leia's eyes fluttered awake, and she looked up at her brother weakly. "Lu-Luke?" she said, one hand going up to caress his face. "Is that you?"
"Yes," Luke replied, the relief tangible, as he took the hand that touched him and kissed it several times over. "It's me. Thank the Force you're safe."
"And the others?" she whispered. "Chewie...Jaina?"
Luke's eyes scanned the living room, and he saw Chewie lying prone a few steps away from them. And he gasped when he saw Jaina in the middle of the broken holovid, blood seeping from several cuts on her skin.
"Jaina!" He ran over to bring his niece out of the glass. Leia followed suit, and they both grabbed the unconscious girl by the arms and legs, and carefully lifted her out of the glass. They set her down on the floor and checked her injuries.
Leia held her daughter's hand, not even bothering to fight back the tears that spilled. "Jaina, sweetie," she said, stroking her by the hair. "Please, wake up. Please..."
"She has over a dozen cuts all over her body," Luke said gravely as he inspected the injured girl. "But she'll live. She's going to need bacta treatment, though."
Jaina finally stirred in her mother's arms. "Mommy?" she said as she slowly woke up. "Mommy, it hurts."
Leia smiled as she kissed Jaina on the forehead. "I was scared I had lost you," she said. "Don't worry, Jaina. You'll be all right."
Luke continued checking Jaina, and saw with dismay that a piece of glass had wedged itself into her left knee. "Jaina, honey," he said. "I'm going to have to pull this piece of glass out. Now, it's gonna hurt when I do it, so I want you to hold onto your mommy's hand and don't let go."
Jaina nodded, clearly frightened, and wrapped both arms around Leia.
Luke took a deep breath, and summoned the Force, surrounding the glass piece with his mind. He silently counted to three, and yanked the glass out as fast as he could.
Jaina screamed and gripped Leia even tighter, who hugged her back with equal strength. Luke tore off a piece of his robe, and started wrapping it around her knee wound. "Very good, Jaina," he said, offering his niece a smile. "You were very brave."
"Mommy," Jaina said.
"Yes, Jaina?" she asked as she stroked her daughter's beautiful brown hair.
Jaina looked up at her mother, tears welling up in the corner of her eyes. "Is Anakin okay?" she asked.
Leia didn't answer for a long time. Luke looked up at his sister and asked, "What happened?" He dreaded the answer.
"The Kerash warriors escaped from their cell," Leia said in between sobs, embracing her daughter. "They came in here and attacked us. They...they took Anakin with them."
Luke felt his heart sink. Now Anakin was gone, along with Hope. His mind started to whir, and he had no idea what to do next.
Then a thought occurred to him. "Leia, have you seen Callista?" he asked.
Leia gave him a confused look and shook her head. "I haven't seen her since that incident with the Kerash warrior," she said. "Why?"
Luke could feel the Force whispering in his ears, warning him that his wife was in danger. "Leia, you take care of Jaina and the others. I have to go find her."
Without waiting for an answer, he left the apartment.
Don't give up, my child.
Djinn's words whispered soothingly in Callista's mind, offering her new strength. Time started to slow once again as Cray brought her lightsaber down like a guillotine, aiming for the neck, which would slice Callista's head off with one clean swipe.
Don't give up. Let the Force flow through you...
Callista looked away from Cray--moving slowly, ever so slowly--and focused on her fallen lightsaber, using her last reservoir of strength to pick up the Jedi weapon with an invisible hand.
Let the Force flow...
Cray's lightsaber fell closer and closer with each passing second. Callista could just roll away from the blow and avoid it completely--
Callista's lightsaber was levitating in the air, controlled by her powers. Callista switched the blade on and aimed it toward Cray. Not a killing blow; she didn't want to kill her friend.
The blade was now an inch away from her neck--
Squeezing her eyes shut, Callista propelled the lightsaber through the air--
Time returned to normal--
The Jedi weapon twisted through the air--
--and struck Cray's hand right off.
Cray screamed in unexpected pain and surprise as the blade sliced cleanly through her hand, immediately cauterizing the wound. Her lightsaber and amputated hand fell, useless, to the floor, and Cray dropped to her knees, cradling the stump of her hand, still screaming.
Callista heaved a sigh of relief and started to stand up. The severed hand caught her eye when she saw what was sticking out of it--
At that moment, Luke burst into the room, trailed by three Republic guards. "Callista!" he shouted.
"Luke!" Callista ran into her husband's arms.
"Are you all right?" he asked as he kissed his wife on the lips, deep and passionate. "I was so scared something had happened to you."
"I'm fine," she answered as she kissed him back.
"And who is this?" one of the guards asked, gesturing toward Cray.
Luke's eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets when he saw his former student. "Cray?!" he exclaimed. "You're...alive?"
Callista smiled. "My thoughts exactly." She turned to the guards. "This woman tried to attack me. Stun her and take her to the brig."
Cray turned to the Jedi Master, eyes pleading. "Master Skywalker, this is madness!" she said. "That woman killed Nichos! She killed him, and will kill you too if you turn her back on her."
"All right, Miss," the guard said as he stood her up.
"Get away from me!" Cray screamed, and tried to run over to Luke. But the guards held her back. "Master, trust me! Don't you remember what happened on the--"
One of the guards drew out his blaster and set it to STUN. A blue- white beam sprayed from the weapon, slamming into Cray's head and immediately knocking her out. The woman fell to the floor, and was dragged out of the room by the three guards.
Luke turned to Callista, confusion and shock eteched on his face. "Callista...what the hell is going on?" he demanded. "What was she talking about?"
"I don't know," Callista answered, thinking back to Cray's amputated hand...
"B-But," Luke sputtered, "how can she be alive...when you're in her body?"
"That's the thing, Luke, she's not alive," Callista said as realization sank in.
"What?"
"Look at her hand over there," she said, pointing toward the severed limb. "Look what's sticking out of it."
Luke's eyes followed the direction his wife was pointing at, to the hand lying lifelessly on the floor. When he finally saw it, he understood what she was saying.
Circuits and wires were coming out of the hand. Not blood.
"That woman that just attacked me," Callista said, "is not the Cray we knew. She's not even human."
"She's a droid," Luke said.