Ashis Fanblade starfighter raced through hyperspace, Reven slept inside, using a Jedi hibernation technique. The trip seemed to take remarkably longer than it should have. Although he was technically asleep, his sense of time was not as idle as he was. Finally, at long last, he was pulled away from his sleep as his ship left hyperspace. He searched the scanners for any sign of the Blade Runner.
"Reven Karrde to Blade Runner, Blade Runner do you copy?" Reven asked through the open comlink, "Jade do you copy?"
She did not answer. No one answered. He checked his screens. He was exactly where he was told she would be, Sluktara IV, yet he couldn't see anything on his sensors.
"Maybe they're planet-side," Reven spoke to himself.
He heard several beeps, the intervals slowly getting shorter and shorter. Looking down at his sensors he saw two yellow triangles drawing ever closer. Missiles! He took an evasive maneuver, rolling hard to the right, the missiles following. He increased speed to full throttle. He pulled the stick back into his stomach, performing a 180. He opened fire and destroyed both missiles.
"Jade, is that you?" Reven yelled into the comlink.
"Yes, Reven, it's me," she replied softly.
"Where are you?"
"You'd love to know that, wouldn't you? So you can kill me just like you killed Jaina?" malice was in he voice.
"Look I'm sorry for what I did to Jaina, I really am!"
"Sith liar!" she turned off her comlink.
"Jade! Jade! Listen to me!" he yelled.
His only reply was from the Blade Runner's quad guns. Reven did his best to evade the enemy fire. He managed to evade the attacks, escaping with only a few hits on his part.
"Jade, listen to me. I want to change! I no longer want the lifestyle I have chosen!" if Jade heard him, she chose to ignore him.
Reven moved his fighter into a ring of asteroids surrounding Sluktara IV. The Blade Runner was too big to enter the asteroid belt; instead they continued their bombardment from outside the belt. Reven maneuvered around the asteroid belt, using his Jedi training and intuition to keep him from harm.
"Jade, please, I don't want to hurt you!" still there was no reply.
He sighed as he shut down his power systems and hid behind one of the asteroids, blending into the surroundings. Soon the laser salvos stopped. He reached out with the Force, trying to see what their next move would be.
"Reven, are you there? I want to talk," Jade said over the comlink.
I bet you do, Reven thought.
"Reven, please, I didn't want to harm you, it was Paul. He shut off the comlink and he fired at you, I had no part in it, I swear."
Jaina was a good liar too, you know, Reven thought.
Reven, I know you are there, I can sense you through the Force.
I was wondering how long it would take for you to detect me.
Why don't you come out? I have convinced Paul not to shoot you, let's talk.
What does Paul have against me?
Excuse me?
You said Paul was the one to shoot at me, yet I never knew Paul, I never did anything to harm him. If anyone you should be mad at me for killing your sister!
Oh, those, that is water under the bridge, now come out.
No. Don't act so surprised, I know the stubbornness of your family! You would never let me get away with what I have done.
You are right, and I will kill you once you once you come out of there!
We will see about that.
Reven let out a loud sigh. None of the three of them had gotten any sleep in the three days since he hid himself among the rocks. He had finished off his emergency rations at his last meal and his life support system was hit in the attack. He has no choice; he will have to cut his losses and run. Jade won't ever believe him, but that won't matter. With that daughter of hers coming in nine months, she won't be a bother. And hopefully he will have his mission completed by then.
"Well, I guess it is now or never," Reven said as he powered up his Fanblade.
As he drew his ship up, over the asteroids, the Blade Runner zoomed pass him, followed closely by a squadron Separatist starfighters. Stunned, he pulled out of the asteroid belt and noticed three dreadnoughts to his starboard. Reven cursed inwardly as he pounded the communication panel.
"Pull off your attack! That ship is mine! It is my prey!" Reven shouted in anger.
"Don't worry, Lord Reven," a human voice, the admiral, spoke, "you will get your chance at the quarry inside."
Reven clenched his hands into fists tightly as he watched the scene unfold. Jade and Paul were able to destroy only three of the fighters before the Blade Runner was disabled. It was dragged and then picked up by the center dreadnought.
"Requesting permission to land," he said through clenched teeth.
"Permission granted," came the reply.
Reven lined up his starfighter and approached in landing procedure. He crawled under the ship as he came upon the hole cut into the bottom that served as the docking bay doors. He pulled down the throttle as he came ever closer to the hangar. He pulled into the hangar, slowing to an almost complete stop. He extended his landing gears and lowered his ship to the deck.
Reven tapped his foot anxiously as the canopy slowly raised. He threw his helmet to the droid who came to help him out. He jumped down to the deck and proceeded towards the Blade Runner, pushing away anyone and anything that got in his way. They had already forced open the landing platform to the ship and were slowly sending two battle droids up into the freighter.
He pushed passed the guards on the foot of the Blade Runner and made his way up the ramp. Using the Force, he pushed the droids out of the way.
"Sir, wait!" someone called from the group at the bottom.
"I'll handle this, just prepare a holding cage for the soon-to-be prisoners," he ordered as he entered the ship.
He reached out with the Force once again, this time to find where Jade and Paul were hiding. He took a right down the corridor. The ship had taken several hits, and it showed. Cables were dangling from the ceiling and were lying all over the floor. The lights in the corridors were flickering off and on and weren't too bright to begin with. He spotted holes in several places and spots were the lasers had gone through the hull and hit the inside. He finally came to a singed door; the control panel wasn't lit up, as it should have been, if it was in working order.
Reven unhooked his lightsaber from the belt of his flight suit and used it to cut the door open and enter the small, unlit room.
"I know you are there, Jade, you can not hide from me," Reven announced.
The reply came in the form of a blaster bolt, probably from Paul. He dodged the shot and brought the blaster rifle to him, discarding it on the ground. He saw the glow of Jade's lightsaber next, and decided to take matters into his own hands. He extended his arm, taking Paul into a choke hold with the Force and bringing him within a few feet of his face. He was wearing his battle armor, but it didn't stop him from being vulnerable to his Force attacks.
"Now, deactivate your lightsaber, or he will die," Reven commanded.
"I thought you said you wanted to switch sides!" Jade said from the darkness that encompassed her body, aside from what was lit from her lightsaber.
"I do, but I need to do it from the inside."
"Those who have tried have failed, you know that, right?"
"I'm afraid that I'm not up with history."
"Jedi Holocrons tell of a man who, thousands of years ago, thought much like you did. His name was Ulic Qel-Droma. He thought he could infiltrate the Sith, but he only succumbed to the Dark Side and became the apprentice of the Dark Lord of the Sith, Exar Kun."
"Then I will succeed where he has failed," Reven announced, "Now, drop your weapon!"
Jade did as she was told. Reven brought the Jedi weapon to his free hand.
"Now, release him!"
Reven threw Paul against the wall of their ship and dropped him to the ground, unconscious.
"Paul!" Jade yelled, jumping forward.
Reven grabbed her and did the same. He picked up both bodies and brought them down to the guards waiting for him. He handed them over to the man in charge and took refuge in the guest's quarters.
He awoke to find the ship in transit to the headquarters of the main fleet. There the prisoners would be handed over to Dooku and Sidious and he would be congratulated for capturing them by Sidious, and ignored by Dooku. He pulled himself out of bed and to the window. He looked out at the blue cylinder that encompassed them. It was, in fact, thousands of stars that was pulled towards them as they moved faster than the speed of light.
Reven walked over to the sink on the other side of the room. He splashed some cold water on his face, hoping beyond hope that the cold liquid would shed light on what he should do, that he could see the plan that the Force had in store for him, and so that he could correct the errors he had made. But it brought no salvation, no insight, nothing.
"Oh, Jaina, what should I do? How can I rectify these sins?" he fell to his knees, one hand still holding on to the sink, "In my search for help I have fed your sister to the wolves. I took your advice and in doing so I have sealed the fates of your sister and her husband."
He started to sob quietly. He dropped to his back and stared intently at the ceiling. Reven stood to his feet, dressed and made his way to the bridge.
"How long until we reach the rendevous point?" Reven asked coming up behind the captain.
"We'll be there within the hour."
"Right," he replied.
Reven was intent on seeing the massive fleet for himself. The Republic would surely have found out about such a massive fleet by now. They would soon be sending troops from Byss, as well as several other systems, to handle this force. A colossal battle was about to commence, and he wanted to see the fleet before they lost anything.
The blue cylinder slowly began to lose shape and return to dots in the blanket that was space. As they exited hyperspace their eyes immediately fell upon the fleet, or rather what was left of the fleet. There were only ten ships, all badly damaged. Reven was perplexed. This was supposed to be the main fleet, but instead it seemed to be a garbage pit for the ships from Byss that were too damaged to be repaired. He was perplexed. What had happened? He had to meet up with Sidious, but where is he? Had he left these broken ships behind to be canon fodder for the Clone army of the Republic? Was he supposed to stay and die along with the rest of them?
He refused to believe it. His master would never leave him to die. He searched the area for anything, anything at all. His gaze shifted to the bow as he felt the dreadnought change direction. As the ship steadied itself he saw and knew what was going on. The fleet left over from Byss was a decoy. The Republic would blindly attack them as the main fleet ambushed them from behind. They would have no where to run. Reven chuckled to himself at that thought, then quickly stopped, realizing what he was doing.
They soon reached the main fleet, with the giant Guran Keina, flagship of the fleet, at the front. He quickly exited the bridge and made his way to the docking bay. He saw the prisoners, Paul and Jade, being brought in by two battle droids. He made sure to board the same shuttle as they did. They sat in quiet as they were transported to the Guran Keina. They would soon be set before his master, Darth Sidious, and Jade would probably be forced to join their side. Knowing the stubbornness of her family, though, she probably will not change and he will be forced to kill her.