CHAPTER ELEVEN

Anakin strode through the open portal and emerged onto the small balcony on the main spire of the Jedi Temple.  On the eastern horizon the orange glow of dawn gradually was brightening the dark sky.  He joined his old friend and fellow Jedi Council member in leaning against the low stone railing. 

"You have my deepest sympathy for your loss," Valin Halcyon said quietly.  "Jenny will be missed."

Anakin tipped his head.

Valin tapped his fingers restlessly on his crossed arms.  "The Sith will strike again, and soon.  The disturbances in the Force are building toward it."

"I sense that too."

Valin nodded.  "We all believe you will prevail, Anakin.  If we can assist you in any way…"

"I know, and I thank you for it.  I may be the Chosen One, but I can foresee nothing about our final confrontation with the Sith."  Anakin ran his fingers through his short gray hair.  "I would be honored to have you at my side, if we are able to determine such things."

"And I would be honored to be there.  I cannot help but think, however, that the determination will not be left to us."

"No.  It will be made by the Sith.  Or by the Force."

"They both have an unlimited capacity to surprise us."  Valin chuckled in resignation.  "The Force, at least, sometimes makes it a pleasant one."

Anakin chuckled too.  "I suppose one never knows.  But I'm not going to count on it."

Valin frowned.  "Our inability to see clearly through the Force leaves us at a significant disadvantage against the Sith.  I wish we could do more than sense that some kind of showdown is near."

"But even that is better than nothing," Anakin pointed out.  "At least we can all be on guard.  At least we will be ready.  Think of what could happen if we were completely unaware."

"A fair point."

Anakin gazed off into the warms hues of morning in the distance.  "And there's something more.  Something I can't quite explain.  A contradiction.  An aberration of some kind.  And it's arisen only in the last day."

"Yes.  I've felt it as well.  And I think perhaps I can explain it," Valin said.  "I came upon an idea last night while watching the flow of water in the Room of a Thousand Fountains."

"Go on."

"The power of the dark side is growing," Valin said slowly.  "Yet fading at the same time.  In the present.  The fading is not simply an impression in the Force of their ultimate defeat – the fading is already occurring.  The Sith are gaining strength, and at the same time losing it."

Anakin thought about it for a moment.  "That's it," he finally said.  "That's it exactly."

Valin furrowed his brow.  "I've never felt anything like it before.  It doesn't make sense."

"There is sense to it," Anakin said.  "There must be.  We just haven't figured out what it is yet."

"You're right, of course," Valin conceded with a sigh.  "I hope we can discover its meaning before it's too late."

"As do I," Anakin said, then pushed off from the railing.  "Thank you for your wisdom.  I'd best be on my way, though.  My wife is expecting me home shortly with our grandson."

Valin laughed.  "And it would not be wise to disappoint her."

Heading for the open doorway, Anakin laughed too.  "No.  It certainly wouldn't."

Soon he had made his way to the living quarters deep within the Temple complex.  He tapped the button on the door panel of a familiar room and waited for the soft beep that indicated permission to enter.  After it sounded Anakin waved open the door and paced inside.

Barriss Offee looked up from her seat on her bed, where she held Nyklas bundled up in her arms.  "I'm so sorry to hear about your friend, Anakin," she said gently.  "If there is anything we can do for you or Padmé, just ask."

"We appreciate it," he said, nodding.  Then he blinked to fight off his shock that the baby boy was actually asleep.  "So, how much trouble did my grandson give you?"

"Only a little," Aayla Secura replied.  The Twi'lek woman rose from her chair in the corner and walked to Anakin's side.  "Mostly he's just a sweetheart."

Anakin raised his eyebrows.  "Nyklas?  There must be some mistake."

"No mistake."  Barriss grinned as she stood up too.  "We just spoiled him rotten."

"We did," Aayla put in with a sly wink.  "He's too adorable.  I can't deny him anything."

"Wonderful," Anakin groaned in mock indignation.  "It should be a joy when we get home, then."

Barriss passed the sleeping infant to him.  "Still no word from Mara?"

"None," he said, settling Nyklas against his chest.  "But I don't need it.  I believe in her."

"And we believe in you," Aayla said. 

Anakin nodded.  "Padmé needs me today.  You know how to reach me if there is any urgent Council business."

"Of course," Barriss said.  "Unlikely, however.  Don't trouble yourself about it."

"Until next time, then," he said.  "May the Force be with you."

Aayla nodded.  "And also with you."

"Yes," Barriss added quickly, almost as an afterthought.  "May the Force be with you, Anakin."

---

Danaé flew the speeder bike through the forest with her eyes closed, relying on her perceptions in the Force to guide her hands.  The line of bikes in front of and behind her tore through the trees at breakneck speed.  One after another they swerved around the massive tree trunks, rose over underbrush, and dipped under low-hanging limbs.  Their path through the maze of flora was not at all readily apparent, but the rebel scouts at the head of the column emanated nothing but firm confidence into the Force. 

Heedless of the countless possibilities for a violent and deadly collision with a tree the speeder bikes flew at maximum velocity toward the planetary shield generator.  The time for the final attack had come.

Keeping her eyes shut, Danaé released her conscious thoughts to the guidance of her awareness and her instincts and drew upon the soothing energies of the living Force in the forest to soothe her troubled thoughts.  This mission was not going to be easy – and it was going to be even more difficult if she allowed her anxieties to distract her.

So she wouldn't.  She didn't have a choice.

Soon Danaé sensed the lead bikes slowing, and she opened her eyes to prepare for their arrival.  A few seconds later the bikes hummed and whirred, and their repulsors slowed them into hovers in a small clearing in the forest.  At the signal from the rebel guides Danaé and her companions turned off their bikes and disembarked.

Danaé hopped off her speeder bike and began to untie the ropes binding the cargo strapped behind the seat.  "So, how did I do?"

Artoo swiveled his dome a bit and trilled.  "Thanks," she replied.  "I thought so too."

Strapped horizontally to the bike, the astromech's visual lens scanned the dense canopy of limbs and leaves high above them.  The droid blooped in annoyance.  "Calm down," Danaé said.  "Give me a second here, will you?"

Artoo blatted once, but stayed quiet after that.  It didn't take long for Danaé to finish untying him, and when she did she quickly lowered him smoothly to the ground.  "There.  Better now?"

The droid blooped and whistled appreciatively.  "You're welcome."

Danaé heard the whirring of Threepio's servomotors right before the protocol droid's airy voice.  She chuckled to herself – Leia sure hadn't wasted any time in unloading her passenger and sending him on his way. 

"Mistress Danaé," the golden droid said fretfully, "I must object to our method of transportation.  I think it is exceedingly dangerous."

"It's all right, Threepio," she replied with a quiet laugh.  "We won't be riding these again."

Threepio almost seemed startled by the news.  "We won't?  Oh!  How wonderful!"

Artoo toodled a question.  "That's right," Danaé said.  "We're walking the rest of the way.  The speeder bikes would be too easy to pick up on scanners."

The astromech blooped his agreement, then another question. 

Danaé looked down at the droid.  "Nothing," she said.  "I'm fine."

"I must agree with Artoo, Mistress Danaé," said Threepio a little reluctantly.  "You do seem a bit out of sorts.  Is something bothering you?  Is there anything I can do to assist you?"

Danaé sighed.  "This isn't something you can solve, I'm afraid."

Artoo whistled and trilled helpfully.  "No, Artoo," she laughed.  "You can't fix it either."

"What is it, Mistress Danaé?"  Apparently Threepio wasn't going to give up easily.  "Surely there must be something we can do to help?  Artoo is particularly inventive when it comes to –"

"Thank you both, really," Danaé said, cutting him off.  "It has to do with the mission itself.  Threepio, how many Jedi Knights were called for in the mission plan?"

"Why, three," Threepio replied immediately.  "Master Luke, Mistress Mara, and you."

"And how many did we bring from Coruscant?"

"Two," the protocol droid said.  "You and Master Luke."

"And how many do we have now?"

"One," Threepio said.  Very briefly the golden droid paused.  "Oh.  Oh dear.  Yes, I see.  Oh my."

Artoo toodled and whistled a somber agreement.  "That's right," Danaé said.  "It's just me – to carry out a mission designed for three Jedi Knights.  It's a bit disconcerting."

Artoo trilled and blooped encouragingly.  "I know," she said.  "You're probably right."

"For once I believe Artoo is correct, Mistress Danaé," added Threepio with haste.  "You are quite skilled indeed.  I'm sure you will have little difficulty fulfilling your duties."

"Thank you, Threepio," she replied with a smile.  "Let's hope so."

Danaé suddenly had a devious idea.  "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what, Mistress Danaé?" asked Threepio. 

"I think I heard Leia calling for you.  She must need your assistance with something."

"Oh my," Threepio said.  "Well, if you won't be needing me any further, I'll go help Mistress Leia."

"I'm all set," Danaé said, suppressing her grin.  "Thank you."

"Come along, Artoo," Threepio declared, already heading off toward the other side of the clearing where an oblivious Leia was talking to Han and Chewie.  "Let's see what Mistress Leia needs from us."

The astromech started to roll off after his counterpart, then stopped for a brief moment.  Artoo swiveled his dome around to face Danaé and spun it quickly back and forth, as if shaking his head to chastise her.  After that he swiveled his dome to face front again, and trundled away to catch up to Threepio.

Danaé laughed.  Artoo was probably right – that was a cruel thing to do to Leia.  Then again, her sister probably had done the same thing when she had sent Threepio over to Danaé in the first place.  Now they were even.

Glancing quickly around the clearing, Danaé spotted Bryon and Sarré unloading some gear from the backs of their speeder bikes.  Quickly she strode toward them.  If Leia came after her, she could always hide behind Bryon.

---

Will Graff stood at the base of the boarding ramp to the lander vessel, a sleek heavily armored starship designed for rapid atmospheric descent, swift evasive maneuvering, and quick unloading of the dozens of Army soldiers strapped into their seats within.  The hyperspace jump to Vyhrrag was in progress, and shortly after arrival the landers would deploy from this gigantic docking bay in the Invictus to begin the invasion of Argis' capital.  With Bryon leading the mission to destroy the generator facility for the planet's energy shield, his two most trusted subordinates were in charge of leading the conquest and ensuring the enemy's speedy surrender. 

Will turned at the sound of the approaching footsteps from the adjacent lander.  "You ready?"

"As ready as we'll ever be."  Cerule Starblaze had the characteristic cocky Corellian grin on her face.  "You?"

Will nodded.  Like Cerule, he was decked out in the full black body armor of the Republic Army Special Forces and armed to the teeth with blasters, concussion grenades, a few thermal detonators, and a collection of other weaponry.  "We should get the word any second now," he said.  "Don't you think?"

"Probably."

Just then the sound of someone jogging up to them intruded through the noise of the dozens of lander engines in the docking bay.  Will looked over to see Kessa Brittin arrive to join them. 

"We've got a go," Bryon's aide told them.  She was staying behind on the Invictus to serve as their coordinator of surveillance, intelligence, and battle plan execution from above, so she wore her simple gray sergeant's uniform.  "You can go ahead and get onboard now, if you want."

"Excellent," Will said.  "We're ready."

Cerule tipped her head in agreement with him.  "How's the intel look?"

"Our spy ships in the system say the planetary shield is still up," Kessa replied.  "But we expected that."

Will nodded too.  "Anything to suggest they're on to us?"

"No," Kessa said.  "No indications of that at all."

"Good," Cerule said gruffly.  "For once I'd like to be the one who does the surprising."

Will chuckled.  "Me too." 

Kessa saluted them.  "Fight bravely."

They saluted back, and watched her jog away.  Simultaneously he and Cerule pulled their helmets from the crooks of their left arms, clamped them down over their heads, and snapped on their chinstraps.  "Okay, then," Will said.  "Let's get this over with, huh?"

Cerule grinned.  "Definitely.  We have a war to win."

Will saluted her crisply, and she saluted back with equal precision.  They spun away and hurried off toward their respective landers.  Just as he was about to burst up the boarding ramp of his ship, Will turned back and called out to her.  "Hey, Starblaze!"

"What?"

"Don't get yourself killed down there, all right?"

She winked at him.  "And let you live to have the glory for yourself?  Not a chance, Graff!" 

Will laughed as Cerule slapped down the smooth rounded black face shield of her helmet and ran up the ramp into her lander.  He slapped down his face shield too and hustled up his ramp. 

"Right," he muttered to himself.  He'd lost enough of his friends to this war already.  He wasn't going to lose Bryon or Cerule today.  He just wasn't.  "Not a chance."

---

The camouflaged soldiers moved through the Vyhrragian forest at a brisk pace.  With the rebel guides in the lead the Republic strike team headed straight toward the planetary shield generator.  Bryon stayed on alert and kept his blaster rifle ready in his hands while he continued the conversation with his companions.

Winter gave him a skeptical frown.  "You're sure we can trust them?"

He nodded.  "Leia says we can, and I trust Leia."

"Besides," Danaé said from his side, "they've had plenty of opportunities to turn on us or sell us out.  You'd think they'd have done it by now if they're going to bother."

"See?"  Bryon grinned down at Winter.  "Nothing to worry about."

The intelligence officer sighed in bemusement.  "I suppose you've made crazier decisions than this before."

"Don't you know it," he laughed. 

"Still, I wish your brother hadn't left.  I'd be much less nervous with two Jedi Knights."  Winter glanced quickly at Danaé.  "No offense."

Danaé tipped her head.  "None taken.  I'd be less nervous too."

"Will you two quit your fretting?"  Bryon shook his head.  "Like I said, there's nothing to worry about."

"I suppose not," Winter said.  "Still, you had me wondering for a while there, you know.  I wasn't sure you were going to get here in time."

Danaé elbowed Bryon in the side.  "Believe me, I wasn't sure either."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," he said, glowering at his sister. 

"Any time."

"Look, we have to forget all that," Bryon said.  "We can't afford the distractions.  The only thing that matters is that we're here now and we're ready to attack."

Winter nodded.  "And we're still on schedule."

"Exactly," he said.  "And with the Colonel and his rebels on our side, we should be able to overpower the defenses at the generator that much faster."

"Right," Winter said.  "Have we checked in with the other three squads?"

"No," Bryon replied.  "It's still too risky to break com silence.  But the Colonel's scouts think they're on pace too."

"That's good.  How long are you planning to maintain silence?"

"As long as we can.  If we don't hit any opposition before the generator, I'll wait until we're there."

Danaé frowned.  "Isn't that cutting it a little close?"

Bryon shrugged.  "Maybe.  But we have almost forty in our group now.  That's enough to begin the attack even if it takes the other squads a few minutes to get to us."

"True," his sister said.  "That makes sense."

"Amazingly," Winter agreed with a grin, "it actually does."

---

Sarré was so used to keeping pace with Bryon's long strides that she and Chewie kept getting well ahead of the others as the team made its way through the forest.  With a little smile to herself she tugged on Chewie's arm to get his attention and the two of them slowed down until the rest caught up again.  Then she tried her best to match Solo's gait instead of the Wookiee's.

Han looked over at her.  "Got sick of your husband, huh?"

She laughed.  "No.  He's just in genius strategist mode now.  It's boring.  Not like a briefing or something."

Han raised his eyebrows.  "Really?  Give me strategy over briefings any day."

"I suppose," Sarré said.  "But the thing about Bryon's briefings is –"

"Trust me, Han," Leia interrupted, putting a hand on Sarré's arm and shooting Han a quick warning glance.  "Let it drop.  You don't want to get her started on briefings."

Han flashed a lopsided grin.  "Whatever you say, Princess."

Leia smiled at Sarré.  "Spare us.  Please."

"Oh, all right."  Sarré sighed in mock disappointment.  "If you insist."

Leia winked.  "I do."

Han chuckled.  "Don't worry.  I'm sure you'll be less bored when the fighting starts."

"True enough," Sarré said.  "Besides, I figure it wouldn't hurt to actually do my job for a while.  I am a handmaiden, remember."

Lando glanced over and grinned.  "With all these soldiers around, I don't think the Senator needs a bodyguard."

Sarré knew exactly what he meant, and grinned back.  "Oh, really?  As I recall the last time I left Leia with you guys things didn't work out so well."

"Hey!"  Han clearly didn't appreciate the humor at his expense.  "That wasn't my fault!"

Sarré rolled her eyes.  "Of course not."

"It wasn't," Han insisted.  "And this time Luke's not here to mess things up."

Leia laughed.  "Nice, Han.  Nice.  Blame him when he's not here to defend himself."

Han shrugged.  "His choice."

Lando patted Sarré on the shoulder.  "Don't worry.  Chewie and I'll keep an eye on Han.  That'll help."

"Thanks," she said.  "I appreciate that."

Han glared at them, but before he could say anything Chewie wrapped an arm around Leia's shoulders and wroofed a sincere pledge while they all kept walking.

Sarré looked at Leia.  "Well?"

"He says he'll protect me with his life."

Sarré gazed up curiously at the Wookiee.  Chewie grinned at her, then tugged Leia even closer and wrawled another explanation – one that caused Lando to burst out laughing and Han and Leia to blush fiercely. 

Sarré raised her eyebrows and waited.

"It seems," Leia said, her face still a bright red as she squirmed out of Chewie's embrace, "that the life debt isn't just for Han.  It… well… it also extends to his… mate."

Sarré smirked.  "In that case, I'm not needed here after all."

Han muttered something under his breath about last time and trust and so-called friends. 

Sarré chuckled and reached out to put a hand on Chewie's big arm.  "Thank you," she said.  "Your commitment is quite an honor."

The Wookiee nodded. 

"I should warn you, though," Sarré added.  "If you thought watching out for Han was tough, you haven't seen anything yet."

Leia glared at her.  "I'm not that bad!"

"Oh yes, Leia," Sarré shot back.  "I think you are."

Chewie ruffled Sarré's hair and barked an amused affirmation. 

When Sarré glanced over, Leia still was glaring.  "Right.  Here's a lesson for you – don't mock your translator."

Lando leaned in from Sarré's other side.  "He said he's sure you're right.  Any woman Han would take as a mate would have to be even crazier than him."

Sarré laughed and looked up at Chewie.  "You have no idea," she said, shaking her head.  "You have no idea."

---

Padmé sat at the head of the formal dining room table in the Skywalker residence and did her best to keep her attention focused on the matters at hand.  Anakin's unlimited love had soothed her raw grief in a way only he could, but the dull ache of Jenny's absence remained. 

"We've cancelled all your obligations for today," Sabé was saying at her right elbow.  "There's no need to go into the office."

Padmé furrowed her brow.  "You're sure?"

"We're sure," Dormé insisted from her left.  "We've gone through everything that needs your action."

Padmé nodded weakly.  Dormé had been working closely with Jenny in recent months, and Padmé knew the organization and efficiency of the Supreme Chancellor's staff would continue without a hitch.  It was reassuring to realize that just as the Republic could transition smoothly between new leaders, so too her own administration could endure without the Chief of Staff who had been its vibrant center. 

Padmé wondered whether the Republic would miss her anywhere near as much as she missed Jenny. 

"Very well," she said.  "I'll spend the day with Anakin and Nyklas, as long as you promise to contact me if anything arises that I'd want to know about."

"Agreed," Sabé said.

Padmé narrowed her eyes at her oldest and dearest friend.  "That I'd want to know about.  Not that you think I need to know about.  Got it?"

"Got it," Sabé said, nodding decisively.  "Plus, Dormé will keep me in line."

"It's true," Dormé added with a little grin.  "She won't get away with anything."

"Excellent."  Padmé glanced at Rabé and Saché further down the table.  "Do we have the update on Victory Strike?"

"We do," Rabé said.  "Admiral Ackbar reports that all the flotillas assembled without difficulty.  The first stage of hyperspace jumps has been completed.  The six combined strike forces will be jumping for the next rendezvous points within the hour."

Padmé nodded.  "Do we have any idea if the fleet movements have been detected?"

"Ackbar is confident secrecy has been maintained," Rabé said.  "And the Intelligence Department has seen no evidence that the Vyhrragians are reacting to any new information."

"Good," Padmé said.  "And what about Bryon's team?"

"They were inserted successfully," Saché replied.  "Well within the operational window on the timeline."

"Nothing more?"

"Not directly, no," Saché said.  "The plan called for complete communications silence to minimize the possibility of detection."

"I remember," Padmé said.  "What about indirectly?"

"The limited surveillance Intelligence could risk showed no deployment of troops toward the area of the landing, the path to the generator, or the generator itself.  This suggests the enemy is unaware of the infiltration."

"I suppose it does.  What about the report of an explosion at the royal palace?  Do we know if they're attributing it to us?"

Saché frowned.  "It's still too early to tell, unfortunately.  All we know is that it happened.  We don't know what the damage was, or who was targeted.  It's safe to assume the Vyhrragians will believe we were behind it, but we've carried out any number of covert attacks on them over the last few years."

"So there would be no particular reason to interpret it as a sign of an imminent invasion," Padmé said, finishing the reasoning aloud.  "I agree."

Sabé cleared her throat.  "I take it the palace explosion is one of those subjects you want to know about?"

Padmé laughed.  "I knew there was a reason I liked you."

"If there's nothing else," Dormé said into the lull in the conversation, "we should get back to the office and begin taking care of these matters."

When the others all nodded in agreement, Padmé stood up.  "Then we're finished for now.  Thank you.  Thank you for everything."

Her friends gave her lingering hugs and gentle reassurances before they departed, leaving Padmé all alone in the residence.  She strode deliberately to their bedroom and went straight to her enormous walk-in closet.  Quickly she found the plain white flight suit she wanted and put it on. 

She was sliding her blaster pistol into its holster on her hip when Anakin's voice rang down the corridor. 

"Angel?"

"I'm in here," she called out, even though he'd probably sensed her location by now anyway.

He paced through the open doorway with Nyklas cradled in his arms.  "I take it they convinced you to stay home today?"

"They did."  She reached down for Nyklas' favorite mode of transportation – a green carrier backpack.  She slung the straps diagonally across her chest and turned around.  "And I need a way to stay calm today.  Sitting around and waiting for word on Victory Strike will drive me mad.  So I thought we could go for a fly."

Anakin finished tucking Nyklas into the carrier on her back.  "That sounds like a good idea to me."

Behind her shoulder Nyklas gurgled and cooed. 

Padmé smiled.  "I think he agrees."

"I think so too."  Anakin reached out for the single plait that held back her long hair and gently drew it around to drape down her chest.  "Are you ready?"

"I am."

Anakin offered her his arm.  "Shall we?"

Padmé took it.  "Yes.  Let's go."

---

Mara charged forward and attacked Argis again, her violet blade slicing back and forth and in and out with the incomparable precision and strength of Vaapad.  Her opponent was very strong in the Force – she could sense the energy surging and crackling around them in the throne room as they fought – but it was apparent he was no saber master.  If he hoped to save himself Argis soon would have to draw on his no doubt deep well of dark talents.  In anticipation Mara abandoned conscious thought and placed all her trust in the Force.

Her enemy did not disappoint.  As he retreated backward across the room under her vicious barrage of strikes, the Sith Lord's telekinetic powers snatched up several blaster rifles from among the corpses of the fallen brownshirts and flung them at her.

Mara blocked the flying rifles with a mere thought, swatting them away with a telekinetic swipe of her own.

Argis tried again – and again the debris spun away before it ever got close to her.

Then she noticed that he seemed to be retreating deliberately toward the wall behind him.  Still pounding her lightsaber into his scarlet laser sword, she quickly scanned the smooth surface.  At first she didn't see anything – but then she saw it.  A small keypad. 

Mara unleashed an even faster, more violent onslaught of blows against her enemy until he had no choice but to spin away to avoid bisection. 

In that instant Mara released her grip with her right hand, extended it in the air, and called a blaster rifle into her palm.  The Force pulsed through the muscles of her arm with each rapid beat of her heart, allowing her to take aim with the heavy, two-handed weapon as easily as a holdout pistol.  Mara squeezed the trigger and watched the nearly invisible keypad explode in a shower of sparks and white-hot shards of metal.  For an instant a portion of the wall – a concealed door – began to rise, then slammed closed again.

And all the lights high above on the ceiling of the throne room sparked and flickered out, plunging the giant chamber into darkness.

Mara tossed the blaster rifle aside and spun to face Argis.  The dim glow of the two laser swords and the faint light from the stars and moon outside the tall, wide windows behind the throne was the only illumination for the rest of their fight. 

"I hope you weren't planning to escape that way," she said. 

"Oh, no," he replied, his voice deadly calm and as cold as ice.  "I am simply taking a fuller measure of my opponent."

"I see.  And what's your conclusion so far?"

"Truthfully, I am impressed, young Jedi.  Your reputation precedes you, and you have not disappointed."

"I'll be sure to pass along that testimonial to the Jedi Council.  Now shut up and let's get this over with."

Argis took another long stride backward.  "So impatient, young Jade.  I said I was impressed, that much is true.  But this is far from over.  You are powerful – but I am not afraid."

Mara sneered.  "You should be."

She rushed him with her thrumming purple blade ready to strike – and dove into a headfirst roll along the floor at the last possible second.  Where her torso had been a moment earlier a dense invisible ball of concentrated Force power the size of her head shot through the air like a projectile from an oversized slugthrower.  Had it hit her, it would have shattered her ribs and smashed her insides into gelatin.

Mara tumbled smoothly for another meter and sprang to her feet to see that Argis already was upon her, his scarlet energy blade on the offensive.  Relying on the Force to guide her hands, she parried away the strikes and set her feet for a counterattack.

She got in only a single good thrust before Argis redoubled his attacks in the Force.  First he began to fling debris telekinetically at her – blaster rifles, helmets, small chairs and datapads from the conference table along the far wall, potted plants, and more.  Her intense combat concentration allowed her to repel them all before they could reach her, but at the expense of total focus on her lightsaber. 

That small shift in attention was enough to give Argis time to make things worse.

To the whirlwind of objects swirling toward her the Sith Lord added a series of additional Force spheres designed to pulverize her body.  Mara lunged and ducked and tumbled to avoid them, all the while keeping her violet laser sword in position to block the increasingly fast strikes from her enemy's scarlet blade.

It was too much at once – and Mara felt herself being pummeled as pieces of the flying debris began to slip past her defenses.  A blunt hunk of metal smashed her shoulder.  Another smacked her thigh.  A sharp corner of something drove into her back and sent a spike of pain shooting up her spine.  A heavy ceramic mug from the table blew to pieces against her left temple, and she felt a few trickles of blood begin to drip down her cheek.

Mara narrowed her eyes and propelled herself toward Argis with all the strength in her legs.  She plunged her mind even more deeply into Vaapad and fought with more desperation than she ever had before.

The primal ferocity of her renewed barrage sent Argis stumbling backward as he parried the blows.  His red blade darted with amazing accuracy to defend him, but that apparently took enough of his attention to stop the attacks with the pulverizing Force spheres. 

But there was no letup in the whirlwind of painful objects whipping at Mara with ever-greater speed, and too many of them were hitting her.

Quickly Mara brushed her left cheek on her shoulder to wipe off the tickling trails of blood, then turned toward her enemy again – just as another hunk of metal slammed into her leg.

The pain exploded in Mara's mind with the fiery heat of raw agony – and raw anger. 

"Stop," she cried, projecting her blazing fury outward in a wave of mental power.  "Enough!"

All around her the swirling debris flew away, riding a circular shockwave in the Force with her at its center.  In an instant the vortex of objects was gone, and she was left facing off with Argis again in the gloomy darkness of the throne room.  The only sounds were their breathing and the whirring of their lightsabers.

"Impressive yet again," Argis said.  "Your anger is powerful indeed."

Mara took a long, slow breath.  I know what I'm doing, she told herself.  I've got this under control.

"Imagine what you could achieve," Argis continued without waiting for her reply, "if you truly learned to harness your anger, to focus your pain and unleash your hatred upon your enemies."

"Oh, right," she said.  "The dark side.  Pretty remarkable powers you've got there, Your Highness."

"Deride me all you like, young Jade," the Sith Lord said regretfully, "but you are the one who is bloodied and battered, not I.  Ask yourself who is really the more powerful here."

Mara brushed more blood off her cheek on her shoulder – and attacked.  The energy blades collided three quick times with showers of sparks and crackling screeches. 

"You've got some neat tricks, I'll give you that," she said.  "But considering I'm still very much alive I have to say I'm less than overwhelmed by your proclamations of invincibility."

"Even so," Argis said with a wicked grin, "surely you must admit you have a great deal yet to learn about the Force."

Their lightsabers exchanged blows again – high, low, right, left – and then hung poised in the air.

"Of course," Mara said.  "Becoming a Jedi Knight is merely the beginning of mastery of the Force."

The Sith Lord laughed.  "You don't really believe those foolish mantras, do you?  Shackled by their rules you will never discover the true nature of the Force."

Don't listen to him, she warned herself.  He's trying to trick you.

Argis flicked out his palm and blasted another volley of crackling blue Force lightning at her – and once again Mara absorbed the deadly energy with her shimmering violet blade. 

Only when the last sparks of electricity vanished did Mara realize her enemy had changed their position in the room so that his back was to the throne and she faced toward the expansive windows and the sparkling constellations in the nighttime sky beyond. 

With perfect regal elegance the Sith Lord walked backward up the low steps of the dais and stood next to the armrest of the throne.  He tapped along its surface and Mara heard the soft whirring of a servomotor.  Argis reached his hand into the opened chamber in the armrest and withdrew a tall glass. 

Nonchalantly he took a long drink of water. 

In the middle of their duel. 

The sheer arrogance of it was stunning.  The utter confidence was breathtaking.  The complete lack of respect it showed for her skills was infuriating.  Argis was absolutely and totally convinced he was going to beat her.  She could see on his face there wasn't a doubt in his mind.  He truly and unequivocally believed the Sith were going to prevail – and soon.  Very soon.

A pang of desperation rocked Mara's gut.  Somehow – from some tremor in the Force she couldn't even begin to explain – she knew beyond all doubt that the time to fulfill the prophecy of the Chosen One was now.  Right now.  Killing Argis would end the war, but there was so much more at stake than that.  He was the last of the Sith apprentices.  She didn't know how she knew that, but she did.  And if her Master defeated the Sith Master…  It would mean the Sith could never be revived again.  Ever.

Mara understood with perfect clarity that somewhere out there in the galaxy Anakin's moment of triumph was about to occur – and that her victory here in Argis' throne room would seal it.

"The true nature of the Force, you say?" asked Mara with a grim chuckle.  "You'll have to do better than you have so far if you're planning to convince me."

"This is no laughing matter, my dear," Argis chastised as he returned the glass to its hidden chamber in the throne.  "We can teach you powers beyond your wildest imagination."

"See, the thing is," Mara said, walking straight to the base of the dais, "I've been a learner or an apprentice all my life.  Just got out of that gig, you know?  No interest in going back to it, really.  Sorry."

"I can feel your anger, young Jedi," he said, staring hard into her eyes.  "So much resentment.  So much pain.  So much… yes… loneliness."

The Sith Lord's final word stabbed her right through the heart – and Mara simply reacted.  A roar of rage exploded from her throat as she sprang up the steps of the dais in a single bound and attacked him with all the power she could muster.  Her violet blade slashed and sliced in a blinding blur, hammering on Argis' scarlet blade until he stumbled and fell to his knees. 

Mara spun her wrists and wrenched the weapon from his hands, and the red blade retracted as the silver handle flew off into the dark shadows of the throne room.

From his knees the defenseless Sith Lord looked up at her.  "Strike me down with all your hatred," he said in a seductive whisper, "and your journey toward the dark side will be complete." 

Mara glared into his eyes.  "Too bad you'll never get to know if you're right."

Argis smiled – and Mara killed him.

---

Admiral Mirkalla watched calmly as the bright streaks of lightspeed blurred, then abruptly resolved into thousands of stars against the black backdrop of realspace.  Out the wide bridge viewport of the Invictus he saw the angled bow of his destroyer pointed directly at a large blue-and-green sphere – Vyhrrag.  Far in the distance was the small orange ball that was the system's sun.  Arrayed around the planet were a sizable number of warships, more than enough to defeat the Invictus if she were alone. 

But she was not alone. 

A series of flashes lit the panoramic scene beyond the viewport.  Mirkalla kept count in his head and smiled when the last ships of the Republic invasion fleet arrived in place. 

It was time. 

The communications line was set to broadcast on the bridge, and the familiar deep, gravely voice of Admiral Ackbar boomed.  "Prepare to initiate Operation Victory Strike.  Admiral Piett?"

"Gannis Trellem, standing by," came the immediate reply. 

"Admiral Pellaeon?"

"Bail Millius, standing by."

"Admiral Cracken?"

"Orn Free Taa, standing by."

"General Bel Iblis?"

"Corellia's Pride, standing by."

Ackbar paused for just a moment.  "Admiral Mirkalla?" 

"Invictus, standing by," he replied, directing his raised voice toward the communications station in the crew pit below him.

"Launch the fighters," Ackbar said.  "Commence the attack."

Mirkalla waved his hand in confirmation, and the bridge crew of his flagship sprang into action. 

"Twenty minute countdown starting… now," Ackbar ordered.  "May the Force be with you."

"And also with you," Mirkalla said under his breath.

Mirkalla crossed his arms over his chest and watched the swarms of X-Wings zoom out from beneath his ship and head straight toward the enemy vessels already moving to defend the planet.  More Republic squadrons charged ahead from the other five strike forces, and the destroyers and smaller capital ships began slowly to move into firing position.  With a deep breath Mirkalla prepared for the vicious clash to come. 

He spun on his heel and strode quickly to the battle assessment table on the bridge, where a complete holographic display of the two fleets and the planet filled his vision with bright colors.  The planet's energy shield remained in place, but he had every confidence that General Skywalker would fix that problem shortly.  Mirkalla watched as the warships and starfighters engaged. 

"And so it begins."

---

From the group's hiding place behind the fallen trunk of a massive tree Leia looked out into the clearing in the forest.  The shield generator building was surprisingly small – a short, squat structure barely two stories tall and not more than a few dozen meters across.  For a distance of twenty or thirty meters around the building the towering trees had been cleared away, giving the attackers no cover for their final approach.  On the other hand, for the first time in hours they could see the sky.  Leia looked up quickly at the stars, and she saw only the blackness of night and the constellations.  No cannon blasts.  No explosions.  No visible signs of battle in space. 

That was good.  That was very good. 

"There aren't many guards on patrol outside the building," Danaé said into the silence.  "Four on this side."

Bryon nodded.  "How many total?"

"Ten."

"Good," Bryon said.  "Sergeant, call in the three perimeter squads.  We're ready for them to join us."

There was a short pause.  "We can't, sir," a young man's voice finally said.

"What?"

"We can't, sir," the young man repeated.  "We can't raise them on the com."

Artoo whistled and trilled frantically.  "Master Bryon," Threepio said, "it seems Artoo has detected a complex pattern of jamming signals being projected by the facility."

"Not good," Bryon muttered.  "How long until Artoo can work around it?"

The astromech bleeped and blooped.  "At least fifteen minutes, I'm afraid," Threepio said. 

"We don't have that kind of time," Bryon said.  "Colonel!"

The rebel's commander jogged over to them.  "What's going on?"

"They're jamming us," Bryon said.  "I need you to send three of your fastest men to get my other squads."

The Colonel nodded decisively.  "Consider it done."

"We attack without them," Bryon told him even as he saluted and jogged away.  "We can't afford to wait."

Sarré looked over at Bryon.  "How could they be jamming us if they don't know we're coming?"

"Maybe they're jamming constantly," Danaé suggested.  "For security."

Sarré sighed deeply.  "Or maybe we've been betrayed by our 'friends' here."

That thought startled Leia to her core.  "No," she said.  "It couldn't be."

"We weren't betrayed," Bryon said.  "They knew we were coming."

Leia frowned.  "How?  If the plan wasn't leaked and we weren't betrayed…"

Bryon cast a knowing glance at Danaé.  "The one way we can't plan around, no matter what we do."

"The Sith."  Leia swallowed hard.  "But if they foresaw this, why aren't there more guards waiting for us?"

"Simple," Bryon said.  "It's a trap."