A/N: Wowie sir. I've updated again. Sorry about the long wait, guys--and as always, thanks so much for patience and reviews. They're what keep me writing. Okay, well, what keeps me posting this lug of a story, anyway. I just hope you guys are having as much fun reading as I am writing. Just remember to keep on swimming and never let the bad guys get you down . . . hallelujah, chapter sixteen.



Soundtrack: Should I keep doing this? Does everyone think it's stupid but me? It wouldn't be the first time. Well, uh, just listen to something exciting, stunning, witty, and downright masterful, then. Go for swanky if you can get your hands on it. (Tell me if I should cut this stupid stuff out, really.)



So yeah, on with the story.















CHAPTER SIXTEEN











"This," Annie said with a surprising amount of calm, "is bad."



From somewhere vaguely to her left she heard an absurdly cheery and decidedly unconvincing laugh. "Bad, shmad. Don't worry, Annie. I'm a Jedi. I get into situations worse than this all the time."



"Why doesn't that surprise me?"



Dru hesitated only a moment before charging ahead. "This may look bad now, but I promise you, it's nothing. We'll get out of this with no trouble at all. Just you wait and see."



Annie rolled her eyes skyward. However, at that angle she could see her hands, lashed painfully above her, so she decided drama could wait for later and unhappily lowered them again. "Dru, for the fairly short time I've been . . . here, I've had quite a few bad experiences, so I'm getting pretty good at recognizing them. I'm tied to a wooden stake with a pile of wood at my feet and a whole crowd of people watching me, happily waiting for the moment when that pile of wood is lit on fire and I'm burned into cinders. This. Is. Bad!"



Annie's summary of the situation was a very accurate one. Following the leader's proclamation, they had been taken to a local jail and thrown in the cells overnight, awaiting their execution the following day. Now, here they were, wrists tightly bound high above their heads in chafing rope, another rope lashing their waists to the thick wooden pole, and an unsteady pile of what looked like driftwood underfoot. They were on the peak of a small hill a few miles outside of town in a deliberately cleared area, obviously built for just this purpose. Now the field around them was filling with the silent, grim-faced townspeople, and even though Annie couldn't even begin to tell time from the murky grayness above, she could only assume noon drew nigh.



Dru shrugged as best she could with her arms lashed in a similar position to Annie's. "I'm just saying there's no need to give up hope yet. We'll find a way out of this."



Afraid that if Dru spouted one more meaningless phrase of comfort she might just have to kill her, Annie sought desperately for another topic of conversation. "Is Krista awake yet?"



Dru craned her neck to the left, beyond Annie's line of sight. "Nah, little miss thunderbolt is still out for the count." She paused noticeably. "And it looks like she's running out of time to wake up."



Surprised, Annie looked over at Dru, and the woman pointed her chin forward. Glancing in the indicated direction, Annie grimaced as she saw a processional begin to wind its way uphill. "They're coming," she said quietly.



"Yes."



Annie waited for the Jedi to say more; a few minutes later, when she'd run out of patience, she said, "So, Dru . . . come up with any escape plans yet?" She hated herself for how much her voice shook as she spoke.



"I'm working on it," Dru said, her voice somewhat less certain now.



As Annie watched, the crowds parted, and the processional began to work its way across the hilltop toward them. At its head was the town leader, still in his lupine form, followed by the rest of the authority figures, most reverted to their munchkin-like state. Silence followed in their wake, and even across the distance Annie could tell the glowing green eyes were locked triumphantly on her own.



"Better hurry," she advised.



Then, saying possibly the least-comforting thing she had yet, Dru offered, "You know, I really haven't been a Jedi very long. I only passed my Trials about a year ago, and ever since then I've been working with Wes. He's been accompanying me on the all the missions that might turn nasty, making sure nothing happens that I can't handle." Her voice was very small. "I wish he were here now."



"Yeah, me too," Annie concurred, her head starting to hurt. Could this day get any worse?



When the processional finally reached the edge of the clearing, it stopped, and the town leader continued forward a few more paces. Slowly, he stood upright on his hind legs, still retaining his wolflike shape, and faced the three accused witches. For a moment he stared at them, savagely, then he turned and faced the crowd.



"People of Del Majeeca!" he snarled, the inhuman voice ringing across the clearing. "You have come today to witness the burning of these three unlawful witches who have dared to set foot in our town! What say ye?"



"Aye!" the crowd roared in reply, many hoisting their torches into the ever-darkening sky. Annie drew back sharply, cold all over. She'd never in her life had such mindless hatred directed at her, and it shook her to her very core.



Suddenly, from her left there was a low moan, and her head whipped around as far as it could go. "Krista? Was that you?"



Blocked from Annie's sight by Dru, Krista blinked fuzzy eyes and glared half-heartedly at the world around her. "Whar . . . wuzz hapnen?" she asked blearily.



"Well . . . we're still on Del Majeeco. In that same little town, in fact," Dru replied helpfully. "Only now we're about to be burned at the stake."



Krista woke up with astonishing speed. "We're *what*?" Her newly clear vision showed her the crowd of snarling townspeople, and she tugged ineffectively at the bonds holding her wrists. "Oh. Well. That kinda bites."



Oblivious to the exchange behind him, the town leader continued his tirade. "These strangers came to our town from a distant planet and violated everything we hold sacred. One is a Jedi--" the crowd booed and hissed so loudly he had to pause for a minute, waiting for them to quiet. "And the other two travel with her and practice black sorcery too foul to even name! We have all seen it with our very own eyes!" He whipped around suddenly, facing the three captives. "Do you deny it?"



Dru lifted her chin and met his stare, the cool wind flowing through her hair and seeming to carry her fears and uncertainties from her. Somehow, even though the werewolf foamed at the mouth from the fervor of his speech and madness raged in his eyes, something in the cool black gaze of the Jedi was far more intimidating than he. "I always have been and always will be a Jedi," she replied, voice clear and carrying. "But I do not know whereof this is a crime. We came to your planet in peace, intending to aggression or transgression of yours laws, seeking information. It was you who attacked us and attempted to prevent us from leaving, then imprisoned us. Now you accuse us of witchcraft and other absurdities that are utterly without proof. We did you no wrong and you assaulted us unprovoked. How does that make us the villains?"



"Without proof?" the leader screeched. "That one--," he pointed a mottled gray-green claw at Krista, "--in front of all of us, used black arts to slaughter fourteen townspeople, and you, Jedi, used your own sorcery to kill half as many again!" He turned back to the townspeople. "Do I lie?"



Their screams and boos assured him in no uncertain terms that he did not. Eyes burning with triumph, he turned back to his captives. "They have all witnessed it, Jedi. Your lying tongue cannot deceive us."



"I speak only the truth," Dru retorted icily, her voice cutting through the jeers of the crowd. "It is you who lie. We are what we are: not witches, but ambassadors who came to you in peace, and we offered you no violence until you began it of your own volition. The blame lies on your own shoulders."



Overhead, the sky was darkening, the last traces of sunlight disappearing from the sky. In the dim twilight, the leader outright snarled at her, ears flattening against his skull. "Deceiver! Will we listen to these lies?"



"NO!" the townspeople roared, many shifting into wolf form with the force of their wrath. In none of the voices, in none of the alien faces, could Annie see even a hint of remorse or pity. The breeze, cold now, began to blow more fiercely, and she shivered in her bonds from cold as well as fear. The Del Majeecans were united in their hatred of the foreigners, and she understood at that moment that none of them would even speak out against this monstrous injustice.



"So, witches," the leader snarled with obvious relish, "you stand accused, and you know your own crimes. If you wish to die quickly, admit your guilt to this assembly, and you will be hanged swiftly and without torment. How do you plead?"



"Fool." Dru's voice was like a whiplash, as cold and cutting as the wind. "You know not what you do. With this act, you bring down the wrath of all the Jedi upon yourselves, and the Republic as well. You are signing your own death warrant over a petty injustice. You know we are innocent! Why will you not set us free?"



"Lies!" the crowd screamed as one, and, before anyone realized what was happening, the town leader darted forward and slashed a raking slap across the Jedi's face, leaving a set of bloody welts in his wake as the crowd roared approval. When Dru looked up, the blood beginning to pool in the long scratches, her eyes were blazing. Looking at the expression on the Jedi's face, Annie suddenly realized that over the course of the last few minutes the sky had grown completely black, and the only illumination now came from the torches the townspeople carried.



Uncertain how this could have happened so quickly, she looked back at Dru . . . and suddenly she found herself unwontedly afraid.



"I ask you again, sorceresses," the town leader screamed. "You may still save yourselves and earn a quick death. How do you plead?"



Before Dru could speak, Krista shouted over the crowd, her voice almost unrecognizable with anger and hatred. "Guilty! I say that we are GUILTY! We are Jedi and sorceresses and prophets and we damn well aren't going to stop just to make you happy! You know what we are--yes, I know you do. Do you remember me? Do you? I slaughtered over a dozen of your kind with the blink of an eye, and I can do it again! And if you think I'm terrifying, it's nothing compared to what the others can do! Let us go now, or see how truly evil we can be!"



The crowd actually drew back at her words, subdued and snarling, many looking ready to flee into the growing darkness. Overhead, a low roll of thunder rumbled in the distance, the wind as uneasy as the townspeople. Krista, on a roll now, continued. "Yes! We're witches! Powerful, evil, mighty witches! And if you don't release us, we'll bewitch you! We'll . . . we'll turn you into fish!" Oblivious to the crowd's sudden incredulity, she continued at ever-increasing volume. "That's right, FISH! Nasty, flopping, gasping, wriggling fish, and you'll all die right there at our feet!" She paused, panting, to draw breath. "Do you hear me? Let us go, NOW!"



The crowd was silent for a moment, then roared its disagreement, so loudly it was nearly deafening.



"Hoo boy, I bet they're going to release us now," Annie said with a decided lack of enthusiasm. "Great job, Krista."



"I lost them somewhere around the fish, didn't I?" Krista asked, grimacing.



Dru nodded. "And you started off so well," she added, sighing. "Should have quit while you were ahead."



They were cut off by the town leader's shout. "You have heard their answer!" he shouted to the assembled masses. "Now, what do you say?"



The response was deafening as they hoisted their torches to the night. "BURN THEM!"



"So be it," the leader tolled, his voice like a death knell. He turned back, and Annie could see the fanaticism in his gaze. "Judgment has been passed on you, witches," he said, suddenly solemn. "May all the gods have mercy on your souls." He stood gazing at them a moment longer, then turned his back. "Light the pyres."



With a menacing grin, three torchbearers stepped forward, one toward each pyre. Krista muttered some choice profanity under her breath and Annie shrank back against the wooden stake behind her. "God help us," she whispered. "Krista! Krista, having any bright ideas?"



"No, but that's not really *my* department, is it? You're the freaking prophet, and Dru's--Dru! Isn't there anything we can do?"



Annie glanced over at the Jedi when she didn't respond and was surprised to see her eyes closed serenely, head tipped back, as though she were deep in meditation. "Dru?" she called, worried. Then, when there was again no answer: "Dru!"



"What's wrong with her?" Krista yelled.



Annie looked frantically at the Jedi, whose lips now seemed to be moving as if in some silent prayer. "I don't know! What do we do?"



Krista looked at the torch that was even now being brought toward her pyre. "Well, off-hand, I'd say we die."



Annie twisted wildly in her bindings, terror rearing up in her like some savage beast, galvanizing her limbs into frantic movement and eating away her reason. "No! No, we can't . . . Oh, God, please, *somebody* . . ." Desperately, she tried to summon a vision, but her power did not come on command.



"Annie, listen! What's she saying?"



Tearing her eyes away from the torch that drew ever-nearer, she forced herself to turn and look at Dru, from whom words were now emerging. She couldn't make out anything distinct, but there was a definite murmur of sound coming from the Jedi.



"I don't know! What do we DO?"



"You die, witch," the beast with the torch said. He had now drawn abreast of her, and Annie could already feel the heat of the flames rising up. With an unspeakably evil smile, he glanced back to see that his fellow townspeople were in position . . . then, as one, they bent and lowered the flames to the wood piled at the three girls' feet.



Before the first crackle of the flames, Dru's words were finally distinguishable: " . . . and a Jedi shall know no hatred, no anger . . . no fear . . ." She spoke the words of the Jedi code like a prayer.



As the wood at her feet ignited into flame, Krista screamed one last time, desperately, "DRU!"



The Jedi's eyes snapped open--and the fire from every single torch and the girls' pyres snuffed out, plunging them into utter darkness.



Annie and Krista gasped--but the townspeople were far less happy. From the blackness they could hear screams and shouts. "More witchcraft!" the town leader snarled.



"Yes." The girls' heads snapped around to look at Dru, and they realized in sudden shock that they could see her. Like static electricity, energy crawled up her clothing, danced into the pyre at her feet, and slid up to the tip of the stake, illuminating it as well. "I told you that to defy me was to defy everything the Jedi stand for," Dru said evenly enough. The words were calm, but her voice had a deeper, stranger quality to it, making it sound almost inhuman. "Now, you will see exactly what that means."



As everyone watched, reality suspended for a moment of breathless hush, she tipped back her head . . . and the sky above her was rent as a bolt of lightning struck the stake she was bound to.



Krista and Annie cried out in horror, the townspeople screamed, and a blinding light forced them to shield their eyes--but when they looked back, the stake was a blackened husk, and Dru was brushing the ashes of her bonds from her hands with slow deliberation. When she finally deigned to notice the countless eyes upon her, she stopped, then with precise moments drew her lightsaber from within her robes and ignited it, its glow brilliant against the darkness. Apparently, she'd had it all along.



For a heartbeat Krista dared to hope that the townspeople would flee; then, someone screamed, "Kill them!" and all hell broke loose.



Dru spun into motion like a sheet of blinding light, lightsaber drawing an arc of brilliance through the air and the effulgence still trailing from her limbs painting the night around her. The pitchforks and knives of the Del Majeecans were of little concern to her; to Krista and Annie, on the other hand, they were still somewhat alarming.



"Dru!" Annie screamed as the first wave of terrified townspeople rushed at her, weapons hoisted. To her left, Krista gave a strangled yelp as she tried desperately to evade an equally sticky situation.



Dru glanced up, realized she wouldn't have time to make it to both girls, and raised an arm heavenward. The sky split once more, and this time the bolt of lightning struck the dry grass at her feet, and fire sprang up with a hungry roar to push back the surrounding townspeople. As soon as it touched down Dru threw her lightsaber at Annie's attackers, and Annie squeezed her eyes shut milliseconds before the tumbling blade bisected the two nearest townspeople. At the same time Dru leapt in the opposite direction, palm extended, and used the Force to blast more of the werewolves away from Krista.



As Dru turned, satisfied Krista would live through the next few moments, and ran to retrieve her lightsaber, Krista realized the blow had only momentarily stunned her attackers and they were even now recovering their feet. As the nearest one came at her again, she desperately summoned everything Eirtae had ever taught her and hoisted herself up by her wrists. When the first attacker reached her, she lashed out with her feet, catching him squarely in the chest and knocking him backward off the pyre and into a gout of flame. Grabbing the pole, she swung herself bodily around it in time to inexpertly kick another in the head, stunning him into dropping his weapon.



Annie, meanwhile, lacking months of intensive handmaiden training, was in a bit more of a spot. When two armed townspeople rushed at her from opposite directions, all she could do was gasp and throw herself out of the way. Luckily, this worked; one threw himself to a stop, and the other rather ineffectively jammed the tip of his weapon into the pole near Annie's hands, clattering off the pyre himself. Seeing an opportunity, she used her free seconds to wrench her rope around until it was against the sharp blade of the axe and begin sawing desperately at the bonds. As she worked frantically, she could see the other wolf recover from his shock and begin to charge at her. Clenching her teeth with determination, she worked her wrists until, at last, the fraying rope snapped, and she fell to the ground with free hands just in time to trip the charging townsman.



As Annie viciously kicked the wolf off of her and seized his weapon, Krista was trying to fumble for the weapon with her feet, which was not working especially well. Deciding to abandon this tactic, she looked up in time to see and axe coming straight at her, and she ducked as best she could with a yelp. She felt it scrape her wrists, and she screamed; but then suddenly she was falling and she realized that it had inadvertently freed her, cutting her bonds as it scraped her wrists. Wasting not one precious second of freedom, she yanked the axe free of the stake, hoisted it expertly in her arms, and, with a yell of rage, rushed into battle.



As Annie picked up a piece of wood from the pyre and knocked the townsman atop her unconscious, she and Krista both looked up at the sound of Dru's voice. "Krista! Annie! Follow me!" The Jedi, having carved herself a small space, waved urgently at her two charges, then took off for the woods, and they dropped what they were doing to follow.



Though the townspeople were at first shocked by their unexpected flight, they lost little time in following them, and the three prisoners found themselves hotly pursued as they sprinted across the open field at the foot of the plateau. The woods and their relative safety were still some distance ahead, and the four-legged lope of the townspeople was rapidly gaining on them. Dru could have easily outran them if she harnessed her Jedi skills, but she could not leave her companions, and so forced herself to match their pace.



It was only a matter of time before the first townspeople overtook them, several running around in front of them to cut them off, others rapidly encircling them with bared fangs. The three girls threw themselves into battle, fighting madly for survival, but as the circle closed in on them, it seemed their chances of escape were dwindling.



Then, out of nowhere, bright headlights pierced the murky skies, and all glanced up to see a ship swerve in over the horizon, skimming low over the treetops. As it barreled toward the field, the townspeople scattered as it slowed to hover a few feet above the ground, then extended a boarding ramp.



Then, wonder of wonders, who should emerge from its interior but a very harassed-looking Wesley, beckoning them urgently. "Come on!" he yelled, and the girls needed no further urging. Taking advantage of the wolves' momentary surprise, they threw themselves aboard the ship and scrambled up the boarding ramp, Dru first, she hauling Krista and Annie following shortly behind. No sooner had they all stepped within than Wesley, returned to the cockpit, took off, nearly knocking them back out. Dru yanked up the boarding ramp and shut the hatch, and the three collapsed onto the floor, panting.



As they savored those few delicious moments of realizing they were still alive, Wesley leaned back in the pilot's seat the glare pointedly at Dru. "I'm getting rather tired of tagging around after you and saving your worthless hide," he snarked. "Do try and be a little more successful on your ventures in the future, will you?"



Dru glared at him lovingly. "As though you would stop tagging after me even if you thought I was safe." Over the other Jedi's spluttering protests, she explained wearily, "See? I told you he rescues me far too much."



Annie was staring at the Jedi. "Dru . . . you told me you had just passed your trials, that you hadn't been a Jedi very long."



Dru shrugged, looking far too pleased with herself. "Long enough, apparently. Besides, I didn't want you to have any false hopes in case we did burn to death."



Krista just groaned, flopping down on the deck and nursing a monstrous headache, a leftover of her magical temper tantrum yesterday.



"So where are we going now?" Annie asked, curious.



It was Wes who answered. "Back to Ulyssia, which is where I'm actually supposed to be at this moment in time. You three get to cool your heels with me for a while, where I can keep an eye on you."



Dru made a rude gesture at Wes, which he coolly ignored, but the corner of his mouth twitched suspiciously. Satisfied, Dru leaned back on her elbows and surveyed her charges. "You know, despite it all, that didn't go too badly."



Annie stared at Dru with eyes so wide they looked as though they might pop out of their sockets. Krista, still prone on the floor, opened one eye briefly, gave Dru a basilisk glare, then closed it again, deciding she wasn't even worth the contempt.



"Huh," Wes said abruptly from the cockpit. "Now there's a funny thing."



"What?" Dru asked idly.



"It's all over the news broadcasts. Looks like the feud between the Trade Federation and Naboo has finally come to blows. The Federation has blockaded the planet."



At this Krista sat bolt upright and Annie flinched visibly. Unable to fail to notice these reactions, Dru looked at them uneasily. "What is it?"



Annie's voice was shaking, but cold and hard as steel. "Go back to Coruscant."



"What?"



"We don't have time to go to Ulyssia. We need to get to Coruscant, now."



"Why--?"



"I just--" Annie put a hand over her eyes. "We just do, okay?"



There was a pause, then Dru shrugged, looking fairly unhappy. "Well, the prophet has spoken, Wes. Do we obey?"



"Damn straight we do," he replied, rapidly altering the coordinates in the navicomputer. "She's saved our lives more than once; I don't plan on ignoring her now."



Clearly unsettled, Dru glanced at their passengers. "But what is it? What's so important that we have to go back now?"



Annie and Krista exchanged a glance, and when they looked back at her, Dru was shocked by the horror and impotent rage in their eyes.



"It's started."







********************************************************************************





Danielle stared into those hazel eyes, so long familiar to her, so completely unexpected here and now. "Laura," she said, stunned. "But . . . how . . . ?"



Laura opened her mouth to answer, but suddenly gunfire spattered at the end of the hall, heralding the arrival of more troops. She sprang to her feet, and Danielle followed her. "No time for questions now," she said firmly. "I'll explain everything later. For now, run!"



As they took off down the hallway, Danielle gasped, "How do we get out of this place?"



"I've seen some schematics," Laura panted back. "The end of this hallway should lead us to--"



Danielle never learned where the hallway would lead them, however, because abruptly Laura threw herself to a halt and grabbed Danielle roughly by the arm, pulling her backward. Simultaneously, Danielle's danger sense went on overdrive, and she yanked Laura with her into a nearby doorway just as, ahead of them, a huge explosion suddenly rocked the hall, buffeting them.



As they looked back into the hall, Danielle perceived through the debris that something had blasted the ceiling out, and several someones were now descending to their level.



Laura muttered some unfamiliar curse word, looking decidedly unhappy. "Okay, maybe not that way," she said uncertainly. She glanced down the hallway the way they'd come, an equally unappealing option, and glanced at Danielle. "You wouldn't happen to have a lightsaber on you, would you?"



"Well, they did let me keep my Jedi weapon when I was a helpless captive, but I stupidly forgot it and left it lying up in my room when I escaped," Danielle said, her voice impossibly sarcastic.



Laura wrinkled her nose at her friend. "No need to get testy," she soothed Danielle, a hint of laughter underneath the words. "I was just trying to be optimistic. Well, then, I guess we do this the ugly way."



"The ugly way?" Somehow, Danielle doubted this was going to be fun.



Laura grabbed an inconspicuous object from the wall--a fire-axe, an object strangely anachronistic in such an otherwise modernized galaxy. As Danielle watched, she hoisted it over her shoulder, turned back to the wall, and keyed in a sequence of numbers on the door. To Danielle's shock, it slid open, and the two girls darted inside, letting it slam shut and lock behind them.



They were now in what appeared to be a storage room. "Okay, what now?" Danielle asked, unimpressed.



Without answering, Laura strode across the room to the far wall, which was blank of doors or windows, and began hacking at it with the fire axe. Underneath the thin metallic exterior the wall proved to be made of plaster, and within thirty seconds Laura had cleared a sizeable hole into the next darkened room, large enough for the two girls to fit through. Drawing back, a little exerted from her efforts, she eyed the opening with satisfaction.



Danielle was unable to resist. "Boy, that's subtle. They'll never guess where we went next."



Laura raised one eyebrow effortlessly. "Never underestimate the sneaky and underhanded," she informed Danielle solicitously. As Danielle watched, she stalked to the far corner of the room behind a pile of boxes and began hacking a new hole in the floor. As Danielle stared, stupefied, she heard a sudden hammering noise begin at the door as their pursuers wised up to their location and began trying to get in.



"Laura," Danielle asked suddenly, "how did you know the code to the door?"



"Magic," Laura answered shortly, not halting her destruction of the floor.



"Okay then." In a few more seconds, Laura had finished her second exit, and the door was starting to glow at the edges. "You are planning to go through that hole and not dig a few more decoys, just to make them guess?"



Laura glared at her. "This hole, thanks. It's hidden by all these boxes; it should take them a while to even realize it's here." Tossing the axe over by their decoy hole, she beckoned Danielle urgently. "Come on, hurry!" and then proceeded to jump through the hole herself.



Muttering under her breath, Danielle followed, leaping through the hole into the blackness below. Her boots hit the floor after a brief drop, and she peered around, disoriented. "Why aren't there any lights?"



"Heck if I know. Come on, I know another way out. I think I can lead us around in here decently well."



Danielle could barely make out her friend's dim form in the darkness, but when she heard the door slam open overhead, she took off after her as silently as possible, praying their ruse wouldn't be discovered.



After only a few feet through the emptiness, Danielle whispered, "Where are we?"



"An abandoned hangar bay," Laura whispered. "But this isn't low enough; they'll still find us here. Come on."



As Danielle watched, Laura beelined for the far wall of the hangar bay, and she followed hesitantly. There, Laura flung open a door and disappeared inside. When Danielle followed she found herself in a stairwell, and Laura was descending at a rapid pace, leaving her no choice but to follow.



Down and down they went, level after level, until she wondered how far Laura intended to take them. When she asked, Laura replied, "The lowest level the turbolift doesn't go to. It shouldn't be easy for them to reach us there."



Sure enough, Laura eventually spotted the desired level number and they left the stairwell, opening the door into a world of inky blackness filled with various obstructing objects.



"Where are we?" Danielle whispered.



Laura shrugged. "Deep in the bowels of the building. No one's come down here for years. We get to be the first, oh joy."



Danielle glared at her wordlessly, but followed when Laura set off purposefully into the gloom.



Laura was not the world's best navigator; every few yards she would bump into some unknown object or stumble over something on the floor, cursing every time she did so. Danielle, however, fared little better; she was continually running into Laura from behind or smacking face-first into a wall that had somehow sneaked up on her. Between the two of them it was surprising that they didn't knock over something especially loud and bring the whole guard down on them, but somehow they managed to move along at a relatively quiet pace.



After a few uneventful minutes, except for Laura stepping on something that had splatted and now stuck to her shoe, squishing with every step she took, Danielle was feeling her way through the darkness when she felt something brush against her leg--something horribly scuttling and hairy. With a soft shriek, she leapt backward, and Laura instantly whirled, prepared for battle. "What is it?"



"Something touched my leg!"



"What do you mean, something touched your leg?"



"I mean that something hairy and scuttley just brushed my ankle! There's something *alive* down here!"



"That's impossible," Laura said, but she didn't sound that certain. "Nothing's used these old rooms in more than--ohmygod, I felt it too!"



"See! See!" Danielle said, feeling pettily vindictive.



"Yeah, I felt it. Okay, what did that feel like to you?" Laura sounded distinctly unhappy.



Danielle glanced at her friend, and suddenly felt paralysis claiming her limbs. "Oh no," she muttered between clenched teeth. "No, no, no. Not in this world, too!"



"Okay," Laura said, voice shaking but determined, "we're just going to keep moving and leave it behind, right? We'll be okay."



Danielle's teeth were practically chattering now. "Laura . . ."



Laura turned back again. "Danielle, are you all right? We really need to . . ." Her voice trailed off when she finally made out her friend's expression in the darkness. "What is it?"



Somehow Danielle forced her arm to raise to point at Laura. "It's ON YOU!"



"WHAT?!" Laura looked at her shoulder, saw the humongous hairy spider leering at her, and shrieked in horror. Instinctively, she flung it off her--and launched it straight at Danielle.



Danielle was at first too paralyzed to move as the hairy projectile came rushing at her, but when it struck her shirt and clung there, she could suddenly move once more. With a blood-curdling scream, she flailed her arms and scrambled backward, trying to somehow escape the monstrous arachnid. This tactic was singularly ineffective; the spider hissed, curling up its forelegs, and began scuttling toward her face.



Laura, never failing in a crisis, launched herself at Danielle, tackling her and landing directly on top of her in an attempt to squish the spider between them. She succeeded in knocking the breath out of Danielle and making her see stars, but the spider, a crafty little devil, evaded Laura's crushing form and instead crawled onto the ground and scuttled away rapidly, trying to escape.



Several minutes and loud crashes later, the spider was a black smear on the ground, and the two experienced warriors stared at it with expressions of, respectively, horrified to the point of lifetime scarring and grim triumph.



"Well," Laura (the grim triumphant one) said at last, "if that wasn't enough to announce our location to the entire building, I don't know what is."



"But at least the spider is dead," Danielle pointed out. Her tone of voice indicated that this was the only important point.



Laura sighed and dropped the unknown wrenchlike object with which she had dealt the spider its death blow. "That's true."



Danielle slowly unclenched her fingers from around her own makeshift weapon. "I. Hate. Spiders," she said, slowly and distinctly.



"Funny, I actually happened to notice that. I don't suppose you want to keep that one intact little leg, as a souvenir? Maybe make a necklace out of it?"



Danielle shot Laura a look that said very clearly that if Laura so much as mentioned the spider again she was going to meet the same fate. Laura grinned, pitilessly, and said, "Come on, time's a-wastin'," then, horrifyingly chipper after Danielle's near-death experience, set off across the room once more.



Danielle was much less happy with the situation at large now--which, considering she was a captive in an unknown building being pursued by unknown evil and magical persons, was really saying something. Every small noise made her think of scuttling legs; every time Laura twitched, she thought another of the hairy beasties had landed on her. Luckily, all of these suspicions came to naught, but Danielle existed in a constant state of paranoia.



At last, after several minutes, Laura came to an abrupt stop, Danielle behind her. "What is it?" Danielle whispered anxiously.



"We're at a stairwell," Laura whispered back.



Danielle waited, but when Laura offered no further information, she asked, "And this is . . . bad?"



"We're not supposed to be at a stairwell."



Danielle groaned. "Oh, God. Don't tell me . . ."



"We're not lost," Laura said indignantly. "I'm just momentarily sidetracked."



"What are you talking about? You have the sense of direction of a pickle. You couldn't even find your way from your house to the mall, let alone navigate in the dark in a strange building in *Star Wars*!"



Laura turned and planted her hands on her hips with an indignant stance unique to her. "Oh, really? The mall was very difficult to find, I'll have you know, and--" She cut off with a snort. "Well, then, how well do you think *you'd* do at getting us out of here?"



"Certainly better than this," Danielle retorted. "I'd at least--"



"Hush," Laura said suddenly, cutting her off.



Danielle glared at her. "I will not 'hush,' thank you very much! Just because you've managed to get us lost--again--and can't seem to take the blame for it--"



"I mean, *shut up*!" Laura whispered furiously. "There's something behind you."



Danielle froze. "What kind of something?" she asked as quietly as she could.



"Well, it's glowing. And I hear this strange noise . . ."



Danielle didn't turn around, but she cocked her ear, listening. Surely, she heard a faintly rustling, scratching noise making its way toward them. As she imagined what it might possibly be, her heart suddenly clenched, and she gave a small whimper. "Laura . . ."



"Oh God," the other young woman whispered.



Somehow, through some strength of will, Danielle turned--and was confronted by the most horrible vision she'd ever encountered. A gigantic spider had emerged from the darkness, easily Aragog-sized, and looked at the two intruders into its lair quite hungrily.



There was a pause as the intrepid escapees pondered what to do. Then, they did what practically any young women would do when faced with a nine-foot tall, glowing-eyed, slavering spider: they turned tail and ran like maniacs, with the monstrous spider in hot pursuit.







Several minutes later, the two girls were in another room no less than three levels up, leaning against the wall and panting in the dim light.



"That," Laura gasped between breaths, "was the most traumatic experience I've had recently. And that's really saying something."



Danielle, still too shaken to reply, just nodded jerkily.



As they stood in the light regaining their breath, Danielle took the opportunity to study her friend better. In the better light, she could see the cloak she'd earlier mistaken for black was in fact a dark sienna, of some coarse weave that was extremely out of place in a galaxy of slick synthetic fabrics. Beneath the robe she wore simple pants and a tight black shirt, and the shirt's very clinginess allowed Danielle to notice something that shocked her: Laura was thin. Laura had never been fat, but neither had she been skinny like Danielle and Annie were. Now, Laura was beyond skinny: she looked nearly emaciated. Danielle could see the faint outline of her ribs beneath the thin material of the shirt, and her hipbones and clavicle were unusually prominent as well. Looking closer at her friend's face, she realized there were hollows beneath her cheekbones that had never before been present, and dark circles were barely evident under her eyes. There was also something slightly different about her, something just a little . . . off.



In the time that they'd been in Star Wars, Annie had begun to resemble a diva while Krista and Danielle developed the muscle their training necessitated. Laura, on the other hand, seemed to have lost the muscle she'd once possessed as the only sporty member of their group, as well as any accompanying curve, as though she'd simply stopped eating . . . and suddenly Danielle's stomach dropped in a distinct sensation that something here was terribly wrong.



Before she could find her voice to question her friend, she noticed that Laura was studying her with a faintly bemused expression. At Danielle's quizzical look, she explained, "I can hardly believe I'm finally seeing you. I've been looking for you for so long . . ."



Danielle felt suddenly guilty. "We actually haven't been searching for you very long at all. Not that we didn't mean to; we've just been really busy--"



"Wait a minute," Laura said suspiciously. "Who's 'we'?"



"Me and Krista and Annie."



Laura looked flabbergasted. "You mean--you're all together?"



Danielle felt unexpectedly guilty. "Well, yeah--but we really haven't been for very long. I mean, it was only a few days ago Annie finally joined us, and Krista came a few weeks before that . . ."



A strange expression crossed Laura's face. "How long, exactly, have you been here? In this galaxy?"



"In Star Wars, you mean? Just over three months." Danielle looked at Laura quizzically, whose face had now gone slightly white. "How long have you--"



A crash nearby sent both their heads whipping around. "Dammit," Laura muttered. "Time to get moving, Danielle."



Reluctantly, Danielle pushed her questions aside. "Do you know where we are now?"



Laura squinted, assessing their location, then nodded firmly. "Yup. We're almost near my ship, in fact. Come on; last wind and whatnot." Beckoning with a gloved hand, she took off once more, Danielle unhappily following.



After some twisting navigation through a series of unused, office-like rooms, they emerged into a well-lit hallway. At the end of the hallway was a huge glass window through which sunlight poured.



"This is our exit," Laura whispered. "My ship's on a platform just down there," she pointed out the window, "and at the end of this hall is a staircase that takes us there." Eyes narrowed intently, she started across the hall, and Danielle followed.



Halfway to their destination, Danielle froze, the Force sending tingling premonitions up her spine. Laura turned when she realized her friend had stopped. "What is it?"



"We're in trouble," Danielle whispered.



Laura looked over Danielle's shoulder--and her face set itself in an expression of grim resignation. Danielle turned--and stifled a scream when she saw three of the horrific faceless creations standing silently in the hall, watching them.



"Oh, no," Laura whispered.



Danielle glanced at her. "What can they do? They're like automatons. They--"



Laura simply pointed, and Danielle turned to watch. Slowly, all three faceless figures bowed their heads, then remained in that position, motionless, for a few minutes. When they looked back up, they were no longer faceless--they all had the hard countenances of battle-trained warriors, and, as she stared, all drew long weapons from their persons and held them at the ready.



"You see," Laura said rather calmly, "the annoying thing about these guys is that, since they've had their personalities stripped from them, their master can simply summon any of the people he's ever consumed and give any of his servants their forms, talents, abilities . . . and command them, like so." She gestured as the figures began to advance, slowly.



"What do we do?" Danielle hissed.



Laura glanced behind them, toward the end of the hall that beckoned with its freedom. "Well, right now I think we run."



As if on cue, doors slammed open behind them, and three more of the figures stepped out, surrounding the girls.



"This," Laura said with a sigh, "is not going at all like I'd hoped."



Danielle, in the spirit of Star Wars, couldn't help saying, "This is some rescue."



Laura glared at her. "You're training as a Jedi, right?"



"Yes. Why?"



"It means I can expect you to be able to stay alive if I can't look out for you for a few minutes." Ignoring her friend's glare, Laura slowly drew her gun. "Let's do this," she said grimly; and, as one being, the two girls launched into motion.



Laura, armed, took advantage of the fact that their adversaries seemed to only have short range weapons by keeping as far away as she could to fire. The wraiths, however, seemed to simply swirl away from her shots or catch them on their long, metallic weapons, into which they simply dissolved. In the first few minutes she had before the two sides of the line closed in, she only managed to hit one before one drew close enough to kick her weapon from her hand.



Unarmed, Danielle decided the best defense was a good offense, and simply launched herself at the nearest and smallest wraith. It swung its machete-like weapon at her viciously, and she dodged by dropping to the ground, then kicked its feet out from under it. As the wraith fell, Danielle scrambled for its weapon, but only succeeded in knocking it farther down the hall.



Laura, meanwhile, now weaponless, was forced to face an armed wraith just as Danielle had. Ducking two rapid swings with the blade, she then kicked the wraith squarely in its midsection. As it fell back, a lucky grab gained her its blade, and she ruthlessly stabbed down into the creature's heart. Instead of a dying moan, it made a sigh like a long-withheld gasp of relief, and for one brief moment its hardened features flickered away and a young man looked at Laura in gratitude . . . then he slumped to the floor, dead.



Slightly shaken, Laura turned and found another wraith bearing down on her and barely blocked its swing in time. As their blades were locked, she lanced another vicious kick at its legs, and the crack of its kneecap breaking echoed throughout the hall. As the wraith staggered away, Danielle, across the room, succeeded in stunning her opponent long enough to grab the weapon and then scrambled away, panting.



The two girls, now armed, faced four uninjured wraiths and one slightly incapacitated one, all also armed. Almost as one being the five wraiths lunged into attack, and the girls were hard-pressed to defend themselves with every blow directed at them. Both were skilled, but no matter how viciously or tirelessly they fought, they were grievously outnumbered.



"Danielle!" Laura yelled above the melee. "Can you run?"



"Yeah," Danielle shouted back, "but they're all around us! We can't go anywhere!"



"We can make an opening!" Laura cried. Then, her voice still slightly gleeful despite the seriousness of their situation, she instructed, "Use the Force!"



Danielle understood immediately what her friend was asking. When Laura yelled, "NOW!" she paused her exertions long enough to extend a hand, focus, and knock three of the wraiths out of their way. As Laura used its shock to stab another in the gut, they took off running down the hall toward the vast window, the wraiths quickly in pursuit.



"Now what?" Danielle yelled. "They'll catch us!"



"No they won't!" Laura yelled. "Look!"



Grabbing Danielle's hand, she pointed with her other--and to Danielle's astonishment she felt the Force ripple out of her without her command, channeling through the other girl. She tried to slow down as the realized they were getting dangerously close to the large glass window at the end of the hall, but Laura tugged her relentlessly forward . . . and the glass window exploded under the pressure of the Force just as the two girls dove through it.



Danielle sucked in a breath to scream as she felt them free-falling through the air--then, hard enough to sprain her ankle, her feet hit solid ground, staggering her. Laura gave her no mercy time, however, instantly dragging her along what Danielle quickly realized was some kind of repair scaffolding. Above, they heard the wordless cries of the wraiths, but Laura didn't look back. After only a few running paces they turned the corner, and instantly a gleaming ship came into view; it was a small and extraordinarily battered-looking two-seater, but Danielle recognized its sleek lines as being of a well-respected company known for speed and agility.



Laura flung herself into the pilot's seat and scarcely waited for Danielle to seat herself before she was powering the ship up, flipping switches with blinding speed and warming the engines so quickly Danielle could hear them whine in protest. Amazed at the swiftness with which her friend worked, Danielle could only watch as, within a matter of seconds, they were airborne, and Laura yanked the accelerator back, launching them into open space so swiftly their thrusters left a scorch mark on the walls of the building.



At first Danielle merely flattened herself into the seat, unable to speak with how fast they were going and how daringly her friend, so contained behind the wheel of a car, was driving. As soon as they were several blocks away, however, Laura relaxed visibly, slowing their headlong flight and easing smoothly into a normal lane of traffic. The wind of their passage whipped Danielle's loose hair, and she irritably pushed it from her eyes. Laura, whose long brown hair was pulled back in a tight bun, did not have this problem, and against the ebbing light of the sun her profile was shockingly confident and unaffected.



"Won't they follow us?" Danielle asked, somewhat panicky.



"No," Laura replied, her voice strangely eased. "They wouldn't dare, here in the main thoroughfare where anyone could see them. We are in the main part of Coruscant, after all. Besides, I set up a little distraction for them--they'll keep busy for a while."



"Distraction?" Danielle asked stupidly.



"Well, yeah--you didn't think I got in there just on wit and charm, did you? I didn't have time to plan much, but a friend agreed to help while I got you out. Sith only knew how long I had before that horrendous creature did something unspeakable to you."



Danielle was feeling more than a little overwhelmed again. "Oh. Right. Laura--where are we going?"



"You're staying at the Jedi Temple, right? We need to get you back there as soon as possible. You need to be somewhere safe--and I mean *really* safe--where that monster can't get you. For now, at least, the Temple is safe. Besides, I have some . . . matters . . . I would like to discuss with certain persons in the Temple. And, moreover, you need to get that ankle tended to as quickly as possible." She nodded at her friend's ankle, which had already started to swell and throbbed distractingly.



Danielle sat silently for a few minutes, processing; then, when she finally spoke, it all came out in a flood. "Laura, *what's going on?* Who's the friend that's helping you? How do you know all this? How long have you been here? How do you know where I've been? If you know that, why haven't you come and *told* me? Where have you BEEN?"



Laura blinked at this rapid interrogation. "Okay, whoa now, only one question at a time. What's your first?"



Danielle looked at Laura appraisingly. "Who was that man--thing--back there?"



Laura was quiet for a minute. "I'm not exactly certain," she replied at last, her hazel eyes slightly distant. "His name--at least, the name I know him by--is Atharca, or some other unpronounceable thing. He's head of a pretty hefty organization whose only goal, as far as I know, is chaos: the utter disruption of the Republic and the plunging of the galaxy into anarchy and darkness."



"What does he want with me?"



Laura shot her a sloe-eyed glance as she considered her next words for a moment, and for the first time it occurred to Danielle that her friend might not be telling her everything she knew . . . or even lying outright. "I don't know for sure, but I think . . . I think he knows you're not from this galaxy, and he thinks he can use that, somehow."



"He does," Danielle said, feeling slightly ill. "He told me . . . he told me he's going to use my pendant to get back to our galaxy."



Laura's hands were suddenly white-knuckled on the steering wheel. She whispered a word Danielle had never heard her use before, and her eyes turned murderous. "He'll never get away with that."



"What *is* he? He's not human, and he--he seems almost omnipotent."



"He's fairly close," Laura said grimly, "but that little margin of error is enough to take him down. And trust me--given enough time, we will."



Danielle looked at Laura for a long time. "Laura, how on earth do you know all this?"



Laura sighed quietly as she switched lanes, bringing them into a part of Coruscant Danielle recognized. "I've been here a while. I'm beginning to gain a little experience. Sometimes . . . sometimes, it feels like home, horrible as that is."



"I know, I feel the same way," Danielle concurred. "How long have you been here, exactly? We all seem to be different on that. I've been here over three months, Krista just under three, and Annie only about two--or negative thirty-something, if you remember time travel. How about you?"



Laura's expression was utterly blank for some time, then a strange, nameless emotion filled her eyes. "I . . . well, if I remember correctly, I've been here for three years."



At first, this didn't exactly sink in, and she just sat in silence trying to absorb it. When she succeeded, Danielle felt like she'd been gut-punched. "You've . . . oh, God, Laura, three *years*?"



Laura shrugged slightly, and suddenly Danielle understood the slight change in her features, her accent and tonalities. "I . . . I just assumed the rest of you had been as well. I looked for you for so long . . . I began to think I was never going to find any of you. Then, when I heard you . . . heard where you were, I mean . . . I rushed in to help before it was too late. But at least I've found you at last, and all of this will end soon."



Danielle just shook her head. "What do you mean, this will all end soon?"



"You don't know?" Laura closed her eyes briefly, rather dangerous when driving a speeder several miles above the ground, but apparently necessary for dramatic effect. "Well. I'm sure that will change when we get back to the Temple."



"What? Laura, what's going on?"



Laura shook her head. "Explanations later; we're almost there. What's the fastest way to get inside? There are some people I need to talk to without having to go through red tape or some sort of screening process."



"I have voice recognition to get me into a special hangar bay," Danielle admitted. "No one should stop us before we reach my quarters."



"Direct me there," Laura said, and Danielle did.



When they had parked and exited the ship, Danielle led Laura at a near-run up to her room, ignoring the surprised glances or yells of any Jedi they passed. At the door, she said, "Now, I just need to run in and see if anyone's home or leave a quick note, and then we can get you to--"



Mid-sentence, the door swung open, and Danielle found herself facing a stunned Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon.



For a moment, no one moved; then, in a mass of shocked gasps and delighted laughter, Danielle was yanked inside and crushed in two pairs of strong arms until the breath was nearly wrung from her.



When they were coherent, Obi-Wan finally managed, "Danielle, Force help me, I was so worried. We didn't know what had happened, where you were, no one could sense you--we were just about to go out looking--"



"It's all right, I'm okay," she said breathlessly, having forgotten all about Laura. "Obi--it's the man who's been orchestrating all the attacks, the one in the Temple in everything. He kidnaped me and held me in some building right here on Coruscant. He's the head of some kind of organization, they have all these plans . . ." Abruptly she noticed that they'd each packed the light knapsack they usually took with them on missions and were wearing their long robes. "Uh, were you going somewhere?"



"Before we received word that you were missing, the Council assigned us on a very important mission," Qui-Gon said gravely. "It seems the Trade Federation has greatly overstepped its bounds and blockaded Naboo, the planet of your young friend Queen Amidala. She is already on her way back to her planet to attempt to negotiate with them, and we will follow as soon as we may, to convey a message for Chancellor Valorum."



For the second time within a few minutes a wave of nausea swept over Danielle, freezing her limbs. "Oh God, we're too late," she gasped, dizzily. "We're too late, it's started."



"What's started? Danielle, what do you know of this matter?"



"I believe what she is trying to say," a voice said coolly from the doorway, "is that you cannot go on this mission."



Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon both turned, shocked, and registered that an unfamiliar young woman had just entered the room without their knowledge. "I'm sorry I didn't knock, but I thought since the door was open, I may as well just come in," she said, a hint of dryness in her voice. "Well, well, well. Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi." She flashed a strange glance at Danielle and then a half-smirk at the Jedi. "If I'd known you were rooming with these two, I'd have begged an introduction, or at least an autograph."



They stared at her like she'd grown another head. "What did you say?" Qui-Gon finally managed.



"Which part? Oh, about Danielle's attempts to articulate? She doesn't want you to go--and I don't know if you've figured this out yet, but when she tells you that you oughtn't do something, you'd damn well better listen."



Danielle had, with good reason, expected Obi-Wan to treat Laura just as he had Krista and Annie: to welcome her, and inquire good-naturedly after how many other young women Danielle would be dragging into the mix. To her utter shock, however, he narrowed his eyes in an expression that could only be called suspicion and eyed Laura coldly. "Who, exactly, are you?"



Laura paused, clearly considering this, and Danielle waited to hear what her friend would say, what obscure part of Star Wars she had spent the last three years in. At last, Laura seemed to reach some decision, and looked directly at Obi-Wan with a quiet but somehow feral smile.



"Why, it's funny we've never met before, really, since we've been working in rather the same circles for several years now. I'm Senator Palpatine's aide."