Jason Kenobi stepped out of his hiding place, having just avoided another group of sax troopers. Thankfully, he had already managed to shut down the tractor beam that held the millennium Trumpet captive. But escape was the last thing on his mind at the moment. There was still one task left undone. One injustice left standing……Fred.

Jason was just about to continue his search for the dark Drum Major when he felt a presence behind him. A power so dark and full of hatred that it seemed to poison the very air. There was no mistaking that presence.

Jason turned slowly around, finally ready to face what he'd been running from for so long.

Darth Fred stood before him, band saber ignited. The master and his former pupil stood facing each other for several tense seconds before Jason took out his band saber and activated it.

"I've been waiting for you, Jason. We meet again at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you I was but a learner. Now I am the master."

"Only a master of evil, Fred." Jason said calmly as Fred lunged at him. Jason easily blocked the swinging blade and stepped to the side, forcing Fred to follow him.

Fred quickly took the offensive, throwing blow after blow at his former master. Jason still managed to block each blow. But he refused to attack Fred. He would only defend. Jason's refusal to attack only goaded Fred to taunt him.

"Your powers are weak, old man." he jibed.

"You can't win, Fred. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine." As Jason said this he whirled around and gracefully blocked another attack.

Fred was already starting to get frustrated at Jason's lack of fear or weakness. He threw himself into the battle, throwing furious blows at Jason. But despite his crushing attacks, Jason wasn't showing any sign of weakening or fatigue.

No matter, Fred thought. I will wear the old man down eventually.

"You should not have come back." Fred said ominously as he tried once again to run his old master through.

Jason blocked him effortlessly yet again. But Jason knew that even he couldn't keep this up forever. This was what it all came down to. The final battle in their long private war had begun. Only one would leave alive.

XXX

At the end of their long run, Amanda and Chris found themselves at the self same window where they had left Keoni and Bruchacca. The two were already there waiting for them.

"What kept you?" Keoni asked quietly without taking his eyes off of his case.

"We ran into some old friends." Amanda said casually.

"Is the case all right?" Chris asked.

"It seems ok…if we can get to it. I just hope the old man took care of the tractor beam."

All of the sax troopers were gathered at the far end of the docking bay, watching some sort of commotion. Keoni had no idea what they were all looking at and he didn't care.

"Now's our chance. Go!" Keoni hissed to the other three, racing from his hiding place and leading the mad dash to the case. Out of the corner of his eye, Keoni saw the two students making for the case. But once they had made it to the case, Keoni turned to see that Chris had stopped halfway there. He'd realized what it was that the sax troopers were watching.

"Ben." he whispered fearfully.

Jason was still locked in fierce combat with Darth Fred. Chris watched helplessly as the two titans clashed again and again. But for one small moment there was a break in the action. Jason lifted his head and smiled benignly at Chris, pushing his own energy across the space between them. He knew his time had come.

Jason raised his band saber in a last gesture of farewell. And then, just as Fred brought down his own saber to cleave him in two, Jason's body vanished into thin air, leaving behind his robes and band saber.

"NO!!" Chris screamed in agony.

At the sound of his voice the sax troopers turned and fired on him. Chris immediately snatched up his trumpet and returned fire.

"Come on!" Keoni shouted at him from the Millennium Trumpet

"Come on!" Amanda joined in Keoni's shouting. "Chris, it's too late!"

But Chris paid them no mind. He fully intended to pay each of the troopers back for Jason's death. But suddenly, Chris heard the dead master's voice in his head.

"Run, Chris. Run!"

This finally convinced Chris of his peril and he retreated to the Millennium Trumpet. All of the passengers quickly strapped themselves in and Keoni and Bruchacca made ready for takeoff.

"I just hope that old man got that tractor beam out of commission or this is gonna be a real short trip. Ok, hit it!" Keoni shouted to Bruchacca.

Bruchacca quickly fired up the engines and the Millennium Trumpet rocketed out of the docking bay and away from the flute station. Once they were a good distance away and safely in metronome space, Keoni started to breath easy again as his companions mourned the passing of Jason Kenobi.

"I can't believe he's gone." Chris whispered brokenly.

"There wasn't anything you could have done." Amanda said, trying to console him.

But, little did the grieving youth or the trumpet captain suspect, they were still being watched.

XXX

"Are they away?" Kate questioned Darth Fred back aboard the flute station.

"They've just made the jump into metronome space." Fred reported.

"And you're sure the homing beacon is secure aboard their case? I'm taking an awful risk, Fred. This had better work."

XXX

"Not a bad bit of rescue." Keoni said as he came back from the cockpit. "You know, sometimes I amaze even myself."

"That doesn't sound too hard." Amanda said mockingly. "They let us go. It's the only explanation for the ease of our escape."

"Easy? You call that easy?!" Keoni asked her furiously.

"They're tracking us." Amanda explained.

"Not this case, sister."

Amanda just sighed, noticeably exasperated.

"At least the information in Tim2's sax is still intact."

"What's so important? What's he carrying?" Keoni asked her.

"A show hard enough to destroy that flute station. I only hope that when the show is analyzed we can get it on the field. It's not over yet."

"It is for me, sister. Look, I ain't in this for your revolution. I'm not in it for you, Princess. I expect to be well paid. I'm in it for the money." Keoni said sharply.

"You needn't worry about your reward. If money is all that you love then that's what you'll receive."

Amanda then rose from her seat and went to leave, speaking to Chris on her way out.

"Your friend is quite a mercenary. I wonder if he really cares about anything…or anybody." Amanda had no idea where she was going but anywhere away from Keoni would do.

"I care about him." Chris said to himself.

As Chris approached him, Keoni just sat staring at the wall. Amanda's words had stung him. Though he would never admit it.

"So, what do you think of her?"

"I'm trying not to, kid." Keoni answered sullenly.

"Oh."

"Still, she's got a lot of spirit. But what do you think?" Keoni asked, suddenly brightening up. "Do you think a princess and a guy like me-"

"No." Chris said, cutting Keoni off before he could even finish the question.

Keoni smiled smugly to himself as Chris stalked off. The kid was jealous. It was a natural reaction.