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Chapter 10

Our small band moved swiftly through the corridors. We paused only to deal with the occasional stealth-hidden assassins that attempted to impede our progress. They were all the same, driving my mind into a bit of frustration with the monotony. Granted, it wasn't everyday you were running for your life through a half-destroyed Republic capital ship trying to escape an abandoned mine facility all the while fending off unseen attacks, but the least these guys could have done was have some difference in outfit. Or, at the very least, said something while they attempted to hack us into pieces. I began to wonder if they were clones or something like that. Knowing Sith ethics, it wouldn't have been a surprise. I would soon wish I hadn't asked for a break in the relatively safe routine.

We soon arrived in the barracks/dormitories of the ship itself. My mind started to remember being here before. I then remembered just where my old room was. Even though it had been a few days, it felt like I hadn't been in there for years. I stopped at the door.

"What's the matter?" Atton asked.

"Indeed, why have you stopped?" Kriea questioned.

"This used to be my old room. Do you mind?" I quietly sought Kreia's permission.

"Very well. Do what you must in here, but you must be quick. I am more in tune with the life forces still here, and we are still in no short supply of potential predators. Something else is coming as well."

Indeed, I agreed with her on both points, especially the latter. Something odd was coming from behind and would be caught up in within a short time.

"Don't worry, I just want to pick up some stuff." I said running into the room.

Smelling the old metal and leather scent in the room, moved to the side of the bed, where there was a foot locker. I opened it up to find some stuff which would be useful assuming we were able to make it back into civilized space. I equipped an armband I had received from a Republic soldier ten years ago. It had my name etched underneath it, and it was good physical protection. I pulled out a chip that had a healthy amount of credits on it. I would be needing that especially. Once I got out of there, I was going to the first bar I could and drink myself into a stupor. Then I could work on forgetting this whole mess. Then I found something in the chest I had nearly forgotten about, yet needed more so than the other things I had found.

It was a mini-holo projector. I flicked it on, happy I hadn't lost it. A girl of about 17 stood there smiling swaying back and forth and then catching a ball thrown to her, only to throw it back. She was smiling and laughing the whole way through. Then she ended by saying something:

"Hehe. Mates, I love you so much."

I nearly wept. But I didn't because Atton shoved his head into the room.

"Hey, Mates, nostalgia can wait. Kreia's getting a little edgy. One, that means something bad is coming, and two, its getting on my freaking nerves."

Shaking off the pre-tears, I stood up maintaining my composure.

"Yeah, sorry. I got what I need. We can go to the engine room now."

Atton and I walked out of the room to meet up with Kreia and we continued our soon to end trek inside the ship.

Continuing on, we came to the medical bay of the ship. This place looked at least somewhat less ruined than the rest of the ship. There were several bacta tanks lining the room, with one broken from the inside out that was set inside a wall. The immediate area around it frightened me. If the ship had simply been coated with a thin residue of evil, there was a considerably thicker sensation around the tank.

We passed the room, not saying anything. Nor did we need to say anything. Even Atton, who was not in tune with the Force like me and Kreia were, was looking a little squeamish. I looked at Kreia and was not surprised to see the old woman looking as stoic as ever.

We finally reached the turbolift that led down to the engine room, which would lead to the fuel pipes which would then lead to our escape. My heart was a little overjoyed that we would soon be out of this mess. We stepped in and went down into the bowels of the ship. Had I not been distracted by my hopes, I'd have noticed that sense of evil even Atton was feeling at that moment coming dangerously close.

Exiting the lift, we walked cautiously into the hallway. It was even darker than the rest of the ship and more damage was apparent down here. We walked down the seemingly endless hallway, passing several open doorways. Atton stopped.

"What is it now?" I asked him.

"I'm telling you, something doesn't feel right. Something big is about to happen and I don't like it." He replied nervously.

"Well no point in worrying about it now. We'll deal with it when it decides to show up."

"Fine, but I don't say I didn't warn you."

Poetic justice is a mean thing. Or maybe it was irony? Either way, I soon came to appreciate Atton's warnings very quickly. We walked down the hall further for about a minute before I felt something horrible almost on top of us. I also heard footsteps. We looked behind us and saw one of the most horrible things imaginable. At the beginning of the hall was a figure.

The man didn't quite look like a man at all. It was a mockery of man. Its skin looked gray, burnt, and cracked all over. It was almost painful just to look at it. It only had a set of pants on, so you were forced to view more of his obviously pain-racked body. Its right eye was a milky white, as though it were infected beyond hope. But his left eye was worse. It was a deep red and looked as though all the anger, hatred, and other miserable emotions in the universe collected in that eye. You might have felt pity for it, except it was walking toward us quite normally and had something in his hand that looked suspiciously like a lightsaber. I wondered if it could possibly be a Sith Lord.

I almost screamed out of fright. Atton didn't scream, but I could feel his fear rising fast. Fortunately, I was able to hold up my pride and Kreia rushed towards the nearest door between us and the living-dead warrior. She looked at the creature walking in our direction as though she realized she had to, no must, do something.

"This battle is mine alone."

I tried to object, not wanting to see an old woman get pummeled by that Sith Lord.

"I am not defenseless." She said before I barely opened my mouth.

Kreia went onto the other side of the door and began pushing things in. I had a good idea of what she was planning on doing.

"He can not hit what he can not see, and power has blinded him long ago. Hurry on. I shall be along shortly." She said with conviction.

The door shut and locked. We were left safe. Kreia, however, was in a whole other game of death.

Atton and I continued forward without a word. We had no more encounters with any assassins. I assumed we finally got past them all. At the end of all the twisting corridors was a door that led into the engines, our next to final destination. I unlocked the door and went inside.

The engine room wasn't as complex as I feared. It merely composed of a catwalk going by several important looking machines. We found the fuel pipe that would lead us into the hangar and out of this nightmare. Unfortunately, it was blocked off by a spinning turbine. I went over to the nearby console and turned the blasted thing off.

We were right at the entrance to the tube, when I started hearing voices in my head.

"You should never have come back"

"We shall hunt them all."

"We shall see."

"To have fallen so far and learned nothing: that is your failing."

I tried to ask aloud what was going on, but the next thing out of my mouth was a scream of pain. I fell to the floor writhing around my hand. My left had suddenly felt far too hot. It was as though it had been dipped in molten metal. It seared only up to my wrist, somewhat fortunately. Atton shouted in concern.

"Hey! What's going on, man?" Atton said more in surprise than curiosity.

I kept screaming. My hand felt horrible. I thought the pain would never go when all of a sudden it disappeared as thought it had never been there.

"Uh, that was not pleasant one bit." I grumbled bitterly.

"You okay? What happened?" Atton asked more calmly.

"Kreia. I think Kreia is in trouble. In pain. We've gotta go back!"

"Whoah, whoah. Listen, she gave us a chance to leave. We should really take it."

"You idiot! I'm not going to abandon her just to escape. No, not another death! Not another woman's blood on my hands! Not ever again!" I tried to rush past Atton, but he knocked me down with a good right hook. I was angered because I thought he didn't understand what I've been through. I would find later I was wrong.

"You shut up and listen. Kreia sacrificed herself so we could get away. Going back now would be like spitting on her grave, assuming she's even ready for one. Trust that damn Force of yours, if not me."

"Fine… I trust you. And I guess I'll have to trust her."

"Good. Let's get out of this hell. Together."

"Right."

Atton offered his hand and helped me up. We walked past the turbine and into the fuel pipe back into the station. We were almost out and would soon bring closure to the start of a whole journey.

Author's note: There you go. I went and decided to make this chapter longer than usual. I'll try again with Chapter 11. Later.