Writer's notes - Again, many thanks to BaM, who beta'd this while I was away. I'm down to the end with a couple more chapters to go. With the Mass Shadow Generator coming into play, I'm going to draw a bit of a parallel to the a-bomb, using J. Robert Oppenheimer's quote of Vishnu from the Bagavad Gita. I thought it appropriate, given the timing of the posting.

Now I am Become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds – Part I

In theMedbay Aboard the RNS Indefatigable

In a private room in the medbay, the Zabrak technician, Bao-Dur, lay on a bed , senseless, groaning in pain. His gray skin was covered in rivulets of perspiration and the muscles of his face were taut as a drum. Medical droids hovered nearby, probing the stump of his left arm with mechanical implements. Amid the hum of the floating droids, monitors around Bao-Dur's bed throbbed with the sound of his erratic heartbeat.

Entering the room from the dimly-lit hallway outside of the room, two men entered the room and stepped into the warm light – Malak and Bandon. Still clad in his red armor, Malak looked down on his gravely-wounded technician without emotion. "Can you wake him?" he asked the lead droid.

The metal medic's eyes flashed. "Master, it is possible, but ill advised. The Zabrak has lost a great deal of blood and is in highly critical condition."

Malak grunted and ran his hand through his golden hair, his face now betraying his agitation. "Bandon, the Mandalorians stole my weapon from under my nose, but we can salvage the situation. I must know how the weapon operates and only Bao-Dur can tell us." He slumped his shoulders and bowed his head in an expression of resignation. He looked back to the droid. "I can't let Revan know what has happened. We must proceed." He looked back to the droid. "Wake him."

"Yes, Master." A long metal arm emerged from the droid that was tipped with a long syringe. The point of the needle slid into Bao-Dur's gray skin at his neck and fluids surged into his arteries.

The Zabrak's dark eyes fluttered open, filled with pain. "No…. The Mass Shadow Generator…we must stop them."

Malak leaned over and gently put his hand on Bao-Dur's cheek. "Bao-Dur, listen. It's your commander, Malak," he said, pulling the Zabrak's face closer to look at him. "I know what happened and I have sent operatives to recover the weapon. I need to know how it operates. I need to know how to control it."

A wild look came into Bao-Dur's eyes and he began thrashing about with his one arm. "Sir, you can't control it. I realize that now. What have I done? What have I done?"

Malak seized his arm and pinned it to the bed. His face was pinched up in irritation. "You're not listening to me. You need to tell me how to operate the weapon. We will recapture it very soon," he said forcefully and tendrils of the Force lashed out into Bao-Dur's mind.

"Sir…I…I…it's power…beyond all imagining. What have created? It will tear the very fabric of…of-" the Zabrak tried to say, but Malak's power was great. Bao-Dur struggled for a moment more before his muscles relaxed and his breathing eased. His lips parted to mechanically unleash the death of millions. "Sir, here is the code: Eight-Six-One-Nine-Four-Five. You can then enter the detonation sequence which is…."

Malak smiled broadly as Bao-Dur detailed the operation of the weapon. He would be the hero of Malachor. The tall Jedi released the Zabrak. "Droid, put him back to sleep. See that he gets the finest medical care. I don't want him waking up until this is over."

"Yes, Master," the droid answered in an eerily cheerful mechanical voice and another syringe plunged into Bao-Dur's neck.

A Shuttle Racing Toward Revan's Fleet

Atton Rand pushed the throttle forward as far as it could go and the shuttle accelerated ahead through space. Needles on the gauges of the instrument panel spiked higher into the red, but Atton was unfazed.

"Jaq…Jaq, I don't think this is wise," voiced Kayla. "The ion stream is overheating."

He looked back for a moment and saw her and Seja, their eyes bulging and their lips curled with nervousness. "Don't worry none, sweets. I've done this before. She'll hold together," he said carelessly and then tapped the instrument panel with his hand. "Come on baby, hold together," he whispered.

The temperature in the cabin quickly rose and steam seeped through gaps in the panels and boards. "Jaq, she won't hold," said Kayla. "You've got to throttle back."

Atton grunted and his hand on the throttle twitched, but something caught his attention on the sensor. "That's them! We've got you!" he shouted with glee and then turned back to the two Jedi. "Fire up those lightsabers, you two and prepare to board."

He vectored the shuttle toward his prey and they shot ahead toward the escaping craft. Seja stood and began heading aft, but Kayla glanced over at the sensors. "Jaq, that shuttle has some unusual energy readings. What's on that thing?"

"I didn't ask Malak and you shouldn't worry about it, hun. Just get ready to go."

Kayla made a face, but then ran after Seja. When she had gone, Atton extended the grappling claws and came in over the hijacked craft. The metal claws dug into its hull with a grinding sound and Atton yanked the throttle back. "We have them! Get ready," he called aft and then leapt out of the pilot's seat. He sprinted back and drew a borrowed blaster pistol. Seja knelt down at the boarding hatch on the floor and extended the coupling to connect with the other ship.

"Boarding tube in place," Seja said. "Atmosphere in the green…I'm punching a hole in the hull."

There was a blast and a dull thud beneath the hatch and then Seja flung it open. Smoke greeted them and Seja jumped into the narrow hole, which was too small for the Jedi to ignite his weapon. Atton heard the sound of a lightsaber powering up and then blaster shots. He pushed his way past Kayla and leapt down into the enemy ship. Through the smoke he could see Seja's lightsaber deflecting away streaking bolts. Atton rolled toward cover as two bolts sizzled by where he had stood. He came up and leveled his own weapon, aiming down the barrel. Two shots rang out from his blaster and a man pitched over.

Atton advanced, but Seja seemed entirely on the defensive, swatting away bolts. Kayla leapt down and looked around to get her bearings, but the smoke and confusion slowed her. Atton charged up to a door and put his blaster around the corner. He fired and was rewarded by a scream.

He was about to move when someone grabbed his weapon arm and slammed it into the wall. With a cry of pain, he dropped his blaster. He moved into the corridor and saw his assailant holding a pistol on him. Instinctively, he slapped the weapon upward before the man could shoot him and it went off, sending a bolt screeching by his face into the wall behind. Atton bull rushed forward, throwing his shoulder into the man's chest and slamming him into the opposite wall.

The man grunted, stunned. He shook his head and reached down for a second blaster, but Atton whipped his hand across the man's throat. The man stopped and felt his neck. Blood trickled down, followed by a torrent and the last thing the man saw was the vibrodagger in Atton's hand. The man's eyes rolled upward and he slid to the ground.

The ship was silent now and Atton sighed. "Thanks for the help, you two." He reached down and pulled papers from the dead man's pocket. "Hmmm, sorry I had to kill you, Henrik," he said softly, looking around the room. "Now where are you hiding Malak's treasure?"

"I found it," called Seja. "It's over here."

Atton walked over to look into an open crate. There was a long cylinder in it. "It looks like a common torpedo."

Kayla approached and peered over Atton's shoulder. "I think it is a torpedo of some sort. I think this is the source of the unusual readings."

"I think you're right. We should notify Malak and let him figure this out," said Atton and he walked over to a communications panel in the bay. With a little tweaking, he dialed in the correct frequency and then attached a data pad to the terminal. "I'll need a little encryption and frequency-hopping to avoid any attention to our call."

A ghostly, pale-blue hologram of Malak appeared and Atton bowed his head. "Sir, we have taken control of the escaped shuttle. The item is in our possession."

The Jedi Knight's face brightened and a warm smile formed on his lips. "You have done well. There will be a place for you in the New Order, Jaq. What I need you to do now is to enter this code into the device," he said and the data streamed onto Atton's pad. "Then, access the system menu and enter these commands. Finally, set the shuttle on a course for Malachor Five. When that is done, return to my ship. Speak to no one else until I've had the chance to meet with you. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

Malak's image faded and Atton turned back to his friends. "Okay, let's fire her up."

A Hill Named 'Mount Austen'on Malachor VII

General Mai-Lyn T'Sing somersaulted away from the egress hatch of the great armored beast as blast and fire tore through the metal juggernaut's guts. Wheels and bits of track flew past her as she landed in the bloody, sooty snow. Immediately she drew her lightsaber and it hissed its presence. She wiped the smoke from her eyes and saw the Ordo warrior stagger to his feet.

"So, we meet at last, Mandalorian."

He shook his head to clear it and focused his eyes on her. "General T'Sing, I presume?"

Mai-Lyn nodded and made a curt bow. As Revan had taught her, she inverted her lightsaber and placed the butt to her chest in a Mandalorian salute. Then, she took a stance from the Shii-Cho, balanced and even.

Ordo drew his vibrodagger and held it, blade down, to his chest. "This is how it should be. I am Canderous of the Clan Ordo. I want you to know my name before you die." He then placed the dagger in his left hand and drew a vibrosword with his right. He advanced boldly, in the Mandalorian style, points of his weapons held toward her throat.

Mai-Lyn stood her ground, angling her blade across her body. The Mandalorian twirled his sword and sliced down at her head to which the Jedi darted sideways and parried horizontally. Energy met durasteel with a sizzle before Mai-Lyn pushed the blade away even as the dagger stabbed at her throat. She arched her back, nearly doubled over in a move from Ataru, to avoid the thrust. As Ordo recovered, Mai-Lyn continued the move, flipping over to kick him in the face.

The warrior grunted, but continued to advance, cutting diagonally with the sword. The Jedi stepped right into the attack and met it with brute force this time. Sparks flew and Canderous retreated a step. He grunted and began circling, looking for an opening. "General…nice use of Shien. Force against force. I see Revan taught you well."

She settled into a powerful stance as was the style, low, with knees bent. Her lightsaber was held tightly with two hands. "You know our techniques, Ordo?"

"As much as Revan knows ours."

Mai-Lyn switched to the offensive and spun her body to deliver a powerful blow. Canderous intercepted it with his dagger and slammed his right fist into her jaw. Stars erupted in her vision and she barely saw the sword cut in time to parry it. The dagger came again and she cartwheeled away. Another cut, another thrust and Mai-Lyn swatted the attacks down in a growing desperation, retreating up the snowy slope. She was tiring and her power ebbed from her limbs.

Ordo pressed his advantage, pushing her up the hill toward his own men as Republic soldiers fled downward in the rout. He continued to hack at her, but each time, she would dodge or parry.

With a long step backward, Mai-Lyn maneuvered over an icy rock and then kicked it up into Ordo's eyes where it shattered. Temporarily blinded, he lashed out into thin air and the Jedi slammed her silver blade into his side.

Energy met armor and smoke and fire shot from the point of impact. Canderous cried out in pain and fell backward, dropping his sword. General T'Sing raised her lightsaber again. "Die with honor, Canderous Ordo," she said, her bloody teeth bared.

On instinct, Ordo reached out and seized Mai-Lyn's legs, pulling her feet from under her. She toppled over and tried to sit up, but she saw the dagger flash. In a desperate move, she leaned back again, but the dagger raked across her chest, baring flesh. Blood spattered in the snow and she shrieked in pain. The Jedi rolled away before Ordo could follow up and came up in another Shien stance, low to the ground with her saber over her head.

Then, her comm link crackled. "General T'Sing, this is Colonel Jorath. I am surrounded by Mandalorians. I need assistance immediately."

Mai-Lyn froze. She glanced over at the wounded warrior for a second and then leapt away from him in a dazzling jump. "Live to fight another day, Canderous. We shall meet again."

Ordo licked the blood on his dagger and nodded. "Indeed we shall."