Orbit over Roxuli - Aboard the Rebel Assault Frigate Stubborn Fool

The operation to take the Imperial supply center was so easy, it had to be a fluke. They dropped out of hyperspace and the Y-wings and capital ships delivered barrages of Ion blasts and ion torpedoes, disabling the whole thing. By the time the emergency generators kicked on, teams of commandos aboard the Rogue Shadow and the Scimitar were already heading invisibly towards the docking hatches. Quickly and quietly as venom, they headed into the facility, making for the cargo bays where all of the supplies and fuel could be obtained and quickly loaded and emptied. Every cargo ship in the rebel task force was loaded to the brim and all the supplies and fuel they could carry were taken aboard the rebel ships. When the fleet had been filled to capacity and even the cargo ships themselves were being used as storage, Kota ordered the fleet to move away from the station and wait for Pryce and her fleet to arrive. It would probably be some days.

Now that Sabine and Ezra had decided that they were in a relationship, they were absolutely inseparable. If one was seen anywhere on the ship, the other would also be somewhere within sight. Little did they know that Chopper had been sent to keep an eye on them and make sure that they behaved themselves. Many times, the droid would send holo recordings of them passionately snogging in one corner or another, though they studiously avoid anything more than touching one another beneath their clothing and fooling around that way.

During breakfast one morning, Hera and Kanaan watched them. They were sitting side by side in a corner of the mess hall, both of them with one hand below the table. Even as they ate and drank, it was clear what was going on. They were definitely messing around with each other. One would cover their mouth or bite their lip or suddenly jerk while the other was pretending not to notice. Suddenly, they both got up, grabbed their trays and turned them in, their food only half eaten as they dashed to one of their corners. "Should we be concerned?" asked Kanan absently.

"I don't think so;" said Hera. "They made their decision and until they decided that this relationship is a long-term, going-for-broke event, they will refrain."

Kanan adjusted his new eye covering and sensed, "I don't know. Those two were pretty stirred up."

Hera chuckled and leaned over to him. "Yeah? Well they aren't the only ones. Listen, let's have Chopper keep an eye on them while you and I sneak off. I would love to get carried away with you right now."

Kanan chuckled and stood, offering her his hand. As they headed towards one of the many corners they knew they would be able to hide in, the alarms sounded and any chance of blissful intercourse was forgotten for the moment. "All command staff to the bridge. I repeat, all command staff to the bridge;" came the voice of General Kota.

As expected, there was Admiral Pryce's fleet. As soon as it was out of hyperspace, fighters, bombers and dropships were launched. As he stood on the bridge, General Kota seemed to get an idea. "Starkiller, what kind of ships does Pryce have in her fleet?"

"Everything from old Acclamators and even a Venator to Imperial-I Class Star Destroyers. Why do you ask?"

"The Venator;" said Rahm casually, "I want it."

Silence followed and Starkiller said, "Okay. I'll grab a team and we'll be right back."

"Thank you;" said the old General in amusement.

On the way to the hanger, Galen ran into Hera and Kanan, who stopped so fast that Ezra and Sabine ran into them from behind. "Hey;" said Galen, "Interested in getting into a little trouble? Rahm says he wants that Venator out there."

There was a pause before they said, "Who's coming with us? Those Venators have pretty substantial crews."

"I'm not sure yet;" said Galen cheerfully. "I'm sure we'll come up with something."

"Galen;" said Juno from behind him. "That ship is nearly directly in the center of Pryce's formation. How do we plan on getting to it."

"With cloaking devices;" said Galen. "Gather as many as we can fit aboard the Rogue Shadow and the Scimitar in the hanger right now."

A good number of Kota's militia troops joined in and they all crammed aboard the two ships. The plan was to dock at two places along the haul and converge on the bridge so that they could then sound an evacuation/self destruct sequence. Then, the crew could just fly the Venator out of the formation. Juno looked at Galen and said, "You're insane."

Ahsoka Tano, to everyone's shock, was chuckling and said, "It sounds just like something my old Master would try during the Clone Wars. Let's do it!"

"Someone should stay to repel boarders;" said Kanan. "Ezra, Sabine, we'll leave that to you."

They nodded grimly and Sabine put on the helmet of Mandalor the Indomitable. The alarms were still blaring and shouted out where the boarders were making the attempt. Suddenly, they came to one hatch that the marines and rebel soldiers had missed. A red lightsaber was cutting its way through it. "Stay back;" said Ezra grimly as he held his lightsaber ready.

Sabine held her blasters level as well, aiming right at the hatch. When it fell inward, stormtroopers began to pile in. None of them made it very far. Any that got a shot off were unable to get it past Ezra's lightsaber. The rest, Sabine gunned down. As the last trooper fell, a figure stepped out of the shuttle. He wore a mask of some kind - a war mask and flexible, ribbed armored robes. In one hand was a lightsaber. Ezra placed himself firmly between him and Sabine, who had already drawn the darksaber. "Sabine, this isn't like dueling Mandalorian warriors, even on the worst day;" he murmured, "this is-"

Out from the boarding ship came a second Dark Stalker with a lightsaber pike. Clearing his throat, Ezra prepared himself. The both lifted their hands and sent streams of force lightning at him and at Sabine. Not knowing what else to do, he pulled the darksaber from her hand and used it to stop the twin blasts, setting his feet and getting his teeth. Sabine opened fire, which ended the lightning assault. The two dark siders ignited their weapons and advanced. Ezra handed the darksaber back and prepared himself.

They attacked in tandem, working together to try and overcome the young man before them. But Ezra was good and he had Sabine to help him. Whenever it seemed as though one of the red blades would kill him as he blocked the other, the flat, black blade of the darksaber appeared. Suddenly, Ezra thrust his hand out and blasted one of his enemies back before viciously attacking the other. The lightsaber pike wielder was able to defend himself with more than just the blade. The shaft of the weapon was made of some kind of lightsaber resistant metal.

With a sudden kick, Ezra landed hard on his back. The dark sider was on him when Sabine charge in with a roar. Her ferocity surprised the Dark Jedi, as did her vicious skill. The dark warrior was backpedaling madly, trying to stay ahead of Sabine's vicious assault. Both Ezra and the other stalker leaped into the fight, locking blades and before her opponent had the opportunity to regain his balance in the fight, Sabine used a repulser on her gauntlet to smash him into the corridor wall before using a rip cord to entangle him. Whipping out her blaster, she fired a dozen rounds into him until he stopped kicking.

To her surprise, Ezra's opponent roared and basted the Jedi back with a shock-wave before rushing her. She was barely able to stay ahead of his searching blade until he used the force to grip her throat. Out of pure instinct, she activated her jet pack and tried to get away but the force user kept her from getting more than a dozen meters or so. With a snarl, he held out his lightsaber pike, the red blade extended and began to pull her towards it.

With a roar, Ezra slashed both of his enemy's hands the then stabbed his through the chest. Sabine fell gagging to the ground. Slowly, they crawled towards each other. "Are you alright?" croaked Sabine.

"I'm fine;" said Ezra, his voice wheezing slightly. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. Suddenly, he was hugging her protectively to him. "Ezra?" she croaked.

"I've never been so scared;" he murmured.

"We can talk about it later;" said Sabine, gently pushing away. "There's still a battle going on. Let's go."

Aboard the as-yet Unknown Venator-Class Star Destroyer

Galen, Juno, Kanan and Hera lead the commandos with them towards the bridge. Every stop of the way was a fight but not a terribly daunting of difficult one. Only Imperial officers and troopers were in there way and most of them had rather turned and fled when they saw the rebels approaching than face two Jedi. Taking the bridge didn't take too much longer. What's more, Ahsoka, Maris, Zeb, Chopper and the commandos were right behind them. "Alright, Galen, I want you to sound an evac order. Chopper, rig the system to sound the self-destruct alarm without engaging the actual self-destruct sequence. Hera, take the helm. The rest of you, lock down the doors and get ready for a fight. They won't let this ship go in a hurry if the evac alarm doesn't scare them all off."

Just them, both alarms started to sound. They looked out over the ship and watched as the hangers opened. Immediately, the ship began moving out of formation with the rest of the Imperial fleet - which was standard procedure for arming a self destruct sequence anyway. The ship was required to get as far away as possible in order to avoid damaging the ships around it. As they all watched, the escape pods jettisoned. TIE craft were taking off, as were the numerous shuttles, drop ships and transports. They fled to the Imperial ships behind them but, judging by the numbers, a full quarter of the crew was still on board.

Even so, it didn't seemed to matter. Suddenly, the comms system crackled. Going by feel, Kanan went to it and answered the comms. "This is Kanan Jarrus."

"Good work, Kanan;" said Kota grimly. "We're locking onto you with tractor beams and sending more troops aboard. After that, I'm having all full cargo ships heading over to you to unload. That will be out new command ship as soon as we clear it. In the mean time, all ships set course for the following coordinates. We're heading beyond the edge of the known galaxy to the last world on the maps."

Everyone was suddenly dead-still. All looking at one another, Galen finally said, "Is he serious? What's to be served by going all the way out there?"

"Because if we fail, he wants it to be damned near impossible for them to get back;" said Kanan grimly. "Set coordinates for the last known planet of the western edge of the galaxy. We're going to Esfandia."

Grimly, Hera followed his orders, as did every other ship in their fleet.

Aboard the Imperial-Class Star Destroyer Predator

Admiral Pryce and Stalker Prime both watched in awed disbelief as the enemy once again turned and fled but this time, beyond Wild Space and into the Unknown. "What in the name of the force?" muttered the Dark Jedi. "Where could they possibly be going?"

"They are going to the last planet ever mapped in the known galaxy - a world that no longer even orbits a star. It simply floats freely in space. It's core is irradiated so that it can still somehow support life. I will consult with Lord Vader before we proceed. I think he will be intrigued as I am."

Prime nodded, frowning as if disturbed by the whole discovery.

Lord Vader was finishing up his absolute desolation of the rebels on Yavin. They had held up in one of the lesser temples to hold until the last of their command had escaped but, unfortunately for them, Jan Dodonna, the War Minister of the Alliance, had been captured. "What is it, Admiral?" he asked impatiently.

"We have tracked General Kota and his task force to the edge of the known Galaxy. They are now jumping away to Esfandia, my Lord. Is it the Emperor's will that we pursue them, even into the depths of the Unknown Regions?"

"It is the Emperor's will that you pursue them unto death - either theirs or yours;" said Lord Vader plainly. "If that means you fallow them from this galaxy to another, then follow them you will."

Admiral Pryce cleared her dry throat and said, "As you command, Lord Vader."

The communication was terminated and Pryce clenched her fists. "I need a drink;" she growled.

"We should make the jump to lightspeed;" said Prime firmly, "Lord Vader was adamant-"

"The rebels won't run far;" growled the Admiral. "They're whole purpose right now is to lead us away from the war. They are a diversion away from the Rebel Alliance and we, by order of the Emperor and his dark lordliness, are playing along like tamed kath hounds on a leash."

Suddenly, Pryce was shoved against the wall with a strong hand around her throat. "Do not show such disrespect for the Dark Lord of the Sith!" hissed Prime.

To his surprise, Pryce all but purred, "Why Prime! I never knew you could be so... passionate... about anything. Truly, I meant no disrespect to our Dark Lord. I said what I said out of frustration. Even so, I cannot just waltz into wherever. That's what we have been doing all along so far. I want to make this the last jump we make. I want all the information I can get about the system and see if perhaps we can get some. Also, I have full access to the Imperial archives from my ship here so long as I can stay within holonet range. Here, even at the edge of the galaxy, I can. I need to study up on anything and everything we know about the Unknown Regions. But before all of that, I need to relax and unwind."

Gently, she eased the hand off of her throat. "You have such powerful hands, Prime;" she said. "Why don't you join me in unwinding and perhaps you will glean knew insight as well while we let ourselves go, just a little."

"If you insist, Admiral, I suppose a small delay won't be too terrible;" said the Dark Jedi.

Pryce smiled and said, "Excellent!"

As they headed towards the Admiral's quarters, Pryce used her comlink to order repairs on all damaged ships as well as a commandeering of any and all remaining supplies from the post in the Roxuli system. That done, she looked at the Dark Jedi who was following and smiled. She wondered if maybe, just maybe, she could teach him a thing or two that Darth Vader never had, or indeed, never could. "I think, Stalker Prime;" she said casually, "that I will relax in bath in my quarters. Do you care to join me?"

"I've never been in a bath before;" murmured the Dark Jedi. "Is it like a bacta tank, but with water?"

Pryce chuckled. "No, it is not, my friend. It is was of the most luxurious experiences. You submerse yourself in warm water and let it warm your stress and concerns away. It will help you relax. A glass or two of decent drink and, perhaps, some companionship and we will both be quite ready to face the rebels as soon as our ships are ready to fight."

After a long pause, the clone nodded. "That is sound logic, I believe. A little relaxation and a little drink won't go amiss and won't take up too much time."

Something about the smile on Admiral Pryce's face suddenly caused misgivings within the dark sider. "Admiral, what-"

"Ssshh;" she said. "Never you mind, Prime. The only things that I can promise you are two fold: one is that I am not going to hurt or kill you. Two is that you really will enjoy this and will be as relaxed and refreshed as it is possible to be. Understand? Use your force powers. Do you think that I am lying?"

Prime stretched out with his feelings and came to the conclusion that she was, indeed, being honest. But a whole mess of feelings and emotions and sensations were beginning to effect his body. They were feelings that he had gotten before, of course. Presumably, all healthy and whole sentient creatures got them when around the opposite sex of their species, or in some cases, of any humanoid species. He had gotten them when he had received flashes of Galen Marek's memories from the flash training he had been given. That Juno Eclipse was a beautiful woman and the memories of Galen Marek's attraction to her had not been without their effects on him.

"Very well, Admiral;" he said. "I'll follow your lead."

Pryce all but purred with satisfaction as she led him towards her suite.

Hyperspace - Aboard the Rebel Assault Frigate Stubborn Fool

All told, nine of the Dark Stalkers had attempted to board the ships. Ezra and Sabine had managed to eliminate five of them while Kota, sensing the danger, had taken PROXY and cleared the others. When the last one had fallen, they were all exhausted and happy to be away. As Rahm was returning to the bridge, he found Ezra and Sabine, sitting next to each other in one of the corridors with two of the dark siders dead beside them. "Are you both alright?" he asked, looking directly over their heads.

Ezra sighed and nodded. "The ship is clear, General. We're safely away to... wherever we're going."

Kota chuckled and offered them each a hand. "Up you come, Kids. Go get yourselves some food, shower off and get some rest. You've earned it."

With a solid clap on each of their backs, Kota sent them on their way while he headed back to the bridge.

Ezra slipped his hand into Sabine's and she gripped it. They were quiet until the young Jedi blurted out. "I love you, Sabine."

Mandalor looked at him, her face serious and her eyes firm. "Ezra, that's not something to say lightly. Are you sure?"

In answer, he leaned in and kissed her. It wasn't a hungry, passionate, desire-filled kiss. It was a loving, affectionate kiss - one that was as much give as it was take. One that he tried to convey all of his feelings for her through. Sabine hummed into the kiss and held both of his hands to her. When they separated, he said firmly, "I love you Sabine Wren, Mandalor the Deliverer."

Sabine looked down. She wanted to say that she loved him too but she had to be sure. After just a moment of thinking about the number of times the blasted Dark Stalkers had nearly killed him just in the past six hours, it wasn't hard to decide. Looking into his electric blue eyes, she said, "Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum."

Ezra smiled uncertainly and asked hesitantly, "What was that?"

"I said I love you;" she murmured before kissing him again, running her hands through his sleek, black hair.

Aboard the Venator Destroyer, the Jedi were able to sense Ezra projecting his strong feelings of relief and affection. Kanan smiled and Galen looked towards him as if for confirmation. "We're going to have to talk with them again when we drop out of hyperspace;" Kanan commented to Hera.

She frowned in reply. "Why's that? Oh no! Don't tell me that you sense them-"

"No, no; nothing like that. But I can sense Ezra. He's projecting his feelings and he and I have a force bond. It's something most if not all Jedi have with their padawans. I can tell that their relationship just became a great deal more real. So we should probably talk to them about... taking precautions and the like."

Galen chuckled and shook his head in amusement. Kanan glanced over at him. "I'm guessing Vader never had the talk with you?"

"No;" laughed Galen. "I was an assassin meant to hunt and kill Jedi until my usefulness had expired. My future and love life were probably the farthest things from his mind."

Hera considered him and said in as serious a voice as she could muster, "Maybe we should sit down with him too."

Galen's face turned bright red. "I don't think so. I know everything I need to know right now, thanks!"

Juno found it all quite amusing as well. "And anything you need to know, I would be more than happy to teach okay."

"Okay;" said Kanan. "This conversation is over. I'm going to get some rest. Alert me when we drop out of hyperspace."

Hera looped her arm through his and they left together. Juno, having nothing to do at her station, stood and went over to Galen, leaning against his side as he wrapped his arm around her. "Are you ready for bed, darling?" she whispered.

Galen yawned and nodded. "Yes, I am. We should get rest while we can. One we get to our destination, I'll wager it won't be long before Pryce follows us and engages."

"Considering the damage she had to her ships, I'm willing to bet on at least one full day before we see her again;" said Juno as they turned towards the exit of the bridge.

"I hope you're right;" said Galen. "I'm getting tired of looking into my own eyes as they go dark."

Juno suddenly looked at him and realized what it must be doing to him to kill his own clones, especially since he had up until recently thought he himself was a clone. "I never even thought about it;" she murmured.

Galen smiled. "You don't need to. It's something I reconciled to when we started this whole thing. Actually, it's something I had to deal with back on Kamino."

Juno shuddered at the memory of the place. "Never mind;" said Galen gently. "No more talking about that unpleasant stuff. Let's just go to bed. You could use it as much as I could."

After they had eaten, Sabine had taken Ezra's hand and nonchalantly lead him off, seemingly at random while they talked. "What will your family think?" he asked, clearly just a little anxious.

"I'm Mandalor;" said Sabine with a smirk and a shrug. "I don't care what they think. I fairly certain I won't lose any support because of you. Besides, my family and many of the others respect you quite a bit. It will make sense to them."

Ezra frowned. "What do you mean? What will make sense to them?"

Sabine smiled and said, "You are a warrior of great skill and courage. You have good sense... well most of the time at least."

"Hey!" complained Ezra, much to her amusement.

"You are loyal and strong. They respect you for all of that, even if you aren't Mandalorian."

They were silent for a bit before Sabine asked, "What do you think Kanan and Hera will think?"

Ezra chuckled. "I dunno but we don't have to worry about that until we leave hyperspace. In the mean time, we can just enjoy some alone time together and not worry about a thing. No interruptions, no sudden battles and no parent figures to lecture us."

Sabine chuckled. She and Ezra thought the world of Kanan and Hera but it would be nice to be able to have some time to themselves without being interrupted. In fact, it gave her several ideas. Gently, she began to angle them both back to the crew quarters. "So;" she asked casually, "what do you want to do with this alone time we find ourselves with?"

Ezra chuckled and said, "Well we've eaten. I'm going to hop in the shower real quick and change into something else. I can't smell very good right now."

"You don't" said Sabine as she hugged his arm to her affectionately. "Alright; let's shower and then... get some rest."

Ezra glanced down at her, noting the pause in her speech. She returned the look innocently enough but her green eyes had a small spark in them and the corners of her mouth were up-turned ever so slightly. Chuckling, Ezra put his arm around her waist and said, "Whatever Mandalor commands."

"That's right;" chuckled Sabine.