The Force's Shepherds

Chapter 84

An Old Enemy

Ben still had a hard time believing it. The negotiations with King Validar went extremely well. He hardly considered them negotiations. More like a friendly conversation where the Plegian King agreed with Chrom and Khan Basilio about the threat the Valmese posed. As such, King Validar pledged the entire Plegian navy to their cause. And he also pledged to fund the entire war. As a way to speed up the process of reparations from the last war. Something both Chrom and Basilio reluctantly agreed to.

Overall, the negotiations swung entirely in their favor. The finer details were worked out by the three rulers. After that was finished, King Validar bade them all farewell from Carrion Isle's small dock.

Ben leaned against the bow of the ferry. Hot desert air brushed through his hair as he focused his gaze on the sand dunes across the narrow strait. Tharja leaned against the bow as well. Her nerves much calmer now that they were leaving the island and returning back to Regna Ferox. The further away they were from Validar and the Hierophant, the more comfortable she would feel. The more comfortable they would all feel.

Ben glanced over at her and smiled.

"Ready for the cold?"

Tharja shivered, "No."

Ben chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. As they watched the ferry approach the shore, Ricken tiptoed his way towards them.

"Um… Ben, Tharja?"

Ben glanced over at the young mage as he nervously wrung his hands in front of his body. Tharja narrowed her eyes at her student.

"Yes?" She asked, already suspicious of his anxiety.

Ricken gulped. His eyes flicked back to the wheel. Nowi smiled at him from there. A toothy grin. And a slight blush.

"Oh!" Ben remarked.

Ricken's face turned crimson. Tharja started to snicker.

"Finally going to admit it?" Tharja asked between snickers.

"I- well- you see," Ricken tugged on the wide brim of his hat. Trying to hide his embarrassment any way he could, "I kind of have to admit it."

Tharja arched an eyebrow, "Why?"

Ben furrowed his brow. He decided to reach out with the force. Ricken seemed extremely nervous. Happy, but filled with anxiety. His thoughts were a jumbled mess. Filled with mixed intentions. He sensed guilt mixed with both excitement and relief. A small twinge of regret. But that regret retreated away as Ricken flicked his gaze over at Nowi again. The thousand year old Manakete's grin widened some more as she hopped away from the wheel and made her way over to them.

"Um… so we were um… hanging out in the King's palace and um…"

Tharja's eyes widened momentarily, "Ricken?"

It clicked in Ben's mind. The Jedi master groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Tharja," Ben muttered, "I think you should take the lead on this one."

"Me!?" Tharja cried, "You're the one who has had more than one lover in their life."

"And you have no shame. Ergo, you'd be better at this sort of thing." Ben retorted with a wry smirk.

"I am not prepared for a conversation like this." Tharja hissed at him while Ricken's face turned a deeper red.

"Neither am I."

"What are we talking about?" Nowi chirped as she slid next to Ricken and wrapped him in a huge hug.

Ben and Tharja sucked in sharp breaths.

"Nothing!" They said simultaneously.

"H-hey Nowi." Ricken stammered. The mage swallowed hard as the blush on his cheeks deepened.

Nowi frowned, "Guys, you know I heard everything you said, right?"

Ben paled, "Y-you did?" Ben sighed, "Tharja please-"

"Nope, this is on you. You brought it up."

"I didn't bring it up. Ricken did." Ben folded his arms, "He's your student."

"Oh he views you like an Uncle and you know it. This is a boy conversation."

"Man conversation." Ben corrected.

Tharja snorted, "Sure. And you're too scared to have it."

"I'm not scared. Just unprepared."

"Are you guys talking about what me and Ricken did?" Nowi gasped and stared hard at Ricken, "Did you tell them!?"

"No. But you just did." Ricken cringed.

"I did?"

Ben blinked, "Wait… we aren't talking hypotheticals?"

Nowi frowned, "What does that mean Ricken?"

Ricken pulled the brim of his hat further over his red face, "It means a made up scenario."

"Oh! This isn't made up!" Nowi squeezed Ricken tighter, "I'm in love with Ricken."

Tharja's mouth hung open, "Well," she cleared her throat as she looked at Ricken, "This will complicate your studies."

Ricken gulped and gave her a small nod.

"How could you be so reckless?" Ben asked.

Tharja gave him a weary look.

"I can ask that. I'm an adult." Ben defended himself.

Nowi sniffled. Causing their conversation to screech to a halt.

"Y-you guys are mad now?" She sniffled again.

Ben gave Tharja a concerned look, "This is really not helping me think this is legal."

"Well it is. She's a thousand years old." Tharja remarked, "And clearly she knew what she was doing."

"How would you know that?" Ben asked.

Tharja nodded at Ricken. The mage shrank away from her stern gaze.

"Look at him." She said, "Do you really think Ricken is capable of that kind of deception. And if he did do that, he knows he would have to answer to me. And he knows what my wrath is capable of."

"Yes ma'am." Ricken quickly confirmed.

"But Nowi is so-so-" Ben groaned, "Of all of the things I have seen and heard in my life, why is this one the one I'm having trouble processing?" Ben let out a heavy breath, "Alright, you two. Do you understand the implications of what has happened?"

Nowi gave Ricken a confused look.

"Consequences." Ricken clarified.

"Oh!" Nowi chirped, "Obviously. I may be a young Manakete. But I've been around long enough to know everything about birds and bees."

Ricken's hat was off of his head and over his face now.

"Birds and the bees." Ricken corrected. His voice muffled by his hat.

"And I'm not always so childish." Nowi said with a small pout, "I'm capable of being a grown up too. I would not have survived hundreds of years practically on my own if I was not able to be serious. I just enjoy not having to do adult stuff when I can. It makes up for my time having to survive and be serious." She finished with a bright smile.

"Well, now you are going to have to be an adult all the time." Ben warned.

Tharja nodded as she folded her arms. Her fingers tapped her arms as she stared down at Ricken.

"Ricken, get that damn hat away from your face and look at me." Tharja snarled.

Ricken audibly gulped. With a trembling hand, he placed his hat back on top of his head. His eyes remained at his feet.

"Eyes up." Tharja ordered.

Ricken gulped again and brought his youthful eyes to Tharja's.

"You know the consequences of your actions." Tharja said, "You will have to take responsibility for them. Do you understand?"

Ricken gave her a silent, guilty nod.

"You will have to put your studies on hold in order to make sure Nowi is taken care of. As well as the child."

Ricken paled. Ben sensed he wanted to protest. But Ricken knew better than to argue with Tharja. Ricken uttered a heavy sigh and nodded again.

"Can this stay between us?" Ricken asked, his voice barely a whisper.

Tharja frowned, "Why? They'll all find out in a few months."

Ricken's face paled considerably. Nowi reached over and gently took the fearful mage's hand.

"Don't worry." Nowi smiled, "We'll take care of whatever comes together."

Ricken gulped and turned to look at her. Ben instantly noticed some color return to his face as Ricken gave her a sheepish smile.

"Y-yeah." Ricken nodded.

Tharja sighed, "Now then, we will talk about the finer details of all of this when we get back home. For now, go do… whatever."

"Restrain yourselves." Ben warned as Nowi beamed at all three of them.

"Yes sir, Ben!" Nowi smile.

She yanked on Ricken's hand, "Come on! You can cloud watch with me."

"R-right."

The pair rushed towards the center of the deck. Nowi flopped down beside a napping Panne. The Taguel's eyes flicked open, glanced at Nowi, then closed again as she returned to her nap. Gaius used her back as a pillow. The thief snored loudly on the deck while Nowi and Ricken started to name shapes in the sparse clouds above them.

Tharja shook her head.

"She says she can be serious, then goes off to watch clouds."

"We'll have to keep an eye on them." Ben ran a hand over his eyes, "Naga, when did I become a parent?"

Tharja snickered softly, "You technically just volunteered."

Ben uttered another groaned. He rested his head against the railing of the bow. Tharja snickered and placed her head in her hand as she leaned against the bow as well.

"We're going to have to help them out."

"I'm aware." Ben sighed.

Tharja smiled a little bit, "Don't worry so much." She started to snicker uncontrollably, "You'll make a great grandfather."

Ben looked at her aghast, "You are having far too much fun with this."

"Of course I am." Tharja snickers more.

As they spoke, Robin approached them. The tactician sidestepped past Donnel and Frederick as the two spoke about the Themis military and its progress. He gave a small wave over to Cordelia, stepped over Gaius's stretched out legs, and smiled at Nowi and Ricken before he finally reached Ben and Tharja.

"Hey you two, the Captain says we should hit shore in a few minutes." Robin informed both of them, "What are you whispering about?"

Tharja flicked Ben a warning gaze. One that told him to keep his lips sealed for now.

"Nothing." Ben said with a small chuckle.

Robin arched an eyebrow, "It obviously wasn't nothing." Robin placed his hands on his hips, "C'mon, what secrets are you keeping now?"

"Love secrets." Ben retorted, causing both Tharja and Robin to blush furiously, "And if you want to know more, ask later."

"Ben…" Tharja hissed.

Ben gulped, "On second thought, it is probably best if you don't ask at all."

Robin let out a small laugh as the ferry pulled up to the dock on the Plegian mainland. He clapped a hand against Ben's arm and shook his head.

"Fine." Robin pointed at him as he marched towards the edge of the ferry. Ready to disembark and march back to Regna Ferox, "But I will find out eventually."

The ferry slid up against the dock. The wooden sides bumped against it with a few dull thuds. The crew tied the ferry off, and the Shepherds stepped off the ferry and back into the desert sands. Chrom and Basilio immediately pointed their company north. The fastest route to the Longfort.

Tharja glared at Ben as they started marching.

"What?" Ben asked innocently.

"Love secrets?"

Ben's cheeks reddened. Tharja shook her head as small smile on her lips.

"You're impossible."

Night came swiftly. The desert air cooled the further the sun set and the further the Shepherds marched north. The small group entered a rocky valley as the stars emerged in the twilight sky. And as they reached the center of the valley, Chrom and Basilio called for the group to set up camp. They would rest for the night and continue marching at first light.

Personally, Robin was grateful to finally stop. The events of the past few days left him exhausted. His feet ached. Sore from the hours of trudging through soft, hot sand. His legs burned. He struggled to keep his eyes open as he set up his small tent near the others.

He did not rest well on Carrion Isle for obvious reasons, despite heeding Ben's advice. The thing he wanted most right now was a good night's sleep. Uninterrupted, without any strange dreams or voices. Without any anxiety over meeting with supposedly dead leaders.

Speaking of supposed to be dead. I still haven't figured out how they are alive.

He saw Validar die. Watched as Kage cut him down in the Ylissean Palace. Stabbed him in the back. Robin helped, and he fought well, but Validar had been extremely powerful. But not powerful enough to cheat death. No one could be that powerful.

And yet, Robin saw him rise from the Plegian Throne and greet them. The new King blissfully unaware of his own demise. He acted as if he never even seen Robin, Chrom, and the Shepherds before. Overall, the situation puzzled Robin.

His mind wandered to Dooku. A secret Ben finally told him. Dooku was supposed to be like Validar, dead. Beheaded, if Ben's recounting of Dooku's death was to be believed. How on earth could he be alive as well?

A sick feeling entered Robin's gut as he finished setting up his tent and glanced up the canyon walls at the waning, orange sunlight.

Ben knows more than he is letting on.

"I see your travels taught you how to set up a tent correctly."

Robin glanced over his shoulder and saw Chrom striding towards him. A friendly smile on his face.

Robin chuckled, "A few rainy days without a tent made me learn quick."

Chrom laughed, "I bet. I've been in that situation before. Tried to order Frederick to set up my tent in those days. Didn't work. He said that I needed to figure it out. That setting up a camp would be a useful skill for me to learn early on. And what do you know, he was right."

Robin snorted, "Frederick is right about a lot of practical things."

"Indeed." Chrom sighed. A cool wind brushed down the rocky, canyon cliffs, and swept over their camp, "So," Chrom said, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Robin arched an eyebrow, "Talk about what? If you are referring to King Validar's gracious treaty terms, I am just as surprised as you. I never expected him to provide the entire Plegian Navy and fund the entire war effort against Valm." Robin frowned, "It almost seems too good to be true."

"I thought the same thing." Chrom agreed, "But Basilio is telling me to give King Validar the benefit of the doubt."

"Are you?"

Chrom shook his head, "Not a chance. I'll take a page out of Frederick's book and remain vigilant." Chrom folded his arms, "And that is not what I was talking about in the first place."

Robin fell silent for a moment.

"You mean the Hierophant?" Robin muttered.

Chrom nodded. Robin shook his head and looked over at the rocky cliffs in front of them.

"I have no idea, Chrom. Your guess is as good as mine in regards to who that guy really is." The tactician let out a snort, "Hell, your guess is as good as mine when it comes to who I really am."

Chrom arched an eyebrow, "What do you mean."

Robin waved a hand then took a seat on a large rock nearby, "I don't know." He sighed, "Nothing makes sense anymore to me." He pursed his lips, "I'm starting to suspect that I might not be named Robin. Maybe I misremembered and instead recalled that guy's name."

Chrom furrowed his brow, "That would mean you would be-"

"Plegian? Yeah." Robin hung his head and let out an even heavier sigh. He ran his hands over his thighs, "This all just me speculating of course. I have no idea if-"

"No, you aren't one of them." Chrom cut him off, "Maybe you are of Plegian descent. Robin isn't exactly a Ylissean or Feroxi name." Chrom took a seat beside a still discouraged Robin, "But you are my friend, and you are my tactician. You are Ylissean. No matter what anyone says."

Robin gave him a small nod. He knew Chrom was right. He had no memories of his old life. Nothing to recall. All he remembered was Chrom's name and the name Robin. Naturally, he assumed Robin to be his own name. Now, he wasn't so sure. But in the end, he did now owe allegiance to Plegia. Chrom took his in. Chrom gave him a home. The Shepherds became more than comrades. They became his family. He was an Ylissean. Nothing could change that now.

"Thanks." Robin said.

Chrom smiled, "What are friends for? Now come on, I think it is Cordelia's turn to cook."

Robin's smile widened. Cordelia's cooking, yum! Dinner will be delicious tonight.

Chrom's mouth moved. He was talking. But for some reason, Robin could not hear him.

Robin felt lightheaded. His heart started to hammer in his chest. Blood whooshed in his ears. Pain erupted in his forehead. His vision started to blur.

"Robin."

His eyes widened. Validar stood behind Chrom. An evil smirk on his thin lips.

"Why do you close your heart to him Robin?"

Chrom gave Robin a concerned look. Robin blinked. Was he seeing things?

Validar remained where he stood. Or… was he really standing there? Chrom did not seem to notice.

Argh! My head! G-get out of my head!

Chrom drew back. Robin clenched his teeth as more pain erupted in his skull. He could not tell if he said those words out loud or not.

Validar laughed at him. Not the warm, inviting laugh he had back on Carrion Isle. This laugh was cold, venomous. It raced through Robin's mind. Echoed endlessly. Haunted him.

The pain became too much. Robin fell forward into Chrom. He could tell his friend let out an alarmed cry. But Robin still could not hear. All he could focus on was the pain in his head. It lanced through his forehead. Formed pressure behind his eyes. It felt like something was squeezing his head. Like a vice.

Chrom caught him as he fell. Immediately, the Ylissean Prince called for help and started carrying Robin towards Lissa.

He still saw Validar. The thin, malevolent figure moved to stand behind the growing crowd of worried Shepherds.

Get out of my head!

He was pretty sure he shouted that one. Judging by the others' reactions, he did.

Validar laughed some more.

"Such arrogance. To dare take such a tone… against your own father."

His delirium broke for a brief moment.

"F-father?"

"Out of the way!" Tharja barked as she moved towards Robin.

Lissa hovered over him as well. Healing magic poured from her staff and into his body. And for a single moment, it worked.

Pain erupted in his head again. Tharja slid to his side. Dark magic and incantations streamed from her lips as she tried to figure out what was ailing him.

"Yes. You are my flesh," Validar's evil grin grew, "but of sacred blood. You are to serve a glorious purpose! Search deep in your heart. You already know it is your destiny."

Get… out…

Tharja's face paled. She shouted for someone. Ben perhaps? He could see Frederick snapping at Tharja. A furious scowl formed on Tharja's face as she snarled back at Frederick.

"Why do you resist us?"

Fear shot through his heart. Validar's voice melded with two others. Something stirred in his mind.

"Give yourself to me. Join your strength with mine. It is your destiny."

No!

Robin felt a dark presence in his mind. It thrashed about. Pulled at his power. Caused wells of terror and pain to explode inside of him. He felt his mouth open and emit a pain filled cry.

Ben stooped over him, beside Tharja. His eyes were closed. Robin felt Ben's presence in the force approach his mind.

Whatever attacked him lashed out at Ben. Ben reeled back, stunned.

"Let me feed…"

The edges of his vision began to fade. A low laugh rumbled in his chest.

"Begone!"

Warmth flooded his mind. The dark attacker hissed. The warm feeling bashed against the darkness. And with the warmth came a sense of peace.

A calm, soft, gentle voice spoke to him.

"Rest Robin."

His visions faded as his mind succumbed to the strain.

"Robin!" Tharja shook the Tactician's shoulders

His eyes closed. He did not respond. Tharja sucked in a sharp breath and pressed her ear to his chest. The steady beat of his heart soothed her worry enough for any panic she felt to fade away. Lissa continued to pour healing magic from her stave into the unconscious tactician. The gem on top of her staff glowed a brilliant green as she tightened her focus.

"I don't get it." Lissa gasped as she relented her healing, "Nothing is helping. My magic is not finding any injuries or-"
"It is not a physical wound." Ben breathed as he recovered from whatever lashed out at him when he tried to investigate Robin's mind, "Tharja, how do you feel about scrying Robin's thoughts?"

Tharja gave Ben an uncertain glance, "Whatever is in there kicked you out. I probably wouldn't be able to do much."

"What do you mean whatever is in there!?" Chrom exclaimed as he remained by Robin's side, "What is going on? What happened?"

Ben's face appeared grave. He flicked his gaze up to Chrom and saw Marth lingering behind the Prince. Her expression was also concerned and serious. She sensed something wrong as well. But she was unable to understand the full extent at the moment. She did not try to enter Robin's mind like he did. She did not sense what he felt.

A darkness unlike any Ben had ever felt before stormed through Robin's mind. Shoved him out of Robin's mind and made sure to keep him out. Ben did not even have time to figure out what exactly it was. But he did have time to make a startling realization. Whatever attacked Robin's mind blended seamlessly with his friend's subconscious. Ben only noticed it when it bashed him away. Whoever attacked Robin's mind knew him very well. Well enough to disguise themselves within his thoughts. An incredibly difficult and advanced thing to achieve.

Ben looked at Chrom.

"I'll need some time to figure out what is going on." Ben said, "I'm not one hundred percent sure about what happened either. But I know that something or someone attacked Robin mentally."

"With the force?" Tharja asked, her concern growing.

Frederick's jaw tightened as Ben nodded.

"And is the attacker another 'old enemy' of yours, General?" The Knight-Commander asked.

Ben frowned, "Does it look like I know the answer to that question?"

"Was it Sidious?" Chrom asked, still uncertain about who Sidious really was or what he was capable of. But if his one conversation with Ben gave any indication, Sidious would be entirely capable of doing something like this.

"Who the hell is Sidious?" Gaius muttered out loud.

Ben shook his head, "If it was Sidious I would have felt it. This was someone else."

Before he could say anything else, a chill swept through the dusk air. As the sun set even lower, dark clouds lumbered over the small valley. The hairs on Ben's arms stood on end. A darkness rushed from the plateaus around the small valley. Danger danced in his mind. An enemy approached.

Marth acted first. She wrenched her sword from its simple sheath and twirled around to face the nearest wall of cliffs. Frederick jumped at her sudden action. He also felt the sudden chill in the air.

A sense of impending doom rolled down the cliffs. And with it came a low and mournful sound. One Ben, Gaius, Marth, Panne, Tharja, and Donnel all immediately recognized.

"Risen." Tharja whispered, fear in her voice.

"What the hell is going on?" Khan Basilio asked as he approached Chrom, concern and worry evident on his face, "First Robin goes down from some mysterious attack and now-"
A wail pierced the night air. Followed by dozens of high pitched shrieks and roars. Unnatural and evil. Ben jumped to his feet. His lightsaber already ignited in his hands.

"Form a circle!" He order quickly, "They're all around us!"

Chrom hesitated at first. Then he saw them. Risen lined the cliffs around them. Dozens of them. Red eyes stared hatefully down at the small group of Shepherds. Black masks twisted into grotesque expressions glowered down at him. Chrom drew Falchion as Basilio hefted his ax.

"You heard him, Shepherds!"

Frederick hopped onto his horse and spun it around to face the Risen Marth and Chrom stared down. Tharja remained near Robin along with Lissa. Both still working to figure out what exactly was wrong with Robin. Ricken took a stand beside Nowi, Virion, and Lon'qu. All four took a tentative step back as the Risen lumbered down the cliffs into the valley. Donnel, Gaius, Cordelia, and Panne rounded off their small defensive circle.

They drew closer. Ben thought quickly. They could not afford to remain surrounded. This was the largest group of Risen he had ever seen. Dozens of them continued to stream down the cliffs and into the Valley. Each one ambled slowly towards them. In no hurry to attack their prey. After all, where could they run?

"We need to create an opening." Ben muttered as he thought out a strategy.

Damn it. He thought, Robin had to go down now.

As the Risen drew closer, a new presence dashed in. A flock of ravens soared into the center of their tight knit circle. Ben grit his teeth and ducked his head away from a flurry of black wings, talons, and beaks. Lissa uttered a startled cry and gave a couple of ravens a harsh swat with her staff.

"What now!?" Chrom cried, both anxious and irritated.

A cheerful cackle emanated as the ravens became a thick storm next to Robin. They swirled like a vortex for a moment.

"CAW CAW!" A voice cried, "Are you folks lost? Or perhaps a lost CAWS? Heh ha!"

Tharja grit her teeth as the ravens shot into the sky, revealing the Plegian Dark Mage from Carrion Isle, Henry. A wide, unsettling, toothy grin filled his face as he cradled a black tome in the crook of his left arm.

"You don't seem to like my ravens?" Henry said with cheerful mirth, "What's wrong? Too caw-strophobic? Nya ha ha ha! Oh I slay me!"

"Not if the Risen do so first." Chrom said as he returned his attention to the shambling monsters slowly approaching.

"Or if I do. Considering where his allegiances are." Frederick muttered.

"Get in line." Tharja said.

Henry cackled again, "You know, I thought you were all right. Turns out, you're all FRIGHT!" He laughed some more at his own joke, "I'd wish you good luck killing all of these monsters buuuuut… they're already DEAD!"

"Well aware, Cackles." Gaius gulped.

"Oh wait a moment! I almost forgot." Henry cleared his throat, "The ravens wanted me to give you a message." He cleared his throat, "Caw… caw caw… caw." Ben gave the dark mage a dumbfounded look, "Roughly translated that means… hm… what is the human word for that again? Traipse? Tripe? Oh! Trapped! Yup, you all are trapped."

"We know!" Chrom snapped. The Risen were a few yards away now. Close enough that the Prince could see the rotting flesh peeling away from their shambling bones.

More came down the cliffs. Chrom could feel his heart pounding. There were too many.

"Where did they all come from?" He wondered out loud.

"Well when a mommy zombie and daddy zombie love each other very much…" Henry cackled some more.

"Perhaps I'll save the Risen the trouble." Tharja said with a dark glance.

"Wait a moment! I did not come here to just display my humor." Henry explained with a wide smile, "I want to join your CAWS- I mean, I can help! I know magic! Lots of very fun magic." He gave Tharja a big grin, "What do you say? Birds of a feather and all of that…"
"Why would you help us?" Frederick demanded.

"I'm wondering the same thing." Tharja said, suspicion laced her tone as she stood protectively beside Robin.

"Oh don't let all the joking fool you." Henry's grin took on a dark, sinister quality, "I've got a thing for killing. The two things must be linked. Ever talk to a jester while he's off duty? Those guys are some sick bastards."

"Enough talking!" Ben snapped, "They're on top of us now."

The first wave of Risen stopped shambling. They seemingly sniffed the air. Their red eyes glowed. Then, they charged.

Chrom grit his teeth and swung Falchion with all of his might. The divine blade sliced through a Risen with ease. The creature split in two. But instead of crumbling to ash like before, the top half clawed its way towards Chrom as black goo poured from where it had been cut in half. Basilio's ax thundered down and took the monster's head from its neck. Then it finally faded to ash in the sand.

"So these are the Risen?" Basilio parried a clumsy slash then buried his axe into the shoulder of another monster, "I can see why they're tough to deal with."

"You'll see plenty more." Chrom nodded back before taking on another Risen grunt.

Across the circle, Ben's lightsaber whirred in a circle of blue light. Risen shrieked as he slashed through any that came near. The other Shepherds gave him space to work. All of them wary of the humming, deadly blade in his hands.

Virion's arrows peppered the advanding Risen. Ricken sent large balls of fire at the charging horde. A fire sparked among a group of them. Incinerating all of the walking corpses. Ricken smiled wide.

"I'm getting better at this." He said.

A loud cackle made his jump. Henry jumped beside him and sent a dark spell he had never seen before at the next wave of Risen. A fiery explosion engulfed a group of risen. Sending limbs, armor, and rusted weapons flying in all directions.

"I've got a ways to go." Ricken sighed.

"Cordelia!" Ben shouted as he used a force push to create some space, "Take to the skies." He spotted a trail leading up the side of the cliffs. A token force of Risen blocked it off. "Clear a path."

"To where?" Cordelia asked.

Ben nodded to the trail. Cordelia's sharp eyes spotted it immediately.

"Right!"

Before she could take off, Henry dashed over to her and hopped up onto the back of her Pegasus. She opened her mouth to protest.

"I'm the ranged death. You are the stabby death." Henry beamed at her, "We'll work together."

Cordelia gave the dark mage a skeptical look, "Don't fall off."

"Oh?" The Pegasus's wings beat once. Henry smiled wide, "That'd be a gruesome way to go."

Ben watched as the duo soared into the dark sky. His gaze fell on a cluster of archers just behind a wave of Risen.

"Donnel! Hold this spot!" He barked.

Before the farm boy could protest, Ben shot into the throngs of Risen. His lightsaber danced in his hands. The blue blade effortlessly slashed through the Risen. Making quick work of any that got near him.

Ben felt another body press against his back. He glanced behind him. Marth fought alongside him.

"You told me never to go recklessly charging in without some help." Marth shouted over the clashing of steel and screams of Risen.

"You obviously never followed that rule." Ben shot back as he cut down another Risen, "Otherwise, you never would have gone after Kage."

"I never said I listened." Marth smirked back.

Ben rolled his eyes. Why did he always get the willful apprentices?

He flicked his gaze away from the enemy and towards the trail. Cordelia and Henry wreaked havoc along the gentle sloping trail. The Pegasus Knight would swoop low and take out several with her lance before shooting back up into the sky. As she ascended, Henry would rain dark spells down on the enemy. A glee filled smile on his face.

"Our opening?" Marth asked as she noticed where Ben was looking.

Ben nodded, "We need to take it now." Ben glanced back at the Shepherds, "This way!" He waved.

Basilio turned around first. He reached for Robin and slung the smaller tactician over his massive shoulders.

"You heard my General, let's move!"

"I thought Ben was Flavia's general?" Lissa asked with a wry smirk.

"Let's not start that now." Basilio grunted.

Lon'qu covered their flanks. His bladwork effortless as he fought away one Risen soldier after another. Donnel joined him. The pair created a steel wall of death that shredded any Risen that got near the Princess and the Khan.

Frederick spun his horse around and rode down a path for Chrom and the others to follow. Gaius and Panne raced after Frederick. Determination filled Panne's face while pure terror filled Gaius's.

"I refuse to die here!" Gaius screamed as he jabbed away a Risen with an enormous ax, "I refuse!"

"You won't." Panne snarled before grabbing him and throwing the thief onto her back. She morphed into her beast form and shot out ahead of Frederick.

Virion made sure Olivia stayed close to him as they retreated towards the trail. Olivia proved surprisingly capable with a sword. No doubt thanks to her upbringing in Regna Ferox. She may be a touch timid, but she did know how to fight. As all Feroxi did.

Ricken, Nowi, and Tharja brought up the rear of the group. Nowi transformed into her dragon form and let out a mighty roar that shook the ground beneath their feet. Her wings hammered against the air. She soared into the sky and raced after Cordelia and Henry. Aiming to help them clear the trail for their escape.

A small smile crossed Tharja's lips as Ricken used a Nosferatu.

"Well done." She said with an approving nod.

Ricken beamed then launched another fireball into the pursuing Risen. Then he turned tail and sprinted after the others with Tharja.

The group charged up the dirt trail towards the top of the cliffs that surrounded the valley. As they reached the top, Ricken saw a crumbling stone fortress nearby. None of the towers were intact. But the walls and gate still stood.

Apparently, Ben saw the same thing. He rushed towards the fortress. When he reached the gate, he and Marth grabbed at the wooden doors and shoved it open. The other Shepherds rushed into the safety the fortress provided. A few Risen managed to get in behind them. But once the gates were closed, the Shepherds made quick work of them.

Marth barred the gate.

"That'll hold for now." She said with a heavy breath.

"For how long though?" Basilio asked, "With how many Risen there are out there, they'll break it down eventually."

"It gives us time to figure out an escape." Ben replied, "Time we need."

As he spoke, both Cordelia and Nowi landed in the fort's courtyard. Henry hopped off of the Pegasus and let out a cheerful whoop!
"New record! Twenty three!"

Cordelia gave him a concerned look, "When did you kill twenty two people?"

Henry snickered, "You don't want to know those details."

Cordelia paled as he cackled some more.

"Very bloody details." Henry said.

Ben shook his head. The Shepherds tended to attract the eccentric. And Henry took eccentric to another level. He had only just met the mage and already he felt relieved to have him on their side, but unsettled by his disturbingly cheerful demeanor.

Ben ran a hand over his face.

"Any injuries?" He asked.

"None. Thank, Naga." Frederick said as he hovered near Chrom and Lissa. Both royals still worried about Robin.

Robin lay on the ground. Eyes closed. Seemingly at peace and no longer in pain. Ben wondered if he simply fell asleep from the strain of the mental barrage. He even considered trying to wake the tactician, but decided against that. His unconscious state might be the only thing keeping the entity that attacked him away for the moment. The last thing they needed was Robin completely incapacitated and in pain again.

He's at least easy to carry this way. Ben thought.

The gate shuddered. Ben kept his lightsaber in his hands. Not ignited, but ready for a fight.

For some reason, despite the safety of the fort, he felt uneasy. He at first attributed his unease to the horde of Risen swarming around the ancient stone walls. But for some reason, his anxiety did not stem from that. The Risen that attacked them seemed rather easy to cut down. Far too easy.

He glanced back to the small fort's keep. A squat, two story stone building. A few arrow slits lined the walls of the keep. But he could not see the inside of the keep. It remained hidden in dark shadows.

And those shadows caused his unease to grow.

"I feel it too." Marth gulped, "Something lurks nearby." She kept her sword drawn, "I'm going to check it out."

"Shall I come with you?" Ben asked.

Marth shook her head, "Stay with the others. You're the only one with any tactical experience at the moment."

"I'll go with." Ricken said, "Just in case you encounter anything magical."

Marth nodded.

"Be careful." Ben breathed to both of them. His eyes flicked at the many shadows around the fort, "I have a bad feeling about this now."

"We will be." Ricken replied.

Marth and Ricken moved towards the keep. Ricken pulled the Keep's door open and held it open for Marth. The pair ducked inside. Once they disappeared, Tharja let out a heavy sigh and stepped away from Robin and Lissa. She walked up alongside Ben.

"Anything?" Ben asked.

"I can't do anything at the moment." Tharja admitted, "Scrying takes both time and energy. Neither of which I have. I did cast a small numbing hex in case there was any residual pain in his body. Not sure how much good that will do."

Ben wrapped an arm around her and gently rubbed her shoulders. Tharja appreciated the reassuring gesture. She let out a content sigh as some tension left her body.

Ben glanced over at Chrom. The Prince dashed up some stone steps so that he could stand on top of the fort's walls. Frederick and Basilio followed him. All three anxious for when the Risen would break through the fort's gate and swarm inside.

Gaius kneeled beside Panne. The Taguel remained in her beast form. He gave Panne a small scratch along her back then patted her fur.

"Thanks for looking out for me, Whiskers."

Virion scrambled up onto the walls. He kept an arrow on his bowstring at all times. His worried gaze stared out at the black horde of Risen churning near the wooden gate.

Lon'qu and Donnel gathered some stray pieces of stone from the courtyard and used them to brace the gate even more. But it did little good. Every time the gate shuddered, the stones shifted further away. Both of them then had to shove the stones back into place. Eventually, Chrom told them to stop and save their energy. They would need it.

The gate shuddered again. Ben's thumb drifted towards the activation button on his lightsaber. Tharja swallowed hard as the bar on the gate jumped ever so slightly.

It would only be a matter of time.

Ricken whispered a spell. A small ball of soft, white light appeared in the palm of his hand as Marth closed the keep's door behind them

The entry to the keep was filthy. Littered with stray piles of sand, shattered stone, and rotting wicker furniture. The remains of a rug lay in a thready heap near their feet. A fireplace that last saw use possibly hundreds of years ago rested against the far wall. To their right, in a wall without arrow slits, were a set of stairs. One flight led down to a cellar of some sort. The other went up to the second floor.

Ricken gulped, "So… do you want to take the basement?"

Marth snorted, "Afraid of the dark?"

Ricken's cheeks reddened, "N-no! Just nervous about this place. Something doesn't feel right."

Marth nodded. Ricken was right. Something felt very wrong about this place. It could just be the Risen horde outside of the walls putting her on edge. But she knew the feeling Risen gave her. Mere grunts worried her, but even in these numbers, with her Master at their side they would not be enough to completely destroy the Shepherds. These were weak grunts as well. They did not die easily, but they seemed rather mindless and ineffective at fighting.

And that concerned the newly knighted Jedi. The Risen from her future were an unstoppable force. A wave of undead evil that fought with vicious cruelty. They were shockingly dangerous in combat. These Risen for some reason, were not.

Maybe it is because Grima is not awakened in this timeline yet. She thought with a sliver of optimism.

But her more pessimistic side reminded her that it was never that simple. Not when Grima and Risen were involved. Something weakened these Risen. Or worse, they fought like this in order to make them all complacent. But why?
Did they want us to come to this fort?
"I'll take the cellar." Marth nodded as she drew her sword and called upon the force to steady her racing heart.

"Second floor for me then." Ricken gulped, "Um… I'll scream if anything happens."
Marth gave the young mage a small nod. Ricken swallowed hard as they both reached the stairs. Marth pushed the door to the cellar open. Both caught the scent of damp air from below.

Marth scrunched her nose.

"Stay alert." She warned Ricken before descending the steps.

Ricken gulped as Marth disappeared into the inky blackness downstairs. He debated on trading places with her. His magic would help light the darkness down there. But he decided against it. Marth felt that the cellar would be the most dangerous area of this place. So she took that area to search. Something Ricken was grateful for.

He took his first tentative step up the stairs. Then another.

Why did he feel so anxious all of a sudden? Did the Risen unnerve him that much? He made it midway up the stairs and jumped a little as he heard some Risen shriek outside. He pressed his back against the wall. Sweat dripped down his forehead.

It felt so hot in the fort. The desert air swept in through the arrow slits and made this place feel sweltering. His breaths rushed in and out of his lungs in short, fear filled bursts.

He made it to the top of the stairs. The second floor of the keep seemed rather bare. The splintered remains of cots lined the stone walls. There was one intact table at the far end of the room. And a hatch with a broken ladder led up to the roof. Ricken gulped and stared hard at every shadow his ball of light cast.

He did not see anything. Still, he ventured a little further into the room.

Metal creaked. Ricken froze.

His tome cracked open. Eyes scanned every dark corner. He could not shake the feeling that something shared this room with him.

Ricken took another step forward. Something scraped along the stones around him. He flipped to the page in his spell book that allowed him to cast a flux.

He heard a light tap behind him. Ricken spun around, spell at the ready.

Nothing.

Wait… no… something was there.

His ball of light snuffed out. Ricken let out a series of panicked breaths as he fumbled with his spellbook. Trying to conjure another light. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a shadow move.

He finally found the right spell. The incantation rushed from his lips. Soft light emanated from his hand.

Reptilian eyes glared at him.

His heart pounded in his chest. Hanging from the ceiling was a creature unlike any Ricken had ever seen before. It's entire body was made of metal. It's face, with the exception of its eyes, a metal, expressionless mask. But those eyes terrified him the most. Red with snake-like slits for pupils.

Ricken took a shaky step back. The creature snarled at him. It hopped down from the ceiling. Posture stooped. Eyes angry and narrow.

He could not find the ability to scream. The monster uttered a small laugh.

A metal claw reached for Ricken. Ricken snapped out of his fear filled state long enough to launch an emergency fireball at the monster.

He put a little too much power into it. The explosion ripped through the second floor. Shattering any intact furniture and sending Ricken flying back towards the stairs.

His head smacked into the walls. Ricken saw stars. He winced and blinked his vision back into focus.

The monster hardly moved an inch. The metal on its chest appeared scorched. But there was no other obvious damage. Ricken flipped through his spellbook as the monster stomped towards him.

He shot a flux at it. The monster dashed to the side at an impossible speed. The flux hit the far wall. Stone exploded out. Ricken heard his friends' alarmed cries from the courtyard outside.

"Ricken!" He heard Marth shout from the cellar.

Before Ricken could call out to her, before he could even run away, a metal claw grabbed him by the face and threw him towards the blasted out opening in the wall. Ricken slid along the stones. His robes tore in several places.

He felt some blood dripped from where the talons on the monster's claw sank into his skin. Ricken shoved himself to his feet. An artificial, sadistic chuckle emanated from the monster as it stalked towards him.

Ricken's heart hammered in his chest. As the monster drew closer, he fired a wind spell at it. The monster shrugged it off again. The spell only managing to make its cape flutter behind him.

Marth barrelled up the steps. She did not even think twice as she charged at the monster, sword raised over her head.

Ricken paled. Without even bothering to look, the monster raised one clawed foot, grabbed Marth by the face, and threw her against the wall on the right. Marth uttered a pain filled cry as she slammed into the wall.

"Marth!" Ricken cried as she lay motionless in the rubble.

He tried to reach her. But the creature blocked his path. Ricken opened his palm, ready to blast the monster with the strongest spell he could muster.

The monster backhanded him. Ricken's spellbook sailed from his hand. Ricken fell back. He stared up at the monster with fear filled eyes.

The monster reached for something at it's slender hips. Hidden inside of it's cape. Ricken's eyes widened as it grabbed two slender, silver objects. Objects that resembled-

"Lightsabers." Ricken breathed in shock.

He turned over and scrambled over to his spellbook. He opened the tome and sent a desperate thunder spell at the monster.

The thunder spell staggered the metal monster for a moment. It grunted and gave Ricken a hateful look. It's slow stomps became quick steps.

Ricken jumped to his feet. Just as he got to his feet, both Chrom and Ben reached the top of the stairs. Ricken hardly noticed them. He readied another thunder spell.

It moved. Shoved it's arms forward so fast Ricken barely registered it.

Pain lanced through Ricken's body. His hand went slack. The spell book fell from his grasp. He did not hear Chrom and Ben cry out in horror. All he heard was the hum of the lightsabers. All he saw was the monster's eyes.

A clawed hand reached out, grabbed him by the head, and threw him out of the keep and into the courtyard. The pain began to fade as he flew threw the air. Ricken felt his breathing grow weak.

He hit the ground hard. But he did not feel it. The fringes of his vision turned dark. He saw Nowi and Lissa sprinting towards him.

Nowi…

Everything looked blurry. The burning pain was gone now. He felt weightless.

I'm... sorry.

Ben surged up the stairs with Chrom. Tharja was just behind them both. The trio entered the keep in a panicked rush. Something caused an explosion that annihilated an entire side of the keep.

He knew this place felt wrong. Something wanted them to come here. Something planned for the Risen to drive them all to this spot. Ben could not shake this terrible feeling in his gut that he had grievously erred bringing them all here.

Chrom reached the top of the stairs first. He skidded to a stop. Eyes wide, face pale, mouth agape. Ben surged beside him.

Shock hit Ben. Then frustration. And when he saw Marth laying in an unconscious heap, he felt concern.

Then he saw Ricken. The boy lay on his back, facing up at him. At a monster Ben killed years ago. Someone Ben swore he would never see again.

Before the Jedi Master could move and engage the enemy, Ricken surged upright. Palm open. Ready to cast a devastating spell. Ben took two steps forward.

Two lightsabers, one green and one blue, ignited. They plunged into Ricken's body. Both burned through his chest and out his back. Ricken did not cry out. Only stared stunned at the reptilian eyes of General Grievous.

Grievous reached up with one, robotic claw. He grabbed Ricken by the boy's face and tossed his limp body out of the keep.

Ben felt numb. Grievous just… he just…

"RICKEN!" Tharja screamed.

A dark spell shot past. Grevious ducked to the side just before it hit him.

Chrom uttered a vengeful roar. Falchion gleamed as he charged at Grevious.

"Chrom wait!" Ben shouted.

Chrom did not hear him. The Ylissean Prince raised his blade over his head and brought it thundering down on Grievous.

The Droid General easily blocked the attack with one of his lightsabers. Although, he seemed surprised when Chrom's blade did not shatter against the plasma blade.

Chrom yanked Falchion free and slashed at Grievous's chest. Grievous blocked again then viciously swung at Chrom.

Chrom managed to just barely get a block up. He staggered backwards. Tharja uttered another furious roar and sent a blast of fire screaming past Chrom. Her spell slammed into Grievous. This time, the cyborg flew backwards, out of the keep, and landed hard in the courtyard below.

No! No! NO!

Ben snapped out of his stupor. General Grievous lived. Now stood among all of his friends. A monster capable of killing all of them.

Ben shot past Tharja and Chrom. He made an impossible leap out of the keep and landed on the other side of the cyborg. In between Ricken's body and the droid general.

Ben ignited his lightsaber. Grievous snapped back to his feet. The General snarled and spun around to face Ben.

He did not give time for Grievous to regather his wits. Ben attacked. A furious storm of hacks and slashes sent Grievous backpedaling.

None of the other Shepherds intervened. Some watched with awe as Ben unleashed his powers against the metal monster. Most rushed to Ricken. Who they prayed was still alive. Ben prayed the boy was still alive.

His stomach dropped when he heard Nowi wail. As he battled Grievous, he reached out with the force.

Ricken was gone.

Something snapped in Ben. Rage surged inside of him. A rage he had not felt since Maul struck down Qui Gon all those years ago on Naboo.

He felt focused. Determined to finally end the droid commander once and for all. If not for all of the Jedi the General killed years ago, then for Ricken. For the young mage that had become a part of Ben and Tharja's lives. A small member of their family now gone from the world.

Each slash held power behind it. Speed unrivaled. Grievous' reptilian eyes widened. For a split second, as Ben backed him into a corner, the red in Grievous's eyes faded away. Replaced by the yellow Ben knew. Recognition flooded the General's gaze. His eyes narrowed. Filled with hate.

"Kenobi." Grievous snarled.

Two more arms detached from the General's. Grievous reached for two more lightsabers in his cloak. Ben's eyes widened. He jumped back. Narrowly avoiding being slashed in two by a pair of lightsaber's scissoring in the air.

Ben ducked beneath a slash. Dodged a stab. Parried two green lightsabers as they cut through the air towards his head. He danced backwards. Meeting each strike with a parry of his own. Feet dancing against the rocky ground as he kept pace with the furious droid general.

A clawed foot shot out from the ground and caught Ben on the jaw. Ben flew backwards. Blood pooled in his mouth. He skidded against the ground. Ben shook his head. Trying to rid his mind of the fog given to him by the blow.

Grievous stalked towards him. Ben looked up just in time to see Grievous raised his blades. Ready to slash him to ribbons.

A furious roar erupted in the courtyard. Ben looked past Grievous. Nowi had transformed beside Ricken's body. Her draconic jaw opened wide. Grievous turned around.

A blast of fire rammed into Grievous. Ben rolled out of the way before he could be caught in the inferno.

The inferno blasted Grievous's metal cage over his organs apart. It consumed the organs beyond them. Grievous screeched as the fire melted through his body. Fire surged up his metal spine and out of the metal face mask. Ben grimaced as a small explosion rocked Grievous's body.

The General hit the ground with a hard thunk. Not a single limb, not a single talon, moved. Smoke swirled from the body. A shudder ran through the air from the body. The metal crumbled into fine, black ash that drifted away on the wind.

Ben remained motionless on the ground for a few moments. Tharja sprinted out of the keep. She froze in the doorway. Her terrified eyes landed on Ben. Relief flooded her gaze for a moment. That relief turned to horror when she saw Nowi power down beside Ricken's body.

Chrom emerged from the keep with Marth. Marth walked unsteadily beside him. A large gash covered her right cheek. When she saw Ricken's body, she paled. The young Jedi Knight steadied her weak, shaken body against the doorway to the keep.

"Oh gods…" Marth whispered.

Nowi sobbed over Ricken's fallen form. Lissa watched helplessly. The glow in her staff long gone. Even though she tried to heal him after she already knew he had passed. Tharja remained completely silent as she inched her way across the courtyard towards Ricken.

She bowed her head. Her dark hair shadowed her eyes. Ben got to his feet and walked over to her.

"Tharja…" He whispered.

She shook her head, "It shouldn't have been him."

Up on the walls, Virion watched. Out of the corner of his eye, the archer saw the Risen begin to pull back as the last remnants of Grievous's body drifted away.

"They're leaving?" Virion muttered stunned.

"A way out." Basilio grunted, "Good. We need it." He glanced back at the mourning Shepherds.

Virion cleared his throat. Even he struggled to keep his emotions in check, "Do we have time to-"

"Unfortunately no." Basilio said, "Who knows if the Risen will attack again. We need to go."

Virion gave the Khan a grim nod. With a reluctant sigh, he walked down from the walls and approached Chrom.

Chrom stood silent in the keep's doorway.

"Captain." Virion said, "We have an opening. We need to go."

Chrom clenched his jaw. His eyes did not leave Ricken's body.

"This may be our only chance." Virion muttered.

Chrom practically shook with rage. His gaze moved from Ricken, to Ben. The rage grew. The monster that slew Ricken used the same weapon as Ben. The same weapons as Maul and Dooku. Yet another being that Ben possibly knew and failed to inform him about.

"We don't have time for that." Virion hissed, already noticing Chrom's anger, "Wait till we get to the Longfort. Speak to him then. For now, we need to move. Or we could all die here."

Chrom glanced at Virion. The Ylissean Prince's fury faded a little. He was not angry with Virion. Virion gave him sound advice. He did not want to force a march so soon. But they had no choice. Not with Risen prowling these lands.

The Prince nodded. Basilio barked out at the Shepherds. Nowi clung to Ricken for a few more moments. In the distance, the group heard more Risen shrieking. The Shepherds were eventually able to pry Nowi away from Ricken. As she was pulled away, she snatched his hat from his head.

The Manakete held it close as the Shepherds unbarred the gates and rushed away from the fort. They all quickly turned north. Each one silent. Each one mourning. Robin, the only Shepherd unaware of Ricken's death, lay unconscious on the back of Cordelia's pegasus.

Ben let out a shuddering breath as they marched through the Plegian sands as fast as they could. It would be a long march.

He felt Chrom's gaze upon him. Ben glanced over his shoulder. The Ylissean Prince's fury burned hot. He blamed Ben. He had every right to.

Metal creaked all around her. The intense cold of space clung to every wall, every floor, every ceiling, every speck of debris around her. The only thing keeping the vacuum of space at bay and the cold from claiming her was the mask and helmet she wore over her head.

Asajj Ventress glanced down the next hall. She remembered this Venator. Recalled receiving the report from Seperatist intelligence. An act of sabotage destroyed it. And the Republic left it derelict in open space. Free for any scavengers to come and loot what they could.

She should have gotten here sooner.

Most of the good stuff had been claimed already. She had a hard time finding any useful circuit components or parts. Any weapons were long gone. A pity. Those would have sold well on the black market. She could use a good blaster too. Her guise as a bounty hunter meritted such a weapon. And well… the one she had was still not up to the task for her.

Her magnetic boots tapped along the floor as she trudged down another hall. At the end of the hall were a set of blast doors. Sealed tightly shut. No one had tried to break into these blast doors. Which meant something promising lay on the other side.

Ventress wanted to smile. She might have found something worth claiming. Worth selling for a lot of credits even. But she could not find the will in her to grin. This ship reminded her of days long gone now. Days when she was not a scavenger. When she reigned terror throughout the galaxy as one of Count Dooku's greatest enforcers. A warrior only equaled by some of the most skilled Jedi Knights in the republic.

How far I have fallen. She thought with a snort.

She reached the blast doors and began to fiddle with the control panel on the side. She glanced at the data screen above the panel. Her eyes widened in surprise.

There was still oxygen beyond the blast doors.

One of two things made that possible. An air pocket formed when the blast doors closed and somehow the air remained pure. Or someone had oxygen pumping into the room beyond the blast doors.

Ventress checked the readings again. To her surprise, the level of oxygen had gone up.

"What the hell?" She muttered.

She grabbed her hacking tools and inserted the probe into the control panel. After several short seconds, the control panel beeped.

Once the blast doors were opened, she would have to move quickly inside. Figure out what was going on. And hopefully claim some valuable salvage inside. If anything lived on the other side, then they would probably die. So be it. It was not her responsibility to save lives.

I had always been tasked with ending them before.

Back before she became a scavenger and bounty hunter. Back before she was forced to scrounge for everything. Back when she was Count Dooku's apprentice. When she held power. When people shivered when someone said her name.

She longed for those days again. The blast doors hissed as they prepared to open.

Maybe if I can make a name for myself as a bounty hunter, they will come once again.

The doors opened. Air rushed past Ventress. Sucked out of the room by the vacuum of space.

Ventress's slipped inside and sealed the doors shut behind her. She glanced down at her wrist and read her oxygen readings. Still good. She looked at the readings on the environment around her. Still… good. Oxygen still flowed in here.

How?

A bright light erupted inside of the mostly empty cargo space. A portal of some sort formed in the air. Ventress's eyes widened as strange creatures came falling out of it. They looked human. But they moved like corpses.

Red eyes blinked to life from the creatures. The portal winked. Just before it closed, one more body fell out of it. A young girl with green hair and pointed ears slammed into the floor. She did not move an inch. Ventress wondered if the girl was dead.

The creatures groaned. One shrieked when it saw Ventress. That blood curdling shriek was enough to make her draw her blaster and fire one blaster bolt into its head.

The creature shuddered, collapsed, then faded to dust. The other two that exited the portal charged at her. Ventress pelted them with blaster bolts. It took more than one to kill them. But they died. That was all that mattered.

As the black dust swirled on the floor, Ventress eyed the strange, green haired girl on the ground. She looked like a young human. But the pointed ears told Ventress that this girl had some other species mixed in with her blood. A red cape rested over her shoulders. It covered a short white dress. Ventress leaned in closer.

Very young.

And very valuable. So far, this salvaging trip had yielded nothing noteworthy. But she knew several crime lords willing to pay a fortune for someone like this mysterious girl.

Ventress flicked her wrist. The girl rose in the air as Ventress grabbed her with the force. Just to be safe, Ventress also tied a cord from her belt around the girl's waist. She then reached to her belt and grabbed her spare breathing mask.

Ventress carefully secured the mask over the girl's face. The girl twitched a little bit, but did not wake.

Good. No resistance this way.

And if she did resist, Ventress would just kill her. She did not have time to deal with stupidity.

The blast doors opened, Ventress marched out with the girl floating on the tether behind her. It was a short walk back to her ship. Once inside her clunker (as Ventress often referred to it when something broke), she placed the girl in metal binds and set her in the empty cargo bay.

Try anything and I'll space you.

Ventress left the cargo hold and strode to the cockpit. Once in the cockpit, she removed her mask and powered on her ship. The engines hummed to life. Ventress pulled away from the derelict Venator and pointed her ship's nose out at the stars.

"Next stop," She began. A small smirk formed on her lips, "Ord Mantell."

The stars outside of the cockpit turned to bright streaks of light. The hyperdrive generator whirred. The ship blasted away with one prisoner, and a very pleased pilot.

… yup… that happened. And nope… Ricken isn't coming back. Just when tensions between Ben and Chrom couldn't get any worse, they do. General Grievous claims his first victim. How many more will he get now that he is a Deadlord? We shall see.

Anyways, let me know what you all think of this chapter. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!