If she closed her eyes she could almost imagine she was back on Tatooine. The air here was just dry enough, but the notion was dispelled by the sickly sweet smell of death that barely underlied the vicinity of "Ash Corridor. "

            At least that was what she was calling it. 'Not that a name really masters.' she thought as she joined Jaina in a stealthy, soot-covered approach to the edge of an observation balcony. The others did as well, better for them all to see what was going on below.
           
            Tahiri did not, however, get close enough to see the game going on below nor the feathered creature practicing with Anakin's light saber. She instead hissed aloud, "So where's Anakin?"
           
            Following Lowie's gesture toward the warren and a nearby airlock, she caught the explanation that there was a ship docked on the other side of the airlock.

            She was the last to don her vacsuit and camouflage it. It wasn't because she was slow but because she needed something, anything to keep her busy so that reality did not have time to set in. Being still too long would let that happen, but as long as she had a task, a purpose she could let consume her it staved off the onset of having to deal.

            She managed to drag the preparations out fifteen minutes. Nobody looked her way though, they were too consumed with watching a rituals below to notice. ' They probably wouldn't notice if I took my light saber and ...' she choked that thought down before finishing it. ' No they need me, not now, but maybe later ...'

            This time Jaina's voice intruded on her line of thought "Blast them when Anakin's out where we can see him. " she, commed to the others. "We'll jump down and get him, then commandeer the shuttle, go find Jacen, and finish this thing. "

            The young blond smiled her assent to Jaina after the last of the others commed in. She heard Alema call target on the officer. "I want the front," she stated blandly.

            A strange feeling crept into Tahiri as Jaina gave her target and the order to fire so close together that she squeezed the trigger on her blaster before she could place it. In fact the sound of the blasters hadn't yet retreated from the area yet when she heard Jaina yelling at Zekk.

            Ignoring the short-lived triad from the balcony, she jumped into action. Upon landing she caught sight of a warrior crouching Behind the body. Her eyes grew wide when she saw the weapon on his finger of the party she was the only one who knew that the spike held a venom that would melt the body in an instant, 'The blasted warrior is going to desecrate Anakin's remains.' she thought as she unconsciously growled in Yuuzhan Vong, "Coward!"

            Just as the thought entered her head to charge the warrior, Jaina's voice rang in her ears. "You two secure the shuttle, Alema and I will get Anakin."

            She obeyed instantly, not wanting to see his body destroyed. 'Maybe it isn't too late; it could be possible to call him back.' The far fetched idea slithered existence and made her smile slightly. It was followed by the last report on his injuries that Tekli had given her...'severe internal bleeding that could be repaired with a healing trance coupled with bacta as it is now every repair that I make to him he reopens just as fast. If we do not get out of this dari'saht soon, he will not make it.' Looking to Lowie she said, "Let's get this over with."

            He Growled a short reply, and activated the airlock next to him. There was a moment of surprise where they took out three warriors. Another's split second of indecision brought down the fourth.

            Form somewhere in Tahiri's mind came the derisive thought, 'Unseasoned and under trained, not worthy of an honorable death.' Out of hyperspeed hot on that thought's heels came the afterthought, 'Force, not NOW!'

            The remaining two guards leapt off the ramp and charged. A hail of thud bugs preceding them.

            A fanatical gleam glinted briefly in Tahiri's eye as she picked each of the projectiles off. This did not go unnoticed by the warrior on her. It caused him to hesitate briefly in front of Tahiri's domain scarred face.

            The hesitation nearly cost him his head. As it was he barely got his ampistaff up in time to deflect the blow. The staff was neatly sliced in two and his arm was severed at the elbow.

            Tahiri wasted no time in redirecting her blade to cut a deep gash in his side. She deftly thumbed the blade off, made a slight adjustment to the angle of the handle and reactivated it. Her aim was flawless. The blade extended right through the enemy's eye socket.

            "Rrrg?" Lowie inquired. Pointing to her wound.

            She tentavily reached up and wiped her hand down the right side of her face. In her state, she hadn't noticed as her adversary's severed blade, on the upswing when she had cut it, had cut a gash from the corner of her eye strait across the temple to the top of her ear. She shocked her Wookie companion by bringing her blood-covered hand to her mouth and licking her fingers clean. The maniacal glint showing briefly in her eye, alerting Lowie that something was not quite right in her head.

            Zekk, who had taken his time coming out of hiding, came through the portal with an unconscious Tekli over his shoulder. He had just missed Tahiri's last action and noticed her wiping her hand on her jumpsuit. "Hey, let's get this hunk of rock ready to fly."

            Tahiri nodded and sprinted up the ramp.

            Lowie growled at Zekk as the former Dark Jedi moved to follow Tahiri. He understood and slowed to listen.

            I'm worried about her. He rumbled.

            "You should be more worried about..."

            Lowie growled an interruption, We know where Jaina's heading, not Tahiri though. She seems in control, but...detached, split, and confused.

            "Well you keep an eye on her and let the others know." He finished as they reached the control center. From the sounds behind them, the others were close behind them.

            Jaina's voice confirmed this with, "Get this rock moving." As the footfalls signified they were on the ramp, Tahiri jammed the repulsive cognition hood on her head. She noted that Lowie looked ready to protest as Jaina and Alema entered the bridge, Anakin's body in tow.

            "Good, Tahiri maneuver to cause some damage." Jaina ordered as she went to another hood and donned it. "How does this work T?"

            "You need to put your hands into the gloves next to you as well, they are the fire controls, the hood is just the targeting system." she informed. As she finished, a muffled clunk came from somewhere. "Sith spit, the shuttle just informed me that it has been recalled."

            "Override it!"

            "Trying." Tahiri gritted out. Memories came that she once believed were fading. To find out that the cursed shaper's meddling was still present came as a blow to her.

            In her mind she was waging a two-fronted battle. The implanted memories pushed at her to return home. Ignoring them and overriding the auto-recall on the ship tired her. She managed though, "I think I've convinced it not to return."

            This came just as a frigate came into view on the hull of the worldship. "Well I suppose we should m..."

            "Yes!" Jaina cut her off, "Let's see if we can take this thing down." Referring to the frigate, parked wide open for all to see.

            "Yes, ma'am." Tahiri needlessly stated. The gleam in her eye going unnoticed by all save Lowie.

            With Jaina flying and Tahiri shooting, the frigate would have been slag in mere moments. Their positions reversed, with both inexperienced at their stations, caused the first two passes to be less than satisfactory.

            "Pass again T." Jaina commanded just after a plasma charge skimmed them. She had failed to notice that the hit had been hard enough to jar the blonde from her post.

            "Tahiri's out Jaina," Zekk stated as he slid the hood into place on his head. The assault shuttle immediately began to buck and dive.

            "Just get us leveled out Zekk." She gritted out. That was all she had time to say before there was a sudden impact that ripped her from the chair. 'Jacen…' was her last thought before the starry darkness before her eyes became a black hole that swallowed her.

~ . ~ . ~ .

            Pain greeted her upon her return to the living. Pain so intense it shattered the remnants of her peaceful dream and scattered it to the far corners of her mind. All that remained now was pain. Stinging pain of several minor lacerations. A complete ache that signified a body that was bruised from head to foot. Another, marrow-deep ache that signified a fracture in her arm. Lastly, there was that black hole vortex that resided in her heart and soul.

            The coughing wheeze that came out should have been a laugh. The most painful wound she had would never fully heal.

            She cracked her eyes. It took a painfully long time to focus. Twice as long for her to locate whom she was looking for and nearly double that to crawl to the body. As she got there, Alema, Lowbacca, and Zekk regained coherent thought.

            She attempted to alert them, but it hurt too much. 'Anakin would never..' The mere thought of her name brought a deep stab of grief. 'Nothing could hurt worse than that.' she thought as she hoisted herself on her broken arm. Tahiri's scream tore through the mangled shuttle. The last sound she heard before blacking out again was the slurping and tearing of tissue as her broken bone popped through her skin.