New Blood Strikes Back

By Michael Weyer

Shadowed Paths

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Buffy stared in disbelief at the figure before her. "Is…that really you?"

"Funny, that was my line," Faith said. She crossed her arms as she looked Buffy over. "Damn, B…If you are real, you're looking good. Bit dirty but hey, that happens, right?"

Buffy shook her head. "How the hell…"

"Am I here? Considering last time we saw each other, you were stabbing me into a coma?" Faith shrugged. "I guess the sudden loss of a Slayer snapped me out of it. Took a while to get used to things."

Buffy's eyes narrowed. "So who are you working for now?"

Faith's own eyes rolled upward. "Well, nice to see your non-judgmental attitude remains, B…"

"Sorry, I'm a bit wary after someone I trusted went to the Dark Side majorly," Buffy snapped.

"Spare me the big speeches," Faith said with a wave of her hand. "I got that already from Giles."

Buffy blinked. "Giles?"

Faith nodded. "Yeah, he tracked me down fast after I woke up. Something about a seer giving him a heads-up and crap. Basically gave me a choice between prison or doing the job I was born for. And since I hate orange…"

Buffy shook her head and held up a hand. "Rewind there. Giles is letting you be the Slayer?"

Faith threw her head back and laughed loud. "Oh, damn, I missed that 'world revolves around me' mindset you got, B!" She wiped at her eyes as she gazed at the other Slayer. "So what's with the fancy flashlight you got there?"

Buffy realized she was still holding her lit lightsaber and stepped back as she turned it off. "Long story. Suffice to say, we're in a galaxy far, far away from Earth."

Faith took that in stride with a simple nod. "Huh. Figures you three would find a way to go further than expected. I'm assuming Red and Xander are with ya?"

"They're in the galaxy," Buffy confirmed. "Not sure as to their current whereabouts."

Faith looked around her surroundings. "What's this place?"

"Dagobah," Buffy said. "It's sort of the backwater dump of the galaxy from what I can tell." She leaned against a log. "Guess the Force must have a sense of humor."

"Force?" Faith frowned. "Oh, wait, don't bother. One of those ultra-fancy and complicated destiny things, right?"

"Something like that," Buffy allowed. She gazed at Faith carefully. "So just what were you doing before you popped up here?"

Faith brushed back her hair. "On…well, guess you could call it a vision quest. Giles' idea. He thought it'd be the best thing to handle this crazy evil goddess who's running around causing trouble."

"Ah. Conquer the world or destroy it?"

"Sounds like she just wants to get back to her own home dimension." Faith sighed. "Course, to do that, she needs to get her hands on this Key doohickey which just happens to be Dawn."

"Dawn?" Buffy frowned.

"Yeah, little sis is so thrilled to be in the center of it all," Faith dryly said.

Buffy started. "I didn't know you had a sister."

Faith frowned. "Really? Coulda sworn I mentioned her before…" She shrugged. "Yeah, she came to check on me after I woke up. Annoying at times but good kid."

"Sure she's your sister?" Buffy snarked.

Faith looked at her carefully. "Still haven't forgiven me, B?" she softly asked.

Buffy snorted. "Let's see, you betrayed your oath and standing as a Slayer, killed a few people and tried to kill me and Angel. Exactly why should I buy you helping now?"

A dark cloud went over Faith's eyes but passed. "B…I ain't gonna stand here asking for forgivness from you. Frankly…well, I kinda made peace a while ago with the fact I'd never see you again."

Buffy glanced down. "Guess I shouldn't have expected the world to stop because of me going."

Faith smiled. "Giles misses you…And I don't just mean in the 'that isn't what Buffy would have done' phase either. It hurt him to lose you guys. Had a big row with him about it, told him he couldn't make me you and even if he could…it wouldn't be right."

Buffy smiled. "Guess that went well."

"Let's just say I woulda appreciated a heads-up on the whole Ripper thing," Faith returned. Her smile disappeared. "B…I know I screwed it up before. But it was my choice, not because of you."

"I know that."

"Do you?" Faith stepped forward, gazing at the Slayer carefully. "We may not have been friends, B, but I still know you. I know how you can get. You think if you'd just reached out more, you would have been able to stop me, right?"

Buffy's silence was all the answer Faith needed and the brunette shook her head. "B…we had different lives. You learned to trust people. I didn't. I was taught how to live on my own and do what it took to get ahead. Add that to the power I got…" She shrugged. "I made the wrong choice. Not just with what I did but not listening to any of you. You tried but I wasn't willing to take the help."

"And now you are?" Buffy couldn't hide her skepticism.

"Being close to death and spending the better part of a year in a coma is a great way to reshuffle your priorities, B," Faith dryly said. "When I heard what had happened, that you had apparently died…I guess it made me realize how much I wasted in opportunity. You were right. I have a duty and I'm ready to do it now."

Buffy couldn't help but be impressed and even a bit touched as she saw the sincerity in Faith's behavior. "I guess…I was so mad at you…because I partly blamed myself for what happened."

Faith smiled. "B…we were both near death. Maybe just call it water under the bridge?"

"Sounds good." Buffy nodded. She stopped as she stared at Faith. "Faith…you're fading."

"No, you are," Faith said. Even as she spoke, her image started to get more transparent like a hologram starting to end. "Shit, I think our connection is going down."

Buffy swallowed. "Tell Giles I miss him."

"Good luck with whatever you got, B," Faith said, her voice fading fast. "And thanks…" She faded away, leaving Buffy looking at blank air. Turning, she slowly began to walk out of the cave.

Yoda was still sitting at the bench, tapping his stick on the ground. He looked up at Buffy, his head cocked as if he was listening to something. "Faced it, you did."

Buffy bit her lip. "I'm…not quite sure what it was. I was expecting some nasty fight or something."

"Take into the cave, what you bring with you," Yoda said. "Fear, pain, hate…or guilt."

"Guilt it was then," Buffy said. She looked at the aged Jedi Master. "Was it real?"

He shrugged. "Unknown ways, the Force works in. Perhaps real it was. Perhaps dream it was. What matters is, how real to your spirit?"

Buffy considered the question before slowly nodding. "I think…it feels good. That's been hanging on me for a long time. Now that I know her fall wasn't my fault…I know I really can help people."

Yoda nodded. "Good." He turned and began to pace away. "Continue your exercises, then to my home return."

Buffy frowned. "What, we're right back to the old slave master routine?"

Yoda fired a sharp glare at her. "Killed slavers, I have," he said in a dark voice. "Their evil have I seen. Compare me not to them." He walked off as Buffy swallowed, once more realizing just what she was getting herself into.

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Leia let out a yell as another blast of green cannon fire ripped past the Millennium Falcon, shaking the entire ship. She leaned in as Han moved the ship into a dodging maneuver. "You really haven't improved the situation!" she hissed.

"At least we're finally clear of those asteroids!" Threepio said. He was standing at the rear with Leia as the others were sitting watching the open space before them. The ship was only a short distance away from the massive Star Destroyer following them.

Han smirked at them all. "Just sit back and relax, ladies! We're home free!" He pulled a switch and the engines revved up…

And then died. The smirk on Han's face quickly followed.

"It's not my fault," he whispered.

"No light speed?" Leia asked in a tired voice.

"It's not my fault!"

"Oblivion! Total oblivion!" Threepio cried out in pain.

The ship shook again and Xander checked the readings. "We just lost the rear deflector shield!" he yelled out. "One more direct hit and we're finished!"

Han thought for a brief second before speaking. "Chewie, turn us around. Harris, all power to front deflectors!"

Everyone stared at him in disbelief as the ship spun around. "What the hell are you doing?" Mara demanded. "You're not actually going to attack them, are you?"

"Inspiration is my specialty!" Han snapped. "Chewie, ready the landing claw!"

"Sir, the odds of surviving a direct attack on a Star Destroyer are on the order-----"

"SHUT UP!" everyone yelled at the droid.

"Are you sure there are no other options?" Xander swallowed.

Leia looked to Han. "I've been a prisoner. Do what you need, Han but don't let them catch us again."

The grin Han made at her encouragement caused fear to grip Xander and Mara.

In the viewscreen, the Destroyer was getting closer and closer as Han avoided the laser fire it was throwing. They could see the bridge coming close as Han sent the Falcon swinging past the reactors. With a yank, Han pulled back the controls just as he cut the ship's engines. Chewbacca punched a button to activate the landing claw as the ship shook. It took the others a moment to realize they were fixed to the rear of the Destroyer's bridge.

Han let out a breath. "I'll be damned, it worked."

"Are you crazy?" Mara said. "I mean, even more insane than I already knew you were? They'll spot us for sure!"

"We're in a blind spot," Han said in a nonchalant tone. "They won't see us." He started to flick several buttons and the ship's engines shut down fully along with some of the power. "Just hang loose, kids and we'll be clear in no time flat."

Xander rubbed his forehead. "He's being confident again, Chewie…I thought we'd discussed this with him before?" The Wookie just gave a rueful nod as they tried to adapt to the new situation.

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"What is the status of the chase, Admiral?" Vader snapped to Piett. The officer did his best to keep the open fear off his face, a daunting task given how he was facing both Vader and Scourge. At least those damnable bounty hunters had left the ship, freeing him of their scrutiny.

"Captain Needa sent a message indicating he would soon be arriving, my Lord," Piett calmly stated.

"That's it?" Angelus asked. "No word on the chase or anything? Just what do we pay you guys for?" He paused and glanced at Vader. "Actually, do we pay them anything? I know those clone guys never got it since they were bred for war but I never heard anything about----"

"Silence," Vader hissed as another officer began to walk up to them. About Piett's age, he had lighter hair and not quite as intense as the Admiral. While his walk was strong, Angelus saw something in his eyes that he had seen so many times before: The look of a man who knows he's about to go to his death.

"Captain Needa," Vader stated impatiently. "Where is the Millennium Falcon now? I wish to have their crew interrogated at-----"

"My Lord," Needa said. "They have escaped."

A long silence went up. Piett closed his eyes, knowing that his friend had just signed his own death warrant. "Your explanation, Captain," Vader hissed in a voice of ice. "Had best be phenomenally good."

Needa swallowed. "We were giving chase when the Falcon turned and came right at us. It…vanished from our scopes with no sign of it having gone to light speed. It could not have a cloaking device as it was too small but…" He swallowed. "I accept full responsibility and I offer my deepest apologies."

Angelus and Vader exchanged a brief glance. Angelus looked Needa up and down, noting the sweat covering him. Nah. Too much of it spoils the taste. He gave Vader a slight nod. Turning, Vader lifted his hand and Needa immediately started choking, clutching at his throat. "My…My Lord…I…"

"They are marginal criminals," Vader intoned. "You are inept. And ineptitude is of no use to me or the Empire." He clenched his fist and Needa fell to the deck, gagging as he grabbed uselessly at his throat. Piett wanted to turn away but feared doing so would just attract Angelus' attention. Instead, he forced himself to watch as Needa let out a long, final gasp before collapsing in a heap to the deck.

"Apology accepted, Captain Needa," Vader intoned. He waved to two helmeted guards who immediately rushed to drag the corpse away. He turned to Piett, who immediately straightened. "Admiral, alert all commands. Calculate every possible destination along their last known course."

"Yes, My Lord!" Piett nodded. "We'll find them."

"You had best do so, Admiral," Vader rumbled. He spun and marched down the hallways, leaving Angelus and Piett behind. Angelus smirked at the Admiral. "Every now and then, he really makes me like him."

Piett was starting to wonder if maybe Needa hadn't been lucky after all.

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"Captain Solo, I must protest this course of action!" Threepio yelled.

"I swear, I'm going to shoot this droid with pleasure," Mara snarled.

"That attitude is most detrimental, Miss Jade," the droid told her. "Your Highness, I am not going to stand here and continue to watch this irresponsible rogue put us all in danger!"

"Then stand in the back with Xander," Han snapped as he gazed out the viewscreen. He straightened as he saw several of the Destroyers ahead beginning to move. "Okay, Chewie, go in the back and help Xander with the landing claw and the engines." The Wookie obliged by going to the back as Threepio continued to speak.

"Under certain circumstances, surrender is a perfectly logical and even honorable course of action and-----" Threepio was cut off as Leia, at Han's encouraging nod, hit a button at the back of his neck.

"Thank you," Mara said.

"Ah, he needs the rest," Han replied. "All right, it looks like the fleet's breaking up. If they follow standard Imperial procedure, they'll dump their garbage before they go. All we need to do is release the landing claw and then we just float right on by."

"With the rest of the garbage, how fitting," Mara sarcastically said. "Solo, they're going to notice something this big floating on by."

Han shook his head with a confident smirk. "Nah, they took a lot of damage in that asteroid field. Burnt-out sensors, damaged deflector generator, contaminated shielding, cracked hull plates…"

Leia was impressed. "Wow. You're actually thinking before reacting for a change. Will wonders never cease?"

"That still leaves us needing a place to do repairs," Mara pointed out.

"True," Han admitted as he brought up the nav-computer. "Let's see…we're in the Anoat system."

"Not much there," Leia remarked.

"No…wait…"

"I'm getting good at that."

"No, I mean it. Lando."

"Lando?" Mara frowned. "Never heard of that system."

"It's not a system, it's a man," Han clarified. "Lando Calrissian. He's a card player, gambler, scoundrel." He smiled at Leia. "You'd like him."

"Oh, thanks."

"He's on the planet Bespin. Pretty far but I think we can make it on sublight."

Mara leaned in to read the data screen. "Cloud City?"

"Tibanna gas mine," Han confirmed. "A floating refinery really."

Leia gave him a dubious look. "How did one of your friends end up in an honest line of work?"

"Lando won it in a sabaac game. Or so he claims." Han leaned back in the seat, lost in thought. "We go way back, Lando and me."

"Can you trust him?" Leia asked sharply.

"No," Han shrugged. "But he's got no love for the Empire, I can tell you that."

"They're jettisoning their garbage," Mara announced. The others looked up to see each Destroyer letting loose a long trail of metal and garbage. Smiling, Han leaned in to the controls and called into the comlink. "Let it go, guys." There was a rumble as the claw was detached and the Falcon began to drift into the field of debris.

Leia leaned in to whisper to Han. "You do have your moments, I'll admit."

Rolling her eyes, Mara exited into the main hold of the ship. She paused and glanced around instinctively. She then leaned up and let her hand rest on the nearby wall. She closed her eyes and concentrated as she shifted a few of the plates, not majorly but just enough to let a series of sounds exit. She let the pattern run three times before ceasing and pulling back.

She entered the hold where Xander and Chewbacca were standing by the open deck by the engines. "Hope you like high places, guys. Our esteemed Captain's taking us to Bespin."

"Bespin?" Xander frowned. "Why?"

Mara shrugged. "Sounds like he's looking up some guy named Lando for help."

Xander and Chewbacca looked up with surprised expressions that soon dissolved into winces of pain. "Oh, damn," Xander groaned and Chewie let out a long moan.

"What?" Mara looked from one to the other with a worried face. "What's wrong?"

"Last time Lando saw Han, he threatened to kill him if they met again," Xander said. "So, don't expect a warm welcome."

Mara sighed as she turned away. "Maybe we will," she muttered under her breath.

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Inside the interior of Slave I, Boba Fett smiled behind his helmet. "So predictable, Solo," he muttered as he saw the large shape of the Falcon fly through the debris. When he'd heard of the sudden disappearance, he knew immediately what Solo had done. Only that man would be crazy enough to try such a maneuver. Fett had to admit a bit of respect for the Corellian. But a job was a job.

He maneuvered his ship behind, not worried about being detected. He was betting the Falcon had suffered the same radar damage as the rest of the Imperial fleet and even if it was working perfectly, there was no way he could detect Fett's ship through its unique shielding alloys. Now if he could just figure out where Solo would go…

His screen flashed with an alert over a signal. Checking it, Fett frowned as he saw some sort of sound distortion flowing from the Falcon. It seemed to be interacting with the ship's shields to send out a series of sounds. Something about that pattern seemed familiar. It took a moment for Fett to realize it was a version of the old Imperial communication signals, used in emergency situations.

It took his computer only seconds to translate it and he stared at the words. "Cloud City," he muttered to himself. He punched that into the nav-computer and watched as the data flowed on the screen. The smile returned as he saw a very familiar looking name. "Well, well," he muttered. "Looking up old friends, eh, Solo?"

He moved to his long-range communicator and punched in a signal on the special frequency provided to the bounty hunters by Vader. He noted how the Falcon seemed to be going slower than usual and concluded its hyperdrive had to be damaged. Adding that to the information in the communiqué, Fett plotted his own course. His last thought before making the jump was how he was going to spend that money.

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Willow was sitting cross legged on the ground, bringing her attention to herself. She'd found meditation to be a great tool to quell the usual worry she brought with her, not to mention help center her in this galaxy with the Force. She heard the footsteps behind her and let out a breath. "Hi."

"Hi," Kasen said as she entered the back room of the mechanic bay. The pilot paused, for once uncertain before she spoke. "About before…I….I thought…I mean…"

"It's okay," Willow said as she stood up to face her. "I mean, I get it. The whole danger and the music and all that. I mean, it just doesn't mean too much…"

"No, that's not it," Kasen said. She paused and rubbed her face. "Maybe I misread you. I knew I gravitated toward women and I sort of felt you did too."

Willow was a bit thrown by that. She'd long gotten used to the fact that in a galaxy of hundreds of different species, same sex romance didn't have the stigma it did back on Earth. Hell, on some planets, it was the norm. She had heard rumors now and then of Kasen, mostly due to her constant turning down of advances of men but wasn't sure if it was true. And she certainly didn't think she gave off any such vibe herself.

Kasen continued. "Listen, Willow….if I was wrong, I apologize. I just…you are an amazing young woman. You're smart, you're funny, you could use a better dress sense but otherwise, you've got a lot going for you. I suppose I just wanted to…I don't know…know you better."

Willow crossed her arms in though. "I…I admit…it felt good."

Kasen brightened. "Really?"

Willow nodded. "Yeah, really. I've never…done that with a woman. I was sort of raised to think it wasn't that good but…It felt that way."

Kasen came closer, that confident smile returning. "Maybe…you need to feel it more…in order to decide?"

Willow smiled as she moved in. "I've always prided myself on in-depth research." That was her last words before her lips met Kasen's once more.

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Lando Calrissian sighed as he came to his office. For the thousandth time, he asked himself what had been going through his mind when he decided to actually make a go at running this place. The smart play would have been to sell it for a tidy profit but instead, he'd decided that being boss of an entire city would be fun.

The fun had evaporated fast and Lando was wishing he was back running smuggling jobs and avoiding blockades. Jabba the Hutt had nothing on union representatives and most of the men he was forced to do business with. Add on the hassles of marinating public works, money, services and the rest and he was surprised his black curly hair was still intact. Ah, well, he did provide a service and that couldn't be taken away from him.

He nodded to his aide, Lobot as he came up to his office. The tall man was bald with what appeared to be a metallic clamp placed on the back of his head. It allowed him instant access to any Cloud City mainframe, letting him keep an eye on the entire city and tell Lando of any troubles. It made him an invaluable part of the city operations and Lando was glad to have him. "Just checking a few things before I head back home," he told the man.

Lobot shook his head. "I'm afraid you have a visitor, sir."

Lando frowned. "I wasn't aware I had any appointments."

"He…is not the type to make an appointment, sir."

Lando knew something was wrong. The normally impassive Lobot actually appeared worried. Striding forward, Lando entered his office…and froze at the sight before him.

"Hello, Calrissian," Boba Fett stated as he leaned on the desk. "We've got a lot to discuss."

"Fett," Lando snapped. "What are you doing here?"

"Giving you a chance to do something smart for once," Fett said. "You're about to have some visitors and if you know what's good for you…you'll do what they want. You try anything dumb…well, I'm sure there's someone out there who'd pay good money for you."

Lando did his best to hide his fear, letting his natural boldness come to life. "I don't care what you want, Fett. You're going to need a lot more than just that fancy suit of yours if you want to boss me around."

A cough got his attention and Lando turned to see Lobot standing behind him. "Sir," his aide said calmly. "An Imperial Star Destroyer has just entered the system. They are ordering that they be allowed to land. They…do not seem open to being told no."

Fett smiled, even though Lando couldn't see it. "I think that'll do. I'd let them land. Lord Vader isn't one to be kept waiting."

Lando closed his eyes and wished once more he'd just done the smart thing and kept being a crook.

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"Are you certain?"

"As sure as I'm standing here, G-Man."

"I've told you before not to call me that," Rupert Giles said as he sipped his tea. He was dressed in a loose dark shirt and tweed pants, rubbing his face. He was thrown by what his Slayer had just told him, that Buffy, Xander and Willow were alive but somewhere in a distant galaxy.

"Remarkable," Giles said. "Truly remarkable. I had thought if they survived, it would be a different dimension but a galaxy…No wonder the mystics I consulted couldn't find them."

Faith nodded. "Well, now that we know, what can we do?"

Giles sighed. "I'm not certain if we can do anything, Faith."

"What?" she said, her eyes bugging out. "Why not?"

Giles rubbed his face. "Getting them from another dimension would be difficult enough. But…and believe me, I'm aware of the irony of this remark….we know more of other dimensions than we do of the universe beyond our planet."

"He's right." Faith turned to see Amy Madison sitting at the side of the table. Her dark hair framed her attractive face as she scratched at her arms, bare with her loose shirt and jeans. While restored to human for some months, she still felt the occasional scratch of her time as a rat now and then. "I mean, we haven't gotten past our own moon, Faith, let alone searched the universe."

"But with magic-----"

"It's called Earth-b-b-bound magic f-for a reason," Tara McClay said, her stutter popping back briefly. She sat next to Amy, her blond hair and bright dress contrasting with the fellow witch. After Willow had vanished, Tara had felt it right to help Giles and Faith out with their fight against evil. She had impressed them by figuring out how to restore Amy to her human form and the two witches had managed to form a good bond. "We can't just use it with the same results elsewhere."

Faith rubbed her face. "There's gotta be something we can do. How about the nerd brigade?"

Amy rolled her eyes. "Oh, God, please don't bring this up to Jonathan and Andrew! Don't get me wrong, they're good for the tech support but if I have to hear them debate the merits of Kirk vs Picard one more time…"

Giles coughed. "I will increase my research and put in a few calls to the Council. But I do have to warn you that the chances of finding a way to reach them are limited to say the least."

Faith glared at him with a resolute expression. "It's Buffy, G. She deserves the chance."

Giles returned her stare with a warm nod. "Yes, she does. And we'll give her that." He stood up and moved to the phone. "I'll call the Council after I contact LA."

"LA?" Faith raised her eyebrows. "You sure?"

Giles nodded as he headed to his office. "I'm sure. If anyone deserves to know Buffy's still alive…it's Angel."

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But, you ask, isn't Angel currently Darth Scourge? Just wait, answers will be coming soon…along with more of Luke and Buffy's training.