Chapter 3

Aayla was falling. As she fell, plunging through the darkness, guilt stung her like a blaster bolt. It was her fault. Aayla had created that monster. Created what was now Cirus Secura. He was right. She was a murderer. The shadows began taking shape all around her, but this time, it wasn't Aayla's desires that came to life, it was her fears, her guilt. A shadow materialized in front of her. Theothersbegan circling around her as she fell, a tornado, a blizzard of everything she dreaded. She reached out to touch the shadow and it became Pol Secura's face, or was it Cirus'? It was calling for her. Calling for redemption. The dark was calling. In Ryloth, in the dark side, she would find her destiny. She had to pay.

Aayla awoke and found herself in a bed in the Temple infirmary. Everything hurt. The dream was different. More clear. Aayla now understood. Going to Ryloth was the only way. Something big, something evil was brewing in the Force. And she had to stop it.

Aayla's vision gradually returned to her and her eyes focused on the concerned face of Kit Fisto looming over head. His face split into a grin as she awoke.

'Aayla!' Kit wrapped his arms around her tightly. Embarrassed, Aayla gently pushed him away and sat up.

'Kit? What happened? Where's Cirus?'

Kit's smile faltered and he motioned to the bed next to her's. Cirus lay there, unconscious, medical droids attaching a prosthetic hand where his real one had been cut off.

Another voice, Mace Windu's, 'Even when Master Fisto relieved him of his hand, he still wouldn't come quietly. We had to subdue him,' Mace grimaced. 'Forcefully.'

Now Master Yoda spoke, 'I take it, know him you did?'

Aayla shook her head. 'No. But he is Pol Secura's son. My cousin. And one of the most skilled duelists I've ever battled. We have to find out where he learned his skills and his mastery of the Force. I have to go to Ryloth.' Aayla tried to get up but a fierce pain in her leg andribs made her gasp. Kit set her down gently.

'We understand,' Said Yoda softly. 'But rest you must. Injure you, he did. Patience.'

'Master Yoda, with all due respect, something dark is clouding the Force. More than usual I mean. And this darkness, I feel it coming from Ryloth. I feel it planning. Growing in strength. We can't waste anytime.'

Master Windu spoke again. 'Master Secura, Aayla. We need time to think. A Jedi shouldn't be making decisions like this so quickly. It's too hasty. Too reckless. We need to question your cousin to find out if there are more assassins in Coruscant. How many of them there are. Where he learnt his skills. Then, if we have found enough information, we will send you among a team of Jedi on an expedition to Ryloth.'

Yoda nodded solemnly to this but Kit brushed a hand through his tentacles, looking troubled. Knowing there was no arguing with the Council, Aayla decided that she wouldn't need to. She had to take matters into her own hands. She had to do this alone.

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Reth Hi'Shaa, one of the Jedi who had guarded Cirus Secura when he escaped, paced outside his holding cell nervously. The Weequay Jedi had no desire to once again feel the Twi'lek's fist.

Aayla Secura came around a corner toward him, her foot steps echoed hollowly through the hallway. Her injuries had been treated to but Aayla still walked with a slight limp and had a grimace of pain etched on her face. 'Aayla, how are you feeling?' inquired Reth.

'I'm sorry' Aayla said softly and she span and kicked Reth hard in the throat. He fell unconscious to the floor and Aayla looked mournfully down at the Jedi. She keyed her access code into the door and it slid open with a soft hiss. Aayla sighed. The Council would have her head for this. Even if she was right.

Cirus Secura lay inside, his arms and legs bound together with electro-cuffs. Rage smoldered in his eyes as Aayla entered. A snarl formed on his face but whatever he was going to say was cut off as Aayla had chopped down her hand with lethal efficiency across his neck. Cirus' eyes closed.

Aayla hoisted him up onto her shoulder straining under his weight. Her leg gave a twinge of pain but she shifted her weight and walked out through the door.

Luckily, thanks to the war, most Jedi were out of the temple, so Aayla was undisturbed as she ran along the halls to the hangar. A gleaming cruiser ship that she had pre prepared stood in front of her. The cruiser was small and fast, made for stealth and speed. Perfect. The ramp lowered and she rushed up. The Council was currently holding a meeting to discuss what actions would be taken about the current situation.

Aayla opened the storage area door and dumped Cirus unceremoniously inside. She walked to the bridge and started up the ship and punched in the coordinated for Ryloth. She sat down into the chair, eyes closed, as if in pain. A voice came from behind her, 'Hello Aayla.'

Aayla was up in a fraction of a second, her blade already flaring to life. And it was pointed at Kit Fisto.

'I knew you would come. So I got leave from the Council meeting and hid here.'

'Did you tell them about what I plan to do?' There was a hint of threat in Aayla's voice. The ship was already taking off.

'No. I trust you judgment Aayla. We must go to Ryloth. And I'm coming with you.'

Aayla let loose a sigh of resignation.

'You may come to regret it Kit.'

Aayla's blade shrank back into the handgrip and her arms lay slack at her side. The comm. sounded, 'You do not have clearance for this flight Plea-…'Aayla turned it off. They were now out of Coruscant atmosphere.

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Ryloth was in sight.

Ryloth was an Outer Rim planet, the home planet of Twi'leks. Because of the nature of Ryloth's orbit around its primary, one side of the planet always faced its star. This resulted in the temperature on the day side being very high, and the evening temperature being very cold. The day side, was a harsh burning desert, the night side a freezing tundra of ice crystals. Stretching from pole to pole between these regions was the twilight realm - a thin habitable border between the two extremes. Here, the Twi'Leks lived in a clan based society in a series of caverns and underground cities to avoid the harsh Ryloth weather and firestorms.

Inside, Kit and Aayla sat apart from each other in silence. In a cracking voice, Aayla broke the silence and began to speak softly, almost a whisper.

'Kit, I…I forgot to say thank you for saving my life back there. Again. I'd just like to say that…that I'm glad to have you here with me. Thanks.'

Embarrassed Kit stood up and began pacing restlessly. He replied, 'I have to say thank you too Aayla…I know that you would have done the same for me… and…' Kit drew closer to Aayla until their faces were almost touching.

'I've never felt about someone, as I have you Aayla.'

Aayla moved closer to Kit, their faces where centimeters apart. Aayla could feel Kit's hot breath on her face and her heart pounding.

'Kit….Kit, we shouldn't be doing this….it's against the Jedi code….and you're a member of the Jedi Council, a master…'

Kit drew even closer. 'Not now. Right now, I'm not a Jedi Master. Not a member of the Council. I'm just Kit. Just Kit.'

Their moment was cut short as the comm. once again crackled to life and Aayla and Kit drew apart embarrassedly. A heavily armed gun ship flew up to the side of their cruiser. A Devaronian male, blood red skin and horns protruding from his head appeared on the screen. Though Devaronian males were usually docile by nature, Aayla new from experience that this wasn't always the case and judging from the devilish apparition on the screen this Devaronian was far from docile.

'I have recently acquired information that you have in your ship, none other than Cirus Secura.'

Not bothering to answer his question, Aayla said, 'Who are you? And who is this Cirus Secura?

An ugly snarl twisted the Devaronian's face. 'Watch your tongue wench. I am the greatest bounty hunter in the galaxy, Wrath Maer! And don't try lying missy, you two fit the exact description. A basic speaking female Twi'lek traveling with a Nautolan. Not a sight you see everyday. An exceptionally high bounty has been placed on the head of Cirus Secura. By Jabba the Hutt.'

Aayla's expression of calm began to change into one of rage at the mention of the infamous Hutt's name. Jabba was one of the most notorious slavers in the galaxy. And he had a penchant for female Twi'leks.

Kit threw a glance at Aayla. He had a bad feeling that she was going to do something they would both regret later. 'Aayla…'

Wrath smiled. 'Ah, I see you recognize the name. Young Secura seems to have freed several of Jabba's most prized slaves and killed a great number of guards. And you should know that if you don't hand in Secura now, I'm gonna personally hand you in to Jabba. I'm sure he'll find you very….tasty.'

Aayla rose from her seat. 'We're not handing over anything. Especially not to a horned worm like you. And one more thing. You can tell Jabba the Hutt that he can shove his bounty straight up his-…'

Wrath snarled in fury. 'Open Fire!' The screen went blank.

Before they could get a chance, Aayla fired the engines full power, and they shot forward leaving the gun ship behind. Their cruiser was much faster than the gunship but had little to no fire power. The gun ships opened fire and Aayla steered the ship, dodging and strafing through a cloud of blaster fire.

'Aayla, I'm not sure that goading Wrath was a very good idea…' said Kit quietly.

Aayla gritted her teeth. 'You have a better idea?' Their ship looped around a floating meteor, narrowly avoiding a proton torpedo. The meteor exploded into a million pieces.

'Uh oh. They've locked on.' Aayla corkscrewed through the air, they had to get into the Ryloth atmosphere. Two missiles ejected from the gun ship. And sped towards them.

'Let's try something new. I learnt this little trick from Obi Wan Kenobi.' Said Aayla quietly to herself.

The missiles were drawing nearer and they were almost in the atmosphere. The ravaged, light and dark planet Ryloth loomed nearer. Aayla ground her teeth together and pulled the ship into a dive.

'Do you know what your doing?' asked Kit nervously.

'One'

The missiles were speeding up.

'Two'

Mere meters away.

'Three!'

Aayla ejected the spare parts from the back of the cruiser. The debris collided with one missile and it exploded into firey light. But one kept going. It hit their cruiser. The gun ship pulled away, satisfied.

'Damn. Buckle up Kit. We're in for a bumpy ride.'

The cruiser's direction went crazy and corkscrewed down into Ryloth atmosphere. Towards the dark side of the planet. Into the night.

Aayla tried to keep the ship steady, the ship was heating up, fire surrounding it as it vibrated down through the air. The ground was drawing nearer. For a moment the night side was revealed to her eyes in the fire of the ship. The land was completely covered in a sheet of ice, strange and beautiful crystal plants glowed luminously in the darkness. Then the ice and snow rushed up to meet them. Aayla tried to pull up desperately but it was useless. They crashed in an explosion of snow and darkness.

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Yeah I know another crappy chase scene. But it was neccessary for the story. Meh. Big action in the next chapters! Reviews and suggestions please!