Shadow of the Jedi

by The Son Of Hades123

He no longer wears a suit to breath. He is no longer a Sith. And he is taking the Trials to become a Jedi Knight. Join Nico Di Angelo as he try's to change the Fate of a galaxy wide war, while trying to cope with the demons inside. Nico Di Angelo may be back, but Lord Reaper is still lurking in the shadows. I don't own PJO, HOO or Star Wars The Clone wars. Nico might be OOC.

16. Chapter 16

Shadow of the Jedi

Chapter 16: Nico will kill them all

"Anakin!" Widely smiling, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine came forward to meet him as though they were the only two men in his executive suite. "How gratifying to see you unharmed after your recent battle. Allow me to congratulate you on your fine showing against the monsters known as the Separatist's. You continue to credit the Jedi Order."

Uncomfortably aware that they weren't alone, Anakin nodded. "Thank you Supreme Chancellor. It's good to see you again, sir."

"Anakin, are you not well?" Palpatine peered anxiously into his face. "You're looking a trifle weary. This terrible war-it's taxing all of us, I know but-" He turned. "I hope you're not asking too much of this young man, Master Yoda. The more I learn of his exploits on the front lines, defending our Republic, the more I come to believe we'll not win this fight without him."

Anakin stared at the carpeted floor. He didn't dare flick a look at Nico or Master Yoda, who by rights Chancellor Palpatine should have greeted first. His friendship with the Chancellor meant a great deal to him but sometimes-like right now-he wished Naboo's former Senator would remember that the Jedi liked to keep things calm and understated; that they were greatly attached to ceremony and the proper protocols.

But Yoda didn't appear perturbed. "Correct you are, Supreme Chancellor. Most valuable to our cause young Skywalker is."

"As, of course, is Padawan Di Angelo," Palpatine said, offering the Ghost King a gracious nod. "Please don't think I'm unaware of your contributions. Indeed, I had a long conversation with Kothlis's interim leader a short while ago and he specifically mentioned your heroic defence of the spynet facility. I'm told you were wounded in that engagement?"

Now it was Nico's turn to squirm. Nothing irked him more than being singled out, especially by a politician. "A few scratches, Supreme Chancellor. It's hardly worth mentioning."

"And you'd much rather I'd not mentioned it?" Palpatine said, amused. "Padawan Di Angelo, you are far too modest. I think-"

"Forgive me, Supreme Chancellor," Bail Organa said, as Mas Ammeda ushered him into Palpatine's office. "I'm so sorry to delay you."

Anakin turned his head, just a little, to watch the Senator from Alderaan join them in front of Palpatine's desk. An interesting man. His presence in the Force was dynamic. Intense. Padmé trusted him implicitly, and more than once had urged him to do the same. And then there was Nico, who held a sort of respect toward the Senator, something you don't see from the Ghost King.

I've no reason not to trust him. If Nico trusts him, someone who absolutely loathes politicians, then I don't see why I shouldn't. I don't know. He just seems…awfully smooth.

Palpatine didn't appear put out by the politician's late arrival. "Nothing wrong, I hope, Senator?"

"No, no," Organa said. "I was held up at one of the checkpoints."

"How delightfully ironic," Palpatine said with a small, wicked smile. "My head of Republic security falling afoul of a security check."

"Yes," Organa said, charmingly rueful. "It serves me right for not following my own recommendations. Again, sir, my apologies."

"Accepted," Palpatine said. "And now that we're all here, my friends, let us get down to business."

Ordinarily, visitors to the Supreme Chancellor's office remained standing. This time, however, Palpatine led them to an offset alcove where chairs and a sofa had been arranged, conversation-style.

"Master Yoda," Organa said, following. "Good to see you again."

"And you, Senator," Yoda said.

"Senator," Nico said, with a noncommittal nod.

Organa nodded back. "Padawan Di Angelo."

Very formal. But still, watching closely, Anakin saw something pass between Nico and his unlikely friend. A secret that they both know about, but will never reveal to anyone else.

Uh-oh. What are they up to?

But there was no time to ponder that, because everyone else was seated. So he took his own place, folded his hands in his lap, and sat back, waiting to see what happened.

"So," Palpatine said, congeniality set aside in the face of grim reality. "Kothlis. A desperately close-run affair, I'm afraid. The Separatists' bold attack almost succeeded. And there is every reason to suspect they'll try again as soon as they have regrouped. My friends, we cannot afford to lose the Kothlis spynet to our enemy."

Bail Organa nodded. "I agree. It was sheer luck the Special Operations Brigade picked up that chatter about the impending attack. If not for random chance, Kothlis would now be in Separatist hands-and we need its capabilities, now more than ever with the war not going our way. We can't rely on Bothawui, Special Ops, and our Clone agents for intel. The conflict's spread too far."

"Exactly Senator," Palpatine said, approving. "Which is why I have decided-after consultation with Kothlis's interim government-to establish a permanent GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) presence in their system and on their soil."

Anakin saw Nico frown slightly and Yoda's ears twitch in discreet alarm. "A permanent presence, Chancellor?" Yoda questioned, ears lowering. "Using which troops?"

"Our best and brightest, of course," Palpatine said, eyebrows raised.

"From the front lines you would divert resources?"

"Master Yoda-" Palpatine throttled impatience. "Given Kothlis's importance I don't see I have any choice. Do you?"

"In theory your suggestion is sound, Chancellor," Nico said carefully. "But I believe it would prove to be a miscalculation. Conditions on the front lines are extremely difficult. We've already lost too many of our most experienced Clone soldiers and pilots. To take more out of rotation and station them permanently on-"

"Padawan Di Angelo," Palpatine said, one hand raised. His voice was slightly chilly, his eyes hard. "Perhaps you should consider that while I have not seen action on the front lines, as Supreme Chancellor of our grand Galactic Republic I do have a firm grasp of this conflict's big picture. I would not have taken this step did I not consider it unavoidable."

The Ghost Kings face went still. "Of course, Supreme Chancellor."

"My friends…" Palpatine's intent gaze swept across their faces. "I regret the difficulties losing these troops will cause you. But unless I've been misinformed there are more Clones due out of production within the next few months. Can we not hold fast until they reach us?"

Yoda sighed. "We can, Chancellor-if convinced you are that we must."

"I am convinced, Master Yoda," Palpatine said. "I know that, as a rule, I leave the strategic planning to you and your Jedi Council and the GAR war cabinet-but in this case I feel compelled to intervene. It was only thanks to young Skywalker that Kothlis-and before that Bothawui-did not fall into Separatist hands. But Anakin is only one man-and the Jedi cannot expect him to save the day every day."

Anakin closed his eyes. Please, please, stop talking now, Chancellor. Really. Just stop.

Bail Organa broke the excruciating silence. "I agree, Supreme Chancellor, that the spynet facility on Kothlis is an asset that must be protected. But with all due respect, Padawan Di Angelo also has a valid point. So might I suggest a compromise?"

Palpatine leaned back in his chair, fingers delicately steepled. "Of course, Senator. Please, it's not my intention to dictate to any of you. I requested this meeting so we might have a free and frank exchange of views on our desperate situation. If you can think of another way to protect Kothlis, believe me-I'll seize it with both hands."

There was no mistaking the Chancellor's sincerity. Anakin flicked a look at Nico and Yoda, willing them to see Palpatine's point of view.

They can't make this personal. He's the Supreme Chancellor, it's his job to make difficult decisions. The Jedi serve the Republic, not the other way around. And if this is how we serve today-then so be it.

"I suggest," Organa said slowly, "that a mix of experienced front-line troops and newer soldiers be sent to secure Kothlis. And that once the newer troops have been trained by those experienced personnel, the latter be returned to the front lines without delay."

"That's an interesting suggestion, Senator," Palpatine said. "Master Yoda, your thoughts?"

Yoda smoothed one small hand over his seamed, roughly domed head. "An ideal arrangement it is not, but better than the alternative I think. Accept Senator Organa's compromise I do. On one condition."

Palpatine frowned. "Which is?"

"Of this arrangement a three-month review must be held, Supreme Chancellor. To save Kothlis and lose the civilised galaxy is not an outcome to be desired."

"And if Kothlis isn't prepared to accept this compromise, or the imposition of a three-month trial period?"

"Supreme Chancellor you are," Yoda said, smiling grimly. "Explain to them you can that no choice do they have."

"I'll certainly do my best, Master Yoda," Palpatine said, very dry. "Now-if we might address our second pressing issue? How were the Separatist's able to infiltrate our shipyard and sabotage our warships' communications systems? How were they able to jam fighter and gunship transmissions? That argues they have access to our coded frequencies, which is alarming."

"I can offer no explanation at this time, Supreme Chancellor," Organa said flatly. "But a task force compromising military and civilian intel agents is working all hours to find one. My office is coordinating. As soon as I have answers, sir, you'll have them." He looked at Yoda. "And you, Master Yoda. I'm acutely aware of the danger the Jedi and the troops they command are in so long as this security breach remains unresolved."

"Greatly appreciated your efforts are, Senator," said Yoda. "Outwit the Separatist's we must. If help from the Jedi you require, ask for it. Every assistance shall we give you."

"I hesitate to suggest," Palpatine said, "but should we consider standing our forces down until we can be sure GAR communications are safeguarded?"

"Stand down?" Nico said incredulously. "We can't. We'd lose too much ground to the Separatist's. We'd be telling Grievous he won. Chancellor-"

"Nico," Anakin warned.

"It's all right, Anakin," Palpatine said. "He's right, I fear, and I was mistaken to suggest it. No matter the dangers we cannot retreat. Instead, we must bear the consequences of courage. And we will." He favoured them with a weary smile. "Thank you all, for your time and your advice. Now we must trust the Force to see us victorious."

The meeting broke up, amid promises and assurances of constant mutual updates. Then Palpatine cleared his throat.

"Master Yoda-I wonder if I might trespass upon your goodwill and ask that Anakin remain behind for a few moments?"

Yoda's nod was as close to a respectful bow as he would likely ever get. "Certainly. Young Skywalker-"

"Master," Anakin said, with his own version of a deferential nod.

"To the Temple you will return once finished is your business here. Your report on Kothlis I have yet to hear."

"Of course, Master."

Nico said nothing, only raised an eyebrow then followed Master Yoda out of Palpatine's office, Senator Organa by his side. As the doors closed behind them, the Supreme Chancellor turned.

"Anakin, Anakin." He shook his head, ruefully smiling. "I embarrassed you, didn't I?"

He felt heat rush into his face. "No, sir, I-"

"Yes, I did," Palpatine said. "You can say it. I won't bite." He gestured. "Let's sit down again, shall we? Have you eaten breakfast? It wouldn't surprise me if you hadn't-I was forced to convene this meeting at a most uncivilized hour."

"No, thank you, Chancellor," he said, dropping back into his chair. "I'm fine."

Palpatine frowned. "Are you sure? I don't like to think of you neglecting yourself, Anakin. You work so hard, risk your life for the rest of us on a daily basis. You mustn't be careless of your own well-being. As Supreme Chancellor I've quite enough worries to be going on with, young man. If you've any regard for me at all, you'll not make yourself another one."

Any regard? He couldn't speak for a moment. This is the most important man in the galaxy…and he speaks to me as though I'm his own flesh and blood. He has cared about me since I was a boy.

"Chancellor…" He had to wait a moment before he could trust his voice. "Please, don't ever doubt my regard for you. It's too deep for words."

Eyes moistening, Palpatine smoothed the nap of his rich blue velvet trousers. "I know it makes you uncomfortable when I praise you in public, Anakin. Particularly to Master Yoda or Master Kenobi or even Padawan Di Angelo." He looked up. "But I'm not about to apologise for that. Perhaps you're too close to things. Perhaps you've grown accustomed to being…treated in a certain way. But when I see how blithely they take you for granted, when I see how reluctant they are to acknowledge your extraordinary efforts in this awful war-well. It makes me see red."

Now it was Anakin's turn to look down. "Adulation is not the Jedi way." He murmured. "The knowledge that we've done our duty is sufficient for us."

"Yes, well, it's not sufficient for me," Palpatine retorted. "So I'm afraid you'll just have to get used to me telling you how splendid you are."

Anakin laughed. "Far be it from me to argue with the Republic's Supreme Chancellor."

"Anakin…" Smile fading, Palpatine regarded him intently. "How are you, really? The truth. Please."

"I'm…tired," he admitted, after a long pause. "I'm angry. I'm afraid."

"Afraid? Of what?"

"That we'll lose this war. That I'll lose more friends. That even if we do defeat Dooku and Grievous, what we're left with-our Republic-will be so damaged I won't recognize it." He shivered. "I've see so much suffering, Chancellor. Sometimes it feels like I'm drowning in it. Like no matter what I do it's not enough."

Palpatine nodded. "I understand. I often feel the same way. And loneliness makes it even harder to bear, doesn't it?"

"Loneliness?" He stared at Palpatine, abruptly uneasy. "I'm sorry, sir, I don't-"

"Senator Amidala. Padmé." Palpatine's smile was gentle and full of affection. "You miss her, Anakin. I can see it in your eyes. I can feel it. Your pain."

Shocked icy cold, he struggled to remain calm. How can he know? I've been so careful. "I'm sorry, Chancellor, but I think you're-"

"Anakin, Anakin…" Palpatine rested a hand on his shoulder. "You mustn't fret. I won't tell."

"There's nothing to tell, Supreme Chancellor." He felt sick. "Padmé-the Senator-I don't-"

"Anakin." Now Palpatine's hooded eyes were fierce. "You can hide from the Jedi-but you can't hide from me. I know your heart. And my heart breaks that you must endure such sorrow. I wish there was something I could do, my boy. I wish I could snap my fingers and change their foolish rules. But I can't. All I can do is promise you-on my life-that I will never betray your confidence. I hope you know that. I hope you trust me."

"Yes," Anakin whispered. "Yes, of course I trust you."

Palpatine's relief hummed in the Force. "Thank you," he said. "That means a great deal. Anakin-my dear young friend-you're not alone. And if ever the need to unburden yourself becomes too great to bear, if there's no one else you can turn to, turn to me. I am here for you, always. There is nothing you could tell me that would change my feelings for you."

Padmé had said that: on Tatooine, after he'd confessed to her his slaughter of the Sand People who'd murdered his mother. A slaughter that still haunted his dreams. To hear Palpatine make the same promise…

"Thank you, Supreme Chancellor. I don't-I can't-" He breathed out hard. "Thank you." Then he stood. "But I should go now. I've duties in the Temple-and wounded to ask after."

"Of course," Palpatine said, rising. "We are both busy men. But if you can, come to see me again before you're flung back into the war. I enjoy your company."

"And I enjoy yours, Chancellor," Anakin said, with a bow. "If I can return, I will. I promise."

And feeling much better than he had upon waking, he made his way back to the Jedi Temple.

Line break

"He doesn't encourage it, you know," Nico said, threading the speeder through the slowly building morning traffic, taking the most direct route back to the Temple. "Friendly as he is with the Supreme Chancellor, Skywalker doesn't ask to be singled out in that fashion."

In the passenger seat beside him, chin sunk to his chest, Yoda grunted. He was frowning.

"Besides. Palpatine wasn't wrong," he added. "The spynet facility most likely would have fallen if not for him."

"An accomplished Jedi has young Skywalker become, young Di Angelo," Yoda conceded. "But your own part in the saving of Kothlis did you play. Forget that I do not."

Nico chuckled slightly, slipped their speeder into an adjacent lane, and kicked it along a bit faster.

"Still, I'm lucky Ahsoka was there," he said. "She's shaping up to be quite the Jedi, Master Yoda."

"Pleased I am with her progress," Yoda conceded.

"Although-" He had to smile. "I believe she's teaching Skywalker at least as much as he's teaching her."

They weren't far from the Temple now. Changing lanes again so he could bypass the main transport complex and instead dock the speeder at Yoda's private landing platform, he glanced sideways at the diminutive Jedi Master.

"Admiral Yularen feared Resolute would be weeks in spacedocks. Do you know if that's true?"

"True it is, Nico," Yoda said heavily. "Although-"

"So long as she's in spacedock she can't be diverted to Kothlis," he murmured. "Which is reassuring. I know the planet must be protected, but…" He glanced sideways. "Master Yoda, like Palpatine, you've got the best view of the big picture right now. I know I'm not on the Council, Hades, I'm not even a Knight, but-can you tell me? Are things as badly for us as I suspect?"

"What do your feelings tell you, Nico?"

The Temple was looming. Their journey was almost over, and with it this surprisingly one-sided conversation. Best make the most of it while I can. "That we are a long, long way from victory, Master."

Yoda sighed. "Enslaved to the dark side the Separatists are. Strong this makes them. Very strong."

Nico smirked humourlessly, "Yeah, I know that much. But what about the Force? What does it show you?"

"Not enough."

Nico frowned, "We will win this war, Master. We have to. The alternative-"

"Must be faced, young Di Angelo," Yoda said. He sounded so grim. "Clouded is the Republic's future. Obscured by the dark side. Hope we must have, but not blind hope."

And what did that mean? Was Yoda coming to believe that defeat was possible? Probable? Even…inevitable?

I refuse to accept that.

With another sideways swoop he guided the speeder toward the Temple sector containing Yoda's apartment. "Master, perhaps Skywalker and I should reconsider our furlough. Three days is a long time. Perhaps-"

Yoda's ears lowered. "No. Correct Palpatine was when he said rely on you too much we should not."

Though he was worried, he had to smile. "Actually, he said you weren't to rely on Skywalker too much. Our Supreme Chancellor appears not to care that much about the former Sith Lord, I'm apparently yesterdays news."

"And concern you, does that?"

"Not in the least, Master," he said. "Generally speaking, anyone a politician praises to the sky is someone I'd think twice about trusting."

That made Yoda laugh. "Young to be so cynical you are, Nico."

"Believe me, Master, the war is aging me fast."

"Aging us all it is." Yoda sighed. "Three days your furlough will remain. This short respite you have earned, Nico. Take it. No telling there is when rest again you will have."

"Well…" Nico frowned slightly, "I won't say it's not welcome."

Although who knows if I'll get to enjoy it? I'll probably have to deal with those idiots who bullied Tracy, all well, I guess I could spend some time in the archives and try and find out what that disturbance on Kothlis was.

Yoda was staring. He could feel that bright, wickedly sharp intelligence assessing him. "Something else bothering you there is, Nico. Confide in me, can you?"

Shit. He should know better than to indulge in doubts around Yoda. Directly ahead lay the Jedi Master's private landing platform. Slowing the speeder he glided them in, the machine shuddering gently as the automatically triggered cushion-shield absorbed their momentum. He used the maneuver as a distraction, searching for the best response.

"There is something that I sensed on Kothlis," he admitted, "but I need to know more before I can speak of it. When I do-if I need to-I will. You have my word."

"Your judgement I respect, Nico," Yoda said. "Come to me at any time you know you can."

Nico nodded, "Thank you, Master."

He watched Yoda make his way into the Temple, then returned the speeder to the transport pool. After that, with Anakin occupied and nothing else to claim his attention, he headed for the Jedi Archives. With luck he'd find something of value there about the dark presence he felt on Kothlis.

But nearly two hours later he found absolutely nothing, apart from the usual Sith stories, old Darths, the Jedi Civil War, and the prophecy of the Sith, there was nothing about what he sensed. As he sat in the private cubicle he'd commandeered, pondering that inconvenient conclusion and feeling mildly peeved, Anakin found him.

"There you are. What are you doing hidden in here?"

He glanced up at him, "No reason."

"Then what are we doing in here?"

Nico sighed. Maybe it was all in my head… "I have no idea."

"And yet we're discussing it."

"Apparently, yes."

"Nico." Anakin folded his arms, alight with baffled amusement. "Are you feeling all right? We have some time off. There has to be somewhere else you'd rather be."

"I could say the same thing to you."

Anakin's smile faded. "Yeah, well." He shrugged. "I'm still waiting to hear from Ahsoka. Or Rex. I'll even settle for a Kaminoan. I swear, if someone doesn't tell me what's going on in the medcentre, and soon…"

Nico sat back in his chair. "Stop worrying. Ahsoka and the injured Clones are in the best possible hands. If something had gone wrong, you'd have heard by now. Bad news travels reliably fast."

"I suppose," Anakin muttered. "But-I don't know-maybe I'll-"

Nico slapped him lightly on the arm. "Don't even think it. The last thing they need is you under their feet, Skywalker. Besides, how will it look to Ahsoka if you go running out to Kaliida Shoals? She'll think you don't trust her."

"It's got nothing to do with trust," Anakin protested. "Those are my men, Nico."

"And Ahsoka is there for them," he pointed out. "They need to know that, Skywalker. They need to know that you trust her to lead them when you can't."

Anakin opened his mouth to argue, then reconsidered, "Does it really look like I don't trust her?"

"What do you think?"

"I think-" Anakin kicked his heel against the polished marble floor. "I think I hate it when I can't stop my men from getting hurt. From dying. I think-"

"What?" he prompted, when Anakin didn't continue.

"Never mind. It doesn't matter."

Nico shrugged and was about to get up to leave, but before he could get up, he heard Anakin clear his throat, causing him to look back up at the Jedi Knight.

"Look. Nico." He started in a slightly sheepish tone of voice. "About this morning. Chancellor Palpatine." He sighed. "He means well. He's my friend, all right? He worries about me."

Nico shrugged. "I know."

"I don't agree with him," Anakin added. "About me being taken for granted. Or that I'm single-handedly defending the Republic. We all risk ourselves. We're all ready to die in this war. The Chancellor-he gets carried away, Nico. That's all."

"It's fine, Skywalker. I don't care and I fully understand."

"Do you?" Anakin said, an eyebrow raised. "Really?"

Nico rolled his eyes. "Yes." Abruptly, he shoved his chair back from the datastation, Nico stood. "I've been sitting for hours. I'm going to stretch my legs. Care to join me, or do you still have reports to file?"

Anakin shook his head. "No. They're done. But I was thinking I might take R2 down to the droid workshop and give him a tune-up. He's seen some pretty heavy action over the last couple of months, and I've only had the time and equipment to make running repairs."

Tinkering, again. I really shouldn't be surprised. "Fine. Just don't get any bright ideas for upgrading him. Or if you do, check before implementing them. Remember what happened the last time you got creative?"

They left the Archives' private cubicle, Anakin hotly protesting under his breath. "That wasn't my fault. Fleet Maintenance shouldn't have changed my onboard weapons protocols without telling me. If I'd known they'd recalibrated the targeting computer, I'd never have rewritten R2's rapid-response interface and-"

"-You wouldn't have accidentally shot me down. I know," he said with a yawn. "Mistakes were made all around and hopefully we've learned from them. I'm just suggesting-"

"All right, all right," Anakin said, as they passed through the Archives' main doors and onto the Level 6 concourse beyond them. "Point taken. I won't upgrade anything without checking with fleet first. You satisfied?"

"I'm ecstatic," he said dryly. "Have fun. I'll comm you later."

They parted company.

Lacking any clear purpose for the first time in weeks, and finding the absence of urgency unnerving, Nico wandered the wide, concourse halls with its towering marble columns and artworks donated from the countless worlds throughout the Republic. He smirked at the little flocks of younglings he encountered, so focused and serious as they herded from one task to the next. He passed groups of older Padawans, a little less serious, a little more in tune with the Force. The awe in their eyes as they recognized him made him incredibly uncomfortable.

What to do, what to do? He supposed that he could spend some time in a meditation chamber. Last night, the Temple's Jedi healer, Vokara Che had strongly advised just that, once she'd finished what Resolute's med droid had started and repaired the lingering echoes of damage from those inconvenient transparisteel shards.

Then again, I've never really been one for taking orders.

Line break

The Kaliida Shoals Medcentre was a terrible place.

Ahsoka felt guilty for thinking that, but Master Yoda was very strict about Padawans not denying their thoughts. Good or bad they must flow through the mind, neither provoking nor denying action. Only when a Jedi was at peace with his or her thoughts could the right course of action be decided.

She didn't like Kaliida Shoals and she wasn't too fond of the Kaminoans, either. Nala Shan and her colleagues were brilliant scientists and miracle-working doctors, but it seemed to her that Nico felt more connection to flying than the Kaminoans did to the Clones they created. When they didn't think she was listening, they referred to Rex and Coric and the others as units. Units. They weren't units, they were men, living breathing laughing hurting brave and reckless men, who lay down their lives for her and for one another without ever once stopping to think first and she loved them for that. So did Anakin. And Nico, well, he respected them.

But the Kaminoans? No love. Not even respect. Just pride. They were proud of their work. They were terribly impressed with how much damage a Clone could sustain and how fast they could heal his torn flesh and broken bones. But care about them? Feel sympathy for their pain, or grief at their loss? No. She hadn't seen a hint of that. The Kaminoans were very detached. They were so detached they made Jedi like Master Yoda and Master Windu and Nico look like giddy, hysterical children.

With her fractured ribs swiftly and neatly healed and her other scrapes and burns and bruises consigned to memory-the Kaminoans even fixed the slight defect in her central montral, which was good of them, she grudgingly allowed-she was free to wander the unrestricted areas of the uncomfortably white and high-ceilinged medcentre, or keep up with her lightsaber drills along any handily empty circular corridor she could find.

What she wasn't allowed to do was contact Anakin with an update, or Nico just because she needed someone to talk to, or sit with Captain Rex and Sergeant Coric while they were in their bacta chambers, or visit with any other Torrent Company Clones who'd been consigned here. And she hadn't been permitted to bid farewell to those who'd died in this sterile place despite the Kaminoans' best efforts to save them.

And that wasn't fair.

Being a refitted space station the medcentre had one observation platform, sited at the very top of its flat-topped spindle. It afforded a panoramic view of the Kaliida Nebula, and the beauty of that distracted her-at least for a little while-from darker thoughts.

Nala Shan's assistant, Topuc Ti, found her there a short time before lunch, local time

"Padawan Ahsoka, it is permitted for you to receive a holo-transmission from your Jedi Master," the ethereal Kaminoan informed her. "Please follow me to the communications centre."

Anakin. Leaping up from her cross-legged meditation, Ahsoka tried to calm her scudding heart. Did they have new orders? Had another battlefront opened up? Would she have to leave Rex or Coric and the others alone here to their uncertain fates? She didn't want to do that. The notion felt like a betrayal, like she'd be abandoning them. As though, like these Kaminoans, she didn't care.

"Come," Topuc Ti said, one elongated pale hand beckoning. "You're Jedi Master seemed most impatient."

"Sorry. Yes. I'm coming." She said, and scrambled after him.

"Ahsoka!" Anakin's hologram jittered and warped, the signal struggling to punch through the Nebula's interference. "What took you so long?"

"Sorry," she said. "I was right up in the-"

"Never mind. What's going on? You were supposed to give me regular updates!"

Was it poor transmission quality or was his face practically black with oil? "I tried, Master, only-" She looked around, but the two Kaminoans sharing the comm centre were busy with their own conversations. Still, to be on the safe side she hunched over the holotransmitter and lowered her voice. "They wouldn't let me, Skyguy. They took my comlink and they won't give it back!"

"It's probably procedure," Anakin said. "How's Rex? How's Coric? Have you seen them? When will they be discharged?"

"I don't know!" She was practically wailing, and she didn't care. "All I know is that Rex was hurt a lot worse than I realised. The last time I saw him he was talking, he didn't look like he was-" She couldn't say it. "But they won't let me see him, or the sergeant, and they won't tell me anything except they're not dead."

Anakin sighed. "That's probably procedure, too. But if they're not dead-that's something. That's good, Ahsoka."

He sounded so relieved. It made her feel better, knowing he was as sick with worry on Coruscant as she was here. It made him seem less far away.

"Skyguy, what's happening at home? Do we have another mission?"

"No. We're on furlough. Everyone's in a holding pattern until we eliminate all the computer viruses and figure out a way around the Separatist's comm jammer. Word's just in the Seps have used it again. Twice."

Well, that wasn't good. Did that mean another influx of wounded Clones?

"What happened?"

"Our forces disengaged."

She couldn't stifle her shocked gasp in time. "We ran?"

"No, Padawan, we executed a strategic retreat," Anakin retorted. Not even the poor-quality holotransmission could disguise his frustrated anger. "You don't win wars with vainglorious last charges, Ahsoka. You fight smart or you waste lives. This was fighting smart."

"Yes, Master," she said meekly. "Master, if you're on furlough, would it be all right if I stayed here until Rex and Coric wake up? They're still in bacta treatment. They could be swimming in gel for a few days yet."

"Are you sure you want to? It must be pretty boring there on your own. I know for a fact that Nico is bored with me in the Temple."

Ahsoka smirked at the thought of Nico lounging in Master Windu's High Council chair just because he was bored, but that smirk quickly disappeared, "I don't mind. It's just-" She hesitated. "When they do wake up, they're going to be-I thought they might like-"

"To see a friendly face?" Mercurial as ever, Anakin smiled. "Nice."

"I'm keeping up with my drills, Master. Lightsaber and general physical. I'm not being idle."

"That must mean you're fighting fit again."

"Me? Oh, I'm fine. I just wish…"

Anakin smiled again. "I know. Ahsoka, you-hold on." His head turned. "What? Oh, right. Thanks, R2. Tell him I'm coming." Looking at her again, he pulled a face. "Sorry. R2 needs my help with something. I'll call again tomorrow. But if anything happens in the meantime that I should know about, and you can't reach me, contact Master Yoda or Nico. If the Kaminoans have a problem with that, throw your weight around until you get what you need. Okay?

Her weight? She didn't have any weight. She was a light weight. On the other hand, he was a heavyweight. As the Jedi who'd led the raid to save the medcentre from Lord Reaper, his name meant something around here. Up till now she hadn't used it, because that wasn't what a Jedi did.

I guess I should take one of Nico's lessons to heart. Don't care what anyone else says and just do what you want…he would be proud.

She nodded. "Yes, Master."

Somewhere out of the holotransmit range, R2 whistled and beeped. He sounded almost frantic now.

"I know, R2! I'll be right there," Anakin snapped, "Ahsoka, I'll comm you tomorrow."

"Yes, Master. And Master-"

But he was gone.

Bemused, Ahsoka stared at the deactivated holotransmitter, until she was snapped out of her reverie as a Clone Officer entered the comms room.

"Ma'am," he said to one of the two Kaminoans, "There is a freighter hailing us, they say that they carry wounded."

Line break

Aboard said freighter

"Alright men," Angral started to his small army of mercenaries, "You know what to do, find and capture the teenage Togruta Jedi Padawan that goes by the name of Ahsoka Tano, she is to come to no harm, if any of you harm her, you will be met with a slow, painful, and gruesome death, am I understood?" A few nervous nods were given. "Good, as soon as you find her comm me, you won't be able to take her on by yourselves, when I have knocked her out, I will send out the all clear and you'll all have five minutes to reach the ship before it leaves. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." They all chorused, making the Apprentice to Lord Vorn smile slightly under his mask.

Line break

Nico's whole body was sore. Legs, arms abdomen, arms…Arms!

After three thousand push ups your body starts protesting, even for a damn Jedi. Nico pushes himself up, and opens his mouth to complain at his supervisor, but he couldn't find the air in his lungs to complain. Not that it mattered, they don't care anyway, and that…asshole sure finds Nico's suffering amusing.

Okay, no more. The Ghost King thought as he crashed down on the dojo floor, sucking in air in long, deep breaths.

When he feels like he can finally speak again, he rolls over so his face wasn't buried in the marble floor. The lights overhead burn his stinging eyes, and the sight of HK-47's glowing photoreceptors hang over his field of vision just a moment later.

"Observation: It seems that you are physically incapable, psychotic meatbag. You were able to perform a hundred more of this physical exercise three hours earlier."

"That was before you wondered in!" Nico spat out, his breathing going back down to a normal rate, but his heart was still pounding faster than ever before. "You and your new little friend made me do sit-ups, some sort of awful thing on a bar, then I had to run! Around the bloody Temple until I threw up!"

"Reminder: I already proposed that you should replace many of your fleshy parts with more robust mechanical ones. Addendum: I would also suggest that if you removed several limbs or organs, then you would move much more efficiently."

"I can't do that!"

"Of course. Stupid, frail, non-compartmentalised meatbags."

Tracy came into view near HK. "Don't be too hard. He's able to do more than two thousand now."

Nico rolled his eyes. He had been in the dojo for at least five hours now, doing non-stop exercise. He had been planning to do it for two hours, but then, the terrible duo arrived. At first, Nico's reaction to HK walking around with Tracy was to reach for his lightsaber and cut up the assassin droid, but Tracy had stopped him and explained the situation, apparently the assassin droid has taken a liking toward the innocent little girl, for reasons unknown. But it was really irritating for Nico, because now whenever HK asked/demanded for something, the damn assassin droid had the power of Tracy's wide, innocent, blue eyes to back him up, thus the extra three bloody hours of exercise, Nico had a feeling she was using some sort of Force-persuasion or something along those lines.

"I don't understand why you want me to do all this exercise, Tracy," Nico says as he waved his hand over his head, shooing the two that were practically hovering above him. Once they're gone, Nico got himself into a sitting position. "Especially since I've already done two hours of exercise."

Tracy shrugged. "HK said that you needed more exercise, and he knows best, after all, he is a computer."

"Indignant protest: I am not just a mere computer! I am a highly advanced assassin droid!"

Nico rolls his eyes as he stands up and stretches his arms and legs, and accepts a canteen filled with water from Tracy. "Yeah, a highly advanced assassin droid that Skywalker found buried on a world covered in nothing but molten lava."

Tracy smirked slightly, and Nico found it kind of disturbing that a girl at such a young age could have such a wicked smile. "It was probably for the best that I gave HK the idea of you doing exercise, besides," her smirk got a little wider at this. "If he had his way, you'll be doing a bit more than push-ups."

Nico stares down at her warily as he hands the canteen back to her. "What do you mean, if he had his way?"

"Statement: The little one had a slightly differing idea to mine, but my one was dismissed. Suicide is frequently an option with meatbags, but apparently it is an unacceptable choice. However, I still suggest that you enact it nonetheless."

Nico wasn't going to even dignify that suggestion with a response, instead he grabbed the towel that Tracy was handing him and wiped his face of sweat, "So, Tracy, how have those three idiots been treating you?" Nico asked, thinking of the foolish Twi'lek that challenged him.

Tracy beamed up at the Ghost King, "Thanks to you they've been leaving me alone, well nearly, they keep sending me weird looks, but now that I've got HK here following me around, they don't even hesitate to walk the other way." She said with a giggle while looking at the instrument of Chaos fondly.

Nico looked at her a little weirdly, slightly freaked out. He then moved his gaze to HK, who was staring down at the youngling, his emotionless photoreceptors glowing slightly, Nico's eyes narrowed, If I didn't know any better, I think I found HK's soft spot.

"HK," Nico says, gaining said droids attention. "I need to know this, but why would an assassin droid like you hang around a little girl like Tracy-no offense." The last part was directed at Tracy as she opened her mouth to protest about the 'little girl' comment.

HK turned its head to Nico, "Statement: The little one reminds me of my first Masters mate, psychotic meatbag."

Nico blinked. "You're first Masters what now?"

"Mate. Query: Have you gone death, psychotic meatbag?"

Nico frowned. "No," he then looked down at the little girl, who was staring up at him with large, blue eyes. The Ghost King frowned, and looked back to HK. "Who was your first Master?"

"The Creator."

Nico rolled his eyes and sighed in frustration. "And who was the creator?" He asks impatiently.

"Lord Revan."

Nico's eyes widened. "Lord Rev-"

Nico was interrupted by his wrist-comm going off, Nico frowned in frustration and raised his comm to his mouth, his eyes staying on the deadly photoreceptors of the assassin droid.

"This is Di Angelo."

"Nico," It was Anakin, and he sounded panicked. "I need you in the mission room, now."

Nico glared at HK with darkened eyes, and the assassin droid even took a step back, not comprehending the strange thing within him as the Ghost King glared at him, "I'm a little busy right now, Skywalker." He said coldly.

"You can do whatever you want later! Right now, we've got something more important to do!" Anakin shouted loudly, causing the Prince of Death to wince and glare at his wrist-comm.

"Sorry Skywalker, but you're on your own, your stupid assassin droid just spouted out some information that is quite interesting." He said as he was about to turn his comm off, but before he could, Anakin's voice came out again, and it caused him to freeze.

"It's Ahsoka," he said in frustration. "She's been captured by…someone or something, I don't know."

Nico's eyes widened as he diverted his full attention to the comm on his wrist now, "What do you mean she's been captured?" he demanded.

"Come down to the mission room and you'll find out." Anakin said as his comm went dead.

Nico's jaw tensed and he glared at HK harshly, "We're going to talk about this later, understood?" He said to the assassin droid. And without waiting for a response, he rushed out of the training dojo toward the mission room.

Line break

Once Nico got there he saw Obi-Wan and Anakin surrounding a holo-table, Obi-Wan trying to calm a panicking Anakin, Master's Windu and Yoda were there as well, Yoda on his floating chair.

"Okay," Nico said as he walks up to the holo-table, "What's wrong? What's happened to Ahsoka?"

"Padawan Tano was kidnapped from Kaliida Shoals," Windu started. "The med centre was attacked by a group of mercenaries, and not only had they kidnapped the Padawan, but a Kaminoan scientist as well, but they didn't destroy the med centre and there are only a few dead and wounded."

"Curious, this is," Yoda commented while rubbing his chin.

Nico sighed in annoyance, "Have there been any demands?" He questioned impatiently.

Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes, there have."

Nico raised his eyebrows expectantly. "Well?" He questioned, he didn't have time for them to be cryptic.

Anakin looked up at him and glared. "You."

Nico blinked and frowned. "What?"

Anakin glared even harder. "They want you. They want Reaper. They captured Ahsoka because they somehow know that you are close to her." He said with an accusing tone of voice, as if it was Nico's fault that Ahsoka was kidnapped, which it actually was.

Nico glared at Anakin coldly. "If they want me then they can have me, as long as they let Ahsoka go." He stated coldly. I'm having a very bad day.

"Enough." Windu said firmly, as he held up a datachip. "We were given this message by the mercenaries, it explains what they want." He said as he slid the datachip into the holo-table

The holo activated and the form of Ahsoka and the Kaminoan scientist came up, they were both on their knees with their hands tied behind their back, Ahsoka was wearing a Force suppression collar. Circling the two was a man in completely black robes and a black mask with three red lines and a vibroblade strapped to his waist along with Ahsoka's lightsaber.

"Reaper, I hope you got this holo, for the Padawan's sake," the dark form sneered, "I declare a Kaggath. A contest of mutual annihilation pitting power base against power base, whoever sheds the most blood wins, and just in case you try and decline, remember, that every minute that you prolong the inevitable, the Padawan will suffer, I'll give you three days, but when those days are through, this will happen to the Padawan." He said as he grabbed Ahsoka's lightsaber, activated it, and plunged it through the Kaminoans abdomen. "The coordinates are on the datachip, don't be late." He finished as the holo froze.

Nico frowned, A Kaggath? He knew a lot about those, he's been challenged by Dooku's Sith acolytes several times into a Kaggath. One Sith could challenge another Sith for any reason, be it strife, anger, vengeance, greed or pure dislike. The challenger set the arena, whether a planet, a star system or the entire galaxy, and if accepted by the chalengee, the ritual would begin. The two combatants employed the full force of their armies, bases and ships to outwit and outmaneuver their opponent in an attempt to defeat each other's forces. Once the Kaggath reached a conclusion when one side was defeated or had surrendered, with the triumphant Sith choosing whether to terminate his opponent or leave him alive with the weight of humiliation. Unfortunately for Nico, he didn't have an army, the Clone's were on furlough, and no Jedi could come with him because this was a Sith tradition, if they did, they would be embracing a great amount of darkness. So, it's basically a Sith and an entire army Vs…me. Nico frowned and moved his eyes to Ahsoka's tear-filled holographic ocean blue eyes. And he froze.

"We need to rescue her now!" Anakin exclaimed.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan said sharply.

"No Obi-Wan," Anakin snapped, "We don't have time for this, he's given us the coordinates of where he'll be, I should go there with my platoon."

"He demanded for Reaper, Anakin," Obi-Wan said pointedly, "If you show up, what do you think will happen to Ahsoka?"

Anakin frowned, resigned. He then looked over to Nico, who was just staring at Ahsoka, who is, coincidentally, staring up at him, the holo frozen so he could look into her eyes.

This is all my fault. Nico thought to himself as he stared into Ahsoka's tear-filled eyes. I shouldn't have gotten close to her, it's because of me that all of this is happening. He mentally chided. Nico jaw tensed as he continued to look into Ahsoka's pain-filled eyes, her clothes were torn up slightly, probably from the vibroblade. Rage suddenly filled him as he remembered a promise that he made on Geonosis.

'He would always protect her from whatever would dare harm her.'

He broke that promise. He broke his promise. And now, she was paying the price.

Nico blinked as he heard a lightsaber activate, and he looked over to Windu, who had his lightsaber aimed at Nico, making the Ghost King raise an eyebrow. He looked over to Anakin and Obi-Wan, but they were both looking at him with wide eyes, causing him to frown. He finally looked over to Master Yoda, who was looking at him curiously.

That's when he noticed it.

The shadows were crawling toward him, getting more and more darker as they moved forward, an aura of black had enveloped him, the power so great that he was pretty sure that every Jedi in the Temple could feel it, a ring of, not just black, but green fire flared up around him, spinning around him, giving him a deadly look.

Nico immediately tried to calm his nerves, and the black/green fire went out, along with the aura surrounding him, though the shadows still clung to him, as if they didn't want to let go and be forgotten.

He looked up at Windu, who still had his lightsaber out, and walked up to him, causing Windu to move backwards, though Yoda stayed where he was, watching the shadows with a rare look of confusion on his face.

Once Nico reached the spot where Windu was, he pulled out the datachip, causing the hologram to turn off, and stared at it with no expression. He looked over to Anakin, who was staring at him with a little fear, Nico didn't want to admit it, but that hurt.

"The guy on the holo said that his coordinates were on this, right?" He asked, his voice and face a complete void of emotion.

Anakin gulped and nodded his head.

Nico nodded, "I'm taking the Twilight." He said as he headed for the exit.

Once he left, the rest of the Jedi broke out of their trance.

"What in the name of the Force was that?" Anakin whispered as Windu deactivated his lightsaber.

"Hmmm," Yoda murmured thoughtfully, "Many secrets, young Di Angelo has, great power, he wields."

Windu sighed, "This is the reason why we don't form attachments."

At that, Anakin scoffed, not really caring if he was being disrespectful, "Yeah, right," he said with an eye roll. "I don't think you gain that much dark power just because you're in a relationship, I think you should remember that wherever Nico came from, Gods exist, this power shouldn't really be a big surprise…besides, Nico and Ahsoka aren't in a relationship, there just friends."

Obi-Wan shook his head, "If they were 'just friends' then how come he had a reaction like that?" He said, using air quotes.

"Because," Anakin said through clenched teeth, wanting to defend his friend, dark powers be damned, "Ahsoka is literally his only friend, apart from me and maybe that little girl, Tracy."

Silence. No one had anything to say to that.

"Master Yoda," Windu said, gaining the diminutive Jedi Masters attention. "What was that power that Di Angelo used? I've never seen anything like it."

Yoda stared at the deactivated holoprojector gravely, "Unknown, that power is, in my many years of training, never have I seen power such as this. Ask him, we shall, when he comes back from his mission, but up to him, if he will answer, it is."

Line break

Once Nico arrived at the coordinates he was given by the datachip, on the planet Onderon, he quickly landed his ship at the capital cities spaceport, and he started making his way slowly through the spaceport, he hid his lightsaber in his robes and was wearing a black cloak to make sure no one found out he was a Jedi, Onderon was neutral territory, meaning there was neither Republic or Separatist forces on the planet, whoever this guy was, he picked a good place for a Kaggath.

Nico frowned as he made his way through the market place, the datachip said that they would find him, so where in the name of Hades were they?

"Don't move," A female voice hissed in his ear, and Nico felt the muzzle of a blaster press itself hard into his lower back.

"I'm surprised you'd dare show your face in public," Nico whispered without turning around to face the female mercenary standing close behind him.

"Shut up." The female snapped. "Now start walking. Slowly."

There were many ways Nico could turn the tables on the mercenary, but each of them involved a display of the Force, and he wasn't willing to make a show for the people in the crowded market square. So he did as ordered, making his way past the vendor stalls as he waited for the right moment to make his move. The female mercenary followed close, pressing tight up against him to shield the blaster at Nico's back with her own body.

"Where are you taking me?" Nico asked her.

"We're going to see Angral," the mercenary snarled. "He's got some questions for you, and then you can die by his hands."

"Where's Ahsoka?"

"The Togruta?" she questioned. "Oh, she's fine, for now."

The mercenary took him down a narrow alley leading away from the market square to a deserted side street.

"Stand still or I shoot," she warned Nico, then pulled a comlink from her belt. "I've got him," she said. "Come pick us up."

In less than a minute an airspeeder swooped down to land on the far side of the street. Nico looked at the pilot, which was a male blue skinned Chiss, his red eyes glaring right at Nico. He jumped out as the female mercenary marched her prisoner over to the vehicle.

"Told you he'd come, Cyndra," The Chiss said to his companion.

"Just search him for weapons, Paak." The female mercenary, now identified as Cyndra, answered.

Paak leered at Nico as he roughly patted him down. "What have we here?" he exclaimed, discovering Nico's only weapon and holding it for inspection

"Hmm, nice lightsaber, Jedi." Paak muttered, turning the handle over in his hands.

Nico didn't even bother to comment. He was here for one reason and one reason only, to find Ahsoka, and if he could end Angral's life while he's at it, then all the better.

"Angral's going to like this," he remarked. "Maybe we'll get paid extra."

"Come on. Let's get moving," Cyndra told him. "I don't want to keep Angral waiting. He's mad enough at us already."

Paak tossed the lightsaber onto the passenger seat in the front, then climbed into the pilot's chair.

"Get in the back," Cyndra ordered Nico, waving the blaster's nose threateningly.

He did as he was told, and a second later Cyndra climbed in beside him, still keeping her weapon trained on Nico. Now getting a better look at her, Nico could see that she was a dark skinned human. The airspeeder lifted off the ground, whisking them through the city and out to the countryside beyond.

"How long until we get there?" Nico asked casually.

"Shut your kriffing mouth," Cyndra answered. "There'll be plenty of time to talk once you meet Lord Angral."

"I never really understood why we should call him, Lord," Paak said, glancing back at her over his shoulder. "I mean, it's not like he controls us, we're mercenaries, not royal guards."

Cyndra's eyes narrowed. "Shut up and drive, Paak."

"Lord Angral?" Nico questioned.

"I said shut up Zeta!" Cyndra exclaimed angrily as she hit him with the butt of her blaster. Causing him to grunt in pain, and keep his mouth shut, though he was slightly confused. Zeta? Must be a name there employer gave me. Makes sense, I doubt these guys would do their job if they knew I was Reaper.

The rest of the ride passed in silence as they made their way farther and farther from the city. Soon they passed into the country estates of the noble families, causing Nico's eyebrows to raise a fraction of an inch.

The speeder continued on, passing over lavish rose gardens that stretched for acres, the irrigation provided by exquisite fountains while armies of staff clipped and pruned to keep each individual flower in a perfect, pristine state.

An enormous mansion loomed in the distance; in truth it looked more like a castle than a home. The flag flying from one of the many turrets was a bright red, emblazoned with a single eight-pointed star of gold. Nico suspected it was derived from the five-pointed star of the Demici Great House of Onderon. Apparently this dark warrior was a distant relative of the Demicis', either that or he just killed whoever lived in there and used the mansion for his own purposes…probably the latter.

When they landed they were met by six more mercenaries clad in full battle armour.

"Get out," Cyndra demanded, gesturing once again with her blaster.

He did as he was told, exiting the vehicle and submitting to another search by one of the six mercenaries before passively holding his hands out before him and allowing them to slap a pair of binder cuffs on his wrists. Only then did Cyndra finally put away her blaster, stuffing it into her belt and grabbing Nico by the arm to pull him along after Paak and the guards.

The procession made its way through a high archway and into the marble-lined hall beyond. Paintings and sculptures lined the walls; floating holographic artworks hovered near the ceiling. The display of wealth would have impressed or even intimidated most visitors, Nico suspected. He, however, saw the collection as nothing but a waste of funds that could have been better spent elsewhere.

The mansion was enormous, and it took them five full minutes to pass from the airspeeder landing pad to the reception chamber where Angral awaited them. Nico knew they were near their destination when they stopped before a pair of towering doors, closed and barring their progress. Two of the guards stepped forward, one on each door, and pushed them open.

The room beyond them was thirty metres long and twenty metres wide. Like the halls, the walls were lined with art, and a long red carpet led to a small staircase and a raised dais at the far end. The room was devoid of furniture except for a large chair atop the dais, though Nico thought it could more properly be described as a throne.

Sitting there, flanked by two more mercenaries, was a man who could only be Angral himself. He was wearing a different attire from last time, instead of wearing his black robes, he wore black pants, a black shirt, black boots, and black gloves. Crimson striping trimmed the tops of his boots and the cuffs of his gloves. A hooded cape, also black with crimson trim, was draped across his shoulders, the hood was up and his mask was in place. And, much to Nico's absolute rage, Ahsoka's lightsaber was strapped to his waist alongside his vibroblade.

Although he was not physically imposing, there was an undeniable air of importance about him. Nico suspected it was a natural confidence, but as he was marched down the red carpet toward him, he realised it was something far more impressive: Angral radiated with the power of the dark side, the same darkness that he sensed back on Kothlis.

They approached until they were ten metres from the steps leading up to Angral's seat, then stopped at a signal from one of the guards flanking the throne. Their escort stepped to the side, leaving Nico, Paak, and Cyndra alone before Angral.

Nico was the first one to break the silence, "Where's Ahsoka?"

"She's fine," Angral responded, "For now at least."

"What do you want from me?" The Ghost King questioned, stalling for time as he tried to gauge Angral's power.

Angral chuckled. "Power." He said.

Nico raised an eyebrow at that. "Power? What, are you going to try and do some sort of blood ritual or something?" The Ghost King questioned sarcastically as he continued his subtle probing of Angral.

His power didn't have the raw, untamed feel of one who had never been trained. Had someone knowledgeable in the Force taught him the ways of the dark side? Did Dooku know about this guy? Did Sidious?

Angral scoffed, "No, of course not. I'm going to prove to my Master that I can defeat you." He said, he then gestured toward Paak. "Give me his lightsaber."

The mercenary nodded and held out the elegant looking weapon. Angral immediately stilled, causing Nico to raise an eyebrow, This guy has some serious issues when it comes to lightsabers. After a moment he seemed to regain his composure, and signalled for one of his guards to bring the treasure to him.

When it was placed in his hand he activated the black as night blade and studied it carefully for a full minute before deactivating it and setting it reverently in his lap.

"I think I'll use your crystal to create my lightsaber." Angral said with a sigh of contentment.

Nico looked at him a little weirdly, "Wow, you've got some serious issues."

"Shut it," Angral growled, "You should be happy that you're alive right now."

At that, the whites of Nico's eyes began to bleed black, drawing fearful looks from the mercenaries in the room. "I should be happy?" He asked, "I think you should be lucky I haven't killed you yet, I could kill you with my bare hands if I wanted to."

Angral laughed loudly, "I'd like to see you try." He said, still laughing, obviously not seeing the change in Nico's eyes

Nico scowled, he decided the game had gone on long enough. It would have been a simple matter to snatch his lightsaber back to his shackled hands using the Force, but he had other weapons at his disposal, and he did say that he could kill him with his bare hands…

Nico shook his elbow free of Cyndra's grasp and raised his shackled hands before his face. Weaving his fingers in a complex pattern in the air, he reached out with the Force and plunged deep inside Angral's mind to find his secret, most primal fears. Buried in his subconscious were nameless horrors: abominations and creatures of nightmare never meant to see the light of day. Drawing on the power of the dark side, Nico plucked them out and brought them to life one by one.

The entire process took less than a second. In that time Angral had jumped up from his throne and drawn Ahsoka's lightsaber, Nico's lightsaber clanging to the floor, but instead of running up to Nico he suddenly screamed and aimed the green lightsaber high in the air above him, waving it around wildly at demons conjured from his own mind that only he could see.

The illusions grew more real and more terrifying the longer the spell continued, but Nico had no intention of ending it yet. The Force-wielder shrieked and threw Ahsoka's weapon to the ground. He flung his head wildly from side to side, covering it with his arms and screaming "No!" over and over before collapsing on the floor, and falling down the stairs of the dais. Weeping and sobbing, he curled up into a tight little ball, still muttering "No, no, no…"

Everyone else in the room was staring at him in horror and bewilderment. Some of the guards took a step back, afraid they might somehow become infected by his madness. Nico just stood there, a scowl on his face as he looked upon the one who dared to try and challenge him, the one who thought he was weak.

The Ghost King could have ended it then, dispelling the illusion and allowing Angral to fall into unconsciousness. He would wake hours later with only the most basic recollection of what had happened, his mind instinctively recoiling from the memories of what it had witnessed. Or Nico could push the illusion even farther, driving his victim to the edge of insanity and beyond. The image of Ahsoka and her ocean blue eyes staring up at Nico with nothing but pain popped up-and Nico pushed.

Angral's cries of terror became animal howls as his sanity was ripped apart by the ghastly visions. His hand reached up and ripped the mask off, revealing his face, Nico didn't have time to study it as Angral's hands immediately started to scratch and claw at his own eyes, tearing them out. Blood poured down his cheeks, but even blindness couldn't save him from the nightmares crawling through what was left of his mind.

His howls stopped as his body went into seizure; his mouth foamed as his limbs convulsed wildly on the floor. Then, with a final bloodcurdling shriek, he fell suddenly limp and lay still. His conscious mind completely and irrevocably obliterated, his catatonic body was now nothing more than an empty shell.

The body shivered once, and Nico knew that somewhere in the deepest core of Angral's subconscious a small part of him still existed, silently screaming, trapped forever with the horrors inside his own mind.

Though everyone had borne witness to the Force-wielder's gruesome and terrifying end, Nico was the only one who knew what had really happened. Yet even he was never quite certain just what his victims saw. Based on their reactions he figured it was probably better not to know. He cooly regarded Angral's body that had fallen from the dais, still trembling occasionally, then glanced up to see the mercenaries staring at him in fear.

He turned when he heard Cyndra shouting at him, and she was backing away slightly.

"You did this!" She pointed an accusing finger at Nico. "Stop him or he'll kill us all!" she cried.

Several of the mercenaries took a step toward him, only to pull back as his black as night eyes started to turn red. His eyes were like a demon's, the pupils no longer brown but blood red, the whites as black as the shadows.

"He's not dead," Nico announced, his voice deep and powerful as he absorbed the power of the dark side, I will kill them all. "Though whatever's left of his mind surely begs for death."

The answer did nothing to calm Cyndra's mounting hysteria. Reaching into her boot, she pulled out a short vibroblade and rushed at Nico with a scream.

The spell he had unleashed on Angral was powerful but exhausting. Nico doubted he'd be able to effect a similar reaction in Cyndra before she ran him through with her blade. So instead of sorcery, he turned to more conventional means to dispatch her.

Extending his shackled hands, he used the Force to draw his lightsaber from the floor, where Angral had dropped it, sending it flying across the room and into his waiting palm. As the black as night blade ignited he casually snapped his restraints with a single thought.

Cyndra had come in expecting to skewer a helpless prisoner; she wasn't ready to face an armed foe. He could have slain her right then and there, but he noticed that the other Mercenaries were watching with fear, observing the action. Nico decided he'd give them a show.

Instead of decapitating his overmatched opponent, he simply toyed with her, twirling and spinning the lightsaber through intricate, hypnotic patterns as he easily parried her ham-fisted blows. Cyndra was a brawler, all muscle and no technique, making at ridiculously simple for him to repulse her attacks. She came at him three times, hacking and slashing as she tried to bowl him over. Each time he would nimbly skip to one side and redirect her blade with his own, turning their combat into a dance where he was most definitely taking the lead.

After three failed passes, the female mercenary threw her blade down in frustration and grabbed her blaster from her belt. She took aim and fired twice from point blank range, but Nico didn't even flinch.

Using the precognitive awareness of the Force, he was easily able to anticipate the incoming shots and intercept them with his black as night lightsaber. The first bolt ricocheted harmlessly up into the ceiling; the second he sent back at Cyndra.

It struck her square between the eyes, leaving a smoking hole in her forehead. Her body went rigid, than toppled over backward.

Still twirling his weapon, Nico turned to face the two mercenaries who were standing by Angral's chair, who were trying to help their employer, and sent out several bursts of black Force lightning.

The two screamed in agony before falling into an unconscious state.

Nico looked over at Paak, who was staring at him in fear while fumbling about with his blaster, the Ghost King drew on the Force, gestured as if he were shooing away insects, and sent the Chiss mercenary flying against the wall of the room hard enough to crack bone. He sagged to the ground, unmoving.

Nico scowled, he had to find Ahsoka. Thinking of Ahsoka filled him with even more rage. He had to find her and protect her.

He resided in the calm eye of a storm of hate. Power churned around him, within him. He did not feel as if he were drawing on the Force, using it. He felt as if he were the Force, as if he merged with it.

Nico looked at one of the doors, where six of the mercenaries had fled, he scowled and moved over to where Angral's twitching body was, and reached for Ahsoka's lightsaber, and as he was bending over he got a good look at Angral's face.

The man's face was red, and not just because of the blood from his eyes, his entire face was red. He had two small cheek tendrils that hung from his high cheekbones. He had cranial horns, and pointed teeth. Nico's eyes widened as he recognized the species, and he was suddenly filled with dread, but it was nothing compared to his hate and rage.

A Sith Pureblood?! But they're meant to be extinct!

Nico searched through the Purebloods pockets, but all he found was an old Sith holocron, Nico looked at it curiously and stuffed it inside his robes. Maybe this'll explain some things.

Nico shook his head, he'll deal with this later, right now he had to find Ahsoka, so he headed for the doorway where the mercenaries had retreated, they were probably going to use Ahsoka for ransom.

He strode through the rooms and hallway's of Angral's mansion, toppling or destroying everything within reach-antique desks, the bizarre, erotic statuary favoured by the nobles that used to live here before Angral killed them, everything. He left ruin in his wake.

He rounded a corner to see the six mercenaries in full battle armour, blaster rifles ready, the front three on one knee before the other three.

They had been waiting for him.

His Force-enhanced reflexes moved faster than their trigger fingers. Without slowing his pace, he raised his lightsaber as the blasters discharged. The black as night line of his weapon spun so fast in his hand it expanded into a shield.

Two of the blaster shots ricocheted off of his weapon and into the ceiling. He deflected the other four back at the mercenaries, putting black holes through two chests and two foreheads. Another two strides and a lunge brought him upon the surviving mercenaries before they could fire again. He crosscut, spun, and crosscut again, killing both.

He deactivated his lightsaber and continued on through the manse until he reached a large central hall, perhaps fifteen metres wide and twenty-five long. Decorative wood columns that supported upper balconies lined its length at even intervals. A pair of double doors stood on the far side of the hall, opposite those Nico had entered.

Another mercenary stood within the open doorway. Though this one was different from the others, Nico noticed the tattoos going down her incredibly pale arms, signifying her as a Dathomirian witch, she had no hair and silver eyes, Nico could sense a faint amount of Force energy within her, he could also see a Jedi lightsaber strapped to her waist, probably from one she had killed. She was wearing red battle armour.

"Zeta," the witch said, her voice showing surprise, but her tone turning 'Zeta's' name into an insult. "I thought Angral was going to deal with you." She said, reaching for her lightsaber and activating the orange blade.

"Angral's a bit busy at the moment." Nico said re-activating his black as night blade and stepping into the room.

Nico felt the power of the dark side pouring off the witch, the hate, but it paled in comparison to the rage and hate roiling in Nico. In his mind's eye, he saw Ahsoka screaming as the witch tortured her. It poured fuel on the flames of his rage.

The witch, too, stepped into the room. "Do you think that you are powerful enough to take me on? That I have not foreseen this?" She questioned, though Nico could hear the quiver in her voice as she stared him in the eyes.

Nico chuckled, the sound completely emotionless and bouncing off the high ceiling. "You may have foreseen it but you cannot stop it. You are nothing but a mere child compared to my power, witch. And today you will pay, just like Angral, for harming Ahsoka."

The witch scoffed. "You know nothing of my true power. It is you who will not leave here."

"Then show me your power," Nico said, sneering.

The witch snarled and held forth her left hand. Force lightning crackled from her fingertips, and filled the space between them.

Nico interposed his lightsaber, drew the lightning to it, and started walking toward the witch. The power swirled around the black as night blade, sizzling, crackling, pushed against Nico, but he strode through it. The skin of his hands blistered but Nico endured the pain, paid it as the price for his cause.

As he walked, he spun his blade in an arc above his head, gathering the lightning, then flung it back at the witch. It slammed into her chest, lifted her bodily from the ground, and threw her hard against the far wall.

"Is that your power?" Nico asked, still advancing, cloaked in rage. "That is what you wished to show me?"

The witch climbed to her feet, her armour charred and smoking. A snarl split her face.

Nico picked up his pace, turned the walk into a charge. His boots thumped off the wood floor of the hall. He didn't bother with finesse. He vented his rage in a continuous roar as he unleashed a furious series of blows: an overhand slash that the witch parried; a low stab that the witch barely sidestepped; a side kick that connected to the witch's side, broke her ribs, and flung the witch fully across the narrow axis of the hall. She crashed into a column and the impact split it as would lightning a tree.

The witch growled as she climbed to her feet. Power gathered around her, a black storm of energy, and she leapt at Nico, her blade held high.

Nico sneered, gestured, seized the witch in her power, and pulled her from the air at the apex of her leap.

The witch hit the ground in a heap, her breath coming in wheezes. She climbed to all fours, then to her feet.

"You hid nothing from me," Nico said, and the power in his voice caused the witch to wince. "You are a fool, witch. Your understanding of the Force is nothing compared to mine."

The witch snarled, started to charge toward Nico, a last ditch attempt to salvage her dignity if not her life.

Nico held forth his hand and the rage manifested within him as the shadows around them thickened and solidified and slammed into the witch. The power stopped the witch's charge cold, blew her lightsaber from her hand, caught her in a cage of shadows, and the shadows cut into her deeply. She screamed, squirming in frustration and pain.

"Stop this! Stop this now!"

Nico unclenched his fingers and released the shadows. The witch fell to the ground, her flesh cut up all over her body, her armour torn apart. Again she rose to all fours and looked up at Nico.

"Angral will avenge me."

"Angral no longer exists." Nico said in a deep voice filled with nothing but power, and strode toward her. "And he never will, even in the Fields of Punishment, his suffering will be eternal."

"What do you mean he no longer exists?" The witch asked fearfully.

Nico did not answer.

"You are insane," The witch said, and leapt to her feet and charged. She pulled her lightsaber to her fist and activated it. The attack took Nico momentarily by surprise

The witch loosed a flurry of strikes, her blade a humming, orange blur, stabbed, slashed, and cut. Nico backed off a single step, another, then held his ground, his own blade an answer to all of the witch's attacks. The witch shouted as she attacked, the sound that of desperation, filled with knowledge that she was no match for Nico.

Finally Nico answered with an attack of his own, forcing the witch back with the power and speed of his blows. When he had the witch backed up against the wall, he crosscut for her head. The witch ducked under and Nico cut a column in two. As the huge upper piece of the column crashed to the floor and the balcony lurched above them, the witch fell to one knee and stabbed at Nico's chest. Nico spun out of the way and rode the spin into a chop that severed the witch's arm at the elbow. The witch screamed and clutched her arm at the bicep while her forearm fell to the floor along with the column.

Nico deactivated his lightsaber, held up his left hand, and made a pincer of his fingers.

The witch tried to use her own power to defend herself but Nico pushed through it and took a telekinetic hold of her throat.

The witch gagged, the capillaries in her wide eyes beginning to pop. Nico's power lifted the witch from the floor, her legs kicking, gasping.

Nico stood directly before the witch, his hate the vise closing on the witch's trachea.

"You, Angral and those other mercenaries caused this, witch. You shouldn't have unleashed my power." Nico said as he glared at her harshly.

The witch's only answer was continued gagging.

Seeing her there, hanging, near death, Nico thought of Ahsoka. He released the witch from the clutch of his Force choke.

The witch hit the ground on her back, gasping. Nico had a knee on her chest and both his hands on her throat before she could recover. He would kill her, but he needed to know where Ahsoka was.

"Look me in the eyes," he said, and made the witch look at him. "In the eyes!"

The witch's eyes showed petechial haemorrhaging but Nico knew she was coherent.

"Where is Ahsoka?"

The witch blinked, her eyes watering. Her mouth opened and closed but no sound emerged.

Nico glared, "Where. Is. Ahsoka? Is she on this planet?"

"Y-yes. Sh-she's in the c-containment area."

Nico's grip on her neck tightened. And the witch's trachea collapsed in the Ghost King's grip. There was no final cough or gag. The witch died in silence.

Nico rose and stood over the witch's body. He used the Force to grab her stolen lightsaber, and clip it onto his belt next to Ahsoka's, and made his way lower through the mansion, the dark side of the Force radiating off of him in waves.

He will kill them all.

Nico reached into one of his pockets and pulled out his communicator, "R5?"

At first there was silence, until the communicator came to life and a quizzical beep came from it.

"Have you hacked into the mainframe?"

R5 whistled affirmatively.

"Then enter the virus, and prepare to blow up the mansion, when you've done that, bring the Twilight over the main hanger bay."

Line break

The wailing of the alert klaxon woke Ahsoka from a long and miserable nightmare in which she was fighting against a red-skinned humanoid and was skewered in the abdomen by a vibroblade.

She woke with a gasp, hanging suspended from the magna locks where the mercenaries put her, she knew that she has been hanging longer than twenty-four hours. Her arms were outstretched between the locks, legs dangling.

She had asked the guards why they had kidnapped her, but they never told her anything. She could tell, though, that they regarded her with contempt and a little lust. Ahsoka was thankful toward the person in charge, if anything, if it wasn't for that person she didn't want to imagine what these men would have done to her.

So, thankfully, they followed orders to the letter, like good little mercenaries, and that meant someone, somewhere, wanted Ahsoka alive. To suffer, perhaps, before she died. Still, every time the mercenaries came near her, she expected that her time had come, that they would take her down and execute her right there, with a single blaster shot to the head.

Her throat and lips parched. Her head and arms ached. She could barely feel her fingers because the locks held her so tightly around her wrists.

"Alert!" blared a voice over an intercom. "Security systems have malfunctioned. Repeat, security systems have malfunctioned!"

She raised her head and looked around. The other cells, visible across the central prison area, were empty. Her guards were momentarily absent, probably checking the source of the alert. If she'd had any way of freeing herself, she could have run during the confusion and tried to get off planet.

Feeling a surge of frustration, she strained against her bonds. Muscles stood out on her thin arms. Whatever was going on, it was serious. She could hear the mercenaries barking at one another.

"Why aren't these doors opening?"

"The door isn't accepting the security codes!"

The announcer returned with an ominous-sounding update: "Security breach in sector nine. Subject Zeta has killed the witch. Set blasters to kill!"

"Oh, that's not good," commented one of the mercenaries, fear obvious in his voice.

She didn't know who or what Subject Zeta was, but she was determined not to be hanging up like a dead womp rat when it found her.

Tugging on her bonds, she thought she felt one of them weaken.

Two mercenaries appeared in her field of vision, blaster rifles held at the ready. They were aimed not at her, but back down the hallway.

"Forget the prisoner," one of them said. "We've got to get out of here."

"What about…him?"

"Let him die, he recruited us and he said that he would deal with the Zeta, obviously he didn't."

They punched at the door leading from the detainee area, but had no luck there, either. The door was security sealed as well. Abandoning that futile task, they ran back the way they had come. Blasterfire and screams echoed up the corridor.

Ahsoka resumed her escape attempt. The locks hadn't shifted a millimetre. The illusion of slippage had come as a result of blood from her right wrist lubricating the restraint on that side. She yanked harder, ignoring the pain, but she was stuck.

"All security systems are offline," warned the announcer. "All personnel are advised to breach security doors and secure escape pods."

The mansion juddered around her, and the announcer returned in a more anxious voice: "All escape pods have been jettisoned-empty. Uh, await further orders. What?" The announcer must have turned away with the microphone open. "What fool ordered that?"

The broadcast ended with a loud click, almost drowned out by the sound of blasterfire and the mansion shaking around her. The cries of mercenaries dying made her more determined than ever to get away before whatever had killed them found her, but she could make no greater effort than she already was.

Exhausted, she sagged weakly in the locks, sucking in air that tasted of smoke and blood. Executed, killed by the thing that was killing all the mercenaries, it wasn't the best end, and she was most definitely not going down without a fight.

"Hold it right there!"

Her head came up at the sound of blasterfire closer than it had been before. Bits of droid flew past her door, smoking from their severed joints. The voice of a mercenary bellowed a second time over the cacophony.

"You're not leaving this planet alive, shabla!"

The unmistakable buzz of a lightsaber rose up from the chaos. She raised her chin higher, straining to see past the door frame.

No. It couldn't be.

The head of a Mandalorian bounced past her cell, neatly severed from the rest of its body. The armour glowed in a red oval where it had been smoothly truncated through the neck

Ahsoka looked up, not taking her eyes off the entrance to her cell, just in case she was wrong.

Line break

The Ghost King pressed forward through the hail of blasterfire. Blasterfire came from all directions as mercenaries by the dozens rushed forward to replace those he had already dealt with. Their determination to kill him seemed out of all proportion to their situation. Seeing how he put a virus into the mansions security system, and made sure that the mansion was going to blow up, a countdown of course.

But gradually, by overhearing their panicky comments to one another, he realised the much darker truth: that their fear of him came from the rumours of his little Sith friend Angral, if he faced you, he would kill them all in some horribly depraved way.

At the announcement that all the escape pods had been jettisoned empty, Nico raised his comlink that he put on his wrist as he spun his blade, blocking blaster bolts.

"R5? Did you launch those escape pods?"

A long sheepish whistle and a couple of beeps was his only reply.

Nico rolled his eyes. "How much time do I have?"

The astromech whistled a small tune and Nico rolled his eyes. Gods, I should have brought HK with me, at least I can understand him.

The Prince of Death had taken long enough to fight his way through halls of preserved artwork to the escape pod launching point. Nico didn't really understand why the mansion had escape pods but didn't question it either. There was still one series of corridors to negotiate, the containment area, the place where Ahsoka would be, and before he reached the main hanger area. Driving two mercenaries ahead of him with the threat of black fire, he pressed resolutely on.

The prison detainment area was broad and hard to defend, but a squad of mercenaries gamely made a go of it. Taking cover wherever they could, they fired in rapid bursts from several directions at once, hoping to find a chink in his defence. There was none. His black as night blade whirled with astonishing effectiveness. It and the Ghost King were one. He felt strong, powerful, deadly.

The leader of the squad, a Mandalorian, cast insults and aspersions over the blasterfire, as though that could possibly distract him. The Ghost King let the dark side flow through him, buoyed up by his anger-at the squad leader, at the time passing so quickly, at Angral, at the witch-and calmly mowed down anyone who stood in his path.

When the last had fallen, he looked around at the entrances to the cells, and saw her. Ahsoka was hanging in a magnetic lock with blood dripping from her right wrist. Her montral was bruised slightly and her orange skin was dirty. Her eyes were wide with shock, taking in not just him but the ruin he had wreaked on the mercenaries as well.

"Ahsoka…"

"Nico-" She struggled for words "-it's really you!"

The astromech whistled impatiently through the communicator, the meaning obvious, 'Hurry up!'

The sound of klaxons had reached a fever pitch. The mansion rumbled slightly as explosions started going off.

Nico raised the communicator, "I'll be right there." He said as he deactivated his lightsaber.

Nico looked around for the magna lock generator. It had to be there somewhere, a big one, sufficient to power all the restraints in all the cells. The air was becoming fumy and thick, and the flashing lights made it hard to concentrate. Thick bundles of cables snaked along the walls and under metal grilles. He traced them as best he could to their source, a large boxy structure fixed to the wall two doors along.

He didn't have time to perform a thorough investigation. It was the right size, so he would have to chance it. Raising both hands, he sent a wave of black lightning through it, causing it to blacken and smoke. Current surged along the wires, sending out showers of sparks. Ahsoka cried out in sudden pain.

Changing tactics, he stilled the lightning, clenched his hands into fists, and ripped the box out of the wall with one single, uncompromising wrench. The machinery inside exploded, filling the air with clouds of acrid debris. Ahsoka cried out again, but this time in relief.

He hurried to her, finding his way via the Force through the impenetrable air. She was on her hands and knees, struggling to find her feet on the uneasy floor. She clutched at him when he burst out of the smoke and pulled her upright. She weighed almost nothing.

She stared up at him with something that Nico couldn't make out. "You found me." She said in a dazed voice.

Rather than make her walk, he picked her up bridal-style and hurried toward the main hanger.

"Of course I did, Princess," He said as he used the Force to augment his speed and run through the doors to the hanger. "You're my friend." He said as he saw the Twilight and ran up to it.

Ahsoka frowned, "Yeah, friend." She said in a small voice, but Nico didn't make out the disappointment as he was a bit busy right now.

She buried her face in his chest as the familiar walls of the Twilight enfolded them. Barely had he entered the ship before the airlock door slammed shut.

"Get us out of here, R5!" Nico called as he brought Ahsoka to the medical bay.

An affirmative whistle sounded through the ship as it lifted off, the sublight engines engaged, and they were away.

Line break

Through the viewports of the Twilight, Nico watched as the mansion that held the dark Force user and his mercenaries blow up, R5 was piloting the Twilight from a terminal and Ahsoka was in the medical bay, resting. Nico's eyes had changed back to their usual normal brown once he found Ahsoka, so she never saw the demon that he could become.

"Get us out of here, R5." Nico said to the astromech droid.

Without waiting for a response, Nico turned and left for the Twilight's medical bay. Once he arrived, he found Ahsoka sitting on the cot, wearing white medical robes, her tight fitting clothes were discarded next to her on the bed, Nico could see small cuts on several places of exposed skin, he could also see a bruise on her montral, right now, she was trying to wrap a bandage around her bloodied wrist.

Anakin had been upgrading the Twilight ever since he found the very old ship, not only had he been upgrading he engines, but also the inside as well, including the medical bay. There was a medical droid in the corner, and the cot was actually a bed, nice and soft. There were cabinets filled with different cures for diseases. It had definitely changed from the piece of junk that Anakin had first found.

"Need some help?" Nico asked, startling her, Ahsoka looked up with wide eyes, but smiled once she realised that it was just Nico.

"Please," She said shyly, a small blush forming on her cheeks. Nico smiled gently as he walked up to the cot and sat next to her, taking the bandage from her hand and he started to gently wrap it around her wrist.

"You went through quite an ordeal, Princess." Nico commented gently, he could tell that she was trying to hold herself together. He could feel the emotions inside her, all chaotic. "Are you going to be okay?"

She smiled confidently, though it didn't fool Nico. "I'm going to be fine Nico, I've been through worse." She said, but Nico could hear the tremor in her voice.

The Ghost King finished wrapping the bandage around her wrist, and put her left hand on the bandage, "Keep pressure on the bandage." Ahsoka nodded, the Ghost King smiled and got up, finding a cloth in one of the cabinets and washing it in water, and went back up to her, Ahsoka watching him intently as he does so.

Nico sat back down next to her on the cot and gently rolled her right sleeve up, revealing several cuts, "This may sting a bit." Nico said as he dabbed the cloth on the cuts, causing her to wince slightly, "Sorry." He said distractedly as he continued to dab the cuts.

"So," Ahsoka drawls, trying to break the awkward silence, "How have things been back at the Temple?" She questioned casually, as if she hadn't just been kidnapped.

Nico looked up at her and raised an eyebrow, "Seriously?" he questioned in an amused tone, "That's the best you could ask?" He questioned as he finished with the cuts and he through the cloth over to the waste disposal without even looking, causing Ahsoka's marked brows to go up. Nico's face then turned serious, "Now, tell me Princess, are you okay?"

Ahsoka opened her mouth to give him her usual response of her being fine, but she hesitated looking into his suddenly very serious eyes, "I-I'm fine, Angel boy. No problem." She stuttered slightly as tears started to well up in her eyes.

"Ahsoka," Nico started gently as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, "I'm your friend, not your Master. You don't have to act around me, this isn't a test."

Her bottom lip started to tremble as the first tears started to fall down her cheek, only for Nico to raise his hand up and slowly brush them away. Ahsoka looked up at him with a tear-filled gaze, Nico looked back with gentleness in his eyes, and something else that she didn't recognise, she leaned against him and rested her head against his shoulder, letting a few tears slide down her face.

After a minute of silence she finally regained a little more confidence and spoke, "Thank you."

"For what?" He asked softly, looking down on her, though he knew exactly what she was talking about.

"For saving me," She answered, just as softly. "You didn't have to, but you did." She said as she looked up at him, their faces inches apart.

Nico smiled down at her, "What did you expect me to do?" He asked rhetorically. "I wasn't just going to sit on my butt while you're taken away from me by some fool who thinks he's a Sith."

Ahsoka smiled, "Oh, so I'm yours now, am I?" she said in a mischievous yet soft tone as her face inched upwards toward his.

Nico smiled back, "Well, it-" He was cut off by Ahsoka suddenly pressing her lips against his, Nico didn't hesitate as he started to kiss her back.

The Togruta Padawan froze for a second, obviously not expecting the Ghost King to kiss her back, before she relaxed and her eyes fluttered closed. Nico kissed her gently, something Ahsoka wouldn't have thought he would do, her first kiss with him was short so she had no idea what it was like to truly kiss him. She actually thought he would be a rough kisser. Ahsoka sighed into his mouth, parting her lips slightly. She reached up and wrapped her hands around his neck, pressing herself closer to him as he fell backward on the cot, his head hitting the cushion as she crawled on top of him.

She felt Nico wrap one arm around her waist, pulling her body against his chest. His other hand came to cup her cheek. She felt the tip of his tongue slide against her lips and she made a soft sound in the back of her throat. Nico responded by kissing her more deeply, making Ahsoka's head spin.

What had started out as a slow and gentle kiss was quickly turning more passionate. Ahsoka wrapped her hands in Nico's thick hair, feeling the soft texture of it. He forced her mouth open even more, the kiss deepening and their tongues twining together. Nico pulled her so close against him she was sure he could feel her heart hammering into her ribcage.

Without warning, Nico twisted them both so that Ahsoka was lying on her back against the pillows and Nico was on top of her, his warm weight pressing against her body. She could feel him everywhere, pressed against every inch of her body.

Ahsoka slipped one of her hands underneath Nico's robe, feeling the hard muscles of his stomach and chest. She smiled through the kiss. This was more perfect than she could have ever imagined.

He was kissing her like he had been waiting for the chance to touch her for months. She could feel the emotions pouring out of him and kissed him back just as passionately. But before she could enjoy the feeling for longer, he was gone.

Ahsoka blinked up at the grey ceiling, panting slightly. Her body tingled and she felt a longing deep in her stomach. She looked around and saw Nico sitting next to her on the bed, not looking at her and biting his lip. She sat up and fixed her clothing her face heating up.

"Um…" she started, not really sure what to say. "That was…interesting."

Nico chuckled, but it sounded strangled. "You could say that." His voice deeper than usual and had a husky quality to it that Ahsoka had never heard.

There was an extremely awkward silence before Nico cleared his throat. "Do you think Skywalker is going to pound me into dust?"

Ahsoka smiled. "He hasn't yet, so probably not."

"Good. I'd rather not end up as a pile of ashes."

"Not in my bed, you won't."

They were quiet for another moment. Ahsoka was still trying to process what had just happened. She had kissed Nico! And he kissed her back…well, he had done more than kiss her back. And she had done more than just kiss too, so it wasn't just her who had been excited. Ahsoka was surprised to find that she had wanted to go even further. She wished Nico hadn't pulled away, even though she knew it was best that he did.

"Are…we going to talk about it?" Ahsoka asked Nico warily.

"Do we have to?"

"Yes," Ahsoka sighed. "We do."

"Fine. Just go ahead and say it. My kissing prowess is unmatched by any other mortal." Ahsoka could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Did you just say 'kissing prowess'?"

"It's an accurate term."

"Whatever. But we still need to talk about what just happened."

"Yeah…I guess we do," Nico said, running his hand through his messed up hair. "You're right, I shouldn't have kissed back. I should have pulled away straight away. I guess I just couldn't help myself. I promise it won't happen again."

Ahsoka bit her lip. "That's not exactly what I meant." She said cautiously.

Nico looked at her quizzically, "What do you mean?"

Ahsoka blushed slightly, "What if I told you I did want that to happen again?" she asked shyly.

Nico's eyes widened, but calmed down immediately, "Well," he drawled, "I would be a very happy teenager." He said with a smile, causing the Togrutan Padawan to blush. "But Ahsoka," Nico continued, but with a serious look, "Are you sure you want this?"

Ahsoka sighed, "Remember that kiss back on Geonosis?" That earned a nod from Nico. "I started that kiss and I also started this kiss, and it was just luck on our part that no one else was there to see us. It's obvious that I have feelings for you, and that you have feelings for me. There's no point in trying to hide them, there's enough frustration going on as it is, besides," she started with a low voice, as if anyone else could hear them, "I have a suspicion that Master Skywalker is romantically attached to Senator Amidala."

Nico pretended to be shocked, as if he didn't know this already when he read the good Senators mind back on the Malevolence.

Ahsoka continued. "So I don't see any harm in you and me being with each other." She said shyly, giving him the offer. They could be with each other, try and keep it a secret from not just Anakin, but the entire Jedi Order as well, or they could pretend this never happened and go back to endlessly flirting with each other…not really that much of a tough choice for Nico.

"I don't see any harm either." The Ghost King said with a smile, causing her to smile even wider.

Now he just sat there awkwardly, watching her.

Ahsoka sighed and then smiled at him. "You can sleep here if you want. I don't mind. As long as you keep your hands to yourself," she added.

Nico smirked at her as he climbed under the blanket with her. "I think you're the one we need to worry about getting all grabby."

Ahsoka smacked his arm, making him laugh. She reached over to one of the controls and switched the lights for the medical bay off.

She quickly pulled the blanket over herself and Nico, she was conscious of Nico getting comfortable next to her. She wondered what she was doing, letting him sleep in her bed. It was stupid, tempting herself and Nico like that. But she wasn't ready to let him go yet. Ahsoka curled up, facing Nico and yawned. She was tired.

"Goodnight, Ahsoka," Nico murmured next to her.

"'Night, Nico," she replied. Ahsoka pulled her blanket up to her chin. She was glad she was as tired as she was or else she would never have fallen asleep with Nico lying next to her. But luckily for her, it took a few minutes for her to drift off. Before she fell asleep, she felt Nico brush his fingers across her cheek and she felt a rush of warmth wash through her body. She smiled at the feeling before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

As for Nico, he closed his eyes, sleep slowly taking hold of him. He didn't know how long this relationship, if that was what he had with Ahsoka, would last, but he didn't really care. At the moment, he was content and would enjoy that for once in his stressful life, for once, things were looking up for him.

My god, that was horribly cheesy. Anyway, I know that I said that I was going to revise, and I am, but I also have spare time that is going to waste, so I might as well continue with this. Anyway, I've just had my prom the other night, ha, ha, I'm not going to lie, I got tipsy and I stayed up till five in the morning, went out to have some fun with my friends and girlfriend, and I didn't get any bloody sleep.

Anyway, what did you think of this chapter? Did it show you that Angral was nothing compared to Nico? That Nico is a freaking badass? Do you guys like the way I bought Nico and Ahsoka together? I know its cliché, but, meh. I hope I have given you enough violence for this chapter. I also wanted to make a point of the Chancellor's relationship with Anakin, a man who is like a father to him.

Anyway, onto the reviews...

Lizzy8980 chapter 15 . Apr 30

oh, this chapter was good, and like you, im getting better at writing too. look at my first chapter, you'll say i stink. i would be writing like a first grader. look at the last chapter i wrote, i write much better. Now, i will give you MORE cookies and pies. (im getting ubsessed with cookies and pies, arent i? i guess im hungry) (::) (::) (::) (#) (#) (#) (yeah, im hungry)

Thanks for the compliments, cookies and pies. Appreciated.

adopteddaughterofhestia chapter 15 . May 1

good job on this chapter! are the seven going to show up in this story? Jesus Christ bless ya :)

Thanks for the compliments, if you want to know about the seven, look at the prophecy on chapter 4. (I think its 4 anyway.)

shadow ninja chapter 15 . May 1

to the idiot who said this was a bad story SHUT THE HECK UP! LIKE YOU COULD DO BETTER IF YOU HATE THIS STORY SO MUCH THEN JUST FRICKEN LEAVE!

Thanks dude. But me and the person who has been sending me bad PM's have talked this through and he's decided to stop reading the story altogether, but he did apologize for the harsh stuff he said.

May a Chance chapter 15 . May 2

Dude, I don't care about Anaklusmons14 or TheseusLives so long as you NEVER stop writing.

This review made me grin, that's actually a very great compliment, and its appreciated, and don't worry, I'm not going to stop writing.

Airanger78 chapter 15 . May 3

Very nice chapter hope you update soon!

Thanks, and just did.

Great stories I recommend are:

'Dark Phoenix'. Author: Lighningscar. Crossover: PJO x Harry Potter.

'Death's Avenger'. Author: Sinsidhe. Crossover: PJO x Avengers.

'Everlasting Promises'. Author: Starblade176. Story: PJO

Anaklusmos14 is a great author and all his stories are amazing. So is TheseusLives.

Thank you for reading and if you have any questions just ask them in the reviewers box or PM me. Please review.