Red alarm lights flashed in the carbonite freeze chamber, announcing the failure of his men in the hangar. The Keeper grimaced with his sharp yellow teeth at the thought that his plan was not going as expected. Patch had been thrown to the floor after her outburst over the transceiver and lay on her side looking up.

The tall black droid stepped forward after checking the security network. "Statement: Boba Fett has resisted capture. Your men are dead," IG-88 said in a lifeless, digital voice. He raised his rifle and focused his rotating red eye on the Keeper. "Query: Shall I disassemble him." There was no inflection in his speech.

The Keeper nodded reluctantly. He wanted Boba Fett alive for his wall, but he feared the danger of facing a living and vengeful Boba. "Yes, hic-don't let him get here alive," he said with a spoiled acquiescence.

IG-88 did not turn to exit, his head simply rotated on his narrow body and his arms and legs reversed their joints to walk in the opposite direction. He left the chamber.

The Keeper then addressed Cahil. "Secure the clone prime for the freezing-hic," he growled. "We're doing it now!"

Cahil approached Patch and bent over to raise her up by her arms. Without warning, both of Patch's feet kicked him in the face, as she propped herself up on her shoulders. Cahil fell over, being more caught off guard than injured.

Patch pushed her bonds beneath her and slipped her hands in front, then leapt up in a flash. The Keeper was on her surprisingly fast, and she found herself grappling with his thick arms as they tried to catch her. She swung up with her bound hands and boxed him in his dewlap and then tried to push him away. The Keeper was unphased and wrapped her up tightly with her arms pinned down. She struggled to move, feeling the grip squeeze down on her.

"I could-hic-crush every bone in you," the Keeper growled, his hot breath puffing on her face.

Patch grimaced and turned her face away from him as it became more difficult to breathe, her hands trying to grab for anything she could. She felt the lightsaber on the Keeper's belt; but being unsure of that weapon, she could not ignite it. She then felt the blaster; that weapon, she knew.

A shot rang out, and the Keeper hollered in pain as his grip loosened. Patch slipped out and ran for the door; but Cahil was standing there, his two black blades crossed in front of him.

The Keeper, gripping his wounded thigh, hiccoughed, "Get her, you fool!"

Patch did not think. She just fired, her finger rolling off rapid flashes of blaster shots. Cahil's blades whirled in front of him, the blaster fire deflected away. Patch had never seen anything like that. She bit her lip, fired a shot at the Keeper, and then dove behind a cart of gas canisters, scurrying on her hands and knees away from Cahil. Patch's blast almost hit the Keeper, the blaster fire buzzing him just inches from his head. The near miss flustered the Keeper, and he found his way to cover as well.

Cahil moved toward the wall of the circular room behind the secured carts and began to make his way around, knowing eventually he would find Patch. He walked quickly with his swords held out in front of him. Patch looked over the cart, and saw him coming around. She checked her pistol. Its energy cell had only enough for a few more rounds.

"You got him," she said, trying to encourage herself and stood up. Cahil turned his head as he saw her and started to run along the wall toward her. She raised the blaster and fired, hitting her target, the gas canister in front of him. A burst of gas erupted around him, hiding him for a moment in the sudden cloud. She then immediately shot off one of the canister regulators behind the canister she was hiding behind, producing a blanket of gas around her as well.

When Cahil emerged from his cloud, he saw the fog where Patch was hiding and approached, trying to squint to see into the steam. He made a few steps, but could not see her. He then took a few steps more. As he neared, the gas dissipated; and, looking behind the cart, he ominously realized that no one was there.

"Gotcha!" Patch's voice called out from behind him, followed promptly by two pistol shots and an empty click. She had finished off the pistol's rounds. Shot twice in the back, Cahil dropped to his knees and fell over. Patch smiled to herself for a moment, before hearing a slight hollow clang followed by a dead roll. She did not see it, but she knew what it was. She reacted directly as she leapt forward behind a cart. The rolling grenade burst and shook the cart she had dived behind, but the chains that secured it held firm.

The Keeper stood and limped toward the direction of the impact. "Did I get you-hic?" he taunted. Stepping out to the center of the room in front of the carbonite freeze, he searched for any evidence of Patch among the canister carts.

Patch tossed the empty and useless pistol away and moved toward the dead Zabrak. The noise as the blaster slid across the floor directed the Keeper's attention to her.

"There-hic-you are!" His mouth widened into his familiar, grotesque smile.

Patch rushed to pick up one of Cahil's black blades, but it was heavy and cumbersome for her to lift effectively.

The Keeper laughed and produced the Jedi's lightsaber from his side. Its blue blade illuminated his green face in a fiendish glow, and his icteric teeth showed bright in its light. He slashed the blade at the metallic floor, causing red-hot melted scars in the floor, as the burning metal fumes filled the room with an offensive odor.

Patch looked down at the black metal sword that she could hardly lift and realized the futility of fighting him with it. She thought quickly, and she raised the sword above her head. It tottered in her raised hands for a moment before she let it fall on the chain holding the cart to the floor. It cut through the chain with ease. The Keeper stepped closer.

She lifted the blade again and swung hard with all her weight onto the canister regulators, cutting off six of the eight regulators. White gas jetted out, and the cart shifted, then rushed forward propelled by the gas rockets.

The Keeper's black eyes widened and his wide grin dropped for a split second before the cart hit him, throwing him backward. His heavy body fell back on his head and flipped into the carbonite freeze. Patch ran quickly to the control panel. The Keeper's hand was already snapping to the pit edge and gripping it to raise himself out. Patch whipped the activation lever down, and the pit gushed with a bursting white cloud as the gas extravasated from every duct. The Keeper's hand fell from the edge, his contorted fingers disappearing in the smoke. He blurted out one last scream that was cut short by a final hiccough.