I apologize for taking so long, but you all keep telling me to focus on college so i did! So quit complaining! A term paper about Frank Zappa won't write itself

The canon-ness of this chapter is so-so.

A/N: apologies for "updating" but my proofreading is horrible

Disclaimer: nothing is mine...pretty obvious

Chapter 16:

Once More

Felucia had certainly changed since the Rogue Shadow last left the planet. Gone were the vibrant colors and swirling clouds that could be seen even from orbit. In its place were sickly green blobs and a very poisonous looking atmosphere. And of course, with Shaak Ti no longer aiding the Felucians, the Empire was swiftly asserting itself on the surface below. Had it really been so long since they were last on the planet? Juno sighed, it was as if they were making up for their past actions.

"Anything on the scanners?" Starkiller asked as the doors swished open.

"The Felucians are not going down without a fight," PROXY said after a moment.

"They're smart," Kota said from his seat before yawning. "They use the planet to their advantage, hiding, climbing, and using the local rancors."

"You sound very nonchalant about it," Starkiller noted, trying to sound surprised by the rancors.

"Listen boy, somebody in your position is bound to run into some sort of ugly creature on any Force-forsaken planet. Besides," he said with a smirk. "I'm relaxed because I don't have to go down there with you."

"You certainly know all the angles," Juno said finally, after plotting a safe landing zone.

Kota chuckled, obviously amused. "Comes with being a Jedi Miss Eclipse."

Juno only growled in frustration and crossed her arms. "Very well," she said before turning to Starkiller. "You better be careful down there. Let them thin each other out first."

"Thanks Juno," Starkiller said before jumping off of the boarding ramp.

"I don't like this," Juno said uneasily after pulling away.

"I agree Captain. The statistics certainly are against my master," PROXY said. "However, I have found that he is a statistical anomaly, constantly defying the odds."

"But how long can his luck hold out?" Juno queried.

"There is no luck-"

"There's the Force," Juno finished before rolling her eyes. "And then what?"

"Then there's you," Kota said simply with a shrug as if it was the most obvious thing in the galaxy.

Juno bit her bottom lip in thought, being careful to mull over her words lest Kota twist them. "He has you and PROXY as well general."

Kota simply guffawed and slapped in his knee derisively. "Me? A blind Jedi who has lost his connection to the Force? And a droid that wants to kill him?" Juno halted over her console. So he knew of PROXY's programming. How long had the old drunk known? And how did he figure it out? Juno looked over at said droid, which only looked back and forth between the pilot and the Jedi. "A fine bit of reprogramming you did there," Kota continued. "But the boy probably puts more faith in you than any of us."

Juno's fingers went back to her work as a small smile crept across her face. If she could program something like PROXY, she would not need a job as a pilot. Still, it was better to let Kota believe his own conclusions. "Have you truly lost your connection?" she queried of the older man.

Kota raised an eyebrow at the unexpected conversation. "I…can no longer wield the Force as I once did. It no longer flows through me so that I may take advantage of it over my enemies."

"Surely there is still something," Juno prodded. "You felt something on Kashyyyk."

The Jedi smirked at the pilot and shifted upright in his chair. "Very astute Captain. I would not be surprised if you could have been a Jedi yourself."

The pilot only snorted as she punched in a good trajectory to orbit Felucia. "I've already had this discussion with Starkiller. Even if I were found, my father hated the Jedi to no end."

"Unfortunate, but not unheard of. But you are correct I can still feel the Force. It calls in its endless ebb and flow and I can occasionally catch glimpses of it, but nothing more," Kota said dejectedly. "But that boy down there. He is the Force. If you ever want to see the Force at it's full potential, stick with him, and I'm willing to bet that you'll see it. That is, if we don't all die first."

"That was almost poetic General," Juno commented.

Kota chuckled before the swish of the door behind her was heard. "I never was that type of Jedi."

As Kota's footsteps faded in the direction of the cargo hold, Juno turned to the droid beside her. "Calculate the odds of us getting out of this without Kota knowing, and cut them in half."

"Cut the odds before or after Kota revealed he knew what I am?" PROXY asked.

"Do I want to know the former?"

"No. Based upon that…twenty five percent," the prototype answered.

"Let's hope Starkiller keeps with his trend shall we?" PROXY nodded in agreement. "Come to think of it, he hasn't radioed in," the pilot noted as she brought her charge's tracker on screen. The readout was unreadable. The signal was being bounced off of too many structures. "Well that's just great. That man has managed to jump into the middle of some sort of Imperial site."

"Something wrong Captain?" the droid asked. "My scans detect stress levels in your voice."

"The scans don't match any Imperial construction blueprints. What the hell has he got himself into now?" Juno said as she brought the Rogue Shadow towards the location. Sure it was not the wisest move, but after the skyhook on Kashyyyk, Juno felt the need to know what the Empire could possibly be doing to this planet. "We should be able to see…it," Juno only stared. There were massive cranes on treads with chains holding onto what looked like tentacles. From each crane came electrically charged wires that fed to a main shaft. The Empire was invading a living being! Whatever it was, the creature was being violated beyond any logical reasoning. "Oh…how could they?" Juno asked in despair.

The comlink crackled to life. "Juno, are you seeing this?" asked Starkiller sounding worried.

"Yes, I have a visual. What could possess them to do something like this?"

"They don't need a reason," he spat. "But they're traversing inside. The Felucians must be using the creature as a place to hide. The thing is…I can feel it suffering."

"It's mindless," Juno said dejectedly. If they did not stop the Emperor, this was what was in store for the entire galaxy. "Is there any way to lessen its pain? Perhaps those cranes?"

"I'll see what I can do," Starkiller promised solemnly. "I'll need to find a way to get power to the central lift."

"Good luck," Juno said before leaving the site of the abomination. Even with the pit out of sight, the pilot still felt shivers crawl up her spine. All that effort and destruction just to conquer a planet full of savages and fauna. Could Starkiller truly find Senator Organa in all that mess? He sure seemed certain. Juno was glad that somebody was confident in this whole situation. The warrior was certainly focused ever since escaping the Empirical. But he also seemed to genuinely care about the universe around him. The pilot was certain that before Vader betrayed him, Starkiller would have left the poor creature to its suffering.

There was a blip from the console. Starkiller's tracker had disappeared. Gone! It was just simply gone. No explosion, no epic struggle, he was just gone. What could have happened? Was he truly dead? No. It couldn't be. Something told Juno that she would have felt his death. "Kota!" the captain called. "Kota get in here now! We have a problem!"

"I'm here girl for Force sake," Kota responded as he came into the cockpit. "What's the problem?"

"I've lost him," Juno answered, frantically flipping switches in an effort to boost the signal of the Rogue Shadow.

"Have you tried hailing him?" Kota asked simply, crossing his arms.

"Are you there?" the pilot asked over a static filled comlink. "Are you alright? I've lost you," she said a bit more desperately. Where the fierfek was he? "You're not turning up on the scans. Please respond, your signal's not good!"

"---o?"

Was that him? She could not be sure, but the slight sound gave her some small hope. PROXY pointed to the console that had readouts of Imperial records on the creature. They called it the Sarlaac. Light generators were being used to prevent the stormtroopers form being digested. Whether Starkiller could hear her or not, Juno would be damned before he died because he lacked vital information. "You need to stay away from the dark and avoid the digestion tracts. They are very dangerous!"

Still nothing. There was just endless static. Juno turned to Kota. "Is he there? Can you feel him?" the desperation creeping into her voice.

Kota simply "gazed" towards the planet's surface and furrowed his brow in concentration. "It is…faint. He is…alive," the General said finally. "His presence is getting stronger. Try contacting him again."

"Are you there? I repeat, do you copy?" Juno asked, almost pleading into the comlink.

"Ugh, I'm here, Juno," the comlink crackled.

"Oh thank-" Juno took a deep breath and tried to recompose herself. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine."

Juno sighed in relief. "Good," the pilot took another steadying breath. "Your signal looks strong again. Any sign of Senator Organa?"

"He's…close, but he is not alone."

"Radio in when you're good to go."

And the waiting began again. Kota grumped back to the jumper seat and PROXY continued to monitor the Imperial communications. Juno hoped that the mission would end soon. The stealth systems would not last forever. And just because they were not the Empire's main concern at the moment, if discovered, they were in deep trouble. The quicker the Senator was found and secured, the sooner Starkiller could be safely aboard the Rogue Shadow and as far away from this troublesome planet.

"Urgh…Ju-Juno," gurgled Starkiller's voice from the comlink. "Sen-senator Organa is…secure." There was very violent coughing, which sounded like it was filled with blood. "Get here, now."

No complaining about the ending because you know i'll reward you with angsty fluffy romancy stuff eventually.

Review and what not!