Everyone wise knows – the right way is always the way leading you farther from your enemy.
Cricket the Dark Lord (T.Y.)
:_:
"Are you really sure we are heading the right way?"
Vestara scowled at her apprentice. "Yes, I am, apprentice Fasha."
Keshiri girl bowed her head. "I'm sorry, Master."
"We'll talk about it later," she said, hitting another set of controls.
The door slid up, revealing a round chamber.
There was no other doorway here, just a round table in its middle and seats positioned along the wall.
"Dead end," she called at the rest of her group.
Then the table spoke up.
"Ves."
Okay. Either she was becoming crazy because of those kriffing mazy corridors, or the table was a comm table.
She made a vague humming sound.
"Fine. So I found you."
She frowned. "Ben Skywalker?"
"No, your dead father," he said impatiently.
That was rude. Was this really him?
"What do you want, Jedi? Are you going to try to persuade me into leaving?"
"I know very well that speaking doesn't work in your case, Khai."
Oh, so now she wasn't Ves, but Khai. Better every moment.
"So what do you want, Skywalker?"
"You hate me because I killed your father."
"And you hate me because I betrayed you."
A sigh. "Jedi do not hate, Khai."
"But you do. You're good at it."
"That's not the point. You want to settle scores. I want to offer you a chance to do it."
"You want to lure me into a trap."
"No."
"Ah, so you just want to stall? Stalling won't help, Skywalker."
He started to sound annoyed. "I am not stalling, Khai. I'm not a Sith, remember? I'm not a backstabber."
"What about your Jedi friend trying to lure us away from the bridge?"
"What?" he sounded startled. "You met Wandaq? I told him to stay with the crew on…"
He bit away the rest.
"On the bridge?" she asked sweetly. "Oh, it looks like he abandoned his post. Typical Jedi."
There was nothing but a silence from the comm unit.
"Still there, Skywalker?" she asked.
"Yes," Ben answered, suddenly not so confident. "Yes, I'm there. And I am waiting for you. If you change your mind…"
"Where?" she asked.
There was a hint of smile in his voice. "Where you always wanted to have me."
She raised a brow. "In morgue?"
"In bedroom."
She saw her apprentice grin in her peripheral view.
"Oh."
"I'm waiting, Khai. Think about it. Skywalker out."
The comm unit fell silent again.
Vestara ignored the smirking teenage girl – she would be smirking, too if she heard someone say this to her old master – and drew her comlink.
"Saber Tannis," she snapped.
"Lady Khai," Tannis spoke up, panting. "We are following the enemy. He… I think he's trying to lead us somewhere. We are headed somewhere up."
"Forget him," she said. "Catch up with us. We need all our men for the assault on the bridge."
"Yes…" Thannis suddenly stopped, letting the sentence fade away to nothing.
"What happened?"
"He led us to the bridge."
"What?"
"I am just looking at a big label BRIGDE, Lady Khai."
She blinked. If this was a ruse, she didn't get it.
"Don't go in. Wait for us to join you. Watch your back. There's at least one Jedi on the loose."
"Yes, Lady Khai."
"Khai out."
She looked up just to see Fasha looking at her, waiting for orders.
"Are you going to go for Skywalker, Master Khai?" she asked.
Vestara considered it. If she went for him and found him, she could delay him long enough for her men to capture the bridge. Maybe even capture him. But if she didn't, she would let her men alone…
They can make it.
"Yes, I am. I'll try to prevent him from joining the defense of the bridge. You go with them. I'll make it alone."
Fasha bowed quickly. "Yes, master."
Suddenly, there was a sound from her comlink.
"Lady Khai, this is Zaam. GA reinforcements have just arrived. We're engaging them."
"Okay. What about the Phantom Rival?"
"Joins the battle. Still fully operational or just seem to be. But they deploy no starfighters."
"Any launching escape pods?"
"Not one, Lady Khai."
"Is there a lot of GA vessels?"
"No, my lady. Just few smaller cruisers."
"Very well, Saber Aty. Keep on."
"Yes, lady Khai. Zaam out."
She extinguished her lightsaber. It seemed odd, but she was no longer awaiting a sudden ambush.
She closed her eyes, trying to locate Ben.
And she felt him, his presence distant but clearly distinct.
He felt a lot like his father. Shining like a living candle in the dark of steel and waste mechanics.
He had to become stronger since the last time they met each other.
She turned to the direction where she felt him and walked this way.
"Master Khai?"
She turned to her apprentice. "Yes, Fasha?"
The Keshiri smiled. "Good luck."
"Thank you, Fasha," she said, shaking her head a bit. "But, do you think I will need it?"