AN: Okay, this one is a little later than was planned but here it is.

The method I have been using, with the next chapter being done at the time of current publication can't continue. I had a power surge at my house and I lost several completed chapter's, this one was only pared because I had it saved online. So, yeah, I lost quite a bit of progress, it will take some time to catch up again.

But that aside at least this chapter is up so here it is, I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: Star Wars is owned by Disney and LucasFilm.


Chapter 7

"Okay so as you can see from this map of his attack's." Hera said to everyone in attendance, which included the entire crew plus Dral "That he is not following any pattern, he hit's at random. But we can gleam from this that he is staying in the same general location." She gestured to the map again " He is staying within the general city limits when he attacks, and the Empire is having no luck finding him in the city. They've only had any real search parties look in the surrounding country side." Zooming in on the outskirts of the city, she showed on of Lothol's few forested areas.

Lothol's landmass was dominated by mountains and grasslands, but there were a few sparse wooded areas on the planet, and this area was one of the larger ones, pockmarked with several small lakes. It ran from the outskirts of the city to the foot of the nearby mountain range. The forest didn't have a name, it was a fairly recent addition to Lothol, the tree's were brought along, some by accident as seeds, with the first settlers of Lothol. Some where planted as saplings to help form a wind breaking barrier and keep excess water flow from the mountains drowning crops. But it had grown out of control and now reached to the mountains.

"So." Dral said to himself more than anyone "He's probably hold up in that forest."

"That's out best guess, we're figuring he comes out when he's on one of his hunts and retreats back when he's done, and it's surprising smart, given what we know about him. The foliage would make spotting him from the air almost impossible so the only way any will find him is on foot, which the Imperial's are not too keen to try." Hera said turning the projection off.

Dral made an extremely loud groan of annoyance. He was going to have to hunt the damn thing down on foot. That would entail lugging the Cryo-gun around for an undetermined amount of time, and that thing wasn't exactly light.

"Well, no time like the present. Let's get a move on." Dral said getting to go retrieve his equipment. "I'll be ready in about thirty minutes."

Walking off to his own ship, he mentally noted he should take his medicine, a double dose, to make sure he didn't have an episode during the mission.

Strapping on as many weapons and explosives as he could without hindering his movement. he went to heft up the cryo-gun. It was at this time he noticed Sabine, looking at him, arms crossed.

"Are you sure you're up to this?" her voice skeptical. "I don't want you having flashbacks while were out there."

Dral frowned but shook his medication bottle, letting the pills rattle around. "Took a double dose, not really supposed to, but it should keep me from... well it should keep me in line."

She didn't look completely convinced, but now that the time had come, she didn't seem to want the entire plan done away with.

Hefty the cryo-gun up he said "Let's go."


"Okay, keep you comm-links on." Hera said as she landed the Ghost to let the ground party, or in this case, everyone else, to enter the forest. "I'll be waiting for you to finish for the pick up."

Kanan, Ezra, Sabine, Zeb and Dral walked down the ramp. Dral had his helmet on again, scanned the forest with both his helmet's inbuilt sensors and his implant, hoping that the engine noise would of drawn the "Shape" in, no such luck.

"Okay, Dral, this is your party, how do you think we should proceed." Kanan said in a tone he'd listen to what Dral had to say, but didn't plan on following what he said if it clashed with his own personal ideas.

"Well, normally in the holodrama's, this is the part where we split up and get killed off one by one, we aren't splitting up."

Kanan nodded, apparently this is was what he was thinking as well "Wouldn't make sense anyway, you're the only one with the cryo-gun.

"I want a fifty meter spread, stay in contact." He point to Sabine and Ezra, "You two take the left." gesturing to Kanan and Zeb, he said "You two the right, I'll go up the middle, call out if you find the thing and I'll come and freeze the sucker."

"Wait I thought you said we weren't splitting up?!" Ezra near shouted.

"We aren't, we're spreading the group out, not splitting it up, we won't be so far away from each other that if one gets in trouble we can't help, now shut up and get going."

Ezra was about shout something back, but a quick look from Kanan told him not to pursue the issue.

Huffing he went off.

"It the kid's time of the month or somthin'?" Dral said as he started to move forward.

No one laughed at the joke, not even Dral. Now that they were here, the tension was starting to make them all much more serious, even Dral.


"When, I'm done with this job, I'm gonna go find someplace where I won't be stabbed. I'm gonna ...I'm gonna." Dral muttered to himself, slowing down, clenching her stomach. Tapping his comm he said "Everyone hold up, take five."

He didn't hear their response and slumped against one of the trees. Pulling off her helmet he gasped for breath. He was regretting the decision to take to this so quickly after his injury. He knew he wasn't healed, but he didn't think he'd suffer this much from fatigue.

After resting for a few minutes, he started to take several deep breaths and put his helmet back on. "Okay." he said looking at the timer in his helmet. "Time to keep moving."


Ezra walked on the fringe of the line, watching for any movement. Or at least as best he could with his mind so fogged with so many thoughts. Kanan's attitude after he told him what had happened made him feel alienated. Then Sabine was getting to friendly with Dral for his taste. He was sure it was their shared heritage, but that had to be it, they were nothing alike.

Dral was crass and disgusting, Sabine wasn't exactly lady like but she was crude or rude. But he'd noticed that in the short time Dral had been around, Sabine had been around him for a fairly good amount of time. Granted he didn't think she was acting overtly fond of him, but that time he saw her coming off his ship and laughing at his attempt to ask her out. This plagued his mind ever sense he saw it, even if there wasn't anything to it.

While these thoughts rumbled around in his head, they were interrupted by the return of a familiar voice telling him to "Run."


Zeb felt his heart rate increase, sanding fifty meters ahead of him was "The Shape", it's back to him.

"Kanan, Dral I've got him in my sights, Fifty meters ahead. What's the plan."

"Stay put." Dral's voice came over the comm, whispering. "Everyone else, keep moving forward and sweep around, we're gonna surround him, then I'll hit him with the cryo-gun."

"Roger that, holding position." Zeb said into the comm, leveling his blaster at the things back. It was weird, it was just standing there, staring off at something Zeb couldn't see.

Then it titled his head to the side and turned around, and looked Zeb right in the eye.


Moving as fast as he could without making an excessive amount of noise. Then he heard blaster rifle fire.

"Well." He thought to himself picking up to a full run "It was to much to hope for that it would go perfectly."

As the thing came into sight he saw it walking towards Zeb. Not running, walking, near completely unfazed by the blaster fire.

Sneering, Dral launched one of the cryo-grenades at the thing. It hit "The Shape" in the back and thumped to the ground. This caused it to turn and look at Dral. Then it started towards him. Then the grenade exploded, unleashed a huge cloud of vapor, completely obscuring the thing from view.

Then Dral felt his blood run cold as it came marching out. It's mask and blade were completely covered in frost and his clothing was lightly frosted as well. It was in range of the main gun now and Dral let him have it.

"Yeah!" he shouted as it streamed out, obscuring the thing again, but it kept coming. Dral unleashed a stream again, causing more ice to form on it. Pumping the under slung grenade launcher and loading another round. Launching this in tandum with another stream, a much bigger cloud of vapor appeared, one big enough to force Dral to take a step back to avoid it.

And it emerged again, but this time moving in jerking and slower motions. Dral stepped back again as it Raised it's blade high over its head, ready to strike, and unleashed another stream on it, this time not letting up, even as it tried to bring the blade down. It's movements slowed down, and finally...stopped.

Dral took a step back and looked over the thing, it was now coated in a thick layer of ice. Not wanted to take any chances, he shot it again with a long stream, building up the ice even more.

Seeing it would be frozen for a sometime, Dral spat on the ground next to it and shouted "Yeah! No one can beat me!" he shouted as he strutted around the frozen target.

Zeb came up behind the frozen monster, looking at it skeptically, as if not sure it would be held up so easily. After seeing how much ice it was coated in he breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, looks like you weren't so full of hot air." Looking over at Dral's showboating he sighed, "Well not entirely anyway,"


Kanan, Ezra and Sabine came onto the scene to see a large frozen JV-FR13, and exasperated looking Zeb, and Dral who cursing and bad talking at the frozen man.

"Well I'll be dipped, it worked." Kanan said scratching his head.

"What you doubted me?" Dral said, taking his helmet off and smirking at their face. When none of them responded, he just looked at "The Shape." "We'll need to bring him back to my ship so I can turn him in, and then there is matter of your own payment."

Kanan didn't do or say anything to Dral counter to his idea of the idea he's be collecting both rewards, they were going to need him until they got JV-FR13 to a facility to hold him. But he didn't plan on letting him turn that thing back into the Empire.

"Hera, we're ready for pick up." he was just meet with static. "Hera, report, we've got the target, we need e-vac." still more static.

Then he got a response, but it wasn't the voice he wanted to here. The voice was a familiar cool and arrogant voice he hoped to never hear again.

"I'm afraid Hera isn't available, but don't worry, I'll be there to pick you up, don't you worry,"

Everyone in the group, even Dral looked concerned.

"Was that?" Ezra said, gulping.

"Yes." Kanan said, his face hardening "Tyber Zann."

Before they could think what to do, TIE fighters were flying over head, firing into the forest around them.


At first Sabine was glad for standard Imperial poor marksmanship with the TIE fighters, but then her heart sank. They were hitting their target, the surrounding woods. They were encircled in a ring of fire. They were trapped, and the heat was near cooking them alive.

Looking up several gunships came to hover over them, with one coming to land in the clearing. Out markched a whole platoon of Storm Troopers, flanking none other than Tyber Zann himself.

Sabine felt all her old mixture of feelings come rushing back. Her obsession and hate all rolled into one.

"Hello, my old friends, nice running into each other isn't it?" he said marching past the Storm Troopers, stopping by the Frozen JV-FR13, looking it over, then taking a few steps forwards.

Wiping his brow of sweat he looked to the group "Zeb, Kanan you are looking well." they both just sneered at him.

Turning to Ezra he said "My my my, Ezra, you should are looking...whole and well."

That was an incredibly odd thing to say, was what Sabine thought. Then he turned to her, looked at her for a moment, then he looked to Dral, not saying anything to her.

"I'm afriad I don't know you."

"I'm Dral Rahm...I'm...new."

Tyber looked him over then said "Regardless, you have two choice, come quietly or be gunned downed. You can't escape through the fire, I've already had my troops ignite the forst for two miles around, only the fireships I've brough along are keeping this patch from going up. So what you're choice?"

Sabine looked around, noticing that there were indeed several fire ships keeping the now raging blaze from coming in to close, but even they wouldn't be able to hold it off for long.

Dral spoke first, which didn't surprise her, he never seemed to stop running his mouth. "How about this, you turn your prissy little ass around, and I won't shove this..." he was cut off with the sound of blaster fire, and he went to the ground in a heap.

Looking to Tyber, he trade mark blaster had vapor coming out of the barrel.

Dral was cursing and rolling onto his knee's doubled over in pain. "Next time you talk, I'll use lethal force. So what is it?"

"Well." Kanan said "I'd be more willing to go with you if you were going to live through this little encounter."

Tyber laughed a harsh bark of a laugh "You going to kill me Jedi? You'll be gunned down before you get two steps."

"No, not me, but the big guy behind you is thawing pretty nicely thanks to your little fire, and he doesn't play nice with others."

Tyber rasied his eyebrow, and turned in time to see JV-FR13 break free of the ice. Tyber turned to face him, but didn't raise his blaster as it raised its blade to cut him in half. What he did raise was his hand and say "Stop." in his cool voice.

To Sabine's great shock, it did. Stopping mid swing, it lowered its blade and just looked at Tyber.

"How!?" Kanan shouted. In his confusion one of the Storm Troopers hit him with a stun blast. Before she knew what had happened, Zeb and Ezra were hit as well and being dragged off to the transport along with Dral, who was still crumpled over in pain.

Only Sabine was spared the stun bolts. She looked at Tyber as he approached her, JV-FR13 following him like a shadow. "How...why does it listen..." she sputtered out. Tyber just raised a familiar ring, the one he used to inject her and Ezra with his brainwashing drug.

"Please come quietly Sabine, I'd rather not have to take you by force."

For one mad moment she considered fighting, but she realized it would do any good, just get her stunned at best, killed at work. Putting her hands out, Tyber placed a pair of restraining cuffs on her wrist.


The ride was silent and tense. The entire crew was now cuffed in the transport, those who had been stunned were starting to come to, groaning and shaking off the affects of the stunners.

Sabine looked at from them to Dral, who hadn't been stunned, but really hadn't needed to be, he was still reeling from the blaster shot Tyber had hit him with. If it hadn't been for his armor and the fact Tyber clearly turned down the power, the blast would of killed Dral out right.

"Dral, how are you, you okay?"

"I got shot." he groaned out, and apparently that was all he felt needed saying.

Ezra groaned as he shook off grogginess. He looked around the transport and in sudden panic tried to stand before he realized he was now restrained, resulting in his motion resulting in nothing more than a jerking movement.

"Where..." he began, looking around the transport, slowly coming to himself.

"Tyber's transport ship, he stunned all of you, we're in cuffs, don't try to get out, even if you do theirs nowhere to go."

"So we what? Just let them take us?"

Kanan, who had just shaken off his cobwebs spoke next "We're already taken Ezra, we have to wait for the right chance to get out of this."

Slowly calming down Ezra sat back in his seat, breathing deeply.

"You all got me into this mess." Dral groaned out "I should of just left this dirt ball when I didn't find that old drunk. Now I'm gonna die in an Imperial cell. If I'm lucky they just put one in my head and put me out of my misery."

"Ohhh, stop it with the pity party!" Zeb growled out "You can't give up, not yet, we're gonna need everyone we can to get out of this."

Dral let out a long sign and took a deep breath and rested his back against the wall "You know what, I don't think so, maybe I'm ready to die, put an end to the mess of a life of mine, maybe things are better on the other side."

"Wow, good job keeping the moral up." Ezra said sarcastically. This earned him a kick from Sabine. Ezra wasn't aware of Dral's condition, and granted she didn't really fully understand it, but the last thing they needed was for him to slip into another episode of his. At best they would just kill him, at worst they would just open fire on all of them if he started acting up. What's more she wasn't overtly fond of how he'd been acting lately.

If they were going to get out of this, they were going to need everyone in the best possible condition.


"You want to look at something else? Maybe not stare at me with those haunting eye's?" Tyber said to JV-FR13. The damn thing creeped him out, it just looked at him, standing perfectly still, not making a single noise. You wouldn't even know it was there if you weren't looking at it.

He was frankly surprised that the serum even worked on it. It was designed for use on humans, and while it was mostly human, it's genetic code was some mixed up it probably should of worked at all. He figured that it was probably do to the fact it already had some sort of attempted mind control elements in its system.

It complied with what he said, but only in the vaguest fashion. It wasn't looking at him anymore, but it didn't leave. It hadn't managed to kill Ezra while on the planet, but now he was glad it failed, now he was in his hands, he'd get to do it himself.

This thing wasn't smart, but he could tell it was thinking something when it looked at him, and that unsettled him, it didn't talk or communicate with him, and he couldn't figure out what it was thinking. And if there was one thing Tyber didn't like it was feeling like he wasn't in complete control.


The man was here now, his voice no longer in his head, but in person. But he was stopping him now, not letting him have his revenge. He needed to make them all pay, but the man wouldn't let him, but he couldn't stop him from controlling him.

The boy was so near but he couldn't kill him, make him pay. And the fire was burning hotter in his mind, the control the man had over him was weakening, his voice grew quieter even now while he was here in front of him.

Soon he would be free.


AN: Okay, tell me what you think. Please leave a review.