Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars.

Note: Lights, Camera, ACTION! Thanks again to readers/subscribers/reviewers and the like and also to Liisiko for being an awesome beta as always.

Replies to reviewers:

From Pen to Paper - I'm glad you enjoyed the last couple of updates. I really enjoyed writing that scene between Leia and Juno, though it did go through some huge editing before I was happy with it. As always, thanks for reading and reviewing! Hope this chapter is just as enjoyable.

Liisiko - Thanks for adding to favourites! Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your support and time, as always!

Psilome - Yay! Welcome, welcome! Always nice to meet another fan of this pairing! It has a rather small following, which is both surprising and sad, but there are definitely some dedicated fans here who write some pretty neat stuff. I'm currently updating this story on a weekly basis (every Saturday) unless I put up a note saying otherwise. This schedule should continue for the next few weeks though. Thanks for your review and glad you are enjoying it.

CHAPTER 9 - Adamant

Location: The Rogue Shadow / The XF-32

Galen spent much of the journey meditating in the co-pilot's chair; attempting to regain some of that lost focus. The moment of calm allowed him to sort through the chaotic tangle in his mind. And though he was still angry, he could feel the storm in his head begin to quieten.

Having Juno there, close by, seemed to work wonders.

Her faith and trust in him was a pillar of strength he could rely on even during times where he thought his whole life might just crumble apart through his fingers. He could recall the softness of her touch as she held him, her body pressed against his back. Even now he could sense the occasional glances that she threw his way. Strangely, she didn't seem to be worried anymore. Not as much as she had been, anyway. Maybe it was because, this time, she was choosing to leave something behind rather than being forced into it as she had before. Perhaps that was enough to keep the concerns at bay. Her glances, instead of being driven by worry, were driven by something warmer. Affection, perhaps, or something akin to it, at least.

Opening his eyes, he sat up and caught her gaze. She offered him a shy sort of smile before turning back to the viewport.

"Welcome back."

"I never went anywhere." He replied; sitting forwards in his seat. Rolling his shoulders, he unzipped the top half of his flight suit and shrugged out of the arms, tying them around his waist, revealing the plain blue shirt underneath.

"You were deep in thought." She gave him a small smile. "Anyway, look there." She lifted her head and, in the viewport, the shape of a planet filled the star-studded sky; blue-purple and marbled with clouds. "Selonia."

"Now comes the hard part, though." Galen pointed out.

"Boring part." She corrected. "Maybe we can ask around at the nearest starport. They may have had a ship register or recall seeing one of that description. After all, it does stand out in a crowd."

"Doubtful. I don't think they'll want their presence known."

The Rogue Shadow edged down through space, winding through traffic traversing to and from the neighboring planets. Selonians were known for their lack of adventure, their hyperdrive-forsaken ships symbols of this. Here and there, a number of Correllian and Selonian shuttles skimmed leisurely through the airspace of the ocean planet.

Juno sighed. "What are the odds of you sensing the other clone from way out here?"

"Unless he purposely makes himself known, that's unlikely to happen."

"Well, if this is a trap, maybe he will?"

"He might not even be here yet." Galen pointed out. "In the time we took traveling to Viedas' ship and then coming here, he's had to have broken in and out of the Rebel base, taken Vader somewhere safe – likely the Executor – and then made the jump here. The only advantage he has is that he'll know where the ship is."

Juno chewed at her bottom lip in thought. "I think we're in the wrong place. After all, if this really is a trap for you then they won't want any interference from outsiders. That clone may be strong, but against you, Kota and his troops - as well as anyone who sees fit to get involved - it would go very badly for him."

"As good a theory as any, I suppose."

Juno abruptly accelerated out from her original path, engaging the thrusters as she moved away from the lines of space traffic, orbiting away from the spaceports to empty sky space. "PROXY can—oh." She realized, suddenly, that the droid was absent and, embarrassed, turned a pleading look across at her co-pilot. "Since you are actually capable of operating this ship, do you mind helping out for a bit?"

"You always were better at flying."

She arched a brow and pointed at the console across from him.

Rolling his eyes, he shifted the chair forwards on its runner and brought himself closer to the screens. "What do you need me to do?

"Watch the fuel lines and the engine temperature. We could be doing this for a while. Oh, and hit the blue switch. That's it. Okay, that activates the display which will give you data from the sensor array."

"Hey, I have flown this ship solo before, you know."

"Which means you would have been seated over here." Juno pointed out, grinning smugly at him.

"Okay, okay, you've made your point." He scanned through the data only to confirm one thing: they were very much alone.

"Juno? Do you copy?" Kota's voice crackled over the com-channel.

"We're here, Kota. Any luck so far?"

"Nothing. I take it you've not come across the ship yet, either?"

"No. We've decided to head away from the busy starport areas and track across to emptier airspace. If they want to keep this ship a secret, I doubt it would have come via the normal routes."

"Our thinking exactly. Keep the channel open. We'll alert you if we see anything."

"Likewise."

Juno's eyes slipped back across to Galen and she gave a small sigh of disappointment. They were finally alone together but unable to make use of that time. A brief moment of distraction could quickly become a huge problem.

"Do you think this will ever end?" She asked, her eyes drifting out across the darkness. "All the fighting and the pain? It seems to me that this galaxy can't exist without war."

"War is inevitable." Galen replied slowly. "If this war ever ends, another will follow."

"In our lifetime?"

Galen gave a short laugh, though it wasn't particularly pleasant. "That depends on how long we live. For all we know, our 'lifetime' could come to an end today."

She frowned. "You don't believe that."

"…No. I don't."

"I can't ever see an end to this war." Juno admitted then. "It just seems to me that without the Jedi to aid them, the Alliance would fall apart. It's like you and Kota are the driving force behind it all; pushing and insisting until they give in and agree. Yet, despite that fact, they seemed determined to keep you out of their way. First they wanted Kota away from the base whilst they interrogated Vader and now they want you both to go back instead of grabbing at the opportunity to prolong their safety on Dantooine."

"They need to be in control." Galen replied. "We do things that takes that control away. We're like…rebellious children showing their parents up."

Juno threw him a crooked smile. "Good analogy."

"What do you think? Would they trust me again?"

The question seemed to take her by surprise and she was silent a long moment, mulling over the answer. "Before speaking with Garm and Leia I would have said yes. But, honestly, I'm not sure anymore. Even Kota – with his track record of carrying out successful secret missions – is starting to rile them. But…they need you. Both of you. Surely they can see that?"

"We also bring them problems that they'd be better off without."

"Maybe if they get a chance to talk with you, they'll see that you are the Starkiller they knew and not some monster they've created in their own minds."

"Is that what Leia called me?"

She sighed. "Not in so many words."

The channel buzzed with life again. "Juno, we're picking up movement on our sensors. We're closing in on the target."

The abandoned project known by the Rebels as the XF-32 floated through space with all the grace and speed of a dying whale. Powered down, it seemed strangely small and meek, barely a light dimpling its surface. However, at the impending arrival of Slave I the ship would power up and announce its presence to all those nearby; namely one of the search ships out looking for it.

Boba Fett guided his Firespray-class stealth ship down towards the landing bay – left open because there were no shields currently operating on it – and brought the ship gently down to rest on its base. Beside him, the Apprentice stood and motioned for the ramp to be lowered.

"Come with me."

"I work for your master. Not for you." The Bounty Hunter replied coldly.

"And my Master wishes for you to hand over the information you'll be getting paid for."

"I know my contract."

The Apprentice seemed not to care that he was angering the infamous Boba Fett, though perhaps he should have been. After all, the hunter's reputation was nothing to be sneered at.

"Then you'll have no issue with sharing it with me." The Apprentice replied.

Boba, gritting his teeth, activated the loading ramp and felt the rush of cool air from outside. "Wait for me on the landing deck. I still need to lockdown the ship."

The Apprentice's brows lowered over his eyes. "No."

Boba was not surprised at the answer, but it did anger him. His trust in the Apprentice had been zero to begin with, but since their 'teaming up' on Kamino, he had seen nothing to convince him that this clone was in any way reliable or 'safe'. In fact, his condition seemed to be steadily worsening; his low mumbling now more common than silence. None of what he said made sense to the bounty hunter, but it was as if he were caught in a dream world, seeing things that weren't real. Experiencing things that he shouldn't be.

Here and now, Boba Fett had two options. Stay with the clone until he was finished with his mission and risk being attacked if his mental state continued to deteriorate. Or, make an escape whilst he still could. Both came with risks; the former risking his life and the latter risking his well-earned credits.

It was a surprisingly hard choice for the bounty hunter to make.

"I could crush you where you stand." The Apprentice hissed, clearly not content with being ignored.

"I wouldn't suggest trying. Think that master of yours would be happy if you killed the only one who has the information he needs?"

That caused the clone to falter.

"Now." Boba's tone was firm and deadly. "I need to lockdown the ship."

The clone's hand shook above the hilt of his saber, the other clenched at his side.

This was a dangerous game Boba was playing. Perhaps a little too dangerous, even for him. So, what was it to be, then? In the time it took for him to make his decision, the clone had turned and moved down out of the ship.

Escape it was, then. He'd contact Vader once he'd made his jump and organise transferring the data directly. Maybe he could have his life and his credits if the Dark Lord was content with the data he'd send his way.

But how to make a get-away? He could start up the Slave I, speed back out into space and hope that the clone was unable to use his Force powers to bring him back. Or…Boba could render him momentarily unable to use his abilities and then progress to make a safe get away. Both options came with risks, but the calculated odds were leaning in favor of the latter.

Setting the ship onto standby, the hunter rose from his seat and stepped across to the ramp, keeping quiet as he advanced. Gloved fingers brushed against one of the many weapons hidden about his person and, with as much cold calculation as the Sith Apprentice himself, he moved in for the strike.

By the time the Apprentice turned, it was too late. The fibercord whip lashed around him, immediately restricting as it cinched his arms in tightly at his sides. Boba spared only a split second to ensure that his plan had worked before tearing back up into the ship; pushing the accelerator to the maximum. The ship jerked out of its sleep and roared forwards into space.

Down on the XF-32, the Apprentice struggled free from his bonds, seething with rage as Fett's ship surged into hyperspace. Now, not only was he stranded; he also had no information to pass onto his master. An uncontrollable twist of fear and anger coiled in his gut and he slammed a fist down against a plasteel container; splitting his knuckles. After all, what use was he, if he couldn't complete the tasks assigned to him? The answer was simple enough: no use at all.

"He'll kill you." He confirmed out loud. "And then what? Would you fight or would you accept punishment? To fail is to be inferior. You…cannot be inferior." He blinked, casting a look back out across the bay. From across the stretch of space, he felt the touch of another.

"You are…close."

Without warning, a spearing pain sent him buckling to his knees; hands clamping against his head as he hissed through his teeth. He retched; the pain bringing nausea. The unnatural yellow eyes bulged in their sockets; his vision marred by white lights. However, despite the pain, his mouth contorted into a wild smirk, partnered with a short bout of irregular laughter.

"I've seen your death." He declared. "And it will be glorious."

"Sorry, false alarm." Kota growled. "Anything on your side?"

"Nothing." Juno replied.

"No. Wait." Galen lifted himself up from his chair, leaning into the console as he extended his senses out across the darkness. "There's—there's something there."

"But there's nothing being picked up by the sensors." The words were barely out of her mouth when the data on the display changed dramatically. She, too, rose up out of her seat and leaned forwards. The ship was barely a smudge against the dark, but if it was not the ship they were after, what could it be?

"Kota. We've made contact." She reported, certain they had found it.

"Let's go." Galen groped for the accelerator and thrust the paddle forwards.

"Now wait a minute, boy. Don't go doing anything hasty. Hang back and wait for us to get there. You don't know what you're running into."

"Sorry, General. This can't wait."

"For once in your life, will you just listen to reason? Juno, send us your coordinates."

"No. I mean it, Kota. Just stay away. Look, there's no time to explain. I need you to trust me on this. It's for the best." He reached for Juno and grabbed her by the wrist, preventing her from continuing.

"Galen? What are you doing?" Worry and fear flashed across her eyes and he immediately withdrew his grip.

"Just trust me. Don't send him the coordinates."

"Not until you tell me why."

"If this is about that vision of yours, boy, then put it out of mind." Kota continued.

"I can't do that!"

"Don't be ridiculous."

Galen felt the last threads of his patience unraveling. "I saw you die." The words burst from him like blaster fire. "If you step on that ship, you won't be getting off."

Juno's horrified expression and Kota's prolonged silence spoke volumes and after a moment he turned back to watch as they drew closer to the ship.

"Don't let those visions cloud your judgment." Kota finally spoke. "Haven't I already told you that?"

"Keep repeating yourself, old man, but it won't help. This will be easier if I only have myself to worry about." He turned his gaze back to Juno. "Navigate down to the port side. Don't land. I'll jump down and you can retreat back to a safe range."

"Are you sure about this?" She demanded. "Because I'm really not."

He was shrugging back into the arms of his flight suit. "This is the only way."

"It is not the only way." Kota interjected gruffly.

"We're not discussing this anymore."

"You're making a mistake, boy!"

But Galen was not going to be provoked any further. The XF-32 loomed in towards them, dwarfing the Rogue Shadow as the ship moved up alongside it. "Shields are down. We're ready to make our move." Juno replied hesitantly, keeping the channel open for Kota's sake.

"Remember. Keep your distance." Galen dropped a kiss to the top of her head and moved down to the loading bay. Juno, so focused on the task at hand, didn't have the opportunity to turn and see him go. She eased off the throttle and dipped down through the barrier, swinging sharply so as to make a clear pass without clipping the ship's wings.

Trusting that Galen had been quick enough to leap out at the opportune moment, she turned back on her course and powered back to the safety of open space, the XF-32 dwindling behind her once more. Her heart hammered.

"He's down."

"Send me the co-ordinates, Juno." Kota demanded.

"I-I can't."

"Yes you can!"

"No. I can't. He won't forgive me if I do that."

"And will you forgive yourself if something goes wrong?" It was a horrible thing to say and it tore Juno up inside. She didn't know how to respond, so she opted to huddle in the safety of silence.

And then, when it was clear she wasn't going to respond, he added: "Stay vigilant, then. Even if we're aware of it, he's still walking into a trap."

"I will." She replied softly. "And if he gets into trouble, I'll send the coordinates to you."

"I have a feeling it'll be too late by then."

"I'm in." Starkiller murmured across the com-link, stepping through the automatic doors that led him through into a narrow corridor being manned by a group of seven stormtroopers. Their weapons went up in an instant and the twin sabers flared in his hands as he defended himself from a barrage of blaster fire; deflecting the shots back at them to scatter their forces.

Shifting his balance, he kicked off from the ground and powered towards them; grabbing the first and using his body as a shield to get himself close enough to the others without risking a stray shot landing a hit. Shoving aside the dead (or dying) stormtrooper, he pivoted to dodge the next flurry of fire and back-flipped out of harm's way. Yet, despite the show, it took less than a few seconds for the troupe to be cut down; all decapitated or dying from the shock and pain of missing limbs.

Distantly, an alarm sounded, and Galen prepared himself for a long and tiring journey ahead. That alone would give his nemesis the advantage. After all, he would be well-rested and fresh; awaiting Galen's arrival. He'd have to be careful to conserve as much energy as possible and not risk injury with his typical spontaneous stunts.

But, he told himself, this would be no different from the times before. When his original self had defeated Kazdan Paratus on Raxus Prime or the Master Jedi, Shaak Ti, on Felucia. The original Galen had overcome each challenge and so would he, no matter what happened.

"You've set off the security alarms." Juno pointed out.

"I know." Galen replied; bracing himself as the far doors slid wide open and more stormtroopers piled in. These ones, however, were not alone. Leading them into battle, side-by-side was a Royal Guard and a Shadow Guard; their robes contrasting richly with the dull colors around them. Cloaked and silent, they halted their troupe and waited for Galen to make his move. Giving the room a quick once-over with his eyes, Galen extinguished one blade and clipped it back onto the belt of his flight suit. Spinning the other experimentally in his right, he flexed the fingers of his free hand and shifted his feet to balance his weight. The ship groaned, as if sensing the impending fight, and in that moment Galen struck.

Bringing his right shoulder forwards, he shifted the blade into motion to protect himself from the Shadow Guard's initial attack. The lancing Sith Lightning reflected off of Galen's saber; spinning with the speed and power of a turbine. The Lightning fizzled out with a harmless hiss, leaving Galen free to counter. Shifting his stance, Galen swung forwards with his free hand, intent on bringing the large overhead panel down onto his enemies. The panel creaked as he pulled it away from its bolts and brought it down with a sharp downward tug. It fell free, crushing a number of stormtroopers and freeing his concentration just in time to parry the Royal Guard's first assault.

The two highly-trained warriors tried to flank him; the Royal Guard swinging his vibrosword with startling skill. The Shadow Guard's initial jab almost caught Galen in the pit of his arm – a move that could have made things very difficult if successful. Ducking out of harm's way, Galen kept them at bay with a bolt of lightning, gathering his wits, and then moving back in to continue the fight; reigniting his second saber.

With an array of precise and perfectly-executed attacks and parries, Galen lost himself in the motion of his duel lightsabers, glad for the skill that enabled him to keep both warriors at bay simultaneously.

Finally managing to knock aside the Royal Guard with a blast of Force energy, Galen turned his attention onto the black-caped attacker. One-on-one, it took only a few moments for him to gain the upper-hand, taking control of the duel with a few masterful twists of his blades. The Shadow Guard fought now with rising desperation, lashing out with his pike-styled lightsaber. It would be to no avail. One such attack saw the weapon caught against both of Galen's sabers. The intensity of the heat and the pressure as to which the blades were applied overcame. The handle of the pike melted in two; the weapon dropping uselessly to the ground.

Galen finished the duel; stabbing the guard through the chest and then dragging his body around to fling at the unsuspecting Royal Guard.

The red-caped warrior struck a diagonal blow across his former colleague, cutting him clean in half with his vibrosword, dotting the floor with thick splatters of blood. The body twitched grotesquely on the floor as the warrior stepped over the remains.

The com-link crackled: "Galen, there's something happening."

"Not now, Juno. I'm a—" He paused to block the Royal Guard's fierce string of attacks. "—Little busy here."

Without warning, the floor pitched beneath his feet, sending him staggering backwards against the far wall. The Royal Guard, equally caught by surprise, stumbled after him, loosing his footing and falling face forward. Without meaning to, the blade of Galen's saber pierced through the caped one's throat. For a moment, a sickening gurgling sound uttered from his gaping mouth.

Then nothing.

"Juno? What was that?"

Extinguishing the blade, the guard flopped lifelessly to the grate below him.

"That's what I was trying to tell you."

"Well, I'm listening now." He edged up the corridor and, nudging aside the fallen panels and dead stormtroopers, stepped through the doors from which the enemies had come. Everything was oddly quiet.

"The ship. It's moving erratically."

"It's him. It must be him. Has he got surveillance?"

"I'd say so. Yes."

Gritting his teeth, he moved slowly up the corridor, giving himself some time to replenish his energy. "Is there no direct path straight through to the bridge?"

"Unfortunately not. Much of the structure is still incomplete and the fastest way up to the bridge is the way that Viedas gave us.

"I'd better get going, then." Hastening his step, he entered the large, rectangular lift and felt the jolt of its motion through his feet. After just a moment, the sound of screeching metal rang with stabbing pain in his ears. The lift shuddered, faltering like a wounded beast, then stopped altogether; the buzz of power crackling somewhere above him.

The lights blinked out, throwing him into complete darkness.

Perfect.

The glare of the blue lightsaber in the pitch black was so intense that he had to shield his eyes as he lanced downwards, forcing the blade through metal until he felt the give of it making through to the other side. Then, with teeth clenched, he began to carve himself an escape route, the shrill scream of the saber almost unbearable in the contained, echoing space.

Then, with the way out carved, he slammed a foot down and knocked the separated chunk out of the way; wincing at the tremendous clattering sound it made as it fell. Remaining inconspicuous had never been his style…

With a quick glance, he dropped through the hole and plummeted down into the dark, using nothing but his connection to the Force to guide him.

It was only when he'd grasped the lip of the doorway and prised it open with the Force, that he began to wonder how he was going to get back to the loading bay. After all, freefalling was far easier than climbing back up all that way. He'd have to find another exit. Perhaps tear a hole in a viewport?

Bracing himself with a forearm, he dug the toes of his boots into the wall and pushed himself up; determined to gain his bearings before attracting any unwanted attention.

He was too late, however, for in the next moment, a cold metal hand gripped him around the neck and dragged him up through the warped doorway.

Galen was only mildly surprised to find himself looking into the 'face' of a Purge Trooper.

Its fingers constricted tightly around his throat, squeezing the air from his lungs as his legs flailed helplessly beneath him. More on reflex than with any actual thought, Galen brought up a hand and let loose a blast of Sith Lightning to fry the tough droid's circuits. The attack – whilst effective – meant that the electricity streamed back through the Purge Trooper's arms and through Galen; momentarily stunning him.

The jarring pain of his knees making contact with the ground was enough to stir him back to reality, the sabers flaring in his palms as he rose to his feet; arms extended to catch the trooper and send it reeling. Unfortunately, it too made a quick recovery, swiping out with one of its devastating arms. Just barely able to dodge, Galen tumbled across the floor, regained his feet, and pounced in for the kill.

With a neat series of attacks, the Purge Trooper powered down, and Galen cut the head from its shoulders to ensure it never powered back up.

Then, in the aftermath of the battle – rubbing at his bruised throat – he realized he wasn't where he was supposed to be.

"Uh, Juno. A little help, please?"

"You're in engineering. What happened?"

"The lift broke."

"Is that to say that you broke it?"

"No. It just stopped on the way down. This ship is falling apart."

"It has to have been an abandoned prototype." There was a brief pause. "Okay, the storage deck is one level below you. There should be a large hatch from the engineering level that goes directly down into the main storage bay. It's quite a drop, but nothing you can't handle, I'm sure."

Juno's transmission was interrupted by a teeth-rattling explosion and, within seconds, more troops flooded into the engineering bay, followed by two ungainly but powerful AT-STs. The chatter of their laser cannons tore into the floor panels, drawing a jagged line up to Galen's position. Unfortunately, between Galen and the armored transports was a seething horde of stormtroopers and a pair of Saber Guards. It would not have been exaggerating to say that they were becoming rather insistent on battle. Perhaps spurred on by the blaring intruder alarm?

Deflecting the laser fire with the use of both twirling blades, he dropped back into a defensive posture and waited for his enemies to come to him.

The Saber Guards – predictably – were on him first, slashing with wild but precise motions. Their white-colored sabers were more slender than a typical Jedi weapon, but just as deadly.

A swell of heat, accompanied by an incredible roaring sound, interrupted their fight, sending all three of them sprawling across the floor. One of the AT-STs had launched a missile; the floor yawning wide under the impact. Galen's hearing muffled, blocking out even the sound of the huge Walkers drawing closer; scattering the stormtroopers as they went.

Deflecting blaster fire with a shield of Force energy, Galen picked himself up; shaking his head to rid himself of the disorientation. Around him, the Saber Guards were getting back to their feet, too.

With a growl of growing frustration, Galen pulled the energy of the Force into himself, drawing it tight and close. Then – as if releasing an arrow from a bow – the explosion of that devastating energy undulated outwards; turning the air to rippling, blue heat and throwing every single trooper to the ground. Most didn't get up – including one of the Saber Guards – but the AT-STs had managed to keep their footing, readjusting their devastating weaponry to fire on him.

Launching himself up and out of harm's way, Galen slid behind cover, reaching out with the Force to rip a half-built furnace from the ground. With barely enough time to judge the throw, he thrust it across at the closest AT-ST and gave a smirk of victory when it made connection. The Armored Transport's gangly legs buckled and collapsed; tipping backwards before bursting into flame.

Then, extinguishing the sabers, he back-flipped towards the huge transparisteel windows and, with a charged blast of Force power, smashed it to pieces. The vacuum of air sucked stormtroopers -both dead and alive- out into open space, the Saber Guard joining them before the safety screen dropped into place, restoring air and gravity.

The other AT-ST limped onwards, firing another missile that sent Galen flying across the room. Lying on his back, he reached up again, attempting to twist the firing mechanisms until they became unusable.

Again, without warning, the ship lurched sharply to the side, throwing Galen against the wall where he was almost crushed by huge objects that hadn't been fixed down to the floor. The AT-ST stumbled and tripped, its laser cannon cracking devastatingly through the room.

"You're going to have to do better than that if you want to stop me!" Galen yelled, hoping that the other clone could hear him. Hoping that he was afraid.

Keeping out of the firing range, Galen made his way back over to the gaping hole in the floor, coils of smoke still rising from the blasted edges.

He knelt down and peered into the smoky gloom below. "Juno, what lies directly beneath the room I'm in?"

"One of the smaller storage bays. Probably empty."

With a nod, Galen stepped over the edge and dropped thirty feet, landing with an almost effortless grace.

The room had an incredible view out to space, the clear transparisteel allowing for a sweeping panorama of the planet below them. It seemed closer now but perhaps that was his imagination.

"Careful! The ship's tilting again."

He felt the shift in the floor beneath him and adjusted his stance to keep himself from losing balance. Behind him, huge crates began to slide, forcing him to leap sideways out of their way. Only when it was too late did he realize the intention.

The crates gained momentum, sliding faster as the deck angled, smashing through the transparisteel as if it were nothing. Galen felt himself being hefted off of his feet and tumbled against the floor to hook his fingers into the grooves; keeping himself from being dragged to his death.

The barrier came down and he was deposited back on the floor as the ship straightened its path.

"That's it." He hissed. "Use up your energy. It'll make things easier for when I get there."

Picking himself up off of the floor, he stalked to the far side of the room and through the automatic, sliding doors. In the time it took him to take two steps into the room, three red beams tracked across the floor to settle on him.

The sudden jolt of realization had him jerking back into cover just as the first of the sniper rounds were set loose, leaving horrifying indentations in the wall he had just been standing next to.

With a lengthy growl of frustration, he peered around the edge of the wall to spy one of the three snipers waiting to take him out. Then, extending out across the nothingness, he drew the Force tightly around his attacker's unsuspecting form and plucked him from his post, sending him hurtling into the floor with the sound of broken bones and crushed armor.

One down…two more to go.

"The bridge is…"

"Right through there. I know. I can feel his presence."

"Galen. I really don't like this. The last time I felt like this was…"

"I know." He soothed, recalling her words to him on the Death Star, just before their first kiss. His memory of that moment was so vivid that sometimes he could almost dare to believe he was not a mere copy of the man who had lived that memory. It didn't seem possible that those recollections could be anything but something he had experienced first-hand. "I won't let it end the same way."

"I…" Her voice caught in her throat.

"I know. Me, too." He touched at the lightsabers sheathed at his hip. "Be ready to pick me up when this is done."

"I'll be there."

Galen drew in a slow, deep breath and closed his eyes; seeking that envelope of peace and focus that Kota had been trying to remind him of, before. He recalled, once more, the passive face of Shaak Ti as they had fought all that time ago. If he could just keep his emotions leashed during this battle, then he would have no reason to fear or doubt.

Opening his eyes, he stepped out across the narrow walkway leading to the bridge and prepared himself for the inevitable encounter with his 'brother'.

The doors swung open to reveal a tapering room, many of its consoles dark and non-functional.

Sitting at the very head of the bridge, in a high-backed chair, was the other clone. The bodies of the pilot and his co-pilot lay bleeding on the floor, though why the clone had killed them Galen didn't know.

Slowly – as if to prove his confidence – Vader's new apprentice drew himself up onto his feet and turned to make eye contact with his fellow clone.

Galen felt a surge of disgust and horror to see his own visage on another, and to see it so twisted by the dark side. The skin was deathly pale, as if all of the life's blood had been drawn from it. The thin lips were tinged a strange shade of grey. Yet, of everything, it was the eyes that were the most disturbing alteration. They were yellow and so piercing that they seemed to make the face even more ashen.

Galen snatched for the calm focus and held it close.

"Ah, there you are. I've been wondering how long it would take for you to arrive." The face – emotionless as stone – held a wild, maddened fire in those inhuman eyes.

To be continued...