Several hours of rest made a galaxy of difference for Dren and Moira. They woke to find both Jedi deep in a meditative trance. It took only a gentle shake for them to be roused and, after a quick meal of ration bars and cold stimulant tea, they continued on, their weapons ready.

Moira tuned her comlink to the Imperial's frequency and listened. They quickly discovered that the Imperials had sent excursions out into the forests while pulling all forces back to the main communications center. "Well then," said Moira with a sigh, "I wonder where the Gree computer is?"

Dren looked grim. "Well let's go. Nothing to be served by sitting and waiting."

As they traveled, they came upon token groups of war droids and soldiers but they were easily overcome by the infiltrators. They weren't even a little shocked when they came to a large communications hub filled with technicians, Imperial soldiers and Sith. The Sith Lord who was clearly in charge, a lean, medium built, bald man, sneered at them as they entered and every weapon was trained on them. "Well done, Republic scum. You have walked right into my trap. Did you honestly think that the Gree computer would be in such an obvious place?"

Without a second thought, Alias fired back. "We just didn't think you were creative enough to set up a trap like this. Nice work."

As he did, Des turned to Dren and Moira. "Get to a console, slice into the security holo cams and find that computer. Once you do, come us and we'll meet you near wherever it is held. In the mean time, keeping this bald bastard busy will be our priority."

Moira looked hesitant but Dren nodded and said, "You got it, Barsen'thor. Moira, come on. This is a fight we won't be any help in and I've a feeling we're going to face enough trouble ourselves."

Apparently, the Sith Lord noticed that the Republic operatives were splitting up and said, "Captain, send your troops after those two who are splitting off. I'll take care of these Jedi myself."

A red lightsaber snap-hissed to life and he leaped across the room, over a line of consoles and attacked viciously.

Moira and Dren had their weapons ready and as soon as they caught sight of any Imperial soldier and war droid, they blasted away at them. Seeing only two Republic infiltrators, the Imperial defenders expected a relatively weak assault. When they were slammed by walls of blaster fire, hails of grenades and mortar shells and an enemy who just rushed towards them, they staggered to a stop before slowly beginning to shift backwards under the withering assault. By the time Moira and Dren reached where the defenders had originally made their stand, the two were able to run by, pursuing the Imperials with fire and fury. Suddenly, Moira grabbed the big Corellian's shoulder. "Wait, big guy. They needed us to find a terminal and locate the computer by slicing into the security cams. Well that's a security corridor right there. Come on. You can watch my ass while I do some slicing."

Dren couldn't help but laugh at her obviously deliberate choice of words as she sashayed over to the corridor and looked inside. Right there was a terminal. "Oh, this poor little baby is isolated;" she pouted before tapping away at the keys. With a grin that rivaled any Corellian's, she said, "Not isolated anymore. Let's see, let's see..."

She pursed her plump lips before smiling. "Alright, I'm in."

Dren suddenly let a rip with his massive blaster cannon. When he let up on the trigger, Moira asked in an amused voice, "Doing alright, Hon?"

Dren sighed and let his blaster cannon clang to the durasteel floor. "Yeah. I'm out of ammo for this one. Gotta resort to this one. Anyhow, we're clear for a... wait a sec."

Another series of blasts rang out. "Nope, we aren't clear. Look Moira, sweetheart, as much as I love watching your ass, you really should hurry with the peep cams."

Moira chuckled and suddenly gasped. "Got it. The damn thing has it's own chamber with a bunch of technicians that aren't even in Imperial uniform. Looks like it has at least as much defense as that chamber with the trap had."

"Great;" growled Dren as he shuffled aside so that Moira could blaze away with her blaster pistols. "Which direction are we going?"

"Towards the guys in the armor with the blasters;"

Dren actually chuckled. "Of course. I suppose that should go without saying considering our luck."

The Sith Lord, whoever he was, was at least as good as Darth Angral with a lightsaber and even more powerful in the force. He managed to keep both Jedi at bay with his weapon while assaulting them with sheets and storms of force lightning. Alias easily defended himself with his blue bladed weapon while Des absorbed and, more often than not, returned it with increased power. Even so, no matter what trick they tried or how they wordlessly coordinated, the Sith Lord was able to hold them back and return the assault. Suddenly, Des literally disappeared and Alias found himself alone facing the Sith Lord.

The bald man grinned wickedly. "It looks like he disappeared and left you with me like the coward most Jedi are."

The Sith Lord rushed forward and attacked. Alias found that, when it came to the mastery of the blade, he had this Sith beat. However, the Sith's ability to chain force attacks in lightsaber combat was going to overcome him if his friend didn't finish his trick.

Dren and Moira stood outside of the door to the chamber where the Gree computer was housed. "So, what do you think?" asked the latter casually as her blaster pistols charged.

Dren checked the powercell on his blaster carbine before deciding to change it out. "I don't know, really. How much power does that stealth field generator of yours have?"

Moira chewed a plump lower lip. "It will only last a couple minutes and if I move to fast, it won't be able to keep up. The Imps will be able to see my outline shimmering. Do you think that will help us?"

Dren frowned and said, "Yeah it will. Keep to the shadows and move as fast as you dare. Get to the darkest corner you can and get ready to fling grenades from there."

Moira hesitated for just a second before shimmering out of sight and hurrying away towards the darkest shadows of the room. By contrast, Dren strode in and began blasting away at the troopers and the auto turrets. Even though it was fully automatic, the blaster carbine did half the damage of Dren's favored blaster cannons. Very quickly, he was forced to take cover as his personal energy shield collapsed under a withering hail of laser fire. At the center of the room, a man wearing general's insignia stood with his own heavy repeating blaster cannon. On top of his over sized weapon, an energy shield shimmered around him and not even Dren's mortar shells could penetrate it. Clearly, it wasn't the same as his personal energy shield.

Moira was about to whip her first grenade into the fray when she noticed the defensive shield. Considering the punishment it took, she knew she would have to find the generator. Looking around, she saw what she was looking for - fixed to the ceiling of the base forty meters up. "Son of a shutta;" she cursed and set both her blasters to charged shot and aimed. With a huge kick, the blasters went off and her aim was true. The generator sparked, smoked and then the power core exploded, sending shards of metal and sparks cascading down to the floor below. Immediately, the Imperial general took cover behind a semi-circle of consoles, chased by Dren and Moira's blaster fire. Trying to keep him pinned, Moira sent torrents of rapid fire at the consoles when her blasters suddenly quit firing. "Blast!" she snapped under her breath and looked around. Her blasters needed to charge and she needed a weapon.

Des hissed in frustration. His attempt to kill his opponent using stealth had failed. The Sith Lord had seemed to sense him just before he struck. Only the most powerful Sith Lords he had faced had reflexes fast enough to do so. "I trained with Sith Assassins, Jedi," sneered the bald man. "There is just the tiniest tremor in the force when you prepare to strike, even when you use the force as a cloak."

So it seemed that they were back to square one. Suddenly, Des remembered his shielding technique, taught to him by the gatekeepers of the Noetikons, holocron technology filled with wisdom dating back millennia. Taking a deep breath, he exerted in the force, shielding both himself and his companion in the force. Now, as force lightning crackled and hissed around them, not of it touched or threatened them. Any that struck was deflected by the shield. Even though their opponent was powerful and his attacks were vicious, the draw on Des's strength was nothing compared to shielding almost a dozen Jedi masters at a time.

"What?" snapped the Sith lord as he sent a torrent of the lightning at the Jedi Shadow. Des didn't even bother using his lightsaber to defend himself as he advanced. "Shielding technique. Even your power won't be getting through this one, Sith. It's down to blades now and there's only one of you."

With renewed vigor, Alias and Des attacked and fell into variants of the Third and Fifth forms of lightsaber, Soresu and Shien. They were both defensive forms, designed to make an impenetrable defense around one's self while the opponent tired out and made mistakes.

The strategy worked. The Sith was using an aggressive form that burned his stamina even with the augmentation of the force. Even so, his skill was impressive and whenever he made a mistake in technique, he quickly covered and defended it as one of the Jedi attacked. The fight looked as though it wouldn't end any time soon.

Moira lobbed her last grenade at the sparking and burned out ring of consoles and dropped neatly onto the destroyed equipment, rolling down behind it and, hopefully, right next to the Imperial general who was using it for cover. A curse was heard and he came barreling out, laying down a daunting stream of laser fire. Dren was well pinned by it and, when the Imperial noticed Moira, he grinned wickedly and turned his fire on her too. Moira dove aside and ran as quickly as she could, taking cover behind the crumpled remains of a large, tripodal assault droid. It was only a matter of time before the blaster cannon chewed through the thick armor and inner wiring of the droid. A roar came from Dren and he blasted away at the Imperial general. Moira heard the bolts slamming into their target and the general gurgled and collapsed. Cautiously, she looked out from behind what was left of the droid and saw the Imperial lying dead. Dren hustled over to her. "You okay, Hon?"

Moira took a deep breath and said, "Oh yeah. Hey, look at that, my blasters are done charging."

Dren laughed and they headed up a flight of stairs to where the Gree computer was, surrounded by a large number of researchers. One of them, a young man, glared at them. "Republic butchers!" he spat. "You have invaded a sovereign Imperial world and slaughtered dozens of innocents to, what, steal our research? This facility is on a mission of peace. We're charting the Maelstrom Nebula for the good of all."

Moira just shrugged. "Surrender the technology you're using to navigate the nebula and you won't be harmed."

"Like the other personnel you spared? I'm no fool. When the rest of the galaxy hears of this unprovoked assault, the Republic's evil will finally be exposed. Your names will become synonymous with your government's extermination campaign against us."

Dren had been silent, scratching his scruffy chin and listening to the scientists rant. Moira glanced over at him questioningly. "What are you talking about?" asked the soldier.

"You're condemning hundreds of civilian sciences vessels exploring the Maelstrom Nebula. Electromagnetic radiation alters the safe navigation routes every moment. Without precise and timely coordinates, thousands of good people - innocent scientists - will be trapped there forever."

Moira shrugged. "Not our problem, just give us the computer."

Dren stepped in then, shooting his friend a startled glance. "But before you do, transmit coordinates to get them out of the Nebula. There's no need to condemn innocent beings to death like that."

Moira crossed her arms and shrugged, a surly expression on her face. The scientist looked back and forth between them for a moment before Dren snapped, "Transmit the coordinates! NOW! Before I change my mind."

"But our research! All that dangerous exploration will have been for nothing without a completed map."

Both the Republic operatives stepped forward with a scowl and the scientists sighed and turned to his console. "Transmitting the coordinates now. The computer is yours and I hope it breaks the first time you use it."

Moira still didn't look very happy as Dren went over and unhooked the odd looking machine from the console.

The Sith Lord had finally begun to ware down. His mistakes became more and more sloppier and sloppier and his response times slower and slower. Finally, Alias got through his guard and landed a glancing blow on his thigh. Nedeser let loose with a blast of force energy, which immediately caused him to stagger. His mandalorian friend glared at him. "Release the shield now, you idiot. The fight's almost over."

Des nodded as the Sith Lord staggered to his feet. Again, the Jedi were on him, battering him down. It was moments and Alias slashed him shoulder to hip, ending the fight.

Nedeser Thul was beat. He went over to a console and sat down on it, accidentally activating a beeping comms button. Behind him, a life-sized image of a very familiar, very unfriendly face appeared. Des staggered up. scowling. "Kilran!"

"You!" said the Moff, a small, amused smile on his face, "On my doorstep. Fortune has always favored me. But where are your two friends, Jedi? The soldier and the smuggler - Dren Antilles and Moira Denic; you never come on these particularly delicate and dangerous mission without them."

Neither Jedi answered and the Jedi Knight seriously considered ramming his lightsaber into the console, severing the connection. The Grand Moff continued. "You've all made quite an impression on the galaxy since our last meeting. Congratulations. Sadly, your victories end here. My fleet is about to bombard your position from orbit."

"We've made it through worse than a little fire and plasma, Kilran;" said Alias, his voice calm but cold and his durasteel armor.

"I don't think so. It has been a pleasure catching up and I wish your other friends had been here but you won't escape this time."

The comms cut off and the two Jedi were already in action. Des called Moira and Dren while slapping an evacuation alarm. Moira answered, "We have the computer and we're moving to secure and escape shuttle. I'm glad to hear you two are alive."

"Good move but you'll have to hurry. Grand Moff Kilran's fleet is about to shell us from orbit. We'll meet you at the shuttle bay."

They disconnected and Des turned to see his friend talking to Oteg. The diminutive master was urging him, "We can rendezvous in Republic space now go!"

As fast as they could, the Jedi bolted, making for the shuttle bay. Not a single Imperial soldier tried to stop them, all too busy trying to save their own lives. When they reached the bay, Moira stood at the bottom of one of the shuttles, motioning them over frantically. "Come on, boys, or you're both going to become residence here!"

Just as they made it up the ramp and Dren took off before the ramp was even sealed. Behind them, the fortress was pounded to slag from the dreadnoughts above and bombing runs.

Admiral Oteg smiled at them as they boarded his ship. "You cut your escape awfully close. Grand Moff Kilran destroyed the fortress just moments after you left."

They all nodded tiredly and Master Oteg slumped, suddenly looking much older. "We suffered heavy losses at Taral V - the Dantooine, the Serroco - more fighters than I care to count. But there is no time to mourn the dead. We must strike the Empire before the enemy bolsters its defenses."

"Woah, woah! Wait one second!" said Moira. "I agreed to help get the tech. I didn't agree to the second part of this. Isn't it something that a serious military operation should take care of?"

Dren, Des and Alias looked over at her. Admiral Oteg seemed surprise. "I was under the impression that you four were the best the Republic had to offer for missions like this. The reports and files on each of you are quite illuminating."

"You have a file on me?" Moira all but yelled, her hazel eyes wide in shock.

Dren said, "Moira, of course they have a file on you. And we are the best the Republic has to offer, Admiral. It's just that Moira isn't really an official member of the military or an official operative of any kind. We may need to go without her or find another operative."

The elderly master seemed disappointed. "I see. Well we have the Gree technology being hooked up and such right now. I suggest you all get some rest and some food. You will be contacted immediately when we are ready. You may head back to your ships or you can stay in the quarters provided on the station but please do not leave if you are going to stay with this cause."