7: Minor Casualties

The night had been a long one, but among the stars it was always hard for Keith to know exactly how much time had passed. A lone heavy trooper had been assigned to guard him, and as he sat silently in his cell, he watched the guard continuously. Despite his current situation, Keith couldn't help but wander into his mind; however sanctuary could not be found there, either. Flashes of his father's demise at the hands of the Sith, who now had his friends on the run, raced through his mind, and his fear became overwhelming. He didn't know it yet, but this was Malik's doing.

Deep in his meditation, Malik had spent hours flooding the holding cells with dark force energy, targeting, and slowly but surely attacking Keith's mind. Now morning, Malik felt the time was right. In no time at all, he arrived in the prison chambers, and dismissed the heavy trooper as he eerily stepped in with a dark presence. The boy looked as though he hadn't slept for days, and now with Malik merely a few feet away, the dark side flooded Keith's mind even heavier than before. Malik simply smirked as the boy screamed in a mixture of rage and horror.

Visions of the Jedi dying at the hands of the Sith Lord and his apprentice, and that smirk on Malik's face haunting him, all dominating his mind for a few moments, which felt to Kieth like hours. Pain screamed through his body and mind. The sound was a blood-curdling scream that sent echoes through the ship, and caused the troopers and commanders to shudder with each echo. Finally, Malik released his hold on the boys mind, and Keith gasped, barely able to breathe, sweating, and with tears flooding his face.

"Welcome, boy," Malik said in a low tone, "I have shown you what will become of the Jedi. Should you choose to follow them, you will meet the same fate."

"Go to hell," Keith growled back, "If they weren't a threat to you, you wouldn't be hunting them so fiercely."

"They are but a pestilence I must deal with in order to secure and maintain my Empire," he retorted, and slowly leaned down to Keith's eye level, "Yet for you, I see a different future, a better one. You could stand at my side, and rule this Galaxy as a true master of the Force!"

"I'll never join a Sith,"the young boy hissed, "I will be the one to destroy you!"

"Well, you certainly have the heart," Malik chuckled slightly, admiring the boy's courage, "In time, I hope you will see that we are not so different."

xxxxxxx

Hoth's storms had never been forgiving, but this time at least, Xenos was grateful for the cover it provided. Just as well, it was the perfect opportunity for Dakriel to train another useful skill in the force: Healing. It had taken him a few hours, but finally, he was able to restore Xenos to full health. Closing the open wounds his master had suffered from their recent battle with the Sith Empire, Dakriel admired his handiwork.

"I don't suppose you know much about these Sith, master," Dakriel asked as he finished healing his master.

"Even in my time, the Sith kept to themselves," Xenos replied, "Even if I did know either of them at some point, it would be impossible to tell by now."

Suddenly, as the storm finally began to calm and pass, Imperial fighters could be heard screaming across the landscape just outside. Xenos and Dakriel both stood upright, sensing one of them land just outside the mouth of the cave. As they sprinted for the exit, they were too late. A dozen Sith Imperial Troopers flooded into the cave, and the Jedi had just enough time to leap upward, hiding just out of sight.

Cautiously, the commandos surveyed the area, while the Jedi remained dead silent, but Dakriel was losing his grip on the stalactites, and sweat was dripping down. As two groups of four troopers spread out through the cave, the remaining four stayed at the entrance on guard. Xenos was using the Force to hold himself in place, Dakriel, however, lost his grip, and landed silently behind the troopers.

Both Jedi grew extremely tense, but luckily, the troopers hadn't noticed the Jedi yet. Looking up at his master, who was watching intently, he nodded, and then slowly approached them from behind. Each was just a few feet from the others, and he was slowly gaining on them from behind. Just as he prepared to leap at them, however, a small rock had caused him to slip forward, and he knocked the first one over. Turning instantly, and firing their blasters, the troopers alerted the others in the cave.

"OVER HERE," one of them echoed through their comm. link as Xenos leapt down, cutting three of them down instantly.

"Your allies will kill you if they see us," Dakriel said to the one he had tackled as he waved his hand, and then fled the cave with his master.

Just outside, both Jedi were channeling the force to cause the cave to collapse, and saw the other troopers rushing towards them. Two of them had stopped to help the fallen commando, but as soon as he was on his feet, he twisted and broke their arms instantly, and then shot them both. By the time the others had noticed, the cave was collapsing, and the trooper turned his blaster on the others. In a hail of confused blaster bolts and screams, they were gunning each other down, and the entrance was sealed, silencing the last sounds of the troopers.

"That was too close," Xenos growled at Dakriel, "What happened back there?"

"I-," he paused, sensing the presence of Darth Mira nearby, "We need to go."

"I felt it too," Xenos replied, and they darted for the Imperial fighter, which was only a few feet away from them.

Firing up the engines, they ascended towards the snowy sky, but were being hailed by Darth Mira. Frying the holo-communicator and then rewiring it, Dakriel opened the channel to her.

"Echo Squadron, did you find the Jedi," she hissed.

"Echo Squadron to command," Xenos replied in his best trooper voice, "the Jedi are trapped in a collapsed cave at our location."

"Copy that," she replied, her voice a bit less cold, "See you soon, Jedi…"

"Damn," Xenos muttered as the fighter hurled towards the stars.

"Master, what are we going to do?"

"We have no choice," Xenos replied with a grim expression, "We have to save Keith."

"We barely survived the apprentice," Dakriel shouted, "and now you want to take on her master?!"

"Not alone, obviously," Xenos replied with a smirk, as another fighter appeared on their scanners, "Yes, little bird, follow the Jedi."

"It's official," Dakriel muttered, "You've gone completely insane."

xxxxxxx

Malik had made his way back to the command deck of his cruiser, and as he gazed down toward Hoth, he felt the shift in the force. A flash in his mind revealed that the Jedi would arrive soon, and he hailed his captain to come forward. The man was buff, and had a sort of scowl on his face. Malik had known him from the academy, now a distant memory. Captain Crenshaw had served the Sith Empire for roughly thirty years now, and it was beginning to show. A scar of his left cheek, no doubt a battle scar, was the most defining feature among all the wrinkles, and bony facial mass.

"Yes milord," He replied, crossing his chest and bowing slightly.

"Captain; run a scan for an imperial fighter headed our way. I sense the Jedi will be here shortly."

"Surely they wouldn't be foolish enough to come here, my lord," He responded incredulously.
"All is proceeding according to my plans. Find that ship, and assemble a squadron in the hangar."

"Yes sir, right away," He replied then turned to the crew, "You heard him, men! Assemble a squadron, and track that fighter!"
"We've found it sir," one of the crew replied in seconds, "It appears to be from one of our tracking squads, their codes have been scrambled."

"Captain, prepare the ship to jump to hyperspace. There will be no escape for the Jedi this time!"