Hey Super Star Wars fans! I hope the Force is with you today.

So, I have to say it because the next two chapters are some of my favorites that totally seemed to take off on their own but…

This is where the fun begins.

Chapter Six

After activating the clandestine counter measures, the Guile touched down in the middle of an extremely dense part of the jungle. Aedan turned on the state-of-the-art camouflage system, and now, from above, there was no way to tell the difference between the 'Guile and the surrounding foliage.

"That just never gets old," he said.

Kyra grinned, "It's pretty great, but not as great as piloting her."

"If you say so, Padawan," he responded.

Kyra leapt up eagerly and threw on her cloak. "I can't believe we're on Onderon," she said with a giddy smile, and began jogging to the boarding ramp. "Come on, Master!"

"Oh," Aedan said, "You're a big fan of this planet?"

"It's Onderon," Kyra nearly shouted. "Nomi Sunrider was here!"

"Ah, I should have known," he said smugly, "So you know about her part in the battle against the Freedon Nadd Uprising?"

"Of course," she responded, "And her help with defeating Exar Kun."

Aedan and Kyra began making their way out of the Guile, "What about her relationship with Ulic Qel-Droma?"

Kyra noticeably soured at that. "I know what happened."

"Oh, so you know Qel-Droma fell to the darkside?"

"That had nothing to do with Sunrider and Qel-Droma being in love. It had to do with him being weak."

"So, it's about weakness?" Aedan asked, "What about her first husband, Andur Sunrider? Was he weak?"

Once again, Kyra glanced away, unable to look Aedan in the eye. "No, he was ambushed. There was nothing he could have done."

"Ambushed?" Aedan asked caustically, "A Jedi ambushed? No. He was distracted. Distracted by his love for another Jedi. Which is why Jedi can't be together."

Kyra stormed out of the ship, he could see the tears forming in her eyes, sense the turmoil within her. Find Kyra Dawnstar on a battlefield and she was unstoppable, unflappable, and unfailing in her strength. Mention love, and the impossibility of Jedi being in love, and she became an absolute mess.

Aedan grabbed his pack and followed her outside. He found her only a few meters away from the ship, breathing deeply, inviting the force in, and observing the lovely, lush fauna around them. "Why are you saying these things to me, Master?"

"You know why," Aedan said sharply.

She whirled around, anger flashing across her face, "I've done nothing but obey your orders, follow the code, and be the best Jedi possible. What have I done to deserve that reminder?"

The vehemence stunned him. But not as much as the truth of it. Why did he say those things? She hadn't expressed any such sentiments, hadn't brought up her feelings, or those intimate moments on Tython or Gromas. No, she'd been the perfect padawan. So, what in the Force made him say that?

He began walking to the Starboard side of the ship, and entered a code into the keypad, causing the large compartment containing the speeders to open up. "I don't know," he said, softly, abashedly.

Kyra whirled around on him and stalked forward, "Yes, you do." She said. But Aedan just shook his head, and began easing the speeders out of the compartment. "Aedan," she said sternly, as his back was turned towards her.

He sighed. His shoulders slumped, resigned to the truth. "I said it for me," he said, slowly turning to face her. "To remind myself. I needed to hear it"

Kyra took two steps closer, bringing them less than a half meter apart. "We are not like them, Master," she whispered.

Aedan stepped backwards, creating distance, her close proximity and intensity of her gaze rattling his resolve. A resolve he had built up for years. Why was it faltering now? "You are not like them," he said. "But I am. Coleman died because of me. Dooku escaped because of me. This whole Force-forsaken war is because of me. I am weak."

"Really?" Kyra mocked, "You think that you are the cause of this war, and the reason it has continued for three years. Malak's mask, Aedan, that's not the reason, and we both know it. No. You are afraid. Afraid of what could be. Afraid that you might be able to be unimaginably happy. Just like that quote, 'The most potent apprehension be not that we are weak. Nay, our deepest insecurity rests in the possibility that the galaxy is ours for the taking.'"

"Since when do you quote Braata Danlos?" Aedan asked.

Kyra groaned, "Of course you would know that philosopher," then she pointed one finger at Aedan. "And don't change the subject."

Aedan mentioned the renowned philosopher to buy time, but it failed. What could he do against such reckless love? How could he continue to resist? And how could he continue to stay away from her, this amazing, incredible, and powerful creature. All this time with her and he thought the war would numb him, make him solely focused on fighting the enemy. What an idiotic assumption. To him she only became stronger, more tenacious, more knowledgeable, and mature, and more beautiful. Force, she was like an Angel from Iego. He tried to put up walls, and for the most part they were effective. But now, after Sarrish, they had crumbled. And he was in trouble. After coming so close to death and darkness, he could no longer turn away from life and light.

"I'm sorry, Kyra," he said admitting defeat. "You're right. I shouldn't have brought it up. You've been nothing but the perfect padawan."

Kyra's eyes narrowed, "An apology. That's it? Nothing else?"

"That's all I can give."

"For now?"

Aedan let out a sigh, shoulders slumping. He could feel his defenses eroding away by the minute.

"Come on, Padawan," he said, pulling one speeder down, and locking the wings into position, "I have a surprise for you."

Her eyes narrowed and placed her hands on her hips. "I'm not giving up that easy."

Aedan held his hands up, "Oh, trust me, I know all too well how stubb-"

Kyra silenced him with an even harsher glare.

"Er, strong willed you are," he continued. "But now is not the time for this Kyra. Let's focus on the mission."

Kyra looked at the ground and sighed. "Fine," she said, "So what kind of surprise?" she said flatly.

"One I promise you will absolutely love."

"Is it bantha-butter pancakes?"

Aedan couldn't help but laugh, "Not exactly. Better actually."

With that, she rushed over and brought the other speeder out. "How far?"

"Not far at all, actually. We could probably walk it, but we haven't taken the speeders out in a while."

Kyra bobbed her head up and down dramatically, "Quite logical thinking, Master. I concur, indeed."

"Got all of your gear?"

Kyra began to nod, then her eyes flashed wide. She held up a finger and then sprinted back into the 'Guile. Moments later she came back out with a harness wrapped into a bundle. She unraveled it, revealing that it was a blaster pistol holster. She attached the drop-down holster to her utility belt, and then wrapped two more straps around her upper thigh, securing it tightly. She pulled the pistol out, inspecting it.

"Where in the galaxy did you get a Westar-35 blaster?"

Kyra smiled. "That Mandalorian dropped it on Taris. Mayva picked it up, thinking it may give us a lead, but no such luck. Then she gave it to me."

Aedan pursed his lips, "And you plan to use that now?"

She shrugged. "It proved effective and useful on Sarrish, so...yea."

He shook his head, "Obi-Wan will not be happy about that."

"Obi-Wan?"

"Forget it."

Kyra groaned, but hopped on her speeder, and started up the engine.

Aedan did the same with his, and then they were shooting off through the jungle, using their Jedi reflexes as they weaved their way through the densely packed Onderonian jungle. After only about twenty minutes they found themselves approaching a clearing with stone pillars separating it from the jungle. They slowed down and stopped suddenly as a handful of armed men stepped out from pillars, trees, and rocks.

"Um," Aedan said, "We come in peace?"

None of the warriors seemed to find that amusing, and their weapons remained pointed at Aedan and Kyra's feet. That is until a tall, darkly dressed male Jedi sauntered into view. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the Order's two white nights."

Aedan laughed loudly, "Nonsense, Anakin, that title surely belongs to you two."

The young Jedi, wearing a deep blue and brown tunic walked forward with a big smile on his face. "I don't know. Your exploits are widely known. From Geonosis to Felucia, you two have done incredible things."

Aedan stepped forward, shaking hands with Skywalker, and embracing him warmly. "Anakin, in all seriousness, I've read the reports. I've seen the holovids. I've heard the troopers recount your actions," Aedan said, "You are the one that has done amazing things. And it's an honor to know you."

Anakin grinned, "Thank you," he said, and then focused on Kyra, "And you, look at the Padawan you've become. I wish you two could have helped us out here, because we certainly needed it."

"Speaking of which," Aedan said, "Where's your old master, anyway?"

"Hello there, old friend," Obi-Wan said behind them.

"Ah, there he is," Aedan said, embracing the wizened master.

"What, Master Kenobi, did you come straight here after Sarrish?" Kyra asked.

Obi-Wan nodded, "Yes. The moment I got on the Dauntless I received orders to come here."

"Sounds about right," Aedan said, "Any word on Captain Gregor?"

Kenobi shook his head, "None."

"Master Skywalker," Kyra said timidly, causing his eyebrows to raise, "If you're here, does that mean..."

Suddenly an orange blur landed on top of Kyra, driving her to the ground. Kyra burst into laughter as she and Ahsoka Tano rolled around on the ground, simultaneously wrestling, and hugging each other at the same time. The carefree joy radiating from the two girls was intoxicating, causing the three Jedi men to smile widely as well. Aedan watched as his Padawan laughed deeply, retelling stories to the younger Togruta, who hadn't seemed to lose any of her spunk or exuberance. Aedan looked over at Anakin who was grinning at his Padawan, who still possessed so much light and happiness. He felt Aedan's gaze and locked eyes with him. He gave a loaded nod. And Aedan nodded back. It was a nod between proud Masters, who acquired a high level of understanding and respect for one another. Their Padawans were two of the brightest and most talented in the order, and both would someday be phenomenal Jedi Masters.

Once she stopped catching up with Kyra for a moment, Ahsoka came up to Aedan and bowed low, which the Jedi returned. "Great to see you, Ahsoka. I never got to tell you, but your actions on Geonosis were incredible. You totally saved the day. In fact, I think a celebratory breakfast at Tauntaun's is in order."

"Oh, Master Kahl, that would be amazing."

Aedan continued, "And I don't think your Master has been there either, so we'll have to introduce him as well."

"Sounds like a plan," Anakin said, "That is if we ever make it back to Coruscant."

"We will someday," Kenobi chimed in, "But the outer rim is heating up, and our forces and focus will be rooted there for quite some time I imagine."

"Someday," Kyra says hopefully.

"How are things going here?"

"Our part here has finished. With some help training, and some portable missile launchers supplied by the illustrious Hondo Ohnaka, the resistance here has succeeded."

"But it wasn't without losses," Ahsoka added, as a tan skinned human male, wearing armor stepped forward.

Obi-Wan spoke up, "This is Saw Guererra, leader of the resistance. He and his men are who you want to speak with." Aedan bowed, "Good to meet you, Saw Guererra. I've only been given a brief synopsis of what happened here, but it sounds like you are quite the warrior and leader."

"Thank you, Master Jedi."

"We're told you ran into some interesting droids."

Saw nodded, "A few of my scouts who consistently search these parts wandered out farther than usual, trying to increase our perimeters, and they ran into two odd looking droids."

Aedan nodded, "Can you describe what they looked like?"

Saw nodded, "They were tall with broad shoulders and red optics, and each had a purple tipped electrostaff."

"That's them alright," Kyra said, "Can you show us on a map where they were spotted?" Pulling out her datapad's map function.

"Of course," Gerrera said, and indicated the location.

Aedan looked at the coordinates, "Interesting," he said, observing the location.

"What is?"

"Well, unless I missed my guess, that's not too far away from the abandoned stronghold of King Ommin."

Obi-Wan glanced at the location as well, "He's right," the Jedi Master said, "Curious. Could there be a covert foundry there?"

Aedan shrugged, "Perhaps, but why Onderon?"

"I guess we'll have to find out," Kyra said. "Let me say bye to Ahsoka."

"Of course," he said, and watched her walk over to the young togruta.

She was always so full of light when she was around her younger friend. Aedan sensed that she reigned herself in when she was around him. Contained herself. Restricted herself. He had never wanted to admit that before but seeing the incandescent smile on her face as she gave Ahsoka a hug, it was clear to see that she was totally reserved when around him. Now, with the blatant proof right in front of him he was having an extremely difficult time being the reason for her restraint.

No star should be dimmed. Especially not by someone who claims to love that star.

He exhaled, long and slow.

What have I done?

They were well on their way to the location that Saw pointed out when Kyra spoke, "Master, who is King Ommin?"

"Ommin was a Sith Lord, and an apprentice of the ghost of Freedon Nadd. He was strong with the force, but his body withered away, so he had an exoskeleton made to support him. It was called an Ommin harness, and very advanced for its time. It's believed it was fused together and powered with Sith Alchemy."

"Interesting," Kyra said.

"Sith Alchemy is anything but interesting," he said with a sneer. "It is the worst practice imaginable. It's how Tarentateks were created. It brought about 'the sickness' on Odacer-Faustin that turned beings into zombies, and also the Rakghoul plague, among an abundance of other horrific entities."

"I understand, Master," Kyra said solemnly.

Aedan began to slow down, looking down at his monitor. "We're getting close, let's go on foot her. And let's be extra careful."

"Roger that," Kyra said, "Are you sure we don't need a commando unit, or perhaps a platoon of soldiers."

Aedan stepped off his speeder and shook his head. "Fifty soldiers moving through the jungle is not my idea of covert operations. And plus..."

"Plus, what, Master?"

"I don't want any more clones to die on my behalf."

Kyra held his gaze, still sitting on her own speeder, "I know what you mean, but you have to realize it's not your fault. None of it is your fault."

"Kyra, if I would have jumped with Coleman up there, we would have taken out Dooku, Fett, Poggle the Lesser, and Newt Gunray in one fell swoop. One of my friends, and wisest Masters on the council would still be alive, and this war would not be raging."

Kyra leapt off her seat, and marched right up to Aedan. Here we go, he thought. "Okay," she said, "You need to hear this, Master. I know you are far wiser, far smarter, and far more experienced than I am, but you are not above reproach, right?"

"Right."

"Listen to me very carefully," she said softly, causing him to lean in closer. She reached up, and put both hands on his shoulders, and looked deep into his eyes. "You fracked up."

What? He thought.

"You. Fracked. Up. Bad," she said, enunciating each word carefully. "I mean you did go for me and save my life, who knows, maybe I would have survived the fall, but that's beside the point. You are not the cause of this war. If Dooku died, some other warmongering, powerful megalomaniac would have stepped up. Nevertheless, you failed. But guess what? That's part of life. And you have spent the past few years moping and whining and despairing, and wishing you could go back in time to fix it."

She had no idea how right she was.

"But we can't go back in time. That's just how life is. And so now is the time to stop thinking about the past and focus on the present and the future. There is still so much we can do. You and I can do great things." She put her hands down and took a step back. "Mistakes happen. Failures are inevitable, and life is about how we learn from those mistakes and failures. How we pick ourselves up, and make sure we do better as progress through this crazy thing called life." She turned away from him, and picked up her backpack, and put it on. "I know you are already well aware of all that I've said. It just seems like you've forgotten it."

Aedan stood there, motionless. Mouth open. Eyes wide. He couldn't believe this person was a Padawan. She should be a Master already. He looked up towards the bright blue sky, and wondered how he deserved such an incredible gift of the woman before him. At Twenty years old now, she had only grown more beautiful. Impossibly beautiful. She was so strong and wise, that she stunned him regularly, and taught him lessons. Just like this one today.

She was right. By the Force, she was right. What had he been doing the past two years? Sure, he had fought exceptionally well in every battle, and had grown in power and skill, but other than that he had wallowed in self-doubt and regret. And that negativity, that darkness, had held him back.

"How did you get so wise?"

Kyra looked up from arranging her pack, and shook her head, "If I am anything, anything at all, it is because of you."

"Nonsense, Kyra, I just opened the door for you."

"Like I said, you are my catalyst, Master," she said, "But you, and only you, could have done what you did." She shouldered her pack, and then began marching through the jungle.

If she's right, if I am the only one, then what does that mean? The Force doesn't deal in coincidences or accidents. It means we were meant to be paired up. We were meant to be together. Is that irrelevant? Or does it change everything?

He shouldered his own pack, and followed his headstrong Padawan into the dense foliage. Padawan, he thought. I'm not sure that's a valid description of her. Sure, Padawans teach their masters lessons every once in a while. But not often, not like she did. Not as profoundly as she did. He shook his head, the clarity of his thoughts stunning him. She was no longer a Padawan.

They crept furtively through the trees, finally coming to a vantage point, where before them stood the ruins of an old fortress. Grey stone walls, marked the outer perimeter, but they were dilapidated, and filled with holes, so much so that they no longer succeeded in their initial purpose. Aedan and Kyra scanned for any sort of electronic device, be it cameras, motion sensors, or audio recording devices, but none were seen. They slowly approached the damaged wall, and peered into a vast courtyard that led up to a long rectangular building, that appeared not unlike a temple.

"Master," Kyra said quietly, "This is getting very old finding secret buildings and factories like this."

"I couldn't agree with you more," Aedan replied, "Hopefully, this is the end of the line." He continued to search for any hidden threats or traps. "Do you sense anything, Kyra?"

Kyra closed her eyes and stayed silent for a few moments. Upon opening them, she said, "Not exactly. There's nothing alive up here. Nothing activated even. But below this temple, there's something. I just can't quite tell what."

"Got it," Aedan said, "Let's be extra careful then." They both stepped through a ruined patch of the wall, and made their way into the temple. It was dark inside so both ignited their lightsabers, lighting up the darkened sanctuary. The sight was disheartening. Exquisite sculptures lay in pieces on the ground. Expertly painted murals were torn from the walls. A thick layer of dust covered the smooth, marble floor. Right now, the place was a mess, but long ago, it must have been majestic.

"Master," Kyra whispered, "Are we sure this is the right place."

"No, we're not sure. Doesn't seem like a place to find a droid foundry, but let's keep searching. And I'm still concerned about below the temple."

"Agreed," she said.

They searched the vast room, both wandering off on their own to observe the works of art that lay in shambles all over the room. Kyra walked over to a fallen statue, and saw that it was woman. A striking, beautiful woman, with long flowing hair. She looked around for the rest of it, as it also lay in pieces, and she was surprised to see a lightsaber gripped in her stone hand. She searched more of the wreckage and saw there was name on what was once the base. Amanoa. The wife of King Ommin, and also a Sith acolyte.

They continued their perusal of the small fortress, going up a spiral stone staircase, on into the second floor which held a number of rooms that held nothing of significance. "I have a bad feeling about this," Kyra said.

"Nonsense, Kyra. All is well."

"There is absolutely nothing and no one here, but I feel that this is the right place."

Aedan nodded, "I agree. Time to search a little bit more thoroughly downstairs."

They made their way downstairs to the hall of statues. "Master, there are no other doorways here."

Aedan eyed the surrounding walls, "I know, but there has to be some hidden passage to get down there."

They split up and began searching the wide corridor, and Kyra noticed all of the downed statues. All of them, except one.

"Master," she said, "The statues."

Aedan surveyed the room. "Yes, they are all...oh," he realized. "Good job."

The two walked over to the one remaining intact statue, and began scouring the immediate area around it, walking around the alcove it was sequestered in. Aedan stopped behind it, and then stomped his foot down on the ground twice.

"That sounds hollow," Kyra said.

"That it does, and I can see the slight grooves in the floor for where the trap door opens."

Kyra looked at what he was inspecting, and saw the grooves ended underneath the statue. She looked harder, searching for any small detail she may have missed. Which she saw the unignited lightsaber in the statues hand, and noticed there was a slight space between the saber and the hand, she knew she had found what they were looking for. She grabbed the hilt and then twisted it. Immediately the panel on the flood slid away, causing Aedan to tumble forward as his weight had been resting on it. Luckily, he only fell a few feet to the first step of a stairwell that went down below.

"Found it," she said, and the two made their way down the stairs, and farther down a narrow corridor. A room at the end lit up the tunnel in front of them. "This must be the place," he said. The words caused Kyra to shudder, as they echoed ones from a long time ago.

They entered into a fully functioning and fully operational room, full of monitors, data charts, and powered computer towers. In the middle of a room was an apparatus hanging down from the ceiling, holding what appeared to be an exoskeleton. Beyond them were two magnaguards, with a mess of wires and cables attached to various parts of the droids' bodies.

"Upgrades," Aedan said.

"What do you mean?" Kyra asked him, as they walked around the hanging mechanical frame.

"Look at the shoulders," Aedan said.

The blood drained from Kyra's face, "Oh, kriff."

Aedan drew closer to the two droids and looked carefully at this new model of Magnaguard, which was now equipped with blasters on both shoulders. This is going to be a problem. Their new ranged combat threat coupled with their excellent close-quarters fighting ability will make them absolutely lethal.

Aedan surveyed the room, "Okay, before we get caught up in this investigation let's make sure there aren't any surprises waiting for us."

"Good idea," Kyra said, and closed her eyes.

Aedan did the same and sank deep into the Force. He calmed himself, ejected all thoughts and feelings, and connected with the all-powerful celestial energy field. Now that he was fully immersed, he reached out with his senses and scanned the surrounding area for any threats. After two minutes of searching, and not finding a thing, he opened his eyes, just as Kyra was doing the same.

"I don't sense anything," he said, "What about you?"

Kyra bit her lip, "I...I don't know," she said, "I don't sense anything like I normally would, but there's something else that's just outside my typical perception, something lurking."

"Kriff," Aedan said. "I'm all too familiar with your hunches. Can you tell if it's for right here and now, or elsewhere and something in the future?"

"I can't tell, Master," she said. "I'm sorry."

Aedan put his hand on her shoulder, "Don't be. Not at all. We'll just have to be overly cautious. You check the data charts on the right, and I'll search the terminals on the left."

Kyra nodded, and went to work, checking several of the datapads that had been lying around, while Aedan sat at the computer terminal and began accessing the files, "I'm finding schematics for these Magnaguards," he said, "Apparently these are called the One-oh-fives, an augmented model from what we dealt with on Gromas. Same extremely fast Trellan Luk processor, now with the shoulder mounted blaster weapons, which is fairly similar to a droidekas' blasters. But nothing about other factory locations."

"I may have something here," Kyra said, "No locations, but Holowan keeps popping up, just like on Gromas. Can you run a search for that on your terminal?"

Aedan's fingers were a blur on the keypad, "Holowan Laboratories," he said, "You're right, definitely a droid and tech company, and Sa'kard is listed as the chief of operations." He leaned back in the seat, pondering their discoveries, "But why Onderon? And why Obredaan previously? I understand Gromas for the Phrikite, but why these other planets, other than their remoteness."

"Obredaan does have large deposits of cortosis," Kyra said.

Kriff, she's right. "His sword was cortosis, but apparently he's had that for a while, and none of the droids we've faced had cortosis weave in their makeup."

"Not yet, at least," Kyra said.

He did not want to think about the possibility of phrik and cortosis enhanced droid armor, as well as blasters. He shook his head, "It's just too advanced. The processors, the phrik, the cortosis, and now the blasters, this is far beyond current technology."

Kyra continued her searching, "You're right," she said, "There's several engineers' logs saying that they don't have the right technology for what Sa'kard wants. He's asking for even more enhancements and upgrades, and even the Luk processors as well as the energy source just can't cope with it."

"Well, that's good for us, I guess," Aedan said.

"It also looks like that's why they were here, to copy some of Ommin's tech, hoping they would find answers."

"I'm guessing that didn't work."

"No, it did not." A thought seemed to dawn on Kyra, "Master, try a search for slaves or slave trade in relation to Holowan or Sa'kard."

Aedan nodded, "Another good idea," and began typing in the phrases. "I get nothing in relation to Holowan, but a few results with Sa'kard, but it's all encrypted or redacted or exceedingly vague. However, there is a connection between the magnaguards, Sa'kard, and some sort of trafficking of species. An aquatic species."

"What in the Force could that mean?" Kyra sked rhetorically, "Does it give specifics or planets, or dates even."

"No, it does mention the Perlemian Trade Route," he said.

"That could be anywhere."

"Hmm, it does keep listing the 'OGTR.'"

Kyra gave a blank look, "And that is?"

Aedan's fingers were a blur again, "Running a cross reference now," he said, "It's the Overic Griplink Trade Route, which is connected to the Perlimian route."

"Overic Griplink," Kyra said, testing the phrase, trying to remember it. "The one that connects Mon Calamari to the Perlimian. And that matches up with the mention of the aquatic species."

"Exactly."

"Well, at least we have something to go off of."

"Yea, but I'm sure there's more in here," he took out a datachip, and inserted it into the terminal. "I'll download everything and get it back to the Intelligence Unit. I'm sure they'll find more."

He started to enter in commands to begin the transfer when Kyra shouted, "Wait, wait, don't!" and batted his hands away. But it was too late, he had already begun the process.

Every screen in the underground lair turned dark. All the lights went out. A ripple passed through the force. And then a wave. A face appeared on the screens. No, not a face. A mask. Sa'kard's red lined mask.

"You never learn, do you?" a voice came through speakers all around them. "You're too slow, Jedi. I'm always going to be one step ahead. And like I said, my time is coming. Farewell, Jedi scum."

Aedan reached out with the force and his heart went cold. Droids which had apparently been offline were waking up. And there were a lot of them. "We may have a problem," he said.

"Master, there's dozens. A hundred even, maybe two hundred, and they're everywhere."

Aedan took his commlink but had no signal. "They're jamming us too."

"What do we do?" Kyra asked, just as she heard the disturbingly familiarity of the metallic footsteps and robotic movements, all of which converging on their position.

A/N: I remember many, many years ago, the first Star Wars book (In audio casette form) I ever listened to was "Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi." I was about eight years old when I learned of Onderon, Sunrider, Qel-Droma, and Freedon Nadd. And it has stuck with me to this day.

Other than this story rattling around in my head, and Aedan and Kyra begging to be written down, Only The Force is my love letter to Star Wars, including all the things that I absolutely adore about the amazing universe that George Lucas gave us.