Hey Force Fans, welcome back.

Shout out to JangledSeaInk for the awesome feedback and review.

The subject of Hoppie was broached. To be honest, in the initial drafts Hoppie had his one appearance on Sarrish and that was it. But as I started writing those scenes, his character just took off with his own storyline. And now he's essentially the third main character. Funny how that works.

Enjoy!

Chapter Seventeen

Cato Neimoidia

The two starfighters circled around and came in for another run at Kyra and Quinlan's position. They were coming in fast and the trick she pulled with the lone, slow moving airspeeder was not going to work on a pair of fighters.

She breathed in deeply, gathering Force energy as the two red and white fighters converged. She could feel the pilot's thoughts, their fingers tightening on the triggers, preparing to fire.

Before they could, she thrust one palm forward, sending a concentrated blast of Force energy at one of the fighters. The impact was sudden and stunning as the attack obliterated the front end of the ship, as if it had slammed into a wall.

She turned to take out the second one, when she felt new enemies approach from behind. A wing of ARC 170's screamed down through the clouds and opened fire. And behind them, two LAAT gunships were approaching, most likely with a full complement of clone troopers. She could handle two fighters. But not five fighters and two gunships. Or at least she didn't feel like testing those odds out at the moment.

"Well, any bright ideas?"

Kyra shook her head, "We've got to get off this spire. Follow me."

She took off running towards the edge and then leaped into the air. Quinlan followed right behind her, letting loose a string of curses as they descended down fifty meters to the massive cables. They both landed lightly and hopped down to the lowest one, the other six cables giving them some semblance of cover.

"Okay, now what?"

Kyra's eyes darted around, scanning all potential avenues of escape. She found none.

"We go back into the city," she finally said, and they both began running.

"We're toast if we go back there," Quinlan said, matching her stride.

She gritted her teeth, "Better than staying here, but I'm open to suggestions." They were in trouble. The entire strike team stationed on Cato Neimoidia was heading right for them. Maybe they could make it to the city, and get lost in the crowds. She shook her head, two humans skulking around on those opulent streets would be outrageously conspicuous. If they could get down to where Quinlan had been hiding, maybe they could wait out the clones. At the very least they had a fighting chance down there as it would negate any aerial attack.

"Go back to the city, head down to where I found you."

Quinlan scoffed, and stopped running. "You should have just left me there. In fact, you never should have come."

"Now is not the time for this," she said, grabbing his sleeve and yanking him forward.

He knocked her hand away and stood there, breathing deeply, staring down below them.

"Those mists look mighty inviting now."

"Quin, don't even think about it."

"I'm slowing you down, and you'll have a better chance of getting out by yourself."

"Stop it. We're getting out together. The Force called me here."

"Well, the Force was wrong!" he shouted. "Look at what's happened, Kyra. I know you felt it. I know you sensed all those deaths. There's nothing left for us. The Force has either abandoned us, turned against us, or it never truly had a will of its own to begin with. It was all a convoluted mess of random events. There's no purpose here. There's no grand plan. We have a losing hand and the dealer is nothing but an automated droid." He sighed, shaking his head. His voice barely a whisper. "And I'm sick of playing. Time to cash out on my terms before that gets taken from me too."

Blaster fire burned into the cables hanging above them, a few of the laser bolts hitting a few meters away from them. She was losing time and needed to get moving before it was too late.

"I'm not giving up." She hated how weak her voice sounded. She would have a better chance on her own. She thought of Aedan, of being in his arms again. Her heart ached. She had to see him again. No matter the cost.

Quinlan nodded, "I know," he said with a smile, noticing that she was relenting. "Go on without me, Kyra. It'll be okay. I'm ready."

She felt tears run down her cheeks, her feet began moving on their own accord, carrying her away from one of the last surviving Jedi members. They moved, step after step, taking her to her only hope of seeing Aedan again and that was her ultimate goal.

As she thought the words, she heard an echo from a long-ago conversation with Aedan under the bright lights of Coruscant.

"And what is a Jedi's ultimate goal?" Kyra asked.

"To protect the innocent, and help those in need. Fight against injustice and vanquish evil. To keep the dark at bay, and serve the will of the force. That comes first. We were given the ability to make a difference and so it is our duty, our destiny, to use it for good."

She stopped walking. Turned around and grabbed Quinlan's tunic with both hands. "Shut up," she said harshly, shaking him. "You are coming with me. We are getting off this planet. I am a Jedi. And so are you. And we still have work to do. I am not leaving without you. Now come on," she growled, letting azure light shine through her eyes letting him know just how serious she was. She pulled him along with her, and she took up her jog again.

Whatever fight he had previously had left him. He must have noticed the Nexu that she changed into and that there was no disagreeing with her now as they ran along the cable, heading for the city.

There were now two wings of Arc 170's flying around their position. The cables gave them enough cover, and Kyra deflected any other energy blasts that got through, so they were safe enough for now. But she could also feel the forces gathering on the other side of the cable. While the geography and linear engagement would be better for them than fighting off an aerial attack, the number of enemies mounting a defense at the end of the cable did not bode well for their chances of survival.

Regardless. She continued on.

That is until the Force shot her a warning.

"Holy Frack," she yelled. "Jump!"

Quinlan followed Kyra as she Force jumped to the nearest cable to their right, both of them landing on the new walkway as an explosion sounded in the distance. An earsplitting screeching noise came next as the cable they had been running on fell. Kyra watched in awe as the massive support line dropped away into the mist.

"You have got to be kidding me," Quinlan said. "Well, they missed their chance with that one. They wouldn't dare risk another support."

Another explosion echoed in the distance, causing the Jedi to leap to the safety as another cable fell away. Not only were they losing walkways, they were losing cover.

"They can't possibly lose anymore."

Kyra observed the five cables left including the biggest one right in the middle. "Yea, you said that last time."

"We won't have cover after this one goes."

"We'll be fine," she said. We won't stand a chance up there. She tensed for another warning from the Force, and readied her lightsaber and her mind for the upcoming battle. Make it a good one. It will most likely be your last.

Then she heard a new sound. A starship, but like none she had heard before. It didn't have the roar of the Arc 170's, the whine of a swoop or airspeeder, or the deep whirring of a gunship. No, this ship...sang.

She looked down as a beautiful dark gray ship with blade like wings sliced upwards out of the mist at stunning velocity. The ship let loose a streaming barrage of turbolaser fire at an unsuspecting wing of ARC-170's and zipped by their fiery wreckages before gravity even started to pull them down.

"What. The. Frak. Is. That?" Quinlan asked.

"I don't know, but I want one."

Kyra watched as the fighter banked at impossible speeds, and lit up the two approaching LAAT's before they could fire their missiles. It spun on its axis, bladed wings leaving spiraled contrails in the sky. The final ARC-170 pursued the fighter, getting behind it, and opening fire. A few laser blasts pinged off the shields, but no damage was done. Then the jagged semi-circular fighter turned tightly, and the following ARC170 couldn't hold its course and over shot its pursuit. The clone fighter couldn't recover quickly enough and the sleek fighter seemed to drift and pivot around, a seemingly impossible maneuver, and then fired a linked pair of turbolaser blasts and blew the ship away.

It didn't waste any time heading straight for their location, and within seconds it was hovering underneath them. Kyra and Quinlan stared at the ship, unable to comprehend what was happening. Kyra's comlink chirped, and she took it out. A female voice spoke, "Are you just going to stare at my sweet ride like two kowakian monkey lizards, or are you going to hop on so we can get out of here?"

"Quix Caladan, is that you?"

"Hmm, Aedan made you seem a lot smarter, but you sure are pretty so you have to be Kyra Dawnstar."

"I am."

"Well, then come on, Princess. Get in." A dorsal hatch opened up.

Kyra looked to Quinlan who merely shrugged. Kyra shook her head and then hopped down, landing softly on the middle of the starfighter. A second later, Quinlan landed next to her. They quickly climbed down into the ship, the hatch shutting above them.

"Kyra, come on up to the cockpit, there's only room for one. Your friend can strap in in the lounge," the voice said over the intercom.

"Of course," Quinlan muttered.

"Aw, don't be too upset Quinny. We'll stop and get you some Corellian Ryshcate or some chocolate puffcakes to make you feel better," she said and she rushed through the pristine white and black interior. "Or better yet, maybe even some quinberry danishes," she called out over her shoulder as she passed through the hatch leading into the cockpit.

"Strap in," Quix said, noticing when Kyra entered the cockpit.

Kyra hopped into the extremely comfortable seat and buckled up. She opened her mouth to speak, when the ship blasted forward, and Kyra's head hit the back of the seat. "Whoa," she said, and looked out the viewport as they accelerated faster than any spacecraft she'd ever been on. The readouts on the screens showed them leaving any pursuers far behind, with no chance of catching up. Goodness, were they really going to make it out of here?

"I'll make a jump so we can get out of here, and then we'll figure out where to go."

"Sounds good," Kyra said, and watched Quix input coordinates and within seconds course was set, and the stars turned to lines, and then to a blue whirlwind in space. Kyra let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. They had made it.

"What the heck is this thing?" Kyra asked.

"Aedan didn't tell you about my Mistrider, he practically fainted when he first saw it."

"No, he left that out. In fact, and no offense, he failed to mention you, but we have been...well trying not to die for the past few days."

Quix turned towards Kyra, eyebrows raised. "I'm not sure how I feel about that. How did you know to contact me?"

"He told our friend to tell me."

"Fair enough," she said, "And it is finally nice to meet you. He is clearly crazy about you."

Kyra tried to keep the smile off her face, but couldn't.

"And looks like you definitely feel the same."

Kyra quickly averted her gaze as her cheeks went warm, and looked out ahead of them as they were exiting the upper atmosphere and entering space. She felt herself getting lighter and lighter, they really had made it.

She put her hand on Quix' arm, who first stared at Kyra's hand, and then up into her eyes. "Thank you," Kyra said. "Thank you for saving us. I don't know why you did that, but we owe you our lives."

Quix shrugged, "It was nothing. AK saved my life multiple times, so I owed him. But I would have come and helped anyway. We became friends."

"AK?"

Quix smiled, "Yes, he kept calling me QC, so I called him AK."

Kyra smiled, "I see," she said, but an uneasy feeling was gathering in her stomach. She couldn't help it and had to confront it before it grew worse. "You and him were...close?"

Quix' eyes darted to her, then back straight ahead, then back to Kyra's. She took a deep breath. "No, well, not like that. Did I have a thing for your Jedi Master Holofilm looking boyfriend...yes. I did. I'm sorry. But his heart belonged to you, and he let me down easy. So, we were nothing more than colleagues and friends."

Kyra felt the uneasiness dissipate. There was no deceit in Quix. She was telling the truth. "I'm sorry," she said.

Once more Quix' eyes darted towards Kyra, but this time they stayed there. "I just told you I had a thing for your lover boy, and you apologize to me?"

Kyra shrugged, "I know he's special, so I know that must have hurt. So, I'm sorry you had to go through that." Kyra said, in a soft voice. "Plus, I can't really blame you, he is...something else."

The auburn-haired pilot's mouth was wide open for a moment. "I'm starting to think you both are definitely meant for each other," she said, and then shook her head. "Anyway, we're headed to Bellassa now, and then we'll make the jump to wherever you want."

That was the question. Where do we go now? There were a lot of options, but most were out of the question. They couldn't go home just yet, things were still too hot, and Kyra didn't know for sure if Aedan actually made it into the archives. Aedan being a Jedi Shadow was already erased from the archives. But if she was erased, there was no way to know she was from Chandrila. No way to trace her back to her origins. Besides, she doubted any clones were able to identify her.

For now, they needed somewhere they could lie low for a while, but also someplace that Aedan would also know to go. And no way he would put her parents in danger. So where? She pressed her palms into her eyes, trying to think.

The location slapped Kyra in the face, and she grinned goofily. "May I?" Kyra asked, gesturing to the NAV computer.

"Have at it."

Kyra punched in the coordinates, and leaned back in the chair.

Quix saw the destination. "Interesting pick," she said. "I hear that system has some of the best resorts and beaches in the Outer Rim."

"I hear that as well," Kyra said with a smile.

"Alright, well, it's programmed in now. The autonav will take over, and jump us automatically, so we're good for now," Quix said, standing up. "Introduce me to your friend."

She'd almost forgot about Quinlan. "Of course, but fair warning, he's a bit of a maverick and rough around the edges."

Quix raised the eyebrow with a scar going through it, and held her hands out wide as if to say, 'What and I'm not?'

"Good point."

They walked back towards the galley and saw the Kiffar dozing on the plush couch, with his boots up on the marble caf table.

"Oh, please, make yourself at home," Quix said.

Quinlan startled awake and was up on his feet, blinking. His eyes fell on Quix and they went wide. He closed his eyes, and shook his head violently. Then opened them again. He seemed stunned for some reason.

"Quin, you okay there?"

"You like either you've never seen a strong and striking woman like me before, or like you've seen a ghost," Quix said.

Quinlan blinked again, then a smile slowly spread across his face. "No to the first part," he said, then dipped his head to the side, "And kind of to the second part." He walked forward and extended his hand, causing Kyra to raise her eyebrows. "Thank you for saving us. I'm Quinlan Vos, Master Quinlan Vos."

Quix laughed up at the deckhead. "You're not a master."

Quinlan's jaw dropped open, "Yes I am."

"He really is," Kyra said.

"Well, then I'm an admiral. Admiral Caladan," Quix smiled at that, loving the sound of it.

"But Captain Caladan has such a great ring to it," Kyra said.

Quin nodded in agreement, and Kyra was bewildered at what was going on with him. Then she noticed his eyes simultaneously stayed glued to Quix but could not seem to look her in the eye. What was going on here?

Quix took a seat at the end of the couch. "So, anyone wanna tell me what the frak is going on?"

Kyra sighed, "It's a long story, but looks like we have plenty of time now."

Quix listened intently in horror as the two Jedi filled her in on what was happening in the galaxy, at least as much as they knew.

"Frak," the Mistrider pilot said. "I'm...sorry. I've lost friends and colleagues before, but nothing like that. I can't imagine what you're going through."

Kyra tried not to think about it. "I can't believe it's all gone," she whispered.

All this power and for what? What purpose does it serve? Was it all just for nothing?

"What are you going to do now?"

The blonde-haired Jedi Knight leaned back against the couch and let out a deep breath. "Wait for Aedan to find me."

"And how's he going to do that, triple B?" Quinlan asked.

"I'll send him a transmission that only he will find."

"And once he finds you?" Quix asked.

She shrugged. "Haven't gotten that far yet."

"Well, one step at a time," Quix said. "I'm sure we'll figure out something."

Kyra let her head rest against the couch.

One step at a time.

Please, find me, Aedan. Come back to me.