The sunset shone too brightly in Lyra's eyes to be any sort of help. The insurgent squad advanced forward, the soldiers vigilantly aiming their rifles at every window and door. Lyra glanced around the corner, only turning to the Separatists once she was certain no Imperials were waiting for them.

"Okay," Lyra started, removing the tracers from the bag. "Once you have a tracer, get to a landing platform, no matter how far away it is. We need to confuse the Imps if we want this escape plan of ours to work."

"Understood," the lead sergeant replied, turning to face the rest of the squad. "Okay, listen up. I want three units guarding one tracer. Notify us of any hostile movement, but engage only if necessary. Is anyone not clear on the plan?"

"No sir," the small chorus of voices spoke up, shaking their heads in affirmation.

"All right," the sergeant continued, taking the tracers and beginning to hand them out one by one. "Squads two, three and four, mark a platform on your map and get moving. Squad five, rendezvous with General Sekel back at the command center. You're the only escort he's got. Squad one, Silas and Lyra, you're with me. We're heading back to the city outskirts where that freighter of yours is parked. Let's go!"

The band of soldiers split apart. Lyra and Silas let their escorts lead the way as they began the trek back to the ship. As much as she tried to stay focused on the mission, however, Lyra couldn't shake the shivers crawling up her spine. No contacts so far. Why does this feel too easy? The Tethan glanced left and right, briefly tightening her grip on her blaster. What if the Imperials are all focused on Tay and Cooper? I hope they're doing okay.

"Anyone see anything?"

Lyra tensed up, the officer's voice snapping her out of her thoughts. "Nothing yet," she responded. She turned to Silas, instantly noticing the wary look in her husband's eyes. "Someone should be trying to stop us by now, don't you think?"

Silas nodded in agreement. "I don't like this, either," he muttered, hands tightening on his blaster rifle. He craned his neck to look at the insurgent officer. "Hey, how are those other squads holding up? You wanna check in with them?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," the insurgent responded, whipping out his commlink. "Squad Two Leader, how's your route going?" Only static answered the question, increasing Lyra's worries. The officer tried again. "Squad Three Leader, how copy? Radio check, all available squads, how—"

The sound of metal tearing into flesh cut the officer's statement short, along with his life. Lyra defensively took a step back as she examined the threat. The soldiers' pitch-black armor and wrist blades sent shivers up Lyra's spine. Kriffing hell. The Empire had set the bait, and the Tethans and insurgents had taken it.

"Contact!"

The soldiers were barely able to raise their weapons in time before the Imperial clones attacked. The clone assassins' blades slid through armor and flesh with ease, and two more of the insurgent soldiers were dead before they hit the ground.

Silas raised his blaster to fire, only for the trooper to narrowly dodge the bolt. The clone assassin charged forward, blade extended as he lunged for Silas. The Tethan backpedaled, raising his rifle to block the incoming attacks. The blaster rifle, however, proved ineffective as a melee weapon, and on top of that, Silas' arms could only block so many attacks before they started to grow sore. The Imperial clone, however, didn't seem to tire at all, thrusting his blade toward Silas' throat. The mechanic found himself forced to his knees as he struggled.

Lyra's eyes widened at the battle her husband was rapidly losing. Her gaze darted around before landing on a blaster rifle from a fallen militia soldier. Dammit, I was hoping to avoid shooting somebody. For all the skills and techniques her father had taught her, Lyra could never shoot straight with a blaster. No matter how many times she had tried to practice with a blaster, the result was always the same. She would miss almost every single target. Lyra snatched the rifle, gazing through the iron sights and doing her best to keep her aim steady. I can't back down from trying this. Not when Silas' life is on the line. She took aim at the Imperial trooper and pulled the trigger.

The barrage of blaster fire abruptly slammed into the trooper's back. Poorly aimed bolts flew in the general direction of the struggle, and Silas threw himself to the ground to avoid getting hit. Lyra winced. Holy hell, I need more practice with this thing.

"Silas!" Lyra called out, rushing to her husband's side. "Are you all right?"

"I'll live," Silas responded, climbing to his feet. "You and I definitely need to practice shooting sometime, though."

Lyra cast a concerned glance toward her husband and the remaining troopers. The sight of the Imperials' bodies crumpling informed her that the threat had been eliminated, for now. It's not safe. If they found us that easily, they might've found the others. The slicer pulled out her commlink. "Cooper! It's an ambush. They know where you are. Hurry!" Only static responded to the Tethan's transmission. "Cooper? Come in," she tried again, her voice growing more desperate by the minute. "Do you copy?"

"Squad Five Leader, do you have eyes on Sekel?" one of the militiamen tried with his own commlink, letting out a curse under his breath at the lack of a response. He turned to Lyra. "Communications from Squad Five are down. Either our allies are too far underground, or the Imps ambushed them too. We need to move!"

Lyra nodded her head in reply, struggling to swallow the lump in her throat. If they caught on to us that fast, they might have caught Cooper and Tay, too. As much as her anxiety spiked, however, Lyra knew it would do no good to give in to her panic. She slung the rifle over her shoulders, and quickly put a spring in her step. The trek back to the ship would be a long one, after all.

The sunlight poured into the tunnel, blinding Tay as he opened the hatch. The clearing up ahead stood barren, with only the chirps of the native wildlife breaking the silence. He quickly and quietly climbed up, and gently shut the hatch behind him, not keen on attracting any Imperials who might be in the building. Coast looks clear. Time to find Cooper and get—

The sudden whack of a rifle butt across his head cut off the thought. Tay whipped around, ignoring the pounding pain in his head as he aimed his own rifle at the Imperial trooper. A flash of blue light struck the enemy dead in the chest, the body crumpling to the ground.

"Tay Sekel!"

The general turned his blaster rifle toward the unexpected voice. His eyes flared with anger as he took in the scene. Several Imperial troopers blocked Tay's path, each armed with a wrist-mounted vibroblade instead of a blaster. If Tay had to guess, he would say that Third Brother had lent some reinforcements. The soldiers walked with a confidence that would have rivaled Sekel's own, had the latter's confidence not died upon examining the situation further.

Among the Imperials stood Cooper. The boy struggled against both the guards holding him and the cuffs restraining the clone's hands behind his back. Cooper's eyes darted every which way, mirroring the worry in Tay's own. Tay let out a low growl. Assholes. It's not enough to tear this city to the ground, now you have to go and hurt my friend as well?

The trooper holding Cooper hostage roughly shoved him to the ground, placing a boot on the boy's back. "Lay down your weapon," the Imperial ordered, aiming the blaster at Cooper. "We wouldn't want to get violent in front of your friend here, now would we?"

Tay's eyebrow twitched. They want me to get on my knees and beg? After everything they've done? Tay knew from experience that begging with the Imperials would only bring more death and destruction. The Umbaran had seen it in Zaldash's behavior towards not just Separatists, but anyone who opposed the Empire's occupation of Raxus.

In the back of his mind, Tay recalled sending a young messenger to Zaldash. Negotiating with occupying forces had been a dangerous and futile move in hindsight. Like the citizens of Tamwith Bay, however, Tay had wanted a peaceful resolution to the conflict which had torn the planet apart for the past three years. The Umbaran could still sense the bright young man's presence in the Force violently shatter, still feel his stomach turn at the sight of the messenger's body on Tay's doorstep. Zaldash had sent a message of his own, and the message had been simple: the time for peace was over.

Sekel shook his head in denial, keeping his blaster leveled at the officer's head. He quickly recovered his bravado as he looked his enemy in the eye. "Go fuck yourself, sleemo."

To Tay's surprise, the Imperial leading the group began to laugh. "Really? Well, if that's your answer, then I suppose I'll make things simple for you."

The officer abruptly slammed his foot into the side of Cooper's head. The boy let out a painful groan in response. Tay bared his teeth. Soldier or not, he's still a kid. He doesn't deserve any of this.

The lead trooper turned his head back towards Tay, the Imperial's eyes burning with fury. "Lay. Down. Your. Weapon." The sound of a wrist blade unsheathing punctuated the trooper's threat. "Or else your friend here is going to find out what it's like to see his own guts strewn all over the ground."

Sekel kept his weapon trained on the guards. He could sense the Imperial troopers' frustration and anger rippling out across the Force like a tidal wave. An anger that washed over Tay, whispering in his head and causing his trigger finger to itch. It would be too easy to end the Imperial clones' lives here and now, too easy to call upon the Force to aid him while his adversaries were lost in their bravado. While the anger strongly enticed him, however, the general could still sense one other dark emotion pulsing through the Living Force: fear. Cooper's fear.

Letting out a defeated sigh, Tay tossed the rifle off to the side. The Umbaran allowed the Force to wash over him, soothing the fire burning in his heart. Rational thinking only. Pride won't help. Anger won't help. Play along for now and wait for the right moment to strike. "If you want to kill me, you're more than welcome to try," Tay called out, eyes wide as Cooper struggled against the soldiers holding him captive. "But at least let the boy go. He has no part to play in any of this."

"No can do, insurgent," the lead trooper responded. "I'm afraid you're the one who's going to have to let your friend go. Third Brother has something in store for him, and it doesn't involve you." He turned to his fellow guards, gesturing his head towards the clone. "Take the boy to Zaldash. Kill Sekel."

Sekel took a quick look at Cooper and the Imperials guarding them both. Okay. Four guards, all close combat experts. One hostage. The more the Umbaran looked at the guards, the more his eyes narrowed with caution. Tay could only guess from the guards' choice of weaponry that they were trained to handle close quarters combat. We're outnumbered and surrounded. They could cut us down if we tried to escape. Tay cast a glance towards Cooper's fallen carbine. No. Shooting them wouldn't work either. Using a blaster would only encourage the Imperials to close the gap and slice Tay to ribbons. On top of that, he knew they troopers would take their anger out on Cooper if pressed into another standoff. The general's mind raced as he tried to examine the situation further. No matter how hard he pondered his options, each strand of thought seemed to point towards the same solution, one which Tay had tried so hard to avoid.

The Force could easily take out the guards, allowing Tay room to free Cooper and escape. At the same time, however, It would also paint a different target on the Umbaran's back.

The more he thought the idea over, however, the less absurd it began to seem. For all their skill in ambushes and disrupting plans, the Empire lacked a critical detail. None of them had seen what Tay could do. Freeing Cooper from his bonds would be easy enough. A simple, subtle suggestion from the Force would see to that. From there, Tay could buy himself and Cooper a quick window to escape.

Two of the guards advanced closer, unsheathing their wrist blades. Tay let out a somber sigh, clenching his hand into a fist. It's been a while since I used the Force like this…but if this is the only way to save Cooper, then I'll take it. The general slowly breathed in and out. He imagined the Force gathering around him like a protective animal, circling around him and eager to strike back at any Imperial who sought to harm him.

The soldiers moved to strike.

Sekel released the pent-up energy he had been building. A shockwave of Force energy exploded outwards, sending the troopers flying away from their target. The troopers unaffected by Tay's surprise hit the dirt as the repulse sent dust and stone everywhere. Cooper's jaw hung open, a reminder to Tay that the boy was also witnessing the Umbaran's power up close and personal.

Tay reached out with the Force again, focusing his attention on the restraints binding Cooper's arms. The cuffs unlocked of their own accord. With his arms now free, Cooper immediately retrieved his carbine, only pausing to cast a grateful glance towards the Umbaran.

The two guards who had been unaffected by Tay's surprise reacted first. They outstretched their blades and rushed forward, briefly ignoring Cooper for the chance to kill the covert Jedi hiding under all their noses. Tay smirked. Two guards against one unarmed opponent. I like those odds.

The former Jedi took a defensive stance as the Imperials charged forward. Tay let the Force guide him the way a hand would guide an instrument. His body danced expertly between the vibroblades, countering the troopers' reflexes with his own. A quick dodge sent one trooper's blade slicing through another's armor. The guard gasped as he witnessed his ally fall dead, the brief distraction allowing Tay to send the trooper flying into a tree with a Force blast. The tree fractured as much as the guard's bones, and he crumpled to the ground defeated.

A sharp pain lanced up and down Tay's arm, and the Umbaran let out a gasp as he turned to face the hidden danger. The third guard, having left his ally to deal with Cooper, lunged at the former Jedi. Even with the Force guiding him, Tay felt the tip of the Imperial's blade touch the fabric of his clothing. Need to wrap this up quick.

Tay concentrated his strike on the blade, snapping it in two. The soldier swiped at the Umbaran with his other blade, a brutish attack which Tay easily avoided. Tay saw the opening and took it, jamming the broken vibroblade in between the armor plates of the trooper's side. An agonized roar erupted from the trooper's helmet, which the general quickly silenced with a quick punch to the jaw.

The Umbaran glanced up just in time to see Cooper bury his axe blade into the side of the last trooper. The Imperial let out an agonized howl. He retaliated quickly, slamming a fist into Cooper's head and sending the boy to the ground, the carbine sliding out of reach.

Tay reached out with the Force once more, compelling the blaster to his waiting palm. The carbine flew into Tay's hand, and the general quickly took aim at the injury Cooper had previously caused. The bolt slammed into the trooper's side. The Imperial crumpled to the ground, pained groans erupting from his mouth as he writhed in agony. Tay allowed himself one second to pity the enemy before him, before knocking out the trooper with a boot to the head.

Tay took in breath after painful breath, the side effects of withdrawal from the Force coming back to haunt him. He leaned on a tree trunk, eyes glancing over to where Cooper began to pick himself up off the ground. "Are you all right?" Tay asked Cooper, eyes laden with concern as he observed the clone.

Cooper winced and clutched his head, nodding in reply. "I think I'll be okay," he shakily responded, pulling out his commlink. "Lyra, I'm here. How's your squad coming with that retreat?"

"They knew," Lyra said. The clone and the Umbaran could just make out Lyra's frantic breaths as she spoke. "The Imperials caught on to us. They ambushed our unit."

The Umbaran felt his heart sink at his new friend's words. No wonder those Imperials caught up to us. How did they figure out our plan so quickly? "What about your husband and my men? Are they safe?"

"Silas is fine, but I can't get in contact with any of the other units. We might be on our own."

Tay struggled to swallow the lump in his throat. Dammit. This isn't how it was supposed to go. These people weren't supposed to die. For Tay, the decision to have his fighters help distract the Imperials had not been an easy one. With the battle mostly lost and Third Brother on the scene, however, Tay had been left with no other options.

"We need to get out of here," Cooper spoke up. "Lyra, where are you guys headed now?"

"Silas and I are leading one of the tracers back to the spaceport we went through earlier," Lyra answered, her voice steadily regaining its calm composure. "If you've got what you need, then grab Sekel and meet us at the ship. There's no time to lose!"

"On my way," Cooper confirmed, stuffing the commlink in his pocket and turning to face Sekel. "You got anything that could get us back to the ship quickly?"

Tay nodded his head. "There should be a spare speeder back at the command center. Let's go."

The two fugitives reached the speeder in record time. Tay immediately hopped onto the pilot's seat, while Cooper climbed into the sidecar. Here's hoping we can get there quickly without crashing. Tay took in a lungful of air, forcing his hands to stop shaking as he grasped the steering controls.

The speeder emitted a high-pitched whine as it zoomed forward. The air roared in Tay's eardrums, and the smell of smoke from previous skirmishes filled his nostrils. He kept his hands wrapped around the steering controls in a death grip. We need to hurry. Who knows how Lyra and Silas might be—

BOOM!

Tay glanced up just in time to spot the missiles aimed at the crumbling building. The already-damaged structure ceased its effort to stand upright, shards of rock crumbling and tumbling down to block the street below. Tay could barely bring the speeder to a halt in time to avoid the worst of the falling debris.

That was when the two noticed the starfighter hovering behind them. The Z-95 Headhunter kept its guns trained on the fugitives. Cooper's eyes bulged with terror as he spotted the dark-clad man in the pilot's seat. Tay looked on, eyes narrowing as the Force picked up the anger and hate radiating off the man piloting the starfighter. This must be Third Brother. Such a pity that a Dark Jedi would need to hide behind a starfighter cockpit to intimidate me.

A pit of dread accompanied the familiar chime of Cooper's commlink. The clone hesitantly answered the call, not keen on listening to whatever threats the Inquisitor would make.

"I honestly didn't give a womp rat's ass about the Old Republic or its corruption, but I will admit, they know how to build a starfighter,"Third Brother's voice projected from the commlink. "You didn't think you could shake me that easily, did you? That's the thing about me. No matter how inconvenient or how hopeless things may seem, I don't ever lose sight of the reason I'm fighting. See, I learned that lesson from a mutual Jedi 'friend' of ours!"

Cooper gulped at the Dark Jedi's threat. "What are you waiting for, directions?" he yelled in Tay's ear. "Drive!"

Tay's fight or flight response up to this point had been second-guessing itself, refusing to lean completely on one choice or the other. The sight of the starfighter's cannons, however, forced the Umbaran to decide quickly. He saw an opening underneath the starfighter and took it, straightening out the bike and pushing the throttle forward. The speeder quickly zoomed by, sliding through the opening the Z-95 had inadvertently created.

Sekel's hands gripped the steering controls as he tried to keep from crashing into the nearest building. Both fugitives knew better than to look back, but Tay's ears could still pick up the near-deafening roar of Third Brother's fighter as it took off in pursuit. "Take the gun," Tay hollered to Cooper. "Keep that bastard off our backs."

More explosions of dirt and stone, courtesy of the Z-95's laser cannons, forced Tay to keep his mind focused on his steering. He narrowly dodged another blast, shielding his arm in front of his face as dirt flew in his direction. Blaster fire erupted from the sidecar's cannon, a sign that Cooper was countering Third Brother's assault with his own. While the backup slightly put Tay's fears to rest, he knew those same fears would eventually resurface. We need to get out of his line of sight, but how? As he multitasked between dodging laser fire and keeping the speeder level, the insurgent could barely make out an open alleyway. It might be a tight fit for the bike, but we've got no other options.

Tay jerked the handlebars to the left. The bike lurched as more cannon fire pelted the streets, but the Umbaran did his best to keep control of the vehicle. Almost there…just a bit further. The narrow alleyway allowed no sunlight to shine through, forcing Tay to squint and making the already tense journey even more dangerous. He throttled the steering controls as he drove, not keen on slipping up. If I lose control, that's it. We'll be done for. Don't fuck up, don't fuck up…

The insurgent's grip on the controls relaxed as the bike shot out of the alleyway without crashing. He turned the handlebars to the right, a relieved smile forming on his face. I think we might've lost him. He let out a shaky breath at the realization, allowing himself one moment of vulnerability, before he focused on his steering again. Lyra and Silas are getting worried by now. We should head back, let them know we're all right. "I think we're good," he told Cooper, patting the clone's shoulder. "I'd like to see Third Brother find us now!"

"Thank the Force," Cooper stammered out, slumping slightly in his seat. "That was too close. Let's get back to the ship before—"

BOOM!

"Kriffing hell!" Tay cursed, jerking the speeder to the right to avoid the crumbling concrete. The sight of Third Brother's starfighter on the horizon caused Tay to let out a frustrated groan. Cooper rubbed his eyes, as if the sight of his adversary was nothing more than a trick.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" the clone yelled, grasping the turret controls in a death grip. He quickly let off a volley of fire from the cannon, face contorted into a frustrated scowl. "Why can't this guy leave me alone?! Is that too much to ask?!"

Tay tightened his grip as a cannon shot came too close for comfort. Persistent bastard, aren't you? The general steered through the narrow streets, praying for an opening to escape the Imperial pursuing them. No matter how hard he tried, however, Third Brother continued to pester them. "I can't shake him," Tay hopelessly shouted, shaking his head in frustration. "He's got us outgunned, and I can't get you into position for a shot without risking getting hit."

Cooper's eyes widened in realization. "Position. That's it!" He fumbled for his commlink, nearly losing his grip on the device as another shot from the enemy rocked the speeder. "Silas, come in!"

"Kid?" Silas' voice rang out over the commlink. Tay didn't need the Force to recognize the worry in the older man's tone. "We're at the ship, and we're getting ready to take off. Where are you guys?"

"Yeah, uh, we're being chased by an emo stalker. Listen, I need you to get on the ship's guns and wait for my signal. We're the duo riding a speeder bike with a Sith on our shebs! You can't miss us!" Cooper stuffed the commlink back in his pocket and turned to face Tay. "Tay, listen to me. Take us back to the ship."

Tay's eyes widened at the boy's suggestion. "With this stalker on our tail? He'll blow us all apart! It's suicide!"

"Trust me. I have a plan."

The Umbaran hesitantly did as instructed, taking a hard right towards the nearest gap in the city's perimeter. Blaster cannon fire pelted the battered permacrete wall, and Tay accelerated to avoid the worst of the falling debris. Trees flew past the fugitives, forcing Tay to steer carefully as a few trees blocked his path. The sight of the fugitives' ship filled Tay's heart with hope.

"Not yet," Cooper spoke into the commlink. "Wait…wait…"

A blaster shot jolted the vehicle, a sign that Third Brother's accuracy was improving. Not good. Sooner or later, the Dark Jedi would land a hit, and Tay shuddered to think what would happen after that.

"Now!"

The sudden shot from the freighter's cannons nearly burst Tay's eardrums. An onslaught of brilliant red light struck the starfighter. The Z-95 swerved crookedly, engines smoking as it struggled to stay in the air. "Hang on!" Tay hollered, swerving to avoid the Z-95 as it impacted. The starfighter went up in flames faster than Tay could process. Dirt and stone flew everywhere, and Tay jerked in his seat as some of the debris impacted the bike.

The bike collided with the unforeseen obstacle, sending both occupants flying off the vehicle. Tay's eyes landed on Cooper as they flew through the air. He reached out, calling upon the Force and asking it a single request: save the boy.

The Force responded to Tay's plea, sending Cooper flying into a nearby pile of leaves. The harsh crack resounded as the young clone's head collided with the ground beneath the leaves. Tay barely had time to pity his friend before the ground harshly greeted him as well.

Hi.

Regarding the long wait...I have no excuses for myself at this point.

Anyways, thanks for the support, and have a great day! :)