Chapter 18: Tatooine Part 2

Mission was lying on her stomach in her bed, ticking away furiously on her datapad. She was stuck on a tunneling script meant to disarm the firewall of the latest v8.1 OS terminals. Every time she thought she had solved the riddle the firewall of her test system detected her intrusion and locked her out. It frustrated her to no end.

She became aware of Mirin and Juhani entering the girl's dorm – as she had christened the starboard sleeping quarters – but paid her no mind, too enthralled with her riddle.

"Mission Vao-Summers, are you going to clean up your mess?" Mirin suddenly asked a foot away from her, making her nearly jump the ceiling while letting out a little scream. When she looked to the right, she came eye to eye with her Cathar mother, whose eyes were completely level with her own.

Mission took a peek over the edge of her bunk to see what her Cathar mother was pointing at, to find her footlocker buried underneath a pile of clothes and pieces of electronics. "Meh, maybe later," she said noncommittally, before turning back to the screen of her datapad.

Mirin let out a disapproving growl. "Out of the bed," she ordered.

"Mama Mirin," the small Twi'lek whined as she watched Mirin. "I'll do it later."

"No, you'll do it now," Mirin said. "Juhani and I need the room for our training and your belongings are in the way."

"Why aren't you doing it in the hold?" Mission asked. Indicating the cargo hold of the ship which Bastila had set up as a training area for the Jedi.

"Because Bastila is currently training with Dawn, Sarryn and Willow," Mirin answered as she grabbed the girl's arm. "Out of the bed, now."

Mission paled from the intensity of her Cathar mother's words. She quickly clambered out of the bed, muttering, "Alright, alright." She stood before the two Cathar, who towered a good two heads above her. "Mama Mirin, I've been meaning to ask why are you so tall?"

Juhani folded her arms as she was the one to answer for her fellow Cathar. "Cathar's relatively low gravity coupled with an evolutionary sidestep. If that doesn't quench your curiosity you can look it up after you've cleaned up your footlocker."

"Woah, hold your Banthas, I'm doing it already." Mission quickly got on her knees and started stuffing her clothes into the container.

"Show Juhani some respect, Mission," Mirin ordered as Mission hung her head.

"Sorry, Juhani," Mission said. After cramming the third shirt into an empty nook she felt Mirin's hand on her shoulder.

"If you aren't going to do it properly, don't do it at all," Mirin snapped.

"What'cha mean, mom?"

"Empty your trunk, fold up your clothing neatly and place them back in an organized manner."

Mission pouted. "That's gonna take ages!"

"Order and discipline are essential on a spaceship," Juhani said.

Mission heaved a resigned sigh and started doing as she was told. Mirin and Juhani watched her a moment longer to make sure she was doing it properly. When Mirin was satisfied, she nodded to her fellow Cathar and they moved to the center of the room and started doing their workout. Mission watched the two muscled women go through a series of brutal exercises from the corner of her eye. The Twi'lek couldn't help but feel awed at their pure physical prowess.

Mission looked down at her own measly arms and frowned. Unlike all the other women in their company she was thin and lazy with an unhealthy appetite for snacks. Even Bastila had some basic muscular strength and a very good condition. Did Dawn and Mirin look down on her for that? Would her adopted parents love her more if she started working out a bit too?

Before long Mission finished repacking her footlocker and glanced over at Mirin for approval. "Mama Mirin?" she said as Mirin glanced her way and nodded approval before returning her attention to the training routine.

Mission clambered back into her bunk to get back on her code. She had to fish another cute Gizka out of the sheets to be able to lie down. Low grunts and pants continued coming from Juhani and Mirin as they worked, and she found her eyes wander to the Jedi Knights. A sheen of sweat was making their arms shine, only pronouncing the ridges of their firm muscles. The sight interested Mission, but when Mirin's yellow eyes landed on her she quickly looked back on her datapad, feeling caught.

About ten minutes later the two Cathar were done and Juhani slumped down on the floor, resting her back against the bulkhead and breathing deeply as Mirin went to take a shower. When Juhani's breathing returned to normal, she buried her face in her hands and sat in silence. At first it didn't bother Mission, but when Juhani still hadn't moved a muscle five minutes later she got worried. She climbed out of the bed and carefully approached her. "Miss Juhani?" she asked tentatively. When she got no response she repeated, "Miss Juhani? Are you alright?"

Juhani finally stirred and heaved an unstable breath. "Nothing you should be worried about."

Mission crouched down and tried to look into the woman's eyes through the gaps of her fingers. "But you look so down! Are you hurting?"

Juhani dropped her arms to be able to meet Mission's gaze. Her face was angry, but when she saw Mission's genuine concern her features softened. "The first days are always the hardest. Being separated from your mate."

"Oh," Mission said as she looked toward the shower where Mirin was still. "Mama Mirin told me a little bit about Cathar." She looked back at Juhani. "You miss Miss Belaya. Just like Mama Mirin would miss Mama Dawn if they were separated."

"It is more than just that," Juhani admitted. "But you are essentially correct."

"When I'm feeling down, I usually go to Mama Dawn, Mama Mirin, Auntie Willow or Big Z for a hug!" Mission said brightly. She opened her arms and gave the kindest smile she could muster. "Want one?"

Juhani glanced her over cautiously, with a hint of curiosity and amusement tugging at her lips. "You're a good kid," she said as she got to her feet and stretched. "Your future mate should be grateful for having such a loving wife. Tell your mother when she is done with the shower to come find me." She then turned and headed out of the dormitory.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

"Such wonderful ideas you have, Bastila," she thought sarcastically.

Sure, claiming the captain's quarters just behind the cockpit had its merits. A hydro shower for example, whereas the rest of the crew had to make due with a sonic one. There was something incredibly satisfying about hot water caressing your body after a long day of work, although it could be called excessive luxury when considering the limited water supply of the spacecraft. The large double bed and extra privacy were that too, but Bastila didn't mind at all.

When she had taken this room only Sarryn and Dawn had voiced their opinion. Sarryn had only done it for the sake of being obstinate. Dawn on the other hand had a legitimate reason to want to take the room, she was after all mated, which meant she want alone time with her mate on occasion. Bastila grudgingly agreed to switch off with Dawn and Mirin. Such as earlier during the afternoon when Dawn and Mirin had been in here.

A knock on the door startled Bastila, but when she heard Sarryn's silent call from the other side a smile crept on her lips. When she opened it she found her apprentice clad in his pajamas on the other side. He looked agitated. "Okay Bastila, I've had enough of this. I can't close an eye with your white noise polluting the Bond. I'm sleeping here tonight." Silver eyes grew in panic. "I'm not ready for…"

A finger was placed on her lips, effectively silencing her. "And I'm not asking that of you," he said firmly. "But the Bond is demanding us to be together."

"If the bond was demanding us to be together," Bastila said shaking her head. "Don't you think Dawn would be pounding on the door as well?"

"Dawn has other ways to distract herself from what she feels through the bond," Sarryn reminded the woman. "She has Mirin. Did you know they share a bunk in the girl's dormitory?" He noticed Bastila's quizzical look. "Mission told me. But the point is, Dawn has a way to distract herself from the bond. I do not, Bastila. And it's bloody stupid to watch the ceiling in separate rooms while we could also be sleeping soundly together."

Bastila wanted to press her case, tell her apprentice to leave the room, but Sarryn shook his head. "No Bastila, no more objections. Your fear for us being close is being detrimental to our mission, and I'm not allowing it."

In shame she averted her eyes and submitted, giving the apprentice a small victory. "Fine," she answered as proudly as she could. "You can stay here for the night."

"Good." The two of them clambered in the bed.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

A building of stucco and tan adobe, Czerka's office only stood out by being about five stories tall, the tallest building in the small town. A polished brass plaque announced it was the company's regional headquarters.

Before stepping into the Czerka office Sarryn raised the deep, black hood of his robes far over his head, hiding most of his features.

"What are you doing?" Willow asked. She and Mission were accompanying him. She had an idea that Czerka could have an idea where Mission's brother could be. If Griff had come to the planet looking for work, Czerka would likely have been the one to hire him.

"We might get better results if we look a little intimidating," Sarryn admitted.

Willow shrugged and decided to play along as she raised her own hood far over her head.

Sarryn and Willow scanned the dim area they and Mission entered, spotting a few patrons huddled around a table in the far corner and a young woman and a Duros at the counter.

The Duros was infuriated, he was throwing up his hands in frustration while the woman was the picture of corporate dispassion. "And don't tell me to take my concerns to your corporate kiosk! I should have known better than to think…"

"Mister Braco, do you want me to call security?"

"Forget it! You won't listen no matter what I do!" He turned and stormed past Willow, Misison and Sarryn, slamming the door on the way out.

"What was that about?" Willow wondered as Sarryn shrugged.

The woman immediately sat at attention when she saw who her next customers were, Jedi. A lopsided grin curled around Sarryn's lips as they walked straight to her. "Morning," Sarryn and Willow greeted when they and Mission reached the counter.

"Good morning, sir, ma'am, young miss," replied the Czerka woman nervously, speaking a little too fast. Her eyes never left the Jedi. "We don't often greet Jedi here."

"We don't often enjoy making small talk with Czerka scum," Sarryn fired back without missing a beat, making the woman flinch. "We have a few items of business. The first is we need a hunter's license." He tapped his fingers on the counter. "And make it quick, we don't have much time."

The woman paled. "I-I'm sorry, those aren't sold anymore. The lands are literally saturated with hunters. It creates some dangerous situations."

Sarryn's face dropped and he bent slightly over the counter, effectively invading the receptionist's personal space. "Listen sweetheart, when I said we don't have much time I meant that in the most literal way possible. As in: we don't have much time. Why don't you be a dear and fetch us our license? I can assure you it would make both our days so much more pleasurable."

"I-I really wish I could be of assistance ma'am, b-but you must understand…"

Willow could see that Sarryn's way was getting them nowhere. She laid a hand on his shoulder. "Let me," she whispered. She turned to the woman. "You want to get us a hunter's license," she said adding in a subtle use of Force persuasion as she did a minute gesture with her hand.

"I want to get you a hunter's license," the woman said. Five minutes and some paperwork later she handed over the hunter's license. "Was there anything else?"

"We're also here to inquire about one of your employees," Willow explained.

"Well, I can look them up in the computer, if you like. Let me be the first to say that Czerka shows respect for galactic authority." She was turned away so she didn't see Willow, Sarryn and Mission roll their eyes in unison. She walked to the kiosk. "What employee listing?"

"Vao," Willow said. "Griff Vao. A Twi'lek. He said he was working in the mines."

"Vao…Griff Vao…Twi'lek…?" she looked very nervous. "Sorry, but we don't have a Griff Vao working here…never did…"

"Are you sure?" Willow asked, her voice carrying a touch of Force persuasion again.

It had its effect as the woman nodded. "Oh, that Griff Vao," she sighed. "His supervisor was always complaining about him. Came to work late, slept through his shifts, faked injuries to get out of work…we can't prove it, but we think he might have been stealing company supplies."

"Yup," Mission said, shaking her head. "That's Griff, all right."

"I take it he's been fired?" Willow asked.

"No," the official said. "We were too desperate for miners…" Under her breath, she muttered. "Though we really wanted to…" Clearing her throat and speaking normally again, she said. "Unfortunately, he was captured forty-eight hours earlier in a Sand People attack. In the end, it wasn't cost-effective to continue the search."

"Griff…Sand people? Oh, no!" Mission stumbled with the news.

Willow asked, "So, they've just been written off to die?"

"I resent your insults, Madam. Czerka cares deeply for its employees, though all sign a waiver form releasing us from liability since these attacks are so frequent. We've even implemented a program with Fazza in the hunting lodge across the way. Three hundred credits for each of the ceremonial gaffi sticks one can retrieve. It's as good as their heads, and far less messy." She folded her arms. "For more details, visit him. In the meantime, I've got to get back to my office." She turned and walked away.

"Friendly neighborhood Czerka rep," Mission muttered as they walked out.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

They stepped out of the office triumphantly as Sarryn waved the license at Dawn and Bastila.

"I had to use some Force persuasion to get that, sorry," Willow admitted. "We also got information on Griff. Sadly, none of it good. He was captured by the Sand People. Which of course leads into what we need to do next."

What they needed to do next was to purchase a protocol droid programmed with Tusken, allowing them to communicate with the Sand People. Hopefully Tatooine's natives would prove more helpful than Czerka Corporation in their search for both Griff Vao and the Star Map piece.

To be able to afford such an expensive droid their other group – Mirin, Juhani, Carth and Zaalbar – would work on making some money. The Jedi Order had given them barely any credits to go with – 'I wear my robe so that I am warm; I carry my lightsaber that I am safe; and I keep enough credits for my next meal, so that I am not hungry' – and they doubted the bureaucratic paperwork to request some more would be faster than earning it themselves.

The teams had been formed following Dawn and Sarryn's advice. Zaalbar and Juhani got along fine enough. And Zaalbar considered Mirin has part of his life-debt to Dawn, the same with Willow and Mission. Carth had a similar sense of honor as both of the Cathar. So they and Bastila had agreed they probably work well together. Besides, after the Gizka incident no one trusted the Wookiee enough to let him guard the ship. That questionable honor was left to Canderous Ordo.

They had hardly moved a single step toward the droid shop or the young Twi'lek was already clinging to Dawn's arm and whining, "Can we finally go buy some candy now?"

"Mission Vao-Summers!" Dawn said as she looked at the young Twi'lek. While she was secretly very fond of the girl's persistence, she was the girl's adopted mother. Which meant she had begun to adopt some of her own mother's traits in regards to the girl. "You just had breakfast!"

"But I'm hungry, Mom!" she wailed overly dramatic, giving Dawn the puppy pout in the process.

Sarryn rolled his eyes. "Aren't you worried you'll get fat?"

"Twi'leks are genetically incapable of getting fat," Bastila threw in unexpectedly as she fell in stride with them. "All excessive nutrients are stored in the chest and hip areas." For an awkward second Mission, Dawn, Willow and Sarryn stared blankly at the knight, making her cough uncomfortably. "Don't give me that look, it's public knowledge."

"You mean…" Dawn's eyes moved to Mission's chest. "Feeding her candy will grow her double D's?"

The Twi'lek quickly covered her torso. "Don't look there, MOM!"

"I'm not sure they'll get that large…" Bastila's voice trailed off as she watched the Twi'lek's small mounds as well. "All I'm trying to say is that buying her candy won't hurt her figure."

Mission watched Bastila cautiously, while shuffling a little closer to Dawn and Willow to be able to whisper to her mother and aunt. "Do you think Miss Bastila is trying to overfeed me?"

"She does seem a bit obsessed with breasts," Dawn whispered back, speaking loud enough to be overheard. She looked at Sarryn and winked as he laughed at the flustered look on Bastila's face.

"I'm merely trying to be kind to you, Mission!" Bastila said.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

As excited as Sarryn and Willow had been to go to the droid shop, as deflated and disappointed they were now they had stepped through the door into the dark and dusty chamber. To call it a letdown would be an understatement.

Heaps of rusty parts littered the floor, most of it hardware that would've been old and crappy at the time Master Vrook was running around with pimples. Dawn saw Mission pick up a utility arm with a frown on her face, the girl probably didn't even know droids used to work like this in the old days. On top of that the parts were badly maintained, making their confidence in the shopkeeper drop to absolute zero.

While Willow and Bastila went to address said shopkeeper – a mumbling Ithorian wearing dirty clothes – Dawn, Sarryn and Mission set out to explore the shop. They weren't very convinced they'd find what they were looking for.

That was, until a droid in a shady corner caught their eyes. "Holy shit, what's this?" Sarryn said as the trio rushed forward to get a better look. A single glance was enough to make Sarryn's heart melt, the droid in question was so well constructed it made him wonder what it was even doing here between all the crap. It was humanoid in its design, with strong, orange armor protecting the sensitive parts. Without even seeing it in function it was clear this was a highly agile battle droid.

Sarryn touched the orange plating almost reverently. As soon as his fingers brushed over the cool metal its red eyes flared up and it began speaking in fluent Basic, with a very refined accent. "Greeting: Hello to you, prospective purchasers. I am referred to as HK-47, a fully functional Systech Corporation droid skilled in both combat and protocol functions. Query: Would you be so kind as to purchase this model from Yuka Laka? It would serve my purposes to be removed from his ownership."

"Look at him," Mission breathed in awe. "This isn't an ordinary battle droid, mom, look at the finesse of his construction! Those are OndroTech AT-423 activators, the most silent type ever produced."

"I will have to take your word on that, Mission," Dawn said.

The droid's face moved to meet the small Twi'lek. "Annoyed statement: Please, do not compare me to ill-constructed cannon fodder. Battle droids hold battlefields. I am capable of eliminating a very… specific type of target."

Sarryn and Dawn's eyes grew wide as they looked at each other. "Tell me this isn't what I think it is," Dawn said.

"I can't," Sarryn said. "We've just found a bloody assassin droid. These suckers are built and programmed to silently take out politicians, corporate magnates, admirals… Imagine the possibilities."

"Retraction: Droids built for such a function face strict regulation and often have unique difficulties with previous owners. I therefor make no claim to that designation, prospective buyer. I am a law-abiding droid. Yes, indeed, law-abiding, that's me."

Sarryn met Dawn and Mission's eyes and they burst out laughing. "Whoever programmed this droid's personality has just become my hero," Sarryn said. "Instantly. I didn't even know droids could be sarcastic."

The not assassination droid shook his head. "Request: Please do not speak so loudly, prospective buyer! Do you truly wish my price to be doubled? Statement: The fool Ithorian has decided I am to be an expensive purchase. He does this out of greed and not out of knowledge of my true capabilities."

"Alright, alright." Sarryn stole a quick glance at the shopkeeper, only to notice Willow and Bastila's frustrated faces as they were haggling with him. "You mentioned protocol aside from battle. Outline your functions."

"Disclosure: I am a versatile protocol droid, fluent in verbal and cultural translation. Thousands of languages and cultures are programmed into my memory banks." The bugger actually sounded proud of himself.

"Do they include Tusken?" Dawn asked.

"Disclosure: The language of the Sand People is indeed coded. Scathing query: But why would one get involved with such a doleful life form, prospective buyer? According to my memory banks they possess not a single redeeming quality, aside from not defiling the land by recycling their excreta for the construction of huts."

Sarryn laughed loudly. "Are you us? Continue like this and I'm going to marry you." A polite cough behind them made him jump. "Bastila! Willow! How nice of you both to join us."

"If you're done scaring my niece," Willow said as Sarryn grinned apologetically at that. "The droid you're drooling over is exactly what we're looking for."

Dawn nodded. "We know, it can communicate with the Sand People."

"Unfortunately, we can't afford him yet," Bastila shared with a frustrated sigh. "The proprietor is asking 5000 credits for it and not open for negotiation."

Sarryn let out a low whistle, but the droid had some advice to offer. "Advisement: I have observed him. He is a coward, and will be responsive to… aggressive bargaining."

"How dare you speak about your owner like that?" snapped Bastila angrily. "Does he know you talk like this?"

"Statement: I wish only to be purchased and away from ill-treatment at the hands of this poorly-skilled mechanic. I have no desire to be subtle." After a moment's silence he appeared to reconsider his words. "Qualification: Err… of course I shall be quite pleasant to you, should you purchase me. Please?"

Sarryn smiled longingly at the droid. "Oh, we'll purchase you alright. And then I'm going to clean your chassis and oil your joints until you're as smooth as Twi'lek's skin drenched in massage oil…" He literally felt Dawn, Willow and Bastila's pointed stare stabbing at him and coughed. "Err… not that I would know how that feels, of course," she said with an awkward grin at the brunette, who merely scowled back. "Ahem, we'll buy you once we have the credits. Maybe we'll follow your advice and scare him a little."

"We will do no such thing! We are servants of the light; we won't resort to such petty methods. I'm sure Mirin and Juhani will have the credits already, so we'll head back to the Ebon Hawk and wait for them."

"Confused query: Why is the flimsy one ordering the sturdy ones around?"

"Because the sturdy one is trying to woo the flimsy one!" Mission answered with a wide grin. It quickly disappeared when she saw Bastila's furious stare. "Sowwy."

"She does have a point, Bastila," Dawn said as Bastila turned her furious stare on her.

To prevent Bastila raining fire and brimstone on them all Sarryn quickly steered them out of the shop, leaving behind HK-47 in his miserable position. Not for long, hopefully.

They decided to return to the ship through the abandoned western part of town. The cheap houses here had once been erected to accommodate the large influx of miners who had been lured to Tatooine with promises of great wealth. Most of them left after the mines had been discovered barren, reducing the area to a ghost town. Ideal when wanting to avoid the potentially explosive combination of bored hunters and bankrupt pazaak players.

Moving through the abandoned streets gave them an eerie feel, a bit like walking through a graveyard. But there was more to the disquieting feeling, as they realized when they were approached by five dark figures. The five were dress similarly, from top to bottom clad in black and gray robes.

Dark Jedi.

Fighting the surge of panic Dawn grabbed Mission's shoulder and looked her intently in the eyes. "Run back to the Ebon Hawk the long way around. Warn the others if they're already back." She saw the girl wanting to protest, but firmly shook her head. "No objections, pum'kin belly, these guys are beyond your skill. Go, we'll cover your back."

The Twi'lek took a step back, surprised by the strength of her adopted mother's words. She really wanted to stay to help protect her mother and aunt, but also recognized she'd only be in the way and be more useful if she could bring Juhani to the battle. Without second thought she turned around and pelted off.

The left most Dark Jedi looked at the middle one in question, but his colleague shook his head. He was clearly the leader of the bunch. "Don't ruin our advantage. We'll track the girl down after we've overwhelmed these four." Looking back at Dawn, Willow, Sarryn and Bastila his eyes shone maliciously. "A virgin Twi'lek should be a nice reward for all our hard work." His mouth was covered by a mask, but it wasn't hard to imagine an evil smirk defacing it.

Dawn ignored the taunt. "How did you find us?"

The leader laughed darkly. "You came running straight into our arms, just like the Dark Lord said you would. How pathetically predictable you Order rats are. Killing you will earn us a lot of respect from Lord Malak and our Master, Darth Bandon. Allow me to thank you in advance for giving us that honor." He offered them a mock bow.

Not bothering with futile talk Bastila was the first to activate her lightsaber. Diplomacy wasn't the answer against Sith apprentices. five red blades were activated in response. The leader used a double-bladed lightsaber, the rest all used single blades. "Time to finish what we started on Taris."

Dawn's violet blade was drawn last. "I thought you looked familiar," she remarked, before crouching down in her favorite stance.

The eyes of the Sith's leader shone maliciously, like two dark pits. "We're going to have fun with you Order whor…" He was interrupted when a heavy, wooden beam nearly split his face in two. Willow had telekinetically propelled it at him using the first bit of magic she had ever learned in Sunnydale, but he nimbly dodged the oversized projectile. Before he even fully recovered Dawn had disappeared in a flash of green, she reappeared flying through the air straight at the leader, slashing at his throat with the intent to protect her child, just as her own mother and sister had protected her.

Bastila took one single bladed opponent on the right of the leader. Her target was quick, he parried her attack and blasted her with a powerful Force Push, followed by a stream of lightning. He was one of those Dark Jedi who preferred Force magic over physical prowess. Bastila nimbly avoided the tormenting sparks, readying her blade for retribution. Soon they were lost in a quick and deadly dance.

Willow strode toward the other Dark Jedi on the right and they began to duel, their lightsabers clashing. She thrust out her hand and sent him flying backwards with a Force wave.

The two Sith apprentices on the left targeted Sarryn. He was swiftly defending against both of them. Their attacks were quick and unpredictable, but Sarryn's defense was as tight as ever. Lost in a battle trance their lightsabers moved as in slow-motion, rippling through the Force like a peddle disturbing the surface of a still lake. Sarryn was so in tune with the Force it guided her blade precisely, like it wasn't her brain controlling her muscles, but rather the Force itself.

As the fight moved on Dawn's opponent became almost desperate in their attempts to breach Dawn's defense. He jumped and rolled around his target in a swift dance, constantly slashing and stabbing with his double blade. Even when two or three strikes were launched at her in rapid succession she managed to sidestep and deflect them. He quickly became frustrated with the seemingly immortal woman.

Which was his mistake.

While it was easy to defend against his two opponents' attacks, the two enemies gave Sarryn no opening for a counterattack. Had they continued their disciplined assault they would've worn him down eventually. Her stamina was top notch, but even she could not continue indefinitely. In the end her defense would've become sloppy, giving them the chance to go in for the kill.

Frustration made Willow's opponent careless. Her opponent made a powerful downward slash. She sidestepped it; she pushed her enemy away from her with another powerful Force wave. He flew straight through a window into a rickety home. Seeing her chance Willow used the Force to smash away one of the house's support beams. The effect was immediate, with a loud roar the entire building came crashing down on top of the Dark Jedi. A massive cloud of dust and rubble blew away from the collapsing building. She turned and ran to help Sarryn. It was now one vs one.

Dawn's opponent slashed at her neck. Unable to defend in time all she could do was turn away. His blade missed her throat barely, but gashed her left shoulder instead. Searing hot pain made her cry out and she felt her arm go limp, but she forced her agony to the back of her mind by slipping back into her battle trance. With her still working right arm she managed to close her defense against his flurry of attacks.

"Stay strong!" Bastila's voice was as a whisper in Dawn's mind, strengthening her and fueling her determination to keep fighting despite the overwhelming pain. The support was welcome, yet futile.

A low kick in her stomach pushed her back, his attacks becoming more violent now he had smelled blood. Dawn didn't know how long she'd last, she felt weak, her breathing had become labored and pain and exhaustion were starting to wear her down. Her lightsaber hung low, barely sufficient to defend against his flurry of attacks. She was forced back, step by step, until her back hit the wall.

Dark eyes glowed cruelly as the double-bladed lightsaber was raised for the kill. Dawn's foggy mind hardly comprehended what was going on, let alone was it able to figure out how to walk out of this alive. Was Willow going to have to go back to Sunnydale with sad news to Buffy that she had failed, that she had died? With her back against the wall she was at his mercy. Just as the blades were starting their descent something crashed into him.

Willow took down her opponent and then turned toward Dawn's opponent, the Sith leader. "Enemies, fly and fall... Circling arms raise a wall!" she shouted as she ran toward Dawn. Suddenly the Sith leader was forced away from Dawn by the barrier spell that now encircled Dawn. She turned to face the Sith Leader who turned to face his new opponent. What he saw caused him to start back. Her eyes were solid black.

Neither Sarryn or Bastila saw the chance in Willow's eyes, they were to focused on their own fights. Bastila eventually found herself trapped underneath her opponent. She pushed both her hands above her head with one of his. With his free hand he grabbed a lightsaber, pushing it against her throat threateningly, but not striking immediately.

Sarryn wanted to rush to Bastila as his opponent stepping between them. Bastila's opponent got to his feet, roughly pulling Bastila up with him. He mercilessly bent behind her and the red lightsaber hovered over her throat.

The Sith Leader smirked. "Make a move and she dies."

"Willow," Dawn said as she groaned in pain. "Release the spell and wrap it around Bastila."

Willow's eyes returned to normal as she looked at Dawn and nodded. She turned toward the Dark Jedi and smirked. "Enemies, fly and fall... Circling arms raise a wall!"

And suddenly the three Dark Jedi were flung away from Bastila.

Then Bastila, Sarryn and Willow went to work attacking their opponents. Soon all three were finally lying at their feet. While they had been fighting, they didn't notice that the one that had been in the house that Willow had demolished had climbed out and made a run for it to report to his master about everything that had happened.