Chapter: 16 Sink or Swim

"No person possesses every strength."

Terrors of the deep! Originally sent to find missing Jedi on Manaan, Anna and Elsa Dellian soon learned that sharks were the least of their concerns. After unveiling a Separatist presence in the planet's dark depths, the sisters battled droids and disabled a dastardly ecobomb. Chaos emerged on the surface, as the Quarren Ruger revealed himself to be in league with the wicked Count Dooku. While Anna, Elsa, and their spacer friend Erik have located a missing Padawan, her allegiance remains questionable...

Anna was done taking her share of losses. The last thing she expected was their missing Padawan to have any affiliation with Separatists or the man wielding her saber. She kept Nelani boxed in while Elsa contemplated stepping in. Erik took Anna's side as Nelani backed against the wall. "He's always watching," the Duros Padawan whimpered. "Always listening. If you're too weak, it's over."

"I'm in no mood for this cryptic nonsense," Anna intoned. She dropped to her knees and seized Nelani by the sleeves. "Start making sense!" Her increased volume only made the Duros panic more. "Or that sore jaw will be a scratch compared to my next-"

Anna suddenly felt the floor vanish beneath her. Air whirled across her face as immense pressure blasted against her body. By the time she realized she'd been Force-pushed, Anna was already rolling down the hall. She angrily recovered and glared at Elsa's outstretched hands. "That is enough," her big sister said.

Nelani looked at Elsa's hands and shook her head. "Ruger's like you, you know." she said. "Like all of us, actually."

Anna rolled her eyes. "This isn't going anywhere-"

"Let her talk," Elsa snapped.

"He's no Jedi," Nelani said. "But the Force is with him in some twisted way. He can predict imminent outcomes through foresight, leaving him virtually unbeatable. It was how he was able to ambush my master and I. When we were captured, Ruger told me he was here for the kolto. He needed a Jedi's help because he lacked the Force ability to lift heavy machinery. After all, his droids were busy planting bombs to keep the government distracted."

"Why didn't you resist?" Anna asked.

"Because my master already had. Master Chaki possessed a stronger resolve than I did and Ruger knew it. So he kept him prisoner and threatened to kill him if I didn't help mine kolto." Nelani sprung to her feet with enough urgency to put the group on alert. "I wanted to fight back! You have to believe me!" she pleaded. "But I knew I'd only have one shot and it never came. My head hurts so much from safeguarding my mind and being his puppet. If I so much as considered calling for help...if I thought about a plan to stop him...it'd all be over. I just want this nightmare to end!" Nelani collapsed while clutching her temples. Elsa rested beside her and rubbed her back. "I'll never be free! I can't even think for myself and almost betrayed you all because of it."

"Easy now," Elsa said soothingly. "You didn't fulfill any dark deed. We're still here and we're together." Elsa waited until Nelani looked her in the eye to continue. "We are with you, Nelani. The Jedi are a family, no matter what." She slowly nodded as Elsa helped her up. "Now let's put an end to this. Erik, see if you can get a call up to your ship."

While Erik attempted to get signal, Anna snagged Elsa's sleeve. "Hey, sis. Might I have a word?"

Elsa obliged as they stepped off to the side while advancing. "If this is about the Force-push," Elsa said. "You were out of line."

"It's not, but don't get me started." Anna said. "Elsa, how do we know we can trust her? She's worried about her master's survival. What if she's just said all this to earn our trust all over again?"

"Ruger seemed pretty done with her," Elsa replied.

"And if that's an act too?"

"What choice do we have?"

Anna scoffed. "Okay look at it this way. If Ruger has a Jedi captured, why did he need my lightsaber? Wouldn't he already have one?"

The theory stopped Elsa dead in her tracks. "Kriff," she uttered and instantly gasped. "Excuse me for that!"

"Wow," Anna chuckled. "I didn't know you had curse words in you, sis."

Elsa looked as though the most vile essence in the galaxy had spewed from her lips as she covered them. "Forget that," she intoned. "But you have a point, so be on guard."

Anna smirked. "Elsa, I never stopped being on guard. But I'll tell you this, Ruger's foresight does explain how he beat me at dejarik. Cause I do not lose."

"Except the time we played each other on that little holochess table in Brith Clan," Elsa quipped.

"Okay, but we were just kids. Doesn't count."

"I still won."

"I flipped the table before you could make the final move. Doesn't count."

"Pretty sure that means I won," Elsa quipped before advancing towards Nelani. She appreciated a moment of lightheartedness to prepare her for the task ahead. "Nelani," she cautiously inquired. "Do you know what happened to Master Chaki's lightsaber?"

Nelani's steps slowed and she peered around as if the walls had ears. Elsa could sense the deep pains of paranoia she'd been forced to endure for so long. "There was another," Nelani answered nervously.

"Another...lightsaber?" Elsa asked.

"No," Nelani swiftly replied. "There was a person in this base with Ruger." She winced after saying his name, as if it gave permission for him to enter her mind.

"It's okay," Elsa reassured her. "I'm with you."

Nelani took a deep breath while Anna eavesdropped behind Elsa. "Beyond the battalions of Separatist droids, I would hear Ruger conversing with someone. I tried not to listen to much, because I feared my mind would crack. But from what I did hear, they argued over my master's lightsaber. I think he gave it to her."

"Her?" Elsa reiterated. "This mystery just gets weirder and weirder."

"And Ruger let you keep your weapon?" Anna asked.

Nelani hastily nodded. "He left me with it knowing I could never attack him," she said. "It was a humiliating display of power. Whether he had my master hostage or not, he'd predict my every move. That fear kept me buried here in this damp prison. Even if he's not listening, I think he is."

"By the Force," Elsa remarked at such horror. "Plus he probably needed you to look as authentic as possible if anyone stumbled on this facility."

"You fooled us," Erik admitted. "Also I hate to break it, but our signals are being jammed. We're on our own."

"Of course we are," Elsa sighed.

"We're probably better off," Anna scoffed. "Less potential hostages, less people to worry about. Just us."

"Speaking of hostages," Elsa said. "Master Chaki should be our priority. Once he's secure, we can advance on Ruger."

"Unless he's already predicted our moves and has a trap ready for us," Nelani worried.

"I mean come on," Anna grumbled. "How fast can he possibly predict things? We'll just have to keep him on his toes and keep changing it up."

"I'm not sure that's how foresight works," Elsa retorted.

Nelani shushed the group and rushed towards the nearest viewport. She pressed her face against the glass and listened to a bizarre mix of sounds. Grinding machinery mixed with muffled laserfire as Selkath police engaged aqua droids. "Oh no," Nelani uttered as the droids easily dispatched the unprepared Selkath.

Perhaps if we'd just come quietly, they'd still be alive. Elsa thought to herself. We have stop this.

With the threat neutralized, the droids went back to patrolling a network of pipes connected to absorbent machinery. The technology sucked in seawater and pumped its components deeper into the facility. "Those devices harvest kolto from Manaan's water molecules," Nelani explained. "I can only imagine what the Separatists could do with that much of a healing agent."

"Not if we shut them down," Anna asserted. "Let's follow those pipes."

Nelani reached for Anna's arm, but stopped herself out of fear. "Just be careful," the Duros warned. "Guard your minds. Plan, but don't. Think too much, and he'll see it."

Anna looked upon Nelani with furrowed brows. "I see why you've gone manic," she muttered.

The group traced the pipelines from outside to a nearby chamber. They stepped onto a rusted balcony which overlooked masses of capsulized kolto. "That's enough to heal an army," Erik whispered as the droids stacked even more of the substance.

A pair of aqua droids dragged a haggard Selkath into the room. "It's one of the officers," Elsa said.

"No," Nelani realized and was on the verge of tears. "It's my master."

While one of the droids threw him to the floor, another trained a blaster cannon on his head. "I'm gonna try and get the drop on them," Anna said and vaulted over the railing. She quieted her landing by briefly hovering with the Force and beckoned the others to follow suit. While Nelani and Elsa mimicked Anna's maneuver, Erik slid down from the side. He slipped on a puddle and would've made quite the clamor had Elsa not caught him with the Force. Once they were together on the facility's ground level, an assortment of overhead lights turned on. Elsa and Nelani ignited their lightsabers while Erik cocked his blaster. Anna reached for the blade she still didn't possess as Ruger cackled from the corner.

"Right on time," he jeered and offered applause. "I'm impressed, Jedi. Even when one of your own informed you of my abilities, still you came."

"Had to see it for ourselves," Anna replied. "If you can read my thoughts, I'll try and think of how many side dishes go well with fried Quarren."

"That's dark for a Jedi, isn't it?" Ruger's eyes narrowed on Anna. "But I sense you're no stranger to violence. You'll cope with the sight of a dead master faster than the others then."

"No!" Nelani cried out.

Acting in the moment, Master Chaki called upon his dwindling strength to Force-push the droids away from him. As soon as he did so, an electric shock pulsed from his binders. "Solid effort," Ruger admitted. "But foolish nonetheless. I wonder how these Padawan's would feel about fried Selkath?"

Ruger set his vambrace to max voltage as Chaki convulsed beside him. Aqua droids emerged behind the kolto collection to attack their newfound intruders.

"Erik!" Anna called. "You and Nelani deal with the droids. Save that Selkath while you're at it."

"If you think you're going after Ruger by yourself," Elsa intoned. "You've got another thing coming."

"On the contrary, I was hoping we could take him together." Anna corrected. "I'm not backing down, but I know when I need a hand."

Elsa nodded and flourished her saber as the sisters lunged into battle. Lasers skimmed the capsules and caused Ruger to snap. "Watch it, you blasted droids! Dooku will have my head if we lose an ounce of that kolto!"

"Oh?" Anna said and nonchalantly kicked one of the capsules over. Portions of the bright fluid leaked onto the floor as she shrugged. "Oops."

Ruger's tentacles twitched frustratedly and he spun for the exit. All hopes of a hasty retreat were foiled as Elsa landed in front of the door. "Surrender, Quarren!" she ordered.

Ruger huffed and returned to a relaxed demeanor. He humored Anna with a glance as she blocked his exit from the opposite side. "Let's get this over with," he mumbled as Anna charged. "Duck," he announced and went through with the action. Anna's punch sailed over his head and he easily pushed her away. "Slide away from saber jab...block kick...prepare for three punches." Anna's fury grew as Ruger mocked her and Elsa's every move while easily countering them. Her breaking point came when he caught Elsa's leg and flung her into her. The sisters crashed into the nearest railing as Ruger chuckled to himself. "I used to think I was weak," he admitted. "Unable to do all the things the mighty Jedi can. But who needs to lift objects or shoot lightning...when I can just see it all coming? Excuse me, ladies." He rolled to evade a blaster shot from Erik down below. "Nice try, spacer."

"Why not use these powers for good?" Elsa panted. "The Jedi Order-"

"Entrance into your Order is dependent on seekers," Ruger said while continuously blocking punches from Anna. He grabbed her wrist and elbowed her back into Elsa. "Not all of us had the luxury of being discovered. And once you miss the age of tutelage, you're left with these untapped abilities."

"Just because you're not a Jedi, doesn't mean you have to use the Force selfishly," Elsa said.

"Spoken like a true drone of the Jedi Order," Ruger mocked. Anna growled and sprung towards Ruger with a leaping kick. He rolled his eyes and was ready to counter before she was airborne. She braced as he effortlessly snatched her foot and launched her into the wall. "You really don't learn, do you? What part of 'I know every move you'll make before you make it' don't you get? You were right to lose your weapon to me."

Anna smirked through bloodied lips and wiped them. "Oh I heard you loud and clear, squidhead." she hissed. "You may have foresight, but you've only managed it so far. Even if you're Force sensitive, you need a real master to show you the way. Without one, you're no different than us Padawans. Perhaps you're even less."

Ruger cackled. "How do you figure that when I've got both of you beaten before me?"

"Where you see a victory," Anna said. "I see a distraction."

Elsa hadn't even realized what Anna was getting at, but her attack had completely played Ruger. She was never trying defeat him, but instead keep his abilities focused on her and Elsa. He might've been able to predict the imminent future, but he could only focus on so much so quickly. Ruger's eyes widened as he came to the realization and peered at his vambrace. The electric shock suddenly flashed a (CONNECTION LOST) warning.

"What?" Ruger gasped and rushed for the balcony. He looked down to see Erik keeping the aqua droids at bay. While he did so, Nelani had slashed Master Chaki's cuffs off and was embracing him. "No!" the Quarren bleated.

While his mind was distracted, Ruger suddenly felt the lightsaber unclip from his belt. He watched the durasteel hilt fling off and zip into the hands of its true owner. A proud grin flashed across Anna's face as her weapon nestled within her fingers like part of her body. Igniting the saber brought a familiar hum to Anna's ears. "Now then," she said. "What was I saying about fried Quarren?"

Ruger shook off his fears as the saber-wielding siblings closed in. He took a deep breath and his tentacles puffed with it. "Come on then," he taunted.

Anna started towards him when Elsa stopped her. "Sis," she warned. "He's unarmed."

"I count that mind of his as a weapon," Anna insisted and sprinted towards Ruger. Her rapid Ataru strikes all missed as the Quarren predicted them. Even with her lightsaber, Anna's attacks were useless if Ruger was focused on her again. Elsa used the Force to lift and fling a nearby crate at Ruger. He sensed her attack as well and quickly evaded.

Meanwhile, Nelani cradled her trembling master in her arms. "Master Chaki," she whispered. "I've got you."

"Nelani," Chaki uttered. He raised a hand, but was barely strong enough to hold hers. His body still smoked from electrocution as his head fell back.

"Be still," Nelani assured. "We're going to get you out of here."

"I could use some help here!" Erik exclaimed as lasers zipped overhead. Nelani gently dragged Chaki behind cover and then joined the fight alongside Erik.

While Ruger was effectively dodging the Dellian sisters, he was slowy moving towards an alternative exit. Anna jabbed her saber towards his neck and he perfectly ducked under it. Once in position, Ruger grabbed Anna's wrists and pressed hard. She flailed in his grip as his suction cupped fingers held her in place. Anna tried to knee him in the groin, but Ruger countered with his own knee. Before Anna could retaliate, Ruger's facial tentacles spread as if poised to snatch her. Instead, they revealed his slit of a mouth as it squirted warm ink across her face. Blinded, Anna writhed until Ruger kicked her back. He used the maneuver to buy him time to escape through a ventilation shaft.

Elsa slid to her sister's side as Anna rigorously scrubbed her face of the black substance. It oozed off her cheeks while her tightly squeezed eyes and pursed lips came into view. "Don't move," Elsa warned as she used her sleeve as a washcloth. She unclogged Anna's nose and left black-stained splotches lining her face.

Anna hurriedly caught her breath and softly opened her pink, irritated eyes. "You're the alien expert," she panted. "Is this stuff poisonous?"

"No," Elsa assured. "I'm afraid it's just disgusting."

Anna grimaced and licked her arm to get the taste out of her mouth. "I'll take disgusting." She glared at the half-opened vent and slammed her fist on the floor. "I really hate this guy."

Ruger continued to crawl through the vents until he believed he was at a safe spot. He activated his holocom and tried to compose himself. No matter how the Quarren tried, Count Dooku could see right through him. "Ruger," the count said. "You're not looking well."

"The Jedi have given me a run for my credits," Ruger replied. "But I assure you, the situation is under control."

"That is not what my droid commanders say."

Ruger gulped. "But the kolto has been harvested-"

"And the Jedi have discovered its whereabouts. You are no longer in control of this operation."

"What about my cut?" Ruger asked.

"You were to be paid for a discreet operation," Dooku intoned without remorse. "You informed me that you could predict and strategize like no other. That it was...a gift. It seems your luck has run out, and there is no place for you, or any of the others you vouched for in the Separatist Alliance. I will handle the kolto from here."

"I was promised a cut, my lord!" Ruger pleaded.

"Here is your cut," Dooku replied. "I'll warn you that my droids have been ordered to flood the facility. They will confiscate the kolto from here. Whether you survive or not is up to you and no longer my concern."

"But Count Dooku! I-" The call ended and Ruger angrily squeezed his holocom as if it were the count's throat. A sudden rumble forced him to pick up the pace as he noticed how quickly Dooku's droids were moving.

Nelani was getting overwhelmed with laserfire as the droids encroached her. "Someone help!" she called across the chamber.

Elsa and Anna were making their way down as Erik slid over. He took aim, only to realize he was out of blaster charges. "No no no!" he cursed and hopelessly threw the weapon at a droid. It tinged against the aqua droid's sleek plate and got it to stop firing. "Wait," Erik gasped. "Did that actually work?"

The chamber grew eerily quiet as the remaining aqua droids ceased fire. Anna was about to get some free hits on them when Elsa caught her by the hood. "Maybe they're giving us a pass," Elsa suggested. "Why start unnecessary chaos?" She dared to deactivate her lightsaber and Nelani followed her example.

"I just got this back," Anna declared and spun her weapon. "It stays on."

"What happened to your face?" Erik asked Anna but was ignored. The group formed a defensive huddle by Master Chaki while the aqua droids marched elsewhere. Instead of shooting at intruders, the droids each embraced a kolto canister and remained stationary. More droids emerged from the next room to do the same. "What in the world?" Erik muttered.

"Something doesn't feel right," Elsa said and shut her eyes. She reached out with the Force to sense the room. The bubbling kolto molecules floated into her mind's eye. The buzzing wires of each droid beside them also came into view as Elsa delved deeper into her senses. Beyond it all, she felt something warm emanating from one of the droids. It was a familiar heat source, typically associated with a blaster charge. Her eyes shot open and she quickly scanned the chamber. "One of these droids is hostile," she warned.

The group's heads swiveled in search of a weaponized droid while Anna kept her blade raised. By the time they saw a laser cannon peeking over the canisters, it was too late. Elsa traced the weapon's barrel not to them...but to the nearest viewport. Her realization quickly became the group's as Elsa shouted. "Run!"

She directed all of her power to Force-pushing the small door behind them. It collapsed just as the droid blasted an explosive laser through the viewport. Seawater began flooding into the chamber as Nelani and Erik hauled Chaki to his feet. When he wasn't moving fast enough, Erik hoisted the Selkath over his shoulders and ran for it. Anna and Elsa dashed side by side to eye potential exits as water poured in behind them. "They're giving us a pass, huh?" Anna jeered.

"Not now, Anna!" Elsa snapped. "Keep running!" While Nelani was keeping up with them, Erik's legs were giving out. Still, the spacer persisted with carrying a Jedi master on his back.

"At least we're not wearing flippers anymore!" Anna huffed.

No, we're just barefoot, Elsa thought and envied her sister's physical stamina. The fact that Anna could be running for her life and quipping of all things was somewhat infuriating. Anna's comment did make Elsa wonder how they were going to escape the doomed facility. Their diving gear was far behind the flooded chamber and therefore already submerged. She'd just have to trust the Force as they pressed on.

The corridors were giving out as more viewports cracked under pressure. Chambers continued to flood as Anna noticed a ladder leading to the upper facility. "There!" she hollered. Anna was first up the metal bars to secure the area above. Nelani went second while Elsa stayed to assist Erik. By the time Nelani reached the top, the waters were already up to Elsa and Erik's knees. "Go!" Elsa urged as Erik started climbing.

"Master Jedi," Erik said. "I'm gonna need you to grip my shoulders." The weary Selkath wrapped his arms around Erik's neck as he climbed the ladder. "That...works too," Erik croaked.

"Come on! Come on!" Anna shouted exasperatedly. "It's over! We have the high ground."

"Just a little more, Erik." Nelani said. "You're almost there."

Erik's strained arms were giving out as his body succumbed to Chaki's weight. His face reddened as he was within a few bars of the top level. Anna and Nelani reached out hands to help while Elsa watched from above. If she stayed down any longer, the waters would soon be up to her shoulders. Realizing Erik wasn't going to make it, Elsa Force-pushed him and Chaki over the edge to safety. She used enough power to accidentally sever the ladder and send it crashing towards her. Elsa braced, but an incoming surge of water pushed her away.

"Elsa!" was the last cry she heard from Anna before being swept beneath the waves. Elsa swirled and banged against several walls before drifting in the center of a flooded corridor. She had barely gotten a breath in and slowly opened her eyes. Her obscured, blurred vision was only worsened by the burning of seawater. All she could do was swim upward and pray there was an air pocket. She kicked towards the ceiling and rejoiced when her face broke a surface. While her lips were practically kissing metal, she flattened her face against it and tried not to panic. Her first impulse was to give in to her racing heart and let out a wild whimper, but Elsa forced a deep breath. She had to believe her friends and sister had made it out safely. Whatever her fate would be, she would pass through it knowing she tried everything possible. As the water level prepared to seal her limited breathing space, Elsa took a final breath before being submerged.

She opened her irritated eyes and focused on the blurry light sources. She limited her kicks to save breath and let the current push her onward. Staying close to the ceiling, Elsa tried not to panic after realizing there wasn't a single air pocket left on that level. She rounded the corridor and the next light source seemed ever distant. Knowing not what awaited her, Elsa swam as quickly as she could. Her heart's steady beats became rapid poundings as air fled her nostrils. She willed her body to kick or pull once more. In a final effort, Elsa threw her hands back to propel herself with a Force-push. She glided to the end of the hall and struck a piece of separated metal...then another. Recognizing the pieces as stairs, Elsa weakly kicked up until the waters surged again. She forced her head to a foamy, bubbling surface and wheezed for much-needed air. If there was an instant where Elsa thought being buried alive on Hoth was the worst fate possible, drowning had beaten it.

She coughed and snorted in the salty air before slowly regaining her momentum. The waters were still rising and the last thing Elsa wanted to do was experience drowning all over again. Bulbs and piping around her burst under pressure as she hobbled up the stairs. As Elsa made it to the next level, she glimpsed figures hunched over a control panel.

"I don't know!" Anna's voice echoed, still broken from witnessing the waters claim her sister. Elsa tried to call out to them, but her breathy words were blocked out over the ruckus around her.

"Here let me see," Erik insisted. "Hangar doors require a manual override."

"Yes we know," Anna snapped. "But how do we do that?"

"I'm a spacer, not a hacker."

"Well you're gonna be a drowner," Anna grumbled.

"Less problem, more solving please." Nelani worried.

"I don't see you coming up with any ideas," Anna scoffed while pushing random buttons. Water levels were rising and her gaze became frantic. "I don't know. I don't know!"

A soaked, pale hand flopped onto the panel and all spun to see Elsa. "Sis!" Anna yelped and hugged her drenched sister. "You've got to stop almost dying on me."

"Gurmurspurs," Elsa murmured in Anna's embrace.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Give me space," Elsa reiterated as Anna released her. "Get ready to move." While still catching her breath, Elsa quickly analyzed the panel. She dried her hand on Anna's sleeve and then used it on the touchscreen. The other's watched in awe as Elsa hurriedly followed several prompts to activate the hangar doors. Lastly, it asked for a passcode. To override it would take time they didn't have, so Elsa instead searched for schematics for the hangar. Once she found the appropriate door, she guided the group towards it.

"Aren't you gonna unlock it?" Erik grunted while heaving Chaki.

"That's where Anna and I come in," she said. "This will also stall the water for a bit if it works. Come on, sis." Elsa stretched out her hands. "Just like the temple on Scarif."

"Elsa," Anna huffed. "This one's metal. Not stone."

"You can do it. Think of it as training for the Corellian Cup."

"Holy Kriff. You're right!" Anna eagerly through up her hands and tried to ignore imminent death. Though her Force abilities were less consistent than her sister's, Anna still strived to get her side of the door opened first. As the siblings used the Force, Erik slid through with Master Chaki.

The waters were closing in behind them as Elsa made a call. "Anna, go through!" she said. "Nelani, take her place. Once she's through I'll hold for both."

"You'd better make it through this time," Anna urged her sister. "I'm not losing you again." She let go of the door as Nelani stepped in. While Anna walked through, she glanced back at her sister and thought, All this time, I thought I was the natural-born leader. But here we are in a survival situation, and Elsa has all of our backs.

"Nelani, go!" Elsa ordered as one of the paths behind her flooded. The Duros rushed through as Elsa held the entire door herself. While doing so, she slowly stepped forward to get across.

Nelani and Anna held it from the other side. "Your turn, sis!" Anna shouted. "We've got you."

Elsa peered at the rushing waters behind her and made a run for it. When she was almost through, the station's second level destabilized under pressure. The facility tilted, making Nelani and Anna lose their footing. Elsa slipped between the doors as each came crashing down to her. She braced for the worst, but the doors halted again.

"Come on!" Master Chaki screeched from over Erik's shoulder. His twitching arms remained raised as he miraculously held the doors in place. "Padawans, to me!" Nelani and Anna recovered as the three of them helped Elsa get through. The doors finally slammed to temporarily seal off water.

"Feeling better, Master Jedi?" Erik asked.

"I'm getting there, lad." Master Chaki said. "Though this lift you're giving me is doing wonders for me aching joints." Erik glowered as the Selkath scratched his head like a tamed Bantha. Chaki peered over at Elsa with his beady eyes. "And you, lass. Your connection with the Force is remarkable."

"Thank you," Elsa said. "But that was a team effort back there."

They approached an elongated platform with several available watercraft. "By the Force," Master Chaki said. "These submersibles date back to the Old Republic."

"Do you think any of them still work?" Anna asked. The sealed doors began to bend as water leaked through.

"Time to find out," Erik said. "I have a good eye for this sort of thing." He set Chaki beside Nelani and jogged down the assortment of subs. After surveying the vehicles, he finally pointed towards an oblong model. "This one's not as rusted as the others. It's our best shot."

"Glad you tagged along," Elsa admitted. "I would've picked the sleeker model."

"I probably just would've swam for it," Anna joked.

They boarded the chilly craft and sealed themselves in just as the doors collapsed outside. Seawater poured through the corridor like a raging river as Erik felt around for a panel. "Can I get a light?" he asked. Anna activated her lightsaber and dipped it towards his face. "Dangerous, but efficient." he complimented. He tugged away at wires as a question came to mind. "Anyone here a pilot?"

"I'm decent, but still quite lightheaded." Chaki said.

While Nelani and Elsa remained awkwardly silent, Anna threw up a hand...and nearly stabbed Erik's face with the other. "I flew a ship once!" she exclaimed. "I mean sure, it was for like...a minute and then I hit the hyperdrive. But-"

"That's good enough. You'll be my co-pilot." Erik said. "Just don't cut my face."

"Ummm, we have a problem." Nelani worried as she peered out the viewport. Water levels were rising over the sub and shaking it.

"Not anymore!" Erik proclaimed and sparked a wire into place. A tumultuous whir startled the group while dim, cyan lights activated overhead. "Find a seat, everyone! We're in business. Anna, you're with me."

Despite being in such an intense situation, Anna couldn't help but feel her heart flutter. It was such an odd sensation...but then again, it could've been the water rocking the sub. It took a moment for Erik to figure out the controls before he grabbed the wheel and started turning.

"Oh no," Chaki realized. "No one opened the hangar doors."

"You mean we're trapped in here?" Nelani asked and hyperventilated.

"There's another reason I picked this one," Erik said with a smirk. He tilted the sub leftward towards the closed hangar doors. "Anna, uncap that switch on your left and press the red button."

Anna obliged and a violet-hued missile rocketed out of the sub. "Holy-" was all Anna could utter before the projectile blasted the doors to pieces.

"Hahaa!" Erik cheered proudly and shook Anna's shoulder with excitement. "With me now." They placed their hands on the throttle together and launched the sub out of its doomed station.

Anna felt just as exhilarated and checked on the rest of the group. Nelani had shut her eyes to practice slow breathing, Chaki was still recovering from his injuries, and Elsa was as woozy as they came. With everyone occupied and the situation feeling so right, Anna gave Erik's hand a squeeze. She didn't know what would come of it nor why she felt as she did, but he didn't seem frightened by the gesture. She just felt...happy.

He looked down at their hands and then back up at her with a chuckle. As Elsa began to stir, Anna nervously pulled her hand away. Erik sighed and returned his focus to the sea ahead. He then noticed a wave of aqua droids pedaling towards the surface. Their ascension was slowed given that each was holding a kolto canister. "Now we know why they flooded the station," Erik said.

Erik followed them up as the sub finally breached the surface. While Sino City was beside them, so too was a fleet of bizarre spacecraft. If one didn't know any better, the ships looked like metal squids hovering above the sea. The last thing anyone expected was for some of them to cling to the city while others shot lasers from afar. Anna had to rub her ink-stained eyes to make sure she was seeing things right.

Elsa leaned over their seats with her mouth agape. "Those are trident-class assault ships," she said. "Heavily utilized at the Battle of Kamino."

"It's a Separatist invasion force," Anna added.

"Brace yourselves," Master Chaki uttered. "The Battle for Manaan is upon us."