Author's Note: Surprise! You get Friday's chapter a day early because I will not have a chance to post tomorrow. Dearest readers, it's time to celebrate again! Last Friday's chapter premiere had a record-breaking turnout of 456 readers! I love you all so much and I appreciate your support. These milestones are impossible without the love you show this story. So thank you and I'm honored to entertain you.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please stay tuned after this chapter for an update on future chapters. This being said, I hope you enjoy today's installment.

~ Michael

Chapter: 78 The Hunt - (Part: II)

"You have to save your own life."

A most dangerous game! Jedi Knight Elsa Dellian has been kidnapped by the sinister Crimson Dawn leader, Bry Clayton. Believing Elsa to be his mentor's killer, he plans to make her suffer by hunting her down. Unwilling to yield without a fight, Elsa confronted and her kidnapper. While she managed to disarm Clayton, he inflicted a devastating wound with his machete. Now, Elsa struggles to find shelter before she bleeds to death on an unknown planet...

A fiery sun descended behind the mountains and darkness crept across the frozen landscape. Clayton's belligerent growls emanated from beside the mud pit as he rolled and writhed. His massiff, Titan, scrambled to his side and barked profusely. Dazed and achy from Elsa's furious Force push, Clayton could hardly see straight at first. His left shoulder barely budged as he angrily glanced over at it. From the moment he'd heard such a daunting crunch and pop, Clayton had feared a dislocation. Sure enough, the impact had forced his arm forward and out of its socket. Realizing that every lingering moment was worsening the effect, Clayton fought to stand. Hatred spurred him onward as he collapsed against the mud wall. Gunk splattered against his back while he propped his limp and tingling arm against the rocks. With gritted teeth and an agonizing grunt, Clayton pivoted the rest of his body. Sweat clustered between his furrowed brows as he aggressively popped his shoulder back into place.

Titan pounced back as Clayton fell forward. Trembling with pain and rising rage, he unleashed a furious roar. "Dellian!" he yelled and it echoed beyond the mud pit. His savage shout echoed across the slopes and throughout the shadowy forests below.

No amount of darkness could shroud the blood trail dampening the snow. The booted footprints beside it were sporadic and cumbersome. More blood continued to trickle from Elsa's machete wound as she stumbled through the forest. Her continuous, shallow breaths echoed beyond her heavy-headedness. Dehydration, hunger, and exhaustion crept in beneath this insurmountable pain. While Elsa had managed to get her hands on Clayton's rifle, she was unsure what good it would do in her condition. She could hardly hold the weapon steady as its butt dragged across the bloodied snow. Her aching legs would give out if she kept pushing herself into the forest. Desperate for shelter, her head swiveled until she discovered a frost-coated cave at the mountain's base.

Thinking quickly, Elsa hobbled out of the woods and into the cave. Given her predicament, she practically threw herself into it and immediately lost her footing. Elsa slipped and tumbled down an icy incline and struck a frosted wall. Her ears briefly rang from the impact before she regained her composure. Using the rifle as a crutch, she propped herself up and clutched her side. As Elsa leaned against the nearest wall, she felt her strength fading. Between each shortened breath, Elsa had to strictly reassure herself that the Force was with her. Still, the dreadful gash across her abdomen was enough to keep her heart pounding. Blood continued to seep from the wound and trickled into a puddle near her hip. Dizzy and faint, Elsa deduced that it was only a matter of time before she bled out. She had to stop the bleeding...by any means.

Knowing what had to be done, she nervously glanced at her makeshift crutch. Elsa swallowed hard and examined the sniper rifle. Her thoughts raced as she tried to scrounge up any sliver of knowledge from her studies in the Jedi Technical Division. "Supercollimator barrel," Elsa identified. "DH-447...high caliber." Her heart sank as she uttered, "Chargeable." Taking a deep breath, Elsa forced herself to prime the rifle. Knowing what was to come, her reluctant body went stiff in rebellion. Elsa's trembling, bloody fingers flipped a switch on the rifle's stock. A high-pitched chime sounded as a scarlet bar illuminated, displaying the rifle's charge. While it reached maximum level, Elsa ripped off a piece of her sleeve. Her exposed patch of pale skin revealed the scar from Barbossa's vibroblade. After setting the torn sleeve aside, Elsa gripped the fully-charged rifle and aimed it at a snow mound. She tried digging the barrel in as much as she could and hoped it would muffle the sound. Shutting her eyes and bracing for the shot, Elsa pulled the trigger.

The high-powered laser blasted through the snow mound and sent an echo ringing throughout the cave. Without wasting a moment, Elsa then placed the torn sleeve in her mouth and raised the rifle with the Force. Her nostrils flared with her hastening breaths as the weapon trembled under pressure. With time running out, Elsa curled her fingers and dissembled the weapon as she would her lightsaber. Lacking time for grace, Elsa let the unimportant components plummet around her. The pieces descended and clattered until only the rifle's power pack remained. Having been fully charged and fired, this metallic component was blazing with energy. It was practically smoking as Elsa started lowering towards her wound.

The Jedi's hands were a trembling mess, yet still she followed through. Her reddened and unblinking eyes watched as the power pack neared her abdomen. Nearly every ounce of her being was fighting for her to yield, telling her that there had to be another way. But no matter how painful things would get, Elsa knew this was her only chance. She gently opened her shredded robes and exposed the bleeding gash. Shutting her eyes, she boldly pressed the power pack to her wound.

No amount of fabric could muffle the agonizing and blood-curdling screams that Elsa unleashed in that cave. They rang out over the sounds of searing, sizzling flesh as the power pack cauterized her gash. Smoke swirled from the component while Elsa's head convulsed. Her pale skin surged with redness as sweat drenched her body. With how hard she was biting down, Elsa thought her teeth would rip right through the sleeve and shatter against each other. Her legs writhed and kicked rifle pieces across the frosty ground. With a violent flick of her wrists, Elsa flung the power pack against a wall. Smoke emanated from her sealed and scarred abdomen as she spit the sleeve out. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she alternated between screams and whimpers. Veins twitched along Elsa's strained neck as an uncontrollable sobbing took hold. She tried cooling her abdomen against a snow mound, but collapsed in an effort to do so. While Elsa had stopped the bleeding, she'd succumbed to the intense pain of her crude cauterization. Amidst her excruciation, she unleashed an impulsive Force repulse. The blast from her powers caused a cave-in as Elsa fainted in the darkness.

Shadows overwhelmed Elsa. As she lay sprawled amidst the blackness, the world around her seemed to fade. Sensation left her as all became a blur. Her body was spinning...reeling from all she'd encountered. And yet for a moment, Elsa felt liberated from her pain. She knew not where she was as Evara's voice echoed down to her. "Elsa," the Force Wraith beckoned. "Elsa. You must rise."

"I can't," the Jedi uttered. "It hurts...too much." Elsa grimaced while clutching her torso and thinking of Yelena's demise.

"You are not alone through this inevitable suffering," Evara said. "I am at your side, but you must remain true to the light. Through your pain...amidst your anger, you briefly accepted the Dark Side's pull."

Elsa thought back to her powerful, raging Force push and how she'd nearly killed Clayton. Recognizing her anger, Elsa frowned and buried her face in her hands. "I-...I'm sorry," she uttered. "I was scared."

There was a brief pause following her confession. Elsa remained sprawled across the ethereal and shadowy ground until a luminous hand touched her shoulder. She felt Evara's soothing warmth as the wraith said, "It's alright to afraid, Elsa. But you cannot let those fears dictate your path. You must not bow and become a prisoner to your trepidation. Such is the path to the Dark Side."

Elsa forced a smile and slowly lifted her head. "You still haven't given up on me," she uttered.

"And I never will," Evara intoned. "Now rise, servant of Light. Rise!"

"Rise!"

Elsa gasped herself awake among the collapsed boulders. Her heart raced as she instantly clutched her aching abdomen. The cooled, cauterized wound still throbbed as she sat upright. While Elsa closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, Yelena's words boldly echoed within her mind.

"Your abilities...your power, will only grow. And with that brilliant mind of yours...I get the feeling that you'll always be a step ahead."

Elsa opened her eyes with a hardened resolve. "I am one with the Force and the Force is with me," she reminded herself. With a mighty grunt, Elsa rose from the ground and observed her surroundings. Whether this was to be her victory or defeat, Elsa chose to advance in the name of the Light Side. She called upon whatever dwindling strength she could muster and extended her hands towards the boulders. "This is for you, Master Yelena," she whispered while reaching out with the Force. The boulders slowly shifted around as she manipulated them to her will.

Clayton's muddy boots dropped towards a forested, lower ridge. His steely gaze surveyed the moonlit terrain while Titan growled at his side. The massiff's claws kicked up snow as he sniffed between trees. His soulless, black eyes quivered as he whiffed the scent of blood. Clayton watched his pet sniff scarlet splotches across the snow and then bark profusely. "Good boy," the hunter whispered. "Follow."

While Clayton's arm still ached from resetting it, he forced himself to carry on via speeder bike. Anger filled his heart and he directed all of it towards finding Elsa. His freshly-wiped machete swayed from his belt as he disembarked and double-checked his sidearm. A thin, yet powerful DL-18 pistol lay nestled in his back holster. Despite following Titan along Elsa's blood trail, Clayton remained low. He'd already underestimated the Jedi enough times, and as far as he knew...she still had his sniper rifle. He kept glancing over at potential vantage points, telling himself that they'd be where he would set up. Clayton just had to ask himself if Elsa possessed any sniping capabilities. Then again, Clayton thought. She might've bled out already. I'd slashed her good from the look of things back there. But would I be so lucky?

Titan's spiky back tingled and he quickened his pace. The massiff pounced over to the mountain's base and snarled into a frost-coated cave. A single bloodstain streaked across one of its icy inclines. "Looks like she fell," Clayton whispered while petting Titan's head. "Looks like." He raised a brow and checked over his shoulder. In a single motion, Clayton withdrew his pistol and activated its flashlight attachment. Unwilling to let the incident in the mud pit happen again, Clayton had started triple checking his corners. When he was flying his captive to the desolate world, his plan had been to torture her on this hunt. He knew she'd put up some form of resistance, but believed it would subside. That her resolve would weaken as he and Titan relentlessly hunted her. That starvation, dehydration, and paranoia would drive her insane...have her begging for a quick death. But whether he liked it or not, Clayton had still underestimated the Jedi. Paranoia had come to him, despite his numerous attempts to feel he retained the upper hand.

Clayton and Titan slid down towards a lower chamber. They found themselves standing amidst eerily silent and barren ground. Titan barked in all directions and his cacophonous echo was a sting to Clayton's ears. As the hunter knelt to quell his beast, he noticed snow shifting through cracks and fissures in the ground. He knitted his brows and peered into one of the cracks, revealing an entire lower level of inner cave. As he observed the impactful cracks around her, he couldn't help but wonder what caused them. Clayton swayed his pistol over the snow and paused at the sight of multiple fragments. While Titan sniffed some of the pieces, Clayton picked up what was left of a scope. He'd assembled and disassembled his rifle enough times to recognize it anywhere.

"She destroyed it?" he whispered while observing the scope's cracked lens. "What is she up to?" Clayton's eyes widened as he suddenly steadied his hand. Although he was still looking down at the scope, he saw a profuse amount of boulders hovering over his head through its reflection. His heart sank, yet he calmly dropped the scope and stood up. Clayton raised his light to the cave's ravaged ceiling and observed the surreal, floating boulders. Before he could investigate further, one of the boulders suddenly darted down to him. Clayton took evasive action, scooped up Titan and rolled towards one of the walls.

He forced a raucous cackle as he rose from the ground. "You are something else, Dellian!" he taunted until another boulder came spinning down. Clayton dodged it and carried on. "That's a nice trick of yours. But also a foolish one. I'm no Jedi-" he said while scouring the darkness above him. "-but I know you can't be lifting all of this from too far away. Especially not in your condition." His words garnered a pair of boulders to descend, both of which missed as he lunged across the chamber. "Not even close!" he jeered. "You're getting sloppy, Jedi. Or is it tired? Broken? Scared? Lost because you can't do anything without that old crone I fried on Aren?" A massive boulder came crashing down. But what it possessed in power...it completely lacked in accuracy. Clayton toted a sinister smirk. "Struck a nerve," he chuckled. While advancing, Clayton put his hands behind his back and proceeded to snap his fingers. He did so in a unique sequence and concluded with a whistle that could've easily been mistaken for an expression. "Elsa...Elsa...Elsa-" he carried on while Titan stealthily crawled into the darkness. "You had me worried there for a moment when you stole my rifle," he said. "But you didn't even have the guts to use it. What? Can't fight fairly against an opponent? Is that it? You had Cruella cornered and could exercise excessive force? Well...who's cornered now?"

Clayton's devious grin faltered as an unseen pressure surged towards his hand. While the boulders collapsed around him, the energy on his pistol increased. He tried tightening his grip, but the invisible power pried the pistol from his hand. Clayton growled as the weapon swiveled through the air and Elsa emerged from the shadows. Surprised to see her limping over, Clayton unsheathed his machete and charged.

Elsa battled her abdominal pain and thrust her hands forward. With a mighty push, she sent a burst of energy surging towards him. It was enough tatter his coat and loosen the grip on his machete. Focusing on the blade, Elsa furiously twisted her wrists with another Force push. From the moment the machete snapped at its handle, Clayton realized how little control he really had over the situation. His eyes widened as he was flung at Elsa's mercy. She alternated between Force pushes and pulls, sending him flailing through the air and into the cave's walls. Sweat trickled down her temple as she urged herself to carry on. Come on, Elsa willed herself. Hang in there!

Despite the abrupt strikes, Clayton was discreetly reaching for his belt between collisions. Elsa was about to throw him again when a distinct growl sounded from behind her. On his master's secret orders, Titan came dashing in to flank Elsa. While she turned to engage the massiff in time, doing so required her to drop Clayton. Elsa struck the ground with a thud and fought to hold back the savage canine. Slobber sputtered over her as Titan's ominous jaws chomped above her hands. While Elsa narrowly avoided being clawed across the face, the massiff was putting an excruciating amount of weight on her abdomen. Titan was too aggressive and Elsa was in no condition for rough bonding attempt. Instead, she harnessed what Force energy she could gather and pushed upward. Utilizing just enough power to flip Titan off of her, Elsa hurriedly rolled over. The canine was back on the attack as she Force-pulled him into one of the fallen boulders.

Noticing his dazed canine, an enraged Clayton lunged for his fallen pistol. His fingers merely grazed it before Elsa Force-pushed it into one of the cracks. She then picked him up, but he was ready for such a move. As Elsa prepared to throw him, Clayton averted his gaze and tossed an orb from his belt. The modified flash grenade burst like a firecracker and emitted several strobes to disorient Elsa. The Jedi winced and dropped Clayton betwixt the harrowing sight. Her tired eyes squinted and burned while the grenade strobed. Titan awakened from his daze, but also became blinded by the grenade's effects. Unable to see, the canine plummeted through one of the cracks and landed in a lower chamber.

Elsa fought through her disorientation and spotted a silhouette amid the strobes. Clayton rushed her with a hefty punch. While Elsa had managed to duck under it, she wasn't quick enough to evade his incoming kick. He knew not how she'd managed to survive the machete wound, but he'd be sure to strike where it hurt. Elsa yelped as his boot met her cauterized wound. The impact sent surges of newfound pain shooting up from her core as she staggered back.

Titan was still stirring on the level below them. The hobbling massiff peered up and tried to find a way back to his master. As he prepared to pounce, a sudden...deeper snarling sounded in the shadows. Titan's stout head turned in alarm as four, scarlet eyes emerged from the darkness.

Clayton shoved the dazed and aching Elsa back into the nearest ice wall. He seized her by the collar of her robes to force her head forward. "Blood for blood," he whispered. Within seconds, Clayton substituted her collar for a much more vital hold. His firm hands snatched her throat as he kept her pinned against the wall. "This...is for Cruella," he huffed as Elsa choked in his grip.

Her mind raced across the seconds she had to act. Clayton was literally squeezing the life out of her as she desperately tried to pull his arms down. While Anna had taught her such as a means of self defense in passing...her technique were based on strength. Anna had the upper arm capabilities to take on bigger foes and would at least stand a chance. But Elsa had never really brawled anyone. Her slender limbs didn't stand a chance against Clayton's hulking forearms. As Clayton scowled and leaned in to his squeeze...Elsa found a new target.

Rather than keep haplessly battling his arms, Elsa used what strength she had left to bring her hands together. Before her lungs could give out on her, Elsa thrust her hands between Clayton's arms. She aggressively clasped her assailant's face and jabbed her thumbs toward his eyes. The maneuver was enough to have him letting go and stumbling back. While she wasn't able to inflict serious damage, she'd at least given herself time to recover. Elsa coughed and wheezed for air while Clayton stepped on the broken sniper scope. It rolled under his heel and sent him tumbling down into one of the cracks beneath them. Rather than land in a snow mound as Titan did, Clayton struck the lower chamber's rocky surface...feet first. A cacophony of atrocious crunches sounded as he collapsed forward, unable to move his legs. The rest of his body writhed as his tormented wails echoed across the lower chamber.

As Clayton lay there wriggling, he caught a glimpse of Titan's limp legs. A larger, far more ferocious beast dragged the massiff's carcass into the shadows. "Titan?" was all Clayton could utter before the beast took notice. Its forked tail whipped forward as the snow nexu emerged. With eyes wide and mouth agape, Clayton felt fear take hold. The nexu bared its jagged teeth and moved in for a second kill.

Clayton's fear-stricken eyes caught a glimpse of his fallen pistol. The DL-18's acrylic grip protruded from a mound of thick snow. Having sustained multiple fractures in both legs, all Clayton could do was haplessly crawl for the weapon. He wasn't even close to it by the time the nexu pounced. In those deathly moments, Clayton unleashed a terrifying yell. One which crushed all bravado as he shielded his face from the inevitable. Yet something...or rather someone struck the snow in front of him.

Using the Force to cushion her landing, Elsa interposed herself between Clayton and the nexu. She then raised her hands to the beast and called upon that same energy to guide her. While the nexu initially roared in her exhausted face, it did not strike her. Elsa sought to reconnect with the creature, for it was the same nexu she'd bonded with in the morning. The mother...hunting to feed her cubs. I'm sorry, she spoke within as the creature quelled. I never meant for you to get mixed up in this. The nexu occasionally snarled, for Elsa was struggling to conceal her pain-induced anxiety. Still, she urged herself to remain calm. Please hunt elsewhere, Elsa said. Take what you have and leave us be. Please...go in peace. We...I...still mean no harm.

The snow nexu's intense glare slowly relaxed. Clayton watched in sheer disbelief as it actually backed away. It snatched up Titan's body in its maw and dashed off into the shadows. As Clayton lay there catching his breath, his eyes never wavered from Elsa. Without wasting a moment, the Jedi Knight approached the nearby snow mound.

"What was it you said?" Elsa queried while rubbing her reddened neck. "Blood for blood?" Clayton nervously searched his belt for weapons and despaired over its emptiness. He watched with bated breath as Elsa plucked his DL-18 from the mound and brushed snow off of it. "I never killed Cruella," she said. "Never took anyone away from you. But you-" The Jedi shut her eyes as a wave of images surged within her mind. She saw Yelena teaching her how to meditate as a child. How to try and wield a lightsaber as a teen. Every rare instance of laughter...every tranquil moment...all leading up to Yelena's fatal shooting. "You took someone from me."

The loss of her old master weighed heavily on her conscience as she aimed the pistol down at Clayton. "Elsa," Evara warned. "He is beaten. The pull will be at it's strongest now! You cannot-"

Elsa's breaths hastened as Clayton stiffened. While joyous reflections of Yelena's life flashed in her mind, Anna's words came back to haunt her. She thought of what her sister had said the night Baron Frollo had died. "Elsa, that man was a monster. You saw what he did to Ezzie and her people. Look what happened to my master. Do you think arresting Frollo would stop him? He'd just break out and do it again. Maybe he'd even do worse!"

Elsa's abdomen pulsed with pain as she recalled the slash he'd inflicted on her. A wound that, while healed...would leave a scar for the rest of her life. When she looked down at Clayton, she saw a vile and despicable man. One who hunted innocent lives across the stars in the service of wicked people like Cruella. Elsa's finger shifted towards the trigger as Clayton swallowed hard. Eyes bruised, legs broken...completely immobilized and at her mercy.

"Cruella died," Elsa murmured as the pistol trembled in her hands. "Yelena...died. And if you die-" Elsa pulled the trigger and a blue-ringed stun blast struck Clayton. "-then so too does all which I stand for." Elsa's heart raced as she stared at his unconscious body. Giving in to her grief and anguish, Elsa switched off the pistol's stun setting. She then turned to the nearest wall and unloaded laser after laser while ballistically screaming. She screeched until her throat ran raw and the pistol overheated. Even as the wall was rendered a scorching mess, she flung the pistol into it. As the weapon smashed into steaming scraps on impact, Elsa dropped to her knees and let herself break down. Her wild sobs filled the cave's void as her silhouette lay hunched in the darkness.

Chancellor Palpatine sat in the seclusion of his shadowy office. His elderly hand clenched a stylus as he drafted up a new senatorial proposal. He was just about to sign the next segment when a distinct sensation found him. Palpatine paused, set the stylus down, and observed his surroundings. He shut his eyes as if feeling some sort of ripple. Some tremor in an energy field beyond a mere politician's capabilities. As Palpatine embraced the sensation, a subtle smirk crept across his old lips.

Bry Clayton awakened to a bombardment of brisk and harsh winds. A seething mixture of dull and spiraling pains plagued his legs. As he continued to stir, he realized that portions of his jacket had been ripped off to pad makeshift splints. While these kept his legs in place, he wondered why he was experiencing a sporadic jerking motion. Closer observation revealed that Clayton was laying face down against his own speeder bike's backseat. His hands were bound with grappling wire from his toolkit and Elsa was seated at the controls. The Jedi occasionally muttered to herself while trying to understand the bike model. Her frustrated efforts caused the engines to occasionally shut off and created a nauseating ride.

"Top left switch," Clayton groaned and Elsa yelped. She turned ready for a fight, yet Clayton didn't budge. "It stabilizes the repulsor."

"Liar," Elsa said. "Repulsor stabilizers are on the right."

"Not on a Ridgehopper." Clayton peered down at his splints. "Are these...tree branches?"

Elsa cautiously flipped the top left switch and was relieved when the bike didn't explode. "Weird set up," she admitted. "And yes, those are branches. There isn't exactly a hospital out here on...on-"

"Saqqar," Clayton answered. "You won't even find a fuel depot on this abandoned ice world. We're so far into the Outer Rim, that we're practically bordering Wild Space."

"A perfect place for a murder," Elsa griped while following the river.

"I wanted to give you...a good death," Clayton retorted.

"You hunted me like an animal," Elsa scoffed.

"And yet, I'm still alive. Why is that?"

Elsa took a deep breath and glanced back at him. "Because the woman you murdered raised me to be better."

"For what it's worth...about the Jedi Master...I'm s-"

"Don't," Elsa asserted. "You have no right to even speak of her. And do not mistake my act of mercy for forgiveness."

"I don't," Clayton mumbled. "I mean...you saw how I reacted with Cruella. And still you chose to spare me. But I saw you on Sorban. If you didn't kill her, who did?"

"Gravity," Elsa grumbled. While she wasn't typically so crass, her recent situation and irksome company had altered her. "If you would've just listened to me, I would've-" Elsa huffed. "What am I saying? Why am I trying? Less and less of you people listen these days."

"What do you mean?" Clayton inquired.

"The ignorance is overwhelming," Elsa replied while ascending the ridge near the cascade. "No one seeks the truth anymore. And if the truth does find them, they still don't want to hear it. Meanwhile, countless innocents lose their lives in the crossfire of it all. I'm trying to save whoever I can and people like you just keep tearing down the foundations. Ignorant...ruthless-" Elsa huffed and channeled her rage into the bike's acceleration.

Clayton's gaze trailed off towards the snow-capped mountain peaks. "0-6-1-8," he sighed.

"What?" Elsa mumbled.

"When you get back through the forest and return to the shipping container," Clayton explained. "0-6-1-8 is the combination to open it and retrieve your gear."

"I was never meant to get it earlier," Elsa realized.

Clayton shook his head. "It was a classic baiting maneuver. One of which you brilliantly evaded."

"So why give me my things now?"

Clayton huffed. "Well...because I'm done. I'd say I've put you through enough, wouldn't you?"

"I heard what Cruella said on Sorgan," Elsa remarked. "Capture isn't taken lightly for Crimson Dawn members."

"You let me worry about that," Clayton replied as they zipped through the forest. Once Elsa parked beside the container, she cautiously disembarked and approached a wall-mounted panel. She noted Clayton's condition and considered what he could possibly do to her if it was a trap. It wasn't like he could get very far...but was he alone? Desperate for security, Elsa inputed the code and was surprised when it actually worked. The container's durasteel latch hissed open as Elsa hurriedly retrieved her gear. Clayton watched as she nearly ripped open a capsule on her belt and stuffed an energy pellet into her mouth. Elsa sighed as the first nourishment in over a day met her tongue. While Clayton observed her weakened and animalistic state, he found himself plagued by a twinge of guilt.

"I'm sorry," Elsa whispered. "About your massiff."

Clayton flashed a mournful glower. "Titan was as loyal as they come. I shouldn't have dragged him into this."

As Elsa clipped her lightsaber back to her utility belt, an engine suddenly rumbled in the distance. Instinctually, Elsa's head spun to Clayton and she clutched her lightsaber. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!" he swore.

"I thought you said Saqqar was abandoned!" Elsa snapped.

"It's supposed to-" Clayton's head slowly tilted as an oblong silhouette glided overhead. "-be?"

An unmarked craft soared beneath the clouds and landed beyond an icy basin. "Friends of yours?" Elsa scoffed while Clayton shook his head in denial.

Determined to investigate the occurrence, Elsa mounted the bike and accelerated after the ship. Her curiosity got the best of her when Clayton noticed an approaching ledge amidst the treeline. "Stop! Stop! Stop!" he blurted until Elsa slammed on the brakes. The bike came to a halt and Elsa dropped to examine the mysterious ship. Masked men and women were hauling crates from a mysterious cache into their ship. Faded, multi-pronged symbols lay etched into each crate as they were stacked in the ship's cargo hold.

"Those masks," Elsa whispered while keeping her head down. "I've seen them before. They were in Master Sumar and Padawan Vica's report." Her eyes widened with realization. "Those are Revenant cultists. But what are they doing here?"

Clayton reached into one of the bike's side compartments. The gesture had Elsa bracing herself until he slowly removed a pair of macrobinoculars. Even while restrained, he still managed to lift the binoculars to his face. "The symbol on those crates," he commented. "It's the emblem of the Hutt Clan."

"Business partners of yours?" Elsa inquired.

"Oh no. We can't stand those slobbish slugs."

"Well it looks like the Revenant is moving shipments for them."

"Doubtful," Clayton commented. "Saqqar might be part of Hutt Space, but its hyperspace lane hasn't been used as a trade route in decades. The 'Dead Road' became too hostile and other routes appeared more promising. Anything those cult freaks are recovering has been abandoned for quite some time."

"But then...how would they know about it?" Elsa asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Clayton confessed.

As they watched the Revenant ship depart into unknown skies, Elsa plucked the comlink from her belt. Relief took hold when she discovered that the device still held its charge. Elsa waited patiently as she sent a transmission to the Jedi Temple.

Clayton watched her trail off and speak with an unknown assortment of voices. "It's me," she croaked, her voice hoarse from her experience. "Knight Dellian." There was a long pause, as if those on the receiver were beckoning someone else over. "Hello?" Elsa spoke through the silence. "Is anyone-" A voice crackled through the comlink's speakers. While it was nothing more than a distorted sound to Clayton, it was enough to have Elsa shaking her head in disbelief. She gasped, cupped a hand over mouth, and nearly dropped the comlink. The voice kept speaking as Elsa's head fell forward. "Is it...really you?" The voice spoke again, and Elsa was unsure whether to laugh or cry. She could barely utter her coordinates and tell of the planet she was on. "Yes," she whispered by the end of the call. "I'll be here. We'll...be here." Clayton raised a brow as Elsa switched off her comlink. She turned with misty eyes and the most blissful smile she could muster. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she whispered, "Master Yelena is...alive."

If Elsa ever doubted that anyone cared about her...all she had to do was ask her rescue team. Despite knowing that it was only her and Clayton, the Republic didn't take any chances. They sent not one, but eight LAAT gunships. The heavily-armed transports descended over Saqqar like a deathly flock of metal birds. While the gunships landed in formation, a battalion of clones emerged and established a perimeter. Elsa watched as a familiar squad of crimson-clad troopers exited the lead gunship. A green lightsaber ignited among them as Anna stomped across the snow.

"Where is he?" she roared while leading her Deathchasers. Upon spotting Clayton, she thrust her blade in his direction and yelled, "Don't move, dirtbag!"

"Freeze!" Blazer yelled at her side.

"Get on the ground!" Anna continued shouting.

"Anna," Elsa jested.

"Get on the kriffing ground!"

"Sis!" Elsa exclaimed until Anna snapped out of her raging episode. "He's already on the ground," Elsa said and gestured to Clayton. "Plus, I've already tied him up."

"Oh..." Anna mumbled. "Well...he better stay down."

"His legs are broken," Elsa explained.

"I see..." Anna paused and looked over her weary sister. "Well I'm glad to see you in one piece," she sighed and placed a hand on Elsa's shoulder. "Please don't scare me like that again. I'm supposed to be the 'Deathchaser' remember?"

"It's nice to see you too, sis." Elsa sighed and clenched Anna's forearm.

"Elsa?" an elderly voice called from beyond the clones. It was enough to catch the knight's attention as she stumbled forward.

While she did so, Blazer looked over the wounded Clayton. "Your sister...did that?" he muttered to Anna.

"It's always the quiet ones," Speedy jested only to suspiciously look at Sparx.

"What?" the lieutenant blurted.

Elsa's heart nearly leapt when she merely caught a glimpse of Yelena's silver braids. "It's true," Elsa rejoiced. With reddened eyes and a wobbly grin, she threw herself into the master's arms.

"I've got you," Yelena whispered and calmly rubbed her back. "It's alright." Her grip tightened as the knight cried into her robes. "Oh Elsa...I was so worried about you. I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner."

"You never left me," Elsa sniffled. She raised her head and looked her old master in the eye. "You never did, Yelena. I survived because of your lessons. I heard you, giving me courage every step of the way."

As Elsa spoke those words, Yelena was reminded of what her own master had said the night of Aren's revolution."I'll be with you through every breath of my teachings."

And so the cycle continues, Master Willo, Yelena thought to herself. She smiled at Elsa and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Let's get you home," she said.

It was as if that was all Elsa needed to hear for her body to shut down. She passed out in Yelena's arms while maintaining a faint, yet tranquil smile.

Elevators zipped throughout the Republic Judiciary Central Detention Center. Despite the maddening and bleak void her life had become, Dia Veritaz found the elevator dings oddly calming. The former senator tugged at her jumpsuit's itchy collar and kept her head down. Flanked by two scarlet-armored clone troopers, she knew better than to make another run for it. "Try to behave yourself," one of the clones scoffed.

Dia ignored the trooper's remark and focused on the elevator dings. Months of isolation had given her plenty of time to think over her situation. While she'd remained paranoid, she'd started reconsidering how much power Crimson Dawn really had. There was a point where she believed they would've sent assassins to kill her...even in solitary confinement. But after so much time spent unharmed, Dia considered if she actually had a chance. While she'd be old and grey by the time her sentence was up, at least she didn't have to be isolated. The elevator doors opened and the clones escorted Dia down a detention block. She endured the raucous taunts and jeers of Coruscant's worst before the clones shoved her into a cell.

"It's no senatorial suite-" Dia mumbled to herself. "-but it'll do." She sprawled herself out across her standard, metallic slab of a bed. As she did so, she raised her arms and observed the unwrapped scars along her wrists. "What a curious concept," she whispered. "Suicide...to survive." In that instant, the cell block erupted into boisterous hoots and hollers. "What the hell?" she muttered and approached her ray-shielded door.

"Fresh meat," a Twi'lek inmate started chanting, getting louder each time. "Fresh meat! Fresh meat!"

Before Dia knew it, the entire cell block was roaring "Fresh meat." She watched as guards escorted a new prisoner down the corridor. While his injuries left him confined to a hoverchair, Clayton's stern gaze remained unwavering.

He tilted his head towards Dia's cell as her blood ran cold. Their stares locked for a mere moment before the clones forced him on his way. Gone was any sliver of tranquility Dia thought she'd salvaged. Her heart thundered as she staggered back against her cell wall and uttered, "No."

The Jedi Temple was as much a welcoming sight as it was a sanctuary. Elsa and Yelena stood before the entrance to the Circle of Jedi Healers. "Are you sure about this?" her old master asked. "The Halls of Healing could take good care of you and have you back in action in no time."

"That's true," Elsa concurred. "But my mind also took a toll during this experience. One that if left unchecked, could develop into deeper turmoil. My mental health is just as important as my physical wellbeing."

Yelena smiled and nodded to the knight. "I'm proud of your decision, Elsa. If there's anything that any of us can do for you, we won't be far away."

"Thank you," Elsa said and bowed as the doors opened behind her. A head of tightly-braided blonde locks emerged from the sanctuary.

Rapunzel Crin smiled to her old friend and said, "Elsa Dellian! So nice to see you. Come right in. I've got a room set up with some friends for you."

As Elsa joined Rapunzel inside, Yelena was left to watch them depart. The master ran her fingers along the fallen queen's sash and whispered, "If only you could see her now, Iduna. I know you'd be proud too."

Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading this week's chapter of "The Frozen Force!" I appreciate all of your kindness and support on this ongoing adventure. We've hit a new timeline milestone. As of next week's chapter, we will officially be in Season Four of Star Wars: The Clone Wars! And we're almost on the home stretch of Season:3 of this story!

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Now comes the hard part. Dearest readers, I have just started a new job and the initial training is taking a lot of my time throughout the week. With my changing schedule, adjustments will need to be made to this story. As you know, I write each of these chapters weekly. However, I never want to sacrifice quality no matter what. As of right now, the next "Frozen Force" chapter will be in two weeks. Meaning that it will return on Friday the 27th. This story means the world to me, which is why it breaks my heart and saddens me to make this decision. But I am adjusting to a new lifestyle while choosing to keep this story alive. I love entertaining you all. It's been and continues to be a pleasure since I started. I've never asked for much, but all I can ask now is for your patience and support. "The Frozen Force" is alive and well. I just want to make sure that the vision I have for this story is never hindered by a rushed deadline. You deserve the complete quality of which each chapter is intended.

Thank you for your patience as we move forward together,

~ Michael