ADVISORY: The following chapter contains sensitive material relating to: Murder, intense violence, terrorism, stabbing, manipulation, slavery, interrogation, and kidnapping. Remember to practice self care before, during, and after reading.

Chapter: 118 Into the Frozen Heart (Part I)

"No one is ever truly in control of anything."

War! The Republic is crumbling under attacks by the ruthless Sith Lord, Count Dooku. There are heroes on both sides. Evil is everywhere. In a stunning move, the fiendish droid leader, General Grievous, has swept into the Republic capital and kidnapped Chancellor Palpatine, leader of the Galactic Senate. As the Separatist Droid Army attempts to flee the besieged capital with their valuable hostage, two Jedi Knights lead a desperate mission to rescue the captive Chancellor. While these decisive tensions escalate in the Core Worlds, sparks of war flicker on the ice world of Aren. Working against all odds, Jedi Knight Elsa Dellian and her companions strive to bring freedom to an oppressed populace...

There was nothing quite like an Aren snowfall. Beyond blizzards and the blustery whirlwinds that accompanied them, fresh snow on Aren was a hidden gem for its inhabitants to behold. It was a calmness betwixt years of chaos. Nature's blissful promise to the unruly that there was a sliver of hope beyond the bloodshed. For Elsa Dellian, watching the snowfall gave her a sense of tranquility. To see so many flakes spiral through the air and plummet into soft, powdery layers. All sight and no sound, captivating the mind with each passing second. The snow was all the more beautiful at night, glistening atop the gullies of Hunter's Haven. It quelled her anxieties, especially if...while subtle...they continued to pry at her throughout her time on Aren. Promising to liberate Aren was one thing, but fulfilling such an oath while adhering to her personal beliefs seemed daunting at times. And so she made sure to take time to reconnect with the world around her. Focusing on the Living Force as it reminded her of peaceful possibilities. At least until someone tested her concentration.

A loud, stretched out yawn had Elsa sighing. "I think it's time for you to get some sleep, Padawan," she remarked and glanced over at him.

The young Theelin shook off his tiredness, even as his heavy eyes continued to droop. "I'm fine," Stel insisted while continuing to sway.

"That's what you said four yawns ago," Elsa intoned. "I draw the limit at five, apprentice. You need your rest."

"But what about you?" he asked, rubbing his eyes and reaching his sixth yawn. "Don't you need to sleep too?"

"I will," Elsa assured and rose from the burrow's edge. "But right now-" she gently ushered Stel's groggy self back to his feet. "-to bed."

"I'll get him moving," Commander Frost jokingly groaned from deeper into the tunnel. "Come on, kid."

Before joining Frost, Stel looked back and said, "Good night, master. Don't stay up too late."

She simpered at the youth while Frost led him to their designated 'cave quarters'. Despite being 'united' Elsa couldn't help but notice the safety in familiarity within their sanctuary. Northuldra, Trolls, and Republic troops had all separated once getting settled. People mostly kept to themselves unless they had to interact with one another. Each group had claimed a section of the caves for themselves, and Elsa only hoped that would be the extent of there divisiveness. The last thing she needed was a civil dispute of their own making erupting in the one place designed to be safe. Under the glow of a dimly-lit power cell, Elsa looked outside of her burrow and spotted a pair of figures in the adjacent hole. While she caught Honeymaren staring back at her, Ryder was quick to pull his sister's attention away.

Elsa shook her head, unsure whether or not the chieftain was truly done challenging her. She sighed and shook her head before pulling the power cell away from outside. Elsa had just taken a seat on her makeshift bed when Frost returned. "That Padawan of yours is quite the trooper," he chuckled.

"And we haven't even been together for a full year yet," Elsa jested. "What will he be like next year? Let alone five years down the road?"

"Even more persistent, that's for sure." Frost quipped while stretching his back.

Without his helmet, Elsa was reminded of the vulnerable man beneath it. Watching him wince as he stretched, she scooted over and asked, "Would you like to sit? There's room. Plus-" Frost playfully raised a brow as Elsa held up one of the blandest blankets ever manufactured. The thin layer of fabric was more concerned about having the Republic symbol printed over it than it was about feeling like a sheet of durasteel. "-I have the softest and finest fabrics."

Frost chuckled at her comment before sitting down. "In all of my time of service, never have I seen nor worn a single piece of Republic material that was comfortable. It's enough to make anyone lose their minds."

Elsa huffed while he sat beside her. "They probably think we've already lost our minds," she considered. "Think we've been labeled as traitors to the Republic yet?"

"Quite possibly," Frost considered. "Can you imagine that even after we save Aren, the Republic still has us arrested for doing all of this?"

"I mean...they'd be right to do so by their standards," Elsa professed. "But it still wouldn't stop me from trying to help these people."

"And maybe that alone is enough," Frost replied. "Or so we can keep telling ourselves that, because any other self-criticism is gonna drive us mad." Accepting their situation, Frost lifted a corner of the Republic-issue blanket. His audible grumble of disgust had Elsa stifling snickers. A heavy yawn overwhelmed her laughter as Frost suggested, "Why don't you try getting some shuteye? I'll take first watch."

"Alright," Elsa relented as tiredness pried at her. "But I only need a few hours."

"Of course," Frost assured as she leaned against the burrow's wall. The rest of her shoulder met his beneath the blanket, and she slouched her head back. Resting alongside her, Frost kept his eyes on the snowfall outside. Every once in a while, he'd glance at Elsa to make sure she looked comfortable. She'd been through so much already and the last thing he wanted was for her to go without sleep. And yet in spite of the dreadful odds they kept pushing aside, Frost found comfort in her presence. It brought him peace to sit so close to Elsa and his sense of duty was only heightened when it came to keeping her safe.

Snow continued to gently fall towards the gullies outside. Its pale juxtaposition was bold against the dark stones, icy ledges...and a uniformed squad. This fully-armed team had assembled high above the cliffs and was silently making its way towards Hunter's Haven. Bright green night vision visors pulsed from each of the soldier's heads as they spoke through hushed comlink chatter. "Approaching the target point now," the lead soldier called in. With a raised fist, she brought her squad to a halt. The rest of the unit linked up as she swayed an open palm towards the burrows. Reading her hand signals, the team prepped cables to rappel. "Moving to next phase," the squad leader reported in. Her team maintained tight grips on their cables as they steadied their descent. The ominous soldiers were as silent as the snowfall itself. Each slowly dropped towards a pair of burrows lining the rock wall. They halted their eerie approach when several shuffles echoed down from below.

A clone from the 213th emerged from the burrow and surveyed the land below as part of his patrol. Snow was an uncommon sight for Republic troopers, as they were seldom called to wintry battlefields. He took an extra moment and basked in the silence of the outdoors. Being cooped up in the tunnel systems was taking its toll, and anyone on patrol longed for a moment to get some fresh air. With his time dwindling, the clone activated his headlamps to give the outside a final check. As soon as he did so, he noticed several bizarre shapes lining the snow beneath him. These obscure shadows only grew as if something was dropping from above. Clenching his blaster, the trooper looked up and immediately saw the descending team leader. He had only started to raise his rifle by the time she snatched him up by the neck. Pulling up on her cable, she was like a human spider seizing its prey. Another soldier rappelled down and hurriedly ripped the rifle out of the clone's hands. He prepared to scream, but all sound was cut short. The clone's shouts were reduced to nothing more than a strained gurgle as blood stained his mesh. Maintaining her balance and composure, the team leader slowly removed her combat knife from his neck. Two of her squadmates dropped safely to catch the clone's body and quietly tuck him into the shadows.

"East entrance is clear," she reported and observed the adjacent burrow. From her position, she could glimpse a brief and shadowy scuffle.

One of her men removed a Northuldra from his headlock and sheathed his bloodied knife. "West entrance clear," he called back.

"Proceed," the team leader said as both teams dispersed. While several soldiers poured into one tunnel system, the rest followed their leader through the path she'd created. "Steady," she whispered while checking corners. A series of footsteps had her bracing herself as another clone trooper rounded the corner. Taking him head on, she grabbed his rifle first and pushed it up into his helmet. While he was dazed, she drove her knife into his neck and snatched his body before he fell. Still choking for air that was never coming, the clone had no choice but to fall limp until his inevitable demise. Her squadmates took down a second clone while she hid her kill.

Several silhouettes shifted along the cave wall. The team leader raised her rifle just as her fellow squadmate emerged. He had the same idea and they were both quick to lower their weapons and proceed down a central system. She knelt down as they approached an expanded opening and motioned for the others to join her.

"What is it, captain?" one of the soldiers asked.

"The entire nest," she murmured while the rest of her squad got a closer look. Northuldra and Troll refugees were gathered in a widened section of the burrows. While both groups mostly kept to themselves, they had still culminated in an area controlled enough to suit the captain's needs. "Let's clear em' out," she said. "I want explosive charges set in every corner of this so-called sanctuary." The captain tilted her head when she noticed one of her men hanging his. "Something wrong, soldier?" she hissed. "Because you need to either say it or stow it. There is no in between."

The soldier took a deep breath as the rest of his squad focused on him. "It's just that-" he uttered. "-there are children down there."

While the entire squad was masked and goggled, the captain's true expression beneath was just as unfeeling. "Today's children are tomorrow's enemies," she said. "You let them go now, and they will come to know hatred. That hatred will spread like a virus, destroying our Aren and prolonging its conflict. They must all be destroyed for the good of Aren."

"For...the good of Aren," her soldier lamented.

Several squad members unpacked explosives from their bags and fanned out. They moved like haunting shadows of death, inching their ways along the caves upper ledges. The first bomber moved into position and started prepping his charge when someone stepped in from behind. He swiftly dropped into cover behind a stalagmite, as Rip and Doubles emerged.

"I told you this wasn't the way," Doubles scolded. "But you had to insist on being in charge, didn't you?"

"Well first of all, yes." Rip countered. "But second, this isn't my fault! How is anyone supposed to find anything in these blasted tunnels?" Frustrated, Rip slammed his fist on the stalagmite's edge, causing the Aren to clench up. "We should've left a trail or some kind of marker leading back to our beds."

"At this rate-" Doubles groaned. "-we'll be going in circles until sunrise."

Rip scoffed. "Then maybe you should've led."

Even with his head obscured by a helmet, Doubles' shoulders told all. He slouched forward and angrily clenched his fists. "Are you joking? I'm the one who wanted to lead!"

"Well ask harder next time," Rip countered. Flustered with his impossible brother, Doubles raised his hand. And into his smack...he poured his anger, his annoyance, and his will to absolutely obliterate Rip. He smacked him upside the head so hard, that Rip's helmet went flying clean off. The clone's mohawk dipped with his dizzied head while his helmet rolled across the ground. "Oh real mature," Rip of all clones said and recovered his helmet. "I just waxed this."

Doubles crossed his arms and sighed. "You've never waxed a thing in your life. Plus, you were using your helmet as a food bowl an hour ago."

"Details details..." Rip dismissed while leaning down to pick up his helmet. Lazily scrubbing dirt from its filter, he noticed an odd figure in the visor's reflection. The jet black body appeared to be lurching forward as Rip quickly turned. "What the-" The Aren soldier had attempted to grab Rip while his squadmate took down Doubles. But Rip had caught on faster than anticipated, and immediately screamed as the man approached. "Holy kriff ZOMBIE!" Having seen too many scary holodramas, Rip instinctually threw his helmet at the stealth soldier, knocking him square in the face. The man fell over on impact and Rip hurriedly turned to Doubles. "Brother! Did you see-" When he looked back over his shoulder, another Aren was pulling his partner into a chokehold. "Doubles!" he yelled before the man he'd hit grabbed his ankle. His shouts and the ensuing scuffle jeopardized those around them. Each sound reverberated across the expansive chamber, awakening multiple refugees who then alerted more clones.

"You're not getting my brain!" Rip screeched, throwing punches like a madman. His furious fists made the soldier let go and gave Rip time to crawl towards Doubles. His assailant was about to go for his neck when Rip snatched his wrist and pulled back. He yanked with enough force to have the soldier dropping the blade directly into Doubles' hands. Like many of the clones in the 213th, they'd sworn to stand by Elsa in her journeys. However, the Battle of Eshan and advanced Kaminoan training had prepared them for inevitable conflict. When it came to self defense, neither Rip nor Doubles would hold back. So much so, that Doubles proceeded to plunge the knife into his attacker's chest.

"Doubles," Rip gasped. "You killed the zombie!"

"They're not zombies," Doubles panted and ripped the soldier's mask off. The duo stared down at an older Aren, who'd perished with a shocked expression still plastered across his pale face. Before they could get a better look at him, they heard the second soldier recovering from the ground. He'd started to aim his rifle when Rip and Doubles readied theirs. As if being of the same mind, the brothers fired together, sending two lasers into their foe. The blasts rang out, causing screams and sparking panic.

The team's captain halted their advance as she tried to figure out who opened fire and if they'd been compromised. Meanwhile, Frost's head snapped towards the echo of shouts and laserfire. "Elsa," he whispered sharply. His groggy whisper became a shout as he firmly nudged her. "Elsa!" The Jedi stirred with a gasp as Frost rose and equipped his helmet. Her eyes widened as he steadied himself and said, "Shots fired."

"Stel," Elsa gasped before leaping to join the commander.

Turning on their headlamps, Rip and Doubles spotted several soldiers bunched by the cave's ledges. "There!" Doubles shouted.

"We're spotted," the captain called to her team over comms. "Fire at will!" Initiating the assault, she tossed a flash grenade into the main chamber. The ensuing bang was as deafening as it was blinding before her squad fired on the disoriented populace. Red lasers sprayed downward, striking fleeing refugees and shifting clones.

Some clones adhered to Elsa's code from previous engagements and returned fire with blue-ringed stun blasts. Others like Rip and Doubles focused on their survival, using lethal rounds. Blue and red blaster bolts streaked across the cave, making silhouettes of all sizes dance against the walls. It was over if the Aren squad held the high ground. "Wait here," Rip said before dashing deeper into the tunnels.

"Where are you going?" Doubles hollered to him. His brother only responded with a maniacal cackle while disappearing into the shadows. Shaking his head over Rip's insanity, Doubles kept shooting. One of his lasers met its mark, striking an Aren before he could toss a grenade at refugees. Instead, the already ticking thermal detonator rolled back towards his squadmates. By the time they'd tried rolling away, the blast had already gone off. Stone and stalactites came crumbling down from above, crushing the Aren who weren't immediately killed in the blast.

A deep voice bellowed into the captain's comlink as she crawled through the smoke. "Captain!" it scolded. "What's going on in there?"

"We've been...compromised," she panted while blindly firing past the rubble. "Taking casualties. We need to pull out."

"Not without the chieftains you don't," her superior asserted. "You kill both or bring one back alive. Otherwise, don't even bother returning to base."

The captain swallowed hard beneath her wool cowl. "Sir, I don't have the bodies to accomplish this task. I need more soldiers!" Her eyes widened when the call dropped. "Sir?...Sir?" Her heart sank as a clone trooper rushed her position. Rolling quickly, the captain dodged his shot and fired directly into his torso. Northuldra warriors rallied into a charge just as the captain tossed one of her grenades. Its blast shook the rest of the cave, causing even greater panic.

Stel gasped himself awake and scrambled about to the sounds of insurmountable laserfire. "Oh no," he whispered while hearing people scream. "No no no!" He sparked up his lightsaber and dashed through the burrows. As he slid around the corner, he was immediately met by Elsa and Frost. "What's going on?"

"Padawan," his master quickly beckoned. "Stay behind me." She ignited her double-bladed lightsaber and led the way. "It must be the Aren," she said as they entered the main chamber. Elsa's stomach dropped at the sight of the 213th using lethal rounds to battle mysterious soldiers on the upper ledges. "Frost," she ordered. "Get your men under control. I'm going for those soldiers."

"All troopers!" Frost shouted through his helmet comms. "Switch to stun! Switch to-" Heavy laserfire grazed his position, forcing him to take cover. The final blast would've struck his leg had a blue blade not deflected it.

"Gotcha!" Stel proclaimed.

"Thanks, kid." Frost panted before pulling him by the sleeve. "Now get down!"

Elsa darted towards the ledge, twirling her saber to catch the squad's attention. "The Jedi!" one of them said as she drew their fire. She blocked their shots with ease before using a Force-enhanced jump to reach their position. Elsa's Force-push was like a whirlwind, sending a chunk of the squad flying through the air. Those who hadn't been thrown kept shooting, forcing Elsa back on the defensive. While she deflected the blasts, she slowly got close enough to start slicing the tips of their blasters off. Meanwhile, one of the downed soldiers recuperated and tossed an explosive at Elsa. Noticing it in the corner of her eye, the Jedi spun around and caught it with the Force. Little did she realize, the explosive was one of the incendiary charges. Her eyes widened as her enemy triggered it from a remote detonator.

While Elsa had kept the explosive floating in midair, its blast still created a shockwave that sent her tumbling off of the ledge. Stel gasped at the sight of his master collapsing, the hem of her robes set ablaze.

"Elsa!" Frost brayed before running out of cover with Stel. One of the soldiers tried to gun him down, but Frost was quick to counter with a stun blast. They made it to Elsa, who was dazed but far from dead. Frost and Stel rushed to extinguish the flames on her hem by patting them down.

On the opposite side of the chamber, Honeymaren and Ryder were helping to get refugees safely out of the cave. "This is our enclave all over again," Ryder said. "I don't understand. How could they have found us?"

Rage sparked within Honeymaren as she watched another one of her people fall. Unable to endure the bloodshed any longer, she readied her spear and lunged into the fray. "Dovos!" she shouted. "With me!" The burly warrior dashed alongside her as they climbed up the cave's ledge.

"Sister!" Ryder panicked.

"Get our people to safety!" she called back to him before continuing her climb. Upon reaching the top, she grabbed the nearest gunman's rifle and pulled him into the ledge. Rising to meet him, she repeatedly slammed him into the wall before impaling his chest with her spear. As Dovos kicked another foe across the face, Honeymaren raised her spear for all survivors to see. "Fight!" she roared. "Fight for your people!"

Her proclamation caught the attention of the enemy captain. "It's her," she called in. "The chieftain. I'm moving in."

"By the Force," Elsa uttered, hearing Honeymaren's proclamation through her stupor. Frost helped her up as she surveyed the destruction around her. Up on the ledge, Honeymaren and Dovos were working their way through the invaders. While her attacks were swift and precise, he moved like a tremendous tank. Together, they left a trail of bodies and routed foes in their wake.

"Captain!" a panicking Aren called over comms. "We need assistance. Need immediate assist-"

His pleas went ignored as the captain snuck her way around. Fear governed her decision. And she was more frightened of her superior's consequences for failure than she was of losing soldiers. Focusing on her objective, she dropped from the ledge to flank Honeymaren. While Elsa recovered with Frost, Stel noticed the captain sneaking across. "Look out!" The boy shouted, although no one could hear him over the laserfire. In his panic, he chose to act on his own accord. Stel readied his lightsaber, and charged straight for the captain.

Elsa had just gotten to her feet when she glimpsed the glimmer of Stel's blue blade making its way towards the unsuspecting captain. "No!" she shouted in alarm and Force-pulled her Padawan back just as he swung. The tip of his blade missed the captain by inches, but quickly caught her attention. Realizing she'd been spotted, the captain quickly fired a stun blast into Honeymaren's back. The chieftain's sudden collapse distracted Dovos, making him unaware of the soldiers aiming on his right. Several lasers met their marks across his arms and chest before he fell beside Honeymaren.

Stel tumbled by Elsa's feet, still trying to make sense of what had just happened. Taking his place, Elsa non-lethally Force-pushed the captain into the cave wall. The impact was enough to dislodge the woman's cowl and send her goggles rolling off. Elsa's heart thundered as the captain's silver, hateful eyes peered upward. Chieftain Honeymaren's ominous prediction had come to pass. And Yopa, the same soldier Elsa had spared at the northern checkpoint, had indeed returned to wreak havoc. A thick mist filled the air as the survivors of Yopa's team dropped smoke grenades to shroud their movements.

"Captain!" one of the soldiers shouted from the upper burrow. "We need to leave now!"

Yopa readjusted her mask and jabbed a finger towards Honeymaren's unconscious body. "Grab the chieftain and move out! Fall back!" She recovered her modified goggles and casually backed up into the smoke.

"This way!" one of the Aren beckoned. He made it two steps through the burrow before being completely engulfed in flames. His screams echoed throughout the smoke as Rip emerged with his flamethrower.

"Took me a while to find my way-" the flametrooper said. "But I'm ready to play! BURN!"

Rip swayed his flamethrower across the ledge, forcing the enemy to flee through the opposite tunnel. Stel was frozen in shock amid the ongoing disarray. "Stay with him," Elsa told Frost before running after the enemy.

Determined to save Honeymaren, Elsa fought against her rising cough and felt her way through the smoke. The whir of a foreign engine sounded outside as Elsa desperately tried to keep up. The Aren dropped smoke bomb after smoke bomb, repeatedly blanketing the area until she started to feel disoriented. Gathering her strength, Elsa used a mighty Force push to clear the smoke ahead of her. Stumbling out of the cave, Elsa collapsed into the snow just as an Aren dropship started to take off. She briefly glimpsed Honeymaren's body being thrown in the hold before the hatches were sealed in their entirety. As the ship bolted into the night sky, Elsa was left coughing in the snow...contemplating the magnitude of their horrid surprise attack. The longer she stayed knelt in silence, the greater the cries of those around her became.

The survivors of Hunter's Haven emerged from the debris tired and sobbing. They gazed into its smokey remnants, clinging to one another for comfort. While they remained outside, Elsa dared to return to the central chamber. Her Force senses summoned a cold despair which grip her body. For the central chamber was filled with the bodies of Trolls, Northuldra, and clones alike. People she'd rallied and sworn to protect, had been murdered in the blink of an eye. Gone was any form of classist view between each group. For they were united in death...and Elsa's decision to spare Yopa had doomed them all. Honeymaren's angry words plagued her from within.

"This Jedi claims to come as a liberator. A savior in our name and as one of our people. And yet she isn't willing to kill the very people who slaughter us!" Her words sparked whispers among Northuldra and Trolls alike. "I watched her spare one of the Aren soldiers myself." Elsa winced as the mental barrage continued. "Do you think that woman will just wake up to some epiphany? That she'll just stop being a soldier? These people are the enemy for a reason! They hate us! And that woman will wake up to only hate us more!" Not only had Honeymaren been proven right, but Elsa had once again tried to spare Yopa from her own Padawan. That guilt cascaded over her in full force as she approached Stel.

There was an unfamiliar stillness in the Theelin's eyes. He was as shocked as he was livid, standing idly by as his master drew nearer. "S-" Elsa barely found the breath to speak at first. "Stel?" Before she could call to him further, Elsa became overwhelmed by the sounds of grief. Clones, Trolls, and Northuldra slowly returned to find their companions dead. Spouses, parents, children, and brothers in arms would never see each other again. Noticing Chieftain Ryder on the upper ledge, he seemed just as distraught everyone else. She climbed the incline to him and observed his shaken disposition. "Ryder," Elsa murmured. "I-"

He knelt before Dovos' body and gently closed his eyes. Just touching his friend's lifeless body was enough to make him swell with tears. "She was right, wasn't she?" Ryder spoke, confirming Elsa's fears. "Honeymaren was always right." Elsa stayed silent and let the chieftain feel his emotions. "We were doomed unless we fought. But you-" Ryder winced, struggling to understand his pain. He wished he felt no animosity towards Elsa, but his sister was missing all over again. This time on the Arens' accord. Rising from the ground, he jabbed a shaking finger at her. "You made me believe."

"Ryder-"

"You made me think for a second-" Ryder choked. "-that there was actually a diplomatic solution to years of torment and discrimination under the Aren!" His outburst caught the attention of those on the lower level. All eyes fell upon them as Elsa eyes reddened. "How was I so blind? So stupid to not realize that you were just like those in your Senate? Take-" Ryder gulped before swishing a hand towards the massacre beneath them. "Take a good long look at where diplomacy led us." His nostrils flared when Elsa kept staring at him instead. "Look at them!" Ryder cried and a tear fled Elsa's eye. Together, they looked down at the clusters of fallen innocents. "The Aren slaughtered them! They took my sister, likely to give her a fate worse than death. And I'm-" he reached beneath his wool hood and tugged at his brown locks. "I should've stopped her. I should've but I wasn't strong enough! Not strong enough to fight back nor listen. This is your fault!" he grieved and tried shoving Elsa.

Frost had been making his way up the incline during the altercation. He slid over just in time to block Ryder's advance with his body, and the firm gesture prompted more Northuldra to take their chieftain's side. "That's enough!" Frost shouted while clones formed up behind him.

"It's her fault!" Ryder screeched, his throat running raw from doing so. Other Northuldra rallied as a massive riot ignited. While their chieftain was tethered to his pain over Honeymaren, his companions were far more fired up. Some Northuldra stomped up to clone troopers' faces and yelled into their visors. Tensions only escalated when Rip shoved a Northuldra back.

"Frost!" Elsa yelled through the chaos. "Have your men stand down!" Her voice couldn't reach him betwixt the disorder, just like her morals hadn't reached anyone. "Stop!" she yelled to both crowds. She wanted to use her Force powers, but felt it would only increase hostilities. As the rioting continued, Stel kept to himself on the lower level. He dissociated, staring off into a void of cracked stalagmites along the ground. And as he picked at his Padawan braid, he wondered what outcome would've occurred had Elsa let him stop Captain Yopa. He'd barely noticed an elderly figure hobbling past him. A bulky, mossy cloak trailed behind the old Troll as he climbed up to the ledge. Having lived more years than any of the combatants, he pushed his way between their struggle.

Despite the elder's visible anguish, his presence alone quelled the Northuldra out of some sliver of mutual respect. The gathering silence helped Frost keep his troops at bay, as all eyes fell to the Troll king himself. There was a brokenness in Pabbie's eyes. Not merely for the loss of his people...but for the torment all on his homeworld had suffered through. "The chieftain was right," he murmured, and raised his hand before an uproar could start. "But so too was the Jedi. The Aren hate us and acted on that hatred. And in their consequences, we became just as divided." He trudged over to a toppled Northuldra and helped dust her off. "Look at us. Look around. Look at what we have become."

"Your grace," Ryder spoke up. "While your words ring true, you cannot deny the destruction brought upon us. The casualties we have sustained. The Republic was supposed to help us avoid this and we trusted them. Our numbers are only dwindling further. What are we supposed to do?"

Pabbie hung his head and whispered, "Endure. Survive as I have for hundreds of years."

"I don't want to survive," a Northuldra woman pleaded. "I want to live!" Her proclamation was met with hollers from her brothers and sisters. "I would rather die fighting for a freedom that I'll never see than wither in this guaranteed oppression!"

"And what of my sister?" Ryder lamented while taking a deep breath. "Is she to...endure whatever atrocities the Aren will subject her to?"

"No," Elsa asserted. She dared to still speak up, even as so many challenged her position. "We'll get her back."

"How?" Ryder retorted. "This isn't even just a search through the woods anymore. How can I expect you of all people to save my sister when you won't even fight the people who took her?"

Elsa wanted to tell him that she would fight but wouldn't kill, however...nothing about her reasoning felt negotiable to the Northuldra. She might've earned a portion of power by besting Honeymaren in single combat, but her methods and failures still spoke volumes. Realizing that she was struggling, Frost stepped in to assist and redirect the crowd's attention. "We have a lead," the commander said. "A potential lead...but a lead nonetheless." He stepped towards the ledge and gestured to the soldier he'd shot during the fight. "I managed to stun that one. When he awakens, he could be our link to finding Chieftain Honeymaren."

"You think he's going to talk?" the same Northuldra woman scoffed. "He'll die before he gives up anything. Give him to us and we'll grant him a proper sendoff for what he's done!"

Several others agreed until Ryder stopped them. He raised a hand towards their astonished faces and said, "I don't like this as much as any of you...but if there's a chance that he can lead us to my sister, we need to take it." Reluctant, yet desperately clinging to any form of hope, Ryder gave Elsa a cautious nod of approval.

Hunter's Haven had become anything but its namesake in the hours following the attack. The dead were given proper burials in accordance with each faction's respective custom. Fallen Trolls had their bodies covered in smaller stones, becoming one with the terrain again. Northuldra bodies were returned to the soil and then blanketed with a layer of fresh snow. Each fallen clone was buried on a hill overlooking the gullies. Their emptied rifles served as markers, each protruding from a grave while the clone's helmet rested atop it. Elsa observed the grim scene from one of the burrows and sighed.

"Do not blame yourself for their deaths," Pabbie said as he rested on a slab beside her. "Each and every one of us is set to come and leave this plane of existence. There is no alternating when and where. There only is the plan in motion. And we take that time to understand ourselves and the lives around us."

Elsa simpered. "Wise words," she replied. "Only...it's easier said than done to actually follow them at times."

Pabbie nodded while scratching at his stony chin. "Yet prevail we must. Believe it or not, my people wanted to retaliate against the Aren for years. And I had to maintain the same philosophy that I hold now. Your philosophy."

"Do you ever wonder if we're wrong though?" Elsa asked. "What if we're really the hindrances in this whole mess, making everyone else fall short of victory."

Pabbie didn't even have to think about his answer. "We aren't," he said nonchalantly. "We are the symbols that people will always need. No matter how destructive the paths around us get, we must hold true. We are the beacons that others will come to for safety. Even if they don't see it yet. Because we can make the choices that no one else can. That no one else will ever have to. The path of peace is anything but tranquil, Jedi. In many ways-" Pabbie sighed. "-we sacrifice just as much as the others." Pabbie's gaze trailed off beyond the snowy gullies and towards the horizon. "We adopted one of the Aren when he was just a boy. It had to have been a short ways into the new regime. He and this lost Cevrian were practically family to us. And it was through that shared connection, that I'd come to realize how lost all of us were. Our planet is divided not by its people, but by those in charge. When your parents died and lost the throne, those who took their place drove Aren into ruin. And we've been paying the price ever since..."

"Kristoff," Elsa uttered as the realization struck her. Pabbie's pointed ears perked up as they looked at one another. "And Sven...It was them, wasn't it?"

"You've seen them?" Pabbie queried.

"More than that," Elsa assured, smiling softly. "They live on Coruscant now. The very capital of the Republic. And they help guard the Jedi Temple."

Pabbie sat back as a blissful grin found its way to his face. "They made it...they actually made it. Oh thank the stones, they're alright!" Pabbie pressed his pudgy hands together and bowed. "Thank you, Jedi. We had taken every risk to help them get away from this place." His smile faded as a somber thought crossed his mind. "If you should survive your time here...if you should see them again..."

Elsa knitted her brows and leaned closer. "What?" she worried.

"Tell them that Cliff and Bulda...tried. And that they love them very much." Noticing Elsa's visible confusion, Pabbie elaborated. "They were like parents to Kristoff and Sven. It broke their hearts to send the boys away."

"Where are they now?" Elsa asked.

Pabbie slouched against the slab. "With our latest village razed in an Aren raid, our people were forced further north. But as our caravan pushed on, we came under attack from an ambush. While a large portion of us were able to roll for safety, many were still captured." Elsa sulked, understanding Cliff and Bulda's fate. "And the thing is...they could've made it out," Pabbie continued. "Only, they chose to stay behind and help other Trolls escape quicker. As a result, they were among those left when the Aren closed in."

"That's awful," Elsa answered. "Where would they be now?"

"Likely in one of these northern labor camps," Pabbie said. "I hold out hope that they're still in one, anyway. Enduring."

Elsa hung her head, trying not to visualize the pain that the Aren would subject Trolls to. All of their crimes contributed to the ongoing disturbances Elsa felt through the Force. They were like ceaseless chills, stretching across the planet and choking it from the inside out. Choosing to be hopeful as well, Elsa forced a smile. "Based on what you've told me about their parents, it's easy to see where Kristoff and Sven get their fighting spirits from."

Pabbie nodded in agreement as Frost entered from the opposite tunnel. "He's waking up," the commander told them. "It's time."

Elsa took a deep breath and glanced over at Pabbie. In spite of everything, he was still putting her faith in her, and she held on to it. Each passing step brought her deeper into the darkness, both of the cave and her own resolution. As she followed Frost to a dead end, she sensed the presence of her Padawan trailing behind. Although trapped in his own conflicted thoughts, Stel still accompanied the group. He'd been relatively quiet since the fight, but Elsa had to balance her concerns if they were to succeed. She would need to have full concentration over her Force powers and the mind of her target.

Their echoey footsteps came to a halt as Elsa eyed the captive soldier. He lay propped up with his hands bound behind a thin, yet sturdy stalagmite. Robbed of his anonymity, his dirty-blonde hair dangled with his hanging head. Although the effects of Frost's stun blast had left him dazed and groggy, he was still frightened to find himself alone. Raising his head, the man's hazel eyes widened with fear over his diverse group of captors. His focus shifted to Elsa...particularly the lightsaber on her belt. The eldest Dellian knew not what anti-Jedi propaganda had been ingrained in the Aren, but this man was genuinely terrified. Elsa had to be cautious with her approach if she was to extract an answer but also not worsen his effects. No matter what happens, she told herself. No harm will come to this man.

"Y-you're one of them," he shivered.

Despite wanting to reassure him of the Jedi's benevolence, Elsa kept her expressions neutral. "I am," she intoned. "And we're going to keep this plain and simple. I'll ask a question, you will then answer, and we'll be done with it. Alright?"

The soldier swallowed hard as sweat trickled down his temple. Even as fear gripped at him from within, it was as if his training snapped him back into place. "I'll...never tell you anything."

"We're trying to make this easier for you," Elsa asserted. "But you need to cooperate."

"Never!" he blurted. "I'd rather die than...tell any of you vermin anything!"

His final words set Ryder off as the chieftain lunged from the wall. "That can be arranged," Ryder growled and pulled the soldier up by the collar. "You want to die for the cause?" he snarled.

"Ryder!" Elsa scolded as Frost moved in to separate them.

"Where's my sister?" Ryder yelled while Frost pulled him off of the soldier. "Tell us, you coward!"

"Reel it in," Frost whispered to the chieftain while keeping him back.

Closing her eyes, Elsa understood what their only option would be. The soldier stiffened as she raised a hand towards him. At first skeptical, he furrowed his brows and stared into her open palm. But as Elsa's concentration took hold, the man's perplexed expression turned to concern. He couldn't quite place the sensation, but it felt as though something was gently buzzing through his mind.

"You will comply," Elsa spoke with a wave of her hand.

All of the ingrained doctrine a regime could offer meant nothing if it was routed in fear instead of loyalty. And it was in this fear that Elsa was able to break through the soldier's mental barrier. His posture loosened up as he stood straight with his bindings. As if under some form of spell, he spoke up hypnotically. "I...will comply." Elsa's peers relaxed as she continued her work. She'd certainly come far from botching Jedi mind tricks on Scarif and Dantooine.

Keeping her hand raised, Elsa maintained a firm Force connection to her target's mind. "Who are you?" she asked.

"Elio Cadar," he answered under her 'spell'.

"And why did you attack here, Elio?" Elsa asked. "Why take the chieftain alive?"

"Orders from high command told us that our way of life was at risk. That the Northuldra had allied with the Jedi to make plans to terrorize Aren. We had to stop them. My captain was given orders to capture or kill both chieftains and break the chain of command." Ryder shook his head at the prisoner's words while Stel recalled Captain Yopa.

Keeping Elio in her mental bindings, she waved her hand again. "Where did they take Chieftain Honeymaren to?"

"Our superior wanted any captured chieftains taken to the Pit," Elio explained. "It's a mining compound further north. I think he wanted to make examples of them." Nausea pryed at Ryder and he nearly stepped out thinking of his sister.

"Frost," Elsa beckoned and motioned to his utility belt with her free hand. He withdrew a holoprojector, displaying a scouted map of Aren's northern region. Speaking through the Force, she asked again. "Where is the Pit on this map?" Completely under Elsa's mind control, Elio casually pointed at an obscured space on the holomap. Noticing the distance between both the Pit and Hunter's Haven, Elsa found herself needing to address the bantha in the room. "How exactly did you find us?" she asked.

Elio's head listed amid his stupor. "A tracker shot," he explained. "During your attack on our checkpoint, Captain Yopa tagged the other Jedi with one." Elsa's heart sank as she recalled each pulse-pounding detail. She still saw Stel on that slope, falling back like he'd been shot by something. The lack of an injury at the time all made sense, for the Aren had never used a slugthrower. Instead, a small tracker had been planted in Stel's body. As that grim reality sank in, all Elsa could do was slowly turn towards her Padawan. The Theelin's eyes widened in horror while Ryder shot him a death glare.

"Stel?" Elsa worried. "Apprentice, I need you to remain calm," she said as her focus on him made her lose concentration over Elio. He'd just started coming to his senses when Elsa waved her hand again. "Who ordered you to do this?" she asked. "And where are they now?"

"They...are-" Elios uttered through slurred speech. "Back at the Pit. The cured one. Free from your disease."

"Cured one?" Elsa pushed.

"Free of your doctrine. A Jedi with no ties to your Order."

Elsa's worst fears were realized as Elios confirmed the rogue Jedi. Keeping calm even as Stel hyperventilated behind her, she waved her hand again. "What is the Jedi's name?"

"I only caught it in passing," the soldier murmured. "Gaston." The master's name certainly held more weight to Elsa than it did for anyone else in the cave. Her gaze intensified as she considered what the development meant for their mission. As she tried to wrap her head around it all, Stel's composure was cracking.

"They...tracked me?" the boy whispered. "They only attacked here because of me?"

"Stel," Elsa asserted. "Steady." Despite her efforts to calm him, the Padawan took off through the tunnel. Even as she heard Anna's inner voice telling her to give him some space, Elsa couldn't bring it upon herself. Breaking her concentration over the questioning, she turned to chase after Stel. "We're done here," she told Frost, who shot Elios with another stun blast.

"Padawan!" Elsa's voice echoed across the cave walls. She used her abilities to sense for his familiar essence, and traced his presence back to the burrow's central chamber. Now cleared of all bodies, the expanse was nothing more than a void of blaster marks and craters. Stel had nestled himself into one of the latter and curled into a ball. His chest beat rapidly as he tucked his head between his legs. He shuddered when Elsa's boots crunched the crater's gravelly edge. "Stel," Elsa spoke calmly.

"I shouldn't be here," he murmured.

"What?"

"I shouldn't have come!" the boy snapped and backed himself into one of the crater's walls. "I want to go back to the ship. Please, master. I don't want to be here anymore!"

Elsa furrowed her brows at his despair. It pained her to see him in such anguish as she stepped down into the crater too. Dropping to her knees, she kept her tone low and reassuring. "It's going to be alright," she told him.

"How?" Stel whimpered. "How could anything possibly be alright? I can't even tell myself that it will be because I'm a Jedi. It wasn't enough to stop myself from getting shot with-...with that-" Stel furiously clawed at his robes before digging beneath the sleeves. His fingers pinched at his violet skin, as if longing to dig up the tracker in his body. "THING!" he growled and angrily pinched his arms.

Acting quickly, Elsa leaned in and pulled Stel's hands away. Keeping him from hurting himself any further, she firmly grasped his hands. He hung his head in retaliation, trying to hold back tears. "It's okay to cry," Elsa said. She observed their surroundings and thought of the crater as a personal safe space. "Go ahead and let it out," she affirmed.

Tears trickled down Stel's cheeks as his disheveled braid swished forward. "All of those people," he sniffled. "Innocent people...are gone because of me."

"No Stel," Elsa whispered while caressing his palms. "This isn't your fault." His arms relaxed as she continued to massage each hand. "You are not guilty for the actions of the wicked. No matter what."

"What if the others don't see it that way?" Stel sniffled. "You saw how much everyone was fighting. How they blamed you."

Elsa released her Padawan's hands and retrieved his braid. Taking her time, she gently smoothed out each blue strand and retied it. "You let me worry about anyone else's opinion. Just focus on the here and now."

Contrary to Elsa's advice, Stel already had another thought. "Why didn't you let me save the chieftain?" His question was met by a silent, puzzled look. "I could've gotten that soldier with my lightsaber. But she captured Chieftain Honeymaren and got away."

Elsa sighed. "And you blame me," she realized.

"Well no..." Stel winced. "Okay, maybe a little?"

Elsa sulked. "Stel, regardless of what happened...I couldn't let you take a life. I've done it once before, and the consequences are unfathomable. You will never forget the feeling of their final moments, and what it's like to realize that you eliminated someone from existence. That someone will never take another breath nor see another sunrise...They won't cherish their loved ones nor meet another person. And that is all because of you."

"But-" the Theelin lamented while drying his tears. "Aren't the consequences of letting that person live just as bad? How many good people did she kill?"

Elsa bit her lip and thought on her answer. "There's no easy way out of such a split decision, Stel. And suffering is a pinnacle part of walking the righteous path. Because when you kill someone, you cross a line that you can seldom ever come back from. I'm lucky that I ever did, but not a day goes by that I don't think about what I could've done differently. That I don't fear how quickly it all happened and wonder if I could ever slip again. That is not a pain I would ever wish upon you, Stel."

"I understand," the Padawan mumbled. "I...think?" Elsa huffed at his response while he sulked against the crater's wall. "But what do we do now?" he continued to fret. "As long as I'm here, I'm still a danger to everyone. They know exactly where we are because of me. How are we going to remove the tracker? Can it even be removed? I'm scared."

Elsa gently rubbed his shoulder. "I know, Stel. I am too. But we cannot give in to that fear, even if they know precisely where we are. "However...we can use that fact to our advantage." Stel raised a brow as Elsa formulated a bold plan.

The most mind boggling experience about warfare was how quickly everything could change. It truly was the ultimate juxtaposition between sheer destruction and ongoing stillness. How quickly people could forget about the traumatizing bloodshed, especially those not directly involved in it. In the hours following one of the most harrowing and decisive battles of the war, Coruscant had become eerily quiet. Whatever Separatist warships had managed to survive the assault were routed and fleeing deep into the Outer Rim. Many droid dropships couldn't make it back to the surface in time or were destroyed by the Republic counteroffensive, leaving any ground forces to be obliterated. Whether people lived on Coruscant or they'd heard news from the other Core Worlds, they all clung to a single concept: Palpatine was safe.

It mattered not how many had been brutally injured nor how many had lost their lives. Some collateral damage could possibly take years to repair, but none of it compared to the only symbol keeping everyone moving in jubilation. Obi-wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker saving the Supreme Chancellor was the only news anyone wanted to focus on. And even then, those two Jedi unintentionally took all of the credit for the rescue, as if an entire trail of soldiers and first responders hadn't given their lives in the city's defense. It didn't matter. No one cared. Palpatine had a glow to him that kept people gathering for warmth. Be it the way he spoke or carried himself, the influence he held over senators and civilians alike was unparalleled. And in his newfound security, the chancellor was riding the highs of success. For one of his Jedi rescuers has successfully killed Count Dooku. Focusing on the victory, Chancellor Palpatine used Grievous as a scapegoat in the Coruscant attack and vowed to hunt him down in the name of justice. Yet in spite of his celebrated survival, there were those who refused to partake in the fanfare. Some were still processing their newest battle scars, especially after everything had been taken from them.

While Coruscant was locked down with a reinforced fleet of Venators, the Legacy soared to put some distance between them all. Once in its own vacuous space, Admiral Shang ordered the ship to be halted before having his crew line its primary corridor. With his chest puffed out and arms folded behind him, he stood at attention from the bridge. The flight crew didn't move as a series of gentle footsteps sounded from around the corner. Having been invited for the somber moment, Master Mattias helped Anna walk alongside Blazer and Sparx. The four of them guided a floating, repulsorlifted casket down the corridor. They took their time, letting each crew members' face reflect against its clear casing and towards the fallen soldier inside.

Anna faced front while guiding the casket. She had to. She'd merely glanced at Speedy's body and felt a lump rise in her throat. Anger and regret came for her in waves, hindered only by the shared grief of her comrades. As they turned across the bridge, Shang and several crew members followed them down to one of the airlock storage units. Pale, overhead lights left a trail along the corridor as if guiding Speedy elsewhere. And as they set his casket by a pair of doors, Blazer spoke up.

Neither him nor Sparx had their helmets on as he said, "Speedy first met Sparx and I on the battlefield. In fact, it was on Felucia where he'd lost his legs. I was no stranger to seeing my brothers suffer in this war, but this was different. I felt like Speedy had barely gotten a chance. And even in a situation as terrible as that, he showed us what a fighter he was. Through Felucia and beyond. All the way into his new legs. Speedy never gave up on himself nor anyone around him."

"He was a friend," Lieutenant Sparx added after the sergeant. "He stayed true to himself, even if I thought he could be irksome at times." Sparx sighed. "But what better way could there have been to live? He never stopped being himself. And if I could be half the man Speedy was. If any of us could, that alone would be more than enough."

Mattias placed a hand on Speedy's casket. For while the trooper had become one with the Force, he longed to feel the connections still resonating with him. "I'll always remember Speedy," he said. "I'll remember how willing he was to keep trying. Even when those cybernetics were the wonkiest contraptions for legs at first, he didn't give up trying to learn. I think back to our time training on Ilum together, and how watching him grow into the man he became was never taken for granted. It was a privilege."

Anna could feel the weight of the others staring at her. When she sighed, it felt as though she hadn't taken a full breath in hours. Finding her courage all over again, Anna slowly brought herself to look at the casket. There was an unhinged shiver to her as she glanced at his body. Just seeing how peaceful he looked resting there, but knowing he was gone destroyed Anna. Her next breath stifled, this time prompting tears to swell in her eyes. "Speedy was-" she gulped. "He-"

Blazer stepped to her side and gently rubbed her back. The sergeant's firm, reassuring touch helped her get a steady breath out. "Speedy was my friend," Anna spoke firmly. "He-...um..." She sniffled hard and struggled to maintain eye contact with anyone. "He was everyone's friend. And I think that's what makes this whole thing so kriffed up, you know? He had a bigger heart than any of us. He wasn't perfect, but none of us were and we never needed him to be." A hard blink had tears rolling down her cheeks. "He was a force of nature on and off the battlefield. He loved to try new things and adored marathoning the sappiest holodramas. And with that big heart came his determination. That determination cost him his life because he was just so-...so-" Anna gestured towards the casket, struggling to find her words...let alone breath. "so-...him." Blazer put his arm around her as Anna leaned into her best friend's embrace. "There will never be another Speedy," she said. "He was the heart of this squad and his absence will be felt for the rest of our days."

Her companions nodded in agreement as the chamber doors unlocked in front of them. The group took one last look at Speedy as Legacy personnel attached several pods to his casket. They then guided it into the chamber, stepped out, and sealed it inside. Anna and the others moved towards the nearby viewport as Shang gave the all clear. Within moments, Speedy was jettisoned out into space. And as his casket glided across the blackness, the pods ignited throughout his casket. There was a powerful fizzing, heard all the way through the Legacy's interior. Anna, Mattias, Blazer, and Sparx linked arms over each other's shoulders. So much time had passed since their revival on Ilum. How they'd wished the circumstances had been better as they watched Speedy's casket turn to flame. And in a final flare, Speedy's remnants scattered into flickers as bright as his heart. Just as he'd touched the hearts of his friends, Speedy shimmered across space itself. Forever a light, he had become one with the stars themselves.

"My deepest condolences," Admiral Shang said. The youth felt he could only add so much to the already grieving group. "Take all the time you need."

"Thank you," Anna answered as he and the flight crew returned to their stations. Keeping herself composed, she wiped the tears from her eyes and patted her old master's back. "Thanks for coming, Mattias."

"Of course," he said. "It's a blasted shame that more people aren't here to honor Speedy."

"Because his sacrifice doesn't matter to them," Blazer scoffed. "And neither does anyone else's from this battle. Dead or living. They just care that the chancellor is safe." Feeling his rage sparking up again, Blazer opted to change the subject. "Where do you think he is right now?"

"Sir?" Sparx questioned.

"Speedy," the sergeant clarified. "Whether he's one with the Force, stars, or beyond that...I refuse to believe his trip ended here." Blazer's beard shifted with his smirk. "Nah...I think he put this whole galaxy far behind him. Wherever Speedy's gone, he's found the peace we're all searching for. The one free of nightmares and blasterfire. Where all of our brothers are calling us home and we all take a final march together." Blazer sighed before pressing his hand to the viewport. Spreading his fingers as if to touch the stars, Blazer shrugged. "At least that's what I'm holding on to."

In that instant, a call came through on Mattias' holocom. Dreading that it was Zodra after their previous conversation, he nervously stepped aside to take it. "Excuse me," he told Anna and the Deathchasers before finding a quiet portion of the corridor. As he powered up the hologram and braced, he was relieved to see Master Yelena's face.

"Mattias," her voice crackled through. "How are you?"

"I'll be alright," he assured. "Just concluded the military funeral." Mattias paused, noticing the distressful look on Yelena's face. "Are you alright?" She nodded slowly. "Is...your Padawan?"

Yelena nodded once more before speaking in a hushed tone. "How quickly can you get back to the temple?"

"I can head right over," he said without a second thought.

"There's been an...urgent development. The likes of which I'm not even at liberty to say over comms like this."

"I see," Mattias murmured. "Stay safe and I'll be there soon." Ending the call, he returned to Anna and the Deathchasers. "I'm needed planetside," he huffed.

"It's okay," Anna assured as she and her brothers embraced him. "Thanks for coming." Mattias felt an extra tug, as Anna's fingers coiled tightly around his sleeve. After losing Speedy, she didn't want to let those closest to her go. The thought of losing anyone else in the blink of an eye again was devastating.

"Really meant a lot to have you here, sir." Blazer said while Sparx concurred. Mattias smiled faintly before departing for his transport. With the master gone and nothing but silence to embrace, the now trio prepared to face the inevitable.

Entering the crew quarters for the first time since the incident was as surreal as it was disheartening. Blazer stared at Speedy's worn and sunken in spot on the couch and huffed. He reminisced on how many times Sparx had told him to get his cybernetic legs off of the cushions. Anna approached Speedy's unmade bed and stared at the drawing still hanging above it. He'd once made it for her and she'd passed it back to him. The silly sketch featured caricatures of the four of them. With a message reading "Get well soon, Anna" it now felt like the drawing had come back to her. Plucking the artwork from the wall, Anna sat on the edge of Speedy's bed and hugged it as if it were him. As she closed her eyes, a pair of gentle tears plummeted across her freckled cheeks.

She broke from her mournful state as a sudden ringing came from her comlink. "Hm?" she blurted and scrambled to answer. "H-...hello?" she sniffled.

"Anna?" Elsa answered. "What's wrong, sister?"

Not wanting to start their call with a tragedy she was still processing, Anna straightened her posture. "It's just been a rough time," she said. "What's going on?" Anna's brows furrowed through Elsa's silence. "I'm okay, please just tell me."

"Things are...pretty rough on my end as well," she confessed as Anna's eyes narrowed. "I'm in some trouble, sis."

"Where are you?" Anna asked.

"...Aren."

Anna's heart sank. "Wait, what? Elsa what the kriff are you doing out there?"

"Trying to make a difference and restore our homeworld."

"With or without the Senate and Council's permission?" Anna asked and groaned through the quietness. "That's what I thought."

"Anna, there aren't many I can trust with this. But I need your help. This task has proven more difficult than anticipated."

"Elsa," Anna winced. "You might've thrown complete caution to the wind here, but-" The young Dellian paused, even as her big sister beckoned for her to continue. Blazer and Sparx watched as an idea formed in her head. "What...what exactly do you need?"

"Your trusted assistance," Elsa said. "I don't have many allies that I can hold on to. And this situation is reminding me of Eshan all over again."

"We'll be there," Anna asserted. "Send us your coordinates and I'll have Admiral Shang make the jump to lightspeed."

"Really?" Elsa rejoiced. "Thank you, sister. It will be nice to see you again."

"Likewise," Anna replied as the call dropped.

"With all due respect," Sparx inquired. "Why are we going to Aren?"

"Because this is our chance," Anna planned. "The last time we assisted Elsa, I was able to command her unit. She's now gone completely beyond the Republic's jurisdiction."

"I think I see where this is going," Blazer remarked, crossing his arms.

"After this invasion on the capital, they're not going to be releasing anyone anytime soon. I had held out a sliver of hope that Watcher would feel compelled to bring us back to the frontlines, but we're of no use now that the chancellor's safe. So we're going to make our own rules and put ourselves back in this fight. Skywalker might've ended Dooku, but that cyborg sealed his fate with the Deathchasers. Once we help Elsa on Aren, we can go after General Grievous ourselves and get payback for Speedy."

"For Speedy," Blazer growled and looked to his lieutenant.

Even the more reasonable trooper was in agreement as he affirmed, "For Speedy."

When it came to the Outer Rim Sieges, not every Republic conflict had involved the Separatists. In fact, open warfare had erupted throughout the Mandalorian capital of Sundari. There had been enough explosions and blasterfire for hours to undermine all of the late Duchess Satine's pacifistic efforts. Republic gunships soared over the city while uniquely-armored 501st clone troopers opened fire from their holds. Each trooper's helmet had received a special, white and orange coating reminiscent of their returning commander. And somewhere betwixt the ongoing chaos, Ahsoka Tano herself was fighting alongside both clones and Mandalorians to defeat those under Maul's influence.

The renegade Sith's Mandalorians were a force to be reckoned with. Their yellow-tinted visors and blood-red armor were hellish in nature. The likes of which made it all the more cleansing when any hero took it upon themselves to fight back. Under Maul's orders, his warriors had been stationed across various parts of the city in an effort to scatter the invading forces. One such station was situated in Peace Park. The level area served as the ideal striking point for both Bo-Katan's Nite Owls and several clone troopers. All equipped with jetpacks, the joint operation had troops diving the platform.

Bo-Katan led the assault, accelerating her boosters before launching a jetpack-mounted missile. As the projectile burst, the rest of her allies landed across the platform and opened fire. Their yellow lasers darted through the rising smoke until a spray of scarlet shots came zooming back. Maul's Mandalorians returned fire by all and any means. More missiles blasted across the park's dwindling gardens while Mulan took cover. Activating her personal wrist shield, she went back to back with Ursa. The duo deflected shots while occasionally returning some of their own. Yet as they fired together, Ursa noticed several shadows slowly closing in through the smoke.

"Mulan," she said while powering up her vambrace. "Get down."

A sharp chime emanated from the device as Mulan ducked. Ursa swayed her wrist, and launched several whistling birds into the air. True to their name, the unique Mandalorian weapon consisted of several small explosives zipping through the air. Each picked a designated target before whistling towards them and landing a direct hit. The blasts sparked around Maul's forces, causing each to collapse before Mulan and Ursa's feet. A great silence filled the remnants of Peace Park as Bo-Katan hovered through the smoke. Each black tuft slowly cleared while crackling flames carried on.

As Ursa helped Mulan to her feet, the younger warrior couldn't stop staring at the whistling birds attachment on her vambrace. "I've got to get one of those," Mulan jested until a familiar sight caught her eye. Stepping across the carnage, Mulan knelt before one of Maul's fallen followers. Her slender frame was sprawled out along a crumbled bench. A whistling bird had darted its way directly under the helmet and into her neck. Ash, smoke, and singed flesh clustered beneath the fabric. The body had fallen in such a way to barely reveal the warrior's jawline.

Mulan's heart sank as she slowly removed her enemy's helmet. Despite the intimidating paint job, a youthful woman lay lost to the conflict. Her short, blonde bob had been buzzed...but Mulan could never forget Vala's gentle face. She used to make fun of her for it, despite how tough she tried to be. "No," Mulan whispered, cradling her former...fellow Nite Owl. "Vala." She peered up at Ursa and Bo-Katan, as if expecting some form of comfort. But her allies just stood there, glaring at the corpse through their unfeeling helmets. "She was one of us," Mulan uttered. "What are we doing?" She observed the massacre of Mandalorians from both factions across the park, caring little for the dead clones. "We're just slaughtering one another and for what?"

"To restore Mandalore," Bo-Katan asserted and glanced at the Republic gunships overhead. "By all and any means." She jetpacked up to join the next advance while other Mandalorians formed up with clones.

Ursa took an extra moment to at least grip Mulan's shoulder. "This isn't your fault," she said. "Nor is it mine, Mulan. Vala chose her side, just as we all must." A sudden shuffling caught Ursa's attention as she tilted her head towards a pile of rubble. A trembling blaster rifle emerged as Ursa shouted, "Gun!"

Both she and Mulan assumed a fighting stance, aiming their weapons towards the rubble. Instead of opening fire, the pale...shaking hands used the weapon to dig themselves out of the rubble. Once free, the young woman tossed the rifle to the ground and raised her hands. "Don't sh-sh-shoot," she uttered. Finding her voice, she raised it in a panic. "Don't shoot!"

Ursa and Mulan looked to one another, perplexed by their opponent's lack of armor. "Step forward," Ursa said. "Keep your hands up."

The woman kept inching closer, her crystal blue eyes reddened from exhaustion. "Don't shoot, I beg you," she pleaded.

"You are not Mandalorian," Mulan murmured.

The woman sighed through parched lips. "I was a servant to one of Maul's associates before he-...killed her and took over. From there I passed into his servitude. His soldiers made me fight for him. They told me to 'fight for this city or die'." The woman's lower lip quivered along with her weakening knees. "You can check my weapon. It hasn't been fired! I didn't kill anyone, I swear!"

Ursa slowly lowered her pistol while Mulan investigated the woman's rifle. True to her word, it was in pristine condition and not a single charge had been unloaded. "Who are you?" Mulan asked.

"They...call me C-Cinderella," she shuddered.

Ursa removed her helmet and Mulan mirrored the gesture. As they showed Cinderella their true faces, her shoulders started to relax. A concerning sternness came upon Ursa while she considered the young woman's story of servitude. "Rest your hands, Cinderella," she said. "Never shall you use them for another's toil again." Cinderella raised a worried brow as Ursa continued. "Henceforth, you are under the protection of the Nite Owls." Hearing such a proclamation sent a chill up Cinderella's spine. "Where do you hail from?"

"I don't remember much," Cinderella lamented. "My parents passed away when I was very young and I was soon cast into servitude."

Ursa held back a prolonged sneer, struggling to fathom how painful Cinderella's life had to have been. Pushing to remedy it now, she spoke boldly. "Then as Countess of Clan Wren, I call you a daughter of Mandalore. For we are not a race, but a creed. And in time as we build a new world, you will come to understand the meaning of these words."

Yelena leaned out across one of the Jedi Temple's verandahs as Mattias came out to join her. "I got here as soon as he could," he panted before leaning alongside her. "How-" He had to do a double take towards the city's skyline. "Woah," he uttered as they stared towards the persistent silence. For the first time in years, entire sections of Coruscant's skylanes weren't even in rotation. The rest of the city was trying to return to business as usual, but many couldn't ignore the fact that a Separatist invasion had indeed come upon them.

"It's eerie, isn't it?" Yelena mentioned. "How still everything is."

"Like the attack was all just a bad dream," Mattias muttered.

His words coaxed a chuckle out of Yelena. "Sometimes it feels like each passing day is a bad dream as of late. You hear about what's going on out there and just don't want to believe it's true. What the galaxy is descending into. What we're..." Yelena huffed. "-what we're becoming in order to keep up."

"What's wrong, friend?" Mattias worried. "Please tell me." Yelena shut her eyes and hung her head until it bumped the railing. "Don't hold on to whatever is tearing you to pieces. You clearly called me because it is something you can confide in me."

"It is," Yelena assured. "But that doesn't make this easy." She took a deep breath before her voice returned as a whisper. "Palpatine's rescue was the act of heroism the Republic needed to come out of this tragedy with its morale intact. However...the Senate has now granted him access to all emergency powers as a result. They practically handed them to him."

Mattias brooded over the grim knowledge. "That was to be expected," he professed. "People always vote for more security when they're frightened. They don't even think twice."

"There hasn't been a single thought put into what total control for the Chancellor's new emergency access means," Yelena replied. "Mattias, he now has direct control of the Jedi Council."

Her friend's dark brows widened as that realization struck him in waves. "So he can command you all?"

"Thank the Force it hasn't come to that yet. But as this war continues, nothing is stopping him. Instead, he chose to utilize this newfound power for an alternative cause." Yelena leaned until her shoulder met Mattias'. "The chancellor has appointed Knight Skywalker as his personal representative on the Jedi Council. None of us lose a seat, he just gets one."

"Young Skywalker?" Mattias mumbled. "Why the boy? First he introduces the non-Force user initiative to get civilians to work in the temple, and now he picks one of our own to form some sort of bridge to the Senate? I don't like this."

"It gets worse," Yelena mentioned. She shook her head as if still reliving the moment. "I wish you could've seen Skywalker's reaction in the council chamber. We approved the Chancellor's wish for him to be on the council, but denied him the rank of Master."

"He's lucky enough to even have that honor!" Mattias blurted before Yelena shushed him.

"One would think," she answered. "But Skywalker was livid. Still, we have assigned Anakin to work closely with Chancellor Palpatine."

"But if the chancellor's already a concern, why humor this endeavor?" Mattias asked. "Unless-" His eyes widened as he glared at Yelena. "No...Mar. Mar, don't tell me the boy's the bait."

"Anakin is to report on all of the chancellor's dealings," Yelena whispered. "That portion of information was to be given to him personally by his old master."

"This isn't even on record," Mattias realized while stressfully rubbing his temples. "This is serious, Mar. Every single person involved in this ordeal is on a dangerous path."

"I briefly spoke with Master Kenobi," Yelena mentioned. "He's not the most adamant about our council's plan either."

"Yet you're both still following through with it."

"What choice do we have?" Yelena asked. "Surely you've sensed the rising disturbances. These ongoing tremors in the Force all shrouded by something so dark and twisted. There's more to all of this than we know. The Republic capital was just attacked and instead of focusing on ending this war, they've been putting more attention on funneling power to Palpatine. Who, need I remind you, has served well past his term. He now hangs direct control of the Jedi Council over our heads. When this war ends, all of these emergency powers must be returned."

"The question is, will he return them?" Mattias concluded. There was a long, pensive pause as both masters watched the skylanes rebuild. "Was there...any other news?"

Yelena sighed. "Well while there hasn't been any sign of General Grievous...there is a droid attack on the Wookiees."

"Citizens of the Republic-" Chancellor Palpatine's voice emanated from a datascreen in a luxurious lounge. "The attack on our very way of life is proof of the Separatist's desperation for victory. And thanks to the might of our armies, the greatest military in the galaxy, they still could not find one." His words were met with thunderous applause as he continued. "As your dutiful guardian, I am making it my utmost priority to bring a swift end to the war which has plagued our systems for too long. The Separatist threat is coming to an end, and I will stand before you in jubilation once the wicked General Grievous has been brought to justice. If our brave Jedi could defeat Count Dooku, we can stop the rest of the Separatists! Long live the Republic! Long live democracy!"

Cheers and hollers echoed throughout the gallery while Senator Sofi Pru watched from the comfort of her manor. The young politician was having her luscious, blond tresses curled by a protocol droid. As she smoked several puffs of her tabac stick, she glanced over at her guest. "See that, Dia?" she queried. "That's what I call power." Dia Veritaz kept watching the screen as Palpatine's applause seemed endless. "To give any speech. Merely raise your hands, and have countless systems kissing your feet." Sofi's eyes narrowed when Dia remained silent. The older woman was transfixed on Palpatine's footage. In many ways, Dia imagined herself standing where he was. Dia considered what it would've been like had she made different choices in her field. If she'd somehow managed to become chancellor herself. How much she would've changed. Sofi's honeyed voice reeled her back into her cold reality.

"You can feel it, can't you?" Sofi said, her fuzzy slippers quaking with anticipation. "Chain codes were just the beginning. The chancellor's going to end this war. And I-...well...we are gonna rise up from the ashes. You study history, and you'll see how every great society experiences a monumental boom directly after wartime."

"Or a tremendous collapse," Dia muttered.

Sofi sneered at her remark. "Get your head out of the gutters," she scoffed. "Don't you get it? When this war ends, your opportunities will return. Together, we're going to thrive in whatever new order follows. And I'm a woman of my word. I'll get you back in the Senate."

Dia took a deep breath as she reclined in the shadows. For everything Sofi had been blathered on about, what baffled Dia the most was the fact that people on the datascreen had still been applauding Palpatine the entire time. Perhaps that really is power, she thought.

Anna didn't know what to expect as the Legacy reached the Unknown Regions. Flanked by Blazer and Sparx, the clones stood idly by for anything she'd need. All they knew was that she'd never been willing to face the realities of her homeworld. Even after learning her origins from Yelena and Mattias, Anna's approach had varied from Elsa's. Instead of investing in her homeworld's future, Anna buried herself in the war effort. She focused intently on the Republic's future instead of Aren's. But the last few months had put pain to her thoughts. A lack of consideration from the military had desensitized her to all but the loss of her squadmate. Speedy's death was still weighing on Anna, making her question what priorities were even worth holding on to. Amid such dark and uncertain times, Anna focused on something her old friend Jee had said.

"Sometimes you can't see the future and that's okay. In those moments, all you can do is the next right thing."

"The next right thing," Anna whispered, clinging to the memory. She focused on her sister's needs as Aren appeared in the Legacy's viewport. Despite having little to no memory of the snowy planet, Anna felt a peculiar connection to it as they drew nearer. The sensation of which was as eerie as it was sudden. Anna did her best to treat the planet just like any other, even as her instincts told her otherwise. Just as they'd been instructed by Elsa earlier, the Deliverance could be seen using a vibrant nebula for cover. As they flew by, its admiral hailed their vessel.

"This is Admiral Taka of the Deliverance," she said.

"Admiral Taka," Shang greeted. "An honor to speak with you again."

There was relief in Taka's tone. as she expected judgement for her actions alongside Elsa. "Should you request it, we can provide a gunship escort to the planet's surface."

"Thank you, admiral." Shang assured. "But that won't be necessary. The Legacy is a small enough frigate that we should be able to pass without drawing too much attention. Especially if it's a brief landing at a designated drop zone. Once the team is secure, we'll move to your position behind the nebula.

Anna and the Deathchasers braced themselves as the Legacy soared past the anomaly and approached Aren's northern hemisphere. As they cleared its cloudy atmosphere, Anna took a moment to observe the planet's vast woodlands. For while a series of smokestacks and mining establishments ravaged Aren in the distance, the planet's natural beauty was still a sight to behold. Despite standing so boldly in front of a viewport, Anna felt fearful over what was to come. The unknown world and its distance from the rest of the galaxy kept Anna considering the possibilities. Oh Speedy, she couldn't help but think. I wish you were here with us.

The Legacy glided along a series of winding gullies, descending just as the sun began to rise. And as a new day dawned on Aren, so too would new hopes emerge through Anna. "Look!" a Northuldra gasped from one of the burrows in Hunter's Haven. Frightened yelps echoed throughout the sanctuary while some people scurried for cover. No matter how much Elsa had reassured the refugees about the incoming Republic ship, many of them were still shaken from the previous night's attack.

"Stay safe out there," Shang told the Deathchasers as the Legacy hovered over Hunter's Haven. "We'll do a comms check in at 14:00."

"Copy that," Anna answered while departing with her squad.

"May the Force be with you," Shang chose to add. He knew that whether she admitted to it or not, Anna was in pain. He'd always brushed her previous, personal issues aside...telling himself that he wasn't qualified. But Speedy had been a longstanding member of the team. And even in Anna's silence, she tried to push away grief just as Shang did over his late father. The least he could do was try and be there for Anna, even if it meant speaking on a practice he didn't necessarily believe in.

Anna was still considering where she stood on the Force as a whole, but appreciated Shang's sentiment. Simpering, she glanced back at him and jested, "The Force needs me."

The Legacy's ventral hatch extended as Anna, Blazer, and Sparx disembarked. Having earned themselves a heroic reputation from the Battle of Eshan, they walked in to several applause from the clones of the 213th. Anna embraced that sense of pride, especially when several clones went out of their way to salute her.

Saluting was one of the most iconic gestures in the military. Perfect for showing respect, commanding authority, and helping enemies identify the chain of command. Atop a hill overlooking the gullies, a sniper's lens gently listed over the targets. An Aren soldier tightly clenched his rifle, waiting for the Legacy to depart. "No sign of the initial Jedi," the sniper called in over comms. "But I have new, unidentified leadership in my sights."

Gaston was quick to reply. "Looks like the Republic doesn't know when to quit," he murmured. "Confirm new target. Identify them." Realizing that the Aren were unfamiliar with the Jedi, Gaston took measures into his own hands. "Keep your sights on the new leadership. I will inform my associate to confirm."

"Copy that," the sniper reported while keeping his rifle trained on Anna's head. More clones saluted her, leading him to believe that she was a Jedi of significant value. The sniper remained intensely fixated on his target while the rest of his team took aim. As they did so, something shifted behind them.

Hans Westgard knelt beside the sniper team. "What's this about new leadership that I'm hearing?" he grumbled while raising his macrobinoculars. There was a long and chilling pause as Hans' blood ran cold. His stomach dropped the second he saw those long, auburn tresses. "What?" Hans croaked.

"Hans?" Gaston questioned over comms. "What's going on?" He grew impatient through the rising silence. "Hans..."

"It's Anna," Hans uttered. "She's here. Elsa must've called her for backup since the attack."

"Then our situation has only grown more complicated," Gaston murmured. "Sniper team-" he commanded, completely bypassing Hans' authority. "Take the shot. Execute the Jedi."

Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading this week's installment! With only two chapters left in Season 4, time is winding down. Since I'm going on holiday vacation next week, I'll see you in two weeks for the next chapter. You can read Chapter: 119 - Into the Frozen Heart (Part II) on Friday, December 23rd!

Long Live Imagination and May the Force be with You,

~ Michael Gavilán