Author's Note: Dearest readers, thank you all so much for your patience as I get this chapter to you before 2023 starts. This season has been a ride and I'm honored to have you all still here with your love and support. If you need easily accessible updates on the story right here on this website, you can follow my story titled "Anna and Elsa - Frozen Force News." So without further ado, have a Happy New Year and enjoy today's chapter!

Long Live Imagination,

~ Michael

ADVISORY: The following chapter contains sensitive material relating to: Murder, slavery, torture, depression, and grief. Remember to practice self care before, during, and after reading.

Chapter: 119 Into the Frozen Heart (Part II)

"When your time comes to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home."

Tensions across the stars! As the Republic recovers from an attack on Coruscant, its military devotes all of its resources to hunting down General Grievous. With the wicked Count Dooku dead, defeating Grievous would mean a total collapse of the Separatist command structure. As the hunt continues, the situation on Aren escalates. Chieftain Honeymaren has been captured by the regime, and Elsa Dellian has had no choice but to request help from her sister, Anna. With Republic forces on the brink of another war, who knows what spark will set off the final blast...

Hans told himself that he was ready for anything. That's all he'd been hammering into his head over and over again for months. Ever since he'd murdered his father in cold blood, that powerful pull he'd felt had given him strength. But with every moment after, that force was met with a price. He had to keep reminding himself that the price of power was worth it. The voices kept him tossing and turning, pushing him to weave lies to help him sleep at night. And even then, every life he took came back to haunt him. Every trustworthy soul he'd betrayed clawed at whatever was left of his heart, if he even had one. Amid Aren's harsh temperatures, he felt as though his cold heart had frozen over. Rapunzel's desperate hand...Celenia's whimpering pleas... No amount of power advancement could rid him of their memories. And the more he tried to numb himself, the greater the suffering took hold. It accompanied the dark pull within, providing an odd sensation of relief. And as Hans glared across the hill towards Anna in the gullies, he realized that he'd be suffering all over again.

"Take the shot. Execute the Jedi." Gaston had ordered the sniper teams. Like the frosted hill itself, Hans' world had frozen. Anna was nothing to his former master. Just another obstacle. And deep down, Hans had to ask himself if he was still seeking his mentor's approval. If he was still trying to become something he never was...or perhaps already was. He felt like a hollow, aching shell. Never to be loved nor to exude compassion. Yet through his desensitization, he couldn't standby. He couldn't let the pain just unfold and watch Anna die such a pitifully unaware death. He called upon the Force just as the snipers pulled their triggers.

Several high-powered blasts echoed across the gullies. Each shot barely missed Anna and those around her, scraping stone and scorching snow. "Snipers!" she shouted while diving for cover. "Everyone get down!" Screams rang out among the refugees while the 213th scrambled to find the shooters. Elsa emerged from the tunnels alongside Stel and Frost. She'd barely caught a glimpse of Anna as her sister was already crawling into action.

"General!" Blazer called to Anna. "Hilltop! Dead ahead!" She cautiously poked her head up from a snow mound and observed several blastershots. Oddly enough, the ongoing shots weren't headed in their direction.

Taking advantage of the setup, Anna sparked up her lightsaber and leapt from cover. "Deathchasers," she commanded. "On me! The rest of you stay down!" Blazer and Sparx dashed alongside her as they weaved between the gullies. Swiftly making their way to the hill, they listened as the blasterfire intensified. A powerful slice sent one of the uniformed figures tumbling down towards the Deathchasers' position.

"Contact!" Sparx warned as he and Blazer aimed their weapons. The clones each fired a cautionary laser into the sniper's rolling corpse before Anna stopped it with her boot. To her surprise, she noticed a distinct saber slash running across the man's chest. Her findings were accompanied by the ongoing hum of someone ferociously swinging a lightsaber. Anna proceeded up the hill, curious about what she'd uncover. As the Deathchasers reached the summit, they found a group of dead snipers sunken into the snow. The final Aren soldier was haplessly trying to deflect a lightsaber by raising his rifle like a dueling staff. His attacker sliced straight through it, snapping the weapon in two and cleaving the sniper's face. As the body collapsed to join the rest, Hans Westgard was left standing over his kills. He deactivated his lightsaber just in time to see Anna and her squadmates standing across from him.

"Anna?" he uttered between rigorous breaths. "How did-...What are you doing here?"

After observing their eerily quiet surroundings, Anna powered down her blade as well. "I could ask you the same question," she huffed. "What happened to being abandoned at the temple?"

"I told you that I wanted out," Hans insisted.

"Yeah but I didn't think 'come run away with me' meant fight to liberate Aren. You need to be more specific next time!"

Hans forced a chuckle. "Yes well...it wasn't necessarily something I could say out loud. I just-" His nervous pause had Blazer tilting his helmeted head. "I just wanted to make a difference somewhere far from the Republic's prying eyes," Hans assured. "A place where our actions actually mattered-" Anna's grimace had Hans raising a brow. "What?"

Anna suppressed her rising anger and focused on Hans' naivety. "You have no idea what happened, do you?" His aggressive shrug spoke volumes as she sighed. "Hans, the Seps attacked Coruscant."

His scoff reeked of blind pompousness. "Okay?" he grumbled. "I'm waiting for the punchline." The persistent silence had Hans' smirk faltering. "Oh kriff...No. You're serious. How did they? What happened? How could-"

"They never meant to try and take the capital," Anna explained. "It was an elaborate assault designed to weaken our forces and kidnap Chancellor Palpatine. He was saved but-...our-" Anna steadied herself with a gulp. "Our loses were heavy."

Hans furrowed his brows. "How heavy?"

"Just watch your words when you say that this is the only place where actions matter," Blazer scolded. "Soldiers gave their lives protecting Coruscant," he intoned as his head slowly dropped. "Good soldiers."

Without another word, Hans realized that the Deathchasers were a man short. Given Anna's composure, Hans was quick to change the subject instead of comforting her. "I see," he murmured. "Well I'm afraid our fight here is far from over. Who else is on Aren?"

Anna huffed and shook her head. "You really thought you could do this all by yourself, didn't you? You're as crazy as my sister." She beckoned him down the hill. "Come on. Elsa and her battalion are this way. We can exchange intel." As they began their return, Blazer kept a prolonged gaze on Hans. The sergeant observed the snipers he'd killed and how most of them had been struck from the back. "Blazer?" Anna called. "You coming?"

"Yeah," the sergeant answered while looking over a cluster of footprints in the snow. "On my way." He reluctantly joined the others as they regrouped at Hunter's Haven.

Upon first laying eyes on her sister, Elsa's immediate instinct was to hug her. She had almost pulled Anna into a full embrace when she noticed Hans walking alongside her. Elsa's relieved grin faded to confusion as she asked. "Anna?...What's he doing here?"

"Well that's an interesting way to say 'thank you'," Hans griped.

"Excuse me?" Elsa snapped. "Where did you come from?"

"Okay first of all," Hans answered. "I'm going to need you to calm down. I understand that everyone's on edge because of the sniper attack. You know, the one I just saved you all from. But take it easy, folks. For your information, I've been here. Like I was telling Anna, I've been tired of sitting on the sidelines for the Jedi Order. So I embarked on my own crusade, gathering intel on the corrupt government here on Aren."

"Why?" Frost questioned. "Why do you care about this planet?"

"Unbelievable," Hans gasped. "The ungratefulness from top to bottom is nightmarish from you people." He jabbed a finger at Anna and swished it around. "If it wasn't for me, you and who knows who would have sniper bolts in their heads."

"Let's say you have been here," Elsa humored his words. "What 'intel' do you have? Because I certainly haven't seen you around nor have the Aren been alerted to your presence."

"Well it's clearly because I'm better at stealth than any of you are," Hans boasted. "That's for starters. Secondly, I know where your chieftain's being held."

"Honeymaren!" Chieftain Ryder gasped and wriggled his way through the crowd. "Where is my sister?"

Hans subdued his grin and kept things professional. "The Pit," he defined. "Aren's biggest mining compound just north of here."

"Why?" Elsa asked as Ryder processed the answer. "What do they want with her?"

"Unclear," Hans confessed. "But she's alive, so I'd say anything from leverage to interrogation."

"How did you find out?" Elsa inquired and leaned closer to Hans.

"What? My word's not good enough?"

"Not when your former master is behind all of this," she asserted and Hans' stomach dropped. He had no idea that she knew anything about Gaston.

Keeping his expressions neutral, Hans chuckled at Elsa's words. "That's actually...precisely why I'm so invested," he said. "Because-..." Hans played off his pause as a difficulty in fathoming the thought, when in reality...he was rushing to fabricate a half-truth. "Rapunzel had found a clue linking him to Aren during our investigation."

"And you never thought to mention this sooner?" Anna jumped in.

"I didn't trust anyone with it, okay?" Hans groused. "Certainly not the council when they were already restricting me. Sure enough, Rapunzel's clue lead me to Aren. I'd spied on Gaston for several days, tracking his movements as he established a base in this mining compound. I don't know what his grand plan for Aren is, but the chieftain was brought in last night. I'd also suggest moving your people out of this location. I followed his sniper team here and intercepted before they could strike."

"That'd be the second attack on Hunter's Haven," Elsa lamented and looked to Ryder. "Chieftain, staying here will keep the survivors at risk."

"Deeper into the forest is our only option-" he replied. "-but I'm not leaving without my sister."

"And we will get her back," Elsa assured. "But for now, we must prepare to move before another attack comes. Commander Frost, help the chieftain make arrangements." As the leaders dispersed to coordinate with survivors, Elsa hesitantly nodded to Hans. "For what it's worth, Knight Westgard. Thank you."

"Finally some gratitude," he whispered until Anna punched his arm. As he winced, his comlink suddenly chimed. Moving along with his flinch, Hans was quick to silence the device and drowned out the sound with an over-exagerrated grunt. "Kriffing hell, I'm exhausted from hiking after those snipers. Do you people have a water supply anywhere that I could just refresh myself with?"

"Left tunnel," a 213th trooper motioned from the burrow entrances. "First corner when you enter."

Hans nodded gratefully before quickly rushing into one of the tunnels. Acting as though he was almost out of breath, he faked tripping over the snow mounds and stumbled against the burrow's entrance. Inching his way into the shadows, he found the dark corner and a makeshift reservoir. Hans splashed his face like a desperate and dehydrated beast. He let the waters chill against his frigid skin and glanced over his shoulder. Once he was sure that he was alone, Hans activated his comlink.

"You'd better be dead or dying to leave me waiting like that," Gaston growled over comms.

Hans hunched over, trying to muffle the sound. "Keep your voice down," he whispered.

"What the hell are you-...What's going on? Where is the sniper team? What happened-"

"There was a-...complication," Hans explained.

"What kind of-"

"I told you to keep it down," Hans asserted. He smirked, enjoying every moment in a position of power. "I've infiltrated the heart of this little insurrectionist movement. Those snipers were going to cost me a direct line to their hideout."

"This isn't a game," Gaston scolded. "You'd bttert start making sense, Hans."

"Put your faith in me," Hans assured. "I've got these saps wrapped around my finger. And if all goes according to plan, I'll bring you an even greater prize. Something certainly worth more than four pathetic Aren snipers."

"You'd better be right, Hans." Gaston threatened. "And it better be Elsa Dellian's head for your sake."

Hans coyly ended the transmission and wiped the grin off of his face. Pretending to be parched once more, he dug his hands into the reservoir and slurped its contents. While he gluttonously refreshed himself, Hans let his head hang by the water's edge. And as the ripples calmed across its surface, Hans spotted Blazer's reflection standing behind him. "Shit" was all he had time to say before the sergeant yanked him up by the robes.

Hans wailed in alarm, sending Elsa and her companions dashing towards the source. They arrived just in time to see Blazer pinning Hans against the cave wall and raising a fist. "Sergeant!" Anna warned. "Stand down!"

"He's a serpent!" Blazer snarled.

"You're insane!" Hans blurted, barely struggling in the ARF trooper's grasp.

Blazer didn't let up, even if Hans was trying to make him look like the villain. "I knew something was up about you," he berated. "You treacherous-"

"Blazer," Anna urged. She kept her tone calm, yet assertive. "We can talk about this...but I need you to let him go."

While the sergeant's expressions remained hidden beneath his helmet, Anna could tell he wanted to pulverize Hans. Although his fist was shaking, Blazer ultimately released the Jedi. "Good boy," Hans mocked, treating Blazer as though he were an attack dog.

"Shut up," Anna snapped before directing her attention to Blazer. "What happened?"

"I overheard him on comms," Blazer explained. "He was talking to someone. Saying how he was going to infiltrate our group, and the person he spoke to wanted Elsa's head. Only Hans promised something greater."

"You've officially cracked, clone." Hans refuted. "If I wanted to do anything of the sort, why the hell would I kill those snipers?"

"To protect yourself," Blazer countered. He leaned close enough for Hans to see his reflection in his visor. "I think you came with those guys. And when you knew we were inbound, you took them out to save your own skin." Blazer turned to Anna. "I saw the footprints, general. No stray tracks to indicate Hans arriving separately. He came with them and cut the majority of those men down with blows to their backs."

"You're gonna believe Detective Meathead over here?" Hans chuckled.

Anna raised a skeptical brow before boldly answering, "Yes I am. Blazer has no reason to lie, Hans. Now you tell the truth."

His eyes narrowed once Anna took Blazer's side. "Hans," Elsa inquired as a sudden realization dawned upon her. "Were you talking to Gaston?"

An unseen heaviness cascaded over Hans. He didn't have to be backed up against the cave wall to feel cornered as so many eyes fixated on him. "I-..." he huffed before sulking forward. "I was-" Blazer was ready to lunge again as Hans raised his hands. "You had your chance to explain yourself, Detective Clone. Let me do the same!" Hans did his best to relax under pressure, all while mentally scrambling to formulate a lie. "What I said before was true, that I came here to make a difference. I only left the Gaston part out because I didn't know how you would all react. Because my Force abilities are more attuned than you amateurs, I could sense how tense everyone was here. So I was slowly introducing information."

"Then why the call?" Elsa asserted.

"I was getting there," Hans scoffed. "I'm playing Gaston. You think I have any love for my old master? He's deranged and thinks that the only way to survive this 'perceived collapsing Republic' is to conquer another planet. Him and Gothel."

"Donma Gothel's here too?" Anna murmured.

Hans nodded grimly. "See how useful I am when you act civilized and let me speak?" he snarked while glaring at Blazer. Despite his usefulness, the sergeant barely budged.

"What's to say any of this intel holds up?" Blazer questioned. "He could still be trying to save himself."

Elsa sighed. "While I don't agree with Hans'...approach...his words match those of an Aren soldier we questioned. Honeymaren is being held in this 'Pit' and every moment we waste puts her at greater risk. We must mount a rescue mission now."

"Agreed," Anna butted in. "I can take the 213th and-"

"Sis?" Elsa's questionable tone had Anna raising a brow. "They're still under my command."

Anna's chuckle was partly jovial as sarcasm snuck in. "Th-then why am I here? I figured you'd want-"

"Your squad's assistance," Elsa clarified. "This isn't Eshan, and my unit will not be engaging in any assault whatsoever. The 213th is a search and rescue division-"

"In a war zone!" Anna blurted.

"They will not have unnecessary blood on their hands-" Elsa countered.

"By the sun," Ryder cursed. "ENOUGH!" In all of their time spent together, never had Elsa heard the chieftain raise his voice in such a way. Resentment and fear culminated into a ferocious bellow that beckoned the others into silence. His stern gaze fell to Elsa as he clenched his fists. "I have only watched blood spill amid your repeated inaction, Elsa. This corruption that threatens our planet will not move in the name of peace. And if your sister's here to fight, so are my warriors and I."

"Ryder," Elsa uttered.

"You cannot stop this. Formulate whatever plan you'd like. Strategize to your heart's content but peace. Peace is no longer an option."

"And I think she knows it," Anna professed. She squinted her eyes as if trying to read through Elsa's worried expression. Her questioning tone even concerned Stel. "She knows what I can do and what I stand for. And whether or not she'd like to say it out loud, she needs people like me to get the job done."

"Master?" Stel beckoned while the eldest Dellian stood distraught. Frost didn't care if others deduced any form of affection. All that mattered was that he comforted Elsa when she needed him most. He pressed a reassuring hand to her shoulder as the others came for her.

Hans was just happy to have all eyes off of him. He had to bite back a smirk, because watching Elsa get called out was peak entertainment for him. He only wished he had popcorn to maximize his enjoyment. Acting on his power trip, he gently ran his fingers along his sideburns. "Well as much as I love some good banter-" he jested. "-I must agree that every moment you waste puts your chieftain at greater risk. Whatever plan you choose to enact, it's now or never."

Elsa took a deep breath and squeezed Frost's hand before setting it down. "Entering the Pit won't be easy," she said. "And I acknowledge that certain minds are already made up. But that won't stop me from attempting to minimize casualties. If we're going into our enemy's heart-" Elsa huffed. "-we'll need bait."

When it came to putting on an act, Elsa much preferred undercover work. Throughout her time in the Republic's service, she'd had opportunities to use her alias 'Menzel' to gain the upper hand in espionage. But to offer herself just as she was seemed more vulnerable than she first anticipated. Elsa sat in the passenger seat of an Aren transport. Since her hands were clasped together by binders, all she could was glance back at the amount of empty seats in the hold. Each once belonging to a sniper who'd know never see another sunrise. Rather than think of their deaths further, Elsa focused on their killer. Hans continued to drive the transport at a steady pace along the ice roads. The jagged and tired paths were riddled with frozen craters. Leftovers from previous battles against the Aren and Northuldra. While the sight pained Elsa's senses, Hans' irksome voice prompted a scowl.

"Can't remember the last time it was just you and I," he professed. "Hell, I don't think it's been just you and I since the day we first met." Hans smirked and glanced over at Elsa's stern visage. "You know...I still think you're hiding a really pretty smile under that cold disposition."

"I'd say you hide your insecurities-" Elsa began. "-but they shine every time you open your mouth."

Hans sneered at her remark before focusing on the road. "Pretentious little-" he muttered to himself. "Let's just hope this plan of yours works."

"Please," Elsa scoffed. "You've got the easy part. They think you're one of them."

Hans winced at her remark as their transport descended from a frosted slope. The glazed area yielded to an expansive mining operation. The Pit was an imposing piece of the Aren industrial machine. Colossal smokestacks functioned as columns encircling several divots. Machinery whirred and sparked while labor forces toiled away. Snow melted and smoke billowed as heavy machinery plunged itself into Aren's terrain. A squad of soldiers approached the transport while it was scanned before a set of bulkhead doors.

"Can we hurry this up?" Hans griped while pressing on the vehicle's dashboard comms. "Got a prisoner here."

The doors cranked open and the squad guided his transport to a designated docking zone. "Weapons up!" the squad commander bellowed and several blasters buzzed in response.

"Here we go," Hans whispered to Elsa. "I hope you know what you're doing." He put on his sternest grimace and flung open the door on his side. Trudging to the passenger seat, he accessed the door and yanked Elsa out by the arm. "Come on," he growled and pulled her out. "Look what I caught, fellas." He shoved her forward for all to see and then unclipped her lightsaber from his belt. Flaunting it in front of her face, he enjoyed actually taunting her. "Not so tough without this, are you?" His words coaxed a wave of raucous laughter among the soldiers.

Oh the irony, Elsa thought to herself as Hans mocked her lightsaber skills of all things.

After returning her weapon to his belt, he pushed her towards a stairwell leading deeper into the compound. Midway up the stairs, Elsa felt a tremor in the Force. She could hear the suffering screams of those enslaved in the Pit and it made her quiver. "Move!" Hans growled. While Elsa thought he was putting up a front for the Aren, Hans was actually enjoying his power trip. It was blissful for him to get mental payback and shove Elsa around repeatedly. "I said keep moving!" Realizing it was just them in a vacant corridor, Elsa was about to tell him off when she felt another disturbance. "What?" Hans scoffed. His brows furrowed at her continued silence. "What?"

"Shh," Elsa implored as an ominous chill filled the air. The incoming Force tremor was eerily familiar, yet oddly frightening. As the doors at the end of the hall hissed open, Elsa's knees nearly buckled forward. For before her stood Gaston, Gothel, and a uniformed elder exceeding both of their ages.

"Well well well," Gaston admired as his grin widened. He slowly clapped and stepped towards their prisoner. "Young Elsa Dellian. I had to see it to believe it."

"Traitors," Elsa uttered, her eyes darting between the two. "You've brought shame to the Jedi Order. To the Republic!"

"Elsa, that's demented." Gothel jested. "You cannot betray a sinking ship. You can only survive the disaster. Which is precisely what we've done."

"Survive," Elsa hissed. "What? As mercenaries? Nothing more than muscle to murder and enslave-"

"Spare us the lecture, girl." Gaston groaned and leaned towards her face. "You're lucky to still be breathing." His piercing, blue gaze listed towards Hans. "I gave you a direct order, boy." Hans subtly winced as his former master's terminology shifted. "You were supposed to kill her."

"Killing her wouldn't help our cause," Hans admitted and gestured to their superior. "Nor Duke Wesalt's." The duke raised a pale brow while his bushy mustache quivered with intrigue. "I brought her in alive because we need her alive. At...least for now. Think of it. All of Aren hates the Jedi. They've recently heard that one is causing trouble. What better way to lift your peoples' spirits and crush your enemy's morale than with a public execution?" Elsa's heart sank as they awaited a response from their adversaries. Even Gaston seemed caught off guard by his former student's proposal.

"Perhaps it wasn't a waste to bring this youth along," Duke Wesalt remarked. "The Jedi and Northuldra chieftain will be escorted to the capital where they will be executed for their crimes against the populace."

Hearing of their future execution sparked a fury within Elsa. Her nose wrinkled as a rising sneer came upon her face. "We still stand," she said.

"What?" the duke murmured while the others glared at her.

"We still stand," Elsa asserted. Even being cuffed by binders couldn't take away the authority in her voice. She stared Wesalt down, so that he would know her eyes. The bold stare of which had seen more atrocities than most at her age. "You have no idea who I am, do you? What I represent? Whose voices I speak for?" Gaston, Gothel, and Hans were just as confused as the duke was. "Dellian is but a title. For I am Princess Elsa. First born daughter of King Agnarr and Queen Iduna."

"Impossible," the duke uttered while staring into her steady, blue eyes. Yet as much as he didn't want to believe it, he saw Iduna's gaze in her own. He felt her commanding presence as Elsa continued.

"You thought you'd wiped out our bloodline. But you've failed, your highness. And I am a defender of Aren, like my parents before me."

There was a long pause as the duke unclenched his white-gloved fists. "So be it...princess," he spat. "You've survived this long only to meet a pitiful end." Swishing a finger towards Hans, he issued his command. "Don't take her to a cell. Throw her into the mines and relay this order. If she so much as flinches in the wrong direction, shoot a prisoner. She wants to fight for this planet? She can pay the price." The duke cared little for how short he was compared to Elsa. His minuscule boots tromped as he stepped up to her. "Do you know why I sparked the revolution, girl?" Elsa's eyes widened as she realized the duke's part in her parents' murders. "Because your mother and father were weak." His words had Elsa wriggling in her bindings while Hans held her back. "And that's exactly what you are. Just another weak link in a pathetic chain. When the public watches you die, no one will see some resilient Jedi standing her ground. They will see a bruised and beaten slave who can hardly lift a finger-" The duke forced his hand forward and snatched Elsa by the chin. "-begging for death." She shook out of his grasp as he scoffed. "Welcome home, child of Aren. Get her out of my sight."

Hans dragged Elsa as she came to terms with his words. "He was behind it," she whispered once they were alone in a corridor. "My parents' deaths."

"Shut up," Hans growled and pushed her onward. He kept his head swiveling in case people were watching. When he was sure the coast was clear, he pressed an unmarked...disc-shaped device to a shadowy part of the wall.

"We need to bring the duke to justice. Not just Gaston and Gothel. This entire operation has to-"

"I said shut up," Hans hissed and pulled her back. Leaning towards her ear, he brought his voice down to a sharp whisper. "You're supposed to be the one who keeps her emotions in check. What the hell happened to you back there?"

Elsa's shoulders slouched as her energy simmered. "I...I just needed them to know they'd failed. That my parents hadn't died for nothing."

"Well now they know," Hans grumbled. "Feel better? Did anything change for the better? Nope. In fact, the chances of them throwing you in a cell close to the chieftain are slim to none now. But you made this bed, so sleep in it." He angrily guided Elsa down a set of grated stairs. Soon, neither could hear themselves think as the sounds of grinding machinery filled the confined space. Powerful drills operated by overworked Northuldra slaves plunged into the land. Meanwhile, lines of Trolls gathered their findings and hauled them to lifts for the next level to process. There was an insurmountable wave of anguish throughout the chamber, as Elsa watched two races who valued nature being force to strip it away. Aren soldiers patrolled the perimeter, ready to threaten any slave who fell out of line. When a single Troll paused to glance at Elsa, he was immediately met with a zap rod to the back and forced to keep moving. "Have fun," Hans growled and threw Elsa into one of the pits. A pair of soldiers hauled her up as Hans issued his decree. "She's to get to work immediately," he said. "Treat her like the others. Get those binders off, but if she tries to be a hero-" Elsa's heart sank when Hans didn't even hesitate. "-shoot a prisoner."

Elsa could hardly tell if Hans was playing along or if Sergeant Blazer had been right about him. For years, Knight Westgard had always been a difficult man to read. Elsa had no idea what potential Anna saw in him nor how they could spend so much time together. She didn't have time to process much else as a soldier unlatched her binders. Elsa had to fight every urge to Force push her captors away as they shoved her in line with the Trolls. "Get hauling, Jedi witch," the soldier growled and motioned with his rifle. "Now!"

Accepting her situation, Elsa grabbed a mined portion of the geode. As she lifted its contents and fell in line, she couldn't help but notice a similar...crystalline texture. She ran her fingers along the pale delicacies and whispered, "Kyber crystals?"

"Not just any kyber, dear," the slave in front of her jested. "Troll kyber."

"Bulda," her spouse grumbled up ahead. "Adding Troll in front of everything doesn't make it better."

"Yeah?" Bulda scoffed. "Tell that to Troll soup. Don't listen to Cliff," she told Elsa. "Everyone knows Troll kyber is the finest crystal. That's why these slugs are mining for it." Elsa remained silent, too concerned with getting her fellow captive in trouble. "You're the Jedi, aren't you?" Bulda continued while moving the line forward. "The robes are a dead giveaway. Sorry they caught you too. Just know it wasn't for nothing okay?"

"What do you mean?" Elsa asked.

The humble Troll smiled as she heaved kyber into a lift. "This pit confines us, and yet stories still make their way inside. We hear these soldiers blabbing away. Not through idle gossip...but out of fear. Your presence made waves, Jedi. You stand for something bigger than you could possibly know. I've always kept a hopeful heart since we sent our son offworld, and seeing a Jedi like you stick it to these Aren slugs? Seeing them quake in their boots over your actions? That-" Bulda sighed. "-gives me hope."

As Elsa set her kyber into the lift, she took in Bulda's words and dared to say, "Kristoff and Sven are safe." Her words brought a widening grin to the Troll's face. The likes of which almost had an astonished Cliff breaking formation. The trio returned to their labors, holding on to hope as Aren guards kept a steady eye on them.

The digital hum of macrobinoculars was oddly comforting to Anna. She swayed the ocular device from atop a hill overlooking the Pit. While she scouted the compound, Blazer and Sparx kept a keen eye on Stel. "Anything from Hans yet?" Anna checked in.

"Radio silence," Blazer murmured.

"What else is new..." Anna groused, thinking back to their mission on Tatooine.

"Wait," Sparx spoke up while checking his datapad. "Got something." Young Stel peered over the clone's shoulder as a complete mapping of the Pit's interior emerged. "Hans successfully placed the automapper. We have schematics."

"About damn time," Anna replied. "Dropping her macros, she pointed towards a cloud of thick drilling smoke. "That's our ticket in," she said. "We'll move along the ridge and use that as our cover. Once inside, we'll use the automapper to trace the nearest ventilation point." Anna gripped Stel by the arm so he had to focus on her. "You sure you're ready for this, kid?"

"Positive," the Theelin affirmed.

"My sister would kill-...nearly kill me if something happened to you."

"I want to help," Stel doubled down.

Anna admired the boy's persistence, as it reminded her of herself as his age. "Get ready to haul it," she said. "We move fast. And keep your head down at all times, soldier."

"Yes, ma'am." Stel answered.

"Steady now," Anna whispered while noting the wind patterns. She waited until a powerful gust sent smoke to blanket the Pit's edge. "On me!" she commanded and slid down the hill. Stel followed the Deathchasers as they dashed across the snow. Cacophonous machinery deafened their approach while the smoke cloud shrouded their movements. Stel's heart thundered, feeling as though any wrong move would trip an alarm as he raced to keep up with the grown ups. He wished he had a helmet like the clones as they entered the smoke. Mimicking Anna's maneuver, he slid to the ground and stopped himself from inhaling any toxins. Once at the Pit's edge, Anna and the Deathchasers secured their cables and prepared to rappel down. Anna took Stel on her shoulders before beginning their descent.

Even back at the temple, Stel had shown little fear when it came to heights. He remained more awestruck than frightened as the team was lowered into the grandiose mine. As they approached a nearby catwalk, Anna noticed a soldier on patrol. "Blazer," she called over comms. "Left."

"I got'em," the sergeant assured and quickened his descent. Unclipping his cable, he dropped directly behind the soldier. By the time his foe heard the clang, Blazer had already pulled him into a headlock. Dragging his victim to the floor with both force and precision, the sergeant made sure to keep a tight grip. Then with a swift twist and nauseating neck snap, the soldier's body went limp. "He's out," Blazer confirmed before moving the body into the shadows.

As Stel came to terms with the kill he'd just witnessed, he was reminded of Anna's approach. "You'll find our methods to be the opposite of my sister's," Anna said, noticing how conflicted the Padawan seemed. Unwilling to influence him poorly, she sighed. "Just remember to think for yourself, okay? Look at all perspectives and then form your own opinion." Returning to the mission, she crouched along the railing and said, "On me." Anna snuck across the catwalk, checking her corners with each advance. "Talk to me lieutenant, how are we looking?"

"Ventilation shaft coming up on our right," Sparx reported while looking over the schematics.

Anna approached it just as a soldier rounded the corner. She pulled them back just in time and smashed their head into the railing. "Clear," Anna reported and approached a ventilating grate. "This is it," she told Stel. "Kid, you climb in here and you stay in here. Keep moving throughout and pop the flare once I signal you. Anything happens, you call on comms and one of us will come get you. Got it?"

"What about Chieftain Honeymaren?" Stel inquired. "I wanna save her with you."

"You're lucky enough that Elsa let you tag along this far," Anna intoned. "Stick to the plan and hold position. You'll be safe there."

"But I-"

"Stay in that vent shaft." Anna sealed him in and motioned to his belt. "Once you send that signal, you run like hell." She backed away and motioned her squadmates onward. "Clear the catwalk," she commanded. "Sparx, find the most fortified areas on those schematics."

Gaston stared at the Aren's laboring captives from an observation platform. His stern visage reflected against the reinforced glass as Gothel joined him. "You don't honestly believe that they'll execute the Dellian girl, do you?" she queried.

"What do you mean?" Gaston murmured.

"Everything's fallen neatly place," Gothel answered. "Too neatly for my liking. Full offense expected, your old Padawan never was one to get things right. Now we're supposed to believe that he captured one of the most powerful Jedi in his age group? I know you sense it too. The Force is strong with her." Gothel shook her head while observing the slaves outside. "I don't know what their angle is, but our plan here will never see fruition."

"We cannot give up, Donma." Gaston asserted. "Not after everything we've sacrificed. This is our chance to start over."

Gothel huffed. "I believed you once. Back when this planet truly seemed away from it all. But at this rate, we will never be free from the Republic and this war. Surely you see this. Even if Elsa is successfully executed, how long before word reaches the Republic and a full scale conflict comes here? That's if she hasn't contacted the council about us already." Gothel gently ran her fingers up Gaston's shoulder. "Run away with me. We can still leave this mess behind."

"And start a new mess somewhere else?" Gaston scoffed. "This is our chance to seize true power. You think the duke has any real say in this? We will overthrow him when the time is right. Then you and I will rule this pitiful planet."

Gothel's hand slinked away. "No," she detested. "Just you. If you want to fight this war and bring a greater one to you, you'll do so alone. I'm taking Rapunzel and we're going deeper into the Outer Rim. Last chance to join before this Aren ship of yours sinks."

"I'm no coward," Gaston growled without even looking at her. "And the attitude you've shown me after everything I've done to save you is nothing short of ungrateful." Infuriated, Gothel stormed out...leaving Gaston and his prospective kingdom behind.

The Guardian had been eerily quiet since the Battle of Coruscant. Once ceaseless comm chatter had dwindled, allowing its crew to resume any sliver of normalcy. For Watcher, normal was a relative term. While updates continued to flow in from numerous battlefronts, she still received bizarre reports from across the galaxy. Despite her grandiose resources, her networks had lost track of the 213th Division and Anna's Deathchasers. Missing reports had been filed by local checkpoints for each respective unit. And while the thought was concerning, Watcher considered the loss of which Anna had just gone through. Still, losing a trooper didn't keep other Jedi from accomplishing their future missions. Wherever Anna was, Watcher hoped she had a good explanation. While she looked into the 213th's potential whereabouts, her lead officer Spenz received a call from the Outer Rim comm stations.

The clone listened closely as a commanding, yet urgent voice relayed information. The words were enough to have Spenz's eyes widening as he dropped the headset and ran to his superior. "Watcher!" he shouted as she spun in bewilderment. "Watcher! Urgent news from the front!"

"What?" Watcher snapped, her tone growing impatient with her circumstances.

"We found him," Spenz panted. "The chancellor's intel about General Grievous hiding on Utapau was correct. Reports just came in from our Outer Rim station. General Obi-wan Kenobi has found and engaged Grievous. The situation is developing."

"Developing..." Watching murmured and scratched at her chin. She let Spenz's words sink in as the realization struck her. With Count Dooku dead, Grievous was the last high-ranking leader standing. To kill or capture him would cause the destruction of the Separatist command structure. "Keep monitoring, Spenz," she professed. "We may win this war yet."

"Watcher," another clone officer called from across the bridge. "We're picking up another transmission. It's...from Admiral Taka of the Deliverance."

Raising a bewildered brow, Watcher steadied herself. "Put her through," she said.

Anna, Sparx and Blazer dropped from the upper catwalk and approached a compact corridor. As they hugged the nearest wall for cover, the trio glanced at Sparx's datapad. "Got a high concentration of security detail around this chamber on our left," Sparx whispered. He swirled his finger over a passage at the end of the decrepit hall.

"Let's breach," Anna affirmed while listening to machinery outside.

"We're going loud?" Blazer checked in.

"We'll time it," Anna assured and gestured to the mining equipment beyond the hall. They inched their way up, moving like shadows along the wall as two soldiers guarded a door. With a swift thrust of her hand, Anna Force-pushed both men down the hall and headfirst into a durasteel canister. As their foes' bodies clanged, the Deathchasers formed up at the door. Blazer and Sparx set charges on the door's respective sides and then backed up to brace. "On my mark," Anna whispered and listened to the mining gear. Clamorous drills swiveled about, ultimately leading towards a series of ear-splitting grinds. "Do it," Anna commanded.

Using the mining tools to deafen their breach, the Deathchasers detonated their charges. Sparks flared as the bulky door was blasted off of its hinges, startling those inside. Instinctually, the recovering Aren opened fire and were immediately met by Anna's swishing lightsaber. She deflected a blast into a man's chest while Sparx and Blazer entered the breach. Returning fire, they efficiently gunned down their disoriented and scrambling foes. With a powerful spinning slash, Anna cut down the final staggering soldier. "We're clear!" she coughed as the dust settled from their breach. Her heart raced as another cough echoed through the smoke.

Blazer followed the sound to a young woman, still restrained to her seat binders. Scrapes and bruises lined her face, yet she stood as tall as she could in the presence of allies. "Anna," Blazer beckoned. "Hurry!"

Anna rushed over to the woman's side and got a closer look at her weary face. "Honeymaren?" she uttered. "Chieftain Honeymaren?" The Northuldra firmly nodded, yet was barely able to keep her head up. "You're safe now," Anna assured. "We're gonna get you out of here. Don't move." Anna gently lowered her lightsaber to each of the chieftain's bindings, making just enough contact to snap her free of the metal cuffs. Blazer passed her water from his canteen while Sparx and Anna helped her up. "Stel," Anna called over comms. "We have the chieftain. Move to an upper vent and signal for the next phase. Hurry."

"Right...okay!" the young Theelin answered hastily. "I'm on it!"

As Anna helped guide Honeymaren out of the interrogation room, the tired chieftain squeezed her arm. "I-" Honeymaren croaked. "I didn't tell them anything," she affirmed. "I didn't break." Anna gave her a reassuring pat on the back and kept moving onward.

"Hans," Anna snuck another call in. "If you read, we have Honeymaren. Ready for extraction."

"Copy that," Hans whispered from the upper levels before quickly turning off comms. His breaths shortened as a pair of boots came tromping over.

"Who was that, Hans?" Gaston asked, looming over his old student. Hans swallowed hard before speaking up.

One of the Pit's numerous security terminals had a soldier scratching her head. Her bewilderment ultimately had her calling a superior officer over to observe the same blip on her screen. "Sir," she explained. "We've got a bizarre anomaly moving through our air ducts. According to our datafiles, it matches the same tracking files utilized on a tagged insurgent."

"Impossible," her superior scoffed. "I read the report. We tagged a child with that tracker. Not even a Jedi youngling could make it into our base by themselves. Run diagnostics on your terminal," he ordered. "And don't bother me again unless you have something relevant."

Stel continued to crawl through the air ducts, searching for the uppermost passage as he unclipped a module. Given to him by Commander Frost, the droid attack flare would signal the rest of their teams to move in for a swift extraction. As much as he preferred to help the team head on, he kept reminding himself that his task was just as important. Still, it was difficult for Stel to not think about how Elsa and Anna had held him back for his own safety.

Elsa loaded another kyber fragment on to the lift before shuffling alongside Cliff and Bulda. She made it several steps into the next retrieval line until a familiar voice had her blood running cold. "How the mighty Jedi have fallen," a woman hissed. Elsa elected to ignore the jeer, even as she felt Yopa's piercing stare upon her. Several of Yopa's squadmates chuckled from the railing as Yopa vaulted over. "Don't act like you don't hear me, Jedi witch." Yopa stomped up to Elsa as she prepared to grab some kyber. Instead of letting her complete the task, Yopa shoved her to the ground. The gesture had slaves freezing up while the captain's peers hooted and hollered. "Look at me when I'm talking to you," Yopa asserted. Elsa glanced up, bringing a sadistic smirk to the captain's lips. "That's more like it. Is it true what they're saying?" she jeered. "That you're the 'lost princess' of Aren?" Yopa raised her pitch to take on a whiny tone. "Here to reclaim her throne and order us around? Well forgive me 'your majesty' for not showing proper respect. Especially to someone as pathetic as you are."

Elsa took a deep breath, refusing to confront Yopa. Despite everything the captain was putting her through, Elsa saw her for what she was. To her, Yopa was nothing more than another product of Aren's hateful cycle. Likely another soldier conditioned to fear the Jedi, Yopa's fear had turned to hate in adulthood. And by meeting Elsa, she finally had a physical embodiment of everything she'd been taught to fear. Accepting this as her adversary's truth, Elsa calmly rose to her feet. She salvaged what she could from her kyber haul and rejoined the line.

Although trying not to show it, Yopa's nose twitched with her frustrated sneer. Unable to cope with Elsa walking away and ignoring her, the captain heinously lashed out. Elsa's heart sank when she heard a zap rod power on. An ensuing, painful grunt had Elsa spinning in horror. "Cliff!" Bulda gasped as Yopa shocked her spouse to the floor. The Troll dropped, writhing and wincing as smoke sizzled from his torso.

"Why the long face?" Yopa jested at Elsa. "I'm just reminding your 'subjects' of their place. Reminding them what happens as a direct result of weak leadership."

Elsa's stomach dropped as Yopa powered the rod again and raised it only to make Cliff shudder. The sight of him and Bulda pleading for mercy broke Elsa's heart. "Do not look to your princess to save you, you worms!" she brayed. "Like her, you are nothing more than insignificant vermin on our glorious planet."

Furious with her words, Bulda dared to throw her kyber supply at Yopa's feet. While the gesture didn't harm her, it left copious stains running along her uniformed pants. Furious, Yopa raised her staff to Bulda.

"Leave them alone!" Elsa commanded, raising her voice with enough depth to have even Yopa lowering her hand. The captain was quick to shroud her initial shock under a quivering smirk. One of the other Aren soldiers prepared to shoot a slave as Yopa raised her hand to stop them.

"So she does have a voice," Yopa hissed as Elsa curled her fingers.

There was a coldness festering within the eldest Dellian. The likes of which she'd been lectured about and fending off for years. The turmoil of her situation...the helplessness of it all kept swirling into a rising ball of rage. One of the guards ignored Yopa's call for inaction and focused on Hans' decree. If she showed any signs of retaliation, they were to shoot a prisoner. As he took aim at a nearby Northuldra, an unseen pressure suddenly gripped his weapon. Terror took hold as the soldier's eyes widened. Elsa's gaze shifted across the mining chamber, as she angrily called upon the Force to crunch the guards' firearms. A symphony of panic filled the air as their broken blasters rattled and clanged to the ground. Despite Yopa's bravado, she'd once again underestimated her Jedi opponent. There was a ferocity in Elsa's stare as she glared back at the captain. For despite her seething anger, Elsa maintained control over emotions. She refused to let the creeping cold pull within corrupt her. Having disarmed all but Yopa in the immediate area, Elsa thrust her hand forward. Yopa's body stiffened as her sidearm was violently yanked out of its holster. Guards and prisoners alike clenched up as the pistol obeyed Elsa's command and levitated in front of Yopa's face. Turning the weapon on its owner, Elsa didn't let up.

"How quickly power shifts," the Jedi said, her hand shaking with anger. Yopa stared down the gun's barrel as Elsa moved up. "And how easy it is to speak over those who have none. I let you live, and you wasted my graces."

Swallowing hard, Yopa dared to look over at Elsa. "Sparing me was your first mistake...Jedi witch."

Realizing that the captain could not be reasoned with and that her time was limited, Elsa flicked her wrist. At her command, the pistol swished forward and whipped Yopa across the head...knocking her out. The captain's collapse and disarmed guards prompted nearby prisoners to rise up. "Now's our chance!" a Northuldra shouted. His kin and Trolls abandoned their labor posts while soldiers rushed to intercept. Elsa intervened, Force-pushing the unarmed foes against walls and beams. Among those she'd sent flying, one of the Aren struck an operations panel and caused a mining crane to go haywire. The apparatus screeched overhead before pivoting into several kyber containers. The collision caused a chain reaction as one of the rogue containers spiraled into a lift's fuel canister. The ensuing blast set one of the columns ablaze and rattled the Pit's interior.

Shockwaves from such an explosion rippled up into the vents and sent warm bursts of air pressing into Stel. The young Theelin braced himself against the powerful gusts and pushed on towards the upper shaft. Once he reached the apex, he popped open the grate and unclipped the droid attack flare. "Come on, come on!" he fretted while fiddling with the trigger. Aiming up towards the smoggy skies, Stel gritted his teeth and squeezed.

Toto was idle at the controls to LAAT-5 when he spotted a bright flare darting up in the distance. "There's the signal," he alerted, leaning forward in his seat. "Smokey, prime the engines. Commander, we are ready for extraction."

"Copy that," Frost said as the gunship glided across the ice fields.

From the opposite end of the Pit, Ryder observed the flare and raised a spear to his fellow warriors. "For the Sun!" he roared as they charged across the snowy plain. Many of the Aren soldiers stationed above the mine were too distracted by the internal explosions to see them coming. By the time they'd noticed Ryder and his forces, the Northuldra had already engaged. Spears pierced and bludgeoned their targets while some Aren opened fire. Ryder unleashed his pent up fury, swinging his spear across a soldier's head before advancing.

Back in the Pit, Anna and the Deathchasers continued to haul Honeymaren to a higher level. The flames from Elsa's chain reaction were spreading to other transport canisters, causing smaller explosions in the lower caves. "This whole place is gonna blow," Sparx grunted.

"Two more levels," Anna huffed as they ascended the catwalk stairs. "Then we can just climb out and make a break for it. The kid popped the flare. Gunship will be inbound for extraction."

The group came to a cold stop upon reaching the next catwalk. "Kriff," Blazer cursed under his breath.

Across the way stood Hans and Gaston, cutting off their only exit. "Leaving so soon?" the latter jested. "A noble, but pointless effort to think you could all escape here alive."

"Hans?" Anna murmured and looked over at him. "What is this?"

Gaston chuckled. "Please. Don't act so naive, young Dellian. Did you honestly think he was on your side?" Anna's eyes widened as genuine terror gripped her heart. Yet what stunned her most, was Hans' silence through it all. "Hans knows where true power resides. He's been helping me to establish a new world order here on Aren. So much so, that he wanted you to join us." Anna shook her head in disbelief as Gaston fed on her shock. "Oh yes. He was so adamant on including you in our plans and said you'd be a perfect candidate."

"You're...you're lying!" Anna snapped as explosions rippled below them. "Hans," she stammered. "Tell me it's not true."

Hans hung his head, believably in shame as he sighed. "You're right," he murmured. Suddenly, he bolted forward with ferocity across his brows. "It isn't!" Hans unleashed a Force push, attempting to send Gaston flying off the railing. Reacting with just enough time, his former mentor pushed back with enough resistance to remain stationary.

"Coward!" Gaston growled. "You think you can turn your back on me? No one betrays Gaston!"

"Go," Hans grunted to the others, trying to keep Gaston pinned. "Go!"

Anna and her team pushed forward across the catwalk. By the time they'd made it to the next set of stairs, Gaston had broken free with his own power. Hans struck the adjacent railing with a deafening clang. The likes of which had Anna screeching to a halt. She turned to Blazer and said, "Keep climbing. I'll meet you at the top."

"Anna no-" the sergeant asserted.

"I'll meet you there!" she assured and ran back down the catwalk.

Hans was still recovering from his hit when he heard the hiss of lightsaber igniting. Slowly peering over, he observed Gaston's golden blade slowly swaying closer. "To think I actually held out hope for you," Gaston said. "That there was anything salvageable from your pitiful existence. But you were always holding me back. A weak link in the chain of my successes. Don't fret. Your wasted life ends here." As Gaston raised his saber, Anna came sliding in with hers. Green clashed with yellow as she pushed with enough force to stagger his strike.

Gaston backed up as Anna hauled Hans to his feet. "What the hell are you doing?" Hans winced.

"Someone has to save your skin," she said while assuming a defensive stance.

Hans readied his lightsaber and raised it alongside her. "Now this is something," Gaston taunted while sizing up his opponents. "Two fools just as hypocritical as I am to the Order. You think you stand for anything? You dare to attack the greatest master to ever wield a lightsaber?"

"Kriffing hell," Anna groaned to Hans. "I see where you get your ego from."

Infuriated by her words, Gaston went on the offensive. After making a heavy slash towards Anna, he immediately Force-pushed Hans. Knowing her to be the better duelist, he focused on overwhelming her while keeping his former student at bay. Meanwhile, Anna maximized every skill she'd learned about Ataru. If Gaston tried to tire her, she would match his energy. He might've been strong, but her agility was steps ahead. Anna weaved between his swings and jabbed at any opening. Gaston's defense was still sturdy enough that she needed assistance.

"Any time you'd like to join, Hans!" Anna scoffed mid-duel.

Hans recovered from the Force push and dashed back into the fray. Gaston parried him twice before punching him across the face. He would've struck again had Anna not kicked Gaston in the kneecap. The swift strike broke Gaston's defense, prompting Hans to strike again. While his attack was a complete miss, he sent Gaston backing up directly into Anna's swing. Their foe growled as Anna's saber scorched his bicep. Smoke sizzled from the cauterized wound peeking through his shredded sleeve.

The hit offered Hans an odd sense of motivation, even if he wasn't the one to land it. In all of his years, he'd never seen his former master wounded. Any form of weakness was practically impossible for him. So to see that slash across Gaston's arm was to crush the belief within. Hans could see the cornered and angry man that was Gaston. The very cornered...and very mortal man. Riding that high, Hans lunged again. Gaston easily deflected, but Anna refused to change her strategy. She mercilessly kicked him in the knee again, creating even greater anguish for their opponent.

Age was not on Gaston's side as he howled through the pain. His defense faltered again, this time causing him to feed on his own insatiable anger. Bolstered by the strength of his bodily pains, the Dark Side pulsed throughout Gaston. And with a beastly roar, he Force-pushed them both across the catwalk. While Hans tumbled across the grating, Anna struck one of the rails. "Don't you fools get it?" Gaston brayed while hobbling and catching his breath. "There's no surviving the collapse and what's to come! I was warned. I had a chance!" Gaston observed the rising flames as the Pit fell to destruction around them. Recollecting himself, he brushed his disheveled, sweaty tresses out of his face. "But if I'm to burn to here...then we all shall burn." Anna's eyes widened as Gaston looked up. Observing the Deathchasers and Honeymaren on the next level, Gaston threw his lightsaber.

"No!" Anna screamed as the blade slashed across two of the support beams. Gaston didn't even care to retrieve his lightsaber. He simply stood betwixt the madness, watching as the severed catwalk collapsed from above and collided with theirs. Beam after beam came undone as bolts darted into the fire. "Hold on!" Anna shouted while reaching for Hans' hand. Although he was able to take hers, the two inevitably tumbled away from one another and fell deeper into the chamber.

Tremendous smoke clouds shrouded the mine as flames continued to rise. Running on pure adrenaline, Hans emerged from the wreckage and scrubbed the ash from his face. "Anna!" he called out only to immediately inhale a tuft of smoke. "Anna!" he coughed and stumbled forward. He tripped on a sturdy set of limbs and struck the ashy terrain. While he recovered, he could hear escaped prisoners fleeing for their lives amid the flames. It wasn't until the limbs beneath Hans started to move that he felt his stomach drop.

As Hans rolled over, he found Gaston pinned beneath a portion of the fallen catwalk. Its thick beams kept him wedged as he wheezed for whatever air he could find. As Gaston's vision steadied, all he could see was Hans standing over him. "W-...We- could've won," the master croaked. "This planet...would've been ours."

"Not ours," Hans corrected with a seething sneer."Yours."

Even through his pain, Gaston still found the strength to shake his head in disappointment. "You will...never...know power." Hans' scowl deepened as he raised his hand in hatred. While he did so, a yellow glow flickered in his emerald eyes. Gaston took notice and smirked. "See you...in hell," he whispered.

Tired of his words, Hans used the Force to slowly push the debris downward. He knew how much it was pinning him. And while Hans had moved heavier objects, he wanted to take his time. He wanted Gaston to feel every inch of weight pressing down. Experience every excruciating second of breath being squeezed out. And Hans just stood there, watching Gaston as he had Celenia and his father. He listened to his master's final wheeze and the tumultuous crunch of his chest caving in. As Hans stood over Gaston's corpse, their silhouettes reddened among the flames.

Sirens blared as Aren soldiers dispersed throughout the base. Amid the infernal chaos, Duke Wesalt stumbled and gazed at the destruction. "Sir!" a soldier reported. "The mine is lost! We must get out of here!"

"No," the duke intoned. "I must. You have a sworn duty to protect our glorious planet and its assets." He tapped on the soldier's rifle before casually departing from his platform. "To the last, soldier. To the last."

Recollecting himself and coming to terms with necessary sacrifices, the soldier cleared his throat. "All units," he declared over comms. "Cease evacuations and take up battle stations. Prove your devotion, true sons and daughters of Aren."

Using the Force, Elsa cleared out as much smoke as possible. Cliff, Bulda, and the other prisoners who hadn't fled on their own trailed behind her. Elsa braced herself for another attack as several figures emerged through the smoke. Even in such dire circumstances, Elsa was still able to smile at the sight of Anna and her companions.

"Sis," she rejoiced. "What happened?"

"I could ask the same to you," she huffed. "This whole place is gonna blow and the catwalk's a bust. The gunship's gonna have to land in the middle of all of this."

"We'll just have to hold out until extraction," Elsa concurred. "Where's Stel?"

"The vents. I told him to run after he popped the flare. Just as you said."

"Let's hope he listened," Elsa sighed as a laser zipped in from overhead. It struck one of the Troll prisoners and forced the rest into cover.

"Incoming!" Anna yelled as multiple Aren soldiers opened fire. "Everyone get down!"

Blazer transferred Honeymaren to Elsa so he and Sparx could return fire. "Why are these sleemos still here?" he griped. "Don't they know this place is doomed?"

"They probably trying to take us down with it!" Anna remarked and deflected a laser back into its shooter.

"There isn't enough cover!" Sparx hollered while swaying his rifle towards other targets. "We're too exposed!"

In that instant, Hans came racing in and flourished his lightsaber. He set himself up across from Anna and began blocking blasts. "I've got your backs!" he shouted while unclipping Elsa's lightsaber from his belt. "Think fast!"

He tossed Elsa her double-bladed weapon and she hastily ignited it. Together, the trio of Jedi deflected lasers to create a perimeter around the survivors. Meanwhile, Sparx and Speedy used the Jedi for cover while firing at the Aren. Cliff and Bulda guided Honeymaren to the other survivors as they huddled by a collapsed mining container.

Reluctantly following orders, Stel fled the Pit after popping the signal flare. "Over here!" A voice called to him over the ice plains. Stel turned to see Ryder and his warriors clearing a path across the surface. "Come on, boy!"

While some prisoners had managed to climb their way out, others were cut off and gunned down by the surrounding soldiers. More would've cornered the group had a volley of green lasers not torn through their lines. Anna peered up as a gunship's silhouette eclipsed Aren's sunbeams.

"Blast shields are holding!" Smokey shouted from the co-pilot's seat.

"Commander," Toto called while keeping LAAT-5 steady. "I can descend, but we're taking a lot of heat. This'll be the quickest extraction of our lives."

Frost opened up comms to the survivors below as they listened in. "We're coming to you," he said. "Prepare for immediate evac. Zone is too hot. I repeat, zone is too-" In that moment, several heavy lasers struck the gunship's underside. Toto was forced to take evasive, yet narrow maneuvers while continuing to descend.

"They're taking too much fire!" Sparx realized as Blazer observed the struggling gunship. Despite LAAT-5's versatility, it would be a miracle if it landed in one piece. Let alone made it back out.

The chaos of so many encroaching soldiers reflected across the sergeant's dark visor. Sizing up the distance between where the gunship would land and how long it would take to load everyone, Blazer formulated his plan. Sparx and Blazer had been brothers long enough to almost be of hive mind. A single, bold nod was enough to have the duo in agreement before Blazer addressed Anna. "General," he said while shooting over her shoulder. "That gunship's gonna need as much cover as possible. We need to dismiss the team in waves if it's gonna make it out of here."

"Good thinking, sarge." Anna affirmed. "Elsa...Hans. Get the prisoners aboard and we'll draw their fire. Once everyone's secure, we'll back up and rush on."

"You'd better be right behind us," Elsa pleaded and Anna hurriedly nodded.

"Yes, now go!" Anna declared while batting another laser away. The rogue bolt met its target. Yet for each soldier they downed, it felt as though two more just took their pace. The Aren were swarming in from the upper levels and unloading fresh charges of high-powered blaster rifles.

Working with Anna and Blazer's strategy, Elsa and Hans backed up. They kept deflecting blasts just as LAAT-5 landed across from them. "Hurry!" Elsa urged the prisoners as its hatches opened. "Get aboard, quickly!"

"Today, people!" Hans snapped while shoving prisoners. "Today!"

Northuldra and Trolls alike ran for the gunship, filling in any available space in its hold. Frost and his team helped haul people inside and he ultimately stretched his hand to Elsa. "Come on!" he beckoned. The Jedi blocked several more lasers before taking his hand and climbing aboard. Meanwhile, Hans rejected his assistance and pushed people so he could enter the gunship.

"Thank you," Elsa nodded to Frost. She was grateful to see Honeymaren and the others safely aboard before looking back out at the ravaged mine. "Anna!" she called out. "Hurry!"

A soldier's laser pierced the cockpit's glass and scorched the seat inches from Toto's face. "Taking heat!" the pilot grunted. "We need to go now!"

"Anna!" Elsa shouted again.

Anna's arms ached as she valiantly deflected the ceaseless barrage. Sparx and Blazer flanked her, returning fire against the unrelenting Aren. "Let's pack it up, brothers," she grunted between swings. "It's go time!" Despite the rising flames around them, there was a dreadful chill in the air. The likes of which had Anna's heart skipping a beat when the clones didn't back up with her. "Come on!" she shouted over the laserfire.

Sparx and Blazer nodded to one another before using their last smoke grenades. While they wouldn't last long, each blanketed the area and gave Blazer enough time to approach Anna. "Get them out," he asserted.

"Wait what?" Anna stammered.

"We'll buy you as much time as-"

"You're coming too-"

"We'll buy you as much time as-"

"Blazer, no-"

"Anna!" Blazer snapped. "We don't have time for this!" He jabbed a hand through the slowly clearing smoke and directed her attention to LAAT-5. We're taking heavy fire and they still have to exit the shaft. Someone has to draw their fire."

"Then I'll stay with you," Anna retaliated, knowing his reasoning to be true. "Win together...lose together."

"Anna, they need you." Blazer asserted, even as she rapidly shook her head. "They need you," he reiterated. "And you know it as much as I do."

"Well I need you!" Anna brayed, her hands clenching Blazer and Sparx's respective forearms. "I-...I can't lose you both too."

The smokescreen would only shroud them for so long. Acting on their limited time, Blazer removed his ARF trooper helmet. His beard quivered while he looked at Anna with his true eyes. And for a brief moment, he recalled the first time he'd seen that youthful...redheaded Padawan strutting into the clone barracks when they'd first met.

Anna's heart raced as she battled the lump in her throat. The scar across Blazer's face only reminded her of what they'd told each other while in recovery.

"I don't need a scar to know who my best friend is."

"We're...best friends?"

"Hell yeah. From Kamino to Ilum. No matter where we go, we're in this together."

"It's gonna be okay, Anna." Blazer spoke as softly as he could in the heat of battle. Placing his helmet on her head, he returned the very gesture she'd bestowed upon him countless times. "Stay the course," he said and knocked on the helmet.

"You're our sister, Anna." Sparx said.

"And you always will be," Blazer concluded as the smoke cleared. With compassion and urgency in his heart, he shoved Anna towards LAAT-5. "Go!"

Anna stumbled across the scorched terrain, still recovering from the shock of it all. Sights and sounds became a blur to her as Elsa pulled her aboard. Unable to take any more damage without progress, Toto was forced to close the hatches and take off. As the gunship's thrusters blew away the rest of the smoke, Blazer took a deep breath. Gritting his teeth and staring up at countless foes, he twirled the Onasi pistol in his hands. "Lieutenant Sparx," he growled with fury in his heart.

"Sergeant Blazer?" his squadmate inquired while readying his rifle.

"Speedy's waiting for us," Blazer said. "Let's get this done."

In valiant synchronization, both clones turned and unleashed terrifying roars. The likes of which drew the attention of the surrounding shooters and sent most of the laserfire their way. Although she had boarded the gunship, Anna immediately took Blazer's helmet off and pressed her face to the hatch's slit. She peeked out during their ascension, and watched as her squadmates boldly took on the entire Aren battalion. "Don't give 'em a kriffing chance!" Blazer shouted while firing across the railing. Lining up their shots, both he and Sparx sent several Aren plummeting from the balconies. Yet while they had a precise advance, the duo was still overwhelmed.

A laser struck Blazer in the shoulder, sending him staggering into a ladder. Sparx gunned down his brother's attacker and rushed to his aid. "I'm fine," the sergeant grunted while clinging to the ladder. A sudden boom from upstairs had both troopers peering over. Aren soldiers were positioning rocket units in an attempt to bring LAAT-5 down. "No time to rest," Blazer pushed. "Get climbing!"

On the upper balcony, one of the Aren readied his rocket launcher. He had just locked the target on to LAAT-5 when a sudden clamor sounded next to him. Lowering his launcher, he spotted Blazer rushing over in a complete sprint. Aiming his pistol, he fired directly into the soldier's head to stop the launch. Sparx followed from behind and took the opposite balcony. The lieutenant shot two rocket soldiers dead and prepared for a third rounding the corner. To his surprise, it was instead a cluster reinforcing soldiers who immediately joined the firefight. Without immediate cover, all Sparx could do was fire directly across. Blue and red lasers darted between one another. Adrenaline kept Sparx from feeling any of his skin burning as he focused on shooting his opponents. Plastoid cracked and singed across his chestplate while he kept downing incoming foes.

To Sparx's surprise, the surviving soldiers ceased fire from around the corner. And unbeknownst to him, his finger was no longer pulling the trigger. That surge of pure adrenaline was fading as the clone glanced at the smoke rising from his chest. While he'd done his part to stop the launchers and keep the enemy at bay, Sparx had endured five shots to the body. The deep blasts had him losing motor function as he staggered backward into the railing. A sixth blast struck his chest, as one of the soldiers wanted to ensure that he was dead.

Although Blazer had often been a source of encouragement, it nearly broke him to see his brother fall from across the way. He'd known Sparx ever since they were fledglings on Kamino. And in spite of their enhanced genetic intellect, he still remembered peeking at his datapad during tests when they were boys. Sparx had always been Blazer's support, and seeing him fall ignited an even deeper form of rage within.

"You kriffing bastards!" Blazer bellowed. "I'll kill you all!" A soldier had merely stepped out to attack LAAT-5 and was immediately shot by Blazer. Two others emerged and Blazer took them head on. He shot the first in the chest, and in return...his target fired into Blazer's abdomen before collapsing. Hunched but undefeated, Blazer advanced on the second soldier. He pistol-whipped him to the floor and blasted him into submission. The first soldier still wasn't dead and jabbed upward with her combat knife. She managed to use her last ounce of strength to thrust the blade beneath Blazer's thigh armor.

"Damn it!" he cursed and kicked the woman's arm away. As she succumbed to her blastershot wound, Blazer angrily removed the knife from his leg and tossed it over the balcony. Blood trickled down his white plastoid and meshed with his crimson markings. There was no time to rest as an incoming Aren salvaged one of the downed rocket launchers. Refusing to yield, Blazer limped through his wounds and chased down the rocket soldier. Aiming at his foe, Blazer's blood ran cold as he pulled the trigger to an empty click.

With the Onasi pistol out of charges, Blazer had no choice but to take the enemy on at close range. Holstering his pistol, he lunged at the rocket soldier and wrestled for the launcher. Blazer snarled and gritted his teeth, knowing that his body was weakening. Between the various shots and blood loss, Blazer could only hold on for so long. To bring the altercation to a swift end, Blazer headbutted his enemy and pried the launcher out of his hands. He redirected the weapon towards the soldiers across the balcony and fired, sending them flying into the inferno below.

The clustering explosions burst together along the railings. "Come on!" Blazer cheered through his wounds. He stumbled against the nearby wall and watched as LAAT-5 continued to climb. "That's it," he panted. "Go...go...go." Bliss found its way to his bloodied mouth as the gunship successfully escaped the mines. "Yes!" Blazer rejoiced, only to have the breath immediately snatched from him. He fought to resist the swelling, scorching pain of each unique wound. Looking away from them all, he focused on LAAT-5 flying high above the clouds. And while its hatches were sealed, he wondered if Anna was looking down at him. As a grim stillness filled the air amidst a choir of crackling flames, Blazer focused on Anna. He thought of a different time on a vastly different world. Where they were first questioning their purposes in the Republic together.

"I don't know," Anna had huffed. "I just don't like people making me feel inferior. If they have more talent, I've got to be better. If they're smarter, I'll talk louder. I don't want to be forgotten. Just some number that people will think of when they say there are ten-thousand Jedi knights. I'm not even a knight."

"Believe it or not," Blazer had said. "We clones...I struggle with that lost recognition more than you think. I'm in that same boat where I sure as hell don't want to be CT-2219 on some casualty report...One of millions of files on millions of clones. If I die, people will know me by the name my brothers gave me. They will remember a sacrifice I gave in the name of something worth fighting for."

Blazer smiled at the memory, even as blood trickled down his trembling lips and vanished into his beard. He had been true to his convictions in the end. He didn't give is all for the Republic banner nor some grandiose gesture of ego. No...Blazer chose his path. And that action alone was priceless.

The flames reached a critical line of fuel canisters beneath the mine's pumping units. This ignition caused explosions to rise up like a volcanic eruption. As the inferno climbed to Blazer's position, he recalled his thoughts from Speedy's funeral.

"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 closed his eyes and unclenched his fists. Taking a deep breath, he reached for the serenity within himself. It mattered not how many wounds he'd endured nor how much chaos was erupting around him. Blazer was mentally gone. He'd elevated himself to find the peace few ever found. Smiling, Blazer prepared to see his fallen brothers again. The explosive flames engulfed all and spewed out of the Pit in a final burst.

"No!" Anna screamed until her throat ran raw. The final blast was powerful enough to send a shockwave of turbulence towards LAAT-5. Since she wasn't gripping a handhold, Anna fell backward. When Elsa went for her hand, she furiously slapped it away and crawled for Blazer's helmet. She didn't care how much the ship's flight pattern shifted her, Anna was on another level of anxiety and suffering. "No!" she screamed again, letting her voice crack to pieces. Cradling Blazer's helmet as a child would a doll, she agonizingly wept against it. Her deathly cries were devastating to all aboard the ship. Anna's tears pattered against the helmet's visor as she desperately clawed at it.

Elsa wanted to do more, but she knew her sister needed to feel her grief...no matter how painful. "Frost," she asked instead. "Where's Stel?"

"Chieftain Ryder has him safe," Frost replied. "I've called in to him that we have his sister. Now we-" Suddenly, a series of thunderous booms echoed from above. "That doesn't sound good," Frost murmured.

"Commander," Toto called from the cockpit. "We have incoming."

"Aren reinforcements?" Frost inquired. "How many? How quickly can we get back into space?"

"It's not the Aren, sir." Toto murmured. "It's the Republic."

Bewildered, Frost approached the cockpit to look for himself. To his astonishment, the faded shapes of multiple Venators could be seen in the upper atmosphere. Swarms of ARC-170 starfighters were darting downward and securing the zone while other Republic gunships were establishing landing zones. "What the?" Frost gasped. "I don't understand."

Elsa had to come see the madness for herself as Admiral Taka's voice emerged on comms. "I'm sorry," she professed.

"Admiral?" Elsa answered. "You...called the Republic?"

"This was never a fight we were going to win."

"But I thought you believed in us," Elsa lamented. "Do you realize what you've done?"

"You may hate me now," Taka said. "But perhaps you'll come to thank me someday. Elsa, with each comm check you sent me...all I heard back was about how much you were losing. And as I further weighed the consequences of our actions, none of us had anything to gain from this suffering."

"The Republic will occupy Aren!" Elsa snapped.

"You sparked a war," Taka countered. "And I'm sorry Elsa. Truly I am. But you cannot win a war by preaching peace. I did this for your own good. Before your actions got you...or even your apprentice killed. We won't face consequences, as I explained proof of Jedi traitors that needed to be brought to justice."

Elsa stepped back towards the hold and pulled her hair in anguish. Between Anna's continuous sobbing, the faces of worried Northuldra and Trolls, and the arrival of the Republic war machine...Elsa felt like she'd only made things worse. Noticing her anxiety, Frost leaned towards her and asked. "Elsa...what do you need?"

"I need to go home," Elsa said. "Back to the temple. If the Republic is involved in Aren's affairs, only the Jedi can help me now. I don't know if it'll all fall on deaf ears, but I can't lose hope. The council has to listen."

"I'll go with you," Frost affirmed.

"No," Elsa replied and placed her reassuring hands on his shoulders. "I-...I need you to stay here. If the Republic is on Aren, you're the only Republic leader that I can trust. I need you to monitor what they do while I'm gone. Protect Honeymaren and Ryder. Just because war is inevitable doesn't mean they have to suffer further."

Frost took Elsa's hands in his. After all they'd been through, he cared little for who was even watching. "I promise you," he affirmed. "I'll keep a watchful eye on them. For you...and the legacy of your parents."

"Thank you, Frost," Elsa said and glanced at her sister.

Anna had ceased sobbing, but had entered a silent...trancelike state. She death-gripped Blazer's helmet while slowly rocking back and forth. Blazer's face wouldn't leave her mind as she thought of something she'd said to him long ago.

"You know, Sarge. I haven't been able to get something out of my head since we pulled you out of that bar. You said that 'death's just chasing all of us'. I've had enough close calls to believe that and maybe you have too. But what if we flipped the script? What if we were the ones chasing death? Fearlessly clashing with whatever the galaxy threw at us?"

While everyone had experienced many a ride through space, never had their been such an eerie flight. Since the Deliverance had stayed behind as part of the Aren occupation, the Jedi traveled back in the Legacy. Admiral Shang would've normally provided decent conversation for Jedi passengers enroute to Coruscant, but he was as distraught as Anna was over the deaths of Sparx and Blazer. After a brief reunion, Stel had returned to Elsa while Honeymaren returned to Ryder. After their conversation aboard LAAT-5, Elsa trusted that Frost would use the 213th to protect the Northuldra in the ensuing military campaign.

Everyone aboard the Legacy kept their distance from one another. While Elsa worried for Aren on the command bridge, Stel avoided her. There was a sense of mistrust she sought to understand, but she had far too much to process before taking it on. Hans found a dark corner in the ship's storage room and stuck to it. He kept staring at his hands and reminiscing on the way he'd taken Gaston's life. Yet even after killing his former master, he still didn't feel free of his words. While all Jedi were under stress, no one was suffering more than Anna.

Every spot on the Legacy was a reminder of the Deathchasers. As the sole survivor of her squad, Anna locked herself in the crew quarters and collapsed in her bed. Her heart shattered as her reddened eyes glared at all three empty beds. Never again would that room be filled with witty banter and sincere camaraderie. Anna's arms ached as she still held Blazer's helmet, refusing to let it go for the entire flight.

Even the return to Coruscant itself had been such a mystifying blur. As the sun set and the city succumbed to darkness, no one returned in bright spirits. Any fanfare or self sufficient affirmation was nonexistent as the four Jedi trudged up their temple's sacred stairs. Anna led the way, unwilling to stop for nor talk to anyone. She kept a taut grip on Blazer's helmet as Elsa observed from the back. Taking a deep breath, her big sister chose to approach once more.

"Anna?" Elsa spoke up. "Sis?" Anna halted and shuddered as Elsa called her name.

"Please not now," the younger Dellian said. "Not...you."

"Pardon?" Elsa gasped.

"I said-" Anna growled. "Not...you."

Elsa hung her head and sighed. "You blame me, don't you?"

"So you do see," Anna scoffed. "Of course I blame you, Elsa. None of this would've happened if we'd just kept to ourselves. But you just had to be so kriffing persistent with Aren. And here's the worst part, Elsa. This isn't even limited to just what happened to my squad. But also what's going to happen to the Trolls and Northuldra now that the Republic's involved. Did you really think you could keep that whole op a secret? It was only ever going to blow up."

Elsa kept a cool head, even when she wanted to let her emotions get the best of her. "Anna," she sighed. "I know that you're hurting right now, but I did not force you to come to Aren."

"No," Anna concurred. "You didn't. And perhaps I just feel foolish enough to have bought into the whole thing. To have believed that something good would actually come out of it." Anna hung her head and quickened her pace upstairs. "I need to be alone."

"Anna," Elsa lamented as her sister took off. Although Anna had expressed wanting to be alone, Hans chased after her.

When it was just her and Stel, the boy mumbled something under his breath. There was resentment in his tone as Elsa raised a brow. "Padawan?" she inquired. "Is there something you wish to share?"

His frustrated gaze spoke volumes as he too trudged upstairs. Elsa wanted to throw something and angrily pinched the bridge of her nose. "Well aren't I just the best role model right now?" she sighed to herself. As Elsa made her way towards the temple doors, she felt a sudden chill spread within her. It was as random as it was unsettling, leaving her furrowing her brows. Elsa clenched at her chest as the odd disturbance passed as quickly as it had arrived. "Things are just getting weirder and weirder," Elsa whispered. With it being late into the night, Elsa had to decide if she wanted to disturb the council now or seek a meeting in the morning.

The Jedi Temple's security station was even more beautiful at night. The perfect amount of low lighting from any minimal window slits left more room for the computers to glow. Many of the cyan monitors illuminated a snack tray and the pair of figures picking at it. For Master Mattias knew the golden rule: No apology to a lover was complete without snacks.

"It wasn't that I didn't trust you," Mattias confessed as Zodra plucked a meiloorun slice from the snack tray. The Nautolan offered an inquisitive stare as he continued. "I was just...scared," Mattias admitted and munched on a cracker. "Your beacon would've worked wonders, but I thought about how many Jedi there were scattered across the Outer Rim. And how they'd need to hold the line. It was never my intention to dismiss your invention, nor your efforts. And I'm sorry."

A smile formed across her gentle, violet lips. She slinked her hands over the snack tray and held his. "Thank you," she said. "I'm sorry too for being so desperate to try my invention."

"To be fair-" Mattias added. "Coruscant was under attack. I think everyone was on edge. And-" The elder's communicator suddenly blipped. "It's Anna," he said. "Do you mind if I-"

"Please," Zodra obliged as Mattias activated his device.

"Anna!" he greeted, only to immediately hear her sniffles. Both he and Zodra leaned in. "What's wrong?"

"They're gone, Mattias." Anna croaked. "Blazer...Sparx."

"Wh-" Mattias stammered while glancing at Zodra. "What happened?"

Anna tried her best to speak through her cries. "It's a lot to get into right now. I just...don't want to be alone, but I also don't want to be with people who were there. Are you busy?"

As soon as she said that, Zodra immediately started urging Mattias to go help her. "Not busy at all," he assured Anna. "I can meet you anywhere."

Hearing her former master's comforting words only brought more tears to Anna's eyes. "You can just come to my room."

"Have you eaten yet?" Mattias asked as Zodra offered the rest of the snack tray.

"No," Anna sniffled.

"Okay, I'm bringing snacks. Hang tight." Mattias sighed as his alertness over the situation simmered. "I'm so sorry, Anna. They were good men. All three of them. And no force in this galaxy can ever replace them. I'm heading over now with food and a massive hug. We can just sit in silence and whenever you're ready to talk...I'll be ready to listen." As Mattias ended the call, he turned to Zodra and bowed his head. "I'm sorry to cut our time together short tonight. But-"

"Dearest," the Nautolan insisted. "It's okay. Once a mentor, always a mentor. And right now, Anna needs you most."

Mattias and Zodra shared a brief, yet tender kiss. The likes of which helped ground them in the moment. And while the Force continued to be shrouded with distractions, they could at least find comfort in each other. As Mattias and Zodra parted lips, both Jedi briefly endured an odd tremor in the Force. By the time either considered making a remark, two swift lasers darted from the darkness. Each precise, blue shot met its mark and sent the Jedi collapsing to the ground.

A horrific silence filled the security room as smoke sizzled from their bodies. Footsteps echoed from the shadows and a pair of 501st stealth troopers emerged. Their narrow-slitted visors hurriedly examined their surroundings before they approached several monitors. Cloak and Dagger each darted for a different device. While Cloak deactivated the temple's alarm systems, Dagger observed Zodra's beacon. After exchanging nods, Dagger powered up her invention, calling all Jedi across the galaxy back to the temple.

Cloak activated comms as he and Dagger formed up. "Security room is cleared of all hostiles, Lord Vader," he reported. "Alert systems are down and the beacon's been activated. Phase 1 complete and ready for Phase 2. Awaiting orders for attack."

Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading this week's chapter of "The Frozen Force!" I cannot thank you all enough for your patience and support of this story. I know the posting schedule isn't going as smoothly as planned, but I'm doing my best to stay consistent as life throws curveballs. This chapter ended up going well over 10k and I had to make sure it was done properly. Thank you for your patience again. For those who cannot follow me on social media, I added a more accessible way to keep up with Frozen Force updates. Follow my fanfic story "Anna and Elsa: Frozen Force News" for updates right here on the site! Literal years of planning this out have finally led to here. We've made it to the final chapter in Season 4. My goal ideally would be to finish this by next Friday, but let's say Friday the 13th to be safe. And if time works out and I happen to get it done sooner, then you get the surprise finale on the 6th! Either way I'll see you for Chapter: 120 - Knightfall.

Have a Happy New Year and May the Force be with You,

 ~ Michael