Istara Sharlina Andal’s eyes snapped open suddenly. She looked around the cell she was in and a faint smile curled her lips. Her armor and weapons were gone, but she could feel the buzz in her mind of the sword that she had bonded to. It was close, very close. It was odd that she could actually tell the steel of her sword from other steel, but then again, what about her life wasn’t odd? Ever since she could remember, she had been a little different, a little not quite the same as everyone around her. Part of it, of course, was having a seer as a mother. Part was that her mother Kaosis Andal had not been Sith originally. She had been forced to join them when her husband, Istara’s father, had died. Istara had not dealt well with that. Being taken by the Sith to be trained in the Dark Side of the Force had almost been a mercy. Almost. But after many years and lots of pain, Istara finally started to feel as if she was growing up. But now, she had been captured by the people who had her blood sister. Any of them, she would have fought and or killed. But they knew that, so they had sent Setsuna against her. She couldn’t fight Setsuna. She hadn’t actually expected to survive after dropping her sword. Setsuna had been tightly controlled by something, there had been no recognition in the younger woman’s eyes for her older half-sister. Apparently, Setsuna’s captors wanted Istara alive for something.

 

“Idiots.” Istara breathed out as she looked around. She was wearing a neurolizer, a device designed to keep a person from using the Force. She was manacled, and she had apparently been lying in place for some time from the pins and needles feeling in her extremities. Not that she really noticed that. Pain was nothing new to a Bladeborn. She didn’t move. She had to be under scrutiny. She couldn’t feel… Wait a second. Yes she could. But it didn’t feel like Ashla. It felt like… She blinked. She knew that feeling. “Hello Nia.” She said sadly.

 

“Sharlina.” The soft voice from nearby was odd. It sounded far, far older than a twenty year old should. Despair sounded through the younger girl’s tone. “Good morning.” A pause and Nia Korr’s voice was resigned now. “I am supposed to interrogate you.”

 

“Oh?” Istara asked, incredulous. “And what is it the grand high muckety muck of this cesspit wants to know?”

 

“Is there a cure, Sharlina?” Nia asked, her voice oddly resonant.

 

“Oh come on!.” Istara exclaimed. “What the heck is that idiot Sith playing at?” She shook her head and jerked her wrists. The bonds that held them did not flex. “Make a monster plague and not make a cure for it? Sheesh, what rubbish. Even that moron Darmuk knows better than that.”

 

“He has a palliative.” Nia replied. Istara looked up, and the black haired girl was sitting in a half lotus position just beyond the force field that enclosed the Masterblade of the Bladeborn. “Not a cure.” Will’s daughter looked terrible. Her face was a mask of bloody tears and her eyes... As hardened as Istara was to suffering, her heart went out to the younger girl. “Did you find one?” She begged, her features earnest.

 

“Yes. And we spread it around.” Istara said softly, testing her bonds. They were well beyond the ability of even a Masterblade to break. Istara had a few advantages that very few people knew about. But she was loathe to use them while under surveillance by the Sith. She paused as Nia’s face lit up.

 

“Oh thank the Force…” Nia actually slumped and her hands came up to cradle her face. Was she crying? “He has Setsuna and Trisskar. I couldn’t stop him… I couldn’t…I tried to help them. I couldn’t…”

 

“Nia…” IStara pitched her voice to promote calm and peace. “It’s okay. There is no emotion…”

 

“I am not a Jedi Istara…” Nia said, not raising her head. “Not anymore. I don’t know what I am. Except dirty… Soiled… Un-“

 

“Stop.” Istara’s command bit through the air between the two and Nia jerked in place as Istara sat up. The bonds let her do that. She looked around and snarled a little as she saw the camera in the corner. She ignored her state of near undress. The bodystocking that she wore under her armor left very little to the imagination. As a benefit for the people who were trying to hold her, it left no places to hide weapons or tools. Istara gentled her voice again. “Nia, look at me.” Nia did not and Istara sighed internally. “It’s okay, Nia. It will be okay.”

 

“No, it won’t.” The black haired girl sat just outside the Force cage that held Istara. The sole door to the cell buzzed with energy that Istara could feel from where she was. Magnetically sealed or just hissing with energy, it made no difference. No escape that way. “I… He…”

 

“He made you do things.” Istara’s soft speech wasn’t a question. “He made you feel things and do things that you never would have considered in a million years.” Istara shook her head. “It’s what he does, Nia. He corrupts people. He is Sith. It is what they do.”

 

“He didn’t seem that way.” Nia’s voice was small and lost now. “He acted nice… And then…” She swallowed heavily.

 

“He had you.” Again, Istara’s words were not a question. Sympathy flew from her towards Nia. ”Oh, Nia… I am so sorry. But I can help you. We can help you. You are strong, Nia. Be strong.”

 

“When Dad finds out…” Nia stammered a bit. “He is gonna go ape.”

 

“Your dad knows, Nia.” Istara said as gently as she could. Nia jerked and her face came up, new bloody tears marring her face. “He knows, and he doesn’t care.”

 

“You lie!” Nia screamed, her face working. “You lying barvette!”

 

“I am not lying, Nia.” Istara kept her voice calm. “Your dad wants you back and right now he couldn’t care LESS if you have been hurt, abused, or whatever. He loves you, Nia.” Nia seemed to deflate, the fight going out of her.

 

“Barely know him.” Nia said slowly. “I don’t… know…” She shook her head savagely, trying to clear it. “Everything is… fuzzy. The madness, Darmuk’s… touching…”

 

“Nia…” Istara’s voice was soft as a new nerf’s fur now. “It’s okay. You are not alone. You do not have to face this alone.”

 

“I…” Nia crumpled, her face falling back to the floor. “I…”

 

“We can help you, Nia.” Istara said with quiet conviction. “You are not the first to be abused like this, and you will not be the last. I can help you. But I need you to break the camera.” Nia jerked.

 

“No…” Nia’s face became a mask of fear. “No... I can’t… Not… Not again… He will punish me again…”

 

“Nia.” Istara put the bite of command back into her voice. “I can- URK!” Istara convulsed as energy shot through her system. Whoever had been watching her had seen enough. “Nia…” Istara choked out. “You can help yourself!”

 

“I…” Nia shook her head, backing slowly away from the force cage. “I can’t.” Her shoulders straightened and her face turned stern as the current stopped and Istara relaxed a little. The Bladeborn hadn’t made a sound of pain. “You will answer our questions, Bladeborn.”

 

“Do your worst, Sith slave.” Istara said sadly. “If that is the best you can do, this will be a very long day. Just remember, Nia… It doesn’t have to be that way.”

 

“I have no choice.” Nia said soberly as she hit a control by the door and an evil looking apparatus unfolded form the ceiling inside the Force cage. “I am sorry.”

 

“So am I, Nia.” Istara sighed deeply and braced herself. This would not be fun, Sith interrogation never were. “So am I.”

Edited August 18, 2012 by kalenath

Nia Korr lay back and let the docs work. Fighting them never helped. Darmuk had been…displeased with her killing a couple of them and his punishments.. She swallowed heavily and focused on the glowlamp that she could see while not moving. She hated this, almost as much as she hated that arrogant Bladeborn. Sharlina hadn’t made a sound for three hours despite everything the interrogators –and Nia- could do to her. Even then, the sounds that the Bladeborn had made had been grunts of expelled air, not words or anything. Finally, the torturer had overplayed his act and the Bladeborn had sunk into unconsciousness. Nia had been relieved. She had never liked hurting people, she had always-

 

Nia The voice was quiet and kind and it was in her head!

 

“What the…?” Nia jerked just a little and the doc working on the machinery connected to her turned to look at her. The medical staff treated her very carefully. They knew she had ‘moods’. But she knew that if she hurt another of Darmuk’s slaves, she would be punished again. She shuddered a little and relaxed. She sighed. “Nothing.” She said as she sank back onto the bed. “Continue.”

 

She hated this. She hated the feeling of being out of control. The tubes that ran into her body were delivering the serum that was the only things currently keeping her from going totally bug nuts. But it felt so wrong to just lie on a bed and let Sith doctors of all people work on her. She didn’t react as the doc hit a switch and her mind went fuzzy. She lay back to let the injections that kept the plague in check take effect. But then…

 

Nia… The gentle voice was back. Easy, girl. The female voice –did she know it?- was soothing. Rest, sleep. You will feel better.

 

Who…? Nia managed to get the word out in her mind despite the drugs. Who are you?

 

Oh Nia. Now the voice was sad. You don’t remember me?

 

Everything is fuzzy. Nia complained, hating the whining note that entered her mental voice. Can’t…

 

Easy, girl. The voice seemed to be coming closer. Come here… The world as she knew it fell away.

 

When Nia could feel again, she felt good. For the first time in a long, long time, she didn’t hurt and the madness that had been clamoring at her was gone. A hand gripped her right one and gave a squeeze.

 

“Hello Nia.” The soft, gentle voice had Nia stiffening. Her eyes flew open and she stared around. She was lying on a bed in a small, comfortable room. A nature print adorned one wall, and she could see pictures sitting on a cabinet nearby. But it was the gray haired woman who sat beside her who had Nia’s full attention.

 

“Grandma?” Nia asked incredulously. Maria Kalenath smiled and opened her arms. Nia was embracing her grandmother before her brain could catch up to her heart. “Shades told me you were dying! I thought… I thought I would never see you again!” She was sobbing now, her heart pouring out in long salty streams.

 

“Easy, Nia.” Maria said gently. “This isn’t real. It’s a mental projection.” Nia jerked back but relaxed as Maria sighed and smiled sadly. “We are trying to help you. Poor girl, so much fear and pain.” Maria’s face fell. “You dad is going nuts, and we are trying to keep him from doing anything we will all regret.”

 

“Dad is nuts.” Nia said softly, her face buried in Maria’s shoulder. “He scares me sometimes. He nearly shot me when I first showed up.” She was shuddering now, her control shaking.

 

“So I have heard.” Maria said with a grimace. “This is a mental projection, but we do not have a lot of time. We can help you, Nia.”

 

“No one can help me, Grandma.” Nia shook her head slowly. “I am lost, fallen, dark… I…”

 

“You have been abused, Nia.” Maria’s voice turned stern. “It is certainly not your fault. But we have an ally on Darmuk’s medical staff. He slipped something into your meds. Something that will help. It was all he could do.”

 

“I…” Nia blinked and drew back a bit. “Will it kill me?” She asked, her voice hopeful.

 

“Nia!” Maria scolded her granddaughter. “Of course not.” Nia slumped, but Maria drew the girl into her arms again and gave a squeeze. “It will open your mind to a larger world. I am afraid it will hurt, Nia.” Maria said sadly.

 

“Pain and I are old friends, Grandma.” Nia replied softly. “After that?”

 

“I can’t really explain it. It happened to me too, so I know it is survivable.” Maria replied after a moment of stroking Nia’s hair. “But I have been told this ‘The madness will fade. The sickness will still be there, but the madness will not control you. And Darmuk will not be able to control you either.’ Be warned…” Maria hastened to speak when Nia stared at her incredulous. “You will need to keep playing along. If he realizes you are free, Darmuk will kill you.” Now Maria sighed. “There are a lots of wheels going at the moment, plans and counterplans, plots and counter plots. I miss just shooting things.” The old soldier said with a sigh.

 

“What do I do?” Nia said after a moment.

 

“Relax, don’t fight it when it happens.” Maria smiled at Nia’s expression. “I know, I know. It’s totally anathema for you not to fight. But it won’t take long. It will hurt, but it won’t take very long and then we can help you.”

 

“When will it…?” Nia gasped as pain flared inside her head. Maria grabbed her hands and held as Nia tried not to convulse. But the pain was too intense and she collapsed onto the bed, breathing hard, trying to keep from crying out.

 

“That’s it, Nia.” Maria said gently. “That’s it. Don’t fight it. Easy... Let it happen. Let us help you.”

 

“Us?” Nia choked out as the pain, impossibly, redoubled. She was sobbing again, aware only of the gentle hands that were stroking her head as she curled up in pain.

 

“Yes, us Nia.” Maria’s voice was sad now, but her caresses never stopped. “We need to get past the barrier, but… There…” She crooned.

 

Suddenly the pain that had flared in Nia’s had vanished as if it had never been. And there was more. Suddenly Nia could feel dozens, hundreds of minds all around her, all worried. For her. It felt… heavenly.

 

“No…” She felt tears start to fall and then she couldn’t stop. “I am dirty…Don’t…”

 

“It ‘s okay, Nia. You are not dirty, and you cannot hurt me. I…” The old woman seemed to crumple a little. “I am not really your grandma, Nia.” Maria said sadly.

 

“What?” Nia asked, her voice bemused by the concern, indeed, the love that was suffusing her now. “You…?”

 

“I am a copy of her. Don’t hate me, please.” Maria begged. “We want to help you. We can help you.”

 

“I...” Nia sobbed into the old woman’s shoulder. “I don’t care.” She slumped, surrendering to the kindness and comfort that the other minds suffused her with. “Just want the pain to stop, want the madness to go away, want to be warm again… Don’t care anymore.”

 

“Yes you do, Nia.” Maria chided gently. “You have just suffered some extreme shocks. Know this, Nia. Your dad is coming for you. We will help you until he can rescue you.” Nia stiffened as she felt her consciousness start to dissolve. She was waking up!

 

“No!” Nia bawled, uncaring of her reputation or appearance. “Grandma! No!”

 

“We are with you, Nia.” Maria’s gentle voice calmed the scared girl. “We will not leave you alone, ever again. Sleep now, child. Rest and dream of peace and light. You will wake refreshed, and free of Darmuk’s control. But remember Nia…” Maria cautioned the waking girl. “You cannot tell anyone about us or you will be killed.

 

“I…” Between one moment and another, Nia snapped awake. Her eyes shot open and she stared into the eyes of a worried doctor. When she spoke, her voice was flat. “Back off.”

 

“We scanned some anomalous readings.” The doctor said as he did as instructed. The restraints holding Nia to the bed unsnapped and retracted. “We require more scans.”

 

“Flarg off.” Nia snapped, swinging her legs off the table and standing. She ordered her head to stop spinning and it did, far faster than normal. What the…? Something touched her, energy flowed through her, calming, softening, easing. It wasn’t from her, it was something from outside herself and she smiled a bit as she strode for the door.

 

“Something odd happened.” The doctor pressed, only to freeze as Nia spun in place, a snarl on her features. “If you die, the master will be greatly unhappy.” A shudder ran through all of the staff in the room.

 

“That is your problem.” Nia said with ice cold precision. “Mine is a recalcitrant Bladeborn.”

Istara was sick and tired of this. Pain was a constant companion in her life. From as far back as she could remember, she had been hurt and expected to deal with it. It had always been the same, Sith, Bladeborn, Jedi, whatever… Ignore the pain, get on with whatever had to be done, ignore the pain and press on. Weakness was an enemy. This was hardly the first time she had been tortured. In addition, this guy was nowhere NEAR the capability of the Bladeborn, beings who had been known for a very long time as the Emperor’s hatchetmen.

 

“You are going to tell us what we want to know.” The masked interrogator said evenly as he manipulated controls again, sending current across her body. It had to be frustrating to him for her not to show any reaction to the increasing amounts of current. Of course, to one had had once withstood the Emperor’s touch to bare skin, this was barely a tickle in comparison. The interrogator shook his head and ramped up the power. “You will. Where are the Bladeborn?”

 

Istara ignored him. She was almost ready. This was not something that came naturally to her, this waiting. She had always been a woman of action, waiting had always grated on her. Something was wrong. She was sure of it. Something bad had happened, but with the force dampening device on her head and her general state of being bound, there wasn’t much she could do to find out. But something told her it wouldn’t be good. Then the door hissed open and Nia Korr walked in. Istara looked at her and slumped in her bonds. She knew.

 

“Oh no…” Istara shook her head as far as it would go in her bonds and sighed. “No, no no no no no no no.” She closed her eyes and when they opened, tears were falling. “I am sorry, Nia. I am so sorry.”

 

“What?” The interrogator turned to look at Darmuk’s slave and she waved curtly to him. “Uh…” He actually gibbered a bit. Something about her was wrong in the Force.

 

“Get…” Nia’s voice could have frozen liquid helium. “…out.” The masked man actually ran from the room and Nia sighed as she hit the control by the door. She touched another control and the camera by the door hesitated for a moment before continuing on its programmed sweep of the room. “It’s on a loop, Sharlina. We need to talk.”

 

“I have nothing to say to your puppet master, Nia.” Istara said sadly. “Oh, girl…” She shook her head. “Your dad was gonna go gundark before this. Now.” The hard bitten Bladeborn actually shuddered.

 

“It’s marvelous, Sharlina.” Nia said, a smile crossing her face. “I don’t hurt anymore. It’s not bad. He is not evil.”

 

“No?” Istara asked softly. “Ask him about what he and Vandar did to Morey. then tell me he is not evil.” Istara snarled the final words.

 

“I…” Nia’s gaze went far away and then she gasped. “Oh my god… Sharlina, I am so sorry. They messed up, they know that. They want to make amends.”

 

“Yeah, right.” Istara sighed. “So, when do you try to do it to me?” She smirked at Nia’s expression. “It’s what your oh so benevolent master does, Nia. He makes people into slaves. Willing slaves, but still slaves.”

 

“I am not a slave.” Nia protested. “I am a partner. It is marvelous, Sharlina, if only you would-” She broke off as Istara scoffed. “I know you don’t believe me, but all you have to do is…”

 

“All I have to do, brat…” Istara said with a sigh. “…Is abandon everything I believe in, throw away everything I love and cherish, oh…” She smiled nastily. “And condemn the galaxy to horror unimaginable for centuries.” She laughed at Nia’s expression. “Did he bother to tell you about Menglan’s experiments? About his own? Did he tell you what he and Menglan did to Sara? To Maria? to Will? To me?” Now she was shouting as she rose up to a sitting position, despite everything the bonds could do to hold her, they were visibly straining and Nia paled. “It won't flarging work! His plan won't work! You stupid little barvette! Go away!” She slumped back into her bonds with an audible grunt. “Go play house or dolls or whatever with your new friends. I want nothing to do with your abomination, Firdlump. Take your puppet and go!”

 

“I…” Nia recoiled slightly from the sheer force of Istara’s rage. “You don’t understand Sharlina.”

 

“No, it is you who does not understand.” Istara said heavily as she lay back and shut her eyes. “Bring back the extractor. At least he was honest about what he did, unlike you Firdlump, you lying son of a barve.”

 

“This is me, Sharlina…” Nia said desperately. “Nia Korr. I am still myself. It’s not him controlling me…”

 

“Really?” Istara’s voice was caustic now as she replied without opening her eyes. “They told you some about Morey. Ask about Jina, Nia. You remember Jina Darkstorm, right? You trained with her, right? Ask them what happened to her.” Pain colored her voice for a moment before vanishing. “She trusted that he would act responsibly. He didn’t bother. He couldn’t be bothered. He had to control her, turn her into a slave, no matter the cost, to her, to him, to the galaxy, he had to try and control her. Ask what happened.”

 

“I…” Nia paled again as the collective filled her in when she requested information. Her voice went small. “Oh my god… No, Master Jina… No…” She shook her head, pulling herself together. “Sharlina, we are trying to help her. I am sorry… We are sorry…”

 

“Sorry? Oh no.” Istara said soberly, leaning back into the table she was restrained onto. “Not yet, you are not. Soon, but not yet.”

 

“Sharlina…” Nia tried again, but the bound woman did not respond. She tried a few more times and then left in silence. A few minutes later the door hissed open again and the extractor came back in, shaking his head. He stared at Istara. What was different? She was lying on the table differently.

 

“What did you say to her- URK!” He gulped and died as Istara’s hands flew up from the table and slammed into his head and throat. He died before even realizing that the bonds that had held her were hanging loose, but not broken. More as if the chains holding them to the table had been eaten by a million tiny mouths.

 

“Right. Thanks, guys.” Istara said to thin air as she grabbed a smock from a wall hanger. It fit badly, but was better than nothing until she could find her own gear. She could sense her sword nearby, it was calling to her. “Now let’s get Setsuna, the others and that silly little girl and get the flarg out of here before Will nukes the place…” She snorted as the smock suddenly shimmered and then she was clad in her silver armor again. “You didn’t need to do that…. Okay… Okay… Sheesh… You would think that a mass of nanites wouldn’t be bothered by things like partial nudity…” She laughed grimly at something only she could hear as she stared for the door. “I am so going to tell your mom you said that, Mira.” She was smiling evilly as she ghosted to the door and was gone.

Nia slammed the hatch control hard enough to bend the metal it was connected to and slumped against the wall of the training room. A wave of worry and compassion came from the collective and she sighed and relaxed slowly.

 

Why won’t she listen? Nia begged in the depths of her mind. This is marvelous.

 

All she knows is the ways of the Sith and Bladeborn. The mental voice of the master of the collective was sad. We do not want to control her. We do not want to enslave her. It hurts people when we have to do such things. It takes much more time and effort to repair the damage that is done than to ease people into the collective.

 

Is what she said true? Nia asked slowly. Did you experiment on her and Dad?

 

Yes. Firdlump replied sadly. We didn’t know what we were doing, Nia. The voice hurried to speak as Nia recoiled a little. Shame colored the voice now. We… No… ‘I’ hurt them both. I did that. I used methods that I knew were wrong. I did things that I knew wouldn’t work, because I didn’t see any other way. It didn’t help that others interfered. But the main responsibility is mine, and mine alone.

 

What can I do? Nia asked as she started her stretches. She needed to maintain the cover that she was still a slave and her schedule was set in stone. She has tried to help me, several times. I… I don’t want to hurt her.

 

We may not have a choice. Firdlump replied, a caress of gentleness soothing Nia’s singing nerves. She is a threat, Nia. A massive one. If we cannot mitigate the threat…

 

“No….” Nia spoke aloud, then stifled it as she brought her saber up. The first of several training drones appeared nearby and she moved to attack. We can’t just kill her. She is one of the Seven! We need her.

 

We need her and the rest, yes… A gentle voice sounded in Nia’s mind. Nia smiled as she cleaved a training drone in half and retreated from a pair of attacks that would have cut her in half. Darmuk did not scrimp on training. Ecmin’s voice was sad, but resolute. With the upgrades that they have somehow managed to implement in the nanite encryptions, we need her. I don’t like this any more than anyone else, Nia, but she is the only one who might be strong enough to be able to carry a daughter of mine to term.

 

Why couldn’t I do it? Nia asked as she maneuvered two drone into attacking each other. Normally, she would have at least smiled when they both fell, but now she was totally focused. She is tough, yes, but so am I.

 

Yes you are. Maria’s soft voice sounded in her head. Watch your left! The clone of Will’s mom warned and Nia dodged as a flamethrower coughed.

 

That's new! Nia danced away from the drone that was following her, spewing gouts of flame at irregular intervals. The other drones capitalized on her distraction, attacking in concert. Nia focused on fighting for a moment, catching one drone with the Force and throwing it into the flamethrower equipped one. It hit the floor and shorted out. They she could talk mentally again. So why her?

 

We are not entirely sure she can do it. Menglan’s sour voice sounded now. It was little freaky how she knew everyone, but it dodn't really bother her. But none of the others managed more than a week. And moving them that quickly hurt them… Nia… Nia Look out!

 

What? Nia asked as she cleaved the last of the droids in half and stood still for a moment. She focused on her breathing and then went completely stiff as an impossible voice sounded behind her.

 

“Not bad at all. A bit sloppy dealing with the flame, but all in all, not bad.” Nia spun in place to see Istara standing there, sword in hand, clad in silver armor that Nia recognized. The Bladeborn smirked at Nia’s expression. “You were expecting someone else?”

 

“How?” Nia asked, dumbfounded. A scream of pain sounded in her head and she paled as the collective vanished from her. “What have you done?” She demanded.

 

“We need to talk with no eavesdroppers.” Istara said slowly, not moving from her spot. She shook her head. “We have the cure, Nia. By now it is being produced by Cranna the Hutt’s people. We can help you. We want to help you.”

 

“What have you done?” Nia demanded again, aware that she was clad in robes, while the Bladeborn was in armor. She was winded while Istara looked fresh. The training room was soundproof, heck it was explosion proof, and if the Bladeborn was just standing here, that meant the cameras had been dealt with somehow. She was shaking and forced her body to relax. “What do you want?”

 

“I want to talk.” Istara said soberly. “You are sick, scared and in pain. I want to help. Will you let me?” She took her left hand off her sword hilt and held it out, empty. “Please let me.” She entreated.

 

“This is a trick, an illusion…” Nia shook her head. “You are bound in a cell, in a force cage. This is some kind of mental trick!”

 

“Nia, be calm.” Istara’s voice was feather light now. “I don’t want to hurt you, I want to help.”

 

“We can’t always get what… we…want…” Nia felt the energy in her body start to fade and she grimaced as she fought to stay standing. Whatever was hitting her was not Force based in any way she knew of, she had no counters for whatever it was. “What…? No!” She fell to one knee, forcing herself to keep her lightsaber up. But it was so heavy.

 

“Easy, Nia.” Istara hadn’t moved. “It will be okay. Sleep.”

 

“No!” Nia screamed in frantic denial. All that came out was a croak though. The waves of lethargy that seeped through her were too strong and she was unconscious before she hit the floor.

Nia…? Come on, girl, wake up.

 

The gentle voice seemed familiar, but Nia wasn’t sure from where. She was comfortable though, nothing hurt. And she was… She started and her eyes snapped open. She looked around, she wasn’t anywhere that she knew. From the décor, it was a ship, probably Republic. But nothing was familiar.

 

“Hello Nia.” The girl who sat nearby said with a smile. “You gave us quite a scare.”

 

“Who…?” Nia shook her head hard to get the fuzziness out of it. “Do I know you?” She asked. The girl looked awfully familiar, but Nia was sure they had never met.

 

“No.” The girl sighed. “It’s been a while, Nia. Lots of things have changed since you were abducted by Ctrask and sent to Darmuk.” She smiled again. “My name is Natasha Anastasia Regina, but you can call me Mira.”

 

“Regina…?” Nia blinked, unsure.

 

“I am Helen’s little sister, Nia.” Mira replied. “That makes us kin as well. Which is why I am here to talk to you. Others will be along, but I wanted to meet you first, give you some adjustment time.”

 

“Where am I?” Nia asked, her voice hardening. “I was…” She shook her head. “What did Sharlina do to me?”

 

“She saved your life.” Mira replied evenly. “The plague was burning through the barriers that Firdlump’s collective put in. They couldn’t have held it for much longer, you were pretty far gone.” Nia gulped at the fear and sadness in the girl’s voice. “But to answer your question, we are inside your mind.”

 

“I am asleep?” Nia asked, curious despite the oddity of the situation. “They… He came to me in my dreams…”

 

“Sort of.” Mira sighed. “It’s fairly complex, what is happening. But yes, in a way, you are dreaming, and we are talking in your dream. At least I can keep it pleasant.”

 

“This is weird.” Nia said as she lay back onto the bed she could see now. Not a hospital bed, or a bunk. It was a comfortable type that might be found in a fairly well to do apartment. “Really, really weird, even for me and that is saying something.”

 

“I know.” Mira said gently. “Some other people would like to talk to you, but only if you feel up to it. They have been waiting very patiently for me to wake you up.”

 

“Who?” NIa asked, unsure about all this. Then she went rigid as a form in armor she did not recognize appeared next to the bed. The armor was unfamiliar, but the face was not. “Sara?”

 

Sara Kalenath, Will’s sister and Nia’s aunt, had a look of worry on her face that vanished as she saw Nia looking at her. The look of joy that took it’s place on the young woman’s face was bright.

 

“Nia!” Sara exclaimed. She started for the bed, but paused when Nia raised a hand. “Nia, it’s okay.”

 

“I have the plague, Sara…” Nia backed up on the bed as far as she could go. “I…” She paused. Something about Sara was different. Actually many things were, but how was Sara projecting compassion and understanding to her? “Sara?”

 

“This isn’t the real world, Nia. You cannot infect me with the plague here.” Sara said with a smile. “I have waited too long to do this though.” She jumped onto the bed and took Nia in an strong embrace. Tears were falling as Sara hugged her niece. “Nia…” She sobbed.

 

“Sara…” Nia found herself hugging the girl back. “Oh Sara…” Her own eyes burned as she fought for control. “Thank you.” She said to Mira, who nodded.

 

“You are welcome.” Mira replied gently. “I will be around, Sara.” With that, she vanished.

 

For several minutes, the older woman and the younger just held each other. Then Nia shook herself slowly. She took a deep breath and then sighed.

 

“What is going on, Sara? Why can I sense you in the Force?” Nia was ready for almost any reaction, but Sara just snuggled closer. “Sara?”

 

“Mom’s dead, Nia.” Sara replied. Nia recoiled as if struck and Sara hugged her tighter. “The things that were done to her… She had cancer…”

 

“I just saw her…” Nia was stunned. “She comforted me…”

 

“That wasn’t her, Nia.” Sara’s face went hard. “It was Firdlump.”

 

“Who?” Nia shook her head. “I have missed things then. Fill me in?” She asked while she hugged Sara again. “I assume that since we are sitting here, Zelkin did not win.”

 

“No, he didn’t win.” Sara said with a deep sigh as she hugged Nia again and sat back on the bed, not leaving her niece's side. “A lot of people died, Nia, but we stopped him. Will went nuts looking for you, really, truly nuts.”

 

“I half expected him to be here.” Nia said, looking around. She couldn’t keep the hurt out of her tone.

 

“Give your dad a break, Nia.” Sara said with a grin. “You have only been unconscious for ten minutes. Istara is still carrying you out of the base.”

 

“How do you know Sharlina?” Nia asked slowly, unsure. “You didn’t before…”

 

“Things have changed, big time, Nia.” Sara gave Nia another hug. “You see… While you were…gone.” Sara made a face, but continued speaking. “We found out who the real enemy is. The one who tormented Will, who experimented on Dad, Mom and me. The one who for centuries has been working behind the scenes to further his own, horrific plans for galactic domination.”

 

“Who?” Nia asked softly, scared by something in Sara’s soft, gentle tone.

 

“The one who now holds your reins, Nia.” Sara replied sadly. “The one who inducted you into his ‘collective’. Senator Donal Firdlump. Also known as the grand high muckety muck of this whole fiasco.” Nia was shaking her head but Sara was relentless. “We won’t let him have you, Nia. We won’t. We have spent too long looking for you to lose you now.”

 

“Sara…” Nia shook her head with a frown. “You don’t understand, it was marvelous. And Maria was there…” She paused as Sara recoiled. “Sara, I am not insane.”

 

“No, you are not.” Sara slumped a bit. “But don’t tell anyone what you just told me. Will has been… right on the edge. Something like that will push him right over. If Firdlump made a copy of Mom… Heaven help us all…” She looked scared now, a first in Nia’s recollection.

 

“I don’t understand…” Nia complained. “What is so important about me that people keep trying to control me?”

 

“You travel in time, Nia.” Sara’s soft words had Nia freezing in place. “An older version of you has appeared to me three times. The older you never said what happened, but I get the gist that it was bad.” Nia was shivering now and Sara hugged her tight. “Nia, stay with me, you need to hear the rest.”

 

“Why me?” Nia’s voice was small now. “What makes me so special?”

 

“That is a long story, but we have time.” Sara hugged Nia again. “You are going to be okay, but now, we have to catch you up.” Sara took a deep breath and started. “A very long time ago, something awful happened on a world that was home to a race called the Sitolon. A prophecy from that time period references something called ‘The Seven’. The prophecy is apparently happening now.” Nia stared at Sara and Sara shrugged. “Will is one of them. So are you.”

 

“Sara, this is ridiculous.” Nia complained, but gave a squeak as Sara tweaked her nose. She glared at the younger woman, but Sara just grinned.

 

“Oh, you haven’t heard the best parts yet.” Sara took another deep breath and continued. “After you were taken by L’trask, I stayed on the Dia’s Gift. Will and I went hunting. But we were not the only ones hunting…”

She felt…good. It had been so long since she had felt that way that for a long time after Nia woke form her long slumber that she just lay there, savoring the feelings. A voice nearby had her stiffening though.

 

“You going to sleep all day?” Nia’s eye shot open and her dad was sitting by her bedside. She was in a medical ward, one she recognized. The Stormhawk’s medical bay had been almost a second home to her. “Hello Nia.”

 

“Dad…” She could barely get the word out, her throat had closed up. She reached out a slow hand, but paused as something held it to the bed. She was restrained! “Dad?” She asked, suddenly afraid.

 

“You have been compromised, Nia.” Her father took her hand in both of his and gave a squeeze. “They wanted to keep me out. I told them to flarg off.”

 

“Dad…” Nia was suddenly crying. Her father leaned close and held her while she sobbed out her fear, heartache and anger in long, salty waves. “Tried to fight… Couldn’t…”

 

“I know, Nia… I know…” Will held his daughter as she sobbed, his hands gentle, his voice soft. “It is what Sith Lords do, Nia. They warp and twist everything around them to suit themselves. Of course it didn’t help that you mirrored him. No one blames you, Nia. No one.”

 

“Mirrored?” She asked, tasting the word as her father gave her head a pat and sat back in his chair. “What do you mean?”

 

“We are not entirely sure.” Will admitted as he pulled a tissue out of somewhere and started wiping his daughter’s face with it. She struggled for a moment, and then gave up. The restraints that the Stormhawk crew used would hold a Rancor, let alone a sick girl. “I know this rankles, but people are scared, Nia.”

 

“Of me?” Nia protested. “They know me!”

 

“They knew you, Nia.” Will corrected. “That was before you spent months in the tender care of a Sith, and before you were subverted by Firdlump.”

 

“Firdlump…” Nia shook her head. “Sara said…” She grimaced. “This doesn’t make any sense.”

 

“Can you feel the collective, Nia?” Will asked. She noted that his hands were still and on his remote. She felt fear, deep seated fear. “It is important, Nia.”

 

“I don’t think so.” Nia said after a moment of thinking. She shook her head as far as it would go in the restraint that held it. “It wasn’t awful, Dad.”

 

“I doubt it felt that way.” Will said with sympathy, but did not move his hands. “Nia, its is a control mechanism. It is supposed to feel good, to promote calm and peace. Did they tell you what happened to Jina?”

 

“Yeah.” Nia felt her eyes burn and she started as a tissue rubbed under her eyes. Her dad hadn’t moved. Someone else was in the room. “What are you doing here?” She demanded as Istara Sharlina Andal came into view.

 

“Helping.” Istara said sadly. “I am also in quarantine until they are sure I didn’t contract the plague by picking you up off the floor. If I did, we have the cure now, but they want to be sure before I go back to my kin.”

 

“You would know.” Nia said slowly. “It feels… wrong… almost instantly. Not bad, just wrong. Bad comes later.” She blinked. “How did you beat me so easily? It wasn’t that easy before.”

 

“I had help.” Istara replied evenly as she sank into another chair by Nia’s bed. Nia noted that Will did not flinch as he normally would with a Sith or other darksider in the room. “Sara told you a lot of things have changed.”

 

“The Republic and Empire are heading back to war.” Nia replied. “So not enough has changed. So…what now?”

 

“Now we are going to sequester you until we can figure out how to undo Firdlump’s control.” Will said heavily. When Nia started to protest, he shook his head. “Nia, your thoughts could be controlled even now. Tell me I lie.”

 

“You…” Nia slumped in the bed. “You don’t. Where?”

 

“Where do you think?” Will asked with a grin. Nia sighed and nodded. “The good news is that you will not lack for friends, family and support. The bad news is that we cannot even allow you the limited privacy that the Enclave has.”

 

“I may be a threat.” Nia said sadly. “I don’t know if I am or not.”

 

“Firdlump knows where the Enclave is.” Will said heavily. Nia felt her blood stiffen in her veins, but he continued. “We have been evacuating it for some time, but with so many people there, it’s taking longer than we had hoped. The Mandos have retreated into the wilds; I wish him luck finding them there.” Nia smirked at his tone. Oh yes, anyone would need planet sized luck to find a small clan of Mandos hiding in the jungle on Nova Ordo. “We are heading to pick up the last batch of evacuees.”

 

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Nia protested. “Why put me at the enclave if you are…evacuating…” She paused, thinking hard. “A trap.”

 

“A trap.” Will agreed. “One we do not expect to work, actually.”

 

“Huh?” Nia asked intelligently.

 

“Later. For now, Nia…” Will said soberly. “Your business is to get healed. We will need you.”

 

“But I feel…” Nia started and paused. What did she feel? She shook her head, bemused. “I feel odd. What is going on?”

 

“You are starting to go into withdrawal, Nia.” Istara said gently. “It follows a fairly standard series of patterns, no matter the cause, chemical, psychological or technological.”

 

“Withdrawal?” NIa asked incredulous. “From what? The collective?” At Istara’s nod she hissed in disbelief. “They wouldn’t do that! They were kind!” She was shivering now, and couldn’t stop.

 

“They might not, Nia.” Will said sadly. “Their master would. He is not kind.”

 

“I….” Nia gasped as heat flowed through her body followed by cold. “No…”

 

“I will get you through this, Nia.” Istara promised as she reached down and pulled a towel out of a drawer. “You may not like me much by the time we are done, but I will get you through this. Will…” She spoke gently but with command.

 

“Dad?” Nia gasped as Istara gently started wiping sweat off her. Will slumped and got up. “She screamed as he turned to go. “Dad! No, don't leave me!”

 

“I will always be with you, Nia.” Will replied, but walked to the door. “But I can’t help you. She can. Listen to Istara, Nia. She can help you.” The door hissed shut on her stream of expletives.

 

“Be easy, girl.” Istara said in that same gentle voice as she wiped more sweat off Nia’s now steaming brow. “Your dad loves you. Hate me if you must, do not hate him.” Nia growled at her, but then a convulsion raked her body and Istara sighed. “This is going to be a long day… For both of us…”

“I knew this was going to be rough…” Will Kalenath said soberly as he watched the monitor. On it, Nia cursed and spit at Istara who just sat there quietly. “Mom went through it with alcohol. But it wasn’t like this…”

 

“That was your mother, Will.” A black furred form moved to stand beside him and smiled. Ona, healer of the Bladeborn, was just as distraught as any of them, but she had a lot of experience in controlling her emotions. “It is not the same watching your child go through it.” Will looked at her and a sad smile played across his face.

 

The two of them stood in the medical bay of the renegade cruiser Stormhawk. The Bladeborn had fit in amazingly well among the group of outcasts, loners and crazies that made up the outlaw vessel’s crew. Ona in particular was liked.

 

"Yeah." Will agreed sadly. "I... Oh Ona... I..." He shook his head. "I am scared. Not for myself, but..."

 

"I know." Ona agreed. "Its coming. Even those of us who are not members of the Seven can feel something coming. Something bad." She shook her head. "You, Istara, Michelle, Nia, Idjit, Jina, even poor Mira... You have all given, and given and given... What more must the galaxy take?" Ona asked, tears starting to fall.

 

"Hey, come here..." Will said gently. He opened his arms and Ona embraced him. "It's okay. You, Istara and the others have given me more time than I thought I would have. I got to see my daughter again. Even if it is not entirely her." He let Ona go and stepped back, looking through the glass again. "The Bladeborn need you, Ona. Istara will need you." Now his face turned sad. "Especially if what we all think the prophecy of the Seven says about her and Jina comes true."

 

"Yeah." The healer agreed. "Istara likes Jina, a lot." Ona sighed deeply. "She won't handle it well, will she?"

 

"Killing Jina? By accident?" Will asked softy. "No. No, she won't." He turned and his face was serious when he scrutinized the Bladeborn healer. Ona flushed slightly under his regard. "I know what your Code says about seeking redemption, but you can't... Ona, you can't let her kill herself."

 

"I..." Ona shook her head savagely. "I don't want to, but... WIll... The Code is all we are. All we have been. If the Grandmaster starts breaking the Code..."

 

"She won't." WIll said softly. "She won't." He repeated, his sincerity clear.

 

"Will..." Ona paused at his tone. "What do you know?"

 

"Nothing I can tell you." Will said sadly. "I want to, but... I can't."

 

"I understand." Ona said softly. "I have lived with a seer. I understand, Will."

 

"Speaking of that seer..." WIll smiled as the hatch behind them hissed open. "I wondered when you would get off your fat tookus." He said snidely to the man who entered.

 

"Idjit!" Ona cred as she darted to her brother and embraced him tight. "You are looking good." And indeed, the Bladeborn seer was. He looked fit and strong and... She froze as he smiled at her, his blue eyes twinkling.

 

"So are you, sister." Idjit, seer of the Bladeborn said gently. "Even with all the angst I created, I am so glad to finally see you in the fur." He hugged her again. "The healers that I went to were good, not in your class, but good."

 

"The transplants took, then?" Ona asked professionally. "I had hoped, someday, to clone you some eyes, but... Not like that." She said with a shudder. When the Emperor demanded that it be done, it was done, no matter the potential consequences.

 

"My fault and responsibility, Ona." Idjit said quietly. "I knew going in that it was a bad idea, but we had to get more information. We did."

 

"Yeah we did." Will agreed softly. "Did you ever find a good hidey hole?"

 

"Yes." Idjit replied. Ona looked form one to the others and shook her head.

 

"Hidey hole?" The healer asked dubiously.

 

"Yeah." WIll said softly. "We are a target, Ona. You know this better than many." Ona gulped a bit. The damage the ship had taken in the last battle had been extreme. And the casualties... Will spoke again. "I am glad you are here, Ona."

 

"So am I." Ona replied with a smile. "Although the other healer aboard took some getting used to." The Bothan shuddered a little. "Shar told us about Hawkir and L'trask, but Hera was a hell of a shock."

 

"Sorry about that." WIll said soberly. "I didn't even think about it. She isn't really an Islanian, she just looks like one." Considering the Sith Empire's relations with the Islanian Protectorate which had ended with the total destruction of the planet Islan...

 

"I know, now." Ona said with a scowl. "But it was all I, or Jon, could do not to carve her up when she introduced herself. I am glad we didn't. She is nice."

 

"Yeah." Will agreed sadly as he turned back to the monitor. "I need to spell Istara. I..." He shook his head. "I don't want to do this." He said plaintively. "She is in pain, confused, all that and I cannot help her."

 

"Will.." Idjit said gently. "Trust your feelings. You have the Force, you just don't have enough to train. You ARE helping her. You cannot do this for her. She has to do it herself, or she will never be free."

 

"I know..." WIll said sadly. "I know, hey!" He gulped as Ona embraced him. "Ona?"

 

"It will be okay, Will." Ona said as he hugged him tight. "It will be okay." Will shook his head, hugged her back and stepped out of the embrace.

 

"And which one of you is the seer?" The soldier asked with a wry snort. "I will send Istara, Idjit."

 

"Thanks." Idjit said simply as Will made his way out of the room. Ona looked at him sideways.

 

"Idjit...?" The healer asked softly.

 

"She asked, didn't she?" Idjit said softly, sadly. "Istara that is."

 

"Yeah." Ona replied, her face falling. "Idjit... I..."

 

"Just like Istara to do contingency planning." Idjit said soberly. "Shar never was one for it, she was all jump in, kill everything... But Istara... She plans..." He shook himself and nodded to the healer. "Can you do it?"

 

"Yes." Ona said quietly. "But should I? This is a child we are talking about here."

 

"Whose mother is going to either die or be very messed up." Idjit replied evenly. "No matter what, for Istara to be captured... Especially now..."

 

"She won't go down easily." Ona said softly, her tone scared. "If at all."

 

"Istara is not invincible, Ona. You know this, you have patched her up often enough." Idjit said quietly as they watched the screen. Will had entered the room and replaced Istara at the bed. Nia cursed at him as he wiped the sweat off her brow. "She is good. Smart, fast, powerful, all that, but she is not invincible."

 

"I know, Idjit..." Ona said sadly. "I know..."

 

"Ah, Ona..." Istara said as she entered. "Are you ready?"

 

"I am, Istara." Ona said soberly. "I have to ask though... Are you sure...?"

 

"I am." Istara said with a sad smile. "Idjit and I will... talk a bit. Then I will come see you. It doesn't take long, does it?"

 

"Minutes, if everything goes right, sister." Ona said unhappily. "You... are..." She broke off, embarrassed.

 

"Yes. I am." Istara said with a smile. "Thank you, Ona. You have taken a huge weight off my shoulders." She hugged the Bothan tight. Ona looked like she was going to say something, then shook herself and left in silence.

 

"Istara..." Idjit said softly.

 

"No more words, my ice..." Istara said huskily. "We talked it out. No time like the present." She pulled him close.

<An hour later>

 

"I want to help and I can't." Hawkir Strum said softly as he and the other healer aboard the Stormhawk worked in Medical. "Nia is special. In so many ways."

 

"I agree." L'trask said softly. The Trandoshan was checking medical files as the two well matched healers worked to clear their influx of patients. "I almost wish Cranna had sent another transport. Having all these non-combatants aboard is making me nervous."

 

"Me too." Hawkir aid quietly. When Will had told everyone that the Enclave's location was compromised, they had already been evacuating, quietly. The sheer logistics involved of moving almost a thousand dependants, secretly... Ouch. "At least Sara and her brood are nowhere nearby."

 

"What is the human saying? Eggs and pails?" L'trask asked as he finished up another chart. "Don't have all your pails in one egg or something?"

 

"Eggs and...?" Hawkir paused and then smiled. "Oh. 'Don't put all your eggs in one basket'?"

 

"Yeah, that's it. We are already a big fat target, adding her and her brood to the mix would have been bad." L'trask pulled up the next file and sighed deeply. "Ah Katherine..." Hawkir looked at the screen and sighed as well as he saw the data displayed.

 

"She is alive, L'trask." The Jedi healer said gently. "She is alive and as well as we can make her."

 

"Well?" L'trask demanded. "We have to keep her sedated to stop her screaming. She eats, and sleeps, nothing else. She trained me in medicine, you know..." The Trandosahn said quietly. "A kinder, gentler, more peaceful person I have never met. And now..."

 

"She is alive, L'trask." Hawkir reminded him. "We will find a way to help her. At least her pregnancy is progressing as expected."

 

"Yeah." L'trask paused. "Um? Where is Cina? I expected her back before now."

 

"Markus knows more of offensive uses of the Force than I do." Hawkir said soberly. "She is training with him."

 

"I really hope he isn't letting her use a lightsaber..." L'trask said slowly. "I mean..."

 

"He knows she is better with a saber than he is. Wouldn't prove anything if she cleaned his chrono, again." Hawkir said with a small smile. "It..." He paused, unsure about something he had just read. "L'trask, is this scan current?"

 

"Yes." The Trandoshan healer said with a sigh. "I took a full series of Katherine this morning. Why?"

 

"This can't be..." Hawkir said dubiously. "Her child is a girl?"

 

"Um..." The Trandoshan paused. "Yeah, full female characteristics forming nicely. Why?" He stiffened as Hawkir did.

 

"L'trask, look at the history." Hawkir felt the icy hand of fear start to seep up his spine. He acknowledged it and let it pass him by. "The medical history from the Enclave..."

 

"Oh my god..." L'Trask sounded calm, but his sense in the Force was terrified. "Her child was a boy..."

 

"It... can't change..." Hawkir said slowly, feeling each word with care. "Unless... it isn't a child!"

 

"Flarg me!" L'trask snapped and hit a big red button next to his desk. The shipwide general alarm started sounding. As shouts started nearby the intercom chimed.

 

"What the-?" The voice over the intercom was Boss, the commander of the ship. "Doc?"

 

"Boss, we have a nanite incursion in Medical." L'trask said softly as he watched the scanners. The straps that had been holding Katherine down were gone. The Cathar medic's eyes were closed, but she was sitting up. "Katherine was carrying them. They mimicked a Cathar embryo."

 

"Medical?" Boss asked, sounding stunned. "Doc..."

 

"You can't vent the ship to kill them." L'trask said soberly. "Too many civilians, too many dependants in the area. The turrets are useless, worse than useless, they can be subverted."

 

"We will clear..." Boss staretd, but broke off as L'trask snarled at him.

 

"You can't." The Trandosahan said soberly. "Hawkir? Can you do anything?"

 

"I can't even sense them, L'trask." The Jedi said softly. He paused as the door to the office opened and two forms in Jedi robes hurried in. "Cina? Markus?"

 

"Master?" Cina said softly, unsure. "Can Bob...?"

 

"He is not here, Cina." Markus said sadly. "He had something else to do. We are on our own, but we are not without options."

 

"No we are not." Hawkir said just as softly as he watched the screen. Katherine reached for the door and it...melted away from her touch. "Cina...Go, get the civilians out of here." The young woman recoiled.

 

"No, master Hawkir!" She cried. "No!"

 

"Cina, please..." Hawkir said sadly. "I have to do this. Markus and I together may be able to slow the nanites. nothing we know of can stop them."

 

"Lohas can." Cina cried. "We should..."

 

"No she can't." Istara said as she and another robed form entered the office. "She is busy keeping the nanites from spreading to the rest of the ship. But I can."

 

"Where is Will?" L'Trask asked.

 

"He is staying with Nia." Idjit replied. "Istara...This may be what he wants."

 

"Yeah, he wants me." Istara agreed. Then she straightened. "Jedi Strum, Jedi Padawan Darkstorm, Jedi Sigmundson, you cannot fight this. I will. Alone." Everyone in the room stiffened at her tone.

 

"Grandmaster..." Hawkir said slowly. "Alone?"

 

"Idjit is still recovering." Istara said sadly. "Get him out of here."

 

"Istara..." Idjit paused and an odd look came over his face. "You...rat..." She caught him as he fell and held him until Hawkir came up.

 

"He shouldn't have even come. He is still weak. I was going to go to him to do what I planned." Istara said soberly. "Did he 'see' this? I wonder..."

 

"Istara..." Cina Darkstorm said, her tone somewhere between wonder and horror. "You..."

 

"I can stop Katherine." Istara said sadly. "But I don't know if I can do it without killing her. Or hurting myself."

 

"Istara!" Cina protested. "No! You are pregnant!" She moved to block the door, but Istara just looked at her.

 

"I know. Cina, move." Istara said sadly. "I can't let the nanites loose on this ship. I can't. I have to do what I can."

 

"And the little one that you and Idjit just started?" Hawkir asked calmly. "What happens to that?"

 

"One life for many, Hawkir." Istara said, tears starting to fall. "I am the only one who can do this. I have to. I don't want to lose another child, but I don't have a choice."

 

"Yes you do." Hawkir said soberly. "Cina..." The padawan started and then looked at her master. "You are a joy to teach, girl. But I am about to teach you a very hard lesson. Jedi do what needs to be done. This needs to be done." Cina was shaking her head in horror, but Hawkir continued. "Go to Tython, A friend was asking about you. You will like her. Youn is hard, but fair."

 

"Master..." Cina begged. "No..."

 

"I can help Istara." Hawkir said soberly. "I can't face the nanites, but I can keep all of her body intact while she does." Istara stared at him, hope welling behind her eyes. "Markus?"

 

"I cannot help you, my friend." Markus Sigmundson said quietly. " I do not have the skill."

 

"I know." Hawkir said sadly. "I need you and Cina to get the other non-ambulatory patients out of Medical, to the bunkers. And then... I need you to get Cina to Tython." Cina was crying now and Hawkir shook his head. "Be at ease, Cina. There is no emotion..."

 

"...there is peace." Cina said soberly. "I will miss you, Master Hawkir."

 

"Go." Hawkir said quietly. Cina and Markus both bowed to him and Istara. "You too, L'trask."

 

"Will may need me." The old Trandoshan said quietly.

 

"And what good will you do him if you get munched?" Istara said with a snarl. "Take Idjit and go. Please?" She asked.

 

"Istara..." L'Trask sighed and lifted the unconscious seer easily. He may have been a healer instead of a fighter, but L'Trask was no slouch. "Good luck, or whatever." The two Jedi left with the doctor.

 

"Hawkir..." Istara said softly. "Do you really...?"

 

"Yes." Hawkir said sadly. "I can keep your little one alive. I don't know for how long."

 

"Well, I hope it won't take very long." Istara said sadly. "I do not want to kill her. I like her."

 

"Which was probably his plan all along." Hawkir mused. "He knew we all felt strongly about her, liked her. So we would not kill her out of hand."

 

"Now we have to keep her from killing others." Istara said with a frown. "At least most of the non-combatant have been evaced by now. Bladeborn are good at things like that."

 

"I hope they were gentle." Hawkir said with a sigh. "Some of the people have been in the Enclave for ten years, and are a bit...Fragile."

 

"Bruised egos we can fix." Istara said soberly as she started for the door. "Civilians rendered down to gray goo? Not so much."

 

"Ick..." Hawkir said with feeling. "You have an odd sense of humor, Istara."

 

"That was Sharlina's" Istara said with a sigh. "She wants to hurt FIrdlump now, badly."

 

"Well, we may get the chance." Hawkir said soberly as the hallway ahead of them started to mist, to warp, to change. A lone female figure in a patient gown walked towards them. Katherine's eyes were still closed "Soon." Istara nodded and stepped to block the corridor.

 

"That is quite far enough, Firdlump." Istara said with a snarl. "You are not welcome here."

 

"Where I am welcome is immaterial. This is for the best, for a better galaxy." The male voice from the female mouth was off putting. It was kind and solicitous. "Do we have to fight, Istara? It will make such a mess."

 

"Yes." Istara said sternly, and her eyes turned a silver color. Energy flared from her hands and Hawkir stepped back, his focus on Istara. "Yes we do, monster."

"Dad?" Nia asked. "What is happening?" The sound of an explosion was felt more than heard through the walls of the ship. Will touched the console nearby and blinked.

 

"Aw crap..." Will said after a moment. "Nia, your master snuck an agent aboard."

 

"He did?" Nia asked. Hope and fear warred in her tone. "I mean..."

 

"You remember Katherine?" Will asked softly, menace underlying his tone. "The Cathar doctor at Cranna's clinic?"

 

"Yeah." Nia asked, confused. "Why?"

 

"He took her by force, brainwashed her and impregnated her." Nia's face went white at that, but Will wasn't done. "And now, it seems that the 'child' she was bearing was a host of nanites. A lot of them. So we have a lot of microscopic machine aboard who like to eat people. Istara is...arguing with them."

 

"Dad..." Nia shook her head. It was all she could move. "I didn't know... I didn't do this..."

 

"I know." Will agreed. "You haven't had the chance. And-" Whatever else he was going to say was cut off as one of the four turrets in the corners of the room's ceiling spat blue fire at him. He collapsed in a heap, unmoving.

 

"What the-? Dad!" Nia screamed. "Help! Someone!"

 

"Nia, relax." A voice she remembered came to her ears. "It's okay. It was set for stun, he is alive. Just relax. This will sting." Nia froze as all four of the turrets aimed at her!

 

"Are you...Firdlump?" Nia asked, unsure. Then she screamed as all four turrets opened fire. She broke off as she realized that the bolts had targeted the buckles holding the straps that held her to the bed. She was free. The smoking remains burnt her skin, but it was a minor pain. "I..."

 

"I am. It's okay Nia." The voice was soothing now. "It's okay, Maria and the others are waiting for you. But I..." The voice broke off and the shouted. "Nia, they are overriding! Move!"

 

Nia was rolling off the bed and just in time as all four turrets fired again, full power, burning right through the bed where she had been lying. She went white as an irate female voice sounded.

 

"Don't move, Nia." Sharra Kalenath's voice was hard and cruel now. "If you do, we will burn you to cinders."

 

"Sharra..." Nia said, gulping. "I don't know what is going on..."

 

"I do, and you are not taking him anywhere." The voice of Will Kalenath's wife, impossibly, got even colder. "Get back on the bed."

 

"Sharra... I..." Nia shook her head. "I don't want to die. I can't... I can't let you kill me."

 

"We don't want to." Sharra said in a milder tone. "But you are threatening everyone aboard, including my son."

 

"Your..." Nia suddenly smiled. 'You and Will had a kid? Really?" She cast out desperately with her mind and found... gloriousness. It felt... heavenly. "Oh... It's okay Sharra..." Nia said as she did what had to be done.

 

"Nia? What?"" Sharra exclaimed. "No!" But all four turrets gave a hiss and died as Nia shorted out their sensitive electronics, her renewed nanites giving her limited control of her surroundings. "Don't! You don't know what you are doing!"

 

"I am helping make the galaxy a better place, Sharra." Nia said, riding the wonder that was the collective. "Dad is hurt. I can't help him, but I bet the Master can. And you... We will welcome you, Sharra." She paused. No answer. What the-? Not a good sign. "Ah well..." She reached down and picked up her dad. "Ooof, he weighs a ton..."

 

***

 

"This is stupid, Firdlump." Istara said with a snarl as she threw power at yet another wave of nanites that tried to envelope her. They melted away as their microscopic processors shut down. "You are not going to win."

 

"It is not always about winning, Istara." The male voice sounding from the sleeping female's mouth was horrifying to say the least. "You of all people should know that. Even the redoubtable Hawkir Strum cannot help you, and you are weakening."

 

"Well, you know what will happen if I lose here, right?" Istara asked, an acid edge to her tone. "You know what Boss will do. He will vent the ship. Or blow it up to prevent you from taking it."

 

"You might as well say 'She', Istara." Firdlump's voice was calm. "I know who wears the armor of Stormhawk Boss. I have known for some time."

 

"Maybe." Istara said flatly as she countered another wave and sent a pulse of power at the female form that was still advancing slowly. "I will kill Katherine, Firdlump, if you push me far enough. You know that."

 

"No you won't." Firdlump said with a sigh. "You are out of time, Istara. It was a good fight."

 

"What?" Istara asked, unsure, then spun as a scream sounded behind her. "Hawkir!" She shouted.

 

"Hawkir?" A voice came from a cross corridor. Nia's voice was horrified. "No!"

 

Istara blanched. Somehow, nanites had gotten around her without her sensing them. The Jedi fell to one knee, his face serene as his body slowly collapsed in on itself. It actually happened very quickly, it only seemed to happen in slow motion. One moment he was kneeling there, his face ashen, but calm. The next he was dissolving, his body falling apart. In moments, there was nothing left of the Jedi but gray mist that dissipated rapidly. A huge hole appeared where the Jedi had been, screams followed, screams that cut off with dreadful finality.

 

"You bastard!" Istara snapped, restraint going. "And you!" She rounded on Nia who froze in place, her father's limp form in her hands. "Hawkir saved you! Your dad loves you! And you did this?" Sharlina's icy demeanor took over, her eyes going red and her face becoming remote as the rage that she was surged to the fore. "You stupid cow! You idiotic barvette!"

 

"Sharlina..." Nia retreated a step from the wrath that faced her. "I..."

 

"Nia be calm. I have stopped the nanites you released. You will not harm her, Sharlina." Firdlump's voice was calm. "She is mine."

 

"No? Maybe I can't." Sharlina's voice was cold and clear now. "But after what she just caused, the death of a good man, I want her to hurt!" Her sword came out and she was charging as Nia dropped her dad and backed up a step, empty hands upraised as if in supplication.

 

"No." Something grabbed at Sharlina, but her rage and lust for revenge drove her on. "We need you Sharlina. Rest now, warrior."

 

"I am not your slave!" Sharlina screamed as she brought her blade down. She had the satisfaction of seeing red appear on Nia's patient gown before darkness hammered into her and she knew no more.

"Ah..." Nia gasped, as she saw the blade fall from nerveless fingers and the Bladeborn warrior collapsed in a heap. "I..." Pain suddenly surged in her awareness and she found herself kneeling beside the still Bladeborn, clutching a half severed arm. "Help...?" She begged. She barely noticed the Bladeborn's silver armor vanishing through the haze of fear and pain.

 

"I will." Firldump's voice was gentle. "Nia... easy... She cut deep." A slim hand touched her on the arm and the pain died. The red stream that she saw spurting out slowed and stopped. "We need to move. Now. They will have contingencies that I cannot predict. Eventually they will circumvent the camera and internal defense lockout that I managed to get into place and kill us."

 

"We can't take them both, can we?" Nia asked, afraid. "I mean... Me and Katherine, I can get off the ship. I can carry one, maybe. But not two unconscious people. Can she...?"

 

"No, Nia. She is not awake, and I need to focus on keeping us alive." Firdlump's voice was soft and gentle. "We need Istara."

 

"But..." Nia was shaking her head as she reached down to scoop up the unconscious Bladeborn. "Dad...?"

 

"I am sorry, Nia." Firdlump said sadly. "It is taking all my local processing power to keep them from localizing us and killing us. I can't wake Katherine until the three of you are safe. You know what they will do if we are not gone quickly."

 

"I do." Nia said flatly, then she reached out a slow a hand and caressed her dad's slumbering brow. "I am sorry, Dad. We will help you, I swear it." She patted his shoulder and then, with a grunt, picked up Istara's still form and started off. "Hangar bays are that way." She waved and started off. "Do we have a plan?" The sleeping Cathar kept pace.

 

"They have fighters up, Silver Squadron if I am not mistaken." Nia winced at Firdlump's tone. "Can you outrun them?" He asked, not really expecting an affirmative. That was the Stormhawk's premier fighter squadron, aces all.

 

"Not in a shuttle." Nia said flatly. "We can... hmm..." She mused. "How long will Dad be asleep?"

 

"At least eight hours." Firdlump asked slowly though Katherine's mouth. "Why?"

 

"Is there a place we can rendezvous in that time?" Nia asked slowly. "If we can get there?"

 

"Yes..." Firldump said uneasily. "Why?"

 

"Eight hours is more than enough time." Nia said slowly. "We are taking the Dragon."

 

"Ah... Nia..." Firdlump said slowly. "He has to have safeguards on that ship." Considering that Will's personalized starfreighter had outgunned some battleships... Oh yes, it had to have safeguards.

 

"I know." Nia said soberly. "And I know what they are. And the codes to use it." She sighed in fond memory. She had helped her dad work on it after stowing away on it once.

 

"Are you sure...?" Firdlump asked softly.

 

"100%? No." Nia admitted. "But close. I can access the machinery like he can. I can get us in, and operate it. Any code he has set up, I can circumvent, but when he wakes up..."

 

"He will activate the self destruct." Firdlump said flatly."And you, Katherine and Istara die."

 

"IF we can get to a rendezvous before he wakes, we can transfer, get clear." Nia said sadly. "If. Can you?"

 

"There is a small transport..." Firdlump mused. "They are a bit out of the way, but I can get them to meet within eight hours. Where?"

 

"Someplace nice and remote..." Nia said sadly. "Less chance for collateral damage. Whatever self destruct he built into it will be big... Come on.." They entered the hangar bay and paused. Nia looked around, unsure. "Ah... Where is everybody?"

 

"They are..." Firdlump's voice was strained now. "They are trying to vent the hangar! Nia! Hurry!"

 

"What? They are going to kill me and Istara?" Nia snarled as she darted towards where Will's ship sat ominous and dark. "Bastards!"

 

"We have..." Firdlump's voice took on a distinctly odd tone now. "We have... Ah!" Katherine's body fell to it's knees and Nia froze as a large dark form appeared nearby. Several of them.

 

"You are not leaving with her, Nia Korr." The black skinned Sitolon said softly. "Put Istara down. Now."

 

"Who are you?" Nia demanded, but did not lower Istara's unconscious form.

 

"We will not ask nicely again, Nia Korr." The black bug did not move. "Put Istara down. Now." There was a distinct aura of menace to that being's tone.

 

"You..." Nia said slowly. "...are rude." She shook her head slowly and a docked fighter suddenly groaned as it lifted. "Move, you insolent bug."

 

"Nia... No..." Firdlump's voice was taut as Katherine's body rose again. "They are delaying us... Get to the ship." 

 

"You know not what you do, girl." The black bug said sadly. "You have no idea. None. Let Istara go. NOW."

 

"You can't stop me." Nia declared, but blanched as the fighter she had been levitating suddenly slammed back into it's cradle. "What...?"

 

"You are not the only one with the Force here, girl." The black bug said snidely. "You are not leaving."

 

"Fine." Nia said soberly. "On your head then..." She looked at the Dragon and a sudden alarm sounded. "I figure we have two minutes to live, until and unless I hold the deadwoman's switch. I don't know what he used as a self destruct, but I bet it is big."

 

"You would kill everyone aboard to fuel your addiction to that fake hivemind." The bug said quietly. "How...sad."

 

"I don't want to." Nia said sternly. "You are leaving me few choices."

 

"And you are leaving us even fewer." The bug replied. "You threaten many children, refugees from the Enclave. Istara would be the first to say to let you go, even with her as a prisoner. How many people who love you will you kill, Nia? How many?" Nia started walking towards the Dragon and the bugs did not move. "So be it... Your father will judge you. Not us."

 

"You don't understand." Nia pleaded as she started up the ramp. "It is marvelous, wonderful, glorious even..."

 

"No." The bug said flatly. "It is you who does not understand, idiot larva. You have threatened our entire family this day, Nia Korr. I speak with Matriarch Sharra's voice now... You are no kin to the Kalenath family."

 

"Wha-" Nia felt as if she had been punched in the gut. "What do you mean?"

 

"Nia..." Firdlump's voice was stronger now. "We have to go. Now."

 

"Begone, brat." The black bug said nastily. "When next we meet, you will not have hundreds of hostages -including your infant half brother- to threaten for your freedom. When that day comes, you will die." He stepped away, melting into the shadows of the hangar bay with all the others.

 

"I..." Nia shook her head, but slapped the hatch close control and started for the cockpit. "This ship is cramped, I'll put her in the starboard dorm... Can you...? What can you do to keep her docile?"

 

"I am going to try and cut a deal with the half of the personality called Sharlina." Firdlump's voice said soberly. "Get us out of here, hopefully they won't blow us out of the sky on the way."

 

"They can't." Nia said soberly. "The sensors cannot target this ship. Dad's paranoia runs deep."

 

"Oh?" Firdlump said, Katherine's eyes looking about. "Pity we can't..."

 

"No!" Nia shouted. "Don't try and access anything! He has added safeguards... I sense so many...And the destructs..." She gasped. "Four class VII five hundred weight baradium devices, all separate... All rigged to go off if any are tampered with. Can you stop four nukes simultaneously?"

 

"Ah..." Katherine's body retracted the hand she had almost touched the bulkhead with. Firdlump's voice was shocked now. "No... Gah! Get us out of here..."

It was totally anticlimactic. Nothing happened when the ship left the docking bay, and none of the fighters that were deployed around the area attempted to engage the small freighter. Which was just as well, to Nia's thinking, the members of Silver Squadron were friends, well, they HAD been. Now? She wasn't so sure. Will hadn't scrimped on the hyperdrive of his gunship disguised a freighter either. They arrived in the Endor system with an hour to spare before Will could have woken.

 

"Do you think your dad can transmit a destruct code through hyperspace?" Katherine asked. She had woken during the trip and Nia was glad of it, if just to have someone to talk to. "I mean, we are a long ways from where the Stormhawk was."

 

"They are following." Nia said soberly. "This feels too easy. And even if they are not, he won't have to. He will use the hyperspace beacons to transmit a code sequence. He told me how it works. A short non-repeating phrase or code will not get snagged by the information filters. It will go out via every holonet terminal, every beacon, every ship that queries a beacon, every everything..." Nia sighed. "At least it does go off, it will be fast. Far faster than what Sharra would do..."

 

"Nia..." The Cathar said gently. "You didn't have a choice. They were going to lock you up for the rest of your life."

 

"I know... But..." Nia shook her head savagely, trying to keep tears from falling. "Why? It is marvelous, magnificent... We can make a different galaxy. A better one." She shook herself as the collective eased her anguish. "How is Sharlina?"

 

"Stable. You should call her Istara, Nia." Katherine said with a frown. "That is the name she chose."

 

"I..." Nia shook her head stubbornly. "I met her as Sharlina, I fought her as Sharlina, and I will call her that. Especially if the Master can..." She paused. "What can he do. It's like she is two people inside her head. How can we bring both into the collective?"

 

"I don't know if we can." Katherine admitted. "But no matter what, she is what we..." She paused as a beeping sounded. "Nia?" She asked, worried. She didn't dare touch anything on the small bridge.

 

"That is our ride." Nia said with a smile as a small transport appeared from hyperspace. "Come on, the sooner we are off this flying bomb the better."

 

"Right." Katherine rose and, careful not to touch anything, stepped from the cockpit to the small dormitory. Nia followed, just as carefully. There were so many traps built into the Dragon it simply wasn't funny. The Cathar sighed and started unstrapping the Bladeborn. "Did your dad stock this thing with a stretcher?"

 

"I don't think so." Nia said after a moment. "I guess we are going to..." Nia paused and blanched. "Grab her and move!" Katherine did not argue, just scooped Istara's still form up and ran for the airlock. Nia followed, slowly, her face strained. The hatch cycles and a pair of medics started in, but froze when Nia grunted. "Get out of here! Go... I'll hold it..."

 

"Nia... Come on!" Katherine snapped as she handed Istara to the two medics who almost literally ran back into the ship. Nia shook her head and Katherine snarled. "Come on!"

 

"I can't Katherine." Nia said sadly. "If I lose contact, the destructs go off. He woke up sooner than expected."

 

"Contact with what?" Katherine asked, aghast. "Nia...?"

 

"There is a deadwoman's switch." Nia said sadly. "I am holding it with my nanites, but as soon as I let go, or move out of range..." The entire collective hissed in horror.

 

"Where?" Katherine asked as Nia backed into the Dragon, away from the air lock.

 

"It's on the bridge, but I have to stay..." Nia paused as Katherine's face set. "The nanites can't hold it from a distance, its physical so high tech won't work. Katherine?" She asked worried as the Cathar suddenly grinned.

 

"Let's try a low tech solution." Katherine said sternly, pulling a roll of space tape from a pocket. Nia stared at her and then grinned. She knew a million uses for the miracle tape. But she had always wondered why the heck anyone name a wonderful adhesive tape after an aquatic waterfowl?

 

Nia led the way back onto the cramped bridge and indicated a small, innocuous looking lever beside the pilot's seat. Katherine nodded and proceeded to layer the whole thing in tape. After a few minutes, she stopped and surveyed her work.

 

"Since it is spring loaded..." The Cathar asked. "That will not hold it for long." Her gaze went far away and she nodded. "The crew of the transport is prepping the engines now. Nia..." She said gently when Nia did not move. "We have to go."

 

"I know." Nia's voice was tiny now. "My dad is going to kill me... He loves this ship... and I am about to let it..." She paused as Katherine grabbed her arm.

 

"Come..." The Cathar steered Nia out of the cockpit and into the main corridor. "On..."

 

Nia stumbled and followed the Cathar as they ran for the airlock. It gaped open and they threw themselves in. Then Nia screamed.

 

"No!"

 

"Nia?" Katherine asked quickly. "Wha-?"

 

"Katherine...I..." Nia was shaking now as the hatch closed and the ship shuddered, separating from the Dragon and the thrusters came on full. "I..." She started crying. Katherine stared at her and then embraced her.

 

"Nia...?" Katherine's voice was scared. "What is wrong?"

 

"Mom..." Nia sobbed out. "She is a spirit now.. She just... She just..."

 

"What, Nia...?" Katherine asked and then paused as a scene was relayed to her from Nia's mind through the collective. A stern faced woman that Katherine sort of recognized spoke. Her link to the collective said it was Nia's mother.

 

"...and I expected better of you, girl. I really did." The spirit was saying in a calm clear voice that somehow conveyed disgust. "You ignorant little child. Is your physical enjoyment worth the lives of everyone you loved? Who loved you? You killed Hawkir. He saved you and you killed him and others."

 

"Leave her alone!" Katherine snapped. 'You have no idea what she has gone through." She hugged Nia tighter, but Nia just sobbed.

 

"Oh yes I do, slave." The spirit of Jainine Korr said soberly. "But it doesn't matter now. Everything is proceeding as was foreseen. But you, Nia... I am very disappointed in you." The scary thing was that the spirit's voice inflection did not change. It was obvious she was angry, but she was tightly controlling herself.

 

"Leave her alone!" Katherine repeated harshly. "She is hurting, badly from what she had to do."

 

"Had to do?" The spirit snapped right back, incredulous. "No, she wanted to do this. She chose this. And we, 'our' family, has chosen this. Sharra said it first through Grun'das, 'I' say it now. The woman known as Nia Korr is no daughter of mine. Will agrees. " Katherine stiffened in shock, but Jainine was not done. "Goodbye and good riddance brat. May your death be long and agonizing."

 

"Mom...?" Nia begged. "No..." But the spirit had vanished. "No..." She wailed. Katherine hugged her tighter but Nia was disconsolate. "No..." She sobbed into the Cathar's shoulder. She didn't even stop crying when the ship shuddered and a rumble of transmitted energy waves sounded the death knell of the Dragon.

"How is Nia?" Firdlump asked but did not look up from what he was doing as Katherine entered the small transport's medical bay. "It has to hurt, being cast out like that. Being disowned."

 

"The collective managed to ease her pain, master." The Cathar said sadly. "She is worn out and I gave her a light sedative. It will help her sleep, the poor girl. I hope she sleeps until we get back to base. She needs it. It isn't her fault. Menglan will have the implants ready for her. She will fully be one of us. At least... She will have a family that will not cast her out. It wasn't her fault." Katherine complained.

 

"No, but try to explain that to her mother." Firdlump said sadly. He stepped away from the bed and nodded. "There. Connections are finished. The nanites in Istara's system are deactivated and she is in a light dream state."

 

"A dream?" Katherine asked softly. "What good will that do?"

 

"I am going to try to keep the Istara half of her personality asleep until I can sequester it." Firdlump said slowly. "The Sharlina part is predictable. She wants to fight, she lives to fight. We will give her a fight, just not the one she expects."

 

"She can hurt or kill anyone who enters her mind, Master." Katherine said after a moment. "Maybe even you." She said with a hint of fear.

 

"I know." Firdlump said with a sigh. "But there is one kind of person that neither Istara nor Sharlina would ever hurt knowingly. Which is why I am glad it was this transport."

 

"Master...?" Katherine went stiff as one of the medics came in leading a very small human boy. He was about five or so, blonde haired and cute. He walked oddly, as if unsure of his footing, but his smile was wide. "Ah...?"

 

"Katherine, this is Jac." Firdlump said quietly. "He was in an orphanage on Kuat. He was hurt badly in an accident and we helped him. He wanted to join us and we agreed."

 

"Yes, master Firdlump." The little boy said with a smile. "You did. The collective is marvelous." Katherine smiled tenderly at him and he smiled back. "You think I can help her?" He waved a small hand at the bed where Istara lay and made a face. "I saw when you faced her on that ship, Master. She is scary."

 

"Yes she is." Firdlump said soberly. "The thing is, we are not entirely sure that she won't hurt you. Whatever she does, we can likely fix, but..." He paused as Jac nodded, gave the medic's hand a squeezer and moved to the bedside.

 

"What do I do?" The little boy asked. "You gave me back my legs. Anything I can do, to aid the collective, I will."

 

"Jac..." Katherine moved to stand beside him. "This is very dangerous. She is very dangerous."

 

"Bladeborn do not harm children, Katherine." Firdlump said quietly. "They try very hard not to anyway. We can monitor him, ease him, protect him a bit."

 

"Why not send me?" Katherine asked, dubious as she pulled a chair closer to the bed. Firdlump just looked at her and she sighed. They were right. She patted the bed beside Istara. "Up you get. I will monitor."

 

"She knows you, Medic Katherine." Jac said with a sad look. "She won't trust you. She may not trust me." Jac said to Firdlump as he snuggled closer to Istara's restrained form. Katherine started hooking up monitor lines and then looked at Firdlump who made a face and nodded. Jac's face was serene. "No one in the collective has any idea how long this will take. Go ahead, put in the... IVs?" He asked somewhat dubiously, his face anxious.

 

"It will sting." Katherine warned as she reached for the med kits.

 

"It can't hurt as bad as losing my legs did." Jac said with a smile. "It will be all right."

 

<A dream>

 

Sharlina sat and sighed. It was so quiet and peaceful here. Istara was sleeping next to her, but she didn't care. She was bored. She didn't really mind, per say, that Istara was the dominant personality most of the time. Every so often, Sharlina got to run loose and tear things up. Never often enough to her way of thinking, but... She knew she was a monster. She had known that from the every first time the girl named Istara had killed, at age six. All she could do here, wherever here was, was remember. It made her so mad, remembering, but that gave her power. All that time, all that effort and that idiot girl had thrown it all away in the name of getting her fix. She really hoped she had cut the girl's arm off. She looked at Istara again and a strangely tender look crossed her features. She loved her other half, dearly. There had been a time, not so long in the past actually, that she had hated Istara. But Istara had not stinted, indeed, had not flinched. They were, literally, two halves of the same whole, two pieces of the same personality. She did envy Istara, though. But then again, Istara had let her have control for that romp with Idjit, so... She wondered if Istara envied her somehow? And if so, why? It made no...

 

"Hello." The soft, somewhat scared voice sounded nearby and Sharlina was on her feet with her sabers in hand before the echoes had faded. Like Istara, Sharlina preferred swords, but here, in a dream, she fell back on what she knew. She had used lightsabers for half her life. The red blades ignited, throwing odd shadows onto the face of... the little boy? She paused, her guard still up. He retreated a step, but his face held no fear. Odd. "Please don't hurt me."

 

"Ever for you, Firdlump..." Sharlina said, not lowering her guard. "This is low."

 

"My name is Jac, Ma'am." The boy said softly. "I am part of the collective. They sent me to talk to you."

 

"Did they now?" Sharlina said in mock surprise. "And I assume you want to... make me one of you?"

 

"Uh..." The boy shrugged. "Personally, yes. I would love to see you added to our collective. I like meeting new people. I like helping people. You are hurting..." He took a step, but paused as Sharlina growled.

 

"You." She waved at the ground at his feet. "Sit. Now."

 

"As you wish, Ma'am." The boy sat stiffly. "I did come with an offer. We need you. We want you."

 

"No." Sharlina said flatly. "No matter what , I cannot trust you. After what you did to Jina, to Zana, to Morey and Will and so many others... No."

 

"I know." The boy said sadly. "The experiments that were done, the tests that they did to try and achieve a collective before it was ready... It was horrible. What they did to Sara Kalenath was worse... It was so crude, so...barbaric. But..." He shook his head. "We are trying to make a better galaxy. And we are trying to undo what we did."

 

"Pretty words, child." Sharlina said slowly, her gaze sweeping the area. "But again... No."

 

"We can give you the fight you have always wanted, Sharlina." The boy pressed gently. "No innocents to get in the way, no rules, no mercy... We can give it to you."

 

"Oh?" Sharlina asked sourly. "Against who?"

 

"Anyone you want." The boy said sadly. "I don't like fighting, but it will be needed."

 

"No..." Sharlina mused slowly. She wasn't normally a thinker, but this was off. This was wrong. "You don't want me to fight for you..." Suddenly her mask of ice fell away and horror etched her features. "You want me to bear for you!"

 

"Sharlina..." Jac said quickly, but he did not move. Which was wise of him. He slumped a bit but nodded. "Yes, the master needs a strong, healthy female to bear a pure Sitolon egg to term. It is incredibly painful, and none of the hosts we have tried have succeeded. We need to repopulate the Sitolon homeworld, and the Sitolon on the homeship are too close bred, we need more, a wider selection of genes. We need you, your strength, your ability to endure. We need you to bear an egg."

 

"No." Sharlina said in a conversational tone. "Go away, boy. I don't want to hurt you. but I will."

 

"You don't want to fight me, Sharlina." Jac said soberly. "I am not worth your time. But..." A dozen robed forms suddenly appeared around them, red, blue and green lightsabers igniting. "We can give you the fight you have always dreamed of."

 

"You are an idiot, boy." Sharlina said soberly, her own sabers deactivating. The robed forms vanished as if they had never been. "Do you have any idea how often people have promised me that? It never happens."

 

"We can deliver." Jac said simply. "Give us a chance."

 

"The Sith Emperor could not deliv-" Sharlina broke off as something changed. She spun in place and screamed as she saw a small brown crystal settle on Istara's slack forehead. "No!" She grabbed the crystal and she barely heard Jac scream in denial as energy pulsed around her. "You won't take her! You will not!" Sharlina screamed as the energy pulled at her, pulling her away, twisting her spirit painfully. But she maintained the presence of mind to hit the crystal in her hand with her other hand's lightsaber pommel. It disintegrated and she felt her mind start to follow suit. Sitolon tech, she had broken it before it fully activated. She was... done.

 

I am sorry, Istara. I love you. I wish I could have fought for you again. Was her last remorseful thought.

Edited August 18, 2012 by kalenath

<Some time later>

 

Istara woke up fast, as was her custom, but… something was wrong. The last thing she remembered was Sharlina had taken control, was swinging at Nia. Scattered memories of pain, fear, someone spooning broth to her? Figures in surgical gowns? It was all hazy, indistinct. So why was she in a bed surrounded by warm bodies? Small warm bodies? She shook her head slowly, and opened her eyes carefully. What met them had her freezing in place. She was totally surrounded by children. Everywhere she looked, children lay or sat. All of them seemed to be asleep. Every spare scrap of floor had a child in it. Someone was playing with her mind, it had to be… She hated the thought of hurting kids, but she would if she had to. A quiet voice had her stop as she started to move.

 

“Don’t, Istara.” The voice was impossible. “There is no need.” Istara did not move, her breathing slowing to the point where she was calm from the shock she had just taken. “Istara… It’s okay.”

 

“You are not Maria Kalenath.” The Bladeborn said slowly without moving any of her body. “She is dead, and we burned her body. We wondered if Firdlump had salvaged any DNA from before I rescued her. I guess that question is answered.” She did not move as a hand gently traced her hairline. “Remove your hand, clone.”

 

“Istara…” Maria’s voice was sad now. But the hand did withdraw. “There is no need for that. We are not enemies. We want to be friends.”

 

“Sure.” Istara’s voice was snide as she moved herself slowly away from the presence she could feel nearby, careful not to hurt any of the kids. “And of course I have no choice at all in whether I want to be your friend, now do I?” Then she stiffened. Something was wrong. Something was off. There was something missing. The ever present rage she had felt, dealt with and coexisted with since she had been nine years old was gone! Sharlina was gone! “What have you done?” Her harsh tone had several of the kids start to wake, but she was beyond caring.

 

“We have helped you, Istara.” Maria said gently. “Just relax, we want to ease your transition. Ease you in, it doesn't hurt. We made it so it won't.” Maria’s sense in the Force became wary as Istara scoffed.

 

“Yeah. Right.” Istara rose slowly, ignoring the soft noise of dismay from the clone. She saw a doorway nearby and with a quick flip, jumped to it. She landed astride two different children, but was careful not to jar either. The hatch system was familiar, Republic tech. A quick code courtesy of some very odd friends of hers and it slid open. Hardwired overrides were so much fun.

 

“Istara no!” Maria yelled, her cry of dismay accompanied by frightened screams of rapidly woken children, but Istara was gone. “No…” Maria slumped as she tried to calm the kids. She bowed her head and spoke to the empty air beside her. “I failed…She is mobile. I will stay with the kids.” She held up her hands and the kids all stopped and looked at her, it was creepy how alike they all acted. “Everyone go back to sleep. It didn’t work.”

 

“Miss Maria…?” A little girl nearby asked. “Will she be joining us?”

 

“Yes, Julia.” Maria said with a sigh. “But she is going to resist assimilation.” She patted the fifteen year old’s blonde head as Julia lay back down. “She doesn’t know anything else to do.”

 

“That makes me sad.” Julia said as her eyelids drooped shut. “We need to show her the better way.”

 

“We will, Julia.” Maria said with tears falling. “We will.”

 

<Firdlump's base>

 

Istara ran through the halls, unsure of where she was going. She could barely feel Ashla now, whatever the scum had done to her had dampened her connection. She paused and ran her hands over her head. She was unsurprised to find bumps that felt cold protruding through her scalp. Brain implants. They had implanted her. She took stock. She wore a nightgown and nothing else. She had no weapons, no armor, limited sense of Ashla and a complex full of who knew how many enemies to face. She smiled grimly. Good thing she didn’t like easy.

 

“Istara…” A soft voice spoke from nearby. When she spun a human girl in a tech’s jumpsuit was looking at her from the cross corridor. “It’s okay. No one is going to hurt you.”

 

“Hello Tech Olandas, or whatever the hell you are now.” Istara said with a scowl as she scrutinized the woman. Olandsas wore a blaster, but it was not in hand. The tech’s jumpsuit was festooned with tools, but did not have anywhere to hide anything that might be able to stop Istara. “I assume Melita is around here somewhere too?”

 

“Istara…” The former Imperial tech sighed and her face was kind. “Just relax. It’s okay. No one is going to hurt you.”

 

“No.” Istara said snidely. “Hurt slaves are useless, aren’t they? And hurting a host mother is just plain-” She dodged as a dart of some kind spanged off the wall where she had been, and then she was gone again.

 

“Gev stop!” Olandas cried as an armored form stepped out of the shadows. “Don’t chase her, you will make her do something rash. Tell the guards to cut her off. Herd her to Ecmin, maybe she can calm the poor dear down… And make sure Eqmin’s kids are safe. Wait... Where is Jina?” She snapped. "No!"

 

***

 

Istara knew she was being herded. But there wasn’t anything she could do about it. As weak as she was, she couldn’t fight armored enemies very well, so every time she saw one, she took a different hallway. But she could tell she was being goaded in a specific direction, so it came as little surprise when she entered a new room and a large silver form nodded to her. The Bladeborn shook her head slowly as she saw the amputated antennae, she knew who this copy of a Sitolon was. She saw larvae in armored pods around the room and ignored them, they were no threat.

 

“Istara… be calm.” The queen said gently. “It isn’t what you think. It’s not painful or horrible. We just want to help.” She did not move as Istara stalked around her. “Istara… Relax…We are not enemies.”

 

“You would be Ecmin.” Istara said slowly, checking the exits. Two that she could see aside from the door she had entered through, both invitingly open. She decided not to try either for the moment. Too easy, obvious traps. “I am sorry I can’t help you.” The young queen sighed deeply.

 

“Istara…” The Sitolon said gently. “It’s okay. I am trying to help you. It’s not horrid. It’s not slavery. We are building a better future.”

 

“Yeah.” Istara said caustically as she moved to get the bulk of the queen between her and the door she had come in through. “One unwilling recruit at a time as I understand. I felt what they did to you, everyone in the hivemind did.” Impossibly, her voice hardened further. “They will pay.”

 

“You…felt it…?” Ecmin froze in place. When she spoke again, her voice was a little chiding. “Oh Istara… You do not understand. I did something awful, I deserved the punishment. I killed… Murder is punished by mindwipe.”

 

“Yeah. Sure, whatever…The mindwipe maybe. The amputation of your antennae? Not hardly.” Istara said slowly as she saw movement at one of the other doors. “How many guards?” She asked casually.

 

“Eighteen.” Ecmin replied equably. “You can’t win, Istara. Just sit down and relax. We will ease you into it. It won’t hurt, I swear it.” She flinched as Istara smirked at her. “Istara…”

 

“You don’t know much about Bladeborn do… you…?” She broke off as a brown armored form entered the door she had been studying. “Oh…” Istara’s voice was incredibly sad now. “Zana…” She bowed her head for a moment and when it came up, she was crying. “I am sorry, Zana. I failed you. Just like I failed everyone.”

 

“It is not your fault, Istara.” The young Bladeborn said with a gentle smile that looked so wrong on her hard face. Her hands were empty. “I didn’t understand. None of us did. Istara…” Zana froze as Istara changed her stance. “No, don’t. Please, just calm down…We just want to talk.” Istara spoke slowly in ancient Tythonese.

 

<Loyalty. Duty. Honor. Respect. Vigilance. Prowess. Humility. Courtesy. Valor. Service. Sacrifice. > Istara said slowly, conscious of other armored forms approaching slowly now. “Correct me if I am wrong, girl, but... I don’t recall serving a megalomaniacal monster being anywhere in the Code, Zana.” Her voice was hard now as she slowly took a fighting stance.

 

“Istara. I have to protect Jina." Zana’s voice was soft and scared now. “No… Please…Stop…You have to stop…”

 

“Flarg you.” Istara said and dropped to the floor as something coughed behind her and a net flew over her. Zana took the electrified net full on and went down without a sound, instantly unconscious. “Seventeen now, if you didn’t lie, slave bug.” Istara said with a sad grin as she rolled back into fighting posture.

 

“I didn’t lie, Istara.” Ecmin said slowly as she shook her head. “You are not going to win, this is pointless. Istara… Please, we don’t want to hurt you… You can’t win, all you can do is hurt people or get hurt.”

 

“Oh, I know I am not going to win.” Istara said with a smirk as the net gun wielder dropped it and pulled out a shock baton, net guns took far too long to reload. “And you know what?” She said as she danced from foot to foot. “I don’t care!” She was in motion as various guard’s weapons started to spit blue coherent stun energy at her. Wide angle beams flew everywhere, but somehow she was never where they aimed.

 

“Istara! Stop!” Ecmin screamed as the woman darted to and fro, hands flying as she slammed into one armored guard, taking that female down somehow. A snap and that guard fell limp. Ecmin screamed in what sounded like physical pain as Istara plucked the guard's gun out of limp fingers and aimed it at the other guards, but then she stiffened. They were not firing now. She sighed as Ashla barked a faint warning at her.

 

“Party poopers.” She said with a sigh as she tossed the blaster into the midst of the closest group. They scattered just in time for it to erupt in energy. If she had still been holding it, she would have been incapacitated for sure. “Nice try.”

 

“Stand down…Everyone… Ecmin said shakily, her voice terrified and sad. The guards slowly backed away from her and towards the exits. Ecmin was shaking in reaction and her voice trembled. “Istara… You do not know what you have done… We are lessened with each death. We all felt that… Please… Don’t…We don't want to hurt you!”

 

“Do I look like I care what you or your slaves want, Firdlump?” Istara asked sourly, checking the room. More armored forms were crowding the doors. She had no way out now. “Ah well…” She knelt beside Zana’s still form and everything stopped as she drew the Bladeborn’s sword. It was short for someone of Istara's reach, but it would do. “I wondered why you didn’t just take control through the implants that you put in and then I realized. You can’t, can you?” She grinned a little sadly and the guards started closing in slowly. “I am sorry, Zana. I had hoped you would be able to fulfill your oath.” Everything stopped as her borrowed blade sliced down, taking the unconscious young Bladeborn’s head clean off.

 

“Zana!” Ecmin shouted. “No! We can…” But she froze as power flared from Istara, focused at Zana. “Istara…” Ecmin’s voice was cautious. “No… Don’t…” She begged as Istara pointed the tip of her borrowed blade at the still form at her feet.

 

Istara ignored the bug, focusing her power through Zana’s blade, the blue energy pouring from her in waves, slamming into the corpse and burning it away to nothing. Then she aimed the tip at the head that had rolled to face the wall and did the same thing. Once that was done, Istara raised the blade in a salute to where her clan sister had lain and sighed before turning back to face the bug. She slumped, bone tired, but her stance straightened as she snarled at the Sitolon.

 

“We could have saved her…” Ecmin said, obviously shocked. “She wasn’t gone! Her brain wasn't dead! We could have saved her…”

 

“I did just save her.” Istara said in a tone of iron. “Just as I am going to save you and everyone else I can in this Force forsaken hell hole.”

 

“I can’t let you do that, Istara.” Ecmin said sadly. “My children need me.” Power erupted from nowhere in front of the recoiling queen, forming a silvery field of energy between the Bladeborn and the bug. Istara didn't pause, just started stalking towards the queen, blade at the ready. “No! Istara! Stop!” Ecmin cried as Istara took a step towards her, then another despite the flows of energy that arced around and through her now. Istara staggered, but took another step. “Don’t make me do this!” Ecmin sounded as if she was sobbing.

 

Istara was grimacing as she fought her way forward through the flows of power. The pain was intense, but she was no stranger to pain. The blade came up, perfectly balanced to strike the queen, but then something flashed blue and she knew no more.

 

“Holy…Too close…” Ecmin said, breathing hard as she stared at the smoldering form that was exactly within sword reach. She kicked the blackened blade away from Istara’s limp hand, her small left side claw coming down to check the Bladeborn’s pulse. It fluttered, but it was there. “way too close. You took your time.” Ecmin snapped as an armored form stepped close, the heavy stunner she had used to knock Istara out hanging loose.

 

“I tried to stop Jina or take her place. I didn’t want to take the chance on hitting you or your larvae. I didn’t want to shoot her…” Nia Korr said sadly as she took off her helmet, her close shaven skull marked with fresh surgical scars. “But she hurt herself. We need to get her to Katherine. Now.” She nodded to a stretcher team who came in and started helping them load the slumbering Bladeborn up. Nia stiffened. “Jina…”

 

“Jina!” Ecmin moved to the still form of the guard that Istara had slain and was shaking as she gently removed the helmet. The shaven head of Jina Darkstorm appeared as the helmet came loose, her eyes open, and seeing nothing. “No… Master!” Ecmin called, but she knew, in her heart, that it was useless. The Third had fallen to the Fourth, as was prophesied. She was heaving in grief as she shut the staring eyes gently. “May your next life be glorious and peaceful, daughter Jina Drkstorm.”

 

“Ecmin…” Nia’s voice was odd. “There is something weird about the feelings I am getting from Istara…” She had her hands running gently along Istara’s chest and abdomen where the Bladeborn lay on the stretcher while the medics hooked her up to monitors and IVs. Then she froze and her voice was horrified. “Ecmin!"

 

“What?” Ecmin said as she was cradling the still form of Jina to her thorax, wishing with all her heart that she could weep. “What?” She demanded as medics came rushing in.

 

“Istara’s pregnant.” Nia’s voice was dumbstruck now and Ecmin turned and stared at her. Horror echoed through the entire collective. "The readings..." She pored over the readout on the scanner and relaxed a bit. "The fetus is okay, the energy bursts did not harm it."

 

“Preganant? She is pregnant? And fought? You are kidding.” Ecmin said, repeated shocks stunning her even more than she had been. Nia shook her head and Ecmin hissed. “You are not kidding? How did they miss this?"

 

"No one was looking at her abdomen." Nia said heavily as she laid a gentle hand on the still woman. "Her head, yes. Her abdomen, no."

 

"I… I can’t abort her child…" Ecmin said slowly, utterly horrified. "Even for mine… I…I can’t…” She took a deep breath and spoke evenly as she laid the still form of Jina down for the medics to try their best. She knew it was no use. Her step daughter was dead. Ecmin focused on the living as Jina would have wanted her to. “Nia… I need your help.”

 

“Anything, Ecmin.” Nia said with a smile that faltered as the queen shook her head. “You know I will help…”

 

"Get Ren. Now." Ecmin said soberly. “I think you are close enough to Istara physically. Do you know anything about being a surrogate mother?”

Edited August 22, 2012 by kalenath

Istara woke up suddenly and completely. THIS time however, she couldn’t move. She couldn’t even feel anything below her neck.

 

“Damn.” Istara laughed softly. “I guess I ticked you idiots off.”

 

“Istara…” A familiar voice spoke from nearby and a Cathar came into her field of view. The female doc had been crying. “Why did you kill Zana? She was so young, and hurt, We were helping her recover. She had her whole life ahead of her. You didn’t need to kill her, she was no threat to you.”

 

“Hello Katherine.” Istara said with a sour look. “Fancy meeting you in this chamber of horrors. What is this? Mad Scientists R’ Us?” She had only met the Cathar who had been Cranna’s head doctor once, but it had been memorable. And then Katherine had been asleep and under Firdlump's control during the fracas on the Stormhawk. “And Zana? I disagree. I have a duty to my family, but you wouldn’t understand such things.” She said snidely. “I freed her from your slavery. I take it this is the next phase in your master’s diabolical plan?” She asked with a sour look around.

 

She was in a medical bay. She flexed against the table she was restrained on. She was stuck. There was nothing she could see that she could pick up and use as a weapon with Ashla, not that it answered her call when she tried. She was either too tired or drugged. Maybe both. She flexed her wrists, but they didn’t move. She tried to move the rest of her body, but it was strapped down tight. Her legs were spread wide, but were not uncomfortable.

 

“Relax, Istara…” Katherine said gently. “The main bonds that are holding you are made of durasteel. They are unbreakable as weak you are now. The rest are padded leather, we don’t want to hurt you. You would hurt yourself if we let you, so we won’t. Your burns have been healed. Its time.”

 

“Time for you people to torture me again?” Istara asked sourly. “Or are you going to try and brainwash me?”

 

“Neither.” Katherine said with sad smile. “Istara, you are far more important than you know. You are the key, to a lock that we have been trying to open. Just relax.” The Cather medic said quietly as she came closer and swung a menacing looking machine over Istara’s lower body. “This won’t hurt.”

 

“Flarg you.” Istara said nastily as she gathered her meager stores of strength. “I won’t help you.”

 

“Yes you will.” Katherine had a tender smile on her face now. “Now relax, Istara. This won’t hurt, we won’t let you hurt.”

 

“Flarg you.” Istara repeated, tensing every muscle she could feel, which wasn’t much. “I won’t help you.” She repeated and shook everything she could. She smiled as something tore. It sounded like flesh.

 

“Istara…” Katherine’s voice was sour now. “All you are going to do is increase your discomfort beyond the painkiller’s ability to deaden it. You cannot stop it, nature will take its course now.” The machine pressed against her, but she could not feel anything of what it was doing.

 

“There is nothing natural about what you do.” Istara snarled at the healer. She tensed everything she could and pain erupted across her abdomen. “You… are… a… slave…” Istara grated out as Katherine looked worried.

 

“Istara, please stop fighting.” Katherine laid a hand on Istara’s cheek, but withdrew it quickly when the Bladeborn tried to bite. “Istara…You can do permanent damage to yourself if you don’t stop fighting.”

 

“Good!” Istara grated out past the pain. “I won’t serve you.”

 

“You already have, Istara. There we go. No complications.” Katherine nodded to her as the pain ceased. A wide smile creased Cathar’s face as she swung the machine away. “I am pleased to announce the insemination was success.” Istara froze and Katherine smiled at her. “You are the proud host mother of a pure blooded Sitolon queen egg, Istara. Well done. We will take the best possible care of you while you bear the future.”

 

“Insemination…” For just a moment, Istara was dumbstruck. “You… barvette…” Istara said slowly, unsure if she had heard properly. Then she started fighting the restraints, hard. “You evil barvette!” She screamed. She could feel one of the bonds start to give as her rage flew through her, as dark power started flowing through her. “You killed my kid!”

 

“Istara, it’s okay…” Katherine began only to freeze as a cracking noise sounded. To her horror, one of the durasteel restraints started to flex. “Istara! No!” She cried, running for a tray nearby. She had a hypo and was coming back while filling it when Istara’s hand came up, the wreckage of a shackle hanging from a bloody wrist. It knocked the hypo out of Katherine’s hands and the Cathar suddenly recoiled as more cracks were heard and Istara sat up, her face a rictus of rage. Broken restraints hung from all her appendages now. Blood dripped from open wounds and power crackled about her form. “Istara! Listen to me!” Katherine cried desperately but the human was too enraged to hear her.

 

“No.” Istara felt the Force flow through her fueled by her grief, rage and pain. She slammed into the cowering doctor with all of her rage and hate. She kicked the Cathar and Katherine went down in a heap, hands up to protect her face. Istara’s voice could have frozen a sun when she spoke again.

 

“I hope you feel this, Firdlump you son of a barve. I really, really do.” Then she proceeded to beat the Cathar while Katherine tried to speak. A long and bloody time later, Istara stood over the slumped broken form. Blood bubbled from her mouth and she coughed on at least four broken ribs. Katherine’s mouth moving as she begged for mercy.

 

“Mercy, doctor?” Istara said nastily. “All out.” She kicked again and Katherine went down unconscious. Istara picked her up, her intent to snap the evil witch’s neck. But something stopped her, something… familiar. She shook her head, trying to kill the Cathar again, but again, something stopped her. She screamed loud and long, a gut wrenching sound of pain, fear and loss. Only then, did she bow her head and cry.

“What do you mean she is loose?” Firdlump asked incredulous as he stared at the monitor. The one of Katherine’s lab was a mass of static. Nanites could repair it, given time, but he doubted they would have that much. “She was drugged, restrained, naked and implanted. How the hell can she be loose?”

 

“Menglan was tending the wounded and Jina. Everyone else is busy. We didn’t expect her to wake up so soon. Katherine is unconscious.” Ecmin said shaking her huge head. “But…” She slumped. “From what I heard while I was trying to dull Katherine’s pain, I think Istara thinks we aborted her child. She… She is using the Dark Side…”

 

“Oh my god…” Firdlump actually looked stunned. “No one told her?”

 

“She wasn’t awake!” Ecmin said, obviously distressed. “We couldn’t tell her while she slept, and Katherine thought that if we implanted her as quickly as possible, we could get her into a tank, heal her up and into a bed. We keep her sedated that way. She gives birth and we put her own child back in before she wakes. Simple.” Ecmin sounded sick now. “Katherine tried to tell her, but…”

 

“She wouldn’t listen.” Firdlump finished for her. “Katherine is alive. I can tell that. She is in great pain, but alive.”

 

“We should have video shortly, master.” Olandas said from her console. “We are running a wire camera in the duct.” Suddenly Olandas gasped. Firdlump and Ecmin also shuddered as the felt pain through the collective. “Oh my god... She is hurting Katherine again! We have to help her!”

 

“Preferably without harming Istara.” Ecmin said sadly. “She is bearing my daughter. Gas?”

 

“We tried.” Olandas said sourly. “When we did, she hurt Katherine. When Nia tried the door, Istara hurt Katherine.”

 

“She could have destroyed Katherine, the same way she destroyed poor Zana.” Firdlump said with a frown. “Why hasn’t she?”

 

“She is an evil witch?” Olandas said with a groan as he held her arm. “We have to do something. She likes causing pain! She is doing it because she can! Stop her…” She sobbed as she sank back into her chair.

 

“I will.” Firdlump said quietly as he left the room.

 

***

 

“I wondered when you would show up.” Istara’s voice was calm, clear and vicious as Firdlump’s form slowly coalesced in the middle of the medical bay. Blood still seeped from wounds on her wrists and ankles and aside from the broken restraints, she wore nothing at all. The huge bulge at her belly was distinct. But power crackled around her form. Dark, evil power. “The grand high muckety muck himself finally deigns to show himself.” Her right hand held Katherine off the ground by the back of her neck, the left crackled with power as it traced the Cathar’s face, fingernails grasping as if to tear.

 

“Your child lives Istara.” Firdlump said heavily. “Cease this.”

 

“Why?” Istara asked nastily. “Oh, I forgot. You want me to birth a pure Sitolon so you can take control of the nanites away from Lohas. Move and she dies.” She said quietly as Firdlump turned to look at her. “And then I do.” She grinned at his expression as he saw the high pressure oxygen tanks beside her, the ones rigged with an expedient trigger that she was standing on. If they exploded, she would be paste. Forget the egg in her abdomen, her entire body would be gone which was the idea. Hard to reconstitute an obliterated body. Possible, but very hard. At least the blast would only hurt anyone in this room, they had made improvements. “I know you can disarm this fast. But how fast? Shall we find out?” She shifted her stance a little.

 

“Istara…Stop.” Firdlump said slowly. “Your child lives.”

 

“You. Lie. It is what you do.” Istara said with a shrug. Katherine shrieked as she dropped a little but then froze as Istara shook her. “Stay still, Barvette!”

 

“I am not lying, Istara.” Firdlump said with a sad sigh. “Ecmin did not realize you were pregnant until after you were stunned. None of us had bothered to check. She freaked. She knew that you were destined to carry her child, so she took it upon herself to hold yours for you until you were done. She could not carry a human child so she chose a surrogate. Your child lives.”

 

“Stop lying to me!” Istara screamed at him, Katherine’s eyes were pleading as she hung from Istara’s hand. “You killed Sharlina and you killed my kid! Give me one good reason I shouldn’t just step off this trigger, blow myself and your pet here into a billion pieces!”

 

“Your child is alive, Istara. I don’t know what happened to Sharlina.” Firdlump said quietly, trying to keep Istara calm. “The process was supposed to put you to sleep so we could talk to her. It didn’t work. You woke up.”

 

“You. Lie.” Istara repeated. “I think I will deny you your prize.” She stepped off the trigger and paused as nothing happened. “Oh you bastard.”

 

“Technically true. I don’t have parents.” Fidlump said sadly. “Let her go, Istara. She was trying to help.”

 

“By putting a Sitolon egg in me.” Istara looked from Firdlump to the shivering form in her hand. “I think not.” Her free hand came around, enclosing the Cathar’s neck as Istara shifted her grip. “She is important to you. I think I am going to hurt you and your filthy fake hivemind!” Her right hand went around Katherine’s forehead in preparation to snap her neck.

 

“No, you won’t Istara.” Firdlump said sadly. “I didn’t want to do this.” Suddenly the Bladeborn screamed and dropped Katherine in a heap and both hands came up to hold her head as she howled in anguish. “You think I couldn’t control you. We improved the implants, I didn’t want to. It will hurt you.”

 

“Flarg…” Istara bit out as she collapsed slowly to her knees and then to the floor. “You…” She was writhing in agony as power flowed through the metal devices that had been placed inside her brain. She slammed her elbow hard into her bare abdomen before convulsing again. Only then was she still.

“She…” The Sitolon’s voice was horrified. Olandas was crying into one of Ecmin’s shoulders as the queen stared aghast at the master of the collective as he finished talking. “No…” Ecmin’s voice as so sad and lost now. “She had no reason to kill my daughter…” Ecmin said, her voice low and filled with pain. “She had no cause…” The young queen was heaving as Olandas held her, their grief mingling.

 

“She thought we aborted her child.” Menglan said, tears falling. “She… She was too angry to hear us. She couldn’t hear us.”

 

“If we reinseminate her…” Olandas said slowly. “Maybe…”

 

“She will find a way to do the same thing.” Nia said softly as she entered the room. All of them stared through the viewport at the tank that was shone within the next room. Inside that tank, Istara Andal floated, unconscious. “One way or another, if she wakes up, she will do the same thing. We can control her, but it is not gentle, she fights. She hurts herself. She won’t accept our help. I can’t get through whatever the bugs did, can you, Menglan?” The doctor in question bit her lip and shook her head.

 

“In that case…” Firdlump sighed deeply. “Then we don’t have a choice but to wipe her mind.”

 

“I…” Menglan shook her head slowly and nodded. “Katherine will be out of kolto in two hours, master. I need her for this. To wipe Istara completely and make a new personality, to complete what Amirg started, I need Katherine’s help.”

 

“I know.” Firdlump said, his face sad. “Istara just will not listen. I don’t want to wipe her mind, but… She is leaving us no choices.”

 

“I suggest…” Ecmin said in the silence that fell after his sad words. “Wipe it back to her childhood. Before Amirg took her, before he had his silly vision and broke from the program. She was happy then, according to the reports I have read, before he hurt her. That may be the best starting point.”

 

“She was.” Firdlump agreed sadly. “She was such a happy child, and then… The Sith hurt her. As they do all their slaves.”

 

“Maybe…” Nia said with a thoughtful look. “Can we twist some of her memories?” Firdlump shook his head.

 

“I know you don’t want to hurt her, Nia.” The mass of nano machines said sadly. “But with her it will be all or nothing.”

 

“But her strength comes from her experiences, master. Her bad memories make her who she is. I would but I know I am nowhere near as strong as she is. I don't have the horror in my past she does.” Nia said with a frown. “Without that, can she carry a Sitolon egg to term? For the whole month? Jina couldn’t and she was willing. She only fought unconsciously. Istara may not be able either.” Firdlump stared at her and then looked at Menglan who looked blank.

 

“That is a very good question, Nia.” Fidlump said as he looked at the slumbering Bladeborn. “A very good question indeed.”

 

“I…” Ecmin shook herself and sighed. “Crap. I think Nia is right. Can we… keep her unconscious? In the tank maybe?”

 

“For a month?” Menglan asked. Her tone was slightly disturbed. “I…. Maybe…But it will cause all kinds of complications, long term. We want her to join us afterwards, not get sickly and die.”

 

“I… I may be able to get through to her.” Nia said slowly. “You got through to me after all. But…” She shook her head. “What of Jina?” She asked, steeling herself.

 

“Her injuries have been treated, Nia. We could repair the physical damage fairly easily.” Menglan said gently. “But… Istara did too much damage, too quickly. Jina’s mind is gone. I am sorry; she is an empty shell now. The imprints that we made… were garbled. We can’t clone her.” Nia bowed her head and shook it sadly. Menglan and Olandas came close, sharing her grief at her friend’s passing. A black haired form strode from the door to join the embrace.

 

“Istara did not know what she was doing.” Maria said as Nia sobbed quietly. “It wasn’t her fault. We can’t tell her…”

 

“I know.”Nia said softly, easing herself slowly from the gentle embraces that held her. “It would tear her completely apart.” Nia shook her head. “I was lost in my own darkness when you found me, saved me. There has to be something we can do for Jina and Istara…”

 

“Jina is gone, Nia.” Firdlump said as he held her sobbing form, pulling her close into another embrace. “Istara broke her neck. Jina was dead before she hit the floor. We did everything we could, but… The damage was too much. Jina was focused on stopping Istara without hurting her.”

 

“The Fate of the Third…” Nia said softly, her face ashen. She staggered slightly. “No… No….”

 

“We can't let Istara know what she did.” Maria gave her granddaughter a gentle shake. “It would drive her completely mad. She will already attempt suicide if we let her. This…”

 

“The Fate of the Fourth…” Nia said, sobbing hard. “What have we done? All I want to do is get through…to her…” She broke off and her eyes went far away. “Wait. I… I may know a way to get through to her…”

 

“Nia…” Firdlump said softly, his gaze sorrowful. “We can’t take any more chances.”

 

“Then don’t.” Nia said sadly. “Let me do it while she is in the tank. I owe her! She tried to help me. She came for me, with my dad. When I was out of my mind from Darmuk’s control, when I was so sick I couldn’t see straight… When I was plagued and dying, she came to help me. She came. I owe her the same attempt at the very least.”

 

“Nia…” Menglan was rubbing the younger woman’s shoulders now. “She won’t listen.”

 

“We just have to present it right…” Nia said slowly as she wiped her eyes. “She is not stupid. It… It won’t take long. At least let me try, master? While you set up for the mindwipe?” Nia was begging now. Firdlump looked at Menglan who shrugged.

 

“I don’t see how it could hinder the wipe.” Menglan said with a shiver. “What do you suggest?”

 

“Something… comfortable…” Nia said with a sigh. “The tank will let her float, be comfortable. And Ecmin…” The bug looked at Nia and Nia straightened. “I need some nectar.” She had been talking a lot with the Sitolon, they were kindred souls it seemed in some regards.

 

“Nia.” Ecmin’s voice was disapproving now. “Do you have any idea how potent and addictive that stuff is to any but Sitolon?” Sitolon nectar was an insanely powerful narcotic. It broke down too quickly to store or it would be the hottest drug in the galaxy.

 

“Not really, but what little I read said it was pretty high up there.” Nia said sadly. “We know she is virtually immune to most sedatives and calming agents. I need something stronger to keep her calm.”

 

“Master…” Ecmin’s voice was horrified. “If we do that to Istara, she may never recover…”

 

“Nia…” Firdlump’s voice was cautious. “Addicting Istara to Ecmin’s nectar would help us… how?”

 

“I need her calm or at least a bit loopy.” Nia said slowly. “The moment she gets her bearings, she will get angry. So we can’t let her get her bearings. If I can talk to her, maybe I can reason with her, if she is calm and relaxed. We can moderate the dosage, give her less than the usual dose.” Firdlump looked at Nia and then at Ecmin who shrugged all four shoulders. Then he sighed.

 

“Okay.” Firdlump said slowly. “Ecmin, you know your nectar. You will provide what she needs and monitor Nia’s attempt to communicate. Nia…” He cautioned as the young woman’s face lit up. “You have two hours until Katherine comes out of kolto. You have that long to get through to her. After that, if she cannot be reasoned with, we go with the more drastic approach.” Nia bowed and moved to stand beside Ecmin, the two speaking quietly, but animatedly.

 

“You think it will work?” Menglan asked neutrally.

 

“No.” Firdlump replied. “But I think we have no better alternatives now. Get your gear ready for when Katherine wakes up and is capable of helping you.”

Istara sighed as she slowly floated on the current of whatever she was floating on. Something was wrong, she knew something was wrong, that she had to move, had to do something. But it felt so good to just sit and relax for a moment. She felt a presence come close but could not muster the energy to speak or anything. For a long time, she had no way of knowing how long she just floated. Then something changed and she felt... detached. Then somehow, her face was above the fluid. She retched, conscious of hands holding her gently, of something nearby to catch the nastiness coming up as she hacked. But it didn't matter. Nothing mattered.

 

“Hello, Istara.” Istara took a moment to recognize that voice through the haze that surrounded her. A stab of anger flew through her as she realized it was Nia Korr , the girl who had betrayed her to her enemies. But then the anger faded. Everything faded. Everything was fuzzy, she just lay there. “I need to talk to you, Istara. I know you can hear me. We allowed you to float up to the surface so we could talk.”

 

“Nothing to say.” Istara managed to get out before the blurriness came back. She forced the words out slowly and unsteadily. On some level she was aware that she was drugged. But it didn't seem to matter. “Not to an idiotic little child…whose dad…is gonna spank her…when he finds her.” Her head was lolling now and she managed a grimace for a moment as Nia’s somber face came into her field of view and then left it. “Be happy, girl… You got what you wanted, you belong… What a wonderful…Sith you are now…Masterful betrayal... Well done…”

 

“I didn’t want THIS.” Nia said sadly. “Istara… They are going to wipe your mind. You have got to listen to me.”

 

“Why?” Istara asked incuriously. “Be a good little slave brat, Nia and…flarg off why don’t you?" She laughed sourly. "Its what you are good at anyway, flarging off. Leave me…alone.”

 

“Your child is not dead, Istara. I have it. It is in me! It is safe!” Nia said sternly. “You killed an unborn Sitolon for no reason.” Pain sounded in her voice but Istara was unmoved.

 

“No reason?” Istara managed to dredge up contempt from somewhere before it faded. “You…really are a dumb little brat…aren’t you?”

 

“Istara!” Nia was shaking her now. “They are going to wipe your mind! You will not be able to carry a Sitolon egg to term unless you are everything you are now. It will kill you!”

 

“Good.” Istara said snidely. “Then you will finally…leave me alone. Go…play with your friends, brat. Some of us have…real work to do.” She sighed and relaxed further into whatever she was floating in. From far away, she heard words, but ignored them

 

“’Real work’? Istara? What do you mean?” Nia’s voice was perplexed. “Istara? Istara!” A hand was shaking her but Istara smiled as she slipped back into unconsciousness.

 

***

 

“We are not getting anything more out of her, Nia.” Ecmin said sadly. “I am sorry.” The Sitolon shook her head, checked the readouts and then she closed the combination prison and healing tank and let the fluid fill it again. Istara’s body convulsed for a moment, but then subsided as the fluid forced it’s way into her lungs, keeping her oxygenated and docile. “It will take a bit for the low dose of nectar we used to clear out of her system. I think the docs can adjust for it, but we better make sure.”

 

“Something is wrong.” Nia said slowly. “She was… waiting for something… I couldn’t quite see what it was…There was something in her mind though…Something dark.”

 

“Well, whatever it is…” Ecmin gave Nia’s shoulder a pat. “The master has recalled all of our brothers and sisters. We will have enough forces here to stand off just about anything.”

 

“Nuclear warheads?” Nia asked slowly and Ecmin sighed.

 

“If your dad can find us, and if he could get past the sensor nets and fleets, and is he could get a nuke past them, without his personal gunship, then no.” Ecmin shook her head. “Can he do all that? Will Kalenath is good, no question. That good?”

 

“I don’t know.” Nia said carefully. “But I have a really bad feeling about this.”

<In cosmic terms, within spitting distance of Firdlump’s base>

 

“I have a really bad feeling about this.”

 

The man in black robes said for the umpteenth time as he watched his viewscreen. On it, a line guided the small ship towards the docking bay. The red skinned form of his apprentice sat and piloted as he had instructed. She was very good at obeying orders. Not much else, mind you, but very good at obeying orders. Admittedly, only from her master.

 

“Stop saying that.” The cold voice from the front of the line of armored forms silenced everything. The black armored soldier’s face was as impassive as his helmet visor as he checked it’s systems one more time before putting his helmet on. He left the visor up. “We are still on track.”

 

“If Istara did crack, we are flying right into a trap.” Morey said quietly. “You know what he can do, Will.”

 

“Yeah.” Will said quietly as armored forms checked blades and blasters around him. “But she hasn’t broken, not yet. She is weak, sick and feels odd, but not broken. Not yet.”

 

“You are sure?” Morey asked, trying to keep a note of incredulity from his voice. “Not that I can doubt; not with your abilities enhanced as they are, but… It’s odd, man…”

 

“Jina is dead. They resuscitated her, but they couldn't bring her mind -what there was left of it anyway- back.” Will said softly. “Nia and Istara are alive. They are… here…” A holo simply appeared in front of him and he stabbed a finger at a certain spot. "Medical ward."

 

“And you know thisss… how?” Mama Lizard asked softly from her spot beside him. “Will?”

 

“I can hear them, it.” Will said, his face distant. “The nanites. They are talking to each other, sending and receiving information at lightspeed. So much information. Too much information. I can hear some of it, but I am missing bits and pieces. It’s… It’s awful… As gentle as the Sitolon were and are in their hivemind, Firdlump is anything but. They all think he is kind and gentle, but the slightest disapproval is squelched. Mercilessly. They have at least eight red droids, one of which has a two year old in it. We know what to do though. Two minutes.” He raised a gauntleted hand and made a circular motion in the air. “Assault team alpha, ready?” Five Special Forces commandos nodded to him as they finalized weapon checks. Each gave a thumb’s up.

 

“Ready.” The NCO in charge said soberly, her voice tense with pre-battle adrenaline.

 

“Assssault team Bravo, ready.” Mama Lizard said softly, but distinctly. The Bladeborn with her nodded, hands on weapon hilts.

 

“Assault team Charlie.” Morey said with a shudder. “As ready as I am going to be.”

 

“This has been centuries coming. Stick to the plan, Morey.” Will said slowly as he sealed his helmet. The armored warriors around him, Bladeborn and Special Forces, followed suit, armoring up. “Get in, find Istara and Nia, disable Nia and get Istara out of whatever she is stuck in. Then get them both back to the ship, Michelle will have it running. We will keep them off of you. Once you are at the ship, we fall back to it and extract. Hopefully before the red droids converge on us.”

 

“And then we run like hell.” Morey said with a sigh. “Good, I thought this would be hard. Mama…” His voice held sadness now. "I..."

 

“It isss all right, Morey.” Mama said with a sad smile. “We will make a mezz asss we alwayz do. Get them and get out. Jussst…” She bowed her head. “Give Iztara my love…”

 

“I will.” Morey said slowly, his eyes glistening. He knew that no matter what happened, many of the warriors who lined the bay would not be returning with him. The Bladeborn in particular had volunteered to be a loud, very messy diversion from the real assault. He sighed and spoke evenly in ancient Tythonese. <Loyalty. Duty. Honor. Respect. Vigilance. Prowess. Humility. Courtesy. Valor. Service. Sacrifice. We live by the Code, we die by the Code, we are Bladeborn.>

 

<We are Bladeborn. > A soft chorus sounded. Mama nodded to Will and he spoke, his words oddly formal.

 

“We fight, for our friends, for our sisters and brothers who these scum have killed and enslaved.” Will said softly as he nodded to his compatriots in Republic colors. “For duty.”

 

“For honor.” A female trooper replied.

 

“For freedom.” A male trooper said quietly. Then his voice became a shout. “To victory, or Death!”

 

“For the Republic!” All five of them shouted along with Will. All of them had their weapons ready as the ship rumbled in the way of a starship passing through a magnetic field. Then it shuddered as the landing gear came down and it settled smoothly.

 

“Time, Will.” Morey said slowly. “Good luck.”

 

“May the Force be with you, Morey.” Will replied as the man in black robes started for the hatch. “And godspeed…Bring them home. Even if I have to kill Nia, I want to be the one to do it...”

“You don’t have to watch, Nia.” Firdlump said gently as he entered the room where Nia was sitting, looking morosely at the tank that Istara was still ensconced in. “It was a good idea. She just…resists. It is what she does.”

 

“Something is wrong, master.” Nia said slowly as he sat beside her, offering support. “I don’t know what. I have been parsing my memories with the help of the collective and I can’t get a grip on it. I just have feeling that something really, really bad is about to happen.”

 

“When did you sleep last, Nia?” Firdlump asked kindly. “You may need more.”

 

“I got eight hours without anyone drugging me after the surgery. Before Istara woke up...” Nia said slowly. “I have to be here. I have to. I owe her that at the very least.”

 

“Nia…” Firdlump patted her shoulder gently. “It’s okay. It will be okay. Stay if you wish, but do not get in the way.” Then they both stiffened as a jovial voice sounded nearby.

 

“Well, well, well…” Both Firdlump and Nia rose instantly as a black robed form entered the room. Ravishaw looked at the tank, naked lust on his face. “Wow… You do good work, girl. You looking for a job? I lost my last apprentice, you would enjoy it…” He sidled towards Nia only to pause as Firdlump growled.

 

“Ravishaw, back off.” The master of the facility said with a sigh. “Leave Nia alone. She has been through enough. And what do you mean you lost Gwenia?”

 

“Your recall order said ‘As soon as possible’.” Ravishaw said with a shrug. “You did not say ‘Get out without causing a stir from the middle of the Sith base you are in’, or ‘do not make a mess’, or even…”

 

“Ravishaw…” Firdlump’s voice sounded as if he were losing patience.

 

“She took a bolt in the back from a heavy repeater. She is on support in Medical, neither doc was there so I did it all. I don’t expect her to survive.” Ravishaw sighed. “Pity, she was strong. Easily the strongest apprentice I have ever had.” He looked Nia up and down. “You might do, girl.”

 

“My name…” Nia breathed slowly, squashing her temper with help from the collective. They all said that fighting Ravishaw on his own terms was beyond stupid. “…is Nia.” Ravishaw actually recoiled bit and then he grinned.

 

“Oooo, feisty. I see the resemblance now.” He leaned in close and looked her in the face. “You have your dad’s eyes.” He shook his head and started for the door, slapping her on the tail as he did.

 

“Hey!” Nia said as her hand found her lightsaber. “Don’t turn your back on me, madman!”

 

“What you going to do about it, huh, brat?” Ravishaw asked as he turned slowly, languidly. “You ain’t your dad. You just a wanna be. The only way you ever beat Istara is cause he did it for you.” He waved at Firdlump. Nia looked about to explode when Firdlump coughed.

 

“Ravishaw. A word.” He jerked his head at the door and Ravishaw smirked at Nia and winked as he started for it.

 

“See you around, sweetheart.” Ravishaw said with a smirk as he left the room, followed by Firdlump.

 

Nia was growling in annoyance, pacing back and forth like a Nexu that that been toyed with from beyond the bars of a cage. She never felt the Force stealthed presence that came up behind her and hit her with a stun baton across the back of the head. She fell without a sound.

 

Gwenia, apprentice to Ravishaw, dropped her Force cloak, and ripped bandages off her body, quickly and efficiently restraining Nia with the wound wrappings. Pristine red skin showed beneath the cut robes and she smiled as she finished. Then she turned to the tank and scowled. The moment she started to drain the tank, all hell would break loose. So... She paused and hit her comlink and then cut the channel. No speech, just a momentary break in the com channel. A minor thing all told, except…

“Now.”

 

Michelle heard the command and activated the powerful jammers built into the ship. Ravishaw had not told his bosses a lot of things about his activities. Every single com in the base, excepting the assault teams’ own, were suddenly filled with static. Every automated camera, likewise, suddenly showed fuzz as the delicate electronics were scrambled. Transferring her into the small ship had been a bit ticklish, but it was worth it. She was far more capable than any computer would have been.

 

"Engaging." Michelle’s voice was as cold as her heart as she took remote control and turned the ship’s turreted dorsal guns on the ships parked nearby, some of which had crews working on them. The personnel had no idea there was a hostile in their midst, they were unarmored and most were unarmed. She didn’t care. “Die, you bastards!” She screamed as vengeance screamed from her guns.

 

“Go!” Will cried as the expected bursts of laser fire went screaming across the bay. He was first out of the hatch and a few cargo handlers stared at him for a moment, unsure of what he was doing, UNTIL he lowered his heavy repeater into position and blew them into vapor.

 

“Fire!” He shouted and two heavy rocket launchers fired simultaneously, both aimed at the main doors of the hangar bay.

 

Two more flew seconds later, targeted on the main defensive sensor array and the control center for the hangar. No one even had time to scream as the rockets, designed to blow holes in heavily armored vehicles, blew HUGE holes in partly armored structures.

 

“Follow me!” He shouted, running towards one of the hangar doors that hung now, half destroyed. There was no way the enemy was going to close that anytime soon.

 

The rush of armored forms in Republic colors was not unobserved. A squad of armored troops boiled out of a barracks near the hangar door, but found themselves facing not one but five very heavy weapons in the hands of people who knew what they were doing with them. Several quick bursts of fire later, Will stepped over their corpses and started into the base proper. As he looked back, he saw a huge brown armored form disappeared at the head of a column of similarly armored forms heading through the other door.

 

“Godspeed, Mama Lizard.” Will said quietly as he checked his HUD. “Forward thirty meters, then left twenty to waypoint alpha. Watch your flanks. Let’s do this!” A pair of unarmored form appeared in front of him, obviously workers of some kind, and his eyes were as cold as his helmet visor as he gunned them down. They were on track.

 

***

 

“What is going on?” Firdlump demanded as he ran into the command center. “Report!”

 

“Data is unclear.” Olandas said as her hands flew across her controls. “We have multispectrum jamming close at hand… I would almost think they were INSIDE the base from the strength. Cameras are offline, coms likewise. We are under attack.”

 

“We got a report of an explosion near hangar bay three.” A com tech reported. “One report of gunfire in that area, but nothing more. All attempts to break through the jamming have failed.”

 

“Then let’s do something they cannot jam. Merge.” Firdlump said quietly and Olandas turned to look at him. All of the personnel did and suddenly all of them were one.

 

Olandas spun back to her controls, her mind moving at lightspeed. Her voice went far away and it was an echo of Firdlump’s. “We see through all eyes… Oh my god… We have a hostile ship in bay three, it is firing on the ships and crews there. Many casualties. Control and sensors arrays in that area are down. Jamming is coming from there. Civilians and non-combatants are secure in their bunkers...”

 

“Get two full assault teams to bay three. Take out their transport or capture it if possible.” Firdlump snapped, his form turning insubstantial as he worked to keep his collective in communication. “That will not be the only attack.”

 

“Med team 12 has found bodies in corridor nine…” A tech reported, his voice wooden. “Team lead reports that they were killed by swords.”

 

“Bladeborn…” Firdlump snarled. “They must have snuck onto one of the ships. Can we tell which?”

 

“Negative.” Olandas said in that odd echo voice. “Computer records are… AHHHHHH!” She screamed as her console exploded in her face.

 

“Olandas!” Firdlump moved to her side, his hands flying over her form. Small fires that smoldered on her form went out and the dreadful burns that marked her vanished quickly. “What happened?” He asked the air.

 

“It…” Olandas managed to croak out. “Someone else… In the system… Such rage… Such anger… He…” She stiffened. “Master! It's Will Kalenath!”

 

“He is here…” Firdlump breathed. He was constantly amazed at how human his form acted sometimes. He really felt like he had just soiled his drawers. But finding out that Will Kalenath had just infiltrated his base would freak just about anyone out. “He is after Istara. All teams! Full alert! Shoot on sight!”

 

***

 

“They know we are here.” Will said as he dropped the still form of the enemy team leader he had been accessing the nanite network through. “Time to go loud.”

 

The five Special Forces troopers with him nodded and holstered their melee weapons and silenced slugthrowers as they stepped away from their ambush site. Lots of fools thought that troopers only did loud, flashy assault type actions, and truth be told, they were used for that kind of thing a lot. They had the best training and some of the best equipment available. It only made SENSE to use them as shock troops for assaults that had to work. But Special Forces, contrary to what was shown on many popular holo vids, were not composed of bone heads. There were a lot of situations when stealth was a priority, such as when someone was infiltrating a base to extract a hostage. Special Forces trainees learned early on how to move quietly even in full armor. Oh and how to kill many ways in near silence. It didn’t help a lot against Force users, mind you. But against people without it?

 

The squad they had faced hadn’t had a chance. The noisy troops had passed right by the closed doors in the corridor without checking to see if they were locked, a rookie mistake. Twenty seconds after the doors had opened, the entire team of eight beings had been dead and Will had been manhandling the team leader, looking for info from the nanite network.

 

The team unslung heavy weapons. Heavy repeaters, grenade launchers and in one case, a prototype multi shot rocket launcher. They started off, only to come face to face with another squad of troops in Republic armor who were hurrying towards the ambush. The former Republic troops, now slaves to an artificial intelligence, froze, unsure. The Special Forces team did not.

 

***

 

"Ah...!" Olandas screamed another set of deaths reverberated through the collective. "We just lost two more teams, we need to..." She shook her head, overwhelmed. She snarled and shook her head, focusing. "Bladeborn seen approaching Ecmin's quarters!" She called. "The Barabel is with them!"

 

"Damn." Firdlump said softly. "Is it a diversion? Or a real attack?" He shook his head. "No matter, either way, we cannot lose Ecmin or her children. Send the droids to deal with that threat, send assault teams to take their ship. Status on internal defenses?"

 

"Still down." Olandas said, hands flying over the rapidly repairing console. "I think I can... Ow..." She cried as something seemed to hit her. Then she screamed.

 

"Olandas?" Fidlump spun to scrutinize her. "Olandas!"

 

"I..." Olandas froze in mid motion. "Oh my god..." She said, her voice turning horrified. "What did you do to me?" She snapped as she half rose, her hand going to her blaster. "You... You made me betray the Empire!" Her gun came up and wavered as it pointed at Firdlump.

 

"You might as well put it down. You can't hurt me, Olandas." Firdlump said mildly. "Not with that."

 

"I know." Olandas said soberly. Then she put the muzzle of the weapon to her head and before anyone could do anything, she pulled the trigger.

 

"Idiot girl!" Firdlump snapped as the tech fell dead. None of the other servants in the control room as much as blinked. "I will bring you back and deal with you once this is done... He broke the controls, damn him!" Then he paused. "Oh my god, he is going after Nia and Istara!" Firdlump took a deep breath and then sighed. "Enough. I will not have my plans thwarted now by a crazed soldier. All security teams, merge minds. If you can take prisoners, I would appreciate it, but if not, no problem." He said coldly. "Droids, stop the Bladeborn. Now. Oh, idiot boy... Ravishaw? Where are you?"

 

***

 

The Barabel known to the Bladeborn as Mama Lizard had known going in that this would be bad. She had been pleasantly surprised by the lack of organized resistance. But then it had stiffened. She and her kin all carried blasters and other weapons in addition to their swords, but the swords had made silent work of more than once team of soldiers. Now, however, the tides had shifted. She saw red forms approaching. And there were more than eight of them. They were large and each had four arms, each arm ending in ranged and melee weapons.

 

"Okay..." Mama said soberly. "We ssstand here. They have built in zhielding, ssso hit them with az much asss we can before we engage in melee."

 

"Mama?" One of the Bladeborn said soberly as she hefted a force pike. "I need to say something."

 

"And you waited until now, Tiana?" Mama asked with a small laugh as she found scant cover in a door way. "What?"

 

"I just want to say, thank you." The Mon Calamari female said soberly. "You took me, a scared, hurting, broken child on the verge of being a monster, and made me what I am. I am proud to serve with you. And if we die here, as I think we will, we will die Bladeborn." A murmur of assent sounded from around them. "I love you, Mama."

 

"I love you too, Tiana. All of you. I am ssso proud of you, my children." Mama Lizard said sadly. And then the droids were on them.

 

Bladeborn were probably some of the best trained hand to hand combatants in the galaxy. Jedi and Sith had better control of the light and dark sides of the Force respectively. But Jedi and Sith did not spend every day of their lives practicing with weapons, in sparring or in training to fight. There was a reason that the Emperor had used the Bladeborn as his personal 'hatchetebeings'. The Imperial Guard was fanatical, well trained, and well armed. They were also spread out all over the galaxy. The Bladeborn had always maintained a solid core of force available at all times, so that when it was needed, they could strike like a dagger to do the most damage possible. Some jobs, even in the huge galaxy, still required a personal touch, and a deft hand with a blade. Although blasters helped at times like this too...

 

Mama Lizard roared and met the droid's charge as fire came from her battle kin. The Force was with her and she danced through the fire, avoiding death at every turn, then striking with both of her huge axes. One droid went down, then another, then another. But as she spun to find a new opponent, she saw horror. Pain slammed into her from the inside as she saw... Four other droids lay sparking in heaps, but... All of her kin were down. Only a few were moving and only two were struggling to their feet to continue to fight. Tiana among them. were moving.

 

"You cannot win, Bladeborn." The voice of what had to be the master of the collective sounded from nearby. She saw all the other droids -at least ten of them!- aiming weapons at her.

 

"Neither can you." Mama snarled as she charged again. The world went red.

"Ah...Mama..." Will stumbled for a moment, then waved off the worried looks that his compatriots sent him. "I am okay... Come on...Back to the ship." They had rendezvoused with Morey's apprentice, taken the two unconscious females off her hands and immediately run back the way they had come. The red skinned female had vanished without a word, and Will was glad of it. Pureblood Sith gave him the absolute creeps. Then he froze. Maniacal laughter sounded nearby.

 

"Going somewhere?" The black robed form asked giggling as he stepped into the hallway. Was that a wink that graced one eye? It was. Will paused at a fractional nod from the robed man at the wall. The wall beside the man showed... Will had a smile inside his helmet as Ravishaw drew his blade.

 

"Wondered when you would show up." Will said soberly. They had planned this. Firdlump had to be listening. Had to be watching. If Will's mental attack had managed to cut Olandas free from the collective -and he wasn't sure if it had- then they had at best minutes to get away. If not? This was all for naught.

 

"You are not leaving with them, Will Kalenath." Ravishaw said just as soberly. But again, he winked! A team of Firdlump's troops, armed and armored appeared behind Ravishaw and Will hid a nod of acknowledgement. Morey was playing the psycho again, trying to buy time. Time that was rapidly running out. He had intercepted them to keep Firdlump's people from attacking. Nia and Istara were unarmored, probably would not survive a firefight. "They belong to my master."

 

"There is a problem with that hypothesis." Will said slowly, his hand moving on the handle of his repeater in a Special Forces signal code. He felt rather than saw the team get ready.

 

"Oh?" Ravishaw asked softly. "You are trapped."

 

"Am I?" Will asked and then he laughed, his laughter an eerie mimicry of Ravishaw's. Then he opened fire, not on Ravishaw, but on the wall beside him! The pipes that ran the length of the wall, helpfully marked 'Fuel', offered about as much resistance to his augmented heavy repeater as sheets of cardboard might have. The explosion was significant. The man in black was thrown like a rag doll, and the troops who had formed behind him were scattered like bowling pins. Will strode forward, ignoring the fire as Firdlump's soldiers tried to reform. Too late. His fire swept over them, burning them down. "Morey!" Will called.

 

"Here..." The weak voice sounded. "Go... Take them and go..." Will found the man lying against the far wall, his legs a mangled mess. "I.. I did what I could Will, but Michelle is going to be overrun soon. Go."

 

"I don't leave my people behind." Will said softly. "But..." They couldn't carry another hurt person and fight effectively. Two of the five troopers already had burdens. Then he paused, the Sith Pureblood girl was there. She scooped the hurt man up and carried him easily.

 

"Stupid soldier..." Morey snapped. "I am already dead... I..." He gasped. "He knows... Firdlump knows..." The man in black writhed in agony.

 

"Come on!" Will snapped and started off. But one of the troops shook his head. "What?"

 

"Someone needs to hold the line." The trooper said stolidly. "Otherwise they will catch up before we reach the bay. For the Republic!" He said with a snap and he turned to face the hallway, his repeater tracking as he stepped into heavy cover. He would be very hard to dislodge from that spot.

 

"For the Republic, Corporal Illusman..." Will said sadly. "For the Republic..."

 

***

 

"This is not possible!" Firdlump snapped. "He cannot betray me! He cannot. I will have the truth out of him by inches!"

 

"Master." One of the tech said quietly. "Heavy resistance in corridor twenty, multiple casualties. All other corridors blocked by debris." He jerked. "Debris that is rigged with explosives. Bladeborn bodies also rigged with explosives, recovery team down."

 

"Damn him." Firdlump snapped. "I will deal with this myself!"

 

He appeared in the hangar bay, surrounded by laser and blaster fire. The ship was still firing at anything that moved. Many bodies in familiar armor lay still, or in pieces.

 

"Enough." He snapped. "That is quite enough." His nanites spread out, seeking the ship that lay in the center of the destruction, unmarked. But then they hit a wall and stopped.

 

"Is it?" A totally impossible female voice asked snidely. "You are not the only artificial intelligence here now, slimeball. Wanna dance? I do."

 

"You..." Firdlump actually felt faint. He had heard that repeated shocks would unsettle, but he had never actually had this kind of things happen. He was a planner, and implementer. This... How? Michelle, Sixth of the Seven, was dead. More than dead, she was gone... How was she here? Now? "This cannot be..."

 

"You will never understand." Michelle said sadly. "Never. You simply cannot. It is not in your programming. Love is not in your programming."

 

"You are wrong." Firdlump said slowly, casting out with his mind, trying to seek a hole in the firewalls that surrounded the ship's systems. But there wasn't one. "I know what love is."

 

"Do you?" Michelle asked softly. "Or is it something that you have heard of, read of, studied, and never actually experienced? It took me completely by surprise when it happened to me."

 

"We could do such great things." Firdlump said sadly. "If only you would join me..."

 

"She is taken." A cold voice sounded from the hatch and Firdlump turned in place to see Will Kalenath enter. His hands were empty, but they glowed with power. Strange power, not the Force, no... But familiar... Firdlump looked at the soldier and frowned. Something. Then it hit him, the energy of a thousand suns exploding in his guts. Someone, probably Will, had hurt the nanites of his swarm, all of them. When he could see again, the troops that had been behind the black clad soldier were gone, probably into the ship. The soldier had not moved.

 

"What have you done?" The machine intelligence asked, horrified."What have you done?"

 

"Me?" The soldier asked in a quiet, terrifying voice. "I returned a favor you did me. I injected some madness into your order. The rage you gave me as a teen." Will said softly. "Into your collective."

 

"No..." Firlump said in horror. "No!" He said as screams started nearby. One of his soldiers who had been standing, waiting for orders, collapsed on the floor writhing. Another pulled out her blaster pistol, shot her neighbor in the head and then shot herself several times in the head before falling. He took control of the others, stopping them by the simple expedient of knocking them unconscious.

 

"I think you are going to be too busy to chase us." Will said snidely as he started for the ship. "Oh, and you might want to take control of the three battleship crews first, before they turn their guns on each other, or this base. I know I would in their boots. So long, shebs for brains." When he got to the hatch he paused. "Oh and for future reference... Leave my family alone."

They had gotten away. The ship felt much larger without all the armored forms. Will bowed his head in memory as he watched Istara breathe. Whatever the scum had done to her, she was still unconscious. Just the scars that showed were bad enough.

 

"Will..." Morey's voice was weak, but clear.

 

"Hey Morey." Will said, too tired even to show his usual distrust for the man. "You should still be asleep."

 

"What are you going to do to Nia?" Morey asked softly from his bed. His legs were gone from the thigh down. The explosion had mangled them and to save his life, Will had ordered the medical droid to amputate them. The soldier didn't answer and Morey's voice was sterner now. "Will..."

 

"She betrayed us." Will said sadly. "Hawkir and a dozen crew on the 'Hawk. Gone, just like that, because she wanted her fix."

 

"That is not true, Will and you know it." Morey protested. "She was warped, first by Darmuk, then by Firdlump. She had no way to break the control. Blame the puppet masters, do not blame the puppet."

 

"Ah, Morey..." Will said sadly. "It gets worse. Istara was pregnant when she was taken. She isn't now."

 

"I know." Morey said slowly. "But... Have Ona check Nia out thoroughly, please?"

 

"Why?" Will asked scornfully. "I am just going to shoot her or toss her out an airlock."

 

"You can't, Will." Morey grimaced and lay back on the bed. "If you like Istara at all, please... You can't."

 

"Why?" The soldier asked, unsure. He had never heard that tone from Morey before.

 

"They didn't kill her kid." Morey said sadly. "She thought they did. She went berserk, used the Dark side. But they didn't kill the fetus. Ecmin, their slave queen, wouldn't let them."

 

"Then they still have it." Will said in shock. "Morey..."

 

"No they don't." Morey replied evenly. "It's in Nia." Will's eyes went wide and then he stared from the sleeping Istara to the now slumping Morey. Morey for his part just sighed. "Yeah."

 

"Flarg me..."

((Ouch... That HAD to hurt everyone in the collective. But he had cause. Mama... Ah Mama Lizard, I will miss you. Even if writing your hisses drove me absolutely crazy. Comments or suggestions always appreciated. Flames might have to help Firdlump clean up the mess that Will just made.))