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Description
Chapter 5
There have been reports of suspicious activity around the outskirts of town. Two of our Security Force officers have gone missing, though, based on their record, it is unclear if they have been killed or have simply deserted. My superiors believe there is nothing to fear, but I can’t help thinking there’s something to these reports. Perhaps I should alert the Governor. Just in case.
~Journal of Lesher Nivix, chief of Security; Vurus
Mohandi, Capital of Vurus: 3 months after the battle of Geonosis. 2100 hours
“Are you sure this will work?” Tra’avis Endel whispered. “It seems sort of…” He groped for a word. “Dumb.”

Jesse shot a glance at the boy. She had to squint to see him through the purple light of the gathering dusk. He walked beside her, looking properly seedy and downtrodden. She smirked. “Dumber plans have worked before. Some things are so simple they’re almost impossible to louse up.”

“Besides” Deacon spoke from behind them, his voice quiet. “We have you, kid. Having a Jedi’s got to make things easier.”

“Yeah.” Tra’avis breathed. “I hope so.”

Jesse didn’t think that sounded very optimistic, but she kept quiet.

The doors of the huge prison loomed up before them. On the roof, spotlights cast about through the darkness, sweeping the broad expanse of manicured grass between the prison and the wall that encircled the complex. Deacon and Gears, dressed in the dark blue armor and plumed helmet of the Mohandi security force, exchanged nods with the guards outside the doors and marched Jesse and the Jedi inside. In their drab, rather dirty robes Jesse and Tra’avis looked very much like any of the less reputable denizens that infested the alleys and backways of Mohandi. Soot smudged faces and a shambling walk completed their disguise as street-thieves with whom the long arm of the law had finally caught up.

They trooped through the maze of halls that wound through the prison, waiting for Shade’s signal. The comlink in Jesse’s ear crackled. “This is Shade. I’m in.”

Inside his helmet, Deacon responded. “Roger that.”

“Lights go down in five. Four. Three. Two. Mark.”

The lights flickered and died. When the emergency lights clicked on, two sets of handcuffs lay on the ground, discarded along with a pile of grungy robes and the squad was pounding down the hall toward the High Security wing. Deacon ran in front, Jesse and Tra’avis at his heels, and Gears followed along behind. They skidded around the corner, bounded up a flight of stairs and ground to a halt in front of a huge blast door. “Shade, we need door one open.” Deacon spoke in the comlink. “Now.”
“Working.” Shade replied. “Working. Got it.”

The door hissed open, almost grudgingly and they piled through. Another hall, another corner, and they reached the second door. “Door two.” Deacon said.
“On it.” The door ground open and they continued on.

They stopped in front of another set of doors. “Door three.” Deacon spoke.

“Working.” They could hear the sound of furious typing as Shade fought with the security system.

“We need this door open, Shade.” Deacon said, his voice growing taught.

“Doing my best, CT.” Shade responded. “Their security system’s trying to come back online. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Jesse shot a glance at her chrono. “Come on, Shade.” She ordered sharply. “Get this door open.”
“I’m trying!” Shade growled. The sound of typing was suddenly replaced by pounding on durasteel. “Fierfek. They’re trying to get in the door.”

“Open this thing up and get out of there!” Deacon’s voice vibrated with tension.

“What do you think I’m trying to do?”

A snap-hiss echoed off the durasteel walls, and suddenly the hall was bathed in a flickering blue light. Tra’avis Endel ignored their startled glances and drove his lightsaber into the sealed blast-doors, a determined expression on his face. “I got this, Shade.” He said, his voice grim. “Get out of there.”

“Who’s that?” Shade demanded above the pounding on the door.

“The Jedi kid.” Jesse responded shortly. “He’s got his lightsaber through the door. Now do like he says and get out of there.”

“Roger. Meet you at the rendezvous.”

As Shade’s comlink clicked off Tra’avis dragged his blade around the complete the burning circle he’d made in the metal. Bracing himself, the scrawny boy yanked backwards and dragged his lightsaber free of the door. The blade closed off, sending him sprawling backwards. He stood up, dusting himself off and surveyed his handiwork. A small and rather ragged circle still glowed in the durasteel. “Uh, if one of you wouldn’t mind…”

Jesse stepped up beside him and gave the door a powerful kick. The circle groaned and fell through, landing on the floor with a metallic thump. “That’ll work.” Gears commented, sounding impressed.

“Come on.” Deacon ordered. “We don’t have much time.”

They piled through the door and continued down the hall beyond. Deacon stepped around the corner and swiftly dispatched the two guards who stood before the cell labeled 504. “This is it.” Jesse said. “Gears, plug in.”

“Right.” Gears knelt down on the shiny floor and yanked the control panel off the wall. He tore a set of wires free and plugged them into his blinking datapad. A few decisive taps later and the datapad’s screen turned green. “That’s it.” Gears said. “Go on in.”

“Watch our backs.” The troopers nodded and Tra’avis followed Jesse into the cell.

Fawn Juredo, looking stylishly disheveled, cowered elegantly in the farthest corner of the tiny room. The look of terror in her wide, doe eyes would have softened the heart of even the cruelest man. Jesse put her hands on her hips and snapped “Get up.”

The girl flinched away. Tra’avis stepped forward and offered her a clumsy smile. “Don’t be afraid, Ms. Juredo. We’re here to rescue you. We’re from the Republic.”

Fawn Juredo relaxed and the look of terror on her dainty face slowly filtered into disdain. “You’re my rescue? You’re all they could spare?” She sniffed. “The Republic must be shorthanded indeed.”

Jesse exchanged a shrug with Tra’avis. She jerked her thumb toward the door. “Come on.”
Tra’avis offered Juredo his hand, but she ignored it and climbed to her feet unassisted. The Jedi followed her out of the cell, a slightly offended look on his youthful face.

“All right boys.” Jesse said to the two troopers in the hall. “We’ve got Juredo. Let’s go.”

Deacon’s dark eyes focused just beyond Jesse’s shoulder and he froze. Gears, still kneeling by the door panel, looked up as Deacon swatted his shoulder. The trooper’s open face went blank as he looked past Jesse with a goofy smile on his lips. Jesse squinted at them, confused. Tra’avis squeezed up into the hallway behind Fawn Juredo and bumped into Jesse, shoving her into Deacon. She caught herself and whirled around. Before she could deliver her cutting reprimand, Juredo said with her nose in the air “Well, what a sorry looking bunch. How did you ever manage to get this far?” With a flick of her long brown ponytail, she turned on her heel and started off down the corridor, Tra’avis tagging along behind her, trying unsuccessfully to slow her advance.

Jesse shrugged to herself. Glancing up behind her, she found the two troopers watching Juredo’s swaying form with appreciative smiles plastered on their faces. She rolled her eyes. Jesse rapped her knuckles on Deacon’s plastiform chest plate. “Helmets on, boys. Let’s go.”

Gears and Deacon shook themselves and jogged after Jesse. They swiftly overtook Juredo and the Jedi boy. “Fall in.” Jesse ordered Tra’avis, glaring at little. Meekly, he assumed his position at her heels. “Shade, we’re approaching the rendezvous. Have you alerted Shiv?” She spoke into the comlink nestled in her ear.

“Affirmative.” Shade’s voice returned in the squad’s ears. “He’s on his way.”

“Who’s Shiv?” Fawn demanded, having been excluded from the conversation. “Who are you talking to?”

“You’ll see.” Jesse said grimly, shoving the girl forward.

Pouting, the princess jogged along at the head of the formation. They kept up the pace, their boots ringing hollowly on the durasteel floor. In her right ear, Jesse could hear the Jedi boy’s labored breathing, but he clung unflaggingly to his position at her heels. A smile tugged at the edge of Jesse’s lips. Maybe the kid was all right after all.

Two floors up, Jesse called them to a halt. “This is the RV point.” She said, more for effect than anything.

“I guess we beat Shade.” Tra’avis said, brushing his sweaty hair out of his face and looking around. “I don’t see him anywhere.”

“He’ll be here.” Gears reassured him.

“Who?” Fawn demanded.

Jesse grimaced. Her patience, never in great supply, was running very thin. Just as a biting remark sprang off her tongue, the vent grating on the ceiling above them clattered to the floor. Fawn Juredo yelped as Shade, looking bedraggled and therefore more fearsome, slid from the vent and landed in front of them in the empty hallway. He saluted a little dazedly and tossed her helmet into her hands. “Reporting for duty, squad leader.”

Jesse acknowledged him with a nod, but before she could speak Fawn cried out “Oh! You’re hurt!” The girl dodged between Jesse and Tra’avis to rush to Shade’s side. There was indeed a blood stain on Shade’s leg, just below the knee, Jesse saw. “You okay, Shade?” She asked. Shade cleared his throat and shuffled awkwardly, visibly unsure what to do with the princess’s attention. “Sure, Jes. It’s just a scratch. One of those di’kute in the comm room clipped me.” He said, looking decidedly sheepish. “It’s not even bleeding anymore.”

Jesse nodded curtly. “If it starts bleeding again, tell me.” At Shade’s nod, Jesse turned to the squad. “Let’s go. We don’t have much time.”

As if to punctuate her words, the lights in the prison flickered back on. Shade swallowed and looked up in alarm. “They’ve got the main power grid back up. They’ll have troops in this wing in minutes.”
***
“Take cover!” Jesse shouted. Deacon and Gears dove for cover behind a low wall, Shade threw Juredo down behind the wide antenna that supported the prison’s long range communications dish, and Jesse dragged Tra’avis to the ground behind an environmental control unit. The clone troopers laid down suppressive fire as a dozen blue-armored Mohandi security guards spread out along the other end of the building.

“Jesse, this is Shiv.” Jesse’s comlink was barely audible over the sounds of the battle. “I’m in sight of the prison.”

“The zone is hot, Shiv.” Jesse shouted, firing a few blind rounds at the enemy’s position. “It’s gonna have to be a fly-by.”

“Roger Jess. I’m coming into position.”

A new sound was added to the din of combat. The heavy thrum of engines pulsed overhead, blanketing the world with its vibrating hum. Gears gave a shout as their little Star Light freighter hove into view above their heads. Jesse squinted up at the little ship through the engine backwash. It was small, almost pathetically so. A long cylinder composed the main body, a glass-framed cockpit at one end, the small loading doors at the other. A wide, sweeping wing extended from the port side like one side of a Felucian Lumi moth. The tiny ship was equipped with three gunnery emplacements; overkill, Jesse had thought, for such a small ship. The crew had been less than enthusiastic about being given such a clumsy looking vessel, but seeing the battered freighter now warmed her like being reunited with the family strill.

The heavy bark of ground-to-air turrets shattered their brief moment of hope. The freighter canted sharply as a laser bolt crashed into it and Jesse heard Shiv yelp in alarm. Jesse crawled to the edge of the rooftop as Shiv wrenched the ship around and up out of range of the turrets. She peered over the edge. On the ground, swiveling on their bases, sat two AA turrets. Squinting, Jesse could see that these were the newest in the line of anti-aircraft weaponry. The fearsome, double-barreled turrets had a three-sixty degree firing arc and were hidden below ground until needed.
“Anti-air turrets!” Shiv’s voice in her ear sounded indignant. “Who said anything about anti-air turrets?”

Jesse wormed her way back to where Tra’avis waited. “That’s what we get for getting too confident about intel.” She fired off a few rounds at the Security Forces still forted up at the opposite end of the building. “Shiv, can you take the turrets out?”
“Not without sustaining serious damage.” The pilot replied. “Those turrets aren’t messing around.”
“Shiv.” Shade spoke up suddenly. “You remember that maneuver we pulled on Antilles VII?”

“Hey! That might just work.” Shiv brightened.

“You seem to forget” Deacon commented, sounding annoyed. “That not everyone here was on Antilles VII.”

“We managed to blind a ground-to-air artillery post with a flash-bang for just long enough to disable it.” Shade clarified. “This is a lot bigger, but it might work well enough.”

Jesse nodded. “We’ll have to chance it. Roll your grenades over here boys.” The troopers obliged, sending their explosives rolling across the gap into Jesse’s waiting hands. Deftly she strung the grenades onto her belt and wormed her way back to the edge of the building. “Ready, Shiv.” She alerted the pilot. “We’ll only have one shot at this, so make it count.”

“Roger Jesse.” He acknowledged. “Standing by.”

“On my mark.” Jesse set the first grenade for delayed action and rose up suddenly on her feet. She hurled the cluster of grenades off the building and flattened herself to the ground as blaster fire slammed into the wall where she had been standing. “Five.” She counted. “Four. Three. Two.” She held her breath. “Mark.”

A mammoth explosion rocked the building as blinding white light geysered up from the ground. Through the ringing in their ears, the squad could hear the rush of air as the Star-Light freighter screamed down from the sky. A heartbeat later, two more explosions echoed up. Shiv whooped. “Got ‘em, Jesse! Coming in for pickup now.”

“Shade!” Jesse called. “You’re up. We’ll cover you.”

“Right.” Shade scooped Fawn Juredo up in his arms and sprinted to the edge of the roof, bent low. The winged freighter settled down from the sky and hovered just out of reach. “Hold on.” He whispered. Juredo tucked her fingers into his collar plate and buried her face in his shoulder. Shade adjusted his hold on her slight frame and leapt from the rooftop. They hung for a brief moment in the air, then his feet touched the freighter’s loading ramp and they were aboard.

Jesse rose up and fired a few blaster bolts across the expanse. She ducked back down. “Shade’s away. Deacon, you and Gears are next.”

“But Jesse!” Deacon flinched as a blaster bolt slammed into the wall beside him, spattering him with rock fragments.

“Don’t argue with me.” Jesse snapped, firing another round and dropping a trooper that had been unlucky enough to raise his head. “Go!”

Deacon threw her an unhappy glare, but began crawling back toward the edge of the building. Jesse rose up on her knees and fired a spray of blaster bolts to cover Deacon and Gears’ retreat. She dove for cover as an answering hail of bolts strafed the wall she hid behind. She looked around at Tra’avis. The boy was curled into a ball at the base of the boxy environmental unit they were shielded by, his hands over his ears. Jesse grinned. “You okay, kid?”

He looked up at her with wide brown eyes. “Can’t you do something?” He shouted.

“Like what?” She demanded.

“I don’t know! Don’t you have grenades or something?”

She shook her head. “I’ve got a few. But there’s no way I can throw that far.”

He brightened suddenly. “I can help.”

She studied his eager face and shrugged. “It’s worth a shot.” She dug a thermal detonator out of her pocket and held it up for the boy’s inspection. “You ready?” He nodded, his blond hair billowing wildly in the wind. “Okay. Three. Two. One.” Jesse sprang to her feet and hurled the grenade toward the cluster of troopers. On his hands and knees, Tra’avis edged around the enviro unit and raised one shaky hand. The grenade halted in its downward arc and hurtled across the roof in a straight line. It bobbed a little, then fell to the ground in the middle of the knot of soldiers. It blinked rapidly four times and exploded.

Jesse peeked around the enviro unit. The blaster fire had stopped. She grinned and nudged Tra’avis. “Nice job, kid. I might just keep you around.”

The boy didn’t look up. He stared blankly ahead, his brown eyes the size of saucers. “They’re all dead.” He breathed, raking his fingers through his shaggy hair. “I killed them all.”
She took hold of his shoulders and jerked him around roughly. “Those weren’t stun bolts they were shooting at us.” She said sternly. “They were trying to kill you back.”

He nodded shakily and stood up.

“Jesse.” Shiv’s voice crackled through their comms. “You’ve got company. North end of the building.”

Jesse dragged Tra’avis to the ground, peering around the environmental unit. She swore. Stalking across the rooftop, outlined starkly against the stars, came a dark figure at the head of a squad of rocket troopers. The warrior was dressed in black and silver armor. An angular helmet obscured his face, and his spidery fingers held a long, double-headed staff. “It’s over, Republic dogs.” He shouted across the empty roof. “Surrender now and you may live.”

“Shiv.” Jesse whispered. “We need a pickup. Now.”

“Roger.” The ship made another pass but as it slowed to allow for boarders, one of the troopers raised his missile launcher to his shoulder and fired. The ship canted sharply, narrowly avoiding a flaming death. “No good, Jesse.” Shiv sounded shaken. “You gotta get rid of those rockets.”

Swearing under her breath, Jesse searched through her pockets and produced another grenade. She handed it to Tra’avis. “That’s my last one. Make it count kid.”

He nodded, his brown eyes wide. Scraping his blond hair out of his face, Tra’avis took the grenade and crept along the boxy unit that shielded them from sight. Delicately, he lifted the grenade from his hand and floated it gently through the air toward the cluster of soldiers.
The explosion rocked them, even across the roof. Jesse's ears were ringing, so she didn't hear Tra’avis’ scream. Something heavy and very sharp hit her in the shoulder, flattening her like a bantha stampede over a paper sailboat. Her belly plate absorbed a monstrous kick. Jesse rolled sideways and the sharp thing whacked her back plate, leaving a gash in the dark green paint. Her HUD was screaming warnings at her. One more hit like that and she'd be in real trouble.

Jesse kicked her kama out from under her and rolled to her feet, landing in a fighting crouch, one forearm bristling blades, the other groping for her pistol. Fierfek. Her holster was empty.

“Surrender, Republic dog.”

“Digur bic, shabuir*.” Jesse growled inside her helmet. She lunged at her attacker, gauntlet blades singing out from their housings. Her blade slashed up, skittered off durasteel, and the staff cracked into her helmet, sending her sprawling. She caught a descending blow on her gauntlet and a kick in her chest knocked her back another foot.

Jesse rolled away just as the bladed staff stabbed into the ground in her shadow. Fierfek. She hated force-users. She took a few running steps but an invisible hand sized the nape of her neck and dragged her back. She lashed out with a boot, felt the satisfying crunch of armor on bone and the grip on her neck loosened, sending her tumbling down onto the duracrete. Her helmet bounced off her head and rolled away.

Crawling backwards, eyes blazing, Jesse flung a throwing knife at her dark attacker. He swatted it away like a gnat. With an outstretched hand, the helmeted dreadnought raised Jesse into the air. She felt the invisible fingers gouging at her throat. Her feet kicked in empty air. Rage and fear pounded in her head. She clawed at her pouches for a knife, a grenade, anything, but her gloved fingers fumbled on emptiness. Her ears were ringing. Blackness gnawed at the corners of her vision. Fierfek. She hated force-users.

“Hey!” A shrill voice stabbed through the darkness. “Drop her.”

The helmeted warrior snapped around with a snarl. There in the middle of the carnage, framed by blazing turrets, his robes and face blackened, stood Tra’avis Endell, his lightsaber burning azure in the darkness. “Foolish child.” The dark warrior hissed. His fingers tightened on Jesse's throat.

“I said” Tra’avis raised his blade level with his shoulder. “Drop her.”

“As you wish.” The black figure flung Jesse into an eviro-unit and leaped at the Jedi, razor-staff raised. Tra’avis ducked, leaped to the side, and spun around, slashing at his opponent’s exposed back. He dodged another swipe of the staff, absorbed a glancing blow to the shoulder, and rolled sideways again.

Jesse lay where she had fallen, blinking the brights out of her eyes. Distantly she watched the combat between boy and battle-master and she remembered something she had heard about the Vurus brand of force-users. Not Jedi, not Sith, unknown in any other star system, thought to be only a legend even on Vurus, they were fierce and deadly staff-masters, unrestrained by morality, unbeatable in combat. No wonder Tra’avis didn't wasn't doing too well.

The boy was being inexorably driven back against the edge of the roof. His attacker, twice his size, four times his strength, was leisurely laying about him with crushing blows. It would be a simple thing, Jesse could see, to run the boy through and be finished but the battle-master seemed to be enjoying himself. Jesse shook her head and jerked herself to her feet, staggering a little as the world swam. She groped for her pistol. Gone. Her rifle, gone. Her long knife, go-- oh, there it was.

Tra’avis fell back against the roof’s waist-high wall, every muscle in his body straining against the masked enemy’s staff as it pressed down on him, trying to pin him to the wall. His narrow face gleamed with sweat. His dirty blond was plastered to his forehead. He gritted his teeth as the razor edge of the staff pressed down on him like a star-destroyer on a bathtub sailboat. “Is this what the Jedi have become?” The voice was a sibilant hiss. “Foolish children who can’t even use their lightsabers?” The lightsaber tore itself from Tra’avis’ hands and clattered, dark and useless, into the shadows. “Stupid boy.” The black figure cackled. “You could never have defeated me.”

With a final, desperate effort, Tra’avis screwed his eyes shut and shoved his hands straight out against his attacker’s chest. The battle-master flew backwards across the roof and crashed into the duracrete wall, his helmet spinning off into the darkness, his staff whirling out of his fingers. Jesse was on him instantly, her long knife driving itself into the joints between his armor plates. She rolled away just as quickly, leaving the blade protruding from the reddening armor. Her hand was already on another blade when his staff whoosed past her and into his grasp. In the blood light, the long white head was ghastly as it leered down at her. “You were foolish to ally yourself with the Jedi, Mandalorian. They are a dying sect, and you” He raised his staff. “Will die with them.”

Jesse sprang back and that was all that saved her. The razor-staff sliced through what would have been her neck and left a white-hot line of pain across her face. Blinded, Jesse fell back, her gauntlets raised protectively across her face. Another blow knocked her back and stumbled and fell full-length on the ground. Through the blood in her eyes, Jesse saw the battle-master loom over her, his staff raised for the killing stroke. Even as his hand descended, a little circle of red blossomed between his eyes. He went absolutely still and sagged to the ground, his face frozen in a puzzled expression.

Cursing, wiping blood out of her eyes, Jesse wriggled out from under the black-clad body. She pulled her knife free and looked around, weaving slightly. Tra’avis Endel was still standing frozen, her Verpine pistol in his skinny hands. Jesse looked from him to the crumpled body and whistled under her breath. Fierfek. Maybe force-users did have their uses.

“Jesse, what’s going on down there?” Shiv’s voice was loud in her ear.

“Nothing.” She sounded a little dazed even to herself. “All clear. Come on down.”

Their little ship circled into position and Jesse took the young Jedi’s arm. He stared at her with wide brown eyes. “You ok, kid?”

He nodded, his eyes still blank. Their little freighter hove into view, washing the roof with air and noise. The loading ramp dropped. “All aboard!” Shiv crowed.

Jesse shoved the boy toward the edge of the roof. “Go!” She screamed over the pounding of the engines. They sprinted across the empty roof, the backwash tearing at their hair and robes. Jesse snatched her helmet from where it lay, sized Tra’avis’ wrist, vaulted the guard-wall and leaped into the void.

They landed in a heap on the ramp, Tra’avis still screaming. “All aboard, Shiv.” Deacon shouted, helping them into the cargo bay. “Take us home.”

Description
Chapter 5
There have been reports of suspicious activity around the outskirts of town. Two of our Security Force officers have gone missing, though, based on their record, it is unclear if they have been killed or have simply deserted. My superiors believe there is nothing to fear, but I can’t help thinking there’s something to these reports. Perhaps I should alert the Governor. Just in case.
~Journal of Lesher Nivix, chief of Security; Vurus
Mohandi, Capital of Vurus: 3 months after the battle of Geonosis. 2100 hours
“Are you sure this will work?” Tra’avis Endel whispered. “It seems sort of…” He groped for a word. “Dumb.”

Jesse shot a glance at the boy. She had to squint to see him through the purple light of the gathering dusk. He walked beside her, looking properly seedy and downtrodden. She smirked. “Dumber plans have worked before. Some things are so simple they’re almost impossible to louse up.”

“Besides” Deacon spoke from behind them, his voice quiet. “We have you, kid. Having a Jedi’s got to make things easier.”

“Yeah.” Tra’avis breathed. “I hope so.”

Jesse didn’t think that sounded very optimistic, but she kept quiet.

The doors of the huge prison loomed up before them. On the roof, spotlights cast about through the darkness, sweeping the broad expanse of manicured grass between the prison and the wall that encircled the complex. Deacon and Gears, dressed in the dark blue armor and plumed helmet of the Mohandi security force, exchanged nods with the guards outside the doors and marched Jesse and the Jedi inside. In their drab, rather dirty robes Jesse and Tra’avis looked very much like any of the less reputable denizens that infested the alleys and backways of Mohandi. Soot smudged faces and a shambling walk completed their disguise as street-thieves with whom the long arm of the law had finally caught up.

They trooped through the maze of halls that wound through the prison, waiting for Shade’s signal. The comlink in Jesse’s ear crackled. “This is Shade. I’m in.”

Inside his helmet, Deacon responded. “Roger that.”

“Lights go down in five. Four. Three. Two. Mark.”

The lights flickered and died. When the emergency lights clicked on, two sets of handcuffs lay on the ground, discarded along with a pile of grungy robes and the squad was pounding down the hall toward the High Security wing. Deacon ran in front, Jesse and Tra’avis at his heels, and Gears followed along behind. They skidded around the corner, bounded up a flight of stairs and ground to a halt in front of a huge blast door. “Shade, we need door one open.” Deacon spoke in the comlink. “Now.”
“Working.” Shade replied. “Working. Got it.”

The door hissed open, almost grudgingly and they piled through. Another hall, another corner, and they reached the second door. “Door two.” Deacon said.
“On it.” The door ground open and they continued on.

They stopped in front of another set of doors. “Door three.” Deacon spoke.

“Working.” They could hear the sound of furious typing as Shade fought with the security system.

“We need this door open, Shade.” Deacon said, his voice growing taught.

“Doing my best, CT.” Shade responded. “Their security system’s trying to come back online. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Jesse shot a glance at her chrono. “Come on, Shade.” She ordered sharply. “Get this door open.”
“I’m trying!” Shade growled. The sound of typing was suddenly replaced by pounding on durasteel. “Fierfek. They’re trying to get in the door.”

“Open this thing up and get out of there!” Deacon’s voice vibrated with tension.

“What do you think I’m trying to do?”

A snap-hiss echoed off the durasteel walls, and suddenly the hall was bathed in a flickering blue light. Tra’avis Endel ignored their startled glances and drove his lightsaber into the sealed blast-doors, a determined expression on his face. “I got this, Shade.” He said, his voice grim. “Get out of there.”

“Who’s that?” Shade demanded above the pounding on the door.

“The Jedi kid.” Jesse responded shortly. “He’s got his lightsaber through the door. Now do like he says and get out of there.”

“Roger. Meet you at the rendezvous.”

As Shade’s comlink clicked off Tra’avis dragged his blade around the complete the burning circle he’d made in the metal. Bracing himself, the scrawny boy yanked backwards and dragged his lightsaber free of the door. The blade closed off, sending him sprawling backwards. He stood up, dusting himself off and surveyed his handiwork. A small and rather ragged circle still glowed in the durasteel. “Uh, if one of you wouldn’t mind…”

Jesse stepped up beside him and gave the door a powerful kick. The circle groaned and fell through, landing on the floor with a metallic thump. “That’ll work.” Gears commented, sounding impressed.

“Come on.” Deacon ordered. “We don’t have much time.”

They piled through the door and continued down the hall beyond. Deacon stepped around the corner and swiftly dispatched the two guards who stood before the cell labeled 504. “This is it.” Jesse said. “Gears, plug in.”

“Right.” Gears knelt down on the shiny floor and yanked the control panel off the wall. He tore a set of wires free and plugged them into his blinking datapad. A few decisive taps later and the datapad’s screen turned green. “That’s it.” Gears said. “Go on in.”

“Watch our backs.” The troopers nodded and Tra’avis followed Jesse into the cell.

Fawn Juredo, looking stylishly disheveled, cowered elegantly in the farthest corner of the tiny room. The look of terror in her wide, doe eyes would have softened the heart of even the cruelest man. Jesse put her hands on her hips and snapped “Get up.”

The girl flinched away. Tra’avis stepped forward and offered her a clumsy smile. “Don’t be afraid, Ms. Juredo. We’re here to rescue you. We’re from the Republic.”

Fawn Juredo relaxed and the look of terror on her dainty face slowly filtered into disdain. “You’re my rescue? You’re all they could spare?” She sniffed. “The Republic must be shorthanded indeed.”

Jesse exchanged a shrug with Tra’avis. She jerked her thumb toward the door. “Come on.”
Tra’avis offered Juredo his hand, but she ignored it and climbed to her feet unassisted. The Jedi followed her out of the cell, a slightly offended look on his youthful face.

“All right boys.” Jesse said to the two troopers in the hall. “We’ve got Juredo. Let’s go.”

Deacon’s dark eyes focused just beyond Jesse’s shoulder and he froze. Gears, still kneeling by the door panel, looked up as Deacon swatted his shoulder. The trooper’s open face went blank as he looked past Jesse with a goofy smile on his lips. Jesse squinted at them, confused. Tra’avis squeezed up into the hallway behind Fawn Juredo and bumped into Jesse, shoving her into Deacon. She caught herself and whirled around. Before she could deliver her cutting reprimand, Juredo said with her nose in the air “Well, what a sorry looking bunch. How did you ever manage to get this far?” With a flick of her long brown ponytail, she turned on her heel and started off down the corridor, Tra’avis tagging along behind her, trying unsuccessfully to slow her advance.

Jesse shrugged to herself. Glancing up behind her, she found the two troopers watching Juredo’s swaying form with appreciative smiles plastered on their faces. She rolled her eyes. Jesse rapped her knuckles on Deacon’s plastiform chest plate. “Helmets on, boys. Let’s go.”

Gears and Deacon shook themselves and jogged after Jesse. They swiftly overtook Juredo and the Jedi boy. “Fall in.” Jesse ordered Tra’avis, glaring at little. Meekly, he assumed his position at her heels. “Shade, we’re approaching the rendezvous. Have you alerted Shiv?” She spoke into the comlink nestled in her ear.

“Affirmative.” Shade’s voice returned in the squad’s ears. “He’s on his way.”

“Who’s Shiv?” Fawn demanded, having been excluded from the conversation. “Who are you talking to?”

“You’ll see.” Jesse said grimly, shoving the girl forward.

Pouting, the princess jogged along at the head of the formation. They kept up the pace, their boots ringing hollowly on the durasteel floor. In her right ear, Jesse could hear the Jedi boy’s labored breathing, but he clung unflaggingly to his position at her heels. A smile tugged at the edge of Jesse’s lips. Maybe the kid was all right after all.

Two floors up, Jesse called them to a halt. “This is the RV point.” She said, more for effect than anything.

“I guess we beat Shade.” Tra’avis said, brushing his sweaty hair out of his face and looking around. “I don’t see him anywhere.”

“He’ll be here.” Gears reassured him.

“Who?” Fawn demanded.

Jesse grimaced. Her patience, never in great supply, was running very thin. Just as a biting remark sprang off her tongue, the vent grating on the ceiling above them clattered to the floor. Fawn Juredo yelped as Shade, looking bedraggled and therefore more fearsome, slid from the vent and landed in front of them in the empty hallway. He saluted a little dazedly and tossed her helmet into her hands. “Reporting for duty, squad leader.”

Jesse acknowledged him with a nod, but before she could speak Fawn cried out “Oh! You’re hurt!” The girl dodged between Jesse and Tra’avis to rush to Shade’s side. There was indeed a blood stain on Shade’s leg, just below the knee, Jesse saw. “You okay, Shade?” She asked. Shade cleared his throat and shuffled awkwardly, visibly unsure what to do with the princess’s attention. “Sure, Jes. It’s just a scratch. One of those di’kute in the comm room clipped me.” He said, looking decidedly sheepish. “It’s not even bleeding anymore.”

Jesse nodded curtly. “If it starts bleeding again, tell me.” At Shade’s nod, Jesse turned to the squad. “Let’s go. We don’t have much time.”

As if to punctuate her words, the lights in the prison flickered back on. Shade swallowed and looked up in alarm. “They’ve got the main power grid back up. They’ll have troops in this wing in minutes.”
***
“Take cover!” Jesse shouted. Deacon and Gears dove for cover behind a low wall, Shade threw Juredo down behind the wide antenna that supported the prison’s long range communications dish, and Jesse dragged Tra’avis to the ground behind an environmental control unit. The clone troopers laid down suppressive fire as a dozen blue-armored Mohandi security guards spread out along the other end of the building.

“Jesse, this is Shiv.” Jesse’s comlink was barely audible over the sounds of the battle. “I’m in sight of the prison.”

“The zone is hot, Shiv.” Jesse shouted, firing a few blind rounds at the enemy’s position. “It’s gonna have to be a fly-by.”

“Roger Jess. I’m coming into position.”

A new sound was added to the din of combat. The heavy thrum of engines pulsed overhead, blanketing the world with its vibrating hum. Gears gave a shout as their little Star Light freighter hove into view above their heads. Jesse squinted up at the little ship through the engine backwash. It was small, almost pathetically so. A long cylinder composed the main body, a glass-framed cockpit at one end, the small loading doors at the other. A wide, sweeping wing extended from the port side like one side of a Felucian Lumi moth. The tiny ship was equipped with three gunnery emplacements; overkill, Jesse had thought, for such a small ship. The crew had been less than enthusiastic about being given such a clumsy looking vessel, but seeing the battered freighter now warmed her like being reunited with the family strill.

The heavy bark of ground-to-air turrets shattered their brief moment of hope. The freighter canted sharply as a laser bolt crashed into it and Jesse heard Shiv yelp in alarm. Jesse crawled to the edge of the rooftop as Shiv wrenched the ship around and up out of range of the turrets. She peered over the edge. On the ground, swiveling on their bases, sat two AA turrets. Squinting, Jesse could see that these were the newest in the line of anti-aircraft weaponry. The fearsome, double-barreled turrets had a three-sixty degree firing arc and were hidden below ground until needed.
“Anti-air turrets!” Shiv’s voice in her ear sounded indignant. “Who said anything about anti-air turrets?”

Jesse wormed her way back to where Tra’avis waited. “That’s what we get for getting too confident about intel.” She fired off a few rounds at the Security Forces still forted up at the opposite end of the building. “Shiv, can you take the turrets out?”
“Not without sustaining serious damage.” The pilot replied. “Those turrets aren’t messing around.”
“Shiv.” Shade spoke up suddenly. “You remember that maneuver we pulled on Antilles VII?”

“Hey! That might just work.” Shiv brightened.

“You seem to forget” Deacon commented, sounding annoyed. “That not everyone here was on Antilles VII.”

“We managed to blind a ground-to-air artillery post with a flash-bang for just long enough to disable it.” Shade clarified. “This is a lot bigger, but it might work well enough.”

Jesse nodded. “We’ll have to chance it. Roll your grenades over here boys.” The troopers obliged, sending their explosives rolling across the gap into Jesse’s waiting hands. Deftly she strung the grenades onto her belt and wormed her way back to the edge of the building. “Ready, Shiv.” She alerted the pilot. “We’ll only have one shot at this, so make it count.”

“Roger Jesse.” He acknowledged. “Standing by.”

“On my mark.” Jesse set the first grenade for delayed action and rose up suddenly on her feet. She hurled the cluster of grenades off the building and flattened herself to the ground as blaster fire slammed into the wall where she had been standing. “Five.” She counted. “Four. Three. Two.” She held her breath. “Mark.”

A mammoth explosion rocked the building as blinding white light geysered up from the ground. Through the ringing in their ears, the squad could hear the rush of air as the Star-Light freighter screamed down from the sky. A heartbeat later, two more explosions echoed up. Shiv whooped. “Got ‘em, Jesse! Coming in for pickup now.”

“Shade!” Jesse called. “You’re up. We’ll cover you.”

“Right.” Shade scooped Fawn Juredo up in his arms and sprinted to the edge of the roof, bent low. The winged freighter settled down from the sky and hovered just out of reach. “Hold on.” He whispered. Juredo tucked her fingers into his collar plate and buried her face in his shoulder. Shade adjusted his hold on her slight frame and leapt from the rooftop. They hung for a brief moment in the air, then his feet touched the freighter’s loading ramp and they were aboard.

Jesse rose up and fired a few blaster bolts across the expanse. She ducked back down. “Shade’s away. Deacon, you and Gears are next.”

“But Jesse!” Deacon flinched as a blaster bolt slammed into the wall beside him, spattering him with rock fragments.

“Don’t argue with me.” Jesse snapped, firing another round and dropping a trooper that had been unlucky enough to raise his head. “Go!”

Deacon threw her an unhappy glare, but began crawling back toward the edge of the building. Jesse rose up on her knees and fired a spray of blaster bolts to cover Deacon and Gears’ retreat. She dove for cover as an answering hail of bolts strafed the wall she hid behind. She looked around at Tra’avis. The boy was curled into a ball at the base of the boxy environmental unit they were shielded by, his hands over his ears. Jesse grinned. “You okay, kid?”

He looked up at her with wide brown eyes. “Can’t you do something?” He shouted.

“Like what?” She demanded.

“I don’t know! Don’t you have grenades or something?”

She shook her head. “I’ve got a few. But there’s no way I can throw that far.”

He brightened suddenly. “I can help.”

She studied his eager face and shrugged. “It’s worth a shot.” She dug a thermal detonator out of her pocket and held it up for the boy’s inspection. “You ready?” He nodded, his blond hair billowing wildly in the wind. “Okay. Three. Two. One.” Jesse sprang to her feet and hurled the grenade toward the cluster of troopers. On his hands and knees, Tra’avis edged around the enviro unit and raised one shaky hand. The grenade halted in its downward arc and hurtled across the roof in a straight line. It bobbed a little, then fell to the ground in the middle of the knot of soldiers. It blinked rapidly four times and exploded.

Jesse peeked around the enviro unit. The blaster fire had stopped. She grinned and nudged Tra’avis. “Nice job, kid. I might just keep you around.”

The boy didn’t look up. He stared blankly ahead, his brown eyes the size of saucers. “They’re all dead.” He breathed, raking his fingers through his shaggy hair. “I killed them all.”
She took hold of his shoulders and jerked him around roughly. “Those weren’t stun bolts they were shooting at us.” She said sternly. “They were trying to kill you back.”

He nodded shakily and stood up.

“Jesse.” Shiv’s voice crackled through their comms. “You’ve got company. North end of the building.”

Jesse dragged Tra’avis to the ground, peering around the environmental unit. She swore. Stalking across the rooftop, outlined starkly against the stars, came a dark figure at the head of a squad of rocket troopers. The warrior was dressed in black and silver armor. An angular helmet obscured his face, and his spidery fingers held a long, double-headed staff. “It’s over, Republic dogs.” He shouted across the empty roof. “Surrender now and you may live.”

“Shiv.” Jesse whispered. “We need a pickup. Now.”

“Roger.” The ship made another pass but as it slowed to allow for boarders, one of the troopers raised his missile launcher to his shoulder and fired. The ship canted sharply, narrowly avoiding a flaming death. “No good, Jesse.” Shiv sounded shaken. “You gotta get rid of those rockets.”

Swearing under her breath, Jesse searched through her pockets and produced another grenade. She handed it to Tra’avis. “That’s my last one. Make it count kid.”

He nodded, his brown eyes wide. Scraping his blond hair out of his face, Tra’avis took the grenade and crept along the boxy unit that shielded them from sight. Delicately, he lifted the grenade from his hand and floated it gently through the air toward the cluster of soldiers.
The explosion rocked them, even across the roof. Jesse's ears were ringing, so she didn't hear Tra’avis’ scream. Something heavy and very sharp hit her in the shoulder, flattening her like a bantha stampede over a paper sailboat. Her belly plate absorbed a monstrous kick. Jesse rolled sideways and the sharp thing whacked her back plate, leaving a gash in the dark green paint. Her HUD was screaming warnings at her. One more hit like that and she'd be in real trouble.

Jesse kicked her kama out from under her and rolled to her feet, landing in a fighting crouch, one forearm bristling blades, the other groping for her pistol. Fierfek. Her holster was empty.

“Surrender, Republic dog.”

“Digur bic, shabuir*.” Jesse growled inside her helmet. She lunged at her attacker, gauntlet blades singing out from their housings. Her blade slashed up, skittered off durasteel, and the staff cracked into her helmet, sending her sprawling. She caught a descending blow on her gauntlet and a kick in her chest knocked her back another foot.

Jesse rolled away just as the bladed staff stabbed into the ground in her shadow. Fierfek. She hated force-users. She took a few running steps but an invisible hand sized the nape of her neck and dragged her back. She lashed out with a boot, felt the satisfying crunch of armor on bone and the grip on her neck loosened, sending her tumbling down onto the duracrete. Her helmet bounced off her head and rolled away.

Crawling backwards, eyes blazing, Jesse flung a throwing knife at her dark attacker. He swatted it away like a gnat. With an outstretched hand, the helmeted dreadnought raised Jesse into the air. She felt the invisible fingers gouging at her throat. Her feet kicked in empty air. Rage and fear pounded in her head. She clawed at her pouches for a knife, a grenade, anything, but her gloved fingers fumbled on emptiness. Her ears were ringing. Blackness gnawed at the corners of her vision. Fierfek. She hated force-users.

“Hey!” A shrill voice stabbed through the darkness. “Drop her.”

The helmeted warrior snapped around with a snarl. There in the middle of the carnage, framed by blazing turrets, his robes and face blackened, stood Tra’avis Endell, his lightsaber burning azure in the darkness. “Foolish child.” The dark warrior hissed. His fingers tightened on Jesse's throat.

“I said” Tra’avis raised his blade level with his shoulder. “Drop her.”

“As you wish.” The black figure flung Jesse into an eviro-unit and leaped at the Jedi, razor-staff raised. Tra’avis ducked, leaped to the side, and spun around, slashing at his opponent’s exposed back. He dodged another swipe of the staff, absorbed a glancing blow to the shoulder, and rolled sideways again.

Jesse lay where she had fallen, blinking the brights out of her eyes. Distantly she watched the combat between boy and battle-master and she remembered something she had heard about the Vurus brand of force-users. Not Jedi, not Sith, unknown in any other star system, thought to be only a legend even on Vurus, they were fierce and deadly staff-masters, unrestrained by morality, unbeatable in combat. No wonder Tra’avis didn't wasn't doing too well.

The boy was being inexorably driven back against the edge of the roof. His attacker, twice his size, four times his strength, was leisurely laying about him with crushing blows. It would be a simple thing, Jesse could see, to run the boy through and be finished but the battle-master seemed to be enjoying himself. Jesse shook her head and jerked herself to her feet, staggering a little as the world swam. She groped for her pistol. Gone. Her rifle, gone. Her long knife, go-- oh, there it was.

Tra’avis fell back against the roof’s waist-high wall, every muscle in his body straining against the masked enemy’s staff as it pressed down on him, trying to pin him to the wall. His narrow face gleamed with sweat. His dirty blond was plastered to his forehead. He gritted his teeth as the razor edge of the staff pressed down on him like a star-destroyer on a bathtub sailboat. “Is this what the Jedi have become?” The voice was a sibilant hiss. “Foolish children who can’t even use their lightsabers?” The lightsaber tore itself from Tra’avis’ hands and clattered, dark and useless, into the shadows. “Stupid boy.” The black figure cackled. “You could never have defeated me.”

With a final, desperate effort, Tra’avis screwed his eyes shut and shoved his hands straight out against his attacker’s chest. The battle-master flew backwards across the roof and crashed into the duracrete wall, his helmet spinning off into the darkness, his staff whirling out of his fingers. Jesse was on him instantly, her long knife driving itself into the joints between his armor plates. She rolled away just as quickly, leaving the blade protruding from the reddening armor. Her hand was already on another blade when his staff whoosed past her and into his grasp. In the blood light, the long white head was ghastly as it leered down at her. “You were foolish to ally yourself with the Jedi, Mandalorian. They are a dying sect, and you” He raised his staff. “Will die with them.”

Jesse sprang back and that was all that saved her. The razor-staff sliced through what would have been her neck and left a white-hot line of pain across her face. Blinded, Jesse fell back, her gauntlets raised protectively across her face. Another blow knocked her back and stumbled and fell full-length on the ground. Through the blood in her eyes, Jesse saw the battle-master loom over her, his staff raised for the killing stroke. Even as his hand descended, a little circle of red blossomed between his eyes. He went absolutely still and sagged to the ground, his face frozen in a puzzled expression.

Cursing, wiping blood out of her eyes, Jesse wriggled out from under the black-clad body. She pulled her knife free and looked around, weaving slightly. Tra’avis Endel was still standing frozen, her Verpine pistol in his skinny hands. Jesse looked from him to the crumpled body and whistled under her breath. Fierfek. Maybe force-users did have their uses.

“Jesse, what’s going on down there?” Shiv’s voice was loud in her ear.

“Nothing.” She sounded a little dazed even to herself. “All clear. Come on down.”

Their little ship circled into position and Jesse took the young Jedi’s arm. He stared at her with wide brown eyes. “You ok, kid?”

He nodded, his eyes still blank. Their little freighter hove into view, washing the roof with air and noise. The loading ramp dropped. “All aboard!” Shiv crowed.

Jesse shoved the boy toward the edge of the roof. “Go!” She screamed over the pounding of the engines. They sprinted across the empty roof, the backwash tearing at their hair and robes. Jesse snatched her helmet from where it lay, sized Tra’avis’ wrist, vaulted the guard-wall and leaped into the void.

They landed in a heap on the ramp, Tra’avis still screaming. “All aboard, Shiv.” Deacon shouted, helping them into the cargo bay. “Take us home.”