Story:Jedi's Price

From New Republic Navy Wiki

JEDI’S PRICE

By LongShot

The North Pole of Coruscant was bitter cold, the snow and howling winds making visibility nearly impossible from the Snowspeeder canopies. The New Republic had been warned of the potential disaster and most of the government had been moved in case the worst would happen. Mon Mothma had made a general announcement, but most people would not be able to leave the planet in the week that was left before the generators were fully charged. Now the search for the generators by the NRN had become a primary concern. Republic scientists figured that Vader had equipped them with Cloaking Shields so they couldn’t be detected, but that would mean there were forces in place to activate and deactivate the shields to receive the activation signal. Most of Coruscant was one huge city, but the two poles were devoid of life with temps dropping to a bone-chilling -80° C in the dead of winter. This inhospitable climate, coupled with the electromagnetic disturbances at the poles, made actual visual sighting of the generator a must. The two generators at the equator had been found earlier in the week and brought offline, but the two at the poles had not. The resultant explosion wouldn’t necessarily destroy the planet outright, but it would flash-vaporize parts of the icecaps into huge clouds of steam and melt the rest of them into monster floods that would cover the face of the planet. That coupled with the sun-obscuring steam would kill off all life on Coruscant, making it a ghostly reminder of the capriciousness of the Empire.

The snowspeeders banked and dipped over the side of a high ridge, skimming only about 10 meters off the ground. Each speeder was equipped with a large ball that hung underneath it, rotating about once every second, using gravitational pulses to scan for the signal given off by the cloaking shield. The Gravitational Scanning Pod had to be watched manually, so the pilots were paired up with gunners in their speeders.

"Picking up something on the long range bandwidth, Boss." Game called out to LongShot from the back seat of the speeder.

LongShot nodded, thinking ruefully how much quieter a starfighter was than a speeder in atmosphere.

"Patch it through to the others, and get the Ion Bombs ready to go."

The information was shared with the other speeders in the squad: Mother and Lenex; and LockUp and Deceptor. The seventh member of the squad had landed in the area earlier and was waiting for the speeders to reveal the target before he would try to enter the generator and shut it down. Lando squinted against the harsh cold, even with his mask and goggles on. It was snowing so hard he almost didn’t see the three massive gray forms hazily moving behind the curtain of falling snow.

"LongShot! This is Lando! We’ve got walkers on the ground at three point oh three from your position! They haven’t seen me yet, but the surely know you’re there!"

As if to punctuate the point, the AT-ATs opened fire on the approaching speeders sending them scrambling out of the way and higher into the gathering storm.

"Mother! I need you and LockUp to run interference for a minute while we try to drop these bombs! Once we do, we can at least let Lando go to work!"

Mother swooped her speeder through the legs on one walker then climbed sharply over the back of another one while LockUp streaked between two of the lumbering behemoths laying his speeder on its side to squeak through the space.

"We got you covered, LongShot! Go!" LockUp shouted into the din.

LongShot held the speeder steady, knowing how dangerous it was to fly straight but having no choice but to do as Lenex set up the trajectory of the bomb.

"Come on, Game! We can’t do this forever!" he prompted, feeling the speeder shake from a near hit.

"You wanna come back here and do it?" Lenex snapped back, feverishly working with the targeting computer before getting good tone. "GOT IT! DROP! DROP! DROP!"

LongShot pulled the bomb release lever, sending the twin globes of Ion energy arcing toward their intended target. There was a hard jolt through the speeder and a scream of tearing metal before LongShot realized the controls were frozen. Far below he watched the lightning crackle as the cloaking shield burned out and the black, cathedral like structure was visible against the backdrop of pristine white.

"Mother! We are going in!" LongShot barked, then yanked at the ejection handles over his head.

The canopy was blown clear, sending freezing wind lashing at their faces; a moment later, the ejection seats fired, blacking them out as they accelerated at over 400 kph away from their stricken craft. LongShot came to as his parachute opened, the silver square slowing his decent. In the distance, the remaining two speeders made tracks for the hidden landing area, dodging fire as the walkers tried to ensure that they wouldn’t be back. A little under a mile away the generator loomed over the frozen plain, standing like a black temple to some evil god of a bygone nightmare. A moment later, LongShot hit the ground, tucking in his legs and rolling with the force of the landing. He silently thanked Durrron for his flexibility training that he had been undergoing as he slapped the chute releases and let the fabric float away on the wind. Game came to the ground nearby, swearing as he plunged up to his waist in a snowdrift. A moment later he had worked himself loose and stood with his Commander.

"You do realize that we stand out like Tauntauns on Tatooine with these orange flight suits on, don’t you?" Game griped, his lightsaber held firmly in his hand.

LongShot pulled out his lightsaber, "Would you rather go naked? We already probably have frostbite on the face anyway."

Game gave him a sour look, then followed as LongShot began to make his way toward the generator.

Mother and LockUp landed their speeders, linking up with the Wilderness Commandos that had been assigned to this operation. Mother quickly slipped on a snowsuit over her flightsuit and slithered on her belly over to the bluff that looked over the grounds of the generator. The Special Forces Lieutenant passed her the macrobinoculars, still looking at the ebony monolith.

"We gotta get past those walkers somehow if we’re to be any help with this mess." The rugged man commented.

Mother nodded and handed the binoculars to LockUp. "You got any kind of speeder truck or repulsor tank here, Lieutenant Vrogan?"

Vrogan nodded, "Yeah, we do; and no, we won’t try what you’re thinking. The range on those chin-cannons mean that any one of those walkers could pick off the speeder truck the second it got into the open. You’ve got to remember, Commander, that the men in those walkers are probably Blizzard Force Command Stormtroopers; the best in the Empire for arctic environments like this. I also hear that they have Captain Terkuss now, and he was a ground-pounding commando once upon a time. No, we’ve got to try and sneak past them somehow."

LockUp slowly lowered the binoculars, "What we need is a good diversion." He commented.

The comlink crackled to life, "Mother, this is Lando. I’m inside the generator, now, keeping under cover. This place is absolutely crawling with Stormtroopers." Lando’s voice was a hissing whisper.

"Copy that, Lando, we’re trying to make it to your position, stand by until we get there." Mother replied.

Lieutenant Vrogan tugged at LockUp’s sleeve, pointing toward the grounds near the generator. "I think you’ve got your diversion, Lieutenant."

Two figures dressed in bright orange flight suits dodged from rock formation to rock formation, waiting for the walkers to fire a salvo before sprinting for the next available cover. The walker pilots appeared to be enjoying their little game, as they didn’t try to move in much closer and simply crush the two pilots. As they watched, the two pilots split off with each other, one ducking to the far side of the generator complex, and the other heading almost toward the walkers, near the main entrance.

"What in the name of the Force are they doing?" Vrogan wondered.

Mother grinned, "One pilot is going to get away, Lieutenant, and the other one is going to try and make himself a target to give his partner a good head start. Unless I miss my guess, the one heading towards the main entrance is LongShot, and the one heading around the back is Game. One is a Jedi Knight and the other is a Jedi Apprentice."

A moment later, a group of snowtroopers poured out of the entrance to the generator complex, trying to cut down the lone pilot. With a flash of golden light, the lightsaber ignited and the pilot was cutting a swath through the surprised troops. The walkers, unable to fire for fear of hitting their own troops, were forced to hold off, waiting impotently for a chance to fire. LockUp and Mother shared a look, each knowing that LongShot would be vaporized the moment he finished the last snowtrooper off.

"I’ve got an idea." LockUp finally said, jumping to his feet and grabbing Deceptor. "Come on, buddy, we got bombs to drop."

Deceptor scrambled to his feet, clambering into the gunner’s seat as LockUp powered the Snowspeeder’s repulsorlifts and started to lift off. The canopy powered shut as the sleek shape took to the sky, whipping snow all around it.

"He’s taking on three walkers alone?" Vrogan said with scarcely contained skepticism.

Mother shook her head, "No. All he has to do is take out the nearest one. The Ion bombs will take out its control systems, without which an AT-AT can’t stand. It will fall right into the other two since they are dumb enough to stand that close together. We pulled this little stunt during the war a handful of times."

Vrogan watched through the macrobinoculars as LockUp began his run, weaving to avoid the fire as the walkers realized he was there.

"You’re going to have to eyeball this one!" LockUp shouted over the crunching explosions of flak that shook the speeder. "I’m not going to be able to straighten out!"

"I read you!" Deceptor replied, feverishly making adjustments to his scopes to compensate for the movement. The lead walker loomed ever larger in the windshield, it’s dinosaur head facing them and spitting out a murderous barrage of fire.

"Now or never, Deceptor! Let her go!"

The two violet balls fell from the speeder as LockUp climbed almost vertical. They slammed into the armored hull of the walker, sending blue lightning arcing over the surface of the mechanical beast. It teetered for a moment, then slowly began to fall, crashing against the AT-AT next to it. The second walker staggered, then one of its back legs buckled under the added weight, sending it falling into the last walker’s legs. The legs snapped off at the midpoint with a shriek of tearing metal, sending the whole mess collapsing into a smoldering heap before the muffled explosions began to tear through the pile. A moment later, a massive explosion shattered the wrecked walkers, sending huge chunks of debris high into the air. The Commandos on the hillside cheered and began to charge the generator complex, blaster fire raking the area where the snowtroopers were pouring into the open. Mother grinned as LockUp flew overhead, wagging his wings before turning for a strafing run on the Imperial troops. She drew her blaster pistol and gave Lenex a thumbs up, watching him pull out his own blaster and follow the commandos.

LongShot felt the force of the explosion and its heat, maneuvering around behind the group of snowtroopers that blocked his progress into the building. His lightsaber flashed, deflecting a pair of blaster bolts before cutting two more troopers down in their tracks. A dark presence fluttered at the back of his mind, but he pushed it away, opening himself for the Force to flow through him. A Snowspeeder zoomed overhead, blaster cannons spraying wildly at the group of snowtroopers that was now pouring out of the building to meet the new threat. LongShot spun, decapitating a snowtrooper that had tried to get behind him. Looking around quickly, realizing that he was alone before he shut down the saber and ducked inside the building through a small air vent.

"Lando, this is LongShot. I’m in the airways here. I don’t know if I can get to your position. Continue mission at your discretion, LongShot out."

Lando keyed his mike once in affirmative, and LongShot continued to crawl along the ventilation shaft.

Beware the Dark Side, Jayce. Bithowwi’s gravelly voice echoed in his mind. Your destiny awaits you ahead, and this is the time where you are most vulnerable. Anger, fear, aggression; the Dark Side are they. Terkuss knows you and knows your heart, there will be no defense against his personal attacks. You must fall to stand, and you must die to live. Remember that your heart is your greatest weapon. May the Force be with you, Jayce. The voice trailed off, and LongShot paused for a long moment, trying to fathom what the old Jedi had just told him. After a moment, he continued on his way, knowing that he would just have to trust the Force for guidance. He crawled for what seemed like hours, finally coming to another grating near a set of turbolifts around the main reactor shaft. Two stormtroopers guarded the doors, blaster carbines held tightly in their hands. Stretching out with the Force, LongShot touched the blast door controls at the far end of the chamber, causing the door to flash open. The two troopers whirled, blasters held ready, but saw no one. Curiosity got the better of them, and they cautiously moved to investigate. Quickly, LongShot slid out of the shaft and darted for the turbolifts, ducking inside and closing the door before the stormtroopers could turn and fire. The lift carried LongShot up and up, into the very heart of the complex where the control center would be. Turning, LongShot gasped at the view. The lift was exposed to the outside of the complex, and he could see the fighting at the entrance far below him. The black surface of the monolith was spotted with yellow lights, all the way up to its peak nearly a full kilometer off the ground. So enamoured by the view was he that he almost didn’t feel the lift come to a stop and hear the door hiss open. LongShot felt the darkness in the room and peered into it. He was in a dimly lit control room, the black walls highlighted by long blue-white lights that cast eerie shadows into all corners. Control panels and displays flickered and scrolled, continuing their mundane tasks oblivious to this intruder. Far in the corner, standing on a raised platform with black robes wrapped around him, was Terkuss.

"I’ve been monitoring your progress, Jayce." He intoned his voice soft. "Your people have become an incredible annoyance to Lord Tremayne. He has sent me here to deal with you personally."

Fighting the sick feeling in his heart, LongShot forced himself to look into the dead eyes of his friend. "Come with me, Terkuss, we can help bring you back to the good man that you are. Tremayne is using you as a tool and nothing more."

Terkuss smirked, walking down the stairway to draw nearer to LongShot. "I am a tool, Jayce, I was created for that purpose."

LongShot wrapped his hand around his lightsaber, fighting back the fear that was threatening to overwhelm him.

"Created, Terkuss? You were born a free being like all of us."

Terkuss shook his head, and LongShot could sense the anger and bitterness, "I am not a man, Jayce, I am a clone. Just like all of the others that Grand Admiral Thrawn created during his reign. I was created long ago by order of the Emperor, but somehow the memory infusion didn’t work and I became flawed. Now I have returned to where I belong. What I was always meant to be."

LongShot reeled, "That’s not true, Terk! And even if it were, you are you! You’re not some tool of a long-dead Emperor that wanted to use you for a hollow shell. You aren’t even a slave to Tremayne or the Dark Side! You are Captain Terkuss of the New Republic Navy, father of Sapphyre and hero of the Rebellion. You are also my friend."

Terkuss snarled in rage, "Enough! Prepare to meet the Force!" the crimson lightsaber blade ignited in a blur of movement and sliced through the air at LongShot’s head. LongShot parried the blow, spinning and countering with a sweep at Terkuss’ feet. Terkuss leapt over the blade, bringing his own in a downward arc. LongShot sidestepped and struck the red blade aside, leaping backward and more into the open room.

"I won’t let you do this, Terkuss!" he called out desperately, keeping his saber held in a defensive posture.

Terkuss lunged at LongShot, driving him back with a series of lightning thrusts and parries. LongShot barely was able to block all of them, constantly falling back, but careful not to be trapped against the control surfaces. Lifting a hand, Terkuss used the Force to crush LongShot’s windpipe in a vice like grip. LongShot grimaced and fought off the next group of attacks, fighting with all of his will to break the hold on his throat. With a focus of energy, LongShot thrust his hand, fingers extended at Terkuss, the wave of Force energy knocking the dark-clad man backward and breaking his concentration. LongShot gasped for air, unable to press the advantage.

"You’ve grown strong, Jayce. I almost wonder if you have defeated your fear of turning to the Dark Side. But I can feel it welling inside you, clawing to be released. I am everything you fear, everything you hate, everything you wish to destroy, Jayce. Strike me down!" Terkuss lunged again, and Jayce brought his blade up to meet the attack, standing his ground and fighting back until the two were clinched face to face, eyes boring into each other.

"I don’t fear you or hate you, Terkuss!" LongShot hissed, muscles strained to the breaking point. "I only pity you and feel grief for what was done to you."

Terkuss shoved LongShot away in vicious thrust, sending him sprawling. "I do not need your pity, nor do I want your grief! I only want your death!"

Leaping into the air, Terkuss brought his saber down, trying to skewer the Jedi upstart to the floor. LongShot brought up his feet and swung his laser sword, knocking the blade aside and propelling Terkuss over his head with the kick. Terkuss completed the flip, but not before LongShot sprang to his feet and blocked the next attack behind his back.

LongShot spun into a crouch, lashing out with his foot and catching Terkuss’ leg. Terkuss leapt back, avoiding the brunt of the blow, but allowing LongShot to turn and face his opponent again.

"You know what is right, Terkuss, Tremayne hasn’t fully twisted you. Let go of your hatred and remember those who care for you. I can feel your heart screaming to be set free." LongShot pleaded.

Terkuss raised his sword and charged again, drawing a parry from LongShot. The battle that had been simmering for the past three months raised another notch in intensity as it shifted from a battle to the death to a fight against damnation to the Dark Side.

Mother poked her head around one of the corners in the lower halls of the complex, nearly getting it taken off for her troubles. She yelped, pulling it back as the blaster bolts spattered against the wall nearby. Lenex ducked out, sending a salvo of blaster shots to reply in kind to the stormtroopers’. One trooper went down and the others scrambled back under cover. LockUp and Deceptor flattened against the wall on the other side of the hallway entrance, weapons held ready. They had fought their way in and gotten separated from the commando unit shortly thereafter. Now they were merely trying to cause as much havoc as they could until they got the word from Lieutenant Vrogan that the reactor had been shut down. Mother whirled, blaster in hand at a sound behind her. Lando skidded to a halt, throwing up his hands.

"Don’t shoot! It’s me!"

Mother glared at him, "You scared the wits out of me, Lando!"

"Sorry about that, but I thought you might want to know that this area that you’re hiding in is about to be flanked by a unit of snowtroopers." Lando reported.

LockUp and Mother exchanged looks; there was no where to retreat to, they were trapped. "Well," Lenex said grimly, "I don’t intend to surrender, how about any of you?"

Lando shook his head; Deceptor just hefted his blaster. "Been good flying with you guys." LockUp said with a pained smile, hearing the clattering of stormtrooper boots on the hard floor off to their left. Suddenly, there was a flurry of blaster shots and shouts of confusion and panic in the direction of the new group of stormtroopers. LockUp pumped a few shots down the corridor in the other direction to keep the other troopers honest, then looked with confusion toward the new silence to the left. Stepping around the corner, his dual-bladed saber in his hands, Game shouted at his stunned compatriots.

"What’re you waiting for? The control area is this way!"

Mother just shook her head in wonder, then sprinted down the hallway with the rest of the Saints to finish this little scrap against Tremayne’s death machines.

"Where’s LongShot?" LockUp asked Game, keeping pace.

Game’s face went serious; "He’s on the top level, with Terkuss."

The others clenched their teeth, now knowing that LongShot had been right about Terkuss being turned to the Dark Side.

"We’ve got to help him!" Lenex protested.

Mother shook her head, "We can’t, Lenex. We have to get this reactor offline."

"But-!"

"No, Lenex!" She admonished, "LongShot knew what he was doing when he went up there. We just have to hope that he can do what he has to."

Over the comlink, Lieutenant Vrogan’s voice shouted to be heard over blaster fire. "We’re cut off from the main control room! We’ve set charges around the support pylons for the building to bring it down! You’ve got ten minutes to get out of here before the whole complex comes down around you!"

LockUp swore vehemently, "You heard the man! Let’s move out!" he called to the other pilots, starting back down the corridor.

Deceptor thought to himself that they should be happy that they were going to stop Tremayne’s plans, but none of them were even considering that right now. LongShot was still up there, and there was no way he would be able to escape within the ten-minute deadline.

Up in the control room, both combatants circled warily, their bodies covered in sweat from their contest and their breathing heavy. LongShot heard the call to evacuate come in over his comlink, then looked up at Terkuss.

"It’s over, Terk; Tremayne has been beaten."

Terkuss flew into a rage, "It’s not over!" he hammered at LongShot with his saber, driving him back toward the turbolifts with the fury of his attack. LongShot leapt over Terkuss’ head, landing a good three meters away. Deliberately, he deactivated his laser sword and dropped to his knees, his head lowered in surrender.

"It’s over for me, Terkuss. If you can turn your back on those who love you, the daughter who adores you, and the people you fought to save, then strike me down and finish your journey to the Dark Side. But before you do; look into my heart and see if there is any deceit there about what I’ve said to you. Search my mind and see if there was any reason for me to come here and face you other than to save you from the abyss. If you do that and feel nothing, then kill me and be done with it; but look me in the eyes when you do."

Terkuss stepped forward, staring at LongShot as he slowly raised his sword. LongShot’s eyes never left his, even though they glimmered with tears. Images flashed through Terkuss’ mind. His daughter, Sapphyre; the men and women of the Raiders; he and LongShot fighting side by side during the war; hoping against hope that his friend had survived the Battle of Endor; the strong bond between warriors with a common cause for a common good. He realized that the tears in LongShot’s eyes weren’t of fear or pain, but they were tears for him. He was willing to sacrifice his life to save the man who had betrayed everything that he stood for. At that moment, something broke in Terkuss’ heart, and he felt the howling shriek as the Dark Side was driven away from him. His mind was overwhelmed as the backlash of his revolt lashed at him. He screamed, holding his head and dropping his lightsaber as bright white light flooded the room, bathing him in its purity. Then his world went black and he fell to the floor.

LongShot saw the light and heard the scream, using every ounce of his power to shield Terkuss’ mind from the Dark Side that sought to destroy that which it could no longer possess. The backlash struck LongShot with all the force of a turbolaser battery, slamming him to the floor next to his fallen friend. His head swam, and the darkness and roar faded away. He could sense Terkuss’ life draining away from him, and with his last bit of strength, LongShot placed his hand over his friend’s heart, sending his own life-force into him. The world spun and LongShot dropped to the floor again, unconscious.

Mother and the rest of the Silver Saints tore out of the massive complex, still exchanging shots with pursuing stormtroopers. The freezing air of arctic twilight tore at their lungs as they scrambled to put distance between them and the doomed reactor. The commando team broke from their hiding place on a nearby ridge, firing to provide cover for the fleeing pilots. The first in the series of explosions was a dull thump from deep within the bowels of the monstrosity; then they got louder and louder, a crescendo of destruction that shook the ground itself and sent the Saints diving for cover behind the nearest rock formation. The firing stopped as the sound of the building tearing itself apart reached deafening levels. It was almost as if the evil that was within it was screaming in impotent rage as it was being destroyed. For minutes on end it continued then there was silence, and Dark Overthrow was dead.

LockUp shakily got to his feet, surveying the smoldering ruins that littered the windswept snow. A tall Ithorian appeared next to him, nearly frightening him to death. The creature touched his arm, and a feeling of calm flowed over him.

"Your friends need your help, young one." The raspy voice told him, "They are alive, but weak. Gather your companions and look for them. The Jedi will know where they are."

LockUp heard himself say, "Who are you?"

The Ithorian smiled, "I am Bithowwi, Jedi Master and former advisor to Bail Organa of Alderaan; but that is not important, your friends need you."

LockUp turned around and helped Mother to her feet, "This Ithorian says that LongShot and Terkuss are nearby," he explained, "Game can help us find them."

Mother shook her head to clear the ringing out of her ears, "Ithorian? What Ithorian?"

LockUp spun around and realized the mysterious alien was gone, "Where’d he go? Bithowwi?" he started to call for the old Jedi and Mother grabbed his arm, eyes wide.

"Did you say ‘Bithowwi’?" she said, mouth suddenly dry.

LockUp turned to her, "That was his name, why?"

It was Game who answered, "Because Bithowwi was killed when Alderaan was destroyed, LockUp."

The pilot went pale, "Then who-?"

Game shook his head, "Jedi have been known to anchor themselves to someone after death; to help that person fulfill a destiny or mission."

Lando looked at the others, "Whatever the case, we need to find them before they freeze to death out here!"

Deceptor and Lenex ran to get two of the Snowspeeders while the others set out to look for their comrades. Game focused for a moment, then set off at a jog toward a nearby pile of debris.

"They’re over here! I don’t know how, but it doesn’t look like they’ve been hurt at all!"

He knelt next to LongShot and Terkuss, their bodies lying in a heap next to each other; with a hand on each forehead, he touched their minds.

"They’re alive." He reported, "Their minds have been hit by some kind of Force bolt, but I think they just need some rest and they will be alright."

Mother looked at Terkuss, "What about, him, Game? Is he still…"

Game shook his head, "Any taint of the Dark Side in him is gone," he broke into a smile, "LongShot did it."

The Snowspeeders landed, whipping up snow in the gathering gloom of night. Deceptor and Lenex leapt out, helping to load Terkuss and LongShot onto the craft. A moment later, they lifted off to head home, leaving the rest of the Saints to climb into their own speeders for the trip home. Lando and Game stayed behind to wait for the commandos, not having enough snowspeeders to go around. They grinned at each other as they huddled in the speeder truck, sharing some caffstim. They had faced down one of the greatest threats to the New Republic and survived; now it was up to the NRN to take the fight to Tremayne and end this once and for all. Tremayne had the Super Star Destroyer Guardian, and the tactical genius of Admiral Drommel; it would not be an easy fight.

Aboard Paradise Station, Terkuss was recovering in the sick bay from his weakness and his ordeal at the hands of Tremayne. He was awake and aware, and had worked through most of the guilt and self-loathing over the things he had done while under Tremayne’s influence. Sapphyre sat at his bedside, Razzberry had given her leave for the time being until the strike on Guardian. LongShot came into the room, wearing his jacket and pants that he jokingly called his casual duty uniform, with his lightsaber strapped to his hip. He smiled at his friend and sat down at the side of the bed.

"You going to be up for duty soon, Terk?" he asked quietly.

Terkuss considered that for a moment, "I don’t know if I want to face him, even from a fighter."

LongShot nodded, "I understand, Terk. But maybe you should."

Terk frowned, "Is that another one of those Jedi hunches?"

LongShot shook his head with a grin, "Nope, just Mother’s psychology rubbing off on me. You have to face a fear to beat it; and you have to see a fear conquered to believe that it no longer holds power over you. If you don’t, you will always doubt in the back of your mind, whether you can face it or not. Remember, the Force is with you now, whether you want it to be or not. You just need to learn how to use it the right way."

Terkuss mulled it over, "Let me think about it for a little bit."

LongShot nodded and patted his friend on the shoulder before going to the observation deck to look out at the stars.

As he sat there, he heard the voice of Bithowwi in his mind. You are a Jedi now, Jayce, strong in the Force; but the Dark Side is still powerful, and Tremayne is an enemy who won’t be so easily beaten, as he was this time.

"I know, Master Bithowwi, and we will be ready for him when the time comes. The Silver Saints have risen to every challenge they have faced. Now we will join with the rest of the NRN and end this threat once and for all."

For the moment, they had a brief respite. Battle would come soon enough for them, and they would fight again to preserve all they had worked for. Ionforce’s words came back to him from when he had first taken command of the Saints. "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."

"So be it," he murmured, "may we be ever vigilant."

Outside the window, he watched the glittering lights of the Archangel, sensing Jessa’s mind on board. Yes, the battle would be soon, but the Saints would take their rest and wait; defending their own until then.

The End