Shadie veered the corner formed by some crates that were stacked high enough to block all view and most sounds coming from the rest of the main area of the cargo hold. Kromus was sitting on some lower crates when Shadie came to him. It was as though they were in an alcove at the end of a small labyrinth, and they were in perfect privacy.
‘Sit,’ Kromus gestured.  ‘Let us negotiate.’
‘There is nothing to negotiate!’ replied Shadie. Her expression hardened.
‘There is,’ Kromus insisted, looking up at her. He let her probe him with the Force, let her feel his intent.
‘What is there to negotiate?’ she said after some time, at last sitting down and facing him.
Kromus waited until she was fully seated. ‘Our relationship.’
For a long moment she just stared at him. Her expression seemed incredulous. Then her expression softened, somewhat.
‘All right. I’m listening.’
‘Thank you. Being able to talk to you, Shadie, means a lot to me. I’m sorry. I’ve caused you so much pain. But many make mistakes. I’ll start from the beginning. I, uh,’ he paused.
Kromus knew some of what he would say would upset her. He also knew a lot of what he was about to say, no other soul knew, save perhaps only Gourd. Others were things he’d not dared admit to himself, things he knew if he’d expressed earlier on, perhaps Shadie might not have left, or at least, perhaps she would not hate him so much. He took a breath.
‘I… I wanted an apprentice, I was still so young, a mere adolescent, but I knew a baby would be perfect for my greedy needs. I could raise it, train it, my own little brother or sister, and I would use him or her to grow in power and let…her sacrifice herself for me if it came to that.’
‘I know that already,’ said Shadie.  ‘I…appreciate you finally being honest about it.’
Kromus smiled genuinely, lightly. ‘When I found out there was a Force-sensitive child on Mandalore, through spies who were among the Jedi at the time, I seized the opportunity and I planned out the kidnap. I took you; I killed your parents greedily. I had assumed the child was a boy, but it pleased me greatly to have a sister, I don’t know why; I was very happy to have a sister. I planned the future out perfectly. Our future.’
‘You didn’t just plan it out, Kromus,’ said Shadie, crossing her arms, ‘you made it happen.  Remember our conversation the first time I killed you?’  That felt like a pang in Kromus’s heart. ”First time:” it implied she intended on killing him again. She was angry, with good cause, but Kromus said nothing, he just listened as she went on.  ‘It all still hurts, Kromus. You betrayed me. Lied to me. But me turning to the light side is not a betrayal towards you, as you told me it was last time I killed you. It was me seeking healing. I could only be more powerful if I healed. And I found that healing among the Jedi.’
‘I understand that now,’ admitted Kromus.  ‘And yes, I made it all happen as I had planned it, Shadie, up until you discovered the truth of the lies I had fed you for my own dark purposes. But…’ He hesitated. This was the most difficult part to admit, but he knew he had to, despite being a Sith Lord, if there was any hope of Shadie joining him again. For the light she had leant to master, he had to say it, had to be a little light himself. ‘But what I had not planned, was to come to care for the child and love the child as my own sister, as though she were of my own bloodline. And I still love you, Shadie. Perhaps your light can sense that, perhaps your light can help us both understand each other’s hurt that my actions caused. Perhaps you can forgive me for those actions?’
Shadie looked surprised. She uncrossed her arms. Kromus had a tear, he felt it, and he let Shadie see it, let her sense through the Force that he was telling her the truth. He let Shadie feel that he would do anything to have her by his side again, anything at all, and if that made him weak, then so be it. Shadie looked like she was holding back tears.
Kromus reached a hand out to her.  She stared at it a long time before she took it.
‘Tell me, Shadie, where it hurts, how I hurt you, so I can understand your pain and anger towards me, so I can perhaps seek forgiveness within myself for losing you.’
Shadie nodded and began to speak.

Continue reading Chapter Nine.

Knarf had tried to slice his way out of the room using the panel at the door. It was as though the panel was Knarf proof. There wasn’t anything he couldn’t slice, except for this kriffing door.  He sighed.  The room was dark and dank.
He took a few steps and looked around. He felt as though he’d walked into another trap. Well, actually he had been pushed in. That Sith with the tip of his blade so close to his face, the heat of it almost burning him, had caused an emotional flashback and he had not wanted to take the chance of losing part of his face. He could feel, truly and fully feel, Shadie, worried and afraid for him. The presence she’d felt. That meant the faint presence of Kromus was here in this room.
Brenum had given Knarf a few pointers on honing his sensitivities with Shadie. Knarf had no intention of becoming a Jedi; he only wished to develop his connection with his Lady, to strengthen their bond. They had something special, it would only become more special with time. He focused on that bond, hoping it would show him the way out.
‘Knarf.’ He paused. Had he just heard a whisper? ‘Knarf!’
No, it had shouted. It seemed… Was it Kromus’s voice?  He remembered the Sith Lord’s voice from the holorecording he’d watched before Shadie had killed him the first time.
‘Who’s there?’ called Knarf, alarmed and frightened. His heart pounded.
‘Knarf.’
Suddenly, he realised the voice was in his head. ‘I must be going mad,’ he thought.
‘You are not, Knarf. You are Force-sensitive. You’ve begun honing in on and perfecting your powers.  I can help you Master them. You can become more powerful than even Shadie.’
Knarf said nothing. He walked towards the source of the goading voice reverberating in his head. There, in the corner, at the far back of a narrow corridor within the room, to the far side of the room, there was a glow, a reddish purple glow. It stood on a stand; it was shaped like a pyramid.
Knarf felt his heart leap. He also felt fear that wasn’t his. He looked about. There must be monitors and security cams somewhere, he figured. Shadie must be seeing, she must know.  Therefore he knew: this was Kromus’s Holocron.
‘Take me, Knarf.  I am already activated.  I shall show you how to use the Force.’
‘You will turn me to the dark side, and you know, for Shadie, that would be worse than losing me to death.’
‘You resist because you fear. Let me show you the true potential of the Force.’
‘Aach!’
Knarf put his hands to his head. He could see images. He stood his ground. He was feeling things, seeing things, tasting the Force in its purest and most raw forms. Sensing the Force more intensely than the energies he felt with Shadie, more intensely than anything he had ever known in all his life. His expression hardened.
‘You know, you’re right, Holocron.’ He heard a satisfied breath issue from the voice behind the thought in the holocron.  ‘I am Force-sensitive. I can feel the Force. I can learn to use it. Therefore I can wield a lightsaber too. And…’
With a snap-hiss, he activated Brenum’s blade. The yellow hue glowed brightly in the dim-lit room, illuminating his face and contrasting with the colours illuminated by the holocron. The hum of the blade echoed loudly.
Knarf smiled maliciously.

Continue reading Chapter Eight.

Standing aboard the bridge of the Republic flagship, the dreadnought called Force of Peace, Knarf took it all in. They had found, well the Jedi had found, Kromus’s army waiting for them in the Mid Rim near Iridonia. Apparently the Sith had used some sort of Force-meld to announce their presence there. It also explained why several of the Sith were Zabrak.
The ship’s Captain, a Quarren from the world of Mon Calamari, cohabiting the world with the Mon Calamari themselves, stood near the large viewport, watching the battle wage beyond the transparisteel viewport: starfighters swirling and dancing about, quad lasers, cannon batteries and proton batteries, all going off out in space around the frigates, freighters, battle cruisers, and dreadnoughts. Many beings of many species at different posts on the Force of Peacewere targeting and manoeuvering.
Shadie stood in the centre of the bridge, in a meditative stance, hands clasped behind her, eyes closed, and beautiful as ever. Brenum and Trylia stood by her side, each to one side, in the same stance. They were in a Jedi battle meld, using Battle Meditation to help coordinate the fight outside. The Jedi Master who was named Salah stood with Talyc and a few other Mandalorians whom he had brought with him to be part of Shadie’s boarding team.
Knarf smiled. Talyc had said to him: ”I formed you into a half-decent Mando, I’m not letting you out of my sight to worry if you’ll die.”  He smiled again and looked down at the helmet in his hands, the vibroblade and repeater rifle that were secured on his utility belt. Who had known a simple slicer would become a warrior.  So many unpredictable events causing his life to go to shambles, sending him tumbling away from the path he had set himself on. And he was glad of it, glad it had happened. He wouldn’t change any of it. He looked at his leg in its armour.  Well perhaps he’d change getting the bottom half of his left leg sliced off by a Sith lightsaber. Although, the prosthetic was better than a droid’s limb, it had prosthetic skin, he could feel with it, function with it as though it were a normal leg, and it took very little maintenance to keep it functional. However, the pain when Lahnius had sliced it off had been excruciating. Thinking about it too much brought the pain back, and that, he could dispense with.
The com chimed.  The voice of the Mandalore came through.
‘We’re ready to jump in on your mark,’ he said.
‘Hold position for now,’ replied the Quarren Captain in his guttural voice, with a somewhat slurred basic.  ‘Let us wait and see what surprises the Sith bear first.’
‘He is waiting for me,’ said Shadie, still in her stance. She opened her eyes  ‘I sense he will try to draw me in. He hopes I will want to save the Jedi and the Republic from further death.’
‘Then that is good news,’ replied the Quarren in anticipation.  ‘More ships approach.’
No sooner had the Captain spoken the words than many more ships appeared coming from hyperspace: battle cruisers, dreadnaughts, and destroyers. Knarf gaped at the amount of starfighters that bled from each of the larger ships.
‘Mandalore,’ said the Quarren.  ‘The playground, I mean the battlefield, is yours.’
Knarf thought he actually heard the Mandalore laughing. Then he realised that he was.
‘Hehehe, I like you, Quarren. If ever you should tire of the Republic, you’ll know where to go.  Now, it’s time to teach these Sith scum who’s boss of this galaxy. Mandalore out.’
Brenum whistled. ‘Arrogant man, isn’t he?’
‘Like you’re one to talk,’ replied Trylia.
Knarf took his gloves off and stood behind Shadie. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the shoulder, permeating comfort to quell her fears. He did not care who the onlookers were, this was war, anything could happen; it was no time to worry about professionalism. Besides, he was a slicer and a warrior, not a politician or an official of the Republic.
‘I believe in you, my Lady,’ he said.
Shadie turned to face him, smiling. She gave him a quick kiss without a word. Then nodded at the others who filed up behind her. Knarf stayed by her side as they began to walk to the turbolift at the back of the bridge.
‘Shadie,’ called out Master Salah. Shadie stopped and looked at her. ‘Remember all that Master Juun Kloh taught you.’
Shadie nodded but did not continue. ‘Mandalore arrives,’ she said instead.
Just then, dozens of ships appeared, sleek in design. There were so many and they were so large.  No wonder the Mandalorian blockade was a force to be reckoned with.
‘Aha!’ cried the Quarren Captain in triumph.  ‘The Sith are now sandwiched.’ His head tentacles swayed with satisfaction.
Indeed it was true. The Sith ships were surrounding the Republic forces, with the Mandalorians on the exterior of the battlefield.  The Sith had nowhere to go.
Shadie smiled. ‘This time, we will win.’
Everyone followed Shadie down to the main hangar and into the Krayt Dragon.  Brenum and Trylia went to the cockpit. The Mandalorians installed themselves in the main hold. Shadie took Knarf by the hand and sat down.  He took her hand in both hands and kissed it. On the edge of such a massive battle, what could he say? She smiled at him. He put a hand on her face, replacing her hair.
‘My beautiful, my gorgeous Lady of the Force. My pure light.’
He kissed her.  They would soon be in battle with the Sith aboard Kromus’s dreadnought, perhaps die. So he kept kissing her as long as he possibly could, hungrily and passionately, feeling their amazing energies that fuelled him with life and desire. Even though they’d just shared an intimate moment on the way to Iridonia, he wanted more of Shadie, more of the energies, more of her love, and he could feel she wanted more of him. Finally, he realised they were far from alone. He blushed, pausing his kissing, and looked at the others.
‘Oh, you can keep going,’ said Talyc.  Shadie gave him a look. ‘Or not.’
Knarf burst out laughing. And as the Dragon descended into the hangar of Kromus’s large and ”real” flagship, Knarf put his gloves on, looked one more time at Shadie and put his helmet on.  Their battle had just begun. He secured his weapons and stood.
‘We ready?’ he asked.
‘Question is, are you?’ said Talyc.
‘Well, as long as I walk out of this fight with both legs intact, I’m good.’
‘You mean as long as you walk out,’ said Brenum, coming from the cockpit.  ‘As I recall, you were carried out last time by the Force,’ he continued pointing at Trylia.
‘Such minor details,’ replied Knarf in mock dismissiveness.
‘Easy for you to say, you were unconscious through most of it.  Whereas I…’
‘You are going to shut your mouth,’ said Trylia.
Shadie smiled. ‘I don’t know what traps await us but we must be careful. We must be vigilant. There will be many Sith and we need to find the Holocron as well. Kromus may have it near him to help fuel his life force. If not, we need to find out where he’s hidden it in order to avoid him coming back to life a second time.’  She paused. ‘May the Force be with us.’

Continue reading Chapter Seven.

The meeting took the most part of the morning and the beginning of the afternoon to strategise a plan. Present were Mandalore, Kelbourn, Talyc, Knarf, Shadie, Brenum, Trylia, Master Salah, and the whole of the Jedi Council, with of course Master Herl’unik, the Grand Master.
Then the Mandalorians, along with Knarf, were dismissed, and the Jedi stayed a bit longer. Surprisingly, there was less talk of the risks involved or of Kromus, but more of his holocron. There was the possibility that it could be with him if he still needed it to feed him power, otherwise they would need to find out where he’d hidden it. If they did not, he could be brought back another time and Shadie would be forced to kill him yet a third time. There was much talk of what to do in the event Shadie would die, and if — it was implied by some of the masters present — she turned to the dark side. They also discussed the consequences of such things on the galaxy and the Republic. Much was at stake.
When the meeting was over, Shadie found Knarf in one of the corridors not far from the Council Chamber, sitting on a bench, looking down at his helmet, which he held in his hands. He looked grim.
‘Knarf,’ said Shadie as she approached, ‘what’s wrong?’
‘Well,’ he said, ‘I have a decision to make.’ He stood and paced a bit, then faced her. ‘I’ve been asked by the Mandalore himself to join the battle with the Mandalorians. I’d have my own starfighter, and then we would board some of the Sith ships.’
‘Oh.’ Shadie took it in.  ‘What about you staying by my side?’
Knarf looked away. ‘That’s what I’m not sure about anymore.’
‘I don’t understand. Are you afraid you might die?’
‘Look, you will defeat Kromus, and then what? Be a Jedi? And me, I can go back to slicing and programming, or I can join the Mandalorians…’
‘We can be together,’ said Shadie, ‘because we want to be, and we’ll figure out the rest together.’
‘That’s just it, Shadie. I’m not sure what I want. I know I care about you and I want to be with you. I know I don’t want to lose you, nor to death, nor to the dark side. I know that you make me happy…’
‘Then where’s the problem? What’s holding you back?’ Shadie could feel her heart thumping; she could feel fear, sadness, and anger within her. ‘Knarf, I care about you more than you may ever know. You make me happy and I want to be with you.’
‘But it’s not as simple as that, is it?’ Knarf looked pained to be voicing these thoughts.          Shadie shook her head. His words made her feel disposable, and she knew he was sensing that from her somehow, she knew he was sad and hurt to see her sad and hurt.
‘Why does it have to be complicated?’ she said softly.  ‘What are you afraid of?’
He shrugged. ‘I’m not sure. What are you afraid of?’
Shadie swallowed hard.  Knarf could tell fear was dominating her being at that moment; just by the way he looked at her, she knew he sensed it.
‘I… I can’t say,’ she said at last.
There was a long awkward silence filled with sadness, as Knarf started to turn and go, and Shadie did nothing to hide her tears. She felt disposable. She’d never felt that before, and she couldn’t explain why the situation was making her feel this way, but she let her emotions through so that Knarf could feel it too. Perhaps through the Force, he would understand what words could not express.
‘Oh, Shadie,’ said Knarf tenderly. He turned back to her and put a hand on her face and wiped a tear. He looked sad, confused.  ‘I’m sorry. I’m hurting you right now, aren’t I? I don’t want to lose you, I’m just scared. And it’s hurting me. But I don’t know if I can do this, fight by your side. Watch you almost die again, or almost turn to the dark side. I’m not sure if I’m more afraid of losing you or of dying.  I don’t even know if I should be fighting in this war at all. Look at me, a Mandalorian warrior, but I’m just a slicer.’ He paused, his deep brown eyes staring at her in a piercing gaze. ‘I need time to figure it out.’
Shadie looked at him straight in the eyes.
‘I love you,’ she said at last.  ‘And I fear that you don’t feel the same.’
Knarf swallowed, as though taking her words in.
Before he could reply, a dark figure jumped down from the ceiling airshaft, causing both of them to bounce back in a stagger. The hooded being ignited a crimson blade and struck Knarf at the mid. Knarf fell back, recovering with a barrel roll. He looked at the Sith assassin as he remained in a crouched position.
‘Mandalorian beskar’gam, you Sith poodoo. You’re not going to kill me that easily.’

Continue reading Chapter Six.