And on the Other Side

[Morris Cutler]

*The darkness engulfed the last traces of daylight as the evil one stood atop the marble tower. His frame shadowed the doorway leading back inside. The pale light of the moon casting a smoldering silhouette on the marble tiles beneath his feet. IN his hand he held the amulet. An instrument of power he had built nearing the end of his ascension to the self-proclaimed title of Dark Lord.*

*There was but one who stood in his way, one who claimed that he was the very essence of darkness. It's very own avatar of power. That man was Andrew Calor. The foolish prophecies, the air of overconfidence that surrounded the boy. In reality, next to Lord Zarok he was a boy, a boy who had to be destroyed.*

*His visions had been ever reaching as of late, and in his reveries he had seen the Sullustian Master, coming to him, seeking an end to the Sith hostilities. That moment would soon be at hand he thought, soon enough he would wipe away the traces of another of the puppets of the light.*

*It was in this revelation that he smiled to himself. Dark Lord Zarok, born of the very legacy of Gavin Spry had achieved his pinnacle. His dreams of power having seemingly come to fruition. It would only be a matter of time before Andrew Calor met his maker, and Zarok intended to be the hand of the force in severing that existance from this galaxy.*

-----------

*On the other side of the galaxy, Jensaarai Master Diem Dhiel sat in quiet meditation. Centering his presence he reached out, seeking his students, the ones who he had instructed in the ways of the Jensaarai.*

*He sensed Mika's presence, bright and vibrant somewhere in the mid-rim doing what she did best. Settling disputes. She hadn't seen much trouble in her line of work as a Consular and for that Diem was very thankful. Thankful she never had to endure the horrors he had faced.*

*Now he reached out, felt Kathryn Spry's presence, hesitant, unwilling to truly touch the force the way others did, the way her own parents did. Born of a union between Master and Apprentice, she had chosen Diem because of his more-diplomatic, less-combat demeanor. It was indeed true that she possessed very little of the combat prowess her father, and in some ways her mother did possess.*

*Finding his solitude he melded into the billowing breeze, the rythmic swaying of the trees. It was then the Dark Man returned to his vision.*

*He had seen this vision for several weeks now, all signs pointing to some great conflict.*

*He saw the crimson blade move, a move he intercepted, then in the downward stroke he felt the searing pain. The intense fire rippling through him as the blade found it's mark, severing him completely in half. His face contorted into a peaceful smile.*

*Diem Dhiel's last stand, according to the force. Inevitably it would come, yet Diem found peace. Waking from his meditations he returned to the conference room where the delegates were now jovially talking and eating dinner.*

*My time is coming he thought, the question remains what will you do with the time that's left.*

[Morris Cutler]

Kalit kept a safe following distance as the ship that he had been tracking exited hyperspace orbiting the Sith World of Ziost. Triggering his communications sensor he tried to reach haven.* -Haven this is Sand Digger One, anyone near operating the comm station.-

Sand digger one, this is Allison at Haven. What do you need Kalit?" The young Jedi's voice was breezy and cheerful

-Morning control, are there any master's available. Perhaps Master Knight, or Master Katarn. I possess urgent news that I need to relay directly to them.-

"Well, Master Katarn is busy babysitting, so I'll get Master Knight for you." In a few minutes her heard a brisk,"Knight here."

"Master Knight, I need a team sent to Ziost as quick as possible. I had been following young Storm but got separated at Vjun. However I caught the exhaust drives of another ship leaving moments after I arrived. The presence was decidedly dark and I went in pursuit. I have tracked this ship to the Sith world of Ziost and I now believe that I am following Lord Zarok himself. This is a pivotal opportunity to capture another of Gavin's Warlord's I need assistance if at all possible.-

"We'll scramble," said Linda. "Be careful until we get there," she said.

-Is Admiral Storm available, we may need Naval Support before this is all over. I intend to pursue him on planet and watch. If I see an opportunity to get him I will take it, make haste, we may not have another opportunity like this again. No one below the level of Master here either, this place teems with the darkside.-

"I'll see," she said. "Master Raven, Master Erickson and Master Storm all seem to have gone off in some direction, they left no word why. and Master Qixonis is gone also. she worries me, as she reads ....odd."

"That is not good, tell Master Katarn that he is in charge of the order until she returns. Normally it falls to me when Master Qixonis is away, but I am already gone. I am going to attempt a landing on the backside, be careful, bring any available Master. We are going to need them. He is bound to have assistance in all this, he is Sith.-

"Poor man, his kids, and the Jedi Order, TOO? At least Master Kathryn's are grown. Do you need my help? I'm getting close to my Master's test." The young Guardian sounded eager for combat, and Kalit knew she chafed under the required time for self-examination that the Master's test required.

"Speak at length with Master Knight, if she feels you can handle this, and provided Master Katarn approves, you are more than welcome to come along. I warn you though this runs far deeper than anything you have ever dealt with. I need to go though before my comm signal is discovered. Sand-Digger out."

*Abruptly he cut the link and activated his stealth screening. He drove the ship foward and executed a micro-jump that brought him in line with the back of the planet and began his landing sequence.*

[erickson]

The ship slid quietly through the atmosphere as Kalit brought it down on the backside of the Ziost. He felt the Darkside calling to him as he stepped to the surface.* *Ziost was the homeworld to the ancient Sith race and many a Dark Lord had come here to strengthen them in the force. So when Darth Erius had come here following Lord Zarok he had been surprised to see a Jedi setting foot on the planet, and then it hit him. The Jawa was here to engage Zarok. Perhaps he wouldn't have to fight. He smiled to himself and checked to make sure his force blanket was active. Cloaking himself he walked towards the small amphitheater.

On finding out that Admiral Storm was following Crassius, Linda realized that he would not be available to hit Ziost. Acting on her own, she scrambled two flights of fighters to go with her. She also alerted Shakira - off duty at her latest lover's apartment - that she would be leaving the area, and who the Jensaari on duty was. "Master Vincent left, also, so he can't be counted on to back it up. Astrid and Jeff's kid is taking care of Kathy, and Kathryn and Timothy are off planet. Mik is....somewhere. You're in charge of defense, kiddo." Shakira, responding with no visual, swore at her good-naturedly, then formally acknowledged the command responsibility before signing off.

After thinking about it, Linda decided that the young Master-Trainee could come along. She was a Guardian, and needed more combat experience that she had yet had. One thing Linda was sure of, that there would be combat.

A harassed-sounding Kyle, busy with 16 children under the age of 10, agreed quickly, and seemed relieved that Shakira would be on the defense.

Kalit blanked his presence from the force and followed the line that Zarok had taken. His weapons were close at hand and he used his small size to gently creep along, hiding behind various stones and trees strewn across the barren face of Ziost. The amphitheater was located due North and Kalit could only assume that was where Zarok would be heading. He passed by a pair of black-armed acolytes sparring in the glade, and made sure he was well-hidden. He was definitely in dangerous territory, and he could imagine Linda would still be hours out.

After talking with her second in command - a young Zabrak named Phred - Linda decided to use the fighters mainly as a diversion for the Darksiders. They would swarm part of the installation, noisily, while she sneaked in through the swarm. She would take the trainee with her, and evaluate her, helping the Jedi to judge her fitness to be a Master, and to train others.

Kalit maintained his quiet approach towards his target area and stopped behind a boulder as a pair of Marauders spoke at length about training regimens, and Kalit knew that once his presence was broadcast hell would break loose. He just hoped he could reach Zarok and take him before they reached him. Things had a tendency to turn messy when it came to dealing with the Sith Lords. He merely shuddered when he thought about the mutated freak known as Sargon. That had not been a pleasant encounter, Sargon bordered on mad and his Force attacks were just that..mad. Kalit had to draw deep into his reserves to find the counterbalance and stood thankful that Zarok was "normal."

Oddly enough, Linda was also contemplating the definition of 'normal', as she flew in her fighter group. She and Allison were in one of the few stealthed fighters, in a position that did not advertise their ship's presence.

By all she now remembered of the old Jedi, none of the New Jedi could be considered normal. Kathryn wa married and had two children (one now, she amended to herself). Astrid and Jeff had at least one - but he was a HEALER, of all things. Kyle Katarn had been proposed to at least twice, and propositioned countless times. Kalit - was a Jawa. She herself, though she had originally been a Jedi, had become a Jensaari during her time of amnesia, and she didn't know whether to bless or curse Raven for the full restoral of her memories. She and Mik also had several kids, though they were not married. Callista HAD been a Jedi, had quit for 20 years, and was now back training again. Luke and Leia had died during the war, and the rest of their family had vanished when Zenomia Sekot did. Shakira was a connoisseur of the opposite sex. And that was only the Senior Jedi, those who had received some training at the Temple, and survived the Purge. The younger ones, like Allison busy meditating behind her, had almost normal lives, with the addition of Jedi duties.

Kalit found himself reflecting on some of the Jedi himself as he waited for the Marauders to move away from him. He wondered if Allison was indeed coming or not, then chuckled silently. His first apprentice Tavis had always been fond of her. More so when he became a Jedi Master. He assumed he was still somewhere on detached duty within the Chiss Navy, and he actually wished that Tavis would have told Allison how he felt. As a Jawa and one of the few Master's still alive from the purge he had gotten away from the rigidity of the old ways, and found he enjoyed weddings. That meant some form of hilarious drama. The plucked chicken that the younglings had set loose at Dalton and Alyssa's wedding was his favorite. They still didn't know he had put them up to it.

It was good to reminisce, it gave him a sense of renewed strength and affirmed the belief that all things were possible. Finally he noted the two Marauders had moved on and he quickly made his way towards the ring of hillocks that surrounded the amphitheater. Originally built by the ancient Sith, it was a monument that had stood the test of time, and was actually a beautiful sight, framed in the center of the grassy hills he admitted, save it's origin. He checked to ensure his blade was easily accessible before dropping to a low crouch and scaling the first hill.

As if she was reading what Linda was thinking, Allison asked, "Master Knight, were you ever in love?" Startled, Linda answered,"Twice."

"What happened?"

"The first time, I realized that I wasn't a good match for him, and so we split up. The second time was a Jedi Master, who was captured and nearly enteched by the Sssll-Rhuk."

"Oh," said Allison. After a few minutes of silence, she said, "Did you ever realize that you loved someone, after the fact? I mean, when it's too late to do something about it?"

"Yes I did," said Linda, "After Mik was captured. I spent a couple of years helping with their machines after the Sssll-Rhuk were defeated, and finally found him. I had never told him, and it was close....." she broke off shaking her head. "We need to concentrate on this mission, not our love lives," she said in a half-scolding tone.

"OK, Master Knight," said Allison quietly.

Kalit reached the top of the hillock moments later and looked down into the bowl where the theatre was located. He slid quietly down the hill and flattened himself against the side of one of the marble columns, and slowly peered into the open ground before him. There was a group of acolytes finishing some sort of ceremonial blood-letting and Kalit shook his head. Sith and blood, what the hell. He dropped behind a stone slab and kept his head trained on the stage. He had yet to see Zarok which surprised him. This was generally where one would think he would go, perhaps he was onto him. He allowed the negativity of that thought to pass and crept around towards the other side of the structure.

Standing on a pillar across the way Erius watched the Jawa slink around and smiled.

"Goodbye Zarok" Erius said to himself. He was being pursued by the "Master of a hundred forms" not a position he felt Zarok would be ready to embrace.

Reverting to normal space on the edge of the Ziost system, Linda's fighter held back as the others crept forward and engaged the few craft left in the system on patrol. Soon the sky was bright with the explosions of the Sith craft, as the veterans and rookies of Rogue Squadron held a livefire exercise. They were kept too busy to notice the lone twin-seater, creeping around the edge of the fight. It was equally easy to land, near Kalit's craft.

"We're here," she whispered to him mentally.

They were followed closely by another craft that Master Hoyle had diverted moments later which skimmed over the amphitheater firing a staccato of red lasers that lit up the ground around the edge.

Beneath the structure Zarok felt the ground shake and ran to the surface to investigate. His eyes glazed over with Dark Energy as he saw a Jedi Fighter strafe the ground around him, and lashed out with the force, a piece of the structure broke free and targeted the Jedi Fighter. With a speed of telekinetic energy Kalit revealed his presence in the force and broke the masonry away from the fighter sending it off into the void.

With a quick leap he closed the gap between him and Zarok his blade coming on at the height of his acrobatic leap slashing at Zarok's chest.

With little time to react Zarok's red lightsaber came on and blocked Kalit's strike before leaping away from him, coming to rest 8 meters away, triggering a button on his wrist link. The floor opened and about a half-dozen Sith Marauders appeared in the structure red lightsabers coming on with a snap hiss.

Inside the cockpit of the fighter, the lone pilot programmed the R2 unit to land it and hit the eject button. Shooting from the seat, he arched into a flip slowing his descent behind a stunned Marauder severing the head from it's shoulders. Then he turned to face another one, parrying a weak-handed stroke.

He allowed the light to fill his presence as Jedi Master Tavis Boroka slipped into full, deadly combat mode. The student of the "Master of a Hundred Forms" was here also. This caused another smile to form on Erius' face. This would be a one-sided slaughter he thought, especially when he spotted Linda Knight's own fighter landing.*

Linda slipped out quietly, readying herself. She turned, to find a joyful, fearless look on Allison's face. "Tavis...." she breathed.

She dismounted with a flip, still concentrating on the young man fighting the two marauders at once. "Allison," Linda started to say, then swore as the tip of a red blade appeared through Allison's stomach, and a half-dozen Marauders revealed themselves. "DAMN!" she swore, then exploded into full Viper speed, becoming a blur to the startled Marauders. She was on the one who had struck Allison before he could complete his cutting stroke, severing his weapon and his hand in a smooth move. Allison, pain slowly appearing on her face, fell in slow motion as Linda raged through the ranks of the diversionary troops.

She paused to drop a small explosive down the tunnel they had come out of, then swept back.

Kalit dove into the force, allowing it to pulse it's way through his essence. He transformed from a Jawa into the aptly named Master of a Hundred Forms. He twisted himself into a tight ball and allowed the force to completely carry him, it was reminiscent of an old game called Sonic the Hedgehog as he spun into the fray, his blue lightsaber parrying and countering 3 Marauders, diving low he severed one at the waist as his blade came around in a low sweeping curve countering the two coming at him. He sprung forward of the momentum of his clash and staked his lightsaber through the heart of one Marauder, coming to rest behind the other one. He counter-balanced his stance and dove low beneath the arcing blade of his opponent, bringing it up in a vertical strike that drilled a large hole the entered the chin of the Sith and exited out the crown of his head.

Zarok began to run quickly heading for his own ship, and Kalit gave chase. Satisfied that Tavis had things under control, he bounded of the nearest column to him and came down in a front flip that brought him directly in front of the fleeing Sith Lord. "Surrender now Zarok, there doesn't need to be anymore bloodshed."

Tavis felt Allison's approach and smiled to himself but never lost focus on the opponent at hand. Then he felt her pain. It ripped its way through his heart and he lost his step, nearly faltering. Shunting the pain outward he allowed his determination to find her, fill his essence. Ignoring the dark voices in his head he stepped left and set himself into a defensive guard snapping his blade up to intersect a Marauder. Sliding his blade down the Marauder's own, he tipped the Marauder hand causing him to lose grip. His quick tip was followed by a perfectly positioned acrobatic kick that sent the lightsaber flying from the Marauder's grasp, aimed at a perfect intersection with the heart of the other Marauder who dropped to the ground dead.

He twisted his body to bring his other foot to bear in one swift motion catching the other marauder on the side of the head sending him into a deep unconscious sleep. This one could be brought back he felt. His essence wasn't as evil. Then he used force speed to bring himself to the edge of the theatre where he leapt from the window and came to rest against Linda's back parrying a stroke meant to kill her. His next stroke felled that one and he kept his focus on the combat, using his feelings for Allison to strengthen him. He would not give into fear no matter what. He was a Jedi, Jedi don't do that.

Linda had sensed him coming, and was willing to let him take care of the intrusion. She was in vulnerable position for a Cobra - holding still as she bandaged Allison, and used her limited healing on her, willing her to stay alive. In the back of her head she berated herself for taking the young woman along, but her hands didn't stop applying pressure.

She was no medic, but a hole through the spine is generally not a good sign. But the bleeding was slowing. Allison was concentrating, also. Suddenly she yelled, "DUCK". Reflexively, Linda dove to the side, seeing Allison come up with her blade as a Marauder blade came down. They were frozen in place, marauder pushing down, Allison up, until Linda rushed him with her uncanny speed and took off his head.

"Can you Trance?" she asked Allison. There was just a trace of fear in the woman's eyes as she nodded. "Then do so, I'll protect you," said Linda.

Time seemed to flow to a stop as the two Master's stood before each other in the center of the theatre. Kalit's blade was held in a horizontal guard as he stood in front of Zarok.

Zarok spoke "Foolish Jedi, don't you see it, there is no turning back. I am a Sith, I will die as a Sith." Slowly his red lightsaber came on in his hand and he stood in a standard Form V attack pattern. Kalit shook his head and moved. His body became a blur as he weaved his lightsaber in a series of rapid strokes that Zarok could barely move in time to parry. The force became Kalit's weapon as he weaved in and out of Zarok's defense bringing the full weight of his combat abilities to bear on the Sith Lord.*

Zarok in turn thrust himself deep into the surface of Ziost allowing it's dark energies and Sith history to fuse itself to his battle. His strokes became more deliberate, more precise as he dove left snap rolling to a position that caught the blade of the Kalit on the downswing forcing it back up. His pivot foot allowing him the range of motion to lash out with a hard kick, but Kalit wasn't there, already twisting his body away from the kick using an acrobatic flip to bring his blade down at the exposed neck of the Sith Lord.

Zarok twisted to the side but not before the blade carved a thin line down his left cheek. The pain was intense and Zarok harnessed it into a dark wave of energy that directed itself against Kalit, lifting him into the air and creating a resounding crack

Allison's eyes closed, and her body went limp as she retreated into a Force Trance. Linda kept her worries to herself, as she saw the slow bleeding stop, an the pain lines on her face smooth.

As Kalit bounced off the stone column and landed hard onto the floor, several ribs giving way. Zarok lifted a stone seat from the theatre and sent it hurtling at the prostate Jedi with a telekinetic shove.

Sensing the danger Kalit drew heavily on the force and let forth a powerful release of force wind that pushed the stone seat out of his way.

Zarok then did the same with multiple seats which Kalit steeled himself into the force leaping into the air, twisting through the maze of stone, willing away the pain from his injured ribs. As he twisted he ignited a pair of Red Lightsabers lying on the stone floor and telekinetically shoved them hard at Zarok. He quickly released his force grip on the seats and brought up two other red blades from the floor igniting them with the force.

The theatre was filled with a resounding crack that echoed across the entire area and the telekinetic blades shoved themselves against each other, both wielded by the Masters. Kalit split his focus ever so slightly and brought his own blade up igniting it into Zarok's face, who moved and parried. Both force grips never wavered. It had become a true test of wills.*

There were no marauders in reach, so Linda looked around. Tavis was busy taking on the last few. The she spotted Kalit and Zarok locked in combat. She sighed, and pulled her blaster off her hip. Normally, it was a useless weapon around lightsabers, but not now. Not with Zarok concentrating. She placed a quick, tight group of three shots, centered on his head. It was aimed with all her former Assassin's skill.

The fifth Marauder's lightsaber came on and interjected itself between Linda's shots and Zarok's head as they make another loud crackle. The sixth blade lying at Linda's feet came on in a split second thrusting itself upwards where it would pass through her feminine organs and out her head if she couldn't defend.

With Zarok's attention now focused on controlling four blades and his own, Kalit shifted his stance to a low center of gravity, his lightsaber cracked hard against Zarok's forcing his hand back at a sharp angle that snapped his wrist, which Kalit followed with a stiff-handed jab to Zarok's chest. The impact alone was enough to shatter his ribs but Kalit had other things in mind, and let go of his concentration on the blades the minute Zarok's pain took over and forced him to lose his own. He caught Zarok with the force and pushed him directly at Linda's own lightsaber's trajectory as she moved away from the blade that had ignited under her feet. Her blade passed through him like a toothpick through meat, Impaling the Sith Lord on Linda's blade and through the heart, which stopped beating a second later.

Kalit uttered one word MOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! as dark energy began to shift through Zarok's death scream, an energy that would kill them both if they didn't move. Kalit did though and ran out of the theatre before he could explode. He assumed Linda was right behind.

Grabbing Allison, she ran at her top speed, catching Tavis across the waist and carrying him with her also. She and the two with her were barely visible blurs until they reached the ships parked outside the arena. The explosion rocked them all, but did not destroy them.

Erius watched as Zarok breathed his last and knew the Jedi were already on their way out of the arena. He allowed his presence to penetrate very fleetingly as he used the Force to execute a long leap from the top of the pillar and come to a soft landing beside his cloaked Infiltrator.

Kalit felt another dark presence for the briefest of instants and considered going to investigate but decided not to because the presence didn't feel evil. He boarded his ship and began to lift it off the ground, to where he would run a parallel course next to Linda to leave the Sith Homeworld.

Strapping the unconscious Allison into her seat, Linda felt a mental trace that felt somehow familiar. She shrugged it off, however. Allison needed medical attention if she was to survive, and every moment could be critical. "Do you need a ride also?" she asked Tavis. "There's room, but it would be cramped."

"My fighter was probably destroyed in the Sith blast, and I kinda want to stay here with Allison and make sure she is gonna be alright. Master Kalit says we can rendezvous with Admiral Tek's flagship, he's on patrol not far from here apparently. Can I ask you something though?"

"What?" she said, busy scanning for Sith craft Suppressed from her mind was the extend of Allison's injuries.

"Back in that fight, I knew my presence had distracted her from her fighting which is why she was wounded. I think I love her, but instead I chose to fight rather than go directly to her, does that make me less of a person for doing that, or even worse a cold-hearted individual?"

"Strap in," she said, as she lifted the ship. "No, Tavis. it just ensures that you will both survive, since you did NOT get distracted. If she had not, she probably would not have gotten hurt. Watch her for me please, and stop any bleeding she does. She's in Trance, but I don't want her thrown around, stuff may break loose again."

"I was trained by Master Kalit to practice a very hard measure of self-control and of detachment, everything inside of me wanted to rush to her right away, but I knew I couldn't, I knew that those Sith had to drop before they could get to you, or her, or Master Kalit, so I did what I needed to do. It doesn't make me feel too good, but at least the histories will read "He was a good Jedi"" he said somewhat sarcastically. "Your God-Daughter wouldn't happen to be around would she, I know she could fix her quickly"

"Stop that!" she said harshly. As he looked at her in surprise, she said,"Several things. One, that sort of self-talk is first-cousin to despair. You don't need that. Secondly, Ariel won't be able to help. Some sort of Sith trap caught her, and Alyssa and Astrid are trying to get her free of it. Third, don't be a damn fool. She's already told me she loves you. IF you love her, tell her so when she comes out of Trance, because that wound may be a fatal one. It definitely cut her spinal cord, so at best she'll be a cyborg like me. I'm sorry if this is harsh, but we don't have much time to play with here."

"A cyborg..hmm..I'd love her anyways, and your right, no sense to dwell on things too much. I will check on her and keep her stabilized. I hope though that as part cyborg she could still love me. I seem to recall Morris Cutler falling in love with you, but you didn't love him back. He nearly bowled me over running away from the Dojo actually. Will it turn out that way for us? he asked

"I don't think she won't love you, Tavis. and being a cyborg is not all bad, just different. " there was a long silence, and she added," and if anyone is a coldhearted person, it's me." and even longer silence from her, then softly, "I just hope she makes it......."

[erickson]

She looked back at him, realizing that he probably didn't know the extent of Allison's injuries. "I shouldn't have let her come, Travis," she added.

"I shouldn't have come. I saw the fighters depart and Master Hoyle told me where we were headed. She might have made it if I hadn't distracted her." Then abruptly he smacked himself on the forehead. "Gotta dwell on the here and now, not the past" we should reach the Admiral soon if his relative position is correct.

Linda said nothing, busy coaxing the best performance out of the Hyperdrive that she could. Even in Trance, she could feel Allison failing....

Bordering on exhaustion, Tavis reached out with the force and allowed the energy to flow between himself and Allison trying his best to stabilize her systems, to give her the last ounce of strength needed to get to a medical facility. His presence was calm, but weakening, still he didn't break his concentration.

Entering hyper, Linda calculated that it would take a half-hour for them to reach the Flagship group. She twisted around and sent Travis a stern look. "How much do you love her?" she said. "Enough to risk your life?"
"Yes" his answer was direct "I put my life on the line everyday so it's not a foreign concept. Tell me what I have to do and I will do it. There is no death, there is only the force."

"Well, this is a Jensaari technique, not a Jedi one. Jedi will let people go into the Force, where a Jensaari will fight to keep them alive. What you must do when she comes out of her Trance is link your life-Force energy to hers." Quickly she explained how to do it. "The problem is - it will strengthen her, and weaken you. You will both live, or both die. And the bond cannot be broken, as it's a life link. You will both have the same lifespan from then on. Does she mean that much to you?"

"Yes, I will link to her. For better or worse I will give her my life energies. Whatever happens will happen, I love her and will sustain her if I can."

"One last warning, then. It was originally a Sith technique. I will have to break both your inner barriers and hers to enable you to link. Hers will be easy at the present, but if you resist, it could be a fatal delay. Do you trust ME enough to not fight me, Tavis?"

"I trust you, do what must be done."

"Ok then." She closed her eyes, reaching outward. "Kalit?" she sent.

The Jawa had just cleared hyperspace and was on approach to the Chiss flagship when he felt a telepathic tug. -What is it Linda-

-Tavis has consented to be Life-linked to Allison to help her. It must be done immediately when she comes out of Trance, and I will have to use some....unusual.... Jensaari techniques to facilitate it. Will you guard us from other Jedi when I do so?"

-I will, though there shouldn't be any on dispatch to this fleet group as far as I know. I am on approach now, should be secure in the hangar here in a minute. What's your ETA?-

- five minutes, tell them have a medical team THERE. She's Type AB Neg, and needs blood as soon as she gets out of this ship. She's too damn close to bled-out for my liking.-

-Affirmative I'll have the hangar standing open- Moments later Kalit gathered together the medical team and had them on standby, liters of blood stood waiting and Kalit kept a guarded hand on his lightsaber.

On the ship Tavis was holding Allison's hand and waiting for their arrival, and for Linda's attempt to save them.

She came in hot, barely below the speed that would have activated the crash webs. The craft was still slowing when she blew the cockpit hatch clear, Force-pushing it away from all people. A quick, skillful snap of her lightsaber severed the straps holding Allison into the cockpit, and both she and Tavis were flipping free of the craft. They paused after they had landed, and Allison's Tranced body was gently lifted onto the waiting gurney. A small trickle of blood dripped from her uniform. As the medics rushed to her, Linda looked at Tavis and Kalit. "You two ready?" she said.

Kalit looked to Tavis and smiled "Are you ready for this" "As ready as I will be Master, let's go don't want to waste anytime." Kalit's hand rested gently on the hilt of his lightsaber as he waited to see if there would be any trouble.

"Hold her hand," said Linda, as the medics attached fluids and monitors to Allison. One of them opened his mouth to object, but shut it at the LOOK Tavis gave him.

"Allison, wake up," said Linda. Her eyes snapped open, focusing on Tavis, and she smiled. As several monitors began screaming alarms, they closed again. "Don't let go," warned Linda, glaring at the medic who was attempting to separate the two. She then began chanting in an ancient guttural language. One of the medical team looked up sharply, as a sickly green glow formed around her hands. "STOP HER!" He demanded of Kalit.

"Back Down and let her work, otherwise all will be lost" his blue lightsaber came on with a snap-hiss for emphasis. "Trust her, let her work."

The green glow intensified, and Linda's eyes looked yellowish and hazed. To Kalit, her aura shifted toward the red of a Sith as she chanted, and he sensed the Darkness swirling around her.

With a final barked command word, she touched Allison and Tavis' hands where they joined. The results were dramatic. The monitors reverted to amber warning colors, and Tavis went down, an expression of sudden agony crossing his face. He did not, however, let go of Allison's hand.

Linda barked a command at the medics in the growling language. When they did not understand, she shook herself, and sighed. "Treat them as if they have identical injuries," she said, "For they now do. And don't take their grasp apart until they're stabilized. They're linked, and it's all that's keeping them alive, DO YOU UNDERSTAND." The last was accompanied by a Force Command push that Kalit had never seen her use before. Darkness still swirled around her, and she seemed capable of reacting - badly - to any Medic that dared disobey.

Kalit blinked, slowly, the impulse of dark energy was strong and deadly. He centered his focus allowing the Lightside to wash over him slowly, purging the darkness around himself. He kept a wary eye on the medics and a steady hand on his lightsaber.

As the Medics rushed the two from the hanger, Linda slowly turned and walked back to the fighter. Blue Force lightning crackled around her hands. She stood, staring up at the cockpit. Then suddenly she SNARLED, and punched the side of the ship, hard. Sparks flew, as the lightning grounded, and she blew a hole in the fighter's side. She was not blown back by the explosion, and she snarled again, softer, as she punched with the other fist. The explosion this time blew off one of the fighter's landing gears, and it started to fall on her. In a blur of speed she caught it, and set it gently down on the ground. Waling down a couple of feet, she turned her back on the craft and slid down it, ending up with her head buried in her knees and her arms wrapped around them. The darkness danced around her, then faded.

Kalit allowed tendrils of light energy to find their way towards Linda and relaxed when she came away from the darkness. Medical teams had begun to work on Allison and Tavis now, all too fearful to even consider breaking apart the two now. They had begun to stabilize them now, and the outpouring of strength into her from Tavis had helped her. Kalit turned to Linda "You gonna make it Master Knight."

She raised her head up, and he could see she had been crying. "I didn't tell him the injury would reflect. I wasn't sure it would, myself.................It hurts to see that much love, Master Kalit," she confessed to him.

"Believe me Master Knight, I know how you feel. I've spent 104 years alone. I was trained under the rigidity of the Jedi Order and couldn't allow myself to love. Then I became this unworldly combat master and as a Jedi Guardian I focused more on energy and fighting. I tried to mate once, and killed her because of my combat nature. So you see I can't love either. I just like to attend weddings. I've learned over the years to just ignore that hollowing pain, and believe me it took most of my life to do so. They will pull through though."

She nodded tiredly. "Yes, they will. I just wish my god-daughter was here. They might actually be able to walk and do.....other things.... after this. You go to weddings, I just - scare - Apprentices and Padwans into becoming better at combat than they thought possible. I walk the edge, Master Kalit. Sometimes I fall over it, briefly." He realized she was trying to apologize for the Darkside energy she had used. The hanger crew were peering at the both of them, obviously wondering if they were safe to approach.

"Other...things. I won't go there" he smiled "Many of the Jedi walk the line though, Master Gaeriel did it for years, Shakara toes the line too. Stepping over it for a brief instant isn't the problem, it's when u decide to stay on the other side. So are they both going to be cyborg-like now or is Tavis only experiencing her pain?"

She shook her head. "I wasn't sure, so I didn't warn him. But how her body was injured is how his body is injured, Kalit. The blade went through her spine. She'll never walk unaided again, and neither will he. Barring a miracle. They say that the healers of old could heal such, but I know my goddaughter couldn't do it."

"I just hope there's a good cybernetic surgeon in the fleet. They need to be got to fast, before their brains forget the impulses to move their bodies."

"I hate having to put the hope of our children in the hands of surgeons, I really do. Captain Arnold is on dispatch to this fleet, and he is a whiz with cybernetic surgery, but we need to see if we can locate Master Conrow. He knows a lot about that type of work also. I think that at least Arnold can keep them from losing impulse control."

"He's coming now Master Kalit." said one of the medics.

"Conrow? Snake's brother? Yeah, if anybody knows about it, he does. I've never met Arnold. If it was a Viper, I'd be more worried. We've taken to keeping our personal data embedded on a chip, you know." She tapped her sternum, where Kalit could see a faint star-shaped Tattoo. "It broadcasts when near a Republic medical scanner," she said casually. "We're enough freaks, the Vipers and I, that we need to have our medical records on us. if this area gets hit, my systems are gone anyway."

Moments later a short broad-shouldered man arrived in the room "I am James Arnold, I hear we need to do emergency cybernetic surgery. What's the extent of their injuries.

Linda stood up. As she did, Arnold's gaze sharpened, obviously seeing something that most did not. "Brief me. And afterwards, you and I will talk, Miss....." "Knight, Jensaari Master Linda Knight," she said, taking his hand and shaking it.

"Their spines were TOTALLY severed, Doctor. L4 - L5 level. Loss of functionality below that. Darkside Lightsaber, so It won't be possible to use bio-glue to connect it."

"You sound like a Medic, Miss Knight." Kalit saw Linda freeze. "No, sir," she said finally.

"Based on the extent of those injuries there isn't much that can be done. Unless you are me. There is a cybernetic spinal vertebrae that is very experimental, but could work. What it does is fuse itself to the spinal cord and acts as a transmitter from the brain waves to the rest of the body. Success ratio is very low, 3 out of 5 generally die. I can try that if you think it's worth a fighting chance. I would have to get started quickly though before they no longer can function. They may never walk that I don't know either, but I will try it if you want me to."

She looked at him. "Doctor, if you lose one of them, you lose the other. They're life-linked. But they're both active people, one's a Guardian and one's a Master and fighter pilot. Personally I think they'll just die more slowly if they aren't given the chance. But they're Jedi, so I defer to Master Kalit."

"Go for it, it's a risk we have to take." "Very well I will start immediately. I will make sure they are kept touching also. We will talk when I finish." and then he was gone rounding up his medical team and stepping into the med-bay to begin the operation. Kalit and Linda stood back by the door to watch.

For the first time in her life, Linda found herself praying. "If needs be, my life for theirs," she found herself saying to the Force. She had the sense that something was listening.

Doctor Arnold worked very deliberately, his incisions were precise and his assistants were very cautious. There were several commands issued throughout the course of the operation and they carried on deep into the night. He removed several vertebrae in the area of the wound and meticulously replaced them with the cybernetic ones. Finally they were all installed and the monitors kept taking readings on brain and spinal frequencies. Things seemed to be positive for both of them at the moment, perhaps due to their Jedi training. At last they closed the incisions and waited for them to wake-up

They woke slowly and at the same time. Immobilized for safety, yet their hands tightened on each others. "Will you marry me," she asked, as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Yes, I will Marry You. I love you." as he spoke he reached into the force and across the room to where there was a keyring hanging on the wall. He pulled the keys off of it and telekinetically laid them on the countertop, and floated the keyring onto her other hand, on her ring finger.

She concentrated, and with a sudden sharp POP, one of the keys shaped itself into a ring, momentarily glowing. This she moved to his hand after it had cooled.

"Ah," said Linda quietly to Kalit. "I was wondering if she had some special talent."

The Surgeon smiled at them "Since I am a Captain of my own medical frigate I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may mentally kiss the bride."

They both looked at him, startled. Linda nudged Kalit in the ribs, and started laughing.

Kalit smiled and thought to himself Damn the luck I wanted to set loose another plucked chicken. He mentally telegraphed to Linda. -At least their spirits aren't broken. I am definitely thankful they will have a shot to live at least. You did well to save her, and we did well to take care of another Sith Lord. That list is dwindling which is good news.-

-now if we can only get Ariel back.- She was still smiling when Doctor Arnold walked up to her. "Let's talk," he said abruptly.

Walking her away from Kalit and the two newly-weds, he took her into his private office. "How long since you've been scanned?" he asked abruptly. Puzzled, she asked, "What do you mean?"

"How long since all your cybernetic systems have been scanned?" he said. "About thirty years," she said. "Bur I've been in a domestic partnership with Master Gurevich for over 20 years."

He looked at her. "Doctor Gurevich may be too close to really see. I'd like to send you through a complete scan, Miss Knight. "

"Only if Mik is there," she said. "Agreed, could you message him to join us?" he said.

"Only one problem, I don't know where he is right now," she admitted. "Then I need you to stay on my ship until he gets here," he said. "You may have a problem with your systems."

What do you think?" she asked, unnerved by his statement. "I don't know," he said, not looking her in the eyes.

Kalit stood bedside by the newly-wed couple and smiled reassuringly at them. Finally after a few silent moments Tavis spoke. "Master Kalit, now that I am married I think that it is time to retire from the Jedi Order, so that I can raise a family." "That is a decision only you two can make for yourselves. I would hate to see you go, but I also understand the unique situation that you are in now." suddenly he felt a tension that rolled off Linda. "I'll be right back, I am gonna go take a quick walk." "Ok, be careful."

Behind him, he heard Allison say," Let's talk about that decision, Tavis, before we make it permanent, ok?"

"Ok, we'll talk about it together, first we need to get better though, that way we can work on starting our family."

She blushed

Kalit stepped into the room with Linda and spoke "Something wrong Master Knight?"

She looked at him, then the doctor. "I may have some sort of medical problem, Kalit." she looked actually frightened.

Kalit turned towards the doctor "Can you fix whatever it is that is wrong with her, do you even know what it is?"
"Right now I do not. And I need to talk to her husband to..."

he was interrupted by Linda. "Not husband," she said. "Partner."

The doctor sighed. "Partner, then. I need to give her a complete scan. Something's wrong with her systems."

Kalit sighed "There always seems to be something wrong these days. You're a fighter though Master Knight, I know you will come out of it. Whatever is wrong I am sure it can be fixed." He smiled reassuringly, lending her support in the Force.

[erickson]

Dr Arnold looked grim as he turned towards the Jawa and then back to Linda.* "You want the truth, your nanites are going bad. I need to do a scan to see the exact extent of the decline, but that is what is happening to you."

Linda's hands tightened, crushing the arms of the chair she was sitting in. "They're WHAT?" she yelled.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door of the office, The shadow cast on the privacy glass showed a very large person standing outside, a male most like by the figure.

"Come in." then he turned back to Linda "I don't know what's causing the decline, but I think it might have something to do with over-exerting yourself in the force. Have you done anything lately that differs from your normal routines?"

Trying hard to maintain her calm, she said ,"Nothing in particular." she was surprised to hear her voice shake.

The door opened with a soft click, and closed with a soft click. "Something wrong?" a voice that Linda knew all too well came from behind her, and a heavy, caring hand set on her shoulder, giving a hard squeeze to a normal, but soft to her.

She turned, grasping his hand and burying her face in his stomach, saying nothing. He could feel Linda, rock-solid Linda, shaking as she held onto him wordlessly.

"Ahh Master Gurevich. I was telling your partner here that apparently her nanites are going into decline. I was just getting ready to bring you in here, she requested your presence for when I scanned her. I am curious to se the extent of the decline and see if I can isolate the factors as to why it's happening."

Mikhail's eyebrow perked up. "If hers are out of sync, then so are mine." How they would be so, he left unstated. But it didn't need to be stated how that could be. "Shouldn't be a problem, just nix the previous nanites with an EM pulse while we're in bacta, and put in a new colony. Just like any nano-virus."

"That would likely be a course but the first thing we need to do is get an accurate scan on everything to see where we stand. I'd like to scan you both and see what the findings are if that would be adequate enough for you."

Her face still buried in his stomach, Linda made a little whuff-ing sound. "Mik....I'm pregnant again, dear."

"Don't worry, so long as this is taken care of quickly, then everything will be fine."

"This one's a Sensitive, dear. Is hat gonna make a difference?"

"It'll help, yes."

*Kalit off to the side just blinked a semi-comical look on his face. Women of the Force he thought to himself, they all seem to be baby factories these days.

"I don't really know how to measure sensitivities to the force because I don't have that gifting, but I don't see how something like that would hurt you. You need to slow down though, too much activity is sometimes very bad for you." said the Doctor.

"We both lead an active lifestyle, and sometimes the job stresses us. Linda had a recent stress I believe. Would that have led to this?" Mikhail asked the doctor, holding Linda gently.

"It very well could have. Any over-extension of the body and perhaps the Force tends to speed certain processes more. After we get the scan taken care of we will be able to discern the rate of decay and put countermeasures in place to either replace the nanites or slow their decline. I would highly suggest doing very little physical exercise at least for a few weeks and allow me to monitor what is going on. I would hate to see you extend yourself to the point where the decline would be greater than the countermeasures."

She looked up at her partner. "Mik, we've got a crisis going on right now. How CAN I slow down?"

"Easily. I carry you out and we take that vacation we've been talking about. What can you do that Vincent can't with this crisis?" he asked, looking down at her.

"I can't quit," she said firmly, and stood up fast. Halfway up, she had to grab Mik for balance. "On the other hand......." she said, a shocked look on her face.

"Not saying quit, but a vay-cay-shun." Mikhail told her, sounding the word out to her like she had never heard of the word.

"Get the scan on me AND you, then we'll decide." she said weakly.

"No, I'M deciding this." he said, steel in his voice.

*It was Kalit's turn to speak "Truthfully I think you should go on vacation. I don't think Master Spry is going to be around much longer, something feels...off at the moment and it revolves around him. I'd suggest leaving the order in young Aidan's capable hands and relaxing. Hell I could use a vacation myself. I might go to Tattooine once I am sure Allison and Tavis are going to be alright. I have an inkling to hunt Krayt Dragons."

"Or droids." Mik said dryly, mouth growing crooked at the comment.

Linda stared at Kalit. "Krayte dragons? you are CRAZY, Kalit!"

"Maybe, although I'll make sure to get one that is as flighty as Threepio and present it to you for Christmas my friend" he said, chuckling.

"Just don't bring back a Krayt Dragon unless you want Daala to have a fit."

"I don't think I have a ship big enough to bring one back anyways. I kinda want to do a Gavin Spry." he paused for a moment to register the look of horror on Linda's face when he said that "Not like that, but his blades were generated by Krayt Dragon pearls and had an entirely different feel to them when I fought him briefly."

Arnold looked up at Linda and smiled* "Right this way, we'll get you scanned and see what is going on with your nanites. I am going to have to ask you to change into this gown so we can get a better read, I will step into the other room and be back momentarily."

Kalit followed the doctor out of the room and talked to him a second about Jawa physiology while waiting for Linda to change.

In the control room a tech began to fire up the scanner and go through the diagnostic panels.

Mikhail followed them out shortly, almost holding Linda up. She had already changed, and looked very frightened at her sudden weakness, and very grateful that Mik was there.

Moments later Dr. Arnold stepped into the room again and checked with the tech to ensure that the scanner was working and opened the door to admit her into the cannister that would give them the answers they were looking for. Stroking a few keys the scanner became active and began to scan it's way across Linda's nervous figure, using radiation imaging to see everything. Moments later the scanner stopped and the door swung open. Arnold poured over the information and came up with a diagnosis.

"I was right in determining that your nanites are weakening. Based on the rate of decline and your history, it seems to me that your nanites are just simply old and outdated. The programming has simply become obsolete. What I propose to do to fix it will take about 4 hours. We will immerse you in bacta and kill off all the old nanites, then after that is done we will inject a new nano-colony into you and it should make you good to go. I must stress though that for the first couple of weeks or so you will feel weak and disoriented while your body adjusts to its new nanites. I can probably make room for you relatively quickly if you would like me to do that."

Mikhail then stepped into the scanning chamber, and stood while the hatch hissed closed.

The scanner did it's number again and the door hissed open allowing Mik back into the room moments later.

"Your results are similar. Your rate of decline is far slower than hers, but your programming is also outdated. Yours is as simple as you dictated to me earlier, we immerse you in bacta, EMP your ass, and insert a new colony. We would have you done in 10 minutes."

Then he turned to Linda. "Your body is of a different breed and requires more accurate precision which is why it will take me longer to run yours. We can't zap them at once, it will take a series of smaller EMP's, but don't worry I do nanite replacement more often than you think, I updated Master Conrow's about 3 weeks ago, he had the same case as you, Master Knight."

"Ok then. We need to get someone to watch the kids and..."

Kalit smiled in an effort to lighten the mood "I nominate Kyle Katarn" and then he just chuckled, thinking that Kyle was probably nearly bald and totally grey by now, all those kids..........

"We can watch the kids, since we'll be relaxing and on vacation." Mikhail looked at Linda. "Besides, most of them aren't even near the house anymore. Mostly off with their friends."

Linda looked alarmed. "Not those Benson boys!" she blurted.

"No, I made it quite clear what would happen if I found out Jean was around them again." Mikhail told her. "Sorry, but boys who like to go hot rodding are one thing. But illegal racing is quite another."

Kalit chuckled again* "Oh the Summer Romances...Seriously though I hope she's not with them, they scare even me, they are not right."
Linda looked at Mik. "They have, to quote Kate Quixones, 'Roman hands and Russian fingers'. "

"Whatever that means." Mik shrugged.

"i'm more worried about one of our daughters getting pregnant by them."

"Not with their current nanotech, they won't." Mik said confidently.

"Mik?" said Linda in question. "You didn't.....without telling them?....If so, I hope you similarly gifted our sons........although I don't think we needed to worry about Nicolai......He's more interested in his cello than any female."

"All of them, when they hit puberty." Mikhail nodded. "But this is for another time, I think."

"OK," said Linda. "You first, I think, since it'll be so quick."

"No, you in first. You're critical. I'm sure there's another tank for me."

"Mik," she said quietly. "I'm afraid." She hugged him tightly.

"It's okay. This is routine, nothing big for you." he hugged her back, and pinched her on the behind. "If you're good," he whispered in her ear. "I'll give you something special when we get home."

She cocked her head, grinned at him, and finally allowed herself to be put into the Bacta tank.