The Fall of the Galactic Republic - Order 66

It was a dark day for the Republic. The day the Jedi betrayed us. We trusted them with our security, we trusted them with our lives. They led our armies against the seperatists. We thought them our betters, even our friends. But now they've betrayed us, even attacking the Chancellor, leaving him terribly scarred. The order came straight from his office - eradicate all Jedi. We will fulfill this order. We will right this wrong. We will be his hands, his protectors. We will save the Republic.

We will destroy them all.

RC-1170 lay prone at the top of a ridge. Looking through the scope of his rifle into the valley below, he spotted the Jedi. Alone, covered in mud - probably to mask his heat signature - hiding from the patrols on the ground. RC-1170 pressed the button that activated his radio, "Forward recon to control, this is Hound. I've got the target in my sights. Requesting permission to take the shot."

RC-1170, "Hound", released the button and waited for a reply. Soon enough, the familiar crackle of a the radio played through the speakers built into the helmet he was wearing. A familiar voice followed.

"Forward recon, this is command. You are clear to take the shot, commando. Fire at will."

This was what he'd been waiting for. He had the perfect shot. Deep breath. Exhale. Squeeze trigger.

BOOM!

The shot sounded throughout the open valley, amplifying until the noise was larger than life. Hound quickly recovered from the recoil, looking to confirm the kill. No such luck. The Jedi had evaded the shot, and was now on the run. Hound let out a short sigh as the voice on the radio chimed in.

"Can you confirm the kill, commando?"

"Negative,' Hound bolted into a crouching position, then into a standing one, all while reconfiguring his rifle, 'Damned Jedi evaded the shot. He's on the move now. I'm in persuit."

"Negative, commando. The target is armed and extremely dangerous. Wait for backup."

"Sorry...' Hound faked radio troubles, 'Can't hear......must be......interfering with......"

After that, Hound shut off his radio. They wanted him to wait for backup, but he knew that would only allow the Jedi to escape. No, he would chase down the target on his own, and he would finish the mission. Besides, a squad of clone troopers would only slow him down, and there were no other commmandos close enough to be of help. Sometimes, orders were had to be ignored in order to accomplish the greater mission. This was the way of things, the regular clones could never understand. It was better that way.

Hound could feel his heartbeat as he ran, hurtling over brush and falle logs, and dodgeing tree branches as he attempted to intersect the Jedi's path. It was difficult, running down an opponent you couldn't see, an opponent who could probably sense you before you reached him. You had to be able to predict the enemies movements to within a few meters, any error meant you could loose the trail, or worse, your head. But if anyone could do this, it was Hound. He had a knack for hunting, and he never let anyone go. Even now, he grew close to his target.

The commando stopped dead in his tracks, taking cover behind a fallen tree. If he was correct, all he had to do now was wait. And it didn't take long. After only a second or two, Hound heard rustling and the thud of heavy footsteps. The commando closed his eyes and tried to picture the source of the sound in relation to where he was. Now, it was just the timing.

Three...

Two...

One. Hound's eyes shot open as the fleeing Jedi bounded past him, failing, in his haste, to notice the clone. Without any hesitation, Hound aimed his rifle - not at the Jedi, but where the Jedi was going. He fired a short burst. The Jedi didn't have time to ignite his lightsaber, and failed to dodge the blast. The rounds hit their mark, driving holes into the Jedi's torso. With a breathless cry, the Jedi fell to the ground, mortally wounded. Quickly, giving the Jedi no time to recover from the first blast, Hound fired another burst into his fallen opponent. The Jedi tensed up for only a second, then died. Mission succesful. Hound began to make his way to base camp. One down, many to go. The Clone Wars may have been coming to an end, but this... This was only just beginning.

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It was a dark day for the Republic. The day the Chancellor betrayed us. We should have seen it coming, but even Master Yoda was fooled. For ages, we guarded the Republic - protected it from the Sith and all other threats. But we failed to see the threat growing within our midst. Now an army of clones, loyal only to the Chancellor, hunts us down like animals. Rumor has it that one of our own betrayed us. A Jedi who'd made it into the very chambers of the High Council. Most of us died in the initial attacks. But some of us still live. We did not ask for this, but we will fight if we must. We will run if we have to. Most of all, we will not surrender.

We will survive.

Karne held his breath as another patrol passed by. Why the clones had turned on him and the other Jedi was yet a mystery. What was clear was the danger. One-on-one, the clones were no match for their Jedi commanders, but the clones had numbers - overwhelming numbers. Even the most respected of Jedi Masters could have barely a whisper of hope against a full battalion of clones. Even a large squad could spell death if the Jedi was caught off-guard. Such was the fate of many that Karne had looked up to, respected, and befriended. Karne himself was fortunate - he had been off on his own, meditating, when he felt the first of the Jedi fall. The disturbance in the Force had been so great, it had almost sent him reeling. He could feel it as Jedi after Jedi was robbed of life, and the only thing he could hope to do was tend to his own safety.

The clones he had been leading didn't take long to find his place of meditation, but by the time they had arrived, he had already moved on. For hours they had scoured the area, searching for him, but the Zabrak Jedi Master managed to stay two steps ahead at all times. Now it was dusk, and the last hours of sunlight grew thin. The clones had split into smaller groups - something Karne had been counting on. Smaller groups could cover more area, but Karne stood a better chance against them if it came to fighting. With that in mind, he made his way towards the ground base the clones were operating from.

During the hours of the chase, Karne had devised a plan of excape. It was a long shot, but it was his best chance. If he was stuck out in the open when night fell, the clones would have the advantage. Some of them had night vision, and Karne wasn't looking forward to running blindly into them. No, his only chance was to get to the base before dark, and stow away on one of the larger ships which was leaving the system. Using the Force to conceal his presence, he hoped to be able to 'requisition' a starfighter with a hyperdrive. If he timed his escape correctly, he could jump to lightspeed only moments before the larger transport jumped itself. Hopefully, that would keep them from being able to follow easily. Admitably, it wasn't the best plan he could hope for, but seeing as he had no other means of getting off the planet, it was the only plan he could work with.

As the last slivers of daylight faded on the horizon, Karne stowed himself away in one of the large transports leaving the planet's surface. They would ferry soldiers up to the Acclamator I-class assault ship currently stationed above the planet. It was from there that Karne planned to steal an ARC-170 starfighter. From there, he'd try to escape to one of the nearby systems. After that, he really didn't know what to do, but hopefully that would buy him some time. The more he thought over this plan, the less likely it seemed that it would work. Still, he'd seen the many Jedi accomplish the seemingly impossible through the Force, and the thought gave him some hope.

Soon enough, he found himself aboard the assault ship, making his way as quickly as possible to the hangar where the fighters were kept. Carefully, he krept past guards and pilots, finally making his way into the cockpit of one of the ARC-170's. For a moment, he sat there, almost in disbelief of what he was about to do. As quickly as he could, Karne started the engines and began to take off. Every clone in the hangar turned to see what was going on. Fortunately, in the time it took them to realize what had happened, Karne was already out of the hangar and into open space. The Force was with him, and none of the clone fighters were able to catch him before he was able to jump to lightspeed. Now all he could do was to hope that he had truly gotten away.

Zu Mavr, Sith Acolyte kneels in meditation on his ship, Darkness Falls. "It has all come to pass..." he thinks out loud. The hard work, all the years of training, first under Darth Maul, then under Sidious himself. The plan that the Sith have been working on for a thousand years has reached it's final stages, "The Jedi's time in the galaxy is over, it is now time for the Sith to rule."

As this thought goes through his mind, the holonet receiver on his ship goes off. With a flick of his wrist, and a slight pressure on the Force, the transceiver shows his master Darth Sidious. "Zu Mavr, the time has come, execute Order 66." This is the same message the millions of Clone troops are hearing throughout the galaxy.

Zu moves to the pilot station of his small Sith Interceptor, punching in coordinates. "Now to find the remaining Jedi and hunt them down..."

Zu Mavr, let's the dark side fill his body, focusing on his rage, he will find these last Jedi and the Sith will rule the galaxy once more...

She tossed and turned in bed, tormented by thoughts of people dying...Jedi's dying. Erica was on a mission, on an unfamiliar planet, leading a group of troopers. She felt a dark presence surrounding her, when suddenly............she woke up screaming, covered in a cold sweat.

Without even bothering to put clothes on, Erica went to her com-station to check if she had gotten any messages. There was only one odd, incomplete holo-message.

A decrepit sounding old man appeared, and said, "...The time has come. Execute Order 66".

She sat there for a moment, not sure why she got the message. Something deep inside told her that it wasn't a good thing. She went over to the nava-computer, set course for Coruscant, but then hesitated. If terrible things are happening, why would she want to be in the middle of it?

Erica knew she could not stand by while such a catastrophe was taking place. She finally pushed the big red button, making Jane-Air's engines roar to life, and propel her into lightspeed.

Hound sat in the armory, cleaning his rifle. After returning to the ground base planet-side, he had been scolded for acting against orders. However, when he brought them confirmation that he'd killed the Jedi, their attitudes changed. Not that they were any happier that he'd disobeyed orders, but no one could deny that they'd have had very little chance of catching the fugitive, had he obeyed orders.

Now, Hound was on a troop carrier, headed to rendezvous with someone that had only been described as a "special agent for the Chancellor". Once this "agent" had boarded the ship, he was to be given a unit of clone commandos, including Hound, who would answer to him, and would be tasked with hunting down Jedi. All of this was, of course, going on far beyond the reach of the public eye.

As Hound was going over these things in his mind, he heard a message over the ships comms system. The agent was now arriving on board. Hound began to make his way to the hangar, to meet with the agent and the other commandos who'd been tasked with this assignment. He wondered what kind of person this was, who he'd be answering to for the foreseeable future. His questions would be answered soon enough.


Karne sat back in his chair as his ship jumped to hyperspace. He'd made a few stops on backwater planets, to refuel and find himself some regular clothes - something to mask the fact that he was a fugitive Jedi. He'd even managed to get his stolen ARC-170 repainted, and have some upgrades installed. Now, he was on his way to Coruscant. The thought of going into the heart of the Republic as a wanted man was daunting, to say the least, but it was the only place he could think of where he might be able to get some answers.

The Jedi closed his eyes and reached out in the Force, trying to find any surviving Jedi. For the most part, he could sense nothing beyond a few presences, all far off. However, as he neared Coruscant, he could sense a strange presence, one that he was unfamiliar with. Someone who was force-sensitive, but who he'd never known during his time in the now decimated Order. Perhaps this person would know more of the events than what Karne had managed to pick up in his travels.

Whoever this was, they were also headed for Coruscant. Karne decided that he would find them, and hope they were a friend.

Zu landed his Sith Interceptor on the small troop carrier, which he will be calling base of operations for the near future. Putting the ship into automatic shut-off, he stands. Pulling up the hood of his black cloak, he descends the ramp, two lightsabers hanging from his waist.

As he walks slowly down the ramp, he thinks of the few other times he has worked with Clones. All on secret missions, where the clones did not know what he really was. Still though, Zu knew that he had a mysterious air about him, and the troopers always wondered what he was. As Zu reaches the bottom of the ramp, a Clone Captain approaches him.

"RC-1145, I am Captain of this unit," Zu hears the clone announce. With a slight wave of his hand the Clone Captain flies across the carrier bay. " I hear there is a trooper on board who has killed a Jedi." Looking around, watching the reactions, a slight smile forms on Zu's face. "That is the Clone I will be speaking with..."

Jane Air came out of lightspeed, not too close to Coruscant, but Erica somehow felt compelled to get closer to the big city, even though she hadn't been back there since 'the incident' that made her leave the Jedi council. She began to think back to what happen all those years ago, when she noticed that the Jedi "All Clear" signal suddenly changed to a warning to stay away.

Erica tried not to take the message personally, and continued to get closer. From orbit, she finally saw the Jedi Temple, billowing smoke into the atmosphere. It was never something she wanted to see, bringing back memories of the good times she had before going rogue, making a tear roll down her cheek.

Hound watched as this strange Devaronian threw RC-1145 across the bay with what looked like the Force the Jedi had used. Was it possible that this was a Jedi, still loyal to the Reoublic? No, there was something about him, in the way he walked, in his twisted smile, in his eyes, that told Hound that this man had no care for the Jedi's precious Code. Yet, he commanded the Force and carried with him not one, but two lightsabers. The thought came to mind that perhaps the Jedi were not the only ones who trained in the ways of the Force.

"I'm the one you're looking for.' Hound stepped forward, until he was standing directly in front of the hooded figure.

There was something chilling about the presence of this man. He was dangerous. One could see the anger, the hatred in his eyes. He was confident. No man would dare assault an clone commando captain with all his men standing around, unless they were sure of themselves. Or stupid. This man was definitely not stupid.

Hound removed his helmet and tucked it under his arm, looking the figure in the eye.

"RC-1170, clone commando and recently Jedi-killer. Most call me 'Hound'."


Karne sat in orbit over Coruscant. He could now see the ship upon which was the presence he'd felt. It was a ship unknown to him, bearing neither Jedi, nor Republic symbols. Whoever it was, they were Karne's best chance at finding an ally. Still, sending a communication was a severe risk, and he didn't want to rush into anything.

However, before he could send anything, he began to receive a communication - from the Coruscant traffic authorities. Taking a deep breath, Karne flipped on the comms switch.

"Hello, pilot, this is the Coruscant ground control. Are you looking to land?"

"Yes, I need fuel and supplies."

"Alright, we'll check your ship's data and find you a spot as quickly as we can. One moment please."

There was a moment of silence. Karne held his breathe.

"Sir, are you aware that your ship reads the ID tag of a ship that was recently reported stolen?"

Karne's mind raced. He felt stupid that he hadn't thought of this. He did his best to cover his mistake.

"Ah, that's a surprise to me. I just bought this thing from a scrap dealer. Told me he'd found it abandoned somewhere. I fixed it up, but never thought to check if it had been stolen."

"You are requested to land immediately. Coordinates are being sent to your navicomputer now. Land as directed, make no transmissions. You will be met by an escort when you land, and we'll get this cleared up as quickly as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience."

Karne followed the controller's instructions, while desperately thinking of how to get out of this situation. He might be able to avoid an interrogation, maybe even get into the city, but getting back off the planet would be difficult, and there was only so much time before he would be recognized. Thinking through what options he had, Karne finally rested on what he deemed his best option. Closing his eyes, he reached out in the Force, attempting to tell the other Force-sensitive of his situation. It was a long shot, but it was his best chance.

"Whoever you are, I need help."

As she waited for landing co-ordinates, Erica felt something...from a fighter that was close to her. She sensed the pilot was in some sort of trouble, but was unsure how she might help him. Just then, she got her instructions, which luckily seemed to be where the other ship was going. Carefully maneuvering herself behind him, Erica flew casually, following along until they got to their neighboring platforms.

From her cockpit, she saw her 'companion's ship get surrounded by a well armed security team. What this guy did, it was going to take a LOT of persuasion to get out of. As soon as her ship touched down, Erica made her way down the loading ramp, not wanting to gain unwanted attention. As she looked over to the other landing-pad, getting some wanted attention from a couple of the armed men, which made her smile again.

She took her time to walk over to the other side, keeping attention on what was happening, and why she was contacted. He was definately a Jedi, and probably here for the same reason she was - To get answers. However, this wasn't the time for agressive negotiations, but for the use of her less tangible abilities. The security team was an all-male team, so it should be easy to convince them to go deal with some other, more important issues...what ever they might be.

"Good, Hound, you are the one I will be working with," Zu smiled. He knew that the Clone trooper was trying to figure out what he was. Most beings in the galaxy have no idea. When they see him use the Force, they first think Jedi, but after a few moments that thought is gone. As Zu looked around the bay, he could see the other clones, looking from one to another, thinking, is he like Dooku?

"You can call me Mavr," Zu states. Standing in front of the Jedi-killing clone, one hand on his lightsaber, "I was sent here by the Emperor himself to help Lord Vader finish executing Order 66." With that Zu steps around Hound, without looking back, "find me some Jedi to kill."

Hound stood, eyes forward, as Mavr passed by him. He wasn't too fond of the way this Force-wielder spoke to him. He felt almost as though he was seen as more dog than man. Regardless, he now had his orders, and in fulfilling them, he could show Mavr that it is always dangerous to kick the Hound.


Karne ran through a quick landing checklist as a security team approached his ship. As the canopy opened, he observed the team discussing his ship's chassis. It was uncommon for regular spacers to own ARC-170's - especially ones with stolen systems.

"We apologize for the inconvenience, sir,' began the man who seemed to head the security team, 'but we'll need to have a quick look at your ship, as well as run a quick background check on yourself."

"No apologies necessary, officer. You're just doing your job." Karne did his best to seem as normal as possible. He knew a background check would give him away, but he had to buy as much time as he could. Hopefully whoever that other Force sensitive was, they knew he was in trouble.

Just as he was thinking this, Karne noticed another pilot who'd landed on the platform next to his. She was looking his way, and she seemed very interested in the security team that was currently going over his ship. As Karne observed her, he managed to catch a moment of eye contact. Yes! This was the other Force-sensitive. This was the person he'd tried to contact before landing. She'd gotten his message, and hopefully she would have an idea of how to help.

Just as Karne's heart grew light with hope of help, another weight was placed on it. The lead security officer walked over to him, flanked by armed officers, with a look on his face which worried Karne.

"Excuse me, mister,' he looked down at the datapad he was carrying, '"Deshkal", but I have some questions for you."


Hound sat in his quarters, thinking over the scene in the hangar. A voice called for him over his personal intercom.

"Yes, Hound here."

"We've found a possible Jedi, on Coruscant. He's just landed, and they haven't confirmed it yet, but his ships ID matched to one stolen from a Republic hangar not long ago."

"That's our mark then. Inform master Mavr that we've found him a Jedi, then ready a shuttle."

"Affirmative, sir."

When Erica's eyes locked with the Jedi, she felt his relief...but then saw the guards move in on him. She soon walked close enough to everyone to make her move.


"Hello boys," Erica began, "what's all the trouble?"

The commander spoke sternly, "Please stay back miss, Mr. Karne Deshkal is to be taken in for questioning about the theft of this ARC-170."

Erica got closer to the commander, looked into the eyes, and responded, "...I'm sure we can work something out...and not inconvenience my friend too much."

The commander started to sweat a bit, not sure what was happening to him. As he looked around him, he saw that the other guards were also loosing concentration.

The commander stuttered, "P-P-please, miss...stand aside...we...umm...have work to do."

Erica continued, gently holding the side of the commander's face, "Maybe this isn't the man you're looking for?"

The commander repeated, "This isn't the man we're looking for."

Erica finished, "He's free to go about his business."

The commander repeated, "You're free to go about your business.", as he motioned for Karne to leave.

Erica briefly glanced at Karne to reassure him, then looked back at the commander, "Thank you commander...you're soo sweet."


The commander just stood there, dazed & confused, and watched as Erica walked over to her new Jedi friend, linked arms with him, and escorted him to the nearest elevator.

Zu kneeling in meditation in the quarters given to him, hears the distinctive beep of his comlink. "We have found a Jedi on Coruscant," a Clone's voice comes over the link. "Coruscant, surely the Jedi can not be so dumb," Zu say as he stands up, preparing himself. "Get a shuttle ready, we will be leaving immediately."

"Their time is over, I will hunt the Jedi down, and prepare the galaxy for my new Emperor's rule," Zu walks towards the door without breaking stride, he announces towards the comlink. "Get me Hound!"

Hound stood next to the ramp of the shuttle that would soon be carrying him and Mavr to Coruscant. He stood straight, helmet tucked under his arm, waiting for the Emperor's Hand to arrive. It was funny, he thought, how strange the term 'Emperor' sounded. None of regular clones noticed it - they weren't programmed to notice. Most of the commandos who noticed didn't care, others even thought it was a step in the right direction. Perhaps cutting out the bureaucracy would allow the new emperor to get something done. Then again, there were also a few downsides. Still, Hound was a soldier of the Republic, and if that republic was now an empire, so be it.

Hound now saw Mavr approaching the shuttle. His cloak was draped about him, and his hood raised. He was still an intimidating figure, though Hound thought him still a touch arrogant. Perhaps once they'd worked together, Mavr would realize why the others called him "Hound". Mavr passed by Hound without so much as a glance. Hound followed him onto the shuttle, hoping that, whoever this he was, Mavr wouldn't get in his way.


Karne watched as the strange woman began to speak to the guards. The instant she drew attention to herself, they were all distracted. There was something in the way she talked, perhaps even the way she moved, that was unnaturally captivating. Karne very nearly fell into distraction himself. However, keeping his frame of mind, he was able to acquire one of the guard's datapads and tuck it into his shirt. Hopefully, it would yield some useful information.

No sooner had he hidden his prize, than the woman walked over to him and linked her arm through his, as though they were longtime friends. Karne followed her lead, and they walked together to a nearby elevator. Once the doors had shut, he breathed a sigh of relief. He looked over to his new companion.

"Hello, my name is Karne Essal,' he extended his hand towards her, 'I'd hoped the name Deshkal would throw them off, but I see it was less than adequate. I thank you for your assistance. Without your help, I would surely be looking forward to my own execution."

Erica gently held Karne's hand in friendship. "You can call me Erica...", she said with a smile, "...it was my pleasure. I wasn't in the mood to see an execution today. But, stealing one of those fighters was pretty gutsy...just like taking that datapad."

Erica waited a couple of moments before continuing, "I have a little place not far from here, and hopefully it's still as nice as I left it. I've never had a man stay with me there before though, so I hope you don't mind sharing a bed.". She tried to keep a straight face, until she saw the confused look on Karne's face. She just giggled, "I'm kidding."

Erica waited quietly until the Elevator finally got to their floor. The doors opened, and they walked out into a large lobby.

Erica resumed, "So...what do you want to do with that datapad? I've used Republic computer stuff before, so if you need any help, just let me know. But, we gotta get going...I sense that something bad will happen if we keep hanging around here."

Zu walks up the short ramp onto the shuttle that will take him and his Clone Trooper to Coruscant to find a Jedi. Walking into the cockpit, he sits down at the co-pilots station, and leans back into teh seat, watching as Hound drops himself into the pilot's station. "You will take us right to Coruscant, the Emperor wants the Jedi dead, so we will kill the Jedi," Zu states.

"It is only a matter of time, there are so few left, and soon there will be none." With that, Zu, shuts his eyes, and goes into a medatative state, meditating on the end of the Jedi.

Hound initiated the start-up sequence for the shuttle. Behind him, a squad of regular clones settled in for the ride. Mavr had protested to having them along at all, but he had been reassured that they were mostly for show. Hound was the only one that would be accompanying the Hand anywhere. For once, Hound agreed totally with Mavr's protest - regular clones were all but useless in a real hunt. However, they made good guards, and people respected anyone with a set of troopers following him.

The shuttle lifted off the hangar floor, and floated gracefully through the containment field, into cold space. Hound enjoyed flying. Space was vast, mysterious, and unforgiving. It was a strange mixture of peacefulness and danger. It was calming, flying through quiet space, but danger could come at any moment, without warning, giving even the most seasoned pilot a deadly surprise.

Hound began to fear that Mavr's habit of meditation was beginning to wear off on him. As soon as they were clear of the carrier ship, Hound punched in the hyperspace coordinates for Coruscant, and as soon as the shuttle was ready, he pushed it into hyperspace. Soon, they would arrive on Coruscant, and this rebel Jedi would be erradicated.




Karne was slightly off-put by Erica's odd sense of humor, but after a moment, he found a slight smile make it's way to his lips. She was a touch odd compared to the Jedi he'd spent most of his life with, but she was definitely a welcome surprise. The elevator doors opened, and Karne followed Erica out. She was right that they shouldn't hang about in the lobby too long. The sooner they got out, the better.

"Right,' Karne looked around the room, 'we haven't drawn much attention to ourselves yet, but I don't want to be here when those guards come to. Perhaps if we can get to your place, we can come up with an idea of what to do next. I could definitely use the rest."

Karne continued to follow Erica, as she led him through the streets of Coruscant. It occurred to him that it may be somewhat foolish to trust a strange woman whom he'd never seen before, but he sensed her to be a friend, and he really didn't have much of a choice.

"As for the datapad,' Karne retrieved the device from his shirt, 'I should be able to figure it out. I used to live here myself, you know. Perhaps I'll be able to find out just how much they know about me. I might even be able to throw them off our trail. Either way, it should prove to be of some use."




"Sir, we're receiving a transmission from Corscant." The clone trooper who was manning the comms station spoke up as the shuttle pulled out of hyperspace.

"Let's hear it then, clone." Hound ordered.

A small hologram of a security officer appeared over the shuttle's control console.

"One of our teams was sent in to apprehend the suspected Jedi, but it seems that he had an ally, who facilitated their escape. I'm sorry to report that we've lost track of them. However, we don't believe that they have been able to leave the planet, and we have set up security checkpoints around the area. They shouldn't have gotten far."

"They shouldn't have gotten anywhere.' Hound chided the man, 'This is what happens when you send inadequate forces to deal with a Jedi."

There was a pause. The man wanted to defend himself, but found no words.

"Give me landing coordinates immediately, and perhaps our friend here,' Hound nodded Mavr's direction, 'will consider letting this failure slide."

"Yes, sir." The hologram shut off.

"Damned security teams couldn't have caught the Jedi if he'd given himself over to them. Looks like we'll have to clean up their mess as well."

As Erica and Karne walked along the street, enjoying the sights and smells, she found herself thinking back to the last time she was here. Almost shedding a tear, she snapped herself out of it, remembering that things are different...and she's better now.

"We're almost there." Erica said as she abruptly turned into a rather dark alleyway, "I know it doesn't look very nice, but this place has always made me feel safe for some reason."

They eventually got to a deadend. Erica concentrated for a moment...then looked around, before using the force to seperate two large sections of a wall. They stepped into a dark room, and then she 'forced' the entrance shut once more. A couple of moments passed before the lights flashed on, revealing a humble, yet comfortable looking apartment.

There was a large bed in the center, covered with a few pillows and an odd stuffed animal that looked like a teddy bear...holding a spear for some reason, and a long leather sofa nearby. Erica sat down on the edge of the bed, and the looked at the wall. There was a large viewscreen, with a slightly outdated computer terminal sitting on a desk in front of it...covered with a thin layer of dust.

"Hopefully that datapad will be more useful then that peice of junk," she said, pointing at the old technology, "but hopefully the viewscreen will at least be of some use."

Karne looked the viewscreen over. The model was old, but it wasn't so far out-of-date as to be useless. He immediately went about rigging the datapad to the viewscreen. It took some time, but finally, the screen flashed to life.

"There, that should work for now.' Karne flashed Erica a smile, then resumed working on the datapad, 'I want to thank you, again, for helping me. I'm afraid I came into this hastily, and I don't think I could have made it on my own. I realize the risk your taking on me, and I do appreciate it."

Before Erica could respond Karne found what he'd been looking for in the datapad.

"Here it is!' Karne's eyes were now glued to the viewscreen, 'This is my file."

A picture of Karne, dressed in Jedi robes, flashed onto the screen. Beside it were several items of information, mostly on his service with the Jedi. Scrolling through the information, Karne found something that made his heart skip a beat.

"They have me pegged as a traitor.' Karne's voice was monotone, 'I'm a traitor and enemy of the Empire, formerly the Galactic Republic. The new Imperial army has orders to terminate me, and imprison anyone found helping me. There's a bounty on my head - one million credits."




Hound stepped off the shuttle. Several troopers were lined up on either side of the ramp. Standing in between the two lines, at the far end, was a man in a security officer's uniform. The man was a short, fat human with a red face and shifty eyes. He had a look about him, as thought he thought far to highly of himself. Hound would remedy that soon enough, and he doubted there was much that could save the fellow if Mavr got to him. Fortunately for him, the Hand had opted to stay in the shuttle while Hound dealt with the security forces.

"I'm RC-1170, you'll be dealing with me." Karne introduced himself to the officer. Now that they were close, hound could see the beads of sweat poised along the mans hairline, threatening to drip down his brow at any moment.

"Captain Jon Jakor,' the fat man reciprocated the introduction, 'We've set up a temporary command post here, which will serve as your base of operations during your mission here. We've set up a perimeter around the site of the, erm... incident. All checkpoints have been given all relevant data on the Jedi. As for his accomplice, we don't know much about her, but we're working on it. We should have something for you by tomorrow."

"Make that tonight, Captain.' Hound's tone was fierce, but controlled, 'The man on that shuttle is a Hand of the Emperor, and he is not a patient man. I suggest you have us something we can work on within a couple hours. You've already allowed a Jedi to slip through your fingers once, pray you don't make the same mistake twice."

Zu Mavr, sits on the shuttle, focusing on his mission. Sensing the fear and doubt outside as Hound talks to the incompetent security chief. Standing up, raising his hood, a hand on each lightsaber, Zu exits the cockpit of the shuttle, walking towards the boarding ramp.

Mavr steps down the ramp, his eyes locked on the scene in front of him. The security staff can feel the menace radiating from the Emperor's Hand. "So tell me Jakor, where is my Jedi?"

Erica watched as Karne played around with the datapad, and bringing up information he didn't really want to see.

"A million credits?......That would come in handy", she muttered to herself.

Karne looked back at her, "Pardon?"

She responded, "Ummm...I said we...ummm...should get into some different clothes, or something. We don't want to make it too easy for them to spot us."

Erica went into the closet, and started rumaging around for something for Karne to wear. She finally came back out with a few items that you wouldn't expect in a woman's closet.

"Don't ask me why I have these...I'm sure they'll fit you, though", she said as the clothes were laid on the bed.

Erica slipped back into the closet to change her outfit to something less flamboyant. As she dressed, she could feel a dark presence was getting closer and closer. When she finally stepped out of the closet, she saw Karne all dressed in the clothes she thought would never be used again. She then also saw herself on the viewscreen, with her Jedi service record and other details listed. She felt a bit embarrassed for a brief moment.

"Checking up on me?" she asked playfully before continuing, "I always loved that picture of me. I look soo......innocent. Anyway, we better get going. Where should we go first?"

Karne thought it best not to ask, at least at this time, why a woman would have a stock of men's clothing. He was sure it was something perfectly reasonable, however, it was not important at the time. The fact was that she did have them, and that was useful.

"Yes,' Karne began, as Erica questioned him about the viewscreen, 'I apologize. I've always found caution to be a great ally - I mean no harm. But yes, you're right: we do need to get moving. I'm afraid the only place I can think to go to is probably the most dangerous place to go. There will, no doubt, be several blocks in my way, and I do not ask you to go with me. If you abandon me now, perhaps they will forget about you. At the least, you could escape. I won't hold it against you if you choose to leave me. Either way, I'm going to the Jedi Temple."


"Ah, y-yes sir.' Jakor stuttered, visibly threatened by Mavr's presence, 'From what we know, he's still in the area of the landing. We've set up a perimeter there. He won't evade us again, sir!"

"He should not have evaded you the first time!' Hound answered first, 'A 'perimeter' is not good enough. Take us to the landing site. I have no doubt we'll find something that your teams missed. While we are there, get us some intel on his accomplice. I will not repeat myself again."

Jakor saluted, and was about to slink away, when Hound added one last comment, "Captain, I trust you won't fail us again. If this Jedi or his friend escapes your men again, I will hold you personally responsible."

Jakor nodded nervously, saluted again, and went off to prepare a transport for Hound and Mavr. Hound could practically smell the man's fear, and feel his ineptitude. It made him sick. If this was the man they had to rely on for information, the Jedi would have no trouble evading them. Still, evade though he might, he would never escape the Hound.

Erica knew that Karne's journey would be a bit rough, but she came to Coruscant for the same reason he did - To get answers.

"I have to go with you." Erica responded, "I haven't been in the Temple for a long, long time......"

Erica then flashed back to her last visit to the temple...when she was being questioned by the other members of the Jedi Counsel. A tear ran down her cheek as the painful memory momentarily consumed her.

"Anyway..." Erica continued as she wiped the tear from her face, "I need to know what really happened, and this might be the last time I can find out."

Erica quickly went to her computer terminal, and typed in a few commands that programed a flight path & space coordinates, and then cleared the screen.

"Now that my ship will take care of itself if there's trouble, " she explained, "we can get going."

Erica opened the wall/door, and followed Karne as he left the room. The lights shut off behind them, and then she 'forced' the wall closed, making the wall seemless once again.

It was already evening, with the sun almost setting, and the she streets seemed oddly quiet, with only a few creatures wandering around.

Erica spoke with concern, "At night, this place can be a wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious."

Hound followed the security team through the city streets. Mavr had taken command at the base that had been set up for them, and Hound had opted to go out with the security force to the landing platform where the Jedi was last seen. The security team was led by a man who seemed infinitely more capable than Jakor, but that was saying very little. Still, they knew the city better than Hound, and he followed their direction, while they followed his orders. The members of the team seemed on edge. Having a commando with them was one thing, but a commando answering directly to a Hand of the Emperor was something else entirely.

After a brief shuttle ride, the team had begun walking towards the landing platform. Hound walked with a confident stride, carefully absorbing every detail of the are as they moved through the city. As they reached the platform, Hound saw the stolen ARC-170. He was impressed by the Jedi's audacity, if nothing else.

When they reached the platform, the security forces briefed Hound on what had happened, and showed him to the lift that had carried the fugitives away. They rode the lift down to the level where they suspected the Jedi and his accomplice had escaped into the city. Hound instructed the security force to attempt to track their movements through the city. When one of those in charge of tracking tried to tell Hound of the difficulties of tracking a single person in Coruscant's vast cityscape, the commando simply replied, "Everyone leaves a scent."


Karne and Erica walked through the city streets, caution rising as night took over the sky. Erica's warning had not been taken lightly, and Karne's guard was raised. It had been some time since he'd been on the planet, and most of his time there had been spent in the Jedi Temple. The sights and smells of the city were still, in a way, foreign to him, though he knew his way around well enough.

As the two approached the Temple, Karne could finally see the heavy guard surrounding the building. Clones guarded every entrance, armed with heavy rifles, and the main entrance was guarded by two large turrets. No mind trick would get them into this building, and confrontation was foolish at best. They would have to rely on stealth to get in.

Karne turned to Erica and spoke in a low volume, almost a whisper, "Any ideas on how to get in?"


The leader of the security team approached Hound with a cautious step. Hound could see on the man's face that he bore good news. Presenting a datapad to the commando, the man spoke up, "We've tracked them to some sort of hidden house. They've already moved on, but we're in the process of investigating the home."

"Take me there. Send a communication to the Emperor's Hand. Tell him what you've found, and that I'm on their trail." Hound ordered.

The chase had begun.

Erica thought about a plan of attack for a long time...conidering many different ways of getting past the clones. A flat-out attack wasn't likely to work, and asking nicely would fall on deaf ears.

She then used the force to talk to Karne, "We'll have to become clone troopers for a little while - on 3, we'll each grab one and take their uniforms."

Karne looked a little worried...but Erica gave him a big, naughty grin and then quietly counted, "1...2......3!"

Erica and Karne lept towards a couple of higher ranking troopers, grabbed them, and knocked them out cold. Luckily, the trooper disguises fit perfectly...although Erica's 'goodies' were a tight fit. They then took the plunge, and stepped out into the open where other clone troopers could seem them. No one seemed to notice anything was amiss as they walked into the Jedi Temple...and even got a few salutes from lower ranking troopers along the.

As soon as the doors closed behind them, they breathed sighs of relief...which unfortunately turned into gasps of disbelief as they saw what happened inside the temple. Dead Jedi were everywhere, and most of the holy relics were badly damaged or distroyed. Erica remembered the Temple, even in the middle of the night, was never really 'silent'...there force was always present, and alive.........until now. There was only absolute silence...except for one small, barely noticeable, little force 'voice' somewhere...elusive. Erica felt that Karne sensed it too.

Erica paused, and reached out with the force in an attempt to contact the young force-sensitive user, "Where are you young one...we are Jedi, here to help you...where are you?"

I tried to twist around in the tight box. My neck hurt. I wiped my face from tears and sweat and positioned myself to try to comfort Kindle. He was doing so well with his wings all squashed up against him.
I remembered what master Yoda told us. How to calm our breathing and listen to the Force. But it was too hard.
My mind kept showing images.
Of Jedi fleeing.
Of fire.
Of bad Clones running around.
Of Master Skywalker...
And his red eyes. 
Of my friends...

Suddenly I heard footsteps. Loud ones in armor. I got very, very scared because I think they are more bad clones but I hear something. It was funny. Something telling me that the people are good and that everything's going to be alright and that the people are Jedi!
I think about this. I decide to come out because my neck hurt and Kindle was hurt too. I tried to nod at Kindle, who can see me in the dark, and we pushed open the box lid.
As soon as it was lifted Kindle opened his wings and flew up onto a piece of rubble. I tried to smile at him but it was hard so I didn't. I leaned against a wall and slowly stood up, my knees going all over the place.
I looked up at the people who had come inside. They were bad clones. My eyes opened wide. What have I done? They were even looking for me! I shivered at the sight of body's all over the place, and my neck was pounding too. It was all to much to take in. I started to sob again. I would be killed and so would Kindle and it was simply all my fault! and after we hid in that box for so long too!
My knees gave way and I fell into the box again, the edge of the box hit my back, jerking my sore neck forward.
It hurt so much. I kept on crying. It doesn't matter any more!

Karne stood and watched a youngling stumble out of a small box. He could see from the sheer difficulty she'd had in standing that she must have been hiding for some time. It was a moment before he was even truly able o comprehend what was before him. It was nothing short of amazing that, in all the chaos, one so small as this had survived. She was, no doubt, strong in the force if she'd made it this far. As she fell over, Karne realized he was wearing the clone trooper armour, and had no doubt scared the poor child.

Rushing to aid the fallen child, pulling off his helmet as he ran. She was bruised and sore from being cramped up for so long. She was scared and crying, and pale - either from being in the box for so long, or from the sight of bodies that had not yet been removed from the Temple. Gently, he pulled her out of the box and set her to her feet. She seemed confused by the sigh of a Zabrak in clone armour.

"I am Master Karne, youngling.' Karne spoke softly, 'This is my friend Erica. We're here to help."


By the time Hound had arrived at the home, the security team had forced open the doors. The entrance was hidden, made to look like a wall when closed. No doubt, the security team had stumbled upon it by accident, rather than through any form of skill. He walked into the small home, eyes darting about, searching for any clues.

Hound pulled aside the head of the security team in the building, "I want every file on that old computer over there, and every piece of info you can find put on my datapad immediately."

"Understood." The officer nodded.

Looking about, Hound found a set of clothes, the ones the Jedi had been wearing when he landed. Also lying about were the clothes the woman who was with him had been seen wearing. Hound pulled aside another officer, instructing him to take the clothe's measurements. They could at least construct a better physical profile from the sizes.

Hound could feel that he was close to finding his target. It was now only a matter of time. Then he would see how crafty this Jedi was with the hounds biting at his heels.

One of the bad clones came running up to me and helped me up and out of the box. He said his name was Master Karne, and his friend was Erica and they where here to help! I looked at the other person and then back at Karne and then at Kindle just for reassurance. He twitched his head. Then I knew it was true.

I was so happy that they weren't bad clones I felt like hugging Karne, but then I remembered he was a Master and quickly bowed really low, releasing myself from his grip that helped me up. 

"Master" I said, "I did not know, I'm so sorry."

I blinked and waited for a reply when Kindle flew down and rested on my shoulder. I got up from the bow, better on my feet now, and smiled at Master and Erica, too.

"My name is Tukka, and this is Kindle and we are very, very glad to have you here, Master and Erica." I said, but not too loudly.

Kindle tilted his head and gave a soft hoot. I think he liked them. 

She waited a moment before taking off her clone uniform, letting her hair flow out of the stuffy helmet, and then looked at the young girl.

"Hello Tukka, you're very lucky to be alive..." Erica said, then spoke to both Tukka and Karne, "...but our luck may not last much longer."

Just then, in the distance, there were heard loud noises and clones voices. There was also a strange presence that felt familiar...and not in good way. It was a dark, evil presence that had crossed her path before. A dark lord of the sith that cost her the life of a promising young jedi she had nearly completed training. She could not allow that to happen again...EVER!

"We must hurry. if we can get to the roof, we may be able to get out of here...if they haven't done anything to my ship.", Erica said excitedly.

She then knelt beside Tukka, and softly said, "I can tell that you and Kindle are very brave & strong. With your help, I'm sure we will make it. I will never let anything happen to you."

An explosion echoed through the temple.

It was time to go.......NOW.

As the explosion shook the building, Karne muttered a curse in Zabraki, hoping afterwords that the youngling did not understand the words. He didn't think the clones would have been able to find them this quickly. Then, there was always the chance that they had simply arrived in the wrong place at the wrong time. Either way, Erica was right, they had to be moving. But Karne could not leave yet.

"Erica,' Karne spoke quickly, 'take the youngling and go to your ship. I have more that I must do here. Prepare to leave the planet, and I will find you when I can. Do not wait for me."

Karne began down the hall before Erica or the child could respond, but just before he rounded a corner, he turned back, "May the Force be with you both."

With that, he was gone from them. Leaving them to fend for themselves left a sour taste in his mouth, but he needed answers, and he would not further endanger anyone else in order to get them. It took him a moment, even with his years of training, but he finally gave them over to the Force, and focused his mind on the task at hand. It would not be easy to make his way through the occupied temple, and he needed all hit wits about him if he was to find the information he needed.


Hound was looking over the data from the computer when one of the security officers entered the room, a look of urgency on his face. "Sir,' the officer began, 'There's been a disturbance at the Jedi Temple. We don't believe it has anything to do with the fugitives you're after, but some of the clones that were on guard have gone missing. We thought it prudent to inform you."

"Prudent!' Hound laughed, 'Finally, someone shows some trace of competence!' Hound paced across the room and picked up his helmet from where he'd left it, 'The very night after a wanted fugitive lands on the planet, and something happens at the Jedi Temple. This is no coincidence."

Hound pulled the helmet over his head, turning on the HUD, "Take me to the Temple. Now."

They watched as Karne left their sight one last time, and then looked at each other, unsure of what to think. A moment later, another large explosion focused their thoughts. Erica picked up Tukka, and held her tightly, not wanting to let go of her precious cargo. She figured that her ship should be arriving soon, as she had programmed it to do before she left her apartment.

"It took them long enough...clones are pretty 'slow' sometimes", Erica commented.

She wasn't sure where to go, but then Tukka pointed towards a staircase. Erica ran up the stairs, which eventually let to the roof...but no ship, yet. As more rumblings shook the building, Erica and Tukka calmed themselves, trying to sense where her ship was. She could feel it coming their way, oddly behind schedule, but on its way non the less.

"Don't worry Tukka..." Erica began, "soon, this will all be over, and a new safe & secure society will begin."

Erica then shed a tear, as she hugged Tukka, knelt down, and then hummed an ancient Jedi lullaby that was buried deep within her memories.

What seemed like a long time passed before the familiar rumble of her ship's engines came to a rest beside them on the roof. But, when its door opened, what they saw was not something they had expected.