Tales From The BBS

presents:

The Fallen

By: Wampa Dan

Chapter 1: The Chosen

The blood was everywhere. He was covered in it, and it was already to his waist. The stench of death assaulted his nostrils, and all around him he heard voices screaming for help. He could not see through the darkness, and the blood flowed over his neck. He tried to move, but he felt something powerful holding him back. The blood rose over his chin. He tilted his head back, gulped at the precious air, and reached out with the force. He still could not free himself from the force that held him. He looked around desperately in the darkness, trying to make out his prison. Then his voice joined the others calling out in pain as the blood flowed over and into his mouth. He went under, and vibrating through his ears he heard a terrible, evil cackle. It went on and on, driving him crazy. He couldn't hold his breath any longer, and he let the air out of his lungs. The laughing grew louder as he awaited death.

Jedi Master Kaltax shot out of bed. He had a profound sense of fear and confusion. He still felt the laughing ringing in his ears. He was covered in sweat, and his sleeping garments clung to him. He breathed in the fresh air.

He left his room. He had put on fresh Jedi robes and a long, dark brown cloak. He strolled down the hallway, his boots clicking on the stones. He gazed out the window ports and saw various creatures move through the woods. The sunlight fell upon his face, and he felt the warmth and smiled. He often felt so at peace here on Yavin 4 that he never wanted to leave. He continued on to his destination.

Kaltax arrived at the large, high ceilinged lecture hall of the temple. There his friend the Bith stood in front of a class of young Jedi. They all watched in rapt attention as the Bith delivered his lecture. Kaltax smiled. He always was happy to see that his friend had found peace here at the Academy. The Bith ended his lecture and stepped off the podium, heading towards Kaltax.
"You had another of your dreams, didn't you?" the Bith asked.
"Yes, I did. More vivid than any before," Kaltax responded.
"Kaltax, my friend, walk with me," the Bith said. Concern showed on his face as they walked through the corridors of the Massassi Temple that served as the Jedi Academy. The Bith continued, "I always knew the time for you to leave us would come." Kaltax moved to speak, but the Bith cut him off with a gesture of his hand. The Bith then started again, "I found my peace through the death of everyone I knew here at the academy, but you are a different story my friend. I am content to stay and teach others, but you crave to be out making a difference, am I correct?" the Bith asked, looking straight into Kaltax's eyes.
"That is true," Kaltax responded.
"And then there are these dreams of yours. They cannot be ignored. I can't help but believe they are a warning of sorts, but you believed this already, so why did you come to me?" the Bith said.
"I was hoping you'd join me," Kaltax responded.
"While Luke and Mara are off, I promised them I'd run the Academy. Besides, even if I had no obligations I"d have to decline," the Bith responded.
"Why?" Kaltax asked, confused.
"These dreams have come to you. You have been chosen to take on this task, whatever it may be," the Bith responded somberly. Kaltax shook hands with the Bith and then turned towards the docking bay. The Bith clasped his hands behind his back and walked to the window. His concern shown prominently on his face, he watched the modified YT-1300 freighter head off into space and into the unknown.
"Good luck, old friend." The Bith said into space. He then turned and headed back into the Academy.

Chapter 2: Return To Darkness

A few pedestrians walked along the pavement towards who knows where. At one side of the street stood a large, black building, the flickering sign above the door read "The Darkness Cantina". From the other side of the street, out of the darkness, came the cloaked figure of Jedi Master Kaltax. He strode out of the dark alleyways, and the light from the hover-lamps lining the street fell upon him. He strode purposefully to the door, and entered the cantina.

The various aliens around the cantina barely noticed him as he entered. He made his way straight to the bar. The large, Quarren bartender turned to him.
"Ah yes, my friend, allow to guess your drink," he said politely. He then placed a glass of dark black liquid in front of Kaltax. Kaltax lifted the glass and gave the bartender an icy stare with his blue eyes. The bartender simply smiled, nodded at him, and said, "He's been expecting you." Kaltax sensed the bartender was not lying to him. He threw his head back, downed the glass whole, leaned forward, and let the darkness come over him.

He awoke with a start, and he felt his head pounding. The only light in the room came from the ceiling onto him. In such darkness it was only a nuisance. He looked around, but saw nothing. Then into the light strode a large, armored figure. His armor was jet black, but he wore gloves of gold with silver spikes on the knuckles, and cruel spikes also rose from his black boots. His face was covered by a helmet with a breather, and cold black eye ports.
"I have sent the others away," The Dark Chairman responded. Kaltax did not speak he simply stood, and listened. "I am sorry I cannot be more helpful to you. My reach goes far, but whatever evil is out there it eludes me. I have lost several of my very best agents, but more disturbingly I can feel the presence of this evil. It's oppressive I feel it in my bones, and in my very soul. Something is very wrong, and you may be the only one who can stop it," the chairman stated. Kaltax took note of the fear that was evident in his voice. That trait had never been attributed to members of "The Dark" before.
"What am I to do?" Kaltax asked.
"Merely follow your heart. I hear you have been having dreams. Take warning, and let the instincts from your Jedi training guide you. I have called someone to help you, but the less people that know, the better," the Chairman stated urgently. A door opened and a stream of brilliant light spilled into the room. The Dark Chairman motioned Kaltax towards it. Kaltax turned and headed for the opening. The Chairman grabbed his shoulder and said, "When the time comes, I will give you all the help that is at my disposal."
"Thank you," Kaltax responded. He headed once again for the opening. He got to it, and just as he was stepping through, he heard the booming voice of the Chairman once more, calling, "May the force be with you, always!" Kaltax nodded, and stepped out.

The door snapped shut behind him. He turned, only to see that instead of a door there was a small hill. He looked through the plants for signs of where the door was, but he found none.
"Hey, if you're quite done getting back to nature, we got places to go," he heard a voice call out. Startled, he turned to see an YT-1300 freighter landed in a small glade. Around the glade was a raging river. Large cliffs rose up on all sides, and a large waterfall plunged over the side of one such cliff. A rainbow spread out from the spray at the bottom.
"Blast, you Jedi sure take your time looking at the scenery, don't you," the voice said amusedly. Kaltax turned, and looked at the entry ramp to the freighter. There, leaning upon the support strut with an ear to ear grin, was Fram Framson. "Rumor has it your old ship was being tracked. So surprise! I'm your lift!" Fram called jovially.

Chapter 3: Catching Up

Framson finished with the controls, and the ship shot forward into hyperspace. He turned in his chair to face Kaltax.

"So what are you doing here Fram," Kaltax asked.

"Well, until further proof is shown, it appears I'm helping you out," Fram replied, grinning.

"Why did you leave the wife and kids behind? I thought you had a good job planet side?" Kaltax inquired, concerned.

Fram sighed, smiled, and continued, "You should have been there when I got home. I just showed up one day. They couldn't believe it. I was so famous from us saving the universe that they waved the fines, and let my family out of prison. We were given all the lands of the corrupt politician who had ruined our lives. We lived in paradise: walks in the woods, the fresh air, a great job, and having my family beside me. It was all so perfect."

"And what happened?" Kaltax asked, confused.

"I heard the galaxy was in trouble, and I realized I had to fight to keep that dream alive," Fram responded, determination in his voice.

"And I'm glad you're here," Kaltax replied.

A light began flashing, preceded by a beeping. "We have an incoming message," Fram stated. He flipped a couple of controls, and the view-screen flickered on. On the view-screen was Ulic Qel-Droma with Salacious Crumb on his shoulders. "Ah, there you are, my friends. How good to see you again!" Ulic exclaimed.

"Well, Ulic and Salacious, how have you two been?" Fram asked.

"Wonderful, but lets get to the point The Dark Chairman contacted me, and my spies may have found something. I don't want to tell anything more over this open channel. I'll talked to you when you get here," Ulic responded. The view-screen then shut off.

"Well, I guess we know where we're heading now," Kaltax said.

"That's always a good thing," Fram responded, smiling.

Chapter 4: Change Of Plans

The hiss of exhaust and the snap of the landing gear signaled that they had landed. "Well, we got work to do," Fram said, smiling. He pulled his blaster from the holster, checked it, and then put it back. Kaltax stood and walked with him towards the exit. The support struts creaked as the ramp lowered, and they stepped out into the docking bay of Ulic Qel-Droma's palace.

"Looks even more impressive than I remember," Kaltax stated admirably.

"Ah, you should see my place back home. It's not as large, but the scenery is better," Fram responded. He squinted as the desert light poured in through the view ports.

"Hey! I got my best mechanic's to fix your ship up," came the voice of the rapidly approaching Fixer.

"Fixer, while you're at it, how about a few free upgrades, my friend?" Fram asked, hopefully.

"Don't push your luck. Of course you could probably sweet talk old Ulic into it. Speaking of which, he is dying to see you guys. These two guards will take you right to him," Fixer said.

Two fully armored guards stepped in on either side of them, and they all headed for the door. Fixer moved towards the Ice Storm II, and started personally overseeing the mechanic's work. They were led silently through the twists, and turns of the palace until they reached a small door. The door snapped open and sunlight poured in. They all shielded their eyes from the sudden brightness. As they did they heard a tiny crack followed by a thud. When their eyes adjusted, they saw one guard crumpled over, and the other standing holding a small stun charger. Fram quickly drew his blaster, but the guard waved his hand, and said, "We don't have time for that. Now listen quickly because I've only been able to power down the camera grid for a minute. The information Ulic has is false. It was fed to his spies by imperial agents. It will lead you straight into a trap," the Guard stated urgently.

"And we should trust you, why?" Fram asked, his blaster still leveled at the guard.

"I'm New Republic Agent Elrond Smith. You can look up my credentials if you want. Agent Yodarth and I were contacted by an informant that goes by the title of Luke's Bud, very mysterious, but always reliable. We are working covertly to help you guys out." he said. A beeping started emanating from his watchband. "You guys got to move now!" he exclaimed.

Kaltax reached out with the force, but sensed no sign the man was lying. "Let's go Fram fast!" he exclaimed.

"You sure?" Fram asked, but Kaltax was already moving out into the city. So Fram holstered his blaster and followed. He cast a glance over his shoulder only to see that the guard had disappeared. "I hope you know what you're doing!" Fram yelled as he tried to catch up to Kaltax.

Chapter 5: Moving On

Fram Framson and Jedi Master Kaltax sat in the corner of a small outdoors caf� on the outskirts of Mos Eisley. "Well, what do we do now?" Fram asked.

"I don't know. I guess going back to get your ship and flying right out the front door isn't the smartest idea," Kaltax stated, downtrodden.

"Tell me we aren't leaving my ship behind!" Fram exclaimed.

"If I may make a suggestion, gentleman," came the voice of an approaching mercenary. He was clad in heavy armor, and was well armed. Fram grabbed his blaster under the table. Kaltax put his hand cautiously on his lightsaber. "May I?" the Mercenary asked. He gestured to the empty seat on the far side of the table.

"Please, help yourself," Kaltax responded, coolly.

"I thank you gentleman. I've been following you boys discreetly ever since you so abruptly left Ulic's Palace," the Mercenary stated. Their grips tightened on their weapons. The mercenary continued, "Ah but I can tell I'm making you nervous. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Agent Yodarth. Don't react, just listen. I'll need you to travel down this road, immediately take a left, and head into the first cantina you come to. There is someone there who can help you, but you'll need to hurry gentleman," he said calmly. They were in no mood to argue at this point, so Kaltax and Fram rose, and hurried down the street. The mercenary casually looked across the street, and in the shadows of the building he saw the guard from the Palace. He nodded to him, and they both slipped into the shadows.

"I am having a really weird day; people claiming to be New Republic agents, and all this running around. Maybe we should just slow down and think about this for a second," Fram said. Panting he finally caught up to Kaltax at the door to the Cantina. Kaltax simply glared at him. "Or we could not whatever works for you," Fram said. Kaltax nodded, then hit the open button to the door. The doors slid open. They looked into the cantina. The place had been trashed, and a young woman flew through the air, hit the far wall, and crumpled to the ground. They looked at the person who had thrown her. He turned to face them. He was a Twi'Lek, with strange tattoos covering his body, and in his right hand was a glowing red lightsaber. "I take it this isn't a good thing," Fram said.

Chapter 6: The First Encounter

Kaltax grabbed his saber and ignited it to its full length. The silver blade hummed through the air. The Twi'Lek moved quickly towards him. Kaltax easily blocked it. The Twi'lek led with an aggressive and persistent onslaught, but he was no match for Kaltax's training. Kaltax simply remained on the defensive until the Twi'lek began to tire out. Then suddenly, Kaltax surged forwards, and the Twi'lek's guard faltered for a split second, which was all Kaltax needed to spin his saber round and through the ill-fated Sith. The legs reeled backwards and fell to the ground. The top half toppled forwards and made a dull thud as it hit the floor. Kaltax deactivated his saber, and clipped it to his belt. Outside, sudden laser blasts rang through the air, and with showers of sparks, several stormtroopers fell dead outside the door. Only one made it through the door. Fram's shot hit him square in the chest, and he fell back out the door. "And stay out!" Fram yelled. Kaltax smiled, and stooped to check the body of the fallen Sith. Outside, a DFR class armored speeder pulled up. On either side were Agent Elrond Smith, and Yodarth. Each held a large rapid fire rifle with its barrel still smoking. In the back were two unknowns at the large gun-ports. Kaltax turned his attention to the lightsaber. It was mostly black, but it had some silver. It was rather plain in design, but it had some strange writing carved on to it. He clipped it to his belt and stood up. "Well, I got one, and you got one. I guess we're even, huh?" Fram asked. Kaltax just walked to the other side of the room towards the fallen woman. Cantina patrons started to crawl out from under the tables, behind the bar, and from behind various other debris. "It's okay people, we're Jedi. Well he is anyways. We have the situation under control, there is nothing to see here," Fram stated. The people just stared at him in disbelief. He moved to stand beside Kaltax who was gazing intently on the body. "What is it?" Fram asked, concerned. Kaltax motioned to a small cylindrical object beside her. It was a lightsaber. "Blast! Is she alive?" Fram questioned.

"For now, but she is going to need some patching up," Kaltax responded.

"Okay, let's pick her up as gently as possible, and move her out to the speeder," Fram ordered. Kaltax glared at him, reached out with the force, and gently levitated her towards the door. "Yeah, okay, that'll work too," Fram said. He started to follow Kaltax to the door. When he got there, he turned and said, "Thank you for your time, please go about your normal business, and have a great day." He then went to the speeder and hopped in the side. Kaltax finished gently placing her in back, and then got in the speeder opposite Fram.

"Don't worry boys, we know someone in the area who can give us a hand," Agent Elrond Smith said. He then throttled the speeder forwards into the desert.

"Best of all, he's an old friend of yours," Yodarth said, smiling.

Chapter 7: The Smuggler's Den

The woman lay on her back on a medical bed. Her wounds had been cleaned and bandaged, and she was sleeping comfortably. Medical droids moved about the small medical bay. Jedi Master Kaltax stood at the window, letting the sunlight pour over him. The doctor came to stand beside him. "She'll be all right in about a week, maybe two," he said. Kaltax turned to look at Agent Elrond Smith, who stood by the exit. Agent Smith shook his head discouragingly.

"Are there any more options?" Kaltax asked. The doctor began to pace and think. Kaltax turned the saber over and over in his hands. The handle was silver, long, and intricate in design. It had a blade opening on each side. He reached down and clipped it in place on the unknown Jedi's utility belt.

Finally, the doctor came out of it. "Well, there is one option. There are a few experimental bacta tanks in the galaxy. They are highly expensive, but they would help her injuries heal in about a day," the doctor said, hopefully.

"The only place an operating one can be found is on larger planets such as Coruscant. If we were to go there, we'd surely be spotted and tracked again. We have no idea what we're facing, or how deep this goes," Agent Smith said, interrupting. "We'll have to leave her here," he said.

"We are not going to leave her here. Don't worry, I know someone who can help us out," Kaltax replied. Kaltax took one last look at the woman lying there, and then left the room.

"Hey, Kaltax, allow me to introduce some of our rescuers Wes Janson, and Zev Senesca!" Fram exclaimed.

"The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated, I'm happy to report," Zev said.

"Unfortunately," Janson responded. Kaltax nodded to both of them.

"Well, as much as we'd like to stay and chat, we've got work to do," Yodarth stated.

"Yeah, load up boys. Kaltax, Framson, we'll keep you posted," Elrond said. They then loaded up all their gear, piled into the DFR speeder, and pulled out of the station.

"Well boys welcome to The Smuggler's Den!" exclaimed DS-00-0.

"Thanks for having us, but we can't stay too long," Kaltax said.

"I know. It's just a shame the wife and kids weren't here. They would've loved to have met you," DS-00-0 responded.

"We're going to need a ship, and a good one, not some piece of space slag," Fram stated.

"I'm already way ahead of you on that!" DS-00-0 replied.

The hangar doors swung open to reveal a sleek looking medium sized vessel. It had a large midsection with three small wings at the very back, two larger wings on the side, and a sleek cockpit up front.

"I'm in love," Fram said in awe.

"I've never seen anything like it," Kaltax said.

"It's a Star-Fire class. I designed it myself. Qel-Droma's shipyards are going to have a limited run on these babies. Scan shielding armor, multiple missile bays, enhanced targeting systems, the works," DS-00-0 explained, proudly.

"How can we ever repay you?" Kaltax asked.

"Save the galaxy, my friend," DS-00-0 responded, grinning. "Oh, and Fram, if you should so much as put a scratch on my baby," DS-00-0 warned.

"Why, I would never," Fram fired back, pretending to be insulted.

"I've loaded you boys up with any equipment I thought you could find useful. May the force be with you!" DS-00-0 said. He then stepped back, smiling. The doctor pushed a hover-bed into the ship with the injured Jedi upon it. Kaltax and Fram then waved goodbye to him and stepped on board. A few minutes later, the ship shot across the Tatooine night sky and into the blackness of space.

Chapter 8: Graveyard

Kaltax had his dual-phase lightsaber at its first setting. The blade glowed blue and hummed through the air. The heat of the blade reacted with the cold air and caused steam to swirl off of it. The lights flickered on and off frequently creating an eerie atmosphere. "How does it look out there?" Fram asked. Kaltax reached his spare hand up to press against the comm unit in his ear.

"I don't know, but I sense something is wrong. Stay with the ship Fram," Kaltax replied.

"Will do," Fram responded. He flipped a few keys on the computer screen until it read "external defenses activated". Several laser mounts popped out the sides of the ship. They began scanning for hostiles. Fram kicked his feet up between some of the consoles, and watched the screens intently.

Kaltax reached the entrance at the far end of the docking bay. He reached out and pressed the open button. The door snapped open, sliding away to his right. The lights flickered once more, followed by a loud snap, and they hummed on again. Kaltax blinked when the lights came on. He then twisted the bottom of his saber, extending it to its full length. The blade shimmered and turned silver. All along the floor lay dead stormtroopers. Some had black laser blast marks on their bodies, and some lay twisted, and disfigured. He continued down the icy hall. "Fram, you seeing this?" Kaltax called out over the comlink.

"I see what you see," Fram said. He continued watching the monitor as body after body appeared along the corridor. "Looks like something big happened here," Fram said.

"No kidding? Thanks!" Kaltax responded.

"Boy you seem tense, come on, a big Jedi like you scared of some dead troopers?" Fram joked.

Kaltax continued cautiously moving down the corridor until he reached a large, metallic door. "I'm at the central command center now," he said.

"Be careful," Fram said, concern rising in his voice.

Kaltax reached his hand out and he hesitantly pressed the open button. The door snapped open and he readied his saber for a fight. There, leaning back in a large swivel chair, surrounded by huge glowing computer systems, and grinning away at him sat Wampa Dan.

"Well, took you long enough to get here. Plus, you missed all the fun!" Wampa Dan exclaimed.

Chapter 9: Wampa Dan

edi Master Kaltax stood in the roomy medical bay. The walls were made of compressed ice, metal panels, and various tubing. The room had several medical beds, various computer stations, and medical droids bustled here and there. He stared into the advanced bacta tank, at the figure floating within. She was very beautiful. Her brown hair flowed wildly through the bacta fluid.

Wampa Dan's voiced snapped him back to attention, "Stop drooling," Wampa Dan said, amusedly. "Come on, she'll be fine if you leave her for a minute or two," Wampa Dan stated. Kaltax joined him at the door and they stepped out in to the hallway.

"How long?" Kaltax asked.

"Probably another 12 hours or so, you're lucky I've kept my medical systems up to date," Wampa Dan responded.

"Medical systems and more, it looks like," Kaltax responded. They continued walking through the hallways. As they passed, he admired the sculpture of the once run down base, and at the marvelous rooms in the complex.

"Yeah well, it has been like starting a whole new life for me," Wampa Dan responded.

"What brought you here?" Kaltax asked.

"Well, I spent a brief command as an honorary General on the planet Juro when the New Republic began colonization. I jumped at the opportunity to get out of there when Yodarth arrived on some adventure. Wampas just aren't cut out for administration jobs. I then decided I'd start my own life away from the cold. I'd get a fresh start out on Tatooine, but people treated me like some stupid beast. I left there with Ace and his wife. After we got through with our mission he suggested I start a safe house for Imperial defectors to keep them safe until the New Republic could wipe out the lest remnants of the Empire. So I came back here, refitted the old Echo Base, and started taking refugees and their families," Wampa Dan said, the pride evident in his voice.

Kaltax watched as the people moving through the corridors smiled at Wampa Dan. Families walked together, kids careened through the halls chasing one another, and laughter rung down the corridors.

"All this laughter after such a battle," Kaltax wondered aloud.

"Once the alarm sounded, they all retreated to their rooms where they were locked in. Among other things, I've installed blaster proof doors and a synthetic compound that bonds with the ice to make it hard as metal, and twice as hard to melt. Hidden defense systems line the halls, advanced radar told us way in advance they were coming, and of course my trusted friend," He indicated a large Tauntaun that wandered by, foaming at the mouth.

"Where did all the bodies and the battle damage go?" Kaltax asked, confused.

"Everybody pulls they're weight around here. Some do computer maintenance, some run supplies to and from here, and some do labor, like drag away dead stormtrooper bodies, or to clean up messes," Wampa Dan replied.

"Then what went wrong? I can sense they weren't after a group of defectors," Kaltax said.

"It was before dawn when we got the advance warning of massive ship movements. I sounded the alarm and sealed the quarters, docking bays, and critical systems. They came from outside the shield and marched in. They used no artillery, just foot soldiers. So they obviously were searching for something delicate. I used my pull in the Wampa community to pick off straying groups as they moved in, and exterior defenses took a large gash out of them. Once they breached the perimeter, they moved though the halls. It was a shooting gallery, they got slaughtered by the hidden defenses, but they kept coming. Rabid and I protected the command center. We must have dispatched a hundred troopers just by ourselves," Wampa Dan said. He then paused and got a distant look in his eyes.

"Then what happened?" Kaltax inquired.

"They just suddenly pulled back. We thought it was from their heavy losses, but then upon investigation, we realized that they had broken into my quarters," Wampa Dan replied dejectedly.

Kaltax looked extremely concerned. He reached up, grabbed the Wampa firmly by the shoulders, and asked, "What did they take Dan."

Wampa Dan looked into his eyes and he replied, "The Professor's head."

"That doesn't make sense, why lose thousands of troops for his head?" Kaltax asked.

"I don't know, but something tells me it can't be good. For now though, my friend, we are all going to need some rest," Wampa Dan said, commandingly.

Chapter 10: Janara Hope

They were in the medical bay. Fram sat in a swivel chair with his feet propped on a computer desk, Kaltax sat on the side of a medical bed with his hands folded, and Wampa Dan leaned against the doorframe. In the middle of the group, standing in her plain brown cloak with matching pants, and a white shirt stood the young Jedi. She had long brown hair and green eyes. Kaltax held her lightsaber. He signaled for her to begin.

"My name is Janara Hope, and I come from the planet Fallen. We call it Fallen because massive gravity wells surround the planet. Any ship that goes near them are thrown onto the planet, never to leave again. For a long time, survivors from various crashes banded together. Cities were built. An entire civilization of crash survivors was formed. They built massive complex cities, and helped one another. It was paradise. The planet was quite beautiful. It is a planet of exotic plants, lush forests, and at night the gravity wells illuminate the sky with different colors. We can see three moons from there. One day, a Jedi crashed there. He began recruiting other Jedi amongst the survivors," She said but, was interrupted.

"I don't get how your population kept getting new survivors," Fram stated.

"Many unskilled pilots who would make miscalculations through hyperspace, people with outdated star charts, some where chased by mercenaries. May I continue?" she explained.

"By all means," Kaltax said, smiling at Fram.

"He started his own Jedi order. We upheld the peace for generations to come. I was one of the newer recruits, but something happened. Ships that could navigate the gravity well landed. They carried servants of the Empire. They corrupted many people, including several Jedi. Seven broke from the Jedi order. They are led by a cruel and vicious human who now calls himself Darth Zeis. His followers are a Weequay named Grak, a Transdoshan named Kyossk, a Shishtavanen Wolfman named Bloodwrath, two twin humans named Tebis and Ryess, and the Twi'Lek you killed, Tok. They turned upon the academy and slaughtered everyone there except Jedi Master Zero, and I, his padawan. We were on a peacekeeping mission at the time. We never found the body of Renaldin, another apprentice, either. They overthrew the planet and enslaved the population. They sent them to work in the mines. Zero and I snuck aboard two Imperial ships and went searching for help. I was hoping to contact Ulic Qel-Droma when Tok found me, Janara stated.

Kaltax sensed the truth and urgency in her words. He tossed her lightsaber to her. "Well, it looks like you found some help," Kaltax responded.

"Where do we begin?" Fram asked.

"I believe I may have the answer to that, gentleman," Wampa Dan stated, gravely. He motioned for them to leave. They all filed out. The Wampa began leading them through the Echo Base complex. "As you know, the Imperials have no spare troops to waste on routine assignments like this. So whatever they were after must have been very important to waste valuable troops, right?" Wampa Dan asked. He then hit the open button and the large bay door slid open. The smell of death reeked as they stepped into the bay which housed the stormtrooper bodies. Wampa Dan looked gravely at his companions and said, "We were going to dispose of the bodies when we noticed it." They looked about at every dead body and they noticed the horrifying pattern. Every body had the same face.

Chapter 11: Clones

Fram Framson, Wampa Dan, and Janara Hope sat in the cockpit of their Star-Fire class star ship. Rabid Tauntaun wandered aimlessly through the back compartments. Outside, standing by a small mercenary ship, was Jedi Master Kaltax. The hatch to the mercenary ship opened and down the ramp, wearing silver and green mandalorian armor strode the second most feared bounty hunter in the galaxy Logan Fett. Kaltax felt something strange in the force as the mercenary approached him.

"I hear you have an assignment for me," Logan Fett said, his voice sounded metallic coming from under the helmet.

"Yes, you are to locate a missing Jedi Master Zero. On this data-cube you will find his image and last known whereabouts," Kaltax replied. He handed the bounty hunter the small data cube.

"I usually don't deal with Jedi, so show me the payment first," Logan said, skeptically.

Kaltax reached down and opened the storage container beside him. It was filled to the brim with republic credits. "Bring him back alive, and this is yours," Kaltax responded.

"Very well," Logan said. He then turned, entered his ship, and blasted off. Two men came up, picked up the container, and carried it off to storage. Kaltax turned and went up the boarding ramp to join the others.

"I still don't see why you get to name it!" Fram exclaimed.

"What are you two arguing about?" Kaltax asked.

"Wampa Dan had his technicians paint Wampa Attack on the side of our ship," Fram said.

"Well, it's a good name," Kaltax said, smiling. Fram simply scowled, grabbed the controls, and lifted off.

"So where are we off too?" Janara asked.

"Rumors from the Republic are that no one has heard from the experimental rapid cloning project on Chrysse for six months," Kaltax stated.

"And no one checked it out?" Fram asked.

"Apparently the project leader was a recluse, so it wasn't that odd. However, the families wanted in investigation launched due to the fact none of their family members have contacted them from the station. The republic figured it was because of the secrecy of the project, but we're going to send a team. However, I've convinced them that we'll go instead," Kaltax explained.

"Chrysse it is then," Fram said. He set the coordinates, and the ship shot into hyperspace. Wampa Dan reached over and popped his left arm off. It revealed a cybernetic socket built into his arm. He reached over, produced a metal plated arm with long sharp claws, and put it in the socket.

"Well that was entirely unexpected," Fram said, shocked.

"When my arm was cut off by Karvyn it took too long to get to a medical bay to properly reattach it. I had a synthetic made, and then I got one of these babies. It's a custom made Sciops Plasma Arm Mount," Wampa Dan explained. He then reached the arm up, the plating for the hand slid back to join with the arm section and a twelve barreled, rotating cannon pushed forward. Wampa Dan grinned widely and said, "I figured if we have to deal with some clones, I should be prepared."

"Good idea," Kaltax responded.

"Speaking of which, Chrysse is a good ways off, so everyone may want to get a little sleep before we arrive," Fram said.

"Another good idea," Kaltax said. They all got up and headed out of the cockpit toward the sleeping compartments. Once the last one had left Fram kicked his feet up on the console, activated the communications array, and said, "Open a secure channel."

Chapter 12: Crysse

The Star-Fire class starship began its approach to the small research station on the barren planet of Crysse. It flew low over the cracked, dry ground and swerved past jagged rock outcroppings.

"I've activated radar jamming and stealth mode, but they don't seem to be tracking us in any way," Fram said.

"They probably didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention to themselves. If they continue running as an innocent research facility, they could easily dispatch of unsuspecting visitors," Wampa Dan stated, gravely.

"What I still don't get is where they came from. I mean, thousands of stormtroopers coming from nowhere and taking over a research outpost? Wasn't the last remnants of the Empire wiped out?" Fram asked.

"They took over our planet quite effectively," Janara responded.

"The Emperor was no fool. He laid several traps to regain power if it was lost. One of which was to take the body of another Sith, as we learned awhile back. Small lost battalions were planted with their own secret agendas all over the galaxy. They still pop up occasionally from time to time. However, if they have access to a rapid cloning station we could be in trouble," Kaltax explained.

"Well then, let's make sure they don't control one," Wampa Dan replied.

"All right, here's the layout. The station is several different sublevels of the cloning facilities. For cloning purposes, each cloning incubation chamber is equipped with a zero gravity generator. These, with magnetic couplers, allow the clones maturation pods to suspend freely, and enables easy movement and transfer to different stages. Each of these rooms is extremely large. Further in, you have the different clone maturation stages, but the conditions make it impossible for outside organic life to survive, so droids are the only ones that use the bottom levels. We stick to the upper levels. If at all possible, we'll avoid contact. The last thing we want is an army of cloned stormtroopers on our tails. Fram and I will proceed to the top level of central command. From there, we will attempt to download any useful files from the computer systems. Janara, Dan, and Rabid, your goal will be to proceed to the two main subsections of the cloning facilities and power them down. If we can do this, we can stop the clones from being produced and hopefully find out what they are really up to," Kaltax explained.

"Excuse my ignorance, but isn't building a large clone army what this is all about?" Fram asked.

"It couldn't be. They knew that eventually someone would investigate the station, and they needed all the secrecy they could get, so they wouldn't have risked the assault on Echo Base," Wampa Dan stated.

Fram set the ship down behind a large outcropping of rocks. "Looks like we walk from here guys," Fram stated. They left the ship and hiked the rest of the way. It was not an easy trip through the dusty, rocky landscape, but eventually they arrived at the front of the station. Fram pulled out a small hacking device and began work on the door.

"So do you think they know we are coming?" Fram asked.

"We're about to find out," Kaltax replied, ominously as the door slid open. They all drew their weapons and stepped inside the station.

Chapter 13: Trap!

They moved through the seemingly abandoned research station. The ceilings were incredibly high and the walls were a drab grey. Everywhere doors led to unknown corridors, and any moment they expected troopers to come rushing through them.

"I don't like this, it's too quiet," Wampa Dan stated. They kept moving until they reached the doors to the turbolift. Beside the turbolift were the large doors clearly marked "Incubation Chambers"
"This is where we split up, good luck," Kaltax said. He and Fram boarded the turbolift and the door slid shut. Wampa Dan reached over to Rabid. Rabid had a large black pack on his back. Dan reached into it and produced a large black helmet. The helmet had a wire on each side and inset red targeting sensors for eye sockets. He placed the helmet on its head, produced two similarly connected handles with large red triggers, and he placed them in Rabid's paws. He then flipped the targeting sensor down on his own custom fit metal headband, adjusted his black armor, and slid the hand back to reveal the plasma rifle.

"What are you doing?" Janara asked.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Wampa Dan replied. They then activated the huge main door and stepped through. They stepped through the door and marveled as through the clear plating they could see the massive shimmering blue clone pods suspended in the zero gravity fields. There were two entrances, and on the far end of each chamber was the power control station. The whole room was ringed by various doors.

"You take one door, I'll take the other. Make it fast too, I don't like how every entrance seems to lead to here," Wampa Dan stated urgently. They moved to the center of the room when a snarling voice said, "You aren't going anywhere, Jedi." With that, the two twins, Tebis and Ryess, jumped down from their hiding spot among the support beams. They ignited their sabers, every door shot open, and stormtroopers filled the edges of the room.

Bloodwrath, Darth Zais' right hand man, paced impatiently as he heard the turbolift hum upwards towards his position. The stormtroopers had their weapons at the ready aiming straight for the doors. The turbolift halted, Bloodwrath got an evil gleam in his eye, and the turbolift doors slid open. He then stared inside in amazement at the empty turbolift.

Chapter 14: Bloodwrath

The troopers stood in bewilderment, wondering where their victims had gone. Bloodwrath motioned towards the lift. The stormtrooper commander signaled two of his men and they moved towards the empty lift. When they got inside they looked from left to right, the two men positioned themselves on both sides, and the commander turned back towards Bloodwrath in confusion. He then began sniffing the air as the faint smell of smoke assaulted his nostrils. He looked up and saw the entire top of the turbolift had been seared somehow. Smoke was curling around the edges, but it was still right where it should be. Inside the turbolift shaft, Fram Framson stood atop the severed turbolift ceiling, blaster rifle ready with Kaltax standing to the side in a force trance levitating the turbolift�s ceiling. Back inside the lift, the commander raised his blaster towards the ceiling. Bloodwrath stood outside, wondering what the commander was doing. He then instantly sensed something was wrong. Just then the ceiling was released, it plummeted onto the three unfortunate stormtroopers, and he heard the sickening crunch of bones and plastoid armor. Fram, who had dropped with the ceiling, opened fire on the stunned stormtroopers. The stormtroopers barely got a shot off before Fram had slaughtered them. Kaltax dropped down beside him, activated his lightsaber, and scowled at the Sith. �Get to the control room Fram. I�ll take care of this scum,� he said. Fram nodded and jogged off down the corridor.

Bloodwrath growled in rage and flung himself at Kaltax with his red saber raised, ready to strike. Kaltax took advantage of the careless charge, reached out with the force, and pulled the severed turbolift ceiling straight into Bloodwrath. Bloodwrath, surprised, collided with the unexpected obstacle and was flung with it out the large view-port. Kaltax released his grip on the ceiling, and moved to the shattered view-port. He looked down, searching for Bloodwrath�s falling body. Suddenly, he felt a hand grip around his neck and pull him out of the view-port. He saw his feet dangling in midair and the long drop to the ground. He relaxed, absorbed the force energy, and felt the hand dissipate. He began to fall, but he quickly grabbed hold of the view-port�s ledge. He pulled himself up, looked up towards the top of the massive research station, and he saw Bloodwrath hurl a ball of force energy towards him. Bloodwrath watched as it merely impacted on a greenish shield of force energy raised by Kaltax. Kaltax then channeled the force, and he leaped all the way to the top of the station, flipped over Bloodwrath�s head, and landed gracefully, lightsaber blade at the ready, on the metallic top of the station. Bloodwrath growled and charged at him. Kaltax�s blue blade and Bloodwrath�s red blade met time and time again as the battle raged across the station. Bloodwrath was leading every charge and Kaltax was merely defending himself. Suddenly, Bloodwrath whipped a clawed hand across Kaltax�s face. Kaltax stumbled backwards, surprised. He felt the blood trickle down his face. Bloodwrath grinned at him evilly. It was then his turn to be surprised as the wounds began to close. Kaltax then smiled, wiped away the blood, and revealed that the cuts were no longer there. Kaltax then strode forward and slashed down at Bloodwrath. Bloodwrath blocked the attack easily, but Kaltax punched him straight in the jaw. He then dropped his saber, grabbed Bloodwrath�s saber hand, and delivered blow after blow after blow to Blodwrath�s face. He then released Bloodwrath�s arm, channeled the force, and flung him all the way across the roof. Bloodwrath landed hard and rolled to a stop. He then struggled to his feet, greenish black blood trickled from various cuts, and he turned to stare, with absolute hatred, at Kaltax. He then raised his saber, growled, and charged straight for him. Kaltax merely stood his ground, gazing defiantly at the charging Sith. His saber was still activated, but it lay beside him where he had dropped it in the assault. When the Sith almost in striking distance Kaltax, like a blur, used the force to aid his speed, pulled his lightsaber into his hand, and spun behind Bloodwrath. Bloodwrath swung mightily through the air where Kaltax once had been. He then turned in confusion, but he never saw Kaltax, before his severed head reached the floor. Kaltax watched the severed head, and body fall to the ground. He then turned, jumped down to the view-port�s ledge, and re-entered the station. He then jogged down the corridor towards the control room.

As he got closer to the room he saw an increasing number of stormtrooper bodies. Explosion marks as well as blast marks covered the walls. He then saw, guarding the door to the control room, Wurth Skidder and the Wookie whose eye�s shifted around the room nervously.

�Go on in, we�ve been expecting you,� Wurth said. Kaltax entered the control room. He saw, hunched over the computer system, Rabid Raccoon. �Hey Kaltax!� Rabid exclaimed. Blue Leader approached him, �Our men are guarding the door, Deo is out wiring the place with booby traps, and Rabid is extracting any useful information from the computer systems,� he explained.

�How did you know to come here?� Kaltax asked, confused.

�Fram has kept a secret communication line with The Dark. When he knew where you were going, he informed The Dark, who contacted everyone,� Blue Leader explained.

�And where is Fram?� Kaltax asked.

�They captured him before we got here,� Blue Leader said, sadly.

�We�ve got to go after him,� Kaltax said.

�He has already been loaded onto a ship, but we are tracking the ion trail,� Blue Leader said.

�And what of my other companions?� Kaltax asked.

�Well they,� Blue Leader began, but he was interrupted.

�Hey guys, you better have a look at this,� Rabid said. They all stared at the massive view-screen. In the main reactor room, chained to the far wall, unconscious, was a human. At the entrance was Logan Fett, and between the two was the Weequay Sith, Grak.

Chapter 15: The Twin Sith

Wampa Dan, Rabid Tauntaun, and Janara Hope were completely surrounded by stormtroopers and personally standing in front of the second cloning room doors were Tebis and Ryess, the twin Sith. Wampa Dan nodded to Rabid, who pressed the small red buttons on the top of each controller. Wampa Dan grabbed Janara and flung her to the floor. Out of the sides of the black bag sprung two twelve barreled, rotating plasma cannons and from the top came a missile launcher. Rabid Tauntaun swiveled as the cannon barrels rotated madly, spraying the troopers with fiery balls of plasma. A few troopers managed to get off a shot, but it merely impacted on the Tauntaun�s genetically enhanced hide. One group came out carrying an E-Web blaster. Rabid fired his missile launcher and annihilated the surprised stormtroopers. The remaining troops turned, ran through the doors, and began calling for reinforcements. Wampa Dan growled and charged off towards the troops retreating to the left. Rabid Tauntaun turned and pursued the troops on the right. Standing, unfazed by the sudden loss of troops, were the twins. Janara spun her lightsaber around and activated both blades. The shimmering green blades sprang to life, and she drove forward. The two twins moved to meet her charge, but she stopped short and used the force to fling several bodies at them. Taken by surprise, they were knocked backwards by the bodies. Tebis and Ryess flung the bodies off them and looked around for where she had gone, but they saw no one in the room. Suddenly, they heard a hum and all the power shut off to the adjacent cloning room, the door hissed open, and Janara stepped out glaring at them. They activated the door to the second cloning room and stepped inside. Both of them flipped up onto one of the free floating clone pods, lightsabers at the ready.

Janara Hope strode through the door. The room was gigantic and lined as far as the eye could see with symmetrically lined up bluish clone pods. Magnetic couplers on either end of the pods held them in their free floating position away from the wall. Massive droids floated to and fro, checking on the pods� status. Perched on a pod to her left was Tebis, and perched on a pod to her right was Ryess. She looked to the far end of the room where the power station was. She flung herself into the zero gravity field and floated to a landing on a pod in the middle of the two Sith�s. She reached out with the force, and flipped the switched the gravity back on. She reached out for the control to the power, but Tebis sensed what she was doing and leaped forward to attack. She quickly brought her saber up to defend herself and easily deflected the blow. She then used the force to hurl him back against an adjacent pod. He hit the side hard, but grabbed hold and began to pull himself up. Ryess leaped through the air towards her from the other side. She took advantage of his hang time to press a button on the middle of her saber, and twist it, causing it to split off into two separate lightsabers. Ryess landed swinging, she deflected it, and he, not having been prepared for a second lightsaber, looked on in amazement as the second sliced through his midsection. His legs slowly crumpled onto the pod, but his top half followed through with the slash off the blade and toppled off the pod into the abyss below. Tebis screamed in anger at his brother�s demise. He jumped up towards the pod where his brother had fallen upon. Janara turned and began jumping across the pods towards the power station. Tebis landed, and with a look of hatred, he flung his saber through the air. It sliced through the magnetic coupler on the left side of each pod as it traveled towards Janara. The pods, now not anchored on one side, were pulled immediately away towards the right wall where they smashed to pieces. Janara heard the pods destruction behind her and she heard the saber�s humming coming closer. She stopped, turned, and used the force to push the saber back at Tebis. She then mustered all the force power she could and leaped over the abyss towards him. Tebis caught his lightsaber, and he watched as Janara flew through the air towards him. He readied himself for her attack, but she overshot and flew barely over the pod. He looked down to see her fall, but saw her hand releasing from the far side of the pod. He realized she had actually caught the edge and flung herself around the other side. He turned to meet her, but he was too late. She brought her two blades together like a scissors and removed his head. His body crumpled upon the pod and his head fell to the ground, rolled down the side, and fell away into the dark abyss. Janara reconnected her lightsaber and once again moved towards the power station.

Janara left the dark, powered down cloning room only to be greeted by Wampa Dan and Rabid Tauntaun. �We�ve cleaned out the stormtroopers, but come on!� Wampa Dan yelled.

They all ran but came to a stop outside the main reactor room just as Logan Fett began to move towards Grak.

Chapter 16: Logan Fett

Logan moved towards Grak, and launched into the air. He fired his blaster rifle as he flew a random flight pattern across the room. Grak deflected all of his shots easily, but was unable to deflect one into Logan. He finally used his other hand to build up a ball of force energy which he hurled at Logan. Logan flew to the side, only to run into force lightning. His rocket-pack shorted out and he fell to the ground. He lay still, motionless and possibly dead. Grak moved towards the body, an evil glint in his eyes. Wampa Dan began to pry the door open. Grak got to the side of Logan Fett, raised his saber, and noticed the outstretched hand. The lightsaber that was lying on the table by the chained human activated, and flew for Grak. Grak flipped to the side. Logan grabbed the saber and slashed along the floor. Grak howled in pain as the blade passed through his legs. Logan stood up and he sliced Grak�s head off. He then purposefully strode across the room, sliced through the restraints, and carried the human towards the now open door. Wampa Dan merely stared in amazement at the bounty hunter. Janara embraced the human, levitated him, and began to move him out of the room. Jedi Master Kaltax came running up.

�My job is complete,� Logan Fett stated.

�How would you like to earn a bonus?� Kaltax asked.

Jedi Master Zero came out of the cabin of the Wampa Attack. He was busy attaching his lightsaber claws and straightening out his robes.

�Janara has informed me of all you have done. We thank you, but we must travel to our home-world,� Zero said.

�What about Fram?� Wampa Dan asked, angrily.

�I�ve sent Logan Fett after him, Dan,� Kaltax explained.

�And, my young friend, I would be willing to bet he is heading for our home-world even as we speak,� Zero explained.

�Alright, let�s go,� Dan said, begrudgingly.

The Wampa Attack streaked into deep space. The small imperial fleet that was in orbit was easily being wiped out by the combined forces from The Dark, New Republic, and Qel-Droma�s shipyards.

�We�ve got some fighters coming in!� Wampa Dan exclaimed.

Suddenly, Black 1 came streaking across space and destroyed the small fighters.

�Thought you could use a hand,� came Ace�s voice over the speakers.

�Thanks,� Kaltax replied.

�Don�t thank me, Layla does the shooting,� he responded, laughing.

Several more fighters moved in, but a small fighter zoomed in, and shot them down. Salacious Crumb sat in his fighter�s cockpit, laughing as the enemy ships exploded.

�As much fun as this is guys, don�t you have work to do?� Ace stated.

�You bet! We�ll see you when we call for the cavalry,� Kaltax replied.

�We�ll finish mopping up here and await your signal,� Ace replied.

�May the force be with you!� Layla said from the gunnery port. With that, the Wampa Attack shot into hyperspace.

Chapter 17: Fram Framson

Fram finally came around. He squeezed his eyes against the pain that throbbed in his head. He remembered brief glimpses of the battle. He remembered the blast that launched him against wall. He remembered his head slamming into the wall and then nothing more. He reached up and felt the dried blood where his head had hit. He opened his eyes and blinked at the large overhead artificial light. He looked around at the stormtroopers, with blasters leveled at him, which lined the catwalk. He groaned, stood up, and looked around. The long metal catwalk overlooked tunnels as far as the eye could see. They were obviously underground and all along the ground people toiled away breaking the rock with large pick-axes, hauling rocks with their bare hands down the tunnels, or trying to steal a moments rest hidden in the shadows. Stormtroopers paced the long catwalk that overlooked the tunnels. He looked at his captives as they parted and a tall figure stepped to the head of the group. He wore shining black armor, a long flowing black and crimson cloak, and his face was covered with patterned tattoos.

�Greetings Fram Framson. I am Darth Zais,� he said in a deep cruel voice. �If you die fine and if you live you�ll wish you had died before to long,� Zais said. Fram didn�t even have time to understand what he meant before Zais outstretched his hand and Fram felt an invisible hand clutch around his throat. The hand lifted him up and over the catwalk railing. He couldn�t breathe, his feet dangled in mid-air, and then the hand released. He was sent plummeting towards the hard rock floor below. Just before he hit he felt his fall suddenly slowed and cushioned. However, he still hit hard, his head slammed into the rock, and his vision blurred. Across from him he saw the blurry shape of a man, in the shadows, with his hand outstretched to Fram. The hand reached back, the man slipped into the crowd, and Fram blacked out. Up on the catwalk Darth Zais looked down upon him. �Well it looks like he may have survived the fall,� Zais said, amusedly. A cruel smile came across his face; he laughed, and said, �Excellent!�

Chapter 18: What Happened?

�For centuries we had peace. Then he came. Karvyn, a Dark Jedi, led the first group of Imperials upon the planet. Slowly he began to seed evil and corruption amongst our Jedi. Zais fell to the power of the dark side and he took his friends with him. Karvyn brought with him a Professor for whom they built a massive underground lab in the desolate caves in the Northern Desert. When Karvyn left, he took with him a young recruit, Xetrya, who we had somehow missed when searching for Jedi. The Imperials then turned upon us and seized control of the planet. It all happened so fast, we had no time to react. Karvyn thought he controlled Zais, but he was wrong. Zais formed his own order of the Sith with his six friends, casting out the old rules of there never being more than a master and his apprentice. He falsified all the documents and cut Karvyn�s orders completely out. He and the Seven Sith systematically slaughtered every Jedi we had at the academy while I and Janara were on a mission. We came back one day to find the bodies littered across the floors. Then the imperials struck out and enslaved the entire population. Those who resisted were killed. Janara and I organized what little underground resistance we could. They put them to work in the caves, and weapons factories. One day however, a detonation collapsed the caves. The imperials quickly set about excavating the site. All our agents were in that cave and they were all killed in that one moment. That is when Janara and I split up, stowed away aboard a ship, and set out across the universe to find help. I was captured by Bloodwrath, Grak, Tebis, and Ryess aboard the ship I was on. They took me to the cloning lab. There I remained until you rescued me.� Jedi Master Zero explained.

�Well don�t worry, we�ll get your planet back,� Wampa Dan said. Janara moved to comfort her friend. Jedi Master Kaltax turned back to the controls. He pulled out a tiny vial of blood. He then pushed it into a small scanner he had laying on to the side. The screen displayed various readings. He read them and sighed.

�What�s the matter?� Wampa Dan asked.

�Oh, nothing I was just testing a sample of blood I retrieved after Logan�s battle with Grak,� Kaltax responded.

�Well?� Wampa Dan asked, curiously.

�He�s a Jedi and much more,� Kaltax stated.

�What is it?� Wampa Dan inquired, suspiciously.

�Don�t take this the wrong way my friend, but it doesn�t concern you,� Kaltax replied. Several indicator lights began flashing in the cockpit.

�What�s that?� Wampa Dan asked, alarmed.

�It looks like we�re coming up on a large gravity distortion and that means we�re running out of time to come up with a plan,� Kaltax responded.

Chapter 19: Moving In

Kaltax was piloting the Wampa Attack through the gravitational wells of The Fallen.

�The gravity distortions will throw off their tracking for awhile. After that I�ll open a coded channel to the main city. It will initiate a radar jamming procedure so we can land there unnoticed. It�s a little something I kept handy for just this purpose,� Zero said.

�Always good to be prepared,� Kaltax responded.

�Initiating pulse now,� Zero said, activating the controls.

�Let�s do it,� Wampa Dan said.

�What do we do when we get to the city?� Kaltax asked.

�From there we walk,� Zero responded.

�Great,� Wampa Dan responded.

Upon arrival at the city they concealed their ship, grabbed some desert gear that had been stowed away, and headed out towards the caves. The going was rough, but eventually they came to a rocky outcropping.

�We�ll rest here and move in under the cover of night so the guards can�t see us,� Zero said.

�I�ll take first watch,� Wampa Dan volunteered.

Kaltax walked along in the cracked desert. Everywhere around him lay the dead bodies. The ground was stained crimson from the blood that flowed out of them. In the background he heard the maniacal laughter. He heard another voice, that of the Bith, �You have been chosen to take on this task, whatever it may be,� it said. He then stood on the desolate plains of Clackdor VII. He heard the report being read �but they only stopped for a few seconds before the virus that had been carried inside claimed them and they fell upon the ground, writhing in agony, greenish blood oozing out of every pore. Then silence prevailed as their pain ceased forever. The virus spread across the planet so quickly that no one had time to warn others, and eventually the whole planet was dead.� He awoke with a start. He jumped to his feet, shook the others awake, and grabbed Dan. �We�ve got to go now!� he exclaimed. �What? Why? It isn�t nightfall yet,� Wampa Dan asked. �No time to explain,� Kaltax replied. He then began to dash off for the caves. The others, confused, hurried after him.