Star Wars - Stolen Empire

Chapter V

On the remote Republic Space Station, Corso Riggs works on repairing the Fearless, replacing damaged cables and welding replacement armor plating over the battered, scorched sections. Sparks burn hot from his tool, but his mask kept him protected from stray exhaust. Some of the station crew even volunteered to lend a hand after hearing his story. There were crewman on the underside of the Fearless, tweaking a multitude of calibrations. The alarms on the Space Station ring out of nowhere. "ALERT! IMPERIAL DREADNOUGHT DETECTED! PREPARE FOR ATTACK!" Shouts a voice over the station intercom.

"She's not ready quite yet! Cover me, fellas!" Corso shouts. The crew scramble for their weapons, letting their tools hit the floor as they rush to positions. A lone Imperial Fighter docks inside the hangar bay. Crewmen rush at the dark figure emerging from the sinister craft but are ill-trained against a Lord of the Sith. "Just my luck!" Corso remarks as he keeps his focus steady on the sheets of plating. Kaeiden fires a bolt of chain lightning, dispatching the crewmen. The dark lord marches on, spinning his blade around and deflecting the stray bolts.

Corso finishes up the patch of metal, lifts his welding mask, and picks up Sparky, taking shots at Kaeiden with one hand while trying to do repairs with the other. The dark lord retrieves the blasters of Corso and the crewmen with the force, dropping them all to the floor. Several crewmen make a run for it only to be cut down by a saber throw from the Sith Lord. Darth Kaeiden rushes towards the Fearless, leaping into the air but at that moment is pushed back by an unseen force.

Adaya drops from the rafters of the corridor, dropping a vent grate on the floor as she lands.

"A Jedi?" Says Corso. "How'd you get here, little lady?"

"Ancient Jedi secret, shush!" She says, igniting Kira's lightsaber and facing down the Sith Lord, shaking while trying to maintain composure.

Darth Kaeiden recovers, getting back up and igniting his lightsaber. "That lightsaber... Doesn't belong to you..." He says. Adaya runs in and throws out a sloppy string of strikes, which Kaeiden deflects boastfully. "So...you're her Padawan, are you?"

"What?" She steps back from the dark lord.

"Yes..." He closes his eyes and scans her surface thoughts. "...Adaya."

The Twi'lek teen holds her master's blade up. "How do you know my name?"

"That lightsaber belongs to Kira Regana... Correct?" He asks, already knowing the truth.

"Who are you?" Her voice cracks.

"Someone you shouldn't cross, little Adaya." The Sith Lord mocks. Adaya goes on the offensive, striking at Kaeiden's blade in an attempt to disarm him, however, Kaeiden matches her strength with his own, controlling the duel without much effort. "Imagine this, Adaya... Soon your Republic will fall... The Jedi will be destroyed... And the one at the center of it all will be me and your precious master..."

"That's not true! Kira wouldn't do something like that!" Adaya protests.

"Don't be so sure...She allows her emotions to control her. And it has cost her greatly in the past." Says Kaeiden.

"Shut up!" Adaya lashes out at Lord Kaeiden with heavy but overextended strikes. The master duelist sidesteps her telegraphed strikes without swinging his saber in retaliation.

"All that emotion and anger... You're showing your true potential, young one." Taunts the Sith Lord.

Adaya slashes at Kaeiden's chest but he blocks, using the force to freeze her in place. "Impressive, young one. Kira has trained you well..." Says Kaeiden. "However, you still have much to learn..." Kaeiden force pushes Adaya into the wall, hard, knocking her unconscious. She hits the floor with a clang! as Kira's lightsaber automatically deactivates and rolls towards the Sith Lord.