Cad Bane's Apprentice

A Test of Strength [2]

Skysati watched the younglings as they worked on building their lightsabers. Her fingers grazed along her lightsaber.

"What's the rush, Petro?" One of the younglings voiced as the said male had finished his quickly.

"With this lightsaber. I'm going to challenge Obi-Wan Kenobi to a duel and kill Grievous," Petro declared

Skysati shook her head with an amused smirk at Petro's antics. "The only person you are going to kill with that is yourself," she declared as she disassembled the lightsaber. "You have inverted the emitter matrix, which will cause the power grid to backfire." Skysati tossed the lightsaber back to Petro. "Light that, and all that will be left of you and your lightsaber will be your crystal,"

Huyang nodded in agreement. "She's right, start again, and this time, please follow the diagram.

"Remember, quiet your mind and concentrate," Skysati told the younglings. The design will become clear. Trust the force," she stopped as she sensed a disturbance as the ship shook.

"What was that?" Ganodi voiced.

"I don't know. Hold on," Skysati hurried off to the front of the ship to see what was going on.

R2 beeped a warning tone as she entered.

"R2, what's happened?"

R2 gave out other beeps.

"Where?" Skysati paled when she saw a familiar ship come into view. "Oh, no," she watched as rockets were fired at the ship. "They're aiming for the hyperdrive." Skysati turned towards R2. "Get us out of here!"

The ship's lighting flickered, and the engines began to power down.

"I don't like the sound of that," Skysati admitted.

R2 beeped.

"I am not calling him! I don't need his help!" Skysati argued, "Stay here. I'll check on the younglings," she ran through the corridors and noticed the sparks as they began to cut their way through. Skysati hurried in the opposite direction and pressed the lock button on the door as she looked at the younglings.

"Who's attacking the ship?"

"Pirates," Skysati admitted.

"Pirates? They'll kill us all,"

"No, they won't." Skysati reasoned "I won't let them,"

"Perhaps we should hide in the ventilation shaft," Huyang suggested.

"Good idea," Skysati nodded as she pulled the grate up.

"Hiding is for cowards," Petro argued. "We should stand and fight,"

"We're gonna fight all right, just not the way they expect," Skysati looked up as more sparks appeared at the door she had just closed. "Time to go,"

"Is this part of our training?" Ganodi asked.

"I wish it wasn't," Skysati followed the younglings down and closed the grate right as the pirates entered.

"Hondo says to find the kids and bring 'em to him," A pirate said.

"Dead or alive?" Another pirate asked.

"Yes." The pirate laughed.

Skysati shook her head and looked at the younglings before her. "We must have courage, young Jedi. Ganodi and Zatt, I need you to get to the cockpit, find R2, and secure it. The rest of you, take Professor Huyang seal yourselves inside the hold, and wait for my command,"

"What are you going to do?" Petro questioned.

Skysati bit her lip in thought. "I'm going to reroute enough power to the engines so that we can break free of the pirate ship's hold on us. Okay?"

"Wh-what about the pirates already on board the ship?"

"Once the docking tube is ruptured when the ships pull apart, a vacuum will be created, which will suck the pirates off our ship and into space,"

"Will be sucked into space?" Ganodi voiced worried.

Skysati shook her head. "No, the cockpit and the hold will be sealed and still have air. Do not, and I mean do not engage the pirates. Your only job is to stay hidden. Do you understand?" Skysati waited for all the younglings to nod their heads. "Now go,"