"He isn't a Sith," said Avenger, who had noticed the movement of Tarix's tail already, "he is... or used to be my Jedi apprentice until he betrayed me. It appears now that he's started his own order." "You're very perceptive, my old master," replied the ex-padawan. "But I had perceived that the people who were using the droids was not your new order, but a faction of people who go against all force users," Avenger said, trying to distract his former apprentice. "You were right, my old master, they were the ones that found the droid armies, but I am the one that leads them. They don't destroy me because they believe I do not get my power from the force, but from the dead," and with that he lunged at Avenger, an angry strike to the chest. Avenger parried it easily, and directed his own counter attack, using the lightsaber nestled at the end of his tail. The man in the cloak brought dodged it, but it singed the side of his cloak. He struck out again, this time directing the blow at Avenger's head. Avenger ducked, and then stabbed out with all three blades at his old padawan's chest.

Havec left the record room and Steelven, walking briskly to a large statue several doors away. "Talas Ix Talan" she whispered to the statue, which depicted a six-legged elephant like creature being ridden by a stormtrooper. A hidden panel slid open, and she entered the base's secret communications room, home to some rather valuable pieces of communication equipment that worked even within the concealing asteroid.

The Sith Lord was about to open a channel to Tarovant, when she was interrupted by a flashing distress light on the far wall. A map of the galaxy opened up across the room, displaying in three dimensions the location of the distress beacon.

"That's the one I gave to Tarix" muttered Havec, frowning. "She knows not to activate a universal beacon unless there's real trouble…"

After enlarging the map and jotting down the exact coordiants on the planet, Havec left the room, looking once again for her fellow Lord.

((BTW, Undead, please start a new line for every new speaker- it's very hard to follow if you don't.))

(( Sorry 'bout that ))

All three blades drove home, and buried themselves deep in the cloaked man's chest. Avenger pulled them out and kicked his old padawan away, surprised at how easy the battle had been. He stared at his old padawan, waiting for the man who had betrayed him to die, but to his surprise the traitor stood up, and sent an angry grimace in Avenger's direction. "Can you see the power of the dead?" the old padawan said, "I am gravely wounded, yet I can still live and fight!" With an angry cry he dove at Avenger, and, using his force powers, tripped the Drakellyn up. Avenger fell onto his back and before he could react his old padawan was standing above him, eyes and lightsaber shining. Whoever you called, Tarix, Avenger thought, I hope they get here soon.

"Hey, crazy emperor boy!" called Tarix, kicking a stone at Aven's ex-student. "Y'know how those friends of yers with the droids think y'aint' usin' force magic? They mightn't not be to pleased t'find the security tape on m'scooter parked just out that door that's been recordin' this little fight" she said, "I mean it's pretty damn close to front row seats to your confession, if y'think about it, and I'm sure my people could get t'tape t'them if I just sent it home by remote" Tarix held out a remote controller, one which really controlled her televiewer back home, clicking a large button on it that could well, were it actually a remote control for a scooter, have been a command for the scooter to return to a set location.

Raziel suddenly felt a surge in the force, he left the younglings and ran outside and saw havec, "havec, i just felt a surge in the force, i fear that aven is in grave danger" he said as he ran upto her.

"I know, but he's fourteen hours away on even the fastest ship in the building- I sent him there in it myself" she said. "His friend has sent off a distress beacon, I know precisely where they are. I'm going to organize a rescue party now, but if there's immediate danger I'm afraid they are on their own."

"i would be happy to help, i'll dismiss the younglings and help you with it, by the way, what planet is he on?" raziel asked havec.

Even though he was down on the ground, Avenger still had a few tricks up his sleeve. Tarix's little bluff didn't fool the ex-padawan, but it distracted him for a second. Avenger, with a wave of his hand, brought a huge pipe from the ceiling racing down to his old padawan's back.At the last moment the Drake rolled away, and his ex-padawan was crushed by the heavy metal. But this didn't sway the necromancer in the slightest, he just shrugged off the pipe, as he did his cloak, and stood up. "Well if it's a battle of the force you want, it's a battle of the force you'll get," the crazed young man said, and he lifted his left arm. Avenger readied himself for the attack, and suddenly realised what was happening. His old padawan used a force grip on Tarix, and suddenly Avenger was helpless. He could almost see the power of the force extending from his old apprentice's arm to Tarix's nech, ready to break it at any moment. "One move... and the girl dies."

"I ain't 'bout to play captured princess fer you, hun" said Tarix, struggling for breath as she spoke. "If yer gonna kill me, do it already, *******!" She brought her rifle up with one arm, pulling the trigger and holding it down as she aimed it at the ex-padawan.

The ex-padawan was amazed at Tarix's suicidal bravery, but Avenger was not. From the moment he met her he knew she was not one of the roll over and die types. She was the sort who, if she had to roll over and die, would take someone with her. But Avenger didn't want her to die, least of all to the hands of the man who had betrayed him so many years before. Avenger summoned up all his hatred and anger for the man before him, and released leaping bolts of force lightning at his hated enemy. Stunned by the double attack, the ex-padawan did not know which to block and ended up getting his by both. The force of the two attacks forced him to relese the force grip, and he fell to his knees in agony. The jolting electricity, combined with the powerful lasers, racked his body. But even in his intense pain the ex-padawan looked up at his former master and grinned evilly, and with a flash he was gone. "He escaped," said Avenger, "but he left us a goodbye present. He's set the launch sequence, and we're headed straight for... the Maw! If we don't get out now we'll be sucked into the center of a huge black hole, and that's something I really don't want to experience."

"Then let's not be on board when clears d'atmnosphere, eh?" said Tarix, getting up after falling to her knees when released from the force grip. "If I know anythin' bout these ships, I know the right wall o'er there is part of the outer hull, and if I know anythin' bout yer type's weapons I know a 'saber should b'able to cut through this hunk of metal and get us outta here."

Avenger didn't spare a moment. He ran over to the wall she pointed to and dug all three lightsabers in. Within a few moments there was a triangular escape hatch. Avenger could see the ground quickly rushing away from them. "We'll have to jump together, grab on to me."

Tarix didn't waste time complaining about the jump. Putting her faith in Aven's force magics, she held onto him around the waist with two arms and a tail, fairly terrified of the height they were at but willing to give it a shot anyways if it meant not flying into a black hole.

As they drew closer to the ground Avenger's mind began to focus. It wasn't easy, meditating while plunging to the ground, but he managed it. Barely an inch off the hard earth he managed it, and he hung there for a few seconds before breaking out of his concentration and falling through the last inch that, a few moments ago, had seperated them from a painful death.

Tarix let go of Aven and let out a primal sort of screech in relief and exhilaration. "****, I 'aven't 'ad that much adren'lin' in m'body since I bet the shop on a pod race last seas'n" she said, grinning.

"Well we best be off," Avenger said, "I wouldn't like to be out here if any Sand People come along. Now where did we put the speeder..." Avenger looked around for the pile of rocks where they had hidden their vehicle. He noticed it about 100 meters away, and began to walk. "By the way, I've hidden a homing device in that ship we just jumperd off," he said, and flipped out a small console. It had a miniature 3D map of the galaxy, and a small blip was going off just outside of Talvorant. Suddenly the blip diappeared. "It's just going into hyperspace... and there it is again, right in the center of the Maw black hole cluster. It's just as I thought..." Avenger trailed off as they arrived at the speeder, moved the sand using his force powers, and jumped into the passenger seat.

"I should be a'contactin' yer Sith base, too, so they don't send off a rescue party t'save our hides" added Tarix, climbing into the front seat and removing the distress beacon from her belt. She pressed a few buttons, and a green light turned on. "That'll tell 'em we're not in danger at t'moment, but we'd best be 'splanin' to them what 'appened there."

"That can wait until we get back to the shop, I'm sure they won't be too worried. Currently I'd just like to be celebrating that I'm alive, and not being sucked into the center of a black hole." Avenger took out the console and looked at it again, wondering why the blip was still going off. If the ship had been sent to a black hole the homing device would have been destroyed long ago. "It's puzzling..." he said, not talking to anyone in particular.

"I'll drink t'that" said Tarix, "but we'd best be drivin' back a'fore we break out d'rum, I don't fancy fendin' off raiders and drivin' while under d'influence, eh? 'Re you and yer Sith types gonna be stickin' about now that yer ship's takin' off?"

"No, I expect I'll be leaving to go back to the temple," Avenger said, and looked across at Tarix. He realised that if he was going to leave he'd miss Tarix, and all her quirks. Her rough-around-the-edges personality, her slurring and mixing accent... suddenly Avenger realised he'd been staring at Tarix a little too long without saying anything. "Um... and once I get back I'll have to find out where that ship went..." he looked away again, out towards the lonely countryside. A lone Bantha wandered through the barren wasteland, looking for something to eat.

"Not much t'figure out, is'ere?" she said, looking back at him as she simultaneously swerved around a clump of rocks. "I mean, t'thing flew 'erself int'a black hole, didn't she? She's well built, but I'm doubtin' anythin' built then 'er t'day could make it through t'Maw w'out gettin' chewed up past rec'nition."


((Tarix's accent is really frustrating to write on Word- it keeps trying to correct my spelling ))

Raziel went back into the practice chambers and saw the younglings in a crowd, he wondered what was happening and rushed over, "whats happened" he called as he rushed over, "rahabs been hit by a laser bolt" one of the younglings said, "move away, move away" he said as he pushed his way to the middle of the crowd, he saw rahab laying on the floor, it looked like the bolt had hit him in the chest, because he was having trouble breathing and he was bleeding badly, "i won't let you die" he said as he used a force heal on rahabs chest, "that should stop the bleeding" he said as he picked rahab up, he then carried rahab outside, "medical droid" he called, a droid then whizzed up to him, "what happened?" the droid asked, "laser bolt to the chest" raziel said, "i'll have to check him over here, theres no time to get him to the medical bay" the droid said, the droid then pressed a button and about 5 other droids appeared, "please be ok, you're the only family i have left" raziel whispered as he put rahab down on the floor.

"It would gat worse than chewed up," said Avenger, "and the homing beacon would go with it. But there is a possibility... no it couldn't be, that's too farfetched..." Avenger was talking to himself again. He gazed out into the distance. Behind him the lone Bantha had discovered a large patch of grass, and with it his herd. But to this Avenger paid no heed, "how long until we reach the shop?" Avenger needed a nice quiet place to meditate and think of what the undying blip could mean.

(( Did I just write "But to this Avenger paid no heed?" Well, reading Siddhartha in the middle of the night does that to ya! ))

"If I step on'it, I should b'able t'get us back in five min's or so- wind's in our favor this'ay, and we 'on't have t'deal with any more raiders 'less we get real unlucky" said Tarix, speeding up quite a bit. The energy field that protected them from sand and insects flying into them at high speeds flickered a bit, but she ignored it.

The next five minutes passed uneventfully and soon the shop came into sight, but it wasn't the same shop they'd left. Smoke rose from it creating a black smudge in the sky, Avenger was surprised he hadn't seen it earlier, and scorch marks and small craters riddled the surface of the outer wall, "What the hell happened here?" Avenger said incredulously, he even felt a tear cling to his eye as they approached the demolished house. Avenger looked across at Tarix, half-knowing the emotions running through her soul right now. Avenger placed one clawed hand on Tarix's shoulder, and looked back at the destroyed hut.