Arai swung her leg around, hooking the Admiral around the knee and pulling him down to the tarmack. She kippupped to her feet the same moment as Dak and they faced off again.

" You're right, this is pointless. I'm waisting my time with you when I have bigger fish to fry! But I suppose I'm going to have to go through you to get to him."

Shifting her hold on the saber, her fist tightening around the pommel, she came at the man with a series of criss-cross swipes of the saber. Dak easily avoided Arai’s saber, but on a downward swipe of the glowing blade she spun into the attack, her elbow bending upward as she guided the weapon down. Her momentum changed direction and her elbow came smashing up toward his face.

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> The elbow connected, a stinging blow. But not exactly crippling. Embarrassing perhaps. The blood from his now bleeding nose mingled with the blood on his cheek, it entwining and combining as it rolled down off his neck. Still underneath her guard, he swung up, the knuckles of his right fist, still clench a sabre, slammed into her solar plexus giving them both some room.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

"Is all you trying to do is to make me bleed? Thats... Quaint."

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Centring himself, he reached out with the force to the bodies that surrounded Arai. The helmets on the men shook, as did other smaller objects, and slowly rose off the ground.

Suddenly he charged at her, his mind flinging himself and the objects towards her at lightning speed. Swinging down, a sabre from each hand cutting towards her, one diagonally down towards her head, the right sabre swinging across horizontally.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

Suddenly deactivating her saber she vaulted backward into a series of flips that took her barely out of the way of the sabers- as one sliced into the long fabric of the leather trench coat - and flying items, and beneath the transport and into the Ysalimir field.

Arai watched in satisfaction as the objects fell from the air at the edge of the field.

"Tsk tsk, you seem to have forgotten something."

She activated the saber again, but stayed inside the field, and grinned.

" I'm not stupid, Dak. I know that my powers are still growing, still maturing. But my skills as a fighter have never been questioned and never been matched.

The saber raised into a defensive stance.

"Care to try me?"

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Reaching behind his back he deactivated one of his sabres and reached into his cloak. Dakkon smirked as he set his blaster to stun.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

"Arai, you realise that without the force to speed your movements and guide your hands, you are defenseless..."

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Suddenly he brought the blaster to bear on her and fired 3 shots in quick succession, all flying straight into her chest and stomach.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

"I told you this was an immature cry for attention."

He was right.

Unable to block the bolts, they struck her square in the chest, lifting her off her feet and flying back into one of the transport's landing struts.

Dazed and head spinning, she desperately clung to consciousness. Rolling onto her side her saber deactivated again and she looked across the platform to the admiral.

" Low blow, Dak, how very unlike you. But two can play that game. Cap!!"

Her voice echoed naturally through the hanger, only to be drowned out by the sound of moving hydraulics as the ship mounted weapons turned and aimed at him.

Painfully she struggled to her feet, her glaring eyes never leaving Dak.

" You want to take me in, you'll have to come and get me."

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Arai rolled off the ground and crawled towards Dakkon taunting him. She remained in the force bubble that was her secret weapon and her downfall.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

"I've learnt alot since you left Arai, among other things, i have accounted for all contingencies."

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Suddenly the freighter exploded, shards of metal raining down on Dak and Arai as they both fell to the ground near each other.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

"Sir? Are you alright? The our weapons were set to full power to totally destroy the ship without it being able to retaliate."

"I am, thank you. Remind me to get you a promotion..."

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> While Arai and Dakkons battle had raged, Dakkon had been speaking to the port authority men maintaining the security cordon around the hangar. He had organised this the moment Arai disengaged from him.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

"...And get the medics in here."

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> He walked back to Arai, her semi unconcious body limp and bleeding on the floor. Picking her up he carried her out to where the medics were waiting. He handed her gingerly over to them before explaining the situation and his last command.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

"She cannot leave my sight..."

Her vision blurred, her ears ringing from the blast, as she was carried out of the area. Her body was wracked with pain, but slowly the pain faded as her rage once again filled her. Bloodshot eyes scanned the vicinity for her saber, but it could not be seen.

The Admiral let one of the medics take her and place her on an antigrav gurney. Her dark eyes followed Dak as he was tended to by another medic.

Arai's arm dlipped off the gurney, her coat opening to reveal the blaster that still sat in its holster on her shoulder. The weapon lifted itself from the holster then dropped into her hand. The medic examining her saw the weapon and cried out a warning as she bolted up on the curney and pushed him away.

" I won't be stopped Blackblade!"

The weapon leveled at the Admiral and she fired several bolts in rapid successtion.

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Most of the shots went wide as the near death woman fired repeatingly. Realising he was still holding one of his sabres, he deflected the single bolt that could have hurt him and then threw it, the blade slicing the blaster. He charged, the blade flying back into his hands.

Before he could reach her she collapsed, her last strength failing.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

"Have her <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> restrained<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> next time... Or you could be the one who gets shot at.

We are to be treated at the Emperors Palace Medical Ward."

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Deactivating and replacing his sabre, Dakkon replaced Arai on the strecher before falling into the medical speeder that would take him back to the Palace.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

"They're off to the medical ward my lord," the PeFauna to his right indicated to the emperor, who sat sturdily on his throne, fingering the arms of his throne impatiently and worriedly. His glowing red eyes narrowed in pain as he bowed his head, trying not to focus too hard on what had just occured.

Fearsons had thought he'd trained her better, had thought he'd done a better job at raising the girl. But obviously it had all been for naught, she was now a Sith, a Sith he would either have to convert...or destroy. The code demanded it.

Fearsons had felt the whole battle through the Force and in his typical Shadow Jedi Master way had forbade himself from getting involved. The two needed to weed out what was left of animosities and their Dark Side inertia. This was an important step in both their trials.

This had caused excrutiating pain in the Shadow Jedi Knight but he had no choice but to let it continue...she had to see the pain that she was causing, she had to see how it was going to effect everyone aroud her...including her delicate self.

"Are they ready to see me?" he asked, his voice drooping slowly with every lingering syllable. The same black-etched PeFauna turned to him and nodded.

"Good," he said and rose. He was off slowly to the medical ward. For some reason now...his age was showing...there were no doubts now.

Emperor Fearsons was dying.

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Lying in the Palace Medical Ward, only 2 metres away from Arai, Dakkon was finally at peace. His battle with Arai had expended all his energies of anger and hate. He was tired and drained physically and for the first time since she left, he was able to sleep.

Looking over to her, medical droids and doctors fussing over her, his eyes fogged and slowly closed.

He fell asleep for the first time in 4 months, and GOD did it feel good...<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->