Zerxes smirked. He pulled Justin's lightsaber away from him after Justin killed the four massassi. Unfortunately for the young padawan, two massassi had been following him. The grabbed him by the shoulders and hoisted him up. Zerxes crushed Justin's lightsaber in his hand.

"Kill him."

THe Massassi nodded and headed back the way they came while holding Justin. Zerxes grabbed the girl and led her out of the building and towards his ship.

"You, my dear, now belobe to me."

As Justin was hoisted up and started to be carried off, he looked back at Zerxes.

"You're going to regret this. Darkness never prevails. The light always triumphs over the dark in the end."

Stang.

Tobal stood silently in the hallway he had just been walking down, observing the situation around the bend. Forward around fifty paces was the control node he needed to get to, to the left two Jedi had been captured. He didn't recognize the Sith, or the male Jedi, but the female... was Raven.

She went down easy, he thought. A little ... too easy. The thought that perhaps she had things under control flickered through his mind. A moment later, the image of Mat lunging toward the demon being flashed before his eyes. No, he would take care of this situation, he would not abandon another friend to their fate.

But you didn't abandon!...

Thoughts such as these he didn't need. Cramming the rebellious voice in his head to a far corner, he focused on what lay before him. There was movement, and the two Massassi holding the male Jedi prisoner pivoted on their heels. Ducking back into his hallway, Tobal glanced about for a place to conceal himself. For over a hundred yards each way there was nothing, nothing but straight corridors and locked doors. He dared not use a weapon on a door, for everyone within many meters would hear.

The footsteps approached, the male Jedi appeared to be dragging his feet slightly by the sound of it. Frowning slightly, Tobal drew on the force, and focused on the two Massassi. They were clones, made weak minded for easy control by the Sith.

The two Massassi rounded the corner, carrying their prisoner. Their ever watchful eyes glanced ahead, and around. The corridor before them was empty, so they continued.






"Ahem..."

They turned, and started. Coming to attention they stood ramrod straight, hands holding the male Jedi in a vice-like grip. Behind them stood a being unlike any they had seen before. His cloak was a black hole, his uncovered hair like white fire. His face was like burnished bronze, and his eyes golden orbs.

"I will take him, I have need of him elsewhere..." said the Sith (so they believed) before him, his eyes blazing with fire.

Wordlessly the two Massassi dropped their prisoner, still standing at attention.

"Backup is required at the cloning faculty. Make your way their at once." His voice was like grating rocks, and seemed to come from every direction in a deafening volume.

Wordlessly, they obeyed. As they turned to leave the voice again rang in their ears, so loud it hurt.

"RUN."

And they ran.





The illusion faded rapidly once the running Massassi disappeared around another turn. Tobal sagged a bit; it had taken a great deal of effort to maintain such a focused illusion, even more so for one whose specialty it was not. Added to the strain of an already horrible day gone bad (for Tobal, at least), it was a truly exhausting exercise. Bending down, the Shadow crouched over the fallen male Jedi. He appeared to be conscious, just not moving.

"Are you hurt?" Tobal whispered. While the Massassi and the male Jedi had heard his voice booming at a painful level, it had all been part of the illusion. Excessive volume would alert other people to their presence.

There was a flicker of hope in Raven's eyes as an ignited blade cut through the four warriors, then it died again, once the sith stole the kid's weapon and crushed it. The kid also didn't know about the pair who had followed him until they grabbed him.

The bad thing was, he was doing to die for making such an academic mistake. The same mistake she had made.

Once the order was given and the Massassi warriors disapeared, she was stunned as the sith grabbed her and lead her outside.

This wasn't happening. How could the sith do that? It was heartless. It didnt' have to be that way, right?

Raven's head bowed down in resination, realizing that she had failed. The mission that lead her head was comprimised, and the other two Jedi that she had arrived with were in danger.

She had to warn them. Raven very subtley pulled her lightsaber from the sith's belt, the metal conforting in her hands as she caressed the smooth metal of the hilt.

Raven grinned, and tossed the hilt away, strengthening the toss with the force, watching with satisfaction as it hit the wall of the building that they just exited, seeing it explode and take a portion of the wall with it.

"I may be in your clutches, but know they know something is wrong, and they'll come for me." she laughed, watching him hiss and grit his teeth as he grabbed her by the hair, pulling her once more towards his ship.

Zerxes snarled.

"So, pretty female, you think your friends will help. They will not make it in time."

HE gripped her hair and pulled her head back to where he could breath in her face and snarled again. Walking up the ramp to his ship, he ordered the pilot to take off. He nodded and they did just that. Zerxes had no intention of going to any of the Sith held worlds. He would go somewhere nice and quiet where he could keep her.

"Go now."

The ship lifted off and headed for space. Breaching the atmosphere, Zerxes let the girl have one final look at the moon before they made it to their jump point. They jumped to hyperspace. Raven was his.

Justin, while dragging his feet trying to slow the Massassi down or alert someone to his prescence, he sensed a prescence through the Force. He didn't know who it was, but, he knew it to be a Jedi.

Justin listened as the Jedi tricked the Massassi into letting him go, the voice of the illusion ringing in his head. He then heard the Jedi whisper to him.

Are you hurt?

Justin opened his eyes and sat up, his back hurting from the iron grip of the Massassi.

"Ow! They sure weren't going to let go of me. Thanks for saving me. My name's Justin."

Justin put out his hand to shake the Jedi's.

"Who are you?"

Raven's head leaned forward, hitting the glass with a quiet thunk. A sharp pain came when she hit the glass, but she paid it no mind. Her dark eyes focused on the moon she was leaving behind, not moving from the spot even when the ship jumped to hyperspace.

Oh force, I have really screwed everything up royal this time.

Raven closed her eyes, and tried to clear her mind, only to find that her access to the force was cut off without knowing the reason why.

So, she was left with her confusion, thoughts of failure, and her inability to escape the situation that she was currently in.

All she had now was her frustation at the situation.

Whirling about, she punched the bulkhead, hearing the metal ring in response. Her knuckles screamed in protest, and she forced her mind to focus on that, as she instinctively masaged the aching joints with her other hand.

"I hate you right now." she told him, her dark eyes blazing.

Zerxes smirked.

"Good. I had hoped you would. Now you must give into that anger. Join me in the darkside, my dear. Together we can be very powerful."

He pulled her down into a seat with him. She was on his lap and breathed heavily on her. She was his pet now, unless she joined the darkside. If she joined the darkside, she would still be his, but he wouldn't be able to play with her so much.

"See, I have no intention of ever letting you go. You belong to me now. Join me, my dear. Join me in the dark side."

"My name, is Tobal," replied the Jedi as he took Justin's hand. However, instead of shaking it as the other obviously expected, he pulled the man to his feet.

He glanced over the man, taking in his appearance with a swift look. He appeared unarmed, the typical saber not visible at his side. Perhaps he had not yet constructed one?

"However you managed to get into that situation I'll never know," said Tobal his voice a bit sardonic. A dull explosion stopped him from continuing, and the heads of both men turned toward the direction it had come from. Moving quickly, Tobal jogged down the hallway and turned two corners. Light blazed from an opening into a small hangar, and the rumbling of a ship warming up greeted their ears. Tobal stopped, and put his hand out to keep the other from running to the 'rescue'. For a tense moment the ship appeared to watch the two Jedi standing in the doorway. Then, with a moan of sublight engines and repulsorlifts, it blasted off.

Freck thought Tobal dismally. Another complication

The gravity of the situation gradually sunk into his mind, a Shadow had been taken alive by a Sith. Freck was all he could say.

Raven tiredly leaned her head on his shoulder, hearing his words, holding back tears that threatened to escape.

She couldn't join him. No, no, it wasn't right. It would be the ultimate of betrayals to those who considered her a friend, even those who loved her. Oh good gods, what would they think of her if she did?

He was toying with her, as if she were a pet on a leash, with him constantly yanking the leash.

No, she couldn't betray everyone. She belonged to nobody, no matter his claims otherwise. The only thing she knew was that she hated him. That, and the fact that she was his prisoner for the duration.

"You're overconfidense is your weakness." she murmured at last, not moving from her spot. At the moment, she was too worn out from the day's events. She felt like such a failure, knowing she possibly cost the mission by getting herself captured.