The Emperor's lips curled into a sneer, yanking his hand away from Kim-Ny as if she were painful to touch.

"I had hopes for you," he growled, "I will enjoy watching you die!"

Darth Vader released Kim-Ny from his invisible hold and she leapt off the stairs into her mother's embrace.

From behind them came two scarlet sentinels. Standing on either side of Sul-Juuk they extended their spears, prompting her to leave.

Sending one last glare at the black figures proudly standing over her, she gathered Kim-Ny into her arms and walked away. She could feel herself ripping away from the presence in the room. It tried to grab and stick to her as she exited through the way she came. It tugged harder and harder like tendrils taut around her soul, stretching, groping, and begging. Oh, itbegged her to stay.

Freedom, it seemed to whisper desperately.

All she wanted to do was turn and beg for a second chance. But could she? If she let it drag her back, if she stayed, could freedom be hers?

Freedom, it screamed as she was pressed forward through the empty gray halls.

Free-

"We'll get to see Kiernan again, won't we?" Kim-Ny asked softly in Sul-Juuk's ear as she cried silently on her shoulder.

A door opened before them into a white-lit space shuttle.

"Yes, we will."

The tendrils snapped and all that held her gave way as she stepped through, the darkness dying as the light encompassed her.

She was free.

...

Sul-Juuk gazed around the shuttle thinking of how few of them were left. The Geonosian slaughter seemed only moments ago, yet they had come so far.

As they sat mostly in silence, all of them seemed to know what was going to happen. They all shared hell, even if they were against each other. Now they were ready to share death. It was bitter release to embrace their fate. The Empire had no more tricks. It was only death. Death – the only mercy it was capable of.

They were all afraid. They were all angry. But there was a worse poison surrounding them. They were hopeless. They had no hope and somehow it was okay. Somehow they accepted it just as they accepted death.

Sul-Juuk wanted to accept death as willingly as Kiernan had. She wondered what it was like for him to fall. Did he ever regret it at the last moment of his life before his body slammed onto that wretched ground?

She wondered what the future would have been like if he had lived.

Sul-Juuk would not have returned to the slavers. She would have sent him to another planet to live a life he wanted without fear of bondage; to live a life she wanted without fear of bondage.

The thoughts were savory for only a moment before reality came back to bite her. They were only pain now.

She hated pain.

Sul-Juuk tried to close her heart again, to build up the calloused walls she had lived behind to protect her from herself. She tried. She could not. Feeling was like fresh air she could not live without, even if every breath pained her. It was too late to go back to drowning. Now pain would be her companion.

But she wouldn't have to bear it for long. Death would heal her suffering.

The shuttle door opened again and Mayek stepped through. Only this time he was accompanied by two children. The older was a girl in her tweens and the younger was about Kim-Ny's age. It struck Sul-Juuk that they were Cathar, or, at least, partly so. It was apparent Mayek was their father. The boy, aside from his soulful violet eyes, looked exactly like him.

Mayek protectively stood between them and the sentinels that urged him and his brother inside.

She watched in intrigue as Mayek offered a hand to help boy onto the seat. The boy grimaced and jerked away as if on instinct. The girl put her arms around him and heaved him onto the seat, speaking to him in the familiar Zygerrian language, "Don't be frightened," she spoke softly to him, "This is the hero I told you about. And I was right, wasn't I? He saved us. Bapa saved us."

Sul-Juuk's chest twisted in realization of what happened to them. It was no wonder. The children were thin – too thin. Their clothing was light – too light. Their eyes sank deeply into their heads, casting dark shadows over them. This was the work of slavery.

The irritation she held against Mayek from their forced partnership vanished. The hurt expression on his face only showed a glimpse of what he probably went through. It was no less than the other rebels around them. The Jedi and his partner, the Sith, and a young woman were the only others left.

As the boy looked up at Mayek, she saw the twinkle of awe for his new hero in his eyes. Sul-Juuk could understand. There were those similar when she was young. They were valiant mentors who protected her from the harsh masters until they fell under a cruel hand. She knew the zing of panic the boy felt as a palm came out in front of him. If one only knows beating fists, they cower from helping hands. That was her once – frightened and starving.

Sul-Juuk held Kim-Ny closer. She had escaped that life for her daughter. She escaped so that they could survive.

Now they were on their way to execution.

As Sul-Juuk watched Mayek and his children, she suddenly found a spark. It wasn't a flame yet, but it was something – it was hope. How she saw hope, she could not tell. But if she once found a reason to fight for Kim-Ny, she could do it again; even in the face of an Empire. She could fight for freedom.

...

The stormtroopers inside the shuttle roughly shackled them as it cast off to their next destination. Only quiet whispers were exchanged throughout the trip.

As it landed, the transport shuddered. So did its occupants.

The hatch of the transport opened like a steely maw showing its terrible teeth to the enemy, ravenous for their blood. A roar of a thousand voices rolled into the shuttle, bouncing around the hard walls and sharply into the rebels' ears.

As they stepped out it was not hot sand that greeted them, but the cold, flat surface of an Empire execution platform. It was black everywhere – the floor, the walls, the stands – they were all black. Bright pale lights illuminated the tall stadium, contrasting against color.

The platform was bare but for the electroguillotines and their red shields casting bloody lights across the ground.

Electroguillotines were myths in the far reaches of the Empire People claimed them to be too cruel for reality. But those people were wrong. Reality was crueler.

Sul-Juuk could not imagine the minds of the elites who cheered above them. Did they know? Had they watched? The only explanation she could find was their heart – they had sold it to the Emperor.

The Jedi and the Sith were led first. They dragged them even in the half-dead state of the former. Then the woman beside the Jedi's partner. Then Sul-Juuk and Kim-Ny.

Kim-Ny stopped before the guillotine, clinging to her mother's leg. "Ama, I'm so scared! Where will we go? Where do we go?" she cried.

"Chin up, kitten. If we are together, it does not matter where we go." Sul-Juuk smiled down at her as she caressed her ear. A strange sensation bubbled up inside Sul-Juuk, rising into her throat and eyes.

"Are you crying?" Kim-Ny asked having never seen her mother cry before.

"Yes."

The stormtroopers had enough of their talk and pulled Kim-Ny from her. She squealed in protest, but obeyed in fear when they forced her down to her knees.

Sul-Juuk couldn't watch. She couldn't let it happen. She wouldn't. If she needed a flame to fight, this was her fire. She would fight.

Catching a glimpse of something on an opposite facing stormtrooper's belt, she quickly and quietly slipped it out and into her sleeve.

She, too, was forced to the ground where the shield opened for her to place her head through and closed to keep her in place. Two posts on either side emanated the shield while one loomed above, waiting to release its deadly razor.

Sul-Juuk let the object slide into her hand and she began to feel its shape. It was a cylinder made to sit in the hand. She could not discern what it was. She tried to imagine its form, but she could still not place it. Her thumb rolled over what felt like a pressure switch. Its name flashed into her mind.

It's a lightsaber.

How ever a stormtrooper carried a lightsaber, she did not know. But this was her chance of freedom. This was the kindle to her flame.

Positioning the saber in her hands, she prayed that her next move would not end her.

Sul-Juuk ignited the saber. A blue light shot out as she swiped it against the right pole. As she hoped, the shield flickered off and no death came to her.

She jumped to her feet and swung the saber across Kim-Ny's guillotine. It collapsed and Kim-Ny staggered backwards.

Catching only a glance at Mayek, Sul-Juuk released him as well before dashing to the Jedi.

The light shrank back into the handle and the saber flew out of her hand and into that of the Jedi. As he burst out, Sul-Juuk watched his partner and the woman lose their heads.

Fury shone in the Jedi's eyes as he gripped the lightsaber.

"You will help us?" Sul-Juuk asked, knowing that they would only have hope if they were together.

The Jedi nodded almost distractedly as he stared at the two dead.

Having freed himself with an electric staff, the Sith interjected, "Then we getter get going, Kanan."

Kanan snapped his head to the Sith, "Not with you, Sith!"

"Then die!" he growled as he faced the oncoming stormtroopers.

Before the Jedi could join, Sul-Juuk held up her hands with the shackles taut so he could burn them.

He waved his hand at three stormtroopers who flew backwards into the wall before joining the Sith.

With Kim-Ny at her heels, Sul-Juuk ran and grabbed the blasters off of the unconscious troopers.

"There's Mayek!" Kim-Ny pointed. He had snatched a blaster and was defending his children.

Sul-Juuk took Kim-Ny's hand and ran across the platform. Kanan, the Sith, and Mayek had made it through the door as she joined them. On the outside of the stadium a large space shuttle waited with two Inquisitors.

"I'll end you myself!" Kaladin shouted. The Jedi and the Sith clashed against the Inquisitors in sparks and shrieking sabers.

Mayek and Sul-Juuk took the chance to dart around the fight and into the shuttle.

"Grab onto something and hold on!" Mayek ordered his children as he jumped into the pilot's seat. He pulled the ship off the ground and reared it over the flashing fight below.

"You can't shoot them with the torpedoes, you'll hit the," Sul-Juuk was interrupted.

"I won't. You will."

"What?"

Mayek pointed at the seat next to him, "Sit and aim! Even if you can get a clear shot, give 'em a distraction."

Sul-Juuk complied, taking no chances of failure. They were a half-step from freedom and she would make sure she would escape the great cat this time – she had to.

"Now!" Mayek shouted. Sul-Juuk immediately pressed the controls and rained fire below behind the Inquisitors.

Mayek dipped closer as Kanan and the Sith cut down one Inquisitor and pushed away Kaladan.

Sul-Juuk rose from her seat to the hatch. The two below jumped unnaturally high to grab the deck. She helped them up as Mayek pulled away. The hatch was closed as they tumbled inside.

"Get us out of here," the Sith grunted as he stood.

"We have a hyperdrive but we need the holocron codes." Mayek slapped a couple of switched in anger, "We can't go into hyperspace without them."

"What? What codes?" Kanan asked, exasperated.

"I know where they are," the Sith cut in.

"Where?" the other three asked at the same time.

"In the Emperor's palace."

Everyone collectively began to shout in protest.

The Sith held up his hands and roared, "You tell me how else we're going to get out of here! I know how to get them, but someone needs to come with me. Mayek should stay on the ship, but one of you has to join me."

The shuttle was quiet.

Sul-Juuk knew what she had to do. She could lose her freedom. She could die. But Kim-Ny would stay behind and she would have a chance. She would fight for Kim-Ny.

"I'll go," she said through the silence, "Kanan should stay with Mayek and the children."

They nodded to each other in agreement and Mayek grudgingly turned the ship.

As they circled around, Sul-Juuk watched Mayek. Something was missing and she couldn't put her finger on it. Perhaps it was the air in the group had changed. Maybe Sul-Juuk felt the absence of Kiernen. Suddenly, it dawned on her.

"Mayek," she began, "Where is your brother?"

Mayek paused in his reach for a button. His jaw visibly clenched and his lips formed a thin, tight line. His eyes darted her direction, but he said nothing and continued his action.

He didn't have to say it. She understood.

"He saved us," he whispered after a moment.

...

Sul-Juuk fastened a blaster to her hip as Yuurei, the Sith, found a darksaber and fit it in his belt.

Mayek put them down next to an unguarded entrance to the palace. When he opened the hatch, Kim-Ny tapped on her arm.

Her teal eyes shone up at her with a hopeful smile on her face, "Chin up, Ama."

Sul-Juuk chuckled and bent down to kiss her on the forehead. "Take care of them?" she bobbed her head to the two small figures huddled in the corner.

Kim-Ny nodded and Sul-Juuk followed Yuurei out of the ship.

Before going inside the palace, the two looked over their shoulder to watch the shuttled rise into the air and swing around the corner to find a safer place to hide.

"Are you ready?" Yuurei asked with a hand hovering over the combination pad.

Sul-Juuk pulled her blaster in her hands and stood in a ready stance. "When you are."

With just a look, the pad beeped and turned green, allowing the door to slide open.

"How did you do that?" She asked as she followed Yuurei through. There were a lot of mysteries about he and the Jedi she wanted to know, but foremost was their supernatural power.

"The Force."

The answer was strangely vague to her, but she didn't press further.

There weren't many stormtroopers or officers in the dark halls. Often the two were able to duck behind a corner unseen.

"How do you know where you're going?" Sul-Juuk asked.

"The Force."

She gave him a sour face, but he didn't see. Instead he led on through. She was beginning to feel as if he was brushing her off.

Finally they came to a bridge. A cross ramp in the middle led to a circular station with panels and controls.

Yuurei went around the back where they would not be seen. Fortunately, it was also where the codes were.

"How do you get them?" Sul-Juuk asked, examining the unique panel of switches and a cube protected by a small blue shield.

"The..."

"And don't say 'the force'," she added before he could answer.

Yuurei frowned, "I was going to say by manually overriding the tower."

He flipped a switch here and read a screen there in complete concentration.

"... How?"

He stopped and turned to her, looking her dead in the eye, "The Force."

Sul-Juuk narrowed her eyes at him and might have hit him if what he was doing hadn't been working.

Voices faintly echoed through the hall, the natural voices alerting them of officers.

Yuurei and Sul-Juuk froze as two grey-clad humans walked behind and alongside a tall man dressed in black. Each wore a hat and colored bars on their shoulders.

"What if the rebels have already accessed the codes?" a grey officer asked.

"I doubt they would try if they even knew where to search. There is no way they could have found it so soon if they were foolish enough to infiltrate the palace," the black suited man replied.

Sul-Juuk and Yuurei shared panicked expressions.

"The Jedi and the Sith, however. They could..."

"Ha! Their powers are weak if nonexistent. The Emperor will end them as he has promised," the higher officer scoffed as they turned onto the ramp.

"But how can such weak men escape the electroguillotines?" the third officer piped up.

The lead officer stopped and turned to his subordinates. "You would do well to remain silent. Do not spread alarm or distrust. The Emperor is under control and we must retain that control through force. We shall not be weakened by the flapping of tongues," he snapped.

The two remained silent and followed onto the console pad. They rounded the spire to the very back.

"Just as I had expected." The main officer was pleased, "It is untouched."

Just below their feet under the ledge, Sul-Juuk and Yuurei clung for their lives to the rungs along the bottom with their feet pressed against the spire's core. She prayed that the men would glance over the panel and leave. Despite her inhuman strength, she knew that she could not hold on for too long.

"Wait, is that combination supposed to be unlocked?"

Sul-Juuk's heart sank.

"That is strange..."

Yuurei swung his legs down and up to the ledge. Sul-Juuk nearly yelled for him to stop.

The officers yelped as he landed. The next moment there was a shwoom and their voices ceased. Sul-Juuk could only watch as a body tipped over the ledge and fell into the lighted depths. Yuurei rolled the other two bodies off as well, eliminating the evidence.

"Come on, it won't be too long before their absence is noticed," Yuurei said as he offered a hand.

Sul-Juuk clambered over the side and grappled the edge of the panel. Her heart raced wildly and her hands trembled. Everything was catching up to her. She wondered how long it would be before her emotions would incapacitate her. Would it be fear to paralyze her and drag her to the depths of misery?

She peered over the ledge. Thoughts of Kiernan came back to her. They had almost shared the same fate.

"I got it!" Yuurei exclaimed, grabbing the cube from its place.

Sul-Juuk took a long, shaky breath.

"Hey, did you hear me?"

She pulled herself to her feet and nodded, "Yeah, now let's get out of here. The air feels thin."

He gave her a curious expression, but he didn't say anything as they carefully walked back across the ramp.

...

As Sul-Juuk and Yuurei scuttled back through the palace, Sul-Juuk activated the coms they had connected with the shuttle.

"We're almost out," she whispered.

"Be right there," came the immediate reply.

As the two halted behind a corner to let a few stormtroopers pass, alarms went off, ringing through the halls. Mouse droids zipped past with lights flashing on their tops.

"We need to go faster," Yuurei said.

Sul-Juuk shook her head, "We can't be careless or we'll get caught."

"I said faster, not careless."

Yuurei started off without a second thought.

From the blaring sounds, Sul-Juuk heard something different – metallic.

She reached out and grabbed Yuurei's shoulder and pinned him against the wall before he could step into the next passageway. He glared at her and was about to protest when he heard the rhythmic banging.

Suddenly, grey plated B3 battle droids marched past them. Their heavy torsos seemed to stretch from wall to wall and it seemed as if their numbers would never cease as they stomped two by two.

Sul-Juuk couldn't take it anymore. She tapped Yuurei's shoulder and nodded the other direction.

They would have to find another way.

He took a deep breath before complying. When they were out of earshot from the droids, he paused. "I think we have to go to the second level. There's a terrace above the door we entered in. We can exit there."

"We'll be noticed in the elevators," Sul-Juuk protested.

"There's no other choice. The droids are going through the bottom level."

With a huff, Sul-Juuk complied, knowing that once again he was right.

They quickly found an elevator and made it to the second level where they were able to skitter to the terrace door.

Torpedo blasts greeted them in a heavy red rain upon the ground below. The Inquisitor's shuttled hovered above, firing on the battle droids.

Sul-Juuk pulled out the coms, "Mayek, we're on the second level!"

The answer came as the ship lowered and the hatch opened up.

Yuurei and Sul-Juuk leapt over the gap between railing and shuttle as blasts shot past them and against the ship.

"Go, go, go!" Yuurei shouted as they rolled in.

Mayek pulled up and closed the hatch. "The holocron?" he asked.

Yuurei tossed the holocron to Kanan who sat beside Mayek. He placed it in a square groove on the controls.

"Ha-ha!" Mayek exclaimed, "We've got it!" Flipping a few more switches and pressing a few more buttons, he excitedly grinned as the hyperdrive hummed to life.

Sul-Juuk couldn't help but smile as well. Had they really done it? Had they really found freedom?

Kim-Ny hopped to Sul-Juuk with a gleeful laugh and a hug.

"Oh... kriff," Kanan said quietly as readings came onto the radar.

As they looked up, they realized that it wasn't over yet.

They hadn't lost the cat yet.

The ship sharply turned to the right and dipped don before thrusting full force into the air at an angle.

"TIE fighters!" Kanan swore under his breath.

"But we're almost out!" Kim-Ny exclaimed.

"Yes we are," Mayek mused, "And we just need space." They swerved to avoid the fighters, but always the ship rocketed toward the stars. They were calling them home – home amongst the darkness and speckled light.

The shuttle lurched as they were hit, but still their nose aimed to the void. Alarms flashed reds lights, but still they stared into the empty vacuum. They were too close to give up.

They were almost free.

"Come on," Sul-Juuk whispered to herself. This was her freedom. This was what she wanted.This was where the mouse slipped from the cat's grasp.

"Almost there!" Mayek hollered as they burned through the stratosphere.

Freedom.

Mayek slammed the lever forward with a victorious laugh. Previously static stars now streamed past, white lines blurred and bright. The whole inside of the shuttle erupted in cheers.

They made it.

They were alive.

And most of all, they had their freedom.