My lighting stream breaks off suddenly, and I turn and look up at Jerus flying above us. “Ah! The bounty hunter has come as well!” I spread my arms out welcoming. “You know, i expected the so called Sith Hunters to send their best against me. At least one of the Twilights. But you... you will be simple enough to deal with.”



“And what about me, Trayus?” In a flash of light, I appear between him and Greshh.



I doubt take, looking between Je’and and now Satele. “Grand Master Shan. I thought I’d gone into exile.”



Shrugs. “Looks like I’m back.”

Disarming the rocket, I set down just behind Satele and ignite both of my lightsabers, the silver and orange glow they give off adding to the lighting of the balcony. "Don't underestimate someone just because I don't dedicate my life to the way of the Force. Besides, stronger crazies then you have tried to kill me." However, I was entirely unsure of where specifically Satele had come from, but that was a question for another time.

I smile kindly at Jerus. “I was not expecting to see you here. I thought I would be confronting Trayus alone. But since you are here, I have a very important job for you; keep Greshh safe. What is about to happen is going to be a bit... chaotic.”



I stir at the mention of my name, but I don’t have the strength to stand.”Satele...”



“Rest. I will take it from here.” I gave Sucal. “This has gone on long enough. I regret not stepping in sooner, but I needed time to discover just what exactly you were.”



“You waste your time.” Sucal’s mouth moves, but it is an elderly female voice that speaks the words. Sucal’s eyes glow purple, and his expression becomes one of horror. “While you and the scattered Jedi contemplated their next move, while these ‘Sith Hunters’ conspired in vain to stop me, I have been gathering my power. Setting all the pieces in place for one final move.”



“And this was all part of your plan? Bringing Mandalorians to Coruscant? Turning citizens against the Republic? Creating civil war?”



“One does not win a game without sacrificing pawns, and the Mandalorians made for excellent pawns indeed. Why else would I have allowed Meetra Surik to help bring them back to full strength?”

"Meetra Surik had nothing to do with the Mandalorians. But with your ghost trapped on Malachor, you'd have never known that." I remain between Salazar and Traya...or is it Trayus? Shaking my head to stop myself from thinking on it too hard, I remain at the ready. "But I don't think this has to do with them, nor has it ever."

“Not truly, no.” Sucal convulses, and a ghostly form of Kreia steps out of his body, causing him to collapse to his knees. “Meetra meant something to me once... on her, I saw the potential to finally achieve what I thought impossible; the death of the Force. But now I see she was always just a pawn like all the others, to easily slain. Now, I see the potential of another.”



“Hayden Twilight? Or is this about the child imbued with Vitiate’s spirit?”



“Both and neither. All that is required is a being of immense power. One, hopefully, stronger than this fool.” I indicate Sucal, who trembles next to me. “He has his uses though. His mind was a willing one, and his devotion to the cause rivaled mine. It was simple enough to make him my own. But, as with all tools, he is easily replaced.” I pace back towards him, and with another violent shutter, we become one again.



Reinvigorated, I rise to my feet, and my hands crackle with energy. “No... I will not fail you, Master.” I hold my hands out towards Satele. “I cannot!!”



I throw up my hands, creating a barrier in the Force. The energy that Sucal throws at me is immense, no doubt fueled by the near unlimited power of Traya. When his new surge of lightning connects with my outstretched hands, it creates a massive explosion of light and sound; the result of two masters of of the Force locking in combat.



I am in a speeder I borrowed from the Mandalorians, headed towards the Senate Tower, when suddenly the sky lights up with what look like fireworks. Even from so far away, I can see the pyrotechnical display of Force power, and I know immediately that Sucal is the cause. “Holy shit!”

I throw up my own barrier as the lightning surges forwards, protecting myself and Gressh. This...was not something I was expecting when I'd come here to slow the Stoneheart killer down, now I kinda wish it had been. "I hope you had an exit plan, Salazar!" I couldn't hold this forever and I really didn't want to be stuck up here when that energy exploded if I didn't have to.

“Escape?” I look at Jerus. “Not... part of the plan...” I try again to stand, but fail. “Why... are you here? Who are you?”



I continue to battle with Sucal through the Force, absorbing as much energy as I can and repelling the rest.



Down on the streets below, everyone can see the lights coming from Presidential Palace. Almost like a trance had fallen over everyone, Mandalorians, Revolution, and Republic soldiers alike stop fighting and turn their attention to the palace. Even the droid handlers have called off their Sith Hunter units.

"Who I am isn't important right now, Salazar." I back towards his armored form carefully, keeping my barrier up, pushed to its limits as it is. "What is important is you have two kids who desperately want to see you again. So pull your ass together."

I grit my teeth, and Jerus feels a slight tightening near his throat. Not enough to choke him, but enough to know that the invisible hand is there. “I do not need your help... and I will not be in your debt.”



My hands begin to faultier, and to my surprise, my palms begin to burn. “No...” I take a breath, and a step closer to Sucal.

"Now's not th-" I realize what Satele is going to do and I turn my attention back to her. "Satele, no!"

The energy between Sucal and I builds to a dangerous level, and the brilliant light it creates is almost blinding. “Keep... fighting!” I push with all my energy towards Sucal, throwing my barrier into Sucal and causing an explosion of power that shatters windows and bends metal. Everyone on the platform is sent flying away.

The explosion of energy sent me sailing through the air and I lost sight of Salazar, Satele and Sucal, tumbling before I was finally able to activate my jetpack and steady myself in the air. The balcony we had all been on was destroyed and the walls scorched black and no sign of where the others had landed, not that I could see.

My speeder flies up to the wreckage. A whole section of the Palace was blown out, and already more ships were flying towards our location. “Where is here?” I look around frantically. “Where is Sucal?!”



I call Jerus over his comm. “This is Becca. Jakito and I are on our way with a few Mandalorian’s as backup. We just saw the explosion. What’s happened?”

I look around, trying to find any of the others, but not having any luck. Sucal couldn't be allowed to escape and so when Becca's message came through, it caught me off guard and I almost flew into the building. "Ah! Becca, sorry. Was just a little too focused. Satele appeared, clashed with Sucal. I don't know what exactly was happening on her side of it all, but she got close enough to him that there was the explosion. I can't find her, Sucal or Salazar."

“Keep looking. We’re on our way to help.” I look back at Jakito, who is flexing his new arm. “Be ready for anything.”



“I always am.”



A pile of rubble shifts, and I push my way out from underneath. I stagger towards the ruined wall and look out at the exposed cityscape. On my belt, my emergency comm is beeping, so I remove it and answer it. “Commander Foy? Yes, I am alright. Another assassin attempt. I just barley survived. I need you to send me an emergency shuttle immedia...”



“Yaaahhh!” I jump down onto Sucal’s back, wrapping my arms around his neck and squeezing. “I won’t let you go, you son of a bitch!”



“Ack! You... stupid...” In the struggle to remove the crazed girl from me, I trip on a piece of rubble and we both go through the hole in the wall, tumbling towards the streets below.



As we fall, I continue to hold on tight, punching and kicking and clawing at Sucal.

I spot the tumbling forms as they fall and catch a wisp of white hair in the second form's shape. "Hayden!" Jetting after them, I push my jetpack as fast as it would go. As I get closer, I recognize that the person she was in the midst of pummeling was Jorg Sucal. "Hayden, he's not worth your life!" Finally getting close enough, about a hundred feet from the ground and grab her with the Force and pull her off the doomed man, or hope he's doomed. Hayden kicked and strained against my invisible hand and I keep her far enough from myself that she can't get me with her hands. "You're welcome by the way."

I finally give up fighting when I realize it’s pointless. As I hang in the air, I watch as Sucal tumbles to the streets below. Even from up here, I can hear his panicked screams suddenly cut off as he smacks sickeningly against the pedway platform. Not for a single moment do I take my eyes off of him.



My shuttle does not even land before Jakito and I are jumping off the ramp and running towards the base of Presidential Palace, weapons in hand. However, as we see the crumbled body laying in a slowly spreading pool of blood, we slow to a stop. “By the Force...”



“Is that...” I step closer. “Holy shit. We got him!” I smile back at Becca, but my joviality quickly fades as I see more ships coming our way; Republic ships. “Look sharp!” The Mandalorian squad we brought with us quickly move to defend us, but it is clear these are more men than we can fight.

I had followed Hayden's gaze and even though we had wanted him dead, I wasn't convinced that he would stay that way as the blood started to pool. Still, the sounds of approaching Republic ships couldn't be ignored and I lower Hayden towards the ground at a pace matching mine. Opening a channel, I try to reach Ava. "Manda'lor, resume your attack! This is a limited window of opportunity!"

Hearing Jerus' words, I nod to my warriors. "Keep pressing forward! To the palace!" We relaunch our attack, catching the distracted soldiers off guard. Many of them were looking at each other in confusion, and others were trying to raise their commanding officers on their comms. I didn't know what Jerus had done, but it had worked.



I look out of the window of an office I'd claimed in the Senate Building. I could see the battle outside resuming, and the smoke rising from the Palace. "Something has changed... I can sense it." I turn towards Temari, HJ Twilight, and the Revolution leaders. "Arm yourselves. Mand'alor needs all of us to finish this."



My feet finally touch the ground, and I quickly shrug Jerus' hands off of me. Not in rough or ungratefully; just a matter of fact sort of way. I give him a very quick, meaningful look. "Thank you, Uncle." Before there is much time to linger on this 'tender' moment, I rush over to Sucal's body and stare down at his face, locked in a permanent expression of shock. "Gotcha, you piece of shit."



"Gloat later, kiddo. We aren't done yet." I activate my lightsabers, using one to point out the shuttles landing around us. Each one offloads a squad of troopers, lead by an officer. The main shuttle group is lead by a man dressed in specialized power armor. One of his eyes is covered by a metal patch.



I hold up my hand to signal the troopers to stand by as they surround the four possible assassins. There is slight apprehension in my expression, and my good eye keeps flicking between the four and the body of the Chancellor. "Nobody move! In the name of the Republic, I order you to surrender!"

"Any other day, I'd argue with you about this. Today?" Twin rockets impact the two squads in front of me, sending them flying through the air as I ignite my sabers. "Lets just get this over with." Lunging forwards, I engage a third squad from well within their discomfort zones.