"The what?" asked Major Debal as he looked around the room. The three Jedi were astounded at what the consuls had just said. The Kaiburr Crystal? That was impossible.

"The Kaiburr crystal," repeated Andari.

"Why does that matter?" continued Debal. "Why would this matter to that Sith knight?"

"Tell him," said Andari to Jann. Jann nodded and turned to the Major and began to tell an ancient tale.

"For as long as there has been knowledge of the Force, people have looked for ways to enhance their powers in it. Remember that the Force is, at its most basic, a tremendous energy field created by every living thing in the universe. As such, the universe has designed ways for this field to be both enhanced as well as retarded. Old legends speak of lizards that could generate bubbles where the Force could not exist. Certain races are considered more in tune with the Force and tend to yield more Force-sensitive offspring. Humans are considered one such example."

"OK," said Debal, "so this has to do with you."

"In a roundabout way," replied Jann, "yes. You see, as far as anyone knows, the strongest thing that could enhance the powers of the Force was the Kaiburr crystal."

"So what is it?" asked Debal.

"It is an ancient red gemstone," answered Jann. "No one knows where it came from, though many legends hold it to come from the very hot center of the galaxy. Somehow, it ended up in the planet of Kaiburr, where it was found by an evil king. He, being a Force-user, was able to augment his powers to unbelievable heights with the crystal. So much, in fact, that he was able to live for another two or three hundred years. Until a group of his soldiers--who were also strong in the Force--rebelled against him and were able to defeat him. They...used these." At his saying that, Jann lifted his lightsaber from his belt and ignited it.

"You mean," asked Debal, "they were the Jedi."

"Yes," replied Andari. "The beginnings of the Jedi Order. They decided that they would spend their lives fighting evil and tyranny across the galaxy. With the Force as their ally, they were able to stop much evil and allowed the seeds of the Old Republic to spring. Once that was in place, they became the guardians of the Republic."

"But what happened to the crystal?" asked Debal.

Jann answered, "Legend has it that they took the crystal and broke it into pieces. These pieces they then used in the creation of their lightsabers. You see, most lightsabers are blue, green or red in color. But these were pure white. The crystal shards augmented their powers, but not to the point where they were corrupted by it. In any case, over time, the stories became legends and the shards were lost. Most people believed that the Kaiburr crystal would never be recovered. That is until...over a thousand years ago, I believe."

"That's correct," said Andari. "At that time, the Clone Wars were over and the Republic was slowly crumbling apart. The Senate decided that a symbol was needed to bring people back together. So, they sent the Jedi--whose number had seriously dwindled due to the wars--out to the farthest reaches of space to find the shards and bring them back together."

"But they weren't able?" asked Debal.

"It was a trap set up by a devious Senator," answered Jann. "Over the years that the Jedi spent combing the galaxy, they were tracked down and destroyed by various factions. In the end, the Republic died, the Jedi were nearly destroyed and the Old Empire came to power. The last records we have of the crystal came from the great Master, Luke Skywalker. He says that he left the crystal at an ancient temple, but that was never corroborated. So, the crystal has dissapeared."

"Till now, it seems," concluded Debal, turning to the consuls. "How did you come to this knowledge?"

"It had been passed unto us by our predecessors," responded Medha. "Beyond that, we do not know how that came to be."

Neither Debal nor the Jedi believed in that, but they willingly let the lie go. "So, where is it?" asked Andari.

"It is in the third moon of the planet Halla--in the Ragdoon system," answered Theda. "Somewhere within there is an forgotten temple that was built by the same priests who guarded it for so long."

The Jedi looked at one another for a moment. Then Krokukonn, who had been silent throughout most of the proceedings, gave a loud growl.

"I agree," replied Andari. "Let's contact Ulric."

****************************************************************************

One of the advantages of having many limbs is that there is more to hold you up over precarious spots--like the one he was currently in. Nadoobi thanked the ancient ones for shining down on him and giving him a talent these aliens could not possibly understand.

So, the Sith had failed in their mission. No surprise there, thought Nadoobi. After all, there hadn't been a really good Dark Lord of the Sith since the ancient Darth Vader--and he didn't turn up well at all. His people had quietly worshipped these dark beings and sworn eternal allegiance. And though he saw their fallacy and idiocy, he would honor the deals of his people.

In any case, this latest information was a gem. The lost Kaiburr Crystal--found! Darth Vassoran would probably die when he heard those news! Not only that, but he would probably reward whomever brought the information. So, the alien casually moved himself from his perch along the castle walls. The heights and lack of places to grip probably made the guards believe that no one could enter through this way. How easily they underestimated him!

****************************************************************************

"This is most amazing," said Ulric. Andari could tell this both shocked and amazed his pupil from the expression of his hologram. "Most amazing indeed," continued Ulric.

"What are we to do, Master?" asked Jann.

"It's clear that this information is compromised," said Ulric. "Chances are if you know, then the Sith know. If they came to possess the Kaiburr crystal, well--."

"So, it is agreed, then?" asked Jann. "Do we leave to retrieve the crystal?"

"Hey, wait a moment," began Major Debal. "You people have standing orders to remain here with the consuls. The other knights could possibly still be out there!"

"That is the crux of the problem," replied Ulric. "Sending Jedi knights from here to Halla would take a few days--long enough for someone to go there and retrieve it before we can get there."

"Master," said Jann, "you could conceivably just send reinforcements here to Sirla and allow us to go to Halla and get the crystal."

"That would still open a window for anyone to attack the consuls," replied Ulric. After a few pensive moments, he spoke, "Andari. Take Krokukonn and go to Halla. Retrieve the crystal."

"Wait!" yelled Jann. "You're leaving me behind!"

"Yes," replied Ulric, "someone needs to stay behind to guard the consuls. You seem to have proven yourself capable, so it's you that stays."

"But I can't just let them go by themselves!" Jann said nearly exploding.

"I agree with Jann on this one," said a cooler Andari. "If anyone should go, it's Jann and Krokukonn. I should remain behind."

"Why is that?" asked Ulric.

"Call it intuition, Ulric," Andari replied with a look that was directed at the Jedi Master.

"Very well," replied a terser Ulric. "Jann, Krokukonn. Go to Halla and get the Kaiburr crystal. But be careful." With that, his image dissapeared.

"Intuition?" asked Jann as he turned to Andari.

"Hey," replied the elder Jedi, "I'm not as young and impetuous as I used to be. Besides Halla is a forest and swamp world. I'm not in the frame of mind to go jumping off trees."

"Very well," replied Jann, "we'll leave within the hour."

***************************************************************************

"The Kaiburr crystal?" said Vassoran in a voice filled with dreams of power. "Amazing."

"Master," replied Belian, "the Jedi surely know by now and are probably preparing to go retrieve it."

"Then they must be stopped," said Vassoran as he regained a sense of anger in his voice. "Lord Belian, Lord Rahn, Lord Roddocc, go and take the crystal. Let nothing stand in your way."

The Sith lords stood to leave. Then, Belian asked, with an undertone of defiance, "And how will we be able to get there faster than the Jedi?"

Vassoran, without missing a beat, rose and walked towards his sanctum's window. It was covered with black shielding. With a sweep of his hand, the panes were pulled back and revealed the docking ports of the station. There, in the center, sat a newly constructed vessel. Round, except for the tail and head--which had the control center. Outside of it, stood several crewmen, ready to fly it.

From high above, the ship was very impressive. Belian turned to his Master, whose face now shone with a tone of evil.

"Now go to Halla," said Vassoran, "and get me the crystal."

************************************************************************

After a day of travel, it felt good to Jann and Krokukonn to stretch out and run. The lush forests and vegetation of Halla's moon gave them large trees to climb and green swamps in which to hide. They knew other sentient beings were present--who they were was, for the moment, unknown. However, their mission was simple and they moved briskly through the forest. Krokukonn was in the lead--his Wookie abilities and senses enhanced by his strength in the Force. Jann was behind him, running along the ground, while the larger knight used his centuries-evolved abilities and went from tall tree to tall tree. They moved along the forest till the wooly Jedi stopped and roared down at Jann.

"How far?" asked Jann. Another roar was his reply.

Jann looked to his left and tried to make out the features. His partner had just informed him of a large ship's presence. Most probably their beings, Jann thought. It was obvious they were not here for a camping trip, so the chances were high that they were sent to retrieve the Kaiburr crystal.

The young knight acted quickly. He lifted a digital pad from his belt and punched in a few commands. Miles back the ship's computers registered this command and opened a small hatch in the underside of the ship. From there came a small, spider-like droid. Silver in color, the droid opened its yellow eyes and looked about. Then, he sprinted away in a fury towards the ship of the unknown beings. The ship's computers confirmed this to Jann, who placed the pad back on his belt.

"We've bugged it," he said to Krokukonn. "Best thing we can do right now is beat them to the temple."

The two young Jedi then raced to the ruins that their sensors told them were there. Even without the sensors, the clearing was impressive. About 70 square feet of nothing but old rock floors and granite rubble. The forest was slowly digesting it, but one could still see a stairwell that led into a darkened cave. Krokukonn and Jann advanced, but were suddenly stopped at the base of the steps, by a feeling of dread. At the mouth of the cave, three dark figures emerged and faced the young knights.

"Greetings Jedi," said Belian from within his hood. "I am Darth Belian. These are Darth Rahn and Darth Rodocc. You cannot win, for the Kaiburr crystal will be ours."

"We'll see about that," replied Jann, drawing his lightsaber.

"Be forewarned," continued Belian. "You do not face untrained pups like you did at Sirla." Then, turning to his companions, he said, "Rahn, Lobale, take them. I will secure the crystal."

Belian then turned and entered the cave. The Jedi began to rush up the steps, but were stopped by the two lunging Sith lords. Each one took on an opponent--Jann vs Lobale and Krokukonn vs Kodean. The training of the Sith lords began to outshine that of the young knights, but a fury had come over the Jedi and they were fighting like madmen. Jann struck left and right and left again, but at every place, Lobale was there to stop him.

Krokukonn, meanwhile, attempted to overpower the shorter Darth Rahn, but was surprised to see the Sith lord hold his ground against the Wookie's strength. Then, something sprang from Rahn's chest and punched Krokukonn in the stomach--sending the Jedi knight reeling back. The Sith lord took the opportunity and jumped at the stunned Jedi with lightsaber reeled back and ready to strike. Krokukonn saw this and, at the last moment, backflipped out of the strike's way. Darth Rahn landed on the steps and used his own momentum and gravity to spin and flip higher than Krokukonn. Landing right behind him, Rahn swung his saber at the Wookie's back, but was stopped by the Jedi's own lightsaber.

Meanwhile, Lobale had assumed the offensive and now had Jann backing down the steps. The Twi'lek's strength gave him an advantage, but Jann was quicker--that allowed him to block the lord's attacks. Darth Lobale cursed Jann and swung at his head. The young Jedi blocked the shot and pushed Lobale's saber back. In the second of relief that gave him, the young Jedi swung his lightsaber and cut the Sith lord's arm off. A howl of pain and rage came from Darth Lobale. He backed off and looked back at his attacker before charging him. Jann readied himself and struck Darth Lobale down in two. This done, he stepped back and let the adrenaline in his body come down. He noticed Rahn overpowering his partner and rushed to his aid.

But the Sith lord was not caught off-guard by the rushing Jedi. He let go off Krokukonn and assumed a stance against Jann. The two Jedis prepared themselves to attack. However, a rumbling was heard. Pretty soon, it became an earthquake. The fight was soewhat forgotten by all as they sought refuge. When the rumbling stopped, a beam of white light came down the mouth of the cave and struck the ground in front of the Jedi. They were sent reeling back a few feet. Even Darth Rahn was taken aback by the sudden blast. All three looked up to the mouth of the cave and saw Darth Belian appear from the shadows--with the Kaiburr crystal on his left hand. The red gem gave off a dark ember glow that seemed to cover all of Belian's left hand.

"You will now die, Jedi," snarled Belian. More beams of light poured out from his arm and shot at the knights. The Jedi managed to stay a step ahead of the attacks, but quickly a realization came to them--they weren't going to win this. Turning around, the fled into the jungle. Two more shots cut through the trees, but missed the Jedi knights.

**************************************************************************

Krokukonn and Jann ran through the woods--glad the onslaught had stopped. Their worst fears had been realized. The Sith had the Kaiburr crystal. Not only would Master Ulric be dissapointed, he'd be angry--not at their failure, but rather his inability to provide proper aid.

They were running through the jungle when a dark tremor ran up their spines--they weren't alone. More of the Sith had arrived.

**************************************************************************

Belian had come down and joined Kodean Mae Rahn, who had placed his lightsaber back on his belt. They stood above the remains of Darth Rodocc Lobale. The fool was not worth it, both thought. They looked at each other, then down at the glowing red crystal.

"It's beutiful," said Rahn.

"Yes, it is," replied Belian in a somewhat apprehensive tone. It was obvious that Belian did not want to share his prize with anyone else. But all of a sudden, a tremor in the Force told them they were not alone. Turning around, the saw several dark figures appear from the jungle.

"Lords Belian and Rahn," spoke the lead figure, "we have been sent by Lord Vassoran to aid you in your quest."

"Well, you are late," said Darth Kodean Mae Rahn. "And if you have been waiting for us to retrieve the crystal, why did you not help us? Darth Lobale might still be alive."

"We had our orders from Lord Vassoran," said the lead knight. "So, I will take custody of the crystal now."

"No need," replied Belian. "The crystal is in our custody. However, two Jedi knights have fled into the jungle. It would be best if you went after them and ensured they never tell anyone of our actions."

The lead Sith knight made a gesture and watched as the majority of his troop--ten knights--ran into the jungle in the same direction as the Jedi had fled. However, two other knights joined the lead as he approached the Sith lords.

"I also have orders from Lord Vassoran himself," the knight said, "to take possession of the Kaiburr crystal and bring it to him as soon as it was in our possession."

"Do you question my loyalty?" asked a menacing Belian. "I retrieved it and I will bring it to Lord Vassoran myself."

The Sith knight stepped back and produced a disk from his belt. Igniting it, a hologram of Vassoran appeared.

"My lords," spoke Vassoran, "you are to give the Kaiburr crystal to my knights as soon as it is in your grasp. This is my wish and will not be questioned." The hologram dissapeared once the last word was spoken. The Sith knight placed the projector back on his belt and extended a gloved hand for the crystal.

Belian's rage nearly overwhelmed him--to give possession of this magnificent object? Impossible! But to deny the knight now would mean direct defiance of Vassoran's orders. So, he gave the crystal to the knight--a shining red globe. He, in turn, placed it on a velvet cloth provided by the other knights, before sealing it on a specially prepared case. The two knights turned and carried the case back into the woods. The lead knight waited until his subordinates were out of the way before turning to Belian and Rahn.

"Our orders tell us to bring the crystal immediately to our lord," said the knight. "You are to wait for the rest of the troops and make sure that no one who knows of our presence makes it out alive from this place. Those are your new orders."

The knight turned and retreated in the same direction his companions had gone. Belian quietly turned back and, enraged, ignited his lightsaber and smashed one of the few rock pillars left standing.

****************************************************************************

Even if the young Jedi knights would not have been able to sense the incoming Sith knights, their personal radars would have told them so. As it stood however, the sensors merely served to back the Jedi's senses--they were being hunted.

Jann turned his head to see dark figures leap from tree to tree and advance on them at a great speed. They were more of the same Sith knights that he had fought at Sirla! He turned and ran towards the Star Flame. His heart was pounding--no amount of Jedi training could have prepared him for this. Suddenly, his partner let out a roar--he wanted Jann to go the other way.

"No!" screamed back Jann. "The ship is this way! We'll get lost in the jungle if we go your way!"

The Wookie simply gave another roar and turned towards the thick brushing and dissapeared. Jann hated it when his partner was right, but, in this case, he was. Leading the Sith knights straight to their ship would be terrible, since they would spot it and report it to whatever capital vessel had brought them here. Best to lose them and leave under the cover of night.

So the young knights ran--Jann on foot and Krokukonn swinging on the trees. Every few moments Jann turned and saw the dark figures leap from tree branch to tree branch as they pursued their prey. They were actually gaining on the Jedi! What amazed Jann was how effortlessly they leaped, yet how much purpose was in their movement. All of a sudden, Jann ran into a brick wall and fell to the ground. Dizzy, he looked up to see his partner looking back down at him.

"What is it?" asked Jann.

The Wookie merely parted ways and allowed his friend to see for himself. Merely a foot or two from their position was a hundred-foot cliff that was full of jagged rocks and steep angles. Looking at the other side, he realized the jump would be about twenty feet--much to far to leap, even for a Jedi.

The sound of feet on the leaves forced Jann to his feet. He turned to face the Sith knights, who had spread in a semicircle to surround them. Some stood on the trees' branches, others on the jungle floor. However, their eyes were keenly set on the two Jedi. One Sith knight spoke into a transmitter that was located on the back of his palm.

"We have the Jedis cornered, mylord," the Sith knight said. "What do you wish of them?"

Darth Rahn's voice came loud and clear, "Eliminate them."

The knight looked up and smiled. He gave a signal to his fellow knights to prepare to attack.

The Jedi understood the signal clearly. They removed their lightsabers and ignited them--ready to battle the Sith knights. They even waited for the rush of Sith knights that was sure to follow. However, when the attack signal came, the Sith knights removed blasters from within their hoods and began to fire at the unsuspecting Jedi.

Both Jann and Krokukonn were taken aback by the flurry of fire that fell upon them. They quickly began to block the shots and sent some back to their attackers. This renewed the fury of the Sith knights' attack. More shots came the Jedi's way. Jann tried to advance, but blocking was not enough. Two shots grazed his side and he was forced to step back.

"We can't last much longer, Krokukonn!" said Jann. A roar of agreement was his reply.

Suddenly a shot grazed Krokukonn's leg. The Wookie roared in pain and almost fell. Two more shots aimed at the lower extremities of Jann were blocked by Jann by spinning his lightsaber. At the same time, another shot was taken at his head. The young knight's instinct reacted and lifted the hilt of the lightsaber in front of the blast--which hit the hilt head on. Immediately, a screeching sound was heard.

"Damn!" yelled Jann. "The power core's hit."

The Jedi looked at one another as the statement's realization hit them. Jann threw the lightsaber at the Sith knights and turned towards the canyon. The two young knights ran to the edge of the canyon and, trusting their skill, jumped.

The Sith knights easily ducked the poorly thrown lightsaber. But the screeching sound was picked out by all of them. The lead Sith knight recognized it for what it was and yelled, "Everybody back!" at the same time Jann and Krokukonn lept for their lives.

A second after the lead knight's order, the lightsaber exploded and took the whole edge of the cliff. The amount of force expelled threw the leaping knights far enough to make it to the other side, but with enough strength to injure them. Meanwhile, the retreating Sith knights were engulfed in the ball of fire that extended in many ways.

**********************************************************************

Darth Belian and Darth Rahn turned towards the loud explosion and saw the giant fireball in the distance. Immediately both lords knew and understood what had happened. They both then turned back towards their ship. No one could have survived that--neither Sith nor Jedi.

A few moments later, their ship took off from Halla's Moon and set course once again for Concord Red.

*********************************************************************

Night soon fell over the moon and the creatures of the night came out with it. Halla's moon had few dangerous creatures. Of these, the most dangerous was the eewannie. A five-foot, mono-orbed, version of a sloth. It had a long mouth that was full of razor-sharp teeth and a slithery tongue. Dangerous claws also gave it the ability to climb up and down trees, while it's long tail could serve as a stinger or as a club. In this small world, this creature was at the top of their food chain.

It was a number of these that discovered the unconscious body of Jann as it laid one fallen tree foilage. Unsure of what it was, the creatures sniffed it and turned it. More soon joined the first group and began to poke and prod the young Jedi's body. Eventually one of them screeched something to the rest and they all got under Jann's body. The creatures lifted the Jedi on their backs and carried him away.

***********************************************************************

Meanwhile, a distance away, Krokukonn awoke to an intense headache. The Wookie Jedi looked around in the darkness, but noticed nothing around him. The foilage and trees gave the night a more exotic feel. Krokukonn felt a dampness in his arm and realized that he was cut and bleeding. He grabbed a piece off his clothing and tore it to cover his wounds. Examining the leaves, he wondered if he should use some of them to try and heal his wounds. He thought back to his early days as he trained under an uncle who was a physician. However, he concluded that he had no idea what these plants did or if they would have the same effect as those on Kashyyyk. He pushed himself off the ground and tried to let his senses determine his direction.

Through the darkness, he heard some rustling. He headed in that direction, hoping his human partner would be there. Thanks to the injured limb, he could not climb the trees without pain, but that did not matter. He pulled back the foilage and saw a large beast that was a cross between a dinosaur and a dewback. Its strong legs held it up to eat the trees and leaves that dangled above its head. The Jedi quietly slipped back and allowed the beast to continue eating. He turned around and went the other way--sure he would stumble upon his fallen comrade soon.

************************************************************************

However, there was no such thoughts on the Sith ship. Both Belian and Rahn sat at their chairs in the private holoroom and waited.

"How long before we reach Concord Red?" asked Belian to the intercom on his chair.

"We'll be there within the hour, sir" was the pilot's reply. A moment later, the pilot's voice came in again, "Sir, incoming transmission from Darth Vassoran."

"Very well," replied Rahn. "Put it through."

The two Sith lords stood and saw the holographic image of their Master appear before them. Their eyes quickly moved to the glowing orb on Vassoran's left hand.

"Well done, my lords," Vassoran said. "You have both proven yourselves worthy and loyal to me."

"If that is the case, milord," said Belian, "then why send another mission after us? Do you not trust us to retrieve the crystal for you?"

Vassoran smiled before replying, "I thought you would need some help in dealing with any forces that may have suddenly arrived to stop you. In the end, even my forces could not prevent the death of Darth Lobale."

"He was incompetent," said Rahn. "And died at the hands of a child."

"True," replied Vassoran. "But had my forces not arrived, those children would have destroyed the both of you."

"We had the matter clearly under control," Belian said in a defiant tone. "The only one who needed help was Lobale. We did not need chaperones to make sure we came back safe and sound. Sometimes, my lord, I do wonder if this is just a show of force you do to impress us."

"Lord Belian," said Vassoran coldly, "the knights I sent were not there to ensure your safe return. They were there to ensure my wishes were carried out. Did you have any problems with that?"

"No," replied Belian as he slowly backed down.

"Then I suggest you worry less about my actions and more about your own," said Vassoran in an irritated tone. "Remember I am Dark Lord of the Sith. My commands are not subject to questioning. And I will not tolerate any such questioning again."

The hologram image quickly dissapeared. Leaving a furious Belian and Kodean Rahn.

"Perhaps it is time to return to an ancient tradition, Lord Rahn," said Belian in a somber tone.

************************************************************************

Krokukonn had been reluctant to turn on his tracer, for fear that it may attract some kind of dangerous creature. But the jungles of Halla gave him no option but to do so. Now, he saw two blips in his read-out. One was the ship. The other was Jann.

Finally coming up to a clearing, he saw massive oaks that led high into the sky. Here, the tracer told him Jann was--but he was nowhere to be found. Then, something fell on him. Krokukonn lifted it off himself and realized it was a Jedi cloak--Jann's to be specific. He looked up and saw the dangling body of his partner high above the ground. He was unconscious as far as the Wookie could tell. He also knew that Jann hadn't gotten that high by himself. He was unsure what could have gotten him there, but his senses told him not to wait. He began to slowly climb the oak, in hopes his strength could carry the load of his injured arm.

Krokukonn did not get more than twenty feet off the ground when a swarm of eewannies fell on him. Like hyenas, they lunged for the strange creature that was threatening their future meal. Krokukonn knocked a few back from him, but was overwhelmed by the blitz of claws,teeth and bodies. He fell to the ground and began to run away--the beasts in hot pursuit. The Jedi turned and swung his ignited lightsaber--cutting a few eewanies in half. The rest of them stopped at noticing the glow of the lightsaber. It was the eewanies' turn to hiss and back down. Krokukonn took two steps forward, before realizing that the beasts were slowly encircling him. They were not dumb creatures and they knew their territory. So the young Jedi moved back and dissapeared into the jungle.

How to defeat them? thought the Wookie. He could not outmuscle them for there were too many and he was injured. He could not outrun them. But he knew what could. He ran towards the ship to get a few items.

***************************************************************************

What he was trying was dangerous--Krokukonn knew this. But his friend was about to become the main meal for those creatures and that he would not allow. So, he slowly crept up on the large beast he had seen earlier. He had taken a second to ask the Star Flame's computers to identify the creature. It was an svil-vi-berg; a large reptilian-like creature indigenous to this system. They were herbivorous and easily scared. But they were powerful enough and fast enough to outrun the eewanies.

So, he crouched low against the grass. He would have one shot at this. If he failed, chances were good he'd never see any of these creatures again. He waited for the creature to lower its head to pick up and recently torn branch and the Jedi leapt on the creature's back. The reaction was instantaneous. The svil-vi-berg reared back and began to buck--an attempt to remove the pest from its back. But Krokukonn was not easily removed. He threw the rope he had gotten from the ship around the creature's mouth. The bucking svil-vi-berg tried to resist, but, by the time it could do anything, the rope was secure around its mouth. Grabbing both ends, Krokukonn turned the beast in the direction of the eewannies' camp and Jann.

*********************************************************************** Meanwhile, the eewannies were getting ready to devour Jann. Having finished several young chicks from a nest, their appetites had been whet for their main course. Some of the strong eewannies moved to the branch were the young man hanged from--some fifty feet above the ground. The sound of distant thunder could be heard in the background. In fact, soon the earth began to shake. It was an earthquake of massive proportions. Some of the eewannies actually lost their footing and fell the ground. In the middle of this, Jann regained conscience--only to find himself hanging high above the ground and a thundering noise approaching.

Then, out of the darkness, came a charging svil-vi-berg with a Wookie roaring loud to the wind. The svil-vi-berg stampeded through the eewannies that were on the ground. The rest soon fled to the heights of the trees. Krokukonn noticed the tree on which Jann hung and directed the mad beast at its base. And, though strong it was, the oak was no match for the thundering svil-vi-berg. The tree was cut in two and began to fall.

All Jann could do was scream as his hands and feet were bound. But before he hit the ground, the branch he dangled from was suddenly cut. Before he knew it, Krokukonn was holding him and leading the svil-vi-berg away from the eewanies' campsite.

"Krokukonn, what are you doing!?" yelled Jann. All he could hear was the excited laugh of his Wookie partner. It didn't stop till they reached the Star Flame.

**************************************************************************

The Jedi's ship took off from Halla's Moon at amazing speeds. Their little adventures had cost them precious time. Now, the Sith had the Kaiburr crystal.

"Alright, stop!" exclaimed an exasperated Jann to his partner. Krokukonn was trying to attend to Jann's wounds--various hurt ribs, a deep gash on his head, a broken nose and claw marks on his back and legs. The human looked at the Wookie and said, "Thanks partner. But don't you think you ought to care for yourself first."

The Wookie turned its head and gave a few growls. Jann understood this and replied, "Thanks. I mean it."

Both knights then turned to the Flame's controls. What came next tasted bitter to them.

"Alright," said Jann. "Establish a connection with Coruscant."

At this, the Wookie flipped a few controls and waited for a minute or so. Then, the image of Master Ulric appeared on the controls.

"Goodness," said Ulric as he looked over his former students, "what has happened to the both of you?"

"Well sir," began Jann, "the bad news is that both Krokukonn and I suffered some injuries in our search for the Kaiburr crystal. The really bad news is that the Sith now possess it."

Ulric was disturbed by the news. "Any chance of following them?"

"Yes sir," replied Jann. Krokukonn looked at his partner and then turned on the tracer signal on the droid bug they had released on Halla. The signal came through clearly and, even though the ship was in hyperspace, they were able to track it.

"Sir, we've located the Sith," said Jann. "I'm sending their coordinates to you now."

"Good," replied Ulric. "Scout ahead. But be careful."

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The Star Flame came out of hyperspace to the system of Concord. It was abandoned and destroyed--forever lost out in space.

"Sensors are on and scanners are at max," said Jann to his partner. "Have you established connection?"

The Wookie turned and growled three times.

"Alright, then," replied Jann. He turned to face the holoscreen and came to attention when Ulric appeared before him. "We're here, sir."

"Well done," said Ulric. "By the way, Andari and the Sirlaean consuls are listening in on us."

"How are they doing?" asked Jann.

"Well, just as we suspected," answered Ulric, "there was an attack on them. Major Debal, I believe, stopped it though."

"Good," said Jann before Krokukonn and a beeping sound turned his attention elsewhere. "What is that?"

"What is it?" asked Ulric.

"Holy..." said Jann as his eyes looked out into space. "Sir, I'm switching the scanners. You and the consuls should see this." A few flick of buttons and the screens on Coruscant and Sirla saw the same awesome sight as Jann and Krokukonn did live.

In front of them was a small space station that was surrounded by an entire fleet of warships. They ranged in size from small, support, vessels to ships as big as the Corellian cruisers. Then, from behind the planet came the largest ship. This one dwindled the others in size. It covered them in its shadow. All who saw it stared in awe and fear at its awesome sight.

"What the hell is that?" asked Jann in a hushed tone.

From the intercom, Andari's voice was heard. "That is a Star Destroyer."

************************************************************************* Soon to come: Chapter 3--The Conclusion Back to the Main Page