General Obi-Wan Kenobi was panting for breath in the thin Mandalorian air. Three of his trainees were running beside him, lightsabers ignited and in hand. Anakin Skywalker was on his right, Erun Nevelli was running to his left, and an Ithorian trainee named B'yea Derue was next to him. Behind them were Mace Windu, Ki-Adi Mundi, and Master Yvai.
   As they crested a hill, Kenobi saw a great sprawling dome, deteriorated and thin, but still standing. It looked like as good a place as any to stop and rest. The Mandalorian clones were still behind them, but it would be a while before they caught up.
   The dome was about three stories tall at its centerpiece, with spider-like arms reaching out in a hundred-foot-diameter sprawl. Tattered remains of canvas roofing hung from its spindly supports, and Kenobi saw other Jedi refugees huddling in the shadows. When Obi-Wan reached the bottom of one strut, he slumped against it, exhausted. He slid uneasily to the ground, extinguishing his lightsaber, and Ki-Adi sat next to him.
   Kenobi reached into the inner pocket of his cloak and retrieved a small, thin bracelet of pearly beads and silver chain. He toyed with the beads as he caught his breath, trying hard not to think about Iryshi, and failing. Two years, and still he dreamt of her. Every night. Would it ever end? he wondered to himself. Would she ever stop haunting him?
   Blaster shots rang in the distance, and Kenobi jumped to his feet again, replacing the bracelet in his cloak. He counted the Jedi huddled under the dome without looking at their faces; twelve, approximately. Just twelve. All that were left, perhaps, of a people that had spanned the galaxy. Now hunted down by a race of Mandalorian clones. Helpless.
   Obi-Wan turned to face the hill they had just crossed, just in time to see an army of clones cresting the rise. He ignited his saber as they approached, shouting curses and war whoops. As he watched, he heard the snap-hisses of a dozen other lightsabers igniting behind him. Ki-Adi  flicked his on, a bright yellow blade materializing from the stylized hilt, and Erun, Anakin, and B'yea ignited theirs as well.
   He lost count of the clones as more and more crested the hill. A dozen... fifty... a hundred, more... all headed straight for the lonely band of Jedi. It wouldn't be battle. It would be slaughter.
   The war whoops grew louder as the clones came closer, at a dead run with only one purpose in mind. Kill. Kill the Jedi. Kill them all.
   Mace struck down the first, neatly blocking his attack and chopping him in half. Erun took the next, and B'yea soon struck down one of her own. Anakin took two in the first few seconds.
   As a Mandalorian wielding a vibro-axe came at him, Obi-Wan swiftly took off the clone's arm. Another met a similar fate, and the next was run through.
   Anakin was in his prime, cutting down clones left and right, a challenging grin on his face. Erun seemed to be growing squeamish, but continued fighting. Ki-Adi took down another, and another, but seemed to be growing tired.
   And with every two clones struck down, came one dead Jedi. Obi-Wan heard the screams behind him, but didn't dare look.
   And then, abruptly, the fighting stopped. They just ran out of clones. Obi-Wan looked in wonder at the dead ones, lying on their backs in the mud and dirt. He heard a triumphant laugh behind him. "We won!" Anakin shouted in pure glee. "That was it!"
   Turning a complete circle, Obi-Wan examined the surrounding area, with a clump of six remaining Jedi Knights, not counting himself, Ki-Adi, Yvai, Mace, Anakin, and Erun. On the ground were six more, dead or dying. There was no helping them. Blood of all colors was everywhere.
   And then, from the clustered Jedi, came a soft, familiar voice. "Now what?"
   Anakin immediately turned toward the few Jedi, eyes wide, staring at the one who'd spoken.
   She wore a light gray cloak, almost but not quite like the one she had on when she was ceremonially ousted from the Jedi Order. Her hair was bunched back into a thick braid, and her face was drawn, thin, but still recognizable. Two years hadn't changed her much. Still beautiful. Still Iryshi.
   Anakin sputtered in surprise. "What in blazing stars are you doing off Tatooine?" he finally said, his voice barely restrained.
   Iryshi smiled. "Why Anakin, no hug? I had thought you'd be more pleased to see me." She turned to Obi-Wan, the smile still there. "And you, sir, I had expected more than a blank stare from."
   Though surprised, Obi-Wan could not keep the grin from his face. "And what would you like instead, my dear?" he asked jokingly.
   She didn't answer, and he hadn't been expecting her to. She looked up at the red-tinged sky, past the converging struts of the dome. When she lowered her head again she looked directly at Erun. He stared at her, and slowly, extinguishing his lightsaber, walked toward her. When he reached her he enveloped her into an embrace. When they pulled away, she glanced pointedly at Obi-Wan. "Now," she said, a playful grin on her face, "that was refreshing."
   Anakin, unmoved by the emotions, walked steadily towards her. "You never answered my question," he said, voice low.
   "That's right, I didn't," Iryshi answered, smiling. "I suppose I will now, however. I was able to get off Tatooine by finding someone I knew, someone you wouldn't suspect." She grinned. "An old friend of mine, from the streets of Corellia. He owns a shipyard now, and gladly sold me a beauty of a craft at a low price. I honestly didn't expect him to, but he realized, what with the war and all, that I'd need the ship more than he needed the profit. So now I have a lovely YT-600 waiting in the spaceport." Again, that smile.
   Anakin glanced at the lightsaber hanging from her belt. "And how did you get that back?" he asked. Iryshi cringed, and glanced away. Obi-Wan admired her for not looking directly at him, since he, after all, was the one who had left her lightsaber purposely on Tatooine. Alas, the gesture was useless, as Anakin inevitably caught on and turned to stare harshly at Kenobi, an accusing glare shooting at him.
   "It doesn't matter how I got it," Iryshi said hastily. "What matters is that I'm here." She smiled at Yvai, and her former teacher smiled back.
   "And we're glad to have you back," Mace Windu said good-naturedly.
   Anakin still looked angry. "She's no longer a Jedi," he said. "We made sure of that."
   Iryshi cringed again, but the smile stayed on her face. "Did you?" she asked softly. "You made sure of that, eh?"
   Anakin glanced at her questioningly. Her smile grew. She continued, "Because among my many talents, acting ranks high."
   Obi-Wan caught on, and started to laugh uncontrollably. Anakin turned to glare at him again, but Kenobi ignored him. "I can't believe it," Obi-Wan laughed, "she managed to fool the entire Council for two years!" He shook his head, still laughing, and Anakin finally caught on.
   "You regained your Force powers?" he demanded of Iryshi.
   She grinned again. "I never lost them." Turning again to Obi-Wan, who was still grinning, she held out her hand. "Did you bring back my bracelet?" she asked.
   He nodded and pulled it from his pocket again, handing it to her. She smiled and clipped it around her wrist, then turned to him again. Before he knew what had happened, she had her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He embraced her back, and leaned down to kiss her, but she pulled away and smiled. "Save it for later," she whispered. He noticed that, for the first time in two years, her eyes were azure again, not pale blue.
   He grinned and she walked away, to the middle of the interior of the dome, where there was a depression in the hard-packed earth. "I think the dome is part of a larger structure, something underground," she said, toeing the dirt. As soon as the words were out of her mouth a hole appeared under her and she fell down into darkness.

"Iryshi! Iryshi, can you hear me?" Obi-Wan called out to her for the third time as the Jedi Knights clustered around the hole. A soft groan reached him.
   "I'm allright," she called. "I was able to slow my descent with the Force, but I got the wind knocked out of me.... I'm in a cavern. It's about twice as wide in diameter as the dome. There are doors all around the perimeter, and various debris and machines that seem to have been left unused for several years."
   "I'm coming down," Kenobi called, and she mumbled her assent as he got ready to jump.
   It was about twenty feet to the floor beneath, and he was able to guide himself slowly to the floor with the Force. The chamber was indeed as Iryshi had described it, decaying and vast, with doors around the edge. As the others dropped down behind him, he looked around for Iryshi. He found her behind one of the machines, staring in wonder at what lay within. Obi-Wan looked, and the sight of dozens of lightsabers met his eyes. He gasped in surprise and took one from its ancient tomb, switching the ignition lever to the "on" position. A blue-gray blade materialized, still smooth and flowing despite obvious years of disuse. Iryshi had one in her hand, a dark-red blade emitted from its ignition shroud.
   Anakin joined them, a gasp escaping him as he picked up one of the lightsaber hilts, switching on its control panel and watching a sandy-gold blade form. "This is an omen," he whispered.
   "Omen of what?" Iryshi asked, extinguishing the saber she held.
   "You should know," Anakin replied. "You are the 'prophet,' after all."
   Iryshi flinched at his remark. "Then why didn't I see myself falling through that hole?" she asked challengingly.
   Mace came over and shook his head. "Perhaps you weren't meant to."
   Iryshi balked in surprise. "And what's that supposed to mean?" she demanded.
   Mace turned away, with a muttered "You tell me." Turning to the other Jedi, he called, "Allright, everyone back up to the surface. This cave could collapse any moment." Then he turned again and spoke directly to Iryshi. "But you'd tell us if that happened, of course."
   Iryshi met his gaze unflinchingly. "Of course."

One by one, the Jedi Knights levitated themselves back to the surface, and out from under the dome. Mace turned to Iryshi again once they were all topside. "Would your ship hold fourteen people?"
   Iryshi mulled it over for a moment before nodding. "I think so."
   "Then let's get off this rock," Mace said.

"Where's Anakin?"
   Obi-Wan Kenobi did a quick head-count of the Jedi trailing behind him and Iryshi as they walked through a field of volcanic geyser pits. Two missing. Anakin and Erun were nowhere in sight.
   "Probably just resting. They'll catch up," Obi-Wan reassured, and they continued.

Anakin was in pain. Walking through the volcanic field, he had tripped on the edge of one pit and fallen halfway in. While his upper body was unharmed, his legs and waist were screaming. Erun was the only one who had heard his pleas for help and come back from the group. He was doing his best to haul Anakin from the molten lava, but the blonde Jedi was heavier than expected.
   When Erun finally pulled Anakin from the pit, his legs were almost completely burnt off. He was still screaming in pain, but Erun was able to work with the Force to ease it. By the time he was done, Anakin was whimpering pitifully.
   "Please, don't let me die... I have a wife, don't let me die..." Erun did his best to comfort Anakin, but Skywalker wasn't paying attention. He was staring in mortal fear at something in the distance, something Erun couldn't see.
   "No... No, NO!" Anakin shouted hysterically. "No, not him..."
   "Who? Who, Anakin?"
   Before Anakin passed out, he managed to whisper one word, "Palpatine."

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