"Man is the cruelest animal for they know nothing but greed."

∫

As the killer and crucial hot son of Aquaris radiated down, the pilots and Jedi learners came to a dead halt when they came across a large, metal antenna. Immediately knowing what it was, Captain Knox stood forward. "It's a tractor beam."

"Magnificent." Amelia commented. "All this time we thought we would be damned on this planet but it was right under our noses."

"Careful." Ben pointed out. "I sense a trap."

"I do too." Elara agreed. "Whatever decided to trap you here didn't want anyone leaving easily."

Amelia, Winona, Knox and Irving took a step back from the massive antenna.

Elara picked up a rock and tossed it towards the antenna. Suddenly, a million different lights appeared and sliced the rock into dozens. "Laser beams."

"Amature." Ben scoffed.

"Any volunteers?" Elara looked at the pilots, all cowardly standing away from the beams of red light. "Or should we take care of this?"

"They don't teach us flexibility at pilot school General Jane." Amelia laughed nervously.

Elara grinned, unwrapping her robe and handing it to Ben. "This should be a breeze." Elara stepped over the first beam, guiding her footing carefully as she snuck past the second. The buzzing continued to echo in her head as she slipped past the third and fourth. One false move called her to falter slightly and move her arm against the beam, the sizzling of raw meat caused Ben to cringe. Holding her new wound, Elara jumped over the last ray of light and made it to the control panel of the antenna.

"Are you okay General?" Irving questioned.

Elara looked down at the cut. "It's been cauterized, I should be okay." She looked back up at the multiple switches. "I don't see an 'off' button."

"Nobody is dumb enough to make an 'off' button Elara." Ben rolled his eyes.

"I would." Elara shot back, looking over the multiple coloured switches. "What should I do?"

"I'd just blow it up ma'am." Amelia yelled over the buzzing of the beam.

"I didn't bring a blaster." Elara groaned.

"Use your lightsaber!"

Elara looked down at her belt, the silver handle of her lightsaber resting graciously. She unhooked it, watching the purple glow against the metal. She jabbed it into the metal, melting the insides and causing it to shut down due to overheating. The antenna went up in flames, making the pilots whom had been trapped for weeks cheer.

"Good job brown eyes." Ben waited for the laser beams to stop doing their job.

"Good job yourself." She watched him walk towards her gingerly.

"I didn't do much El, this was all you." He took not credit...for once.

"I mean for not dying first." A faint blush crept onto her cheeks. "I thought the adonis plant would of killed you."

"Speaking of-" Ben scratched the back of his head. "What did I say?"

Her heart dropped. "Y-you don't remember?"

He shook his head. "Very small fragments."

She bit her lip, putting a hand through her sweats brown curls. "A story for another time I suppose."

Ben put a gentle hand on her cut shoulder. "Let's get you out of here."

∫

When Elara was younger, her father always told her that death only ends a life, not a relationship. He also told her that death was the next great adventure that a soul could go on. Elara was never able to get used to the idea of someone being gone forever, you can't come back from death.

As Ben and Elara carried the princess from her cell, she found herself pleading that it wasn't anyone she knew too closely but that was the problem, she knew them all closely.

"Ben what if-"

"Don't think about it Elara." He commanded. "It will blind you from the task at hand."

Luke nodded. "We can't worry until the princess is safe."

What kind of bullshit was that? Elara was torn, she was breaking in half. How could she become a Jedi Master if she couldn't put her task at hand first. She felt selfish, a wave of emotions she had been told to put away so she could completely encounter the light side suddenly hit her.

Han used a stun gun on all the guards coming in their direction, not wanting to kill any of them like his son had. "All clear."

They received a bitter-sweet transmission from Vega. "Master Skywalker, Nadü has surrendered and is being held prisoner in the cell block."

"Has anyone else been harmed?" Luke responded.

Moments later, Vega replied. "No."

Elara wanted to ask who it was but she knew that it would jeopardize the mission. Her weight was shifted onto her right leg as she carried Princess Fidelia across the cold floor of the eastern palace.

"We will see you soon Vega." Luke dismissed her.

"Roger that Master Skywalker."

As they entered the dusty daylight, Han went to search for his speeder so that the princess could be transported faster. Left in the ash, Ben and Elara continued to carry the princess as Dahlia and Luke kept a careful lookout. When Han returned, the princess was taken away while the Jedi followed in a running sprint behind.

When the Jedi neared the western palace, the silence was suffocating. His body lay, flat against the gleaming ground of Kalee. Multiple defeated bodies lay beside his, dead and deceased like his. Lennox peered over him, crying disastrously.

A small gasp escaped Elara's lips as she stumbled against Ben, holding herself close to him. Ben was also struck down with pain so he covered his mouth and looked away, wrapping an arm around Elara for her sake.

Luke watched Lennox with pain, moving over to kneel beside her. "He served his best."

Lennox looked up at her master, tears staining her cheeks. "This was supposed to be a rescue mission, not a war."

"We weren't told the extent of this feud padawan." Luke tried to calm her.

Vega and Dez came out of the palace, a sorrowful look was painted across their faces.

A breeze made Lennox's dark curly hair blow to the right side of her face as she pressed her head against Juno's torn and bloody chest. "I keep thinking that I will hear a heartbeat but he remains silent, like a singing choir that once served a purpose in his soul has been shot down. Life is family and family is life. It is the same people who give advice and their vices to live well who turn out to be the ones who give resource and reason to live long."

Princess Evie and Prince Andrew came out from the shimmering palace, hands held together. Evie was the first to speak, unhappy with the outcome of a war she did not mean to create. "A memorial in his honour will be built."

"I don't want a memorial." Lennox said harshly, too harshly. "I want my cousin."

"Lennox." Luke fired back immediately. "Anger is normal, especially when mourning but anger leads to hate and hate leads to suffering."

"I know." She croaked in response, hugging her cousin.

"We must leave." Luke interrupted. "Our job is down, this war and outrage is now between the Republic and Kalee."

"We owe our undying gratitude." Andrew piped in.

"Save it." Ben yelled at the prince, causing Elara to flinch.

"Ben-"

"We lost our friend because you never told us that Nadü was a mad man! He could be cheering a victory chant if he had known the extent of this war!"

"-don't."

Ben turned to Elara's quiet voice, enraged that Juno was killed. She placed a hand on his cheek, trying her best to transport her calm aura to his distant and dangerous one. A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he looked at Elara one last time before walking away from the murder scene.

Luke walked towards Elara. "Thank you, you seem to be the only one who can calm him down. I don't know if he will be able to withstand his final trial."

"The final trial Master?" Elara looked up, hopeful.

Luke looked toward his deceased padawan learner, an unreadable expression on his face. It was clear that he was torn between allowing this final trial to continue or not but he answered her. "A padawan learner for yourself."