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The metal sounded like a thousand little shards of glass were shattering, as the water droplets pelted the dark shuttle. Small, little hisses rang from the acidic rain that pounded on the hull. The shuttle flew across the yellow-tinted sky, and headed toward the dark citadel in the distance. Vjun was as deathly as it looked. The electrified skies and the deadly rain, coupled with the planet's obscure location and reputation, spelled doom to any wary travelers.

As the shuttle neared the citadel, garbled speech transmitted back and forth between shuttle and tower. Seconds later, the docking doors opened, and rang with a high whirring sound. The shuttle followed the flashing lights and landed on one of the illuminated squares on the elevated docking platforms. Around the shuttle, and lined up from the shuttle to the citadel's entrance, a handful of armored troops sat waiting for the shuttle's passenger.

With a click and a few releases of pressurized air, the shuttle door descended from the back and led to the floor. At first, the troops could only see the puffs of air and the entrance to the ship, but each of them tensed up as they heard the sharp footsteps coming down the ramp. The dark figure stepped out of the docking tarmac and grinned. The figure's claws on its feet tapped slowly on the floor, as a nervous officer came up.

"M...Madame Skyvik, h-how was your f...flight?"

The figure chuckled darkly, and pulled back the black hood on its head. "How many times have I told you to call me Lord, Captain?" Her scaly claw reached out and grabbed him.

"Lord...Skyvik, I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!" The young officer whimpered in her claws.

Her eyes narrowed and her magenta-colored scales seemed to flash. "You're lucky that I like you, Captain. Don't let it happen again!"

"I promise my Lord. Could you please...put me down?" She growled at him, but released her grip.

He yelped as he fell to the floor. After all, she was almost a foot taller than the bulky Captain. "T-thank you, my Lord."

"Now. Get out of my way!" Her slick tail pushed him out of the walk, and her claws clanked while she walked into the main building.

The Captain breathed in relief, as he watched the dragon walk away. He wiped his forehead, and headed toward other stations.

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With a push of a button, the elevator ignited into action and shot upwards. The dragon growled, as she leaned against the wall of the lift. She then sighed, and stared at herself in the metal reflection. Her chest had a metallic looking, black robe on it, with magenta lining across the seams. The chest robe barely covered her dark stomach, and came to rest at her neckline.

Around her waist and legs was a "skirt" with short pants underneath. The color matched the upper robe, and the pants rested under the skirt and ended just past the knees. The dragon smiled a bit, as her violet belt shined in the reflection. Along with the robes and lining, it had a nice, dark tone to it, and latched with a chrome-plated buckle.

She looked at the elevator, and bent down to tighten her metal-lined boots. It was almost to the top. The little red light moved past the halfway point and continued upward. The dragon wiped her hair out of her face, and straightened the dark cloak that hung around her neck. She stared up again, and impatiently tapped a shining hilt that hung from her belt.

'DING!' Lord Skyvik walked out swiftly, and began up the elevated ramp in front of her toward the upper chamber. She stopped in front of the big door, and breathed slowly a few times before pressing the yellow button to the side, and watching the door open. The dragon walked in the dim, circular chamber, and inched forward. She stopped in her tracks, as she heard a deep voice start speaking.

"Ah...there's my little apprentice. How was our little operation on Hoth?"

The magenta dragon walked a little more inside, and knelt down. "It-it went well, my...my master. The intelligence base was destroyed, and the information we need was captured."

A deep growling emanated from the center of the room. "Well done, my loyal, little dragon. You're becoming more Sith every day, it's wonderful!" The voice accompanied the last phrase with a dark chuckle.

"T-thank you, master. I am Sith."

There was a pause. "I sense something is wrong with my favorite pupil. What is it my little Sith?"

"I-I don't know, my Lord. The Force has troubled me of late, and my patience for some of the officers is a bit tested at times..."

Another growl sounded. "Hmm...Well as to the Force. Anger and channeled hatred always overcome uncertainty. Become master of them both, and you will have power over all things." He paused for a moment. "As to the other-you are my apprentice...As such, you have the justification and reign of a Sith Lord. If you wanted to take your anger out on some of the troops, I don't think anyone would notice a few missing...should your appetites be as such."

She flinched slightly at his emphasis on some words, and shivered at his meaning. "T-thank you for your counsel, Lord Sel. I w...will comply and master them." Her voice faltered a bit.

"Mmmm, I do like it when you say my name. You know, you have nothing to fear from me, my apprentice. Here, come closer."

Lord Skyvik slowly got up and walked into the chamber more. After a few steps, she flinched a little as a thin, black tail wrapped around her.

"Now there, see? You have no need to fear me, my dark friend. Together we shall accomplish great things!" his tail tightened a bit around her middle.

"I-I know we will, master. Thank you for your instructions." She couldn't see him clearly, because of the dimness, but she could tell by his silhouette that he was smiling.

He growled softly again. "Good, my precious dragon, good. Now...down to business. I have a very special mission for you, one that I need my most talented agent on."

"I'm honored, Darth Sel."

"You should be, my little Sith. There is a special machine on the orbital station over Alderaan that I need the schematics for. It holds a very special secret to enhancing warfare."

Lord Skyvik offered a grunt. "Wouldn't that task be more suited for one of our bounty hunters...?"

"It would, but that is just an additional mission. There is something else on the station that I've sensed is a danger." His tail held firm, as he spoke very deeply.

"What is it?"

"A young Jedi. One who I sense could very well have unknown potential. I want you to find him, and then kill him."

The dragon sighed. "Wouldn't it be more prudent to try and turn him?"

"Possibly...but I don't know his powers, and he could prove incorruptible. I give you full reign to do what you want. Turn him, kill him, eat him-I don't care. Understand?"

"Yes, my...my master."

His tail pull her closer and she winced at a wet texture moving across her scaly cheek. "You'll do wonderfully, my fiery acolyte, he won't stand a chance."

"I-I'll leave immediately, my-my Lord."

His dark tail released her and slid back into the darkness. "Good, my dragon."

She turned back and slowly walked toward the stairs again.

"Melanie..." She froze, still, when she heard her name. "Don't forget...you're my special, little Sith."

"Melanie shivered and nodded, as she walked out of the dark chamber.

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"Mark, come play with me please?" A young boy, most likely no older than seven, hugged the leg of a tall man.

"Aren't you supposed to be training, little one?" The man smiled and knelt down by the boy. He softly hugged him and chuckled.

"Sorry, Master Tolland. I just like seeing you is all," the boy responded shyly.

"Thank you, Ren, though remember; I'm not a Master yet, I'm only a knight."

The boy giggled and ran his hand through Mark's blond hair. "You're a Master to me, Mark."

"Well, thank you. Now you better get back to Master Tate, you know how he is when you wonder off."

"Aww, but I wanna stay with you!" The boy hugged Mark's robe tighter.

Mark smiled and patted the top of his head. "I know, I know, but I need to go somewhere myself. I'll be sure to see you sometime later, alright?"

"Yeah... Promise you will?"

"Yes, I'll try my best." The tall man got up and stretched.

"Thanks Mark! Say, when can I have cool Jedi robes like you? Training just keeps getting more and more of a bore." The boy smiled and widely at the dark-blue tunic and pants, and held onto the flowing, black robe that rested around the Jedi neatly.

"You will someday, Ren. Don't worry." Mark patted the boys head and started walking toward the chrome roads that rested by the flowing grass fields. Ren followed him and skipped across the green grass happily.

Mark stopped at the road and signaled a nearby speeder. It soon stopped in front of the duo and opened its door. "Alright, in you go," Mark said with a smile as he helped Ren into the taxi. The man then looked at the driver and spoke a few words. "I'll see you later, okay Ren?"

"Bye Mark!" The boy waved as the doors closed and the speeder took off towards the central city.

Mark smiled as the speeder raced away down the shiny roadways. He glanced up for a moment, taking in how lovely the sky was today. Ships soared above him, the wind blew through his hair and the sun graced his face with warmth.

The young Jedi sighed happily, but before he could do anything else, his belt began to vibrate. He snapped out of his daze and took out a small circular disk, pressing the center button. Not a moment later, a transparent, blue image formed on disk's surface, showing a three dimensional person sitting in a chair, her eyes trained on him.

Mark bowed his head momentarily before speaking. "Greetings, Master Leth. How are you?"

The female face smiled slowly at him. "I'm just fine, Mark. How is Alderaan treating you?"

"Very well. It's so wonderful here. The rolling fields, flying beasts, and beautiful architecture s stunning. It's not hard to become close to the force here."

The Jedi listened closely. "I'm glad. I do miss having you around by my side though."

"You're the greatest teacher, June. I wouldn't have asked for a better master than you."

She laughed a bit. "If you aren't careful, you're flattering will you get you into trouble someday, Mark." "It got me through your training, didn't it?"

Master Leth paused for a moment, and then laughed harder with Mark only seconds after. "Touché, my friend."

"Now to what do I owe the pleasure of your call?"

June seemed to take something out from within her robes and look at it. "Well, do you know the new Jedi Master that just was put on the grand council?"

"Ah yes, what was his name now? Master Yoda was it?"

"That would be him. He seems very wise, especially being so young. Young being an odd term to use, giving he is around three hundred years old. Young for his race I suppose."

"So, what about him?"

"He has suggested that someone from the Jedi Order be placed on the orbital station over Alderaan to make sure the 'Sovereign' technology gets completed safely."

Mark looked at her with a grin across his face. "Let me guess..."

"You would be correct to assume it is you. I suggested that perhaps someone of your caliber should do this and he agreed. Would you be willing to travel to the station and complete this task?"

The younger Jedi paused. "It's quite an honor if a Jedi Master suggested me. Of course I'll do this."

"Two Jedi Masters in fact. Thank you, Mark. I have no doubt that you'll be fine. Your skills and reputation have reached many ears. I'm proud to say you were my student."

"All because of you Master."

She shook her head in disagreement. "No Mark, you've grown so much past what I've taught you, and your abilities have excelled greatly. Don't ever fool yourself my young friend, understand?"

Mark's eyes shimmered. "Thank you, June. That means a lot to me."

She nodded in agreement. "Good luck my friend, and may the force be with you." Master Leth smiled widely and turned the holo-transmission off with a beep.

Mark sighed and put the little communicator back on his belt. He turned to his wrist and pushed a button on the silver wrist brace he wore. A high-pitched beeping rang out, and Mark stepped to the side of the road once more.

It only took a matter of minutes for the floating speeder to zoom around the corner and come to a stop in front of Mark. The young Jedi mounted the vehicle and slid his feet onto the gear pedals to the sides of the seat. After adjusting some of the settings, Mark kicked his foot up against the pedal and pushed the two handlebars slightly forward. The speeder ignited and ascended into the sky and down the road to his next destination.

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"Is this going to be a stealth mission, or are we going in full attack, my lord?"

Melanie's eyes opened, and looked out through the observation window of her ship into space. "Stealth first then a retreat bombardment commander."

"Understood, my lord." He walked away to another part of the large bridge.

Melanie simply stared into space and thought quietly to herself. Why do I feel like this? Is this what I'm going to be doing forever? I'm so - angry but I'm so sad too...

'Come on, Melanie. You're pathetic! Why do you indulge in such useless thoughts! You're a Sith, and you have a mission to do!' Melanie would've turned around, if she didn't know that it was her own mind speaking to her.

_Agh! Shut up! _She unclipped her lightsaber from her belt and stared at it. The hilt itself was covered with violet colored scaled made of metal. The little button on the side was as black as night. On the bottom, suspended by a small, dark colored chain, was a dragon talon.

The dragons hand tightened on the lightsaber. How many have died by my hand? Why does it feel so good to kill!? 'Because you're a monster, Melanie. You're a killing machine. You have so much anger and hatred - it's so wonderful!

Melanie's eyes watered a bit. Stop it! Please...

'I know what you want to do. You're going to find this pathetic Jedi... and then you're going to slowly devour him!'

Melanie roared and tuned around in anger. She lifted her hands up and channeled all her anger into her powers. The droids in the room imploded and the two or three troopers unlucky enough to be caught in her anger were lifted up into the air, dying almost instantly. The force making their necks snap.

The dragon's hands quivered with force energy. She panted and dropped her arms. She wiped the sweat from her brow and walked over the buzzing bits of steaming metal towards the door.

A few of the officers whimpered as she walked out, and slowly went to clean up the mess she had left. "Commander, what do we do?"

A staunchly officer turned to the frightened lieutenant. "Proceed with the plan. Jump to lightspeed in two minutes." The lieutenant nodded and got to his station. The ships engines roared to into action and the vessel started moving forward. The commander pressed a few buttons on his console, and the ship blasted forward into hyperspace.

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"Station One, this Shuttle S-54, requesting landing authorization. Pilot identification is 6312." Mark hit the deceleration and took his hand off the transmitter.

"Shuttle S-54, permission granted. Docking Bay 2. Have a nice day."

"Thank you." Mark shifted a bit and turned the shuttle toward the opening hanger on the West side of the station.

Alderaan Station was like a giant sphere. There was a large ring that encompassed the center of the station and smaller rings that wrapped around the center going above and below the central circle.The shuttle hovered over the landing platform within the hanger and set down with a thruster burst. Mark rose from his seat and gathered some of his things from the back of the ship, opening the shuttle doors.

As he walked down the boarding ramp, a warm face greet him from the ground floor. Mark waved to the person and quickly made his way up to him. "Dano! How are you doing my friend?"

The bulky man smiled back at Mark. "I'm doing quite well! What brings you to my neck of the woods?"

"Overseeing the 'Sovereign' project supposedly."

The man smiled. "Really? Wow that is great. The Council definitely got the right man for the job."

Mark smiled wider and looked around the hanger. "What about yourself? I see you're a lieutenant now. That's really good."

"You got that right! I'm now Chief of Onasi Security under General Davenport."

The two men started walking together away from the shuttle bay. "Impressive. I'm happy for you, Dano."

"Thanks, so did you get an assignment briefing yet on what you're doing."

"Unfortunately, I haven't."

"Alright, let's go to the stations bridge and I'll let you in on all the details."

Mark nodded and pushed the yellow elevator button at the end of the hall. It only took seconds for it arrive and open its doors. The two quickly entered and Dano thumbed another button.

"Holy hutt, how big is this station?"

Dano chuckled as the elevator doors closed. "It's over twelve levels. Pretty big in other words."

"How well protected are we talking here though?"

"The station is equipped with three levels of laser turrets along with four hangers of fighters. Don't forget there's that battleship orbiting Alderaan, so I would say it's pretty safe." His voice sounded as stern as a professor giving a lecture. He wasn't just informed, he was proud of it. "Sorry, sometimes I get a little carried away.

"I don't mind. Just makes me feel safer being up here is all." The elevator chimed and opened its doors for the duo. The two men walked into a large, circular room that was adorned with consoles and workstations on two levels. All around the room from the elevator, there were large windows that ran all the way around, letting one see into the station and into space.

"This is a bridge," Mark pointed out.

"It's a bit station; come over here." Dano walked over to a workstation on the upper level of the room. He turned for a moment, beckoning to Mark.

The Jedi quickly followed and stood by the station. He watched as a holographic display of the space station appeared in front of them. "So, what are we looking for?"

"See his right here?" Dano pointed to the lower part of the station schematics, outlining a red chamber. "That's where Sovereign is."

"What is it exactly?"

"An energy transmutation matrix. In simple terms, it's an energy absorber. It can absorb, resist, and convert any type of energy into power or even a weapon."

Mark sounded surprised. "What types do you mean when you say all?"

"Electricity, heat, magnetic, repulse, even force energy..."

"Force energy you say?"

"Yes, even that."

"So, how does it work?"

"Sovereign is pretty much a big generator inside of the chamber I pointed out. But these things..." He held up his arm, showing off the biotic-looking gauntlet that adorned his wrist. The brace was covered in silver plating and had wires streaming down the gauntlet's side. "... are the real treasure. They can absorb almost anything, like I had mentioned, and can store that energy up to a certain amount. Eventually it has to be stored into the generator."

Mark touched it and smiled. "Looks pretty high tech to me."

"I know, but it'll be a great asset in our struggle with the Rouge Cartels."

An officer approached the duo as they were talking, "Lieutenant Ty, a supply shuttle is requesting boarding permission. Their code is fine but they are a little early for the drop off."

Dano nodded. "Very well, grant them permission."

Mark sat down on one of the bridge chairs. "Do your men always interrupt you like that?"

"Unfortunately, yes. But that's the price of leadership these days."

"That is true. So what is my mission here anyway?"

Dano sat down next to Mark. "Just be here for safety reasons. You're a great Jedi and we need that."

"Heh, thanks." Mark stared out into space and sighed. "It is peaceful to just-"

Both men jumped in surprise and shock as a giant explosion rocked the whole station.

"Report! What was that?"

A trooper at a console faced Dano. "I don't know sir, it came from the hanger bay."

"Send a squadron down there immediately. Mark, go with them while I try to restore communications."

Mark nodded and got up from his seat quickly. "Of course, Dano. Is the 'Sovereign' hub close to the hanger?"

"Six floors. I hope it's not a boarding party..."

The Jedi quickly set off into the elevator, punching the button for the hanger level.

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The squadron quickly exited the elevator after meeting up with the Jedi. The chamber heading towards the hanger was barely lit, and the lights that were operating were doing so with poor standards.

"Switch to flashlights!" Seven lights immediately turned on, casting light in front of them. Everything was quiet except for the occasional sparking of electricity. Mark slowly drew the lightsaber from his belt and kept his eyes ahead of him.

"Do you sense anything sir?"

Mark glanced at the man who spoke for a moment. "I'm not sure, but this hallway is safe for the moment." He ushered them down the hallway with haste. The squad worked its way quickly to the hanger, checking every nook and cranny on the way to make sure nothing was waiting for them.

The doors that led to the hanger were made of a very thick metal and were quite tall. Mark walked up to the console and pushed a few buttons, making it come to life. "I need the code."

"A2473, sir."

Mark typed it in and pressed enter. He suddenly stopped the opening process. "Is there another entrance to the hangar?"

"Just the service hatch down Hallway B." The man who spoke pointed down the left hallway.

"Something isn't right." Mark took his finger off the console and turned around. "Alright, first seal off the hallway to the main elevator we just came from."

The man nodded and slid an access key into his gauntlet and switched the panel up. A heavy sliding sound followed, as two blast doors sealed the main corridor.

"Are those susceptible to detonation or hacking?"

"No sir. The doors are enriched durasteel with vibronic lining. So unless you have turbo cannon from a battle cruiser, you're not getting through it. Code wise, the door only opens to a command code. Only generals and commanding officers have that, like you for instance."

"Good, how do you close the door then?"

The trooper titled his gauntlet up. "It's a remote access. Only works with coded doors."

Mark nodded and turned to the hallway. "Alright then. Sergeant, take your squad down the secondary hallway and secure the hanger hatch. Leave two or three of auto turrets in your wake down the hallway."

"What about you, sir?"

"I will enter the main way, and see what happened."

The sergeant looked at him worriedly before responding. "Will you be alright, sir?"

"If the force is willing. I'll put an auto-circuit on the door controls to short it out so it seals. You just make sure the other hatch is safe."

The man saluted the Jedi quickly. "Yes sir!"

The troops shot into action. Three of them began setting up the portable turrets, while Mark set a small, circular disk on the console controls and entered the pass code again.Energy sounds clicked on as the tropes activated the turrets. Mark smiled and nodded to the sergeant as he rejoined his squad in the hallway. The Jedi waited for them to leave his sight before turning to console once more. "Let's see, slide this here and then enter here. What was that code again? A-2-4, hmm... oh, and then it was 7 followed by-"

"Three!"

Mark jumped and flipped his light saber into his hand and ignited the deep blue blade. Energy hummed as it extended to its full length, radiating a pure blue color.

"Isn't that right, three?" The voice laughed and a dark figure walked into view with several black troopers. "You must be the Jedi everyone has been talking about. Wasn't too hard to find you little human." The figure unveiled its hood and stepped closer to Mark.

The Jedi held his lightsaber high at the sight of the scaly creature. "I sense the aura around you, Sith. You've reached your road's end."

"HAHAHA! Pathetic burst of courage will get you killed, Jedi." Melanie grinned and drew her lightsaber. Her troops moved around Mark and surrounded him. Each cocked their blasters toward him. "How about you drop the saber, and just make it easy, maybe even join us?"

Mark growled a bit and did a defensive parry with his saber. "The dark side is never the easy way!"

The dragon grinned and gritted her fangs. "Blast him!" The troops opened fire with their blaster rifles.

The Jedi's lightsaber powered down, and a sphere of force energy formed around the Jedi, as Mark held his hands together. His body flickered and glowed blue, and all the laser bolts seemed to stop in the air right next to him.

The troops ceased firing seconds later, and looked wearily at the glowing Knight. Melanie's grin vanished and her eyes widened in shock. "DAMMIT! Back awa-"

Mark yelled and shot his hands outward, blasting a force shock wave in all directions. The laser bolts shot every which way, and hit most of the Sith's troops. Melanie growled and ignited her own magenta saber, back flipping onto the rigging near the ceiling. The wave still knocked her back though, and slammed her into the side wall.

The Jedi's blue blade ignited again and he slashed through the hanger controls and started running down the hallways with his saber drawn, right at the dragon.

Melanie groaned and looked up to see the Jedi running straight at her. She snarled and flipped on her feet, and held her claws up. They started crackling and sparking, as the dragon roared at the Jedi, unleashing a flurry of violet lightning from her claws. "DIE!!!"

Mark quickly brought his saber up and stopped running just as the lightning hit him. The electricity hit the blue blade of energy and pushed the Jedi back almost two feet. He gritted his teeth and used all his strength to keep deflecting the lightning.

The dark dragon grinned and started walking forward as her barrage of lightning continued. "Come on, Jedi, give up!"

"You've already lost..." Mark switched his stance and angled the saber forward with a grunt.

"Pffft, your arrogance is pathetic. Hahaha, you're definitely good for a chuckle, hah...AHHHHH!" Melanie screamed as deflected blots of electricity hit her straight in the chest, and blasted her through a window into the ship's generator room.

The Jedi twirled his lightsaber, and let out a sigh. Mark walked to the window and looked through the broken glass. The generator room had two levels. The lower level had electrified fuel lines and barrels all connected to the central power pillar. The upper level had the command platform for the pillar, and four walkways connected to it. The cross-shaped structure stood a good thirty feet in the air from the lower level.

Mark just stared at the motionless dragon that lay on the walkway in front of him. Melanie slowly started moving, and pushed herself up into a kneeling position very slowly. She eyed the Jedi walking towards her, and her lightsaber that lay farther down the walkway.

Mark walked in front of the dragon and held his saber up. "Yield, Sith."

Melanie growled and her lightsaber started rolling slowly toward her. "Y-you haven't won, Jedi. Come on, finish it! You're angry, I'm the enemy. Cut me down!"

Mark hesitated a moment and held the blade by her. "N-No...you are u...under arrest in the name of the High Jedi Council, Sith Scum..."

"My name...is Darth...SKYVIK!" She roared and her saber ignited with pure magenta energy and flew through the air, falling into her claws. She quickly flipped upward and slashed at the Jedi.

Mark dodged the swipe and slashed his blade down t her. She sidestepped and hit the blade away. Twirl. Slash. Contact. The blue and magenta blades struck with crackling power over and over again until they finally locked together. Both Jedi and Sith glared into each other's eyes, as their blades sparked in the saber lock. Mark grinned and brought his leg up and kneed Melanie in the stomach. The dragon screamed and twirled around for another lightsaber slash.

Melanie deflected again and flipped backwards. Her claw came up and release another barrage of lightning at the Jedi. This time, Mark's had came up and caught the bolts in a sphere of light and energy, and started absorbing them.

The dragon's eyes went wide as the Jedi absorbed her lightning. Her barrage lightened a bit as she hesitated. "H-How...?"

"AHHHHH!!!" Mark reeled his hand forward that was blocking the lightning, and shot a force wave straight at the dragon, reflecting her violet lightning right back at her.

Melanie's eyes froze as she saw the wave. Everything stopped. Anger has taken hold of me, and yet this Jedi still defends against me. It seems that anger is only a temporary fallacy, and that fear, ultimately turns oneself into complete isolation. W-What have I done...? This last thought made a tear run down the dragon's face as time restarted, and the lightning wave hit her straight on.

Electricity from her only lightning exploded her precious saber right in her claws, and shattered her sharp talons. The Force wave enveloped her body, and blasted it back downs of feet into the generator. Remnants of her Force Lightning followed and coursed through her body, electrifying the generator.

The generator began sparking and clunking, while all types of alarms sounded. Mark smiled at the dragon that lay against the generator. His saber powered down, and he hooked it onto his belt. He turned around and started walked back across the walkway. He could hear the overloading machine behind him that, he figured, would blow any second. The Jedi stopped dead. A wall of feelings and sense hit him straight in his chest and stopped him in his tracks.

W...why is there this feeling? How could my senses change so drastically? What changed...? Mark fought with his thoughts and turned back towards the weak dragon, just staring at her.

Melanie whimpered in pain and laid there, defeated, as she watched the Jedi just walk off. He was just going to leave her here. She couldn't blame him, though. She could tell the generator was going to blow, despite her depraved senses. She was going to die, and nobody cared...The dragon could barely move, and she simply closed her eyes and let cold tears run down her scaly cheeks.

When Mark had turned back, he saw the creature crying. As he stared at the dragon, he understood. Pure empathy...of all things a Sith could do when facing death, this one was weeping. Mark's eyes watered at the sight, and he quickly jolted to action. The Jedi eyed an observation window to the left of the walkway that had shielded panes attached to it. He focused his mind, and raised his hand towards the window, crushing his hands closed. The window immediately shattered with a concussive force. The Jedi then focused on the dragon, and lifted her up with the Force.

Melanie yelped as she felt her body ascend into the air. She painfully turned her head toward the walkway. She could see the Jedi, vaguely, and saw his hands raised.

What was he doing? What was that breaking sound?

Maybe he'll finish me off quickly, it would spare me from a painful death...Melanie closed her eyes, and waited for the lights to go out. Nothing? She opened her eyes and then felt her body fling through a broken window. She yelped and hit the ground outside the window with a thump. Force energy then yanked the metal blast shields up, closing the window.

Mark smiled as he forced the shields up. His smile quickly faded though. The generator exploded in a wave of concussive fire that expanded and expanded, but then...stopped.

Translucent energy strands seemed to be holding the explosion back, like a reverse shield. The Jedi panted heavily as both his hands emanated ribbons of energy. The explosion was still expanding though, just a little slower. Mark's focused Force shield was pushed outward every few seconds. The Jedi was forced back as well from the escaping blast. The force shield began to flicker and get weaker with each passing moment.

Melanie groaned and crawled to the door trying to see what had happened. She could see the Jedi struggling with the force for some reason. Then she saw the explosion, her eyes and mouth opening wide.

The Jedi let out a yell and lost his mental battle. The force shield failed and the explosion blasted outwards in every possible direction. Mark created a second force barrier in front of him with what energy he had left just as the explosion slammed into him. He cried out and was blasted through the main window at the front of the chamber.

Melanie screamed as the chamber exploded. Luckily, the blast door protected her but the entirety of the hallway shook and knocked her down. She pushed herself up despite the piercing pain that rocketed through her body. Her soul felt devastated as she couldn't see the Jedi anymore. The dragon stared down the corridor and began limping down it, searching for one thing and one thing only.

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Melanie summoned what power she had and shattered the door in front of her. The dragon winced in pain, jumping through the shattered entrance in front of her. What she saw next nearly stopped her heart. She'd just come through the secondary hallway that paralleled the now decimated power chamber. The hallway she'd just come out of led to the large access corridor that ran directly to the ships core.

As she entered this hallway junction, she saw the motionless Jedi about twenty feet into the access corridor, lying amongst glass shards, fading embers, and metal debris. Melanie's eyes watered and she limped as fast as her injured body would let her, down the corridor and towards the Jedi. The dragon fell on her knees as she got to him. She stared at him until her eyes began to fill with water.

Mark's left arm and hand were burned, and there were a few glass shards stuck to him. His robes were all torn and singed. His head had thankfully taken the least amount of damage, only a few bruises here and there. Melanie cradled his head with her claws while using her tail to remove the glass shards in his ravaged body.

The dragon's claws lit up with faint energy. She focused all she could on pushing any power she had into him, in hopes that it could heal him. She tried to shake him lightly, perhaps waking him up. Yet he did no such actions, except lay still on the floor.

"Please... Please wake up... Please..." Melanie coughed out through crying. It seemed that the Sith hell-bent on destruction had all but disappeared. Please don't go... why? Why did you save me of all people...? Please little human...." Her thoughts only brought more tears to her already wet face, dripping off in large drops onto the Jedi's torn robes.

The dragon felt a warm, soft grip close around her other hand weakly. Her wet eyes shot open and she almost squealed in surprise. Mark breathed heavily and looked up at the dragon. His expression was partly comforting but also fearful. "Are... Are you going to kill me?"

Melanie rubbed his hand as streams of salty water flowed from her eyes. "No, little Jedi...quite the opposite. I...I feel so happy...Why did you save me?"

"Because... Everyone deserves a second chance. Plus...I sensed your feelings. You seem to be... lonely." He coughed a little before continuing. "... And pained."

She couldn't believe the kindness she was hearing. "Second chance? My feelings? How did you know...?" Even though she asked, she didn't care. Her ears almost burst at his words and she slowly leaned over and hugged the human.

Mark smiled at her warmth, and let her hug him. "Why... Why are you so sad?"

The dragon sniffed and held onto him more. Rivers formed from her eyes as her grip on her emotions faltered. "My master... Controls and...violates me, and I feel so horrible when I kill, but the anger takes over and I don't know what to do... I'm so sad and...I feel like a wretch. But then you spared me and saved me. And...not to mention you're speaking so... caring towards me. Thank you..."

Mark nodded and patted her as best as he could. He hesitated a moment, and went against his better judgment. He leaned up and gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek.

Melanie looked up in surprise, staring at Mark as her face reddened. "Wh-What was that for?"

"A small kiss. To show you that someone like you can be cared for..."

She stared into his eyes for what felt like the longest time. "But... You just met me... And I tried to kill you!"

"I sensed your inner feelings though, I know what you were feeling...Plus if you really wanted to kill me, I would surely be dead by now..."

"You... You did?" She sniffed, rather surprised at his skill. "May I know your name, young Jedi?"

"Yes I did. My name is Mark Tolland. A...A pleasure to m-meet you."

"Mark you say? That's a very nice name. I am Lord Sky--I mean... My name is Melanie."

"Such a beautiful name. That is horrendous that your master violates you, such a lost and lonely creature. I want to help you in any way I can. I want to be a friend to you...Someone who you can depend on. We Jedi don't believe in killing if we don't have to...like I said, everyone needs a second chance."

Melanie couldn't believe what her ears were hearing. She choked on a sob and cried harder, squeezing Mark. "How can you be so sweet to me?! You're just so... so nice and it's like you're embracing my feelings." She sniffed and cracked a smile before looking down at him and doing something neither of them expected...She placed her dragon lips against his.

His eyes went wide at first, in both shock and embarrassment, but he didn't resist her. He closed them with a smile and held the kiss for several seconds before Melanie leaned back and sighed. "You... You didn't mind that?"

"Not at all...It was quite lovely. I don't know why Jedi are supposed to shun love..."

The dragon smiled wider and brought him on her lap, cradling him to her chest. "In a matter of minutes, you've made me feel on top of the world. I'm so sorry... for everything. I don't expect your trust or forgiveness. Mark, I--I..." She hugged him again.

"I know."

"What about m-my master..?"

Mark rubbed her back gently. "I'll protect you and help you be free of him, anyway I possibly can...We'll fight him together..."

"M-Mark I don't know what this warm feeling in my chest is but... I think its maybe affection?" Her faced stayed a lovely shade of red.

"I have it too." Mark snuggled against her and smiled. "Just don't worry Melanie, you're not alone anymore."

"Thank you Mark... It's like everything inside of me is just different... I can't explain it but I thank you so much." She wrapped her tail around the Jedi and rubbed his head.

"Jedi's aren't really supposed to do this, but I can't describe it any other way. I think its love Melanie.... The pure, unlimited force."

She nodded and smiled, only responding with another kiss as all her worries and sorrows seemed to melt away. But then again, when faced with love the first time, it transcends the deadliest poisons, darkest hatred, and the biggest chains...

THE END