Disclaimer: These characters (except the character of Tempest/Kayla, she's mine!), etc. are the property of Lucasfilm Ltd., and I am making no profit from this story.

Spoilers: The Young Jedi Knights series

By: Hanna Solo (email: HannaSolo@yahoo.com)

Zekk stared down at the holopic he held in his hands. It was of a girl who

appeared

to be in her late teens, with long, jet-black hair, dark eyes, and tan skin.

She wore the

faintest glimmer of a smile, although her expression was anything but a happy

one. Her

clothes were made of black leather, and she was wearing a black cape with a

crimson lining.

Zekk sighed. "Where are you?" he wondered aloud, never once taking his eyes

away from the

holopic.

Suddenly, Zekk felt a hand on his shoulder, and he jumped about a kilometer.

"Jaina," he said quickly as he shut off the holopic, put it in his pocket, and

turned

around.

"Are you okay?" Jaina asked, wondering why Zekk had reacted that way when she

had walked up. Normally, he would have sensed her through the Force.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Zekk assured her.

"What were you looking at?" Jaina asked, her brown eyes searching his green

ones.

"Just an old pic, nothing important," Zekk told her.

Jaina raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure? You seemed awfully lost in thought

when

I walked up."

Zekk leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. "I'm sure, Love. Now isn't it

about

time for dinner?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's why I came looking for you," Jaina said, deciding not to push the

subject of the holopic with Zekk.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Zekk asked, echoing the words Jaina used

often.

Then he reached down, took her hand, and they walked to the mess hall in

silence.

A young girl stepped out of a transport and looked around her new surroundings.

She took a deep breath and glanced at the massive temples in front of her. It

had been

so long since the last time she had been on Yavin IV, although memories of the

place

still haunted her dreams. Of course, her last visit there had been under

different

circumstances.

Luke Skywalker walked out to greet the new trainees that had just arrived.

There were five of them-three girls and two guys. One of the girls caught

Luke's

attention immediately. She was small, with long black hair that she wore pulled

back

in a tight ponytail and big, dark eyes. It was her eyes that brought her to

Luke's

attention. They looked sad, as if they had seen much more than a girl of her

age should

have.

Luke talked to the trainees, welcomed them to the Jedi Academy, and told them

what they could expect from their training. The dark-haired girl hung back, and

avoided

making eye contact with Master Skywalker. Luke told the new trainees to go

inside the

temples, and that either Kyp Durron or Tionne would show them their quarters.

However,

he stopped the sad-eyed girl as she began to go in, saying he wished to speak

with her.

The girl felt a streak of panic shoot through her. Did he know? Had he seen

through her that easily? But the Jedi Master spoke calmly, and she felt herself

relax.

"I sense the Force is very strong with you," he told her, meeting her dark eyes

with his soft, blue ones.

"Thank you, Master Skywalker," she said shifting uncomfortably.

"Tell me, what is your name?" he asked her.

"Kayla," she told him quickly. "Kayla Lewis."

Luke nodded. "Welcome to my Jedi Academy, Kayla," he said with a smile.

"I am honored to be here," she told him, and she truly meant it. It looked as

if things were finally going well in her life.

"You can go on inside now and get your living assignment. I'll see you

tomorrow

morning in class," he told her.

Kayla nodded, then picked up her bag and hurried into the temple.

Jacen Solo sat down on the edge of his twin sister's bed. "Hey Jaina, did you

hear five new trainees came in today?" he asked.

Jaina nodded. "Yeah, I heard," she replied, her voice sounding distant.

"You okay, Sis?" he asked, noticing that Jaina didn't seem quite herself.

Jaina considered keeping her thoughts from Jacen, but decided that would be

foolish,

if not impossible. "Yeah, actually something is sorta wrong. It's no big deal,

really,"

she said.

"Well, what is it?" Jacen asked, genuinely interested.

"It's Zekk," Jaina replied.

Jacen raised an eyebrow. "He didn't hurt you, did he? 'Cause if he did, I'll

kill him," he said.

Jaina rolled her eyes at her brother's overprotectiveness. "No, he didn't hurt

me. He's just seemed really distant for the past couple of days, and today he

was

looking at a holopic, but he shut it off when I came up and then wouldn't tell

me what it

was. I'm just being a worried girlfriend, I guess," she explained.

"Maybe," Jacen said. Then he asked, "Have you tried to talk to Zekk about it?"

"No, I'd rather not try to drag anything out of him. He doesn't like to talk

about what's on his mind very much, and I'm afraid he'll get mad at me if I

pry," Jaina

said with a sigh.

"Well, then I don't know what to tell you," Jacen told her. "Maybe you're

right,

maybe it is nothing. Zekk is a rather moody guy, it's probably just that."

"I hope so," Jaina said as she flopped back onto her bunk.

Kayla looked around the audience chamber where the Jedi trainees were filing

in to hear Master Skywalker speak. She shifted uncomfortably on the stage. She

didn't

really want to go through a formal introduction, but Skywalker insisted, saying

it was

the best way for all the trainees to get to know their new comrades. Kayla

looked up

to see a familiar face in the crowd. Quickly, she looked away, not wanting to

make

eye contact. She figured as long as she could avoid him while she was there,

her Jedi

training would go perfectly well. She could start a new life for herself and

never have

to look back. Of course, she knew that would most likely be impossible, seeing

as

Master Skywalker was about to introduce her to a room full of people that

included the

one person who could ruin all her plans.

Zekk felt his jaw drop as he looked down at the last new trainee Master

Skywalker

introduced. It couldn't be her. No, she was gone from his life for good-most

likely

dead-so that girl couldn't possibly be her. But that was a face Zekk knew he'd

never

forget. Although her hair and clothes had changed, there was no doubt in his

mind who

he was looking at. Not only was she not dead, but she was here at the Jedi

Academy.

"Zekk, are you planning to sit there all day or what?" he heard Jaina ask after

the assembly had ended.

"Um, yeah, I just want to, um, talk to someone first. I'll catch up with you

in

a bit, Jaina," he said as he got up from the hard, stone bench.

"Okay," Jaina said, wishing she knew what was going on in his mind. "I'll be

working on the *Rock Dragon* with Lowie."

Zekk gave her a hurried kiss. "I'll come find you," he told her as he walked

towards the front of the chamber.

"Tempest!" Zekk shouted after the young woman.

Kayla spun around. *No, Zekk, please, not now* she thought to herself, but

she said, "Hello, Zekk."

"What are you doing here, Tempest?" he asked.

"It's Kayla now," she informed him. "Now please, leave me alone."

"Okay, Kayla," Zekk said, making her name seem foreign to even Kayla's own

ears.

"I'm not going to leave you alone. You walked out of my life three years ago.

Now I

want answers. Tell me, what are you doing here."

"I'm training to be a Jedi," she told him.

"Oh really?" Zekk asked. "Or are you a spy like Brakiss, trying to destroy

the Academy?"

Kayla suddenly became very aware of all the Jedi trainees milling about.

"Please, if we're going to talk, can't we go some place a little more private."

"Fine, come with me," Zekk said as he began to lead her towards his quarters.

Kayla obediently followed.

"What are you doing here?" Zekk asked again as soon as he shut the door to

his quarters.

"I told you, I'm training to be a Jedi," Kayla said, her voice exasperated.

"And not a Dark Jedi. You have a lot of nerve, acting like I'm some sort of

evil person

when you yourself were Brakiss's 'Darkest Knight.'"

"I know," Zekk said, looking down. "I'm just confused as to why you're here,

as well as upset over the way you left me. Sith Spit, Temp...Kayla, I thought

you were

dead. I mean, when you never showed after the battle. I looked for you." Zekk

looked

up at her and then continued. "I was a bounty hunter, for a while, did you know

that?

Well, I was. And I was always looking for you. I kept that search secret, but

I was

looking for you all the same."

"Why?" Kayla asked. "Why'd you spend all the time trying to find me? Why

didn't

you just stay with your Jedi friends, replace me with Jaina sooner? You always

loved her;

she meant something to you that I never could. What made you want to find me so

desperately?

I would never do anything but pull you back down the dark path! We were never

good for

each other, Zekk."

"I know," Zekk said softly. "But I loved you all the same."

Kayla sighed. "There's something I think you need to know about me," she said,

sitting down on the bed.

Zekk sat down across from her. "What is it?" he asked.

"There were these former Imperial Guards who used old holos of Palpatine and

created a scam that became known as the Second Imperium. I was in league with

those

guards. I knew it was just a sham the whole time. It was my job to keep an eye

on Brakiss,

to make sure he didn't grow smart and discover the truth about the 'Emperor.'

All I had

to do was be his girlfriend, get him to let me be close to him," Kayla

explained.

Zekk looked at her in shock. "So you were playing Brakiss the whole time,"

he said, his throat suddenly dry. Then a new thought crossed his mind. "Were

you

playing me, too?"

Kayla shook her head. "Of course not. I loved you, Zekk. I didn't mean to

fall for you. It just happened." She laughed a little. "You almost ruined

everything,

you know that? When you asked me to run away with you, I was really going to do

it.

I knew they would find me, probably kill us both, but I was going to be an idiot

and do

it. But after the failure of the attack on the Academy here, I wised up. I

knew I'd

lost everything, but you were back where you belonged. You were with your old

friends,

you were with..." Kayla paused for a second. "You were with Jaina."

Zekk winced at the pain that was in her voice when she said "Jaina." He knew

that Kayla had always believed that the love Zekk had for Jaina was stronger

than

anything he ever could have felt for her. "You could have at least come to say

good-bye,"

Zekk said after a moment. "Let me know you were all right."

"I wanted to Zekk, I really did," she told him. "But I knew if I came back

that

I wouldn't want to leave, and I knew that couldn't happen. You and I just

aren't meant

to be. I know you know it, too."

"So why are you here now?" he asked.

"Because I want to be a Jedi," she told him, sick of repeating herself. "I

want to learn how to use my Force talents the right way. You won't tell who I

really

am, will you Zekk? You won't ruin this one chance for me. Please, if you still

care

about me at all, keep this one secret for me."

Zekk sighed. "No, Baby, I won't tell anyone. I'll keep this secret for you.

But please, don't make me regret this."

"I won't," Kayla promised as she got up from his bed. "See you around

sometime,"

she said as she headed towards the door.

"You bet," Zekk said with a slight smile. Then she was gone.

Zekk fell back onto his bed. After all these years, she was back in his life.

But he didn't love her anymore. Did he?

A couple of days later, Zekk was sitting in the jungle, thinking. He had been

able to avoid Kayla since the talk they had had when she first got there, but he

knew

he couldn't stay away from her forever. And his thoughts were in constant

turmoil,

which was really putting a strain on his relationship with Jaina.

Zekk heard someone walking behind him. "What are you doing out here?" he

heard

someone ask.

He turned around to see Jaina. "Oh, um, hi," he said.

Jaina raised her eyebrows. "I don't even get a hug?" she asked.

"Um, okay," Zekk said as he got up and gave her a small, pitiful hug.

Jaina looked hurt. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing, nothing's wrong," Zekk said, just a little too quickly.

"No, something's wrong," Jaina insisted. "I've kept my mouth shut for

long enough.

I'm your girlfriend, I don't want to be left in the dark like this."

"Maybe I'd rather not tell you, alright," Zekk replied harshly.

Jaina looked like she was going to cry. "Fine," she said, her voice

wavering.

"If you don't want me around I can take the hint."

"Jaina, no, wait!" Zekk called. But it was too late. She had already run

off.

Zekk slumped back onto the rock on which he had been sitting. Why did

things

suddenly have to get so complicated? Everything had been going great in his

life before

this. He was a Jedi Knight, he had a place where he felt like he truly

belonged, and

he had Jaina. Now the reappearance of one person in his life was threatening to

ruin

it all. He knew he should just be honest with Jaina-otherwise he could lose

her-but

what could he tell her? And he had given Kayla his word that he would keep her

secret.

Zekk sighed. No matter what he did, one of the two women was going to be angry

with him. "I have a bad feeling about this," he muttered.

Kayla woke from fitful sleep. The nightmares she had been having for as

long as

she could remember were steadily getting worse. She slipped out of bed and put

on her

robe. Although the night air of Yavin IV was warm, Kayla felt cold.

She walked over to the small kitchenette and began to fix herself a glass

of warm

nerf milk, hoping it would lull her back to sleep. It didn't. After three

glasses she

was just as awake as ever. Something wasn't right; she could sense it.

Slowly, Kayla turned around. Instinctively, she reached for her lightsaber,

although she had not carried one since she left the Shadow Academy. A dark

figure

stepped from the shadows. Kayla tried to scream, but before she could, her

whole world

turned black.

Zekk sat up, wide-awake although it was still several hours before dawn.

Suddenly, he heard a scream rip through his mind. He recognized it immediately

as the

girl he had once known as Tempest. He got up, threw on some clothes, grabbed

his

lightsaber, and ran down the hall to her quarters.

When he go there, Master Luke was standing by the wide-open door to Kayla's

quarters. Zekk stopped in front of his teacher. "I...I heard her scream

through the

Force," he explained, finding it hard to get the words out.

Luke nodded. "So did I. I rushed over here, but I was too late. She's gone,"

he explained.

Zekk felt his heart sink. "Are you sure? Maybe she just stepped out for a

little bit, and..." he stopped, knowing that that wasn't true. Someone had

taken her

by against her will, he could sense it.

"You knew her before," the older man stated. It was not a question.

"I loved her once," he replied, figuring it was pointless to try to keep

anything from Master Skywalker. "But that was a long time ago."

"She needs you now, Zekk," Luke said solemnly, understanding that Zekk didn't

want him to ask any more questions about the nature of his relationship with the

mysterious

Kayla. "She needs someone to rescue her."

Zekk nodded. "Tell Jaina I'll be back soon."

"I will. And may the Force be with you," Luke replied.

Zekk gave his master a grim smile and then took off for the hangar bay.

Zekk knew that he should do a full diagnostic scan on *The Lightning Rod*

before

he took off, especially since the ship was as old as it was, but he just didn't

have the

time. Kayla got farther away from him with every second that passed.

Steadily, Zekk began to pilot his ship out of the atmosphere of Yavin IV and

into space. He took a deep breath, using the Force to calm himself. "It's just

like

being a bounty hunter again," he muttered. "Only this time Kayla's life depends

on me

finding her."

Zekk had always had a knack for finding things. He had used that talent as

a scavenger in the lower levels. Later, he had discovered that what he had

always

believed to be luck was, in actually, a sign that he was a Force-adept. There

had

been a time when Zekk had misused his Force skills, become a Dark Jedi, Lord

Brakiss's

Darkest Knight. That was when he had known Tempest; that was when he had loved

her.

However, that was then, and this was now. Now she was simply a friend-a friend

in

desperate need of his help. He had to save her. If not just for her, then for

himself.

She was a chapter of his past that he had to close if he ever wanted to move on

with

his life-especially his life with Jaina. Maybe saving Kayla would be the way to

do that.

And if it wasn't, well, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

Zekk considered searching for any trails he could follow to where Kayla was

being taken, but he figured whoever had her would probably use a series of

microjumps

to avoid being followed. If he tried to follow them all, his search would

quickly turn

into a wild goose chase. Instead, he focused on the Force as he looked down at

the

navicomputer. He reached down and entered a series of coordinates, trusting in

the

Force to bring him where he needed to go. He pulled the lever in front of him

and

watched as the stars around him faded into the starlines of hyperspace.

"Please,

Tempest," he whispered. "Let me find you this time."

"He what?" Jaina asked as her Uncle Luke filled her in on Zekk's whereabouts.

"Jaina, someone had to go after Kayla," Luke said, trying his best to avoid

telling his niece the actual reason why it had been Zekk and not someone else

who had

gone to save her.

"Why did it have to be Zekk? And if he did have to go, why'd he have to go

alone? It's a dangerous galaxy, and..." Jaina stopped in mid-sentence, not

wanting

to voice any of the horrible thoughts that were running through her head. She

was near

tears. First Zekk had been acting strangely, pushing her away, and now this.

She

wasn't sure she could handle it.

"Jaina, it had to be Zekk for a lot of reasons," he tried to convince her.

"For one, Zekk used to be a bounty hunter. He's had practice with this sorta

work.

And for another, he was awake when I first found that Kayla was gone. Someone

needed

to go right then, hopefully before she got too far away from us. Zekk was

there, ready

to go with an easily accessible ship. If we had taken the time to organize a

group it

could've been too late."

Jaina nodded to let her uncle know that she did see where he was coming from.

Still, she had her doubts. "You're hiding something from me, Uncle Luke," she

said.

"What is it?"

"I think that's something you need to discuss with Zekk when he gets back,"

Luke

replied. Then he turned and left Jaina standing alone.

"If he gets back," Jaina muttered when her uncle was out of earshot.

Zekk sat alone in the cockpit of his ship and stared out into hyperspace.

Everything seemed so strange to him-familiar, and yet so unfamiliar at the same

time.

Before, when he had been a bounty hunter, he had been running from a dark past,

trying

to find who he was, who he had become. Now here he was again, only this time he

wasn't

running from anything. In fact, he felt more content in his life than he ever

had

before. Still, here he was again, searching. He was searching for more than a

person,

just like he had been before. Only this time, he wasn't searching for an

escape.

He was searching for answers. He had to know, where did he stand with Tempest,

or Kayla,

or whoever that woman was? Did he love her, or did he love Jaina? Was it

possible for

him to love them both? And if it was, who did he love more? Kayla herself had

said

that she had always known that Zekk loved Jaina, loved her more than he had ever

loved

Tempest. Was she right?

Zekk groaned a little bit, sick of all the unsettling thoughts he couldn't get

rid of. "That's the one thing about being alone out here in space," he said to

himself,

"it makes you think."

Zekk glanced down at the chrono. It would be another two days before he

dropped

out of hyperspace and to wherever it was he was going. He guessed he could try

to get

some sleep. Up until then he had been running on adrenaline, but now it was

becoming

apparent that he had woken up too early. Trying one last time to push his more

disturbing

thoughts from his mind, Zekk got up from his chair and walked to his bunk in the

back of

the ship.

Zekk couldn't have been asleep for more than an hour when he was awakened. He

looked around his cabin. Something was wrong. "Sith spit," Zekk muttered as

realization

sunk in. The ship wasn't moving. "Sith spit!" he said again as he rolled out

of the bunk

and ran to the cockpit. He pushed a few buttons, trying to get the ship started

again,

but he had no luck. His ship was dead in space. He sank back in his chair, a

feeling

of complete and utter hopelessness washing over him. "I knew I should have run

a

diagnostic check," he said to himself. But Zekk knew there was no point in

dwelling

on that now, for he understood, as well as anyone could, that you could never

change the

past.

Jaina suddenly let go of the large piece of metal she had been using the Force

to lift up to Lowie. "Hey, Jaina, watch out!" her twin brother Jacen yelled as

he

jumped out of the way to avoid being flattened.

Lowie looked over at Jaina, and barked a comment of concern. Jacen looked at

his sister and saw that she was as white as a sheet. "Jaina? What's wrong?" he

asked,

running over to her.

Jaina shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "Zekk's in trouble," she

finally forced out. "I just felt him cry out for help through the Force."

Lowie let out an inquisitive growl. "Master Lowbacca wishes to know if you

desire to go after Young Master Zekk," piped up Em Teedee, Lowbacca's small

translator

droid. "I personally believe that such a venture would be rather dangerous, but

it has

become clear over the year that you young Jedi Knights enjoy danger."

"We don't like danger, Em Teedee," Jacen said, "it just seems to like us."

Jaina nodded grimly at her brother's comment. "We have to go after him. Zekk

could really be in trouble. I love him too much just to let him do this on his

own when

he could get hurt," she said in answer to Lowie's question.

Jacen nodded his agreement. "Okay, let's make these last repairs to the *Rock

Dragon,* and then we can get Tenel Ka and go looking for Zekk," he said.

Jaina smiled a little at the prospect of finally being able to search for Zekk.

"Well," she began, "What are we waiting for?"

A few short hours later, Jaina and Jacen Solo, as well as their friends

Tenel Ka

and Lowbacca, were following Zekk's hyperspace trail, hoping that they weren't

too late

and that their dear friend and fellow Jedi was not harmed. Tenel Ka placed a

strong,

comforting hand on Jaina's shoulder. "He will be fine," she assured her

companion.

Jaina nodded. "I know. I can feel it," she said, although her voice didn't

convey the optimism of her words.

"We're coming up on Zekk's last known coordinates," Jacen called from the

cockpit.

*Please, Zekk, be here,* Jaina thought. Then she calmly got up and walked to

the front of the ship, dreading what she'd find when she pulled them out of

hyperspace.

The starlines turned back into stars. Jaina felt her heart leap. There it

was-Zekk's ship, the *Lightning Rod.* But something was wrong. She couldn't

sense

Zekk anywhere. Yes, that was his ship, she would recognize that beat-up old

bucket

anywhere, but Zekk was not on it. She looked around at her friends. They could

sense it,

too.

"Looks like we're too late," Jacen said softly.

"No," Jaina said, refusing to give up hope. "Zekk is still out there

somewhere,

I can feel it. We can't just accept this as defeat. We have to keep looking."

"Jaina, I want to find Zekk, I really do," Jacen said. "But this is a big

galaxy, and we don't even know where to being to look. The four of us wandering

around

aimlessly is not going to do Zekk any good. I say we go back to the Academy and

regroup.

Maybe we can get some help from Mom."

Jaina shook her head. "You know how slow the New Republic can be," she

reminded

her brother. "By the time they get a search organized for Zekk, chances are

he'll already

be dead. We just don't have that kind of time. I know we don't have any leads,

but we're

Jedi, so we have the Force. It will guide us to Zekk. We can't stop now. We

have to at

least go aboard his ship. Maybe something there will help us."

"Jaina has a point," Tenel Ka said.

Lowie growled his agreement.

Jacen knew when he was beaten. "All right, we might as well search the ship,"

he conceded. "But let's be smart about this. We really won't be any help to

Zekk if

we're all dead."

The other three nodded. "Let's board that ship," Jaina said.

"What are we waiting for?" Tenel Ka asked, mimicking Jaina in such a perfect

tone that Jacen found it eerie that the voice came out of his girlfriend.

It was dark on the ship, and the young Jedi knights had to turn on their

lightsabers

in order to see. Tenel Ka reached down and took hold of Jacen's hand with her

bionic arm.

She had lost her original arm in a lightsaber battle a few years prior and had

only recently

chosen to get a replacement. She had simply grown weary of doing everything

one-handed.

Jaina noticed her brother holding Tenel Ka's hand. She couldn't help but feel

sad,

as well as a little jealous, at that sight. She missed Zekk and had been

missing him since

before he had run off in search of the missing Jedi trainee. It was almost as

if he'd been

gone for weeks, although Jaina knew it had only been a few days. Jaina hoped

that when

they found him, she and Zekk could work things out. She wasn't sure if she

could handle

it otherwise. "I don't think he's been gone long," she said, breaking the

silence.

"I think you're right," Jacen replied. "I can still feel his presence fairly

strongly."

Lowie sniffed the air, then with a series of grunts, pointed to the cockpit and

started walking. "Master Lowbacca wishes for you to follow him," Em Teedee

called back a

needless translation. The three human Jedi gladly followed their wookiee

companion.

Lowie wiped his hand on the back of the pilot's chair and then looked down at

the

blood that was now on his fingers.

Jaina gasped. "Zekk..."

Tenel Ka surveyed the small chamber. "There doesn't seem to be enough blood to

indicate that Zekk was seriously injured. There is only this small amount on

the chair.

And I do not sense that anyone has died here recently. Zekk is still alive, or

at least he

was when he left the ship."

Jaina felt some comfort at Tenel Ka's words. She knew that Zekk was indeed

alive.

Still, she also knew that he was in danger. "Lowie, check the navicharts and

see if there

are any planets around here that someone could possibly have taken Zekk to," she

said as

she began to scan the room with the Force, hoping to find some clue as to where

Zekk was.

Jaina looked down at the floor and saw a cylindrical-shaped object laying

there.

She bent down to pick it up. "Zekk's lightsaber," she said softly. Suddenly,

Jaina felt

an unbelievable wave of emotion wash over her. She sunk to the floor, her legs

no longer

strong enough to support her.

Jacen, Tenel Ka, and Lowie all rushed over to her. Jacen took her by the hand

and led her

over to the co-pilot's seat. "What happened?" he asked.

"I'm...I'm not sure," she said, her voice shaky. "I think it was trace of what

Zekk

was feeling right before he left."

"What did it feel like?" Tenel Ka asked, hoping that Jaina's experience could

give

them some clues to Zekk's current whereabouts.

Jaina took a deep breath, trying to sort through her thoughts. "It felt

like...pain...

and regret. He felt like, he'd let someone down...someone he cares about very

much," she

said slowly. She looked up to meet Tenel Ka's gaze. "I think it's Kayla Lewis.

He knew

her before...almost in another life..." Jaina grew silent. She didn't want to

acknowledge

the other thoughts she was picking up.

"Do you think he left the *Lightning Rod* against his will?" Jacen asked.

Jaina nodded. "That much I'm sure of," she told her brother.

Jacen took a deep breath. "Well, then I guess we better find him."

Zekk rubbed his sore head as he woke up. With a pained groan, he sat up on the

hard bunk. He blinked twice to focus his eyes and then began to survey his

surroundings.

"Where am I?" he wondered out loud.

"Good question," said a familiar voice behind him. "I've been here three days,

and I'm still not totally sure where 'here' is exactly."

Zekk spun around, a little too quickly for his head. "Tempest-you're alive!"

"How many times do I have to tell you it's Kayla now?" she replied with a

facial

expression that may have almost been a smile. "And yes, I am alive. Although

after

spending only three days in this place, I'd almost rather he'd just killed me."

"He?" Zekk questioned. "Who is 'he?'"

Kayla walked over to Zekk and sat down next to him on the bunk so she could

talk

quietly. "Remember how I told you the whole Second Imperium was nothing but a

scam run

by some former Imperial Guards?" she asked.

Zekk nodded. "Of course I do."

"Well, one of them is still alive, and he's the one that brought us here," she

explained.

"Why?" Zekk asked her. "What does he want with us?"

"Well, he said he wanted me because I knew of his involvement with the Second

Imperium, but I don't know why he grabbed you, too, since he didn't know I had

told you.

I'm guessing he simply grabbed you because you were looking for me," Kayla said.

A puzzled look crossed Zekk's face. "Then why doesn't he just kill us?"

Kayla shrugged. "I don't know," she replied. "Maybe because we're

Force-sensitives

and he wants us for something."

"Well, whatever his reasoning is for capturing us, I don't think it's so he can

simply say hello," Zekk said. "I say we try to find a way out of here."

Kayla nodded her agreement. "I've been trying to figure out a way to escape

ever

since I was brought here. I think the best chance we have is to surprise the

guard who

comes in everyday with a meal."

"Sounds good to me," Zekk agreed. "Here's a way I think would work..."

Kayla leaned in closer so she could here Zekk's whispering.

The Solo twins and their friends spent a little more time on Zekk's ship,

trying

to find any clues they could that could help them even the tiniest bit, but they

were

unable to find anything useful. "I guess we'll just have to trust the Force

completely

then," Jaina finally said. Although Jaina had great faith in the Force, she

still

wanted some sort of tangible lead towards the man she loved.

The four young Jedi went back on to the *Rock Dragon,* using a tractor beam to

tow the *Lightning Rod* behind them. Jaina sighed as she watched the stars turn

into

starlines as they sped towards the nearest planet in hopes that they could find

Zekk-or at

least something hinting towards his whereabouts.

Jacen placed a steady hand on his sister's shoulder. "Don't worry Jaina. We

will

find him." He said in the most comforting and certain tone he could manage.

"We have to," Jaina replied, her voice weak as if she was fighting tears. "I

don't

know how I'd survive without him."

Kayla and Zekk could here the sound of someone whistling coming towards the door

of their

cell. "Here comes the guard," Kayla said as she quickly threw herself on the

ground.

Zekk nodded and knelt down beside her.

Soon, the guard came into the cell, carrying a plate of something that Zekk

didn't

think could even be legally classified as food. "Hey, get over here. She

collapsed,"

Zekk called to the guard.

Zekk silently thanked the Force when the guard quickly set down the tray and

ran

over to Kayla. Zekk had hoped that whoever had captured them wanted them alive

for some

reason, and therefore the guard would be somewhat concerned if one of them

appeared to

be hurt.

As soon as the guard leaned over to see if Kayla was alive, she struck. She

grabbed his arm and flipped him against the stone floor, causing him to hit his

head just

hard enough to be knocked out cold. Then, so quickly that to Zekk it almost

seemed to

be with the same movement she had used to attack the guard, Kayla grabbed a

keycard from

the fallen man's pocket. "We might need this later," she said gruffly. Then

she turned

and walked out of the cell.

Zekk hesitated in following her. Kayla turned around. "What is it Zekk?" she

asked. "Are you starting to like it in here or something?"

"No," he replied. "It's just for a second there, well, the way you looked when

you took out that guard, you reminded me of the person you used to be."

Kayla's expression was grim. "Old habits die hard, Love," she said. "Now come

on. We don't have all day."

Zekk nodded and then followed her out of the cell. Quietly and carefully, they

walked down the corridors that lead away from their former prison. "What's the

plan now?"

Zekk asked Kayla in a whisper.

Kayla shrugged. "I just figured we could wander around here until we

eventually

found a hanger bay where we can steal a ship."

"That's the best you can come up with?" Zekk asked.

Kayla shot him a dirty look. "It's not like we have much to work with here,"

she

snapped.

"Well, there has to be something we can do besides wander around aimlessly

waiting

for someone to find us and stick us back in a cell. Or worse-kill us," Zekk

shot back.

"Do you have a better idea?" Kayla asked.

"Not at the moment," Zekk admitted, "But I'm bound to come up with something."

"Oh yeah, I forgot, you're a tactical genius," Kayla quipped. "I guess that's

why Brakiss made you his Darkest Knight."

Kayla's words made Zekk jump back as if he had been stung. Kayla saw how her

statement had effected him. "Sorry," she said, her voice much kinder than it

had been a

few minutes prior. "I tend to get snippy when I'm stressed."

"It's okay," Zekk replied. "I just don't really like being reminded of when I

was the Darkest Knight."

"I can understand," Kayla said. "I don't particularly like being reminded of

when I was Tempest."

Zekk didn't respond to that, and the two of them continued to walk down the

long

corridor in silence.

Not much more than an hour after the *Rock Dragon* had gone into hyperspace, it

stopped suddenly, making the return to realspace with a quick jerk.

"What was that?" Jacen wondered aloud.

Tenel Ka looked around, noticing that the ship appeared to be running smoothly

and not damaged in any way. "I believe," she said, "that that was the effect of

a safety

device my grandmother had installed. It's supposed to pull a ship out of

hyperspace if

something that could possibly destroy the ship appears to be in the requested

flight path."

"If that's the case," Jacen said, "what's in our way?"

Jaina got up from where she was sitting and began to walk towards the cockpit.

"There's only one way to find out," she said.

Lowbacca barked out in surprise as soon as he got to the cockpit and looked out

the window at what it was that had stopped them. Behind him, Tenel Ka gasped.

"It looks

like the Shadow Academy!" she exclaimed.

Jacen nodded. "Only somewhat smaller," he added.

"I think we just found where they took Zekk," Jaina said grimly.

"Zekk," Kayla said after about an hour of aimless wandering, "is there

something

about this place that seems familiar to you?"

"Yeah, I think we've passed this spot twice already," he replied.

Kayla shook her head, refusing to argue with him again about the fact that they

were not only lost, but also that by now someone was probably looking for them,

although

no alarms had been sounded. "No, not that, something else."

Zekk felt his blood run cold. "It looks like the corridors of the Shadow

Academy,"

he said.

Kayla nodded. "My thoughts exactly," she replied.

"Well, I guess that proves that it was definitely one of those Imperial Guards

you

talked about that grabbed us," Zekk said.

"Was there ever a doubt?" Kayla asked.

Zekk didn't respond, and Kayla stopped in her tracks. "There was, wasn't

there.

You still don't trust me completely," she accused him.

"I'm doing my best to trust you, Kay," he responded, "I really am. It's just

hard."

Kayla glared daggers at him. "What makes it so hard? You trusted me back on

the

Shadow Academy, when we were lovers, and I was a lot less trustworthy back then.

You were

on the Dark Side once, too, you know, and you came back. Why can't you accept

that maybe

someone else could as well?"

Zekk hung his head, making himself appear partially ashamed. "Sometimes I

don't

even trust myself," he said.

Kayla turned around to face Zekk. Gently, she took his face in her hands and

brought

it up so she could look into his emerald-green eyes. Suddenly, she found that

there was

so much she wanted to say, but she didn't know how to say any of it. Zekk

reached up and

took her hands in his. They leaned in for a kiss.

Lowie growled a question. "Master Lowbacca wishes to know what you want to do

now?"

Em Teedee translated.

Jaina blew a stand of hair from her eyes. "I guess we can try to board it,"

she

suggested.

Tenel Ka shivered at the thought of boarding something that so closely

resembled

the Shadow Academy, but what other choice did they have? They had to find Zekk.

"Try to

find a docking bay, Jaina," she said.

Jaina nodded her agreement. *There is no try,* she thought to herself. They

had

to do. They had to find Zekk. Slowly, Jaina piloted the ship closer to the

space station.

"There," she heard Jacen say from behind her. He pointed to what appeared

to be a

docking bay right in front of them.

"I see it," Jaina replied. "Now let's just hope we can get in." Steadily, she

guided the small craft towards the much larger station. As they approached the

docking

bay, the massive steel doors opened, allowing them to enter. Almost as soon as

the ships

were safely through the doors, they slammed shut, making the four young Jedi

Knights jump

a little.

Once Jaina and Lowie had completed the landing cycle, the group left the ship,

their hands bent close to their lightsabers. "It sure is quiet in here," Jacen

commented,

as they walked off the ship and into the docking bay, which was lit only with

emergency

lighting.

"A little too quiet if you ask me," Jaina replied.

"This is a fact," Tenel Ka said as she moved closer to Jacen.

"Any idea where we go from here?" Jacen asked his sister.

Jaina shook her head. "Not really, but Zekk is definitely somewhere on this

station. I can sense him."

Before their lips could meet, Kayla and Zekk saw a figure, dressed from head to

toe

in crimson armor, appear from the shadows. Kayla let out a cry and Zekk pulled

her closer

to him. She buried her head in his shoulder. "I don't want to have to face

him," she

whispered.

"But my dear Tempest," the Imperial Guard said as her heard her words. "I all

but

raised you. I made you what you are today!"

Kayla fought back the tears, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing

her

cry. She pushed away from Zekk. "I'm no longer Tempest," she declared

defiantly.

"You may say that now, but soon you and your friend here will once again be my

servants, willing to carry out my every order by using that infinite power known

only to the

Dark Jedi," the guard sneered.

Zekk shook his head. "No. Kayla and I aren't going to be your Dark Jedi," he

said.

"We've both battled the Dark Side and won, and you aren't going to turn us

back."

"Such big words from a Trash Collector," the guard said, calling Zekk by the

name his

old rival Norys had called him back on the streets of Coruscant.

"I am a Jedi Knight," Zekk retorted.

"I can see why the Emperor had your kind eliminated," the guard growled. "Jedi

have

never caused me anything but trouble." The guard sighed heavily. "Well, I

guess since

the two of you are so stuck on the idea that it's better not to accept the

opportunity I'm

offering you, I might as well eliminate you the way the Emperor did the other

Jedi." The

guards reached into his crimson robes and pulled out a blaster. "Which of you

two wants

to be first?"

Kayla stepped in front of Zekk. "What opportunity are you offering?" she

asked.

The guard lowered his blaster ever so slightly. "Just the chance to be the

first

of the Empire's newest attempt to create an order of Jedi dedicated to the Dark

Side of the

Force. The two of you would be in command of a facility similar to the Shadow

Academy, only

this time it would lack Brakiss and his idiocy. You would be there as the

Empire finally

rose from its ashes and crushed the Rebellion once and for all," he replied.

A slight twinkle lit Kayla's eyes. "You could really give us all that?" she

asked,

taking a step towards the guard.

"All that and more," he promised.

Kayla's grin was almost feral, and Zekk immediately recognized it as the one

she

had worn almost exclusively when she had been Tempest. "On second thought," she

said,

"that does sound rather intriguing."

"Kayla, how can you be saying this?" Zekk asked, wondering if she had been only

pretending the whole time she had said she was changed. But if that was the

case, why

had the guard gone to all that trouble to kidnap her? Had it all been no more

than a trap

for Zekk?

Kayla turned around to face Zekk. At first the look on her face was pleading,

almost as if she was begging him see things her way, but then it faded into

something

that could only be described as maniacal love. "Zekk, Darling," Kayla said, her

voice

frighteningly sweet, "Can't you see it, the two of us ruling the galaxy with our

own

legion of Jedi? We could be together, really be together, without having to

worry about

Brakiss, or Jaina, or anybody. Just the two of us. Wouldn't that be

wonderful?" She

placed her hands on Zekk's chest and looked up at him with her dark, smoldering

eyes.

Zekk pushed her away. "No. I don't want that. I don't want to be a Dark Jedi

again. And, I...I love Jaina!" he declared.

"Give up on him, Tempest, My Sweet," the guard said, raising his blaster again.

"He's never going to do what we want him to do. Skywalker's corrupted him too

much already.

Might as well just kill him." As soon as he finished his sentence, the guard

squeezed

the trigger of his blaster, and a bolt shot out towards Zekk.

Jacen, Jaina, Lowie, and Tenel Ka hurried down a corridor, with the feeling

that

something terrible was happening to Zekk. Suddenly, Lowie stopped in his tracks

and

began to sniff the air. He growled, and Em Teedee translated. "Master Lowbacca

says

that he believes he can smell Master Zekk, Mistress Kayla Lewis, and one other

person

he does not recognize, just a little ways ahead of us."

Suddenly, as if to punctuate Em Teedee's words, the sound of a blaster

firing, quickly followed by a woman's scream, came from the direction Lowie had

indicated.

The four Jedi pulled out their lightsabers and ignited them, lighting the dark

corridor

green, violet, turquoise, and molten bronze. Then, they nodded in unison and

ran

towards where they hoped to find Zekk alive and well, although they knew that it

didn't

look good.

"No!" Kayla screamed as the blaster bolt sped towards Zekk. Suddenly, she

lunged

between the guard and Zekk, causing the bolt to hit her squarely in the

shoulder.

Kayla grabbed her shoulder in pain and fell to the ground.

Zekk immediately fell to his knees. Kayla slowly opened her eyes. "I'll be

fine," she said, her voice soft and barely audible.

Zekk nodded, realizing that the bolt had hit her in a manner that would not be

fatal unless she could not get some sort of medical attention.

The guard re-aimed his blaster at Zekk. "Looks like I'll just have to try

again,"

he said.

Suddenly, the blaster went flying from the guard's hand. "Think again," Zekk

heard

a familiar and welcome voice say. He looked up to see Jaina, holding her

lightsaber in one

hand and the guard's blaster in the other. Behind her stood Lowie, Jacen, and

Tenel Ka,

all of them with their lightsabers drawn and ready for battle. Zekk had never

been more

grateful to see anyone in his life.

The former Imperial guard knew when he was defeated. At the sight of the Jedi,

he

turned and ran down the opposite corridor.

The Jedi Knights didn't bother to chase him.

Zekk looked down at Kayla. "Did you really want what he was offering?" he

asked her.

Kayla shook her head no. "I was only stalling; trying to give you enough to

time

to us your tactical genius to figure us a way out of this." She tried to give

Zekk a

smile, but the pain she was feeling caused it to be more of a wince. Zekk

picked her up,

and joined his friends and they ran towards their ships.

As they approached the docking bay where the *Rock Dragon* and the

*Lightning Rod*

were stored, a series of alarms went off. Kayla lifted her head off Zekk's

shoulder.

"If this really is a smaller version of the Shadow Academy, then that's probably

the

station's self-destruct sequence starting," she informed her companions. They

began to run

faster.

Tenel Ka, Jacen, and Lowie ran on to the *Rock Dragon,* while Jaina followed

Zekk and Kayla on to the *Lightning Rod.* As soon as they were on the ship,

Zekk put

Kayla down and ran with Jaina towards the cockpit.

Kayla followed them, and sat in the seat behind Zekk. She watched how Jaina

and Zekk worked together as pilot and co-pilot. They seemed to move perfectly

in sync,

although they didn't say a word to each other, as if they were anticipating each

other's

actions. Kayla felt a sort of sad happiness wash over her as she realized that

although

she had lost Zekk forever, he was in love with Jaina. She knew he would be

content.

Still, she wished she could be the one to make him happy, but she knew that this

was

probably for the best.

The two Jedi-piloted ships sped away from the space station as it

exploded, sending

out a shockwave that rocked both ships, but not more than what the pilots could

handle.

Suddenly, a third ship joined the mix. Kayla felt her breath still in her

chest.

"That's the guard," she said. "I can feel it."

Zekk and Jaina stilled for a moment, unsure of what to do next. Would the

guard

attack them? Their questions were soon answered, however, when the small, enemy

ship

shot off into hyperspace.

"What was that?" Zekk heard Jacen ask from the companel beside him.

"Kayla says it was the guard from on the station," Zekk replied.

"Where did he come from?" Jacen asked.

"I'll explain later," Zekk replied. "For now let's just go home."

Beside him, Jaina punched the coordinates into the navicomputer and then

punched

the hyperdrive, sending them on a course towards the jungles of Yavin IV.

"Kayla, wait!" Jaina called after the dark-haired woman as she prepared to

board

the shuttle off Yavin IV.

Kayla turned around to face Jaina. "Yes?"

"Do you really have to go?" Jaina asked. "You should stay here, become a Jedi.

You're ability to create Force storms could be really useful."

Kayla raised an eyebrow. "You really want me to stay here, even now that you

know

about my past with Zekk?" she asked.

Jaina nodded an affirmative. "I trust you both enough to know nothing would

happen

between you."

Kayla smiled. It was nice to know someone trusted her. "Thanks for the offer,

and believe me, I'd love to stay," Kayla said. "But can't right now.

Especially not with

that Imperial guard running loose the way he is. I need to find him and stop

him, before

he finds someone to help make his dreams of a Dark Jedi-run Empire come true."

Jaina gave the older girl a quick hug. "I understand."

Kayla smiled and then turned back around to board the ship. Suddenly, she

stopped

and spun around to face Jaina again. "Can you do me a favor?" she asked.

"Of course," Jaina replied.

"Take care of Zekk for me."

Jaina gave Kayla a lop-sided grin. "Will do," she promised.

Kayla returned Jaina's smile, turned around, and boarded the ship.

"May the Force be with you, Kayla Lewis," Jaina whispered softly, as she

watched

the shuttle break through the atmosphere of the small jungle moon.