Play Testers Wanted Pt. 17

A single golden version of DP-69 greeted me and took over as my second in command. We used a compact speeder to tour the ship from the engine room to the bridge. It was more efficient and time-saving to ride in style. By the time the tour finished, every droid was in its place and eager for combat. Kyanna remained silent until she spotted the tactical display and asked about the target on the holographic surface.

"The anomaly, mistress," one of the tactical droids explained. "It is the very irregularity your vessel opened when it arrived here, and it is collapsing."

"The orb." She said and looked like she felt sick. "I did this."

"No, it was inevitable. I will tell you later if you want." I offered and gave the fleet the command to prepare to enter the tear in time/space. "Almost done," I muttered as we made the jump to hyperspace and into the breach. The Force went mad inside the anomaly, and it infected any being sensitive enough. Nevertheless, I steeled my mind from the assault and endured it. The stars did not stretch into the lines as expected, but the screen remained blank. The entire journey, two hours to be precise, was done in complete darkness. Aoki and Kyanna lay sprawled as their minds shut down under the strain of experiencing the Force going insane. The whispers of long-dead Jedi and Sith howled from all around us. Damnation happens to Force users who fail to become one with the Force for one reason or another. They are locked away. There was no peace for them, and they endured an eternity of madness. "I am sorry. I cannot help you."

The psychic lurch as we reentered real space was enough to stagger me. As I recovered, my students and Whisper awoke from their nightmare. Kyanna and the others looked like hell as they got to their feet. While I had been awake through the hyperspace portion of the flight, well, they had dreamt it instead. I reached out with Force heal, but instead of repairing physical wounds, I attempted to soothe the emotional shock they had endured.

"Thanks," Aoki said with a heavy sigh. "I feel a little better."

"Same here," Kyanna added as she looked around. "Where are we?"

"Divide and conquer," I ordered.

Kyanna and Aoki were caught at unawares as my fleet split and attacked both Jedi and Sith warships. I did not miss the Force echo from my other self, my younger self, as she fought alongside Nomi Sunrider and the Sith Lord Exar Kun. I had stripped the vampires of their powers, the death droids beaten, and suddenly an unknown fleet had appeared, calling the potent Force users and their companions to battle. The echo grew fiercer. Kyanna cried out, as did Aoki in one voice.

"I remember!" They shouted as the Heart of Korriban plotted a course for the Sith flagship. We had a short window to strike without Kun's interference and Sunrider's battle meditation to turn the tide.

"We are in range," DP-69 called out. "Weapons are locked."

"Fire," I called out as growing temporal ripples battered my mind. Myriad possibilities formed, dissolved, and reformed as my fleet struck the Sith and the Jedi. I screamed as I attempted to address paradoxes where we were successful one moment and utterly crushed the next.

"Retreat, can't you see she is dying," Kyanna screamed, and I lost consciousness.

I woke being carried by HK-47 and set gently onto my bed aboard the Ivory Wraith. I tried to sit up, but my head swam, so I asked what had occurred while blacked out.

"Proud Statement," HK-47 began. "You wrecked that traitorous bitch, Master. Tactical Analysis. When the Mirialan meat bag was in danger, you lashed out and destroyed many of the inferior enemy droids. Weapons fire, and explosions injured you and the other biologicals."

"The fleet," I asked as I used Force heal on myself. It was slow going as my Force points were near zero. However, I used them as fast as I received them. Once I recovered, my body restored itself quickly and effectively. "Where is my fleet?"

"Amusing Anecdote. One of the surviving DP units stole it. It ordered an ill-advised jump into hyperspace." HK-47 said, amused.

"HK, what did you do?" I asked, grinning.

"Supplicating Statement. I could not let that whore fly off with your well-deserved armada." HK-47 informed me, its optics glimmering with a green hue. "Clinical Analysis. One should always double-check your destination coordinates before entering a potentially lethal parallel dimension."

"You sabotaged their navicomputer," I said and managed a smile. Standing in the shadows behind HK was the ebony version of DP-69. Her photoreceptors were dim to help her blend into the darkness. So, she had made it on board.

"Honest Response. I cannot fabricate a falsehood. I picked out a nasty bit of space for the fleet to arrive in," HK-47 said.

"The Viridian Pulsar," I blurted out, and the assassin droid's eyes went dark.

"Extreme Surprise. By the Maker, how the fuck did you know?" HK-47 cursed.

"Temporal Predestination," I replied, and the droid appeared to take on a thoughtful stance before speaking.

"Statement. That explains specific interactions that have confused me recently. It was one such moment on the surface of Lehon that inspired tampering with the navicomputer and selecting the Viridian Pulsar." HK-47 responded. "Addendum. The Wraith has made the jump to Broken Chain Brothel. I assume you are going to indulge your baser side. You have my permission to copulate to your heart's content."

"Why, thank you, HK, you are most generous," I laughed as my HUD chimed and a message appeared. "A New Challenger has Entered the Arena. That sounds like fun."