Star Wars: Rebellion and Betrayal

Chapter 29

Rhodes took this time to collect himself as he reached for his belt. From there, he produced the second lightsaber... Lena's lightsaber. He ignited the amethyst blade and held both weapons at his side.

"That isn't yours," the Inquisitor roared while running toward him. Rhodes took three long strides forward before dropping to his knees into a slide.

Lena reacted by leaping in the air and coming back down toward him, lightsaber first. Rhodes raised his two lightsabers above his head, each blade making contact with a blade of Lena's saber. Fully expecting this move, Rhodes caught her weight and pushed upward sending Lena tumbling behind him.

Rhodes didn't slow down, jumping to his feet and continuing down the hallway toward Leneh, who was watching from a distance, and Twitch, who was now lying on his side with a blank expression.

Rhodes passed by Twitch and ran straight toward Leneh. The Admiral calmly reached toward the wall and pressed a button. Before Rhodes could reach her, a windowed blast door had closed between them. Leneh maintained the same expression as she watched Rhodes bang a fist on the door. A second later she was forced to take a step back as green and purple blades pierced through the door.

Rhodes barely finished cutting a disc in the door when Lena was bearing down on him. She slashed at his head, narrowly missing a strand of hair that had come loose from his ponytail. Rhodes rolled backwards under the attack, popping to his feet behind his former apprentice.

With lightning speed, Lena turned her body to the side and with an open palm, let out a powerful Force push. Rhodes was caught off guard and went tumbling down the hallway, his two lightsabers flying from his hands.

He had seen her power before, but this was different. These attacks were fueled by something more than her typical determination. They were fueled by pure rage. This, Rhodes knew, was a dark side quality. That was one of the fundamental differences between the Sith and the Jedi. The Sith follow their passions often ending up using their fear or anger to drive their every action. The Jedi, on the other hand, suppressed emotion and fought with peace and harmony.

There is no emotion, there is peace, Rhodes thought as he stumbled to his feet, his vision spinning. He looked up to see Lena with her lightsaber hovering over Twitch's motionless body. She used her boot to roll him onto his back, leaving her foot resting on his chest.

"And you," she started, looking down at Twitch's face. "I would have thought you of all people would have come after me. I should have expected as much from Rhodes, following his moral code to protect the group before the individual. But did I not save your life over Teth? Was that not a good enough reason to try to save me?"

Since Lena had removed her helmet, Twitch had been completely silent. He was doing his best to process the emotions that he was feeling. Less than five minutes earlier, he had believed that Lena was dead. Then he learned that Lena herself was the Imperial who had told him. The pain he was feeling was nearly unbearable as he looked up at the face that he had come to save.

He took a deep breath and mustered up the strength to speak. "I tried," he replied. "We both tried, but we couldn't find you."

"You didn't try hard enough," she shot back.

"I'm sorry, Lena," Twitch said in a somber tone.

"It's too late for sorry," Lena whispered as she deactivated one of her lightsaber blades. She raised the one remaining blade over her head and after hesitating for a second, swung down. Twitch closed his eyes and tightened all the muscles in his body.

But nothing happened. Twitch thought that was it, but he could still feel the cold floor under his back. He opened his eyes to see the lightsaber blade frozen in the air. Lena was straining as she tried to plunge the blade down. Twitch tilted his head back to see Rhodes walking forward with an outstretched hand.