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"Hide under this bunk and turn off your eyes." Anakin whispered to his little droid. Swiftly, Kaely darted out of sight.
The trap door opened and blinded him with light. Anakin instantly set to work adjusting his eyes to it and prepared to be attacked.
"You fell into the trap quite easily, my young apprentice." A gravelly voice came from the open hatch.
Yes I did, but I'm not going to admit it aloud.
The Sith's voice was different this time. When he'd last encountered the Sith over a year ago, it's voice had been disguised enough that he couldn't tell how old, what gender or even if the person was human. Now however, it was definitely masculine.
Well, that eliminates three quarters the galaxy. Doesn't really help find out who this guy is though.
"Your skills are impressive, however they can be so much more."
"Not interested." Anakin stated with false calm.
"Ah, but how else do you expect to fulfill the prophecy, Chosen One?"
Anakin jerked. How does he know about that!
"Oh yes, I know who you are. I'm here to help you!"
Don't listen, Don't listen...
"After all, a balance is achieved by two powers opposite one another. How can you bring balance to the Force if you only know the Jedi's way. It is impossible."
Anakin tried to block out the Sith's oily persuasive voice. He's lying... he has to be lying...
"In time you will understand and gratefully call me 'Master'."
Anakin seethed at the Sith's audacity, but remained silent.
"Good, good."
Quickly, Anakin squashed down his anger. Don't give in, don't give in... He repeated to himself.
"You have no choice, it is your destiny."
Anakin desperately grasped his dimmed training bond like a tether. I won't fail you, no matter what. He vowed silently to his masters. Whether they could hear him or not, he didn't know.
***
"He's here?" Obi-wan gasped in shock.
From around the room each Jedi reacted with different levels of surprise. Hope filled Qui-gon, but he didn't allow himself to feel relieved. Master Windu immediately began planning with the others how they would search the planet and who currently at the Temple were the best trackers.
"Go, rest now. Call you soon we will." With a sad look, Master Yoda spoke softly to Anakin's exhausted masters.
Qui-gon almost looked ready to disagree, but Obi-wan gave him a warning look. It would do no good to pass out during the search.
<It is the ultimate arrogance that the Sith have come here, where we are strongest.> Qui-gon told Obi-wan after they left the Council chamber
<Perhaps the Sith is overconfident in his ability to hide Anakin from us.>
<Or perhaps not.> Qui-gon sighed. <Coruscant has billions of hiding places, Obi-wan.>
<It's cruel that Anakin is so close, yet still so far.>
<This could be a long search. If we fail to find him in time...> Qui-gon couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence.
They entered their apartment quietly. It felt gloomy and desolate with out Anakin's quirky sense of humor and Kaely's noisiness.
"What about the droid?"
Qui-gon glanced at Obi-wan in confusion. "She is with Ani, of course."
"Exactly, doesn't Ani have a way to track Kaely?"
Qui-gon thought back to when they'd brought Anakin back to the Temple a year ago. Kaely had quickly become lost in the huge Temple and was not found for days. Anakin had mumbled about installing a tracing emitter on her so it wouldn't happen again.
"Yes," Qui-gon's eyes lit up. "He did build a tracking device, but he's sure to have it with him as well. However, if he remembered to record the frequency..."
Instantly, both Jedi rushed to Anakin's worktable. It was a mess with droid parts, tools, datacards, and plasti-paper scrawled with schematics. Obi-wan grabbed a datapad and began hunting through the cards labeled 'Kaely's new stuff'. Meanwhile, Qui-gon collected up every card into a stack and began looking through the papers.
"Will it even work at this distance? Ani could be on the other side of the planet." Obi-wan worried.
"The way Anakin builds things and Kaely's tendency to explore, I don't doubt it will be sufficient."
Qui-gon found the card with the frequency and Obi-wan sighed with relief. They gleefully, but with Jedi reserve, rushed back to the Council chamber.
***
Why is he talking to me from up there anyhow? Not that I want him to come down here...
Anakin slouched on the metal bunk. He was cold and exhausted. His vision swam and it was getting harder and harder to resist the Sith's increasingly credible persuasiveness. It would be easier if he could just turn off his ears.
"...otherwise I will use this chamber!"
At that threat, Anakin strained to bring himself back to full alertness. A dozen different horrific possibilities flitted through his mind. This room could be flooded with water, or set aflame. Toxic gasses could be released, vicious creatures dropped on him, or even blades could shoot from the walls.
And he had no way to escape.
An awful cackle echoed from the open door and chilled Anakin. But still, he refused to give the Sith any answer at all.
"We will talk again tomorrow, my young apprentice. You will be begging to get out when I return."
The Sith shut the door with a loud slam. Anakin braced himself for an attack. He reached out to the Force, prepared for anything. And he nearly choked when around him the Force ceased. Anakin grasped tightly to what was left of the Force that had been flowing in him.
It was a terrible feeling, like being blind and deaf. His every move felt extremely sluggish. He couldn't sense what was happening around him at all. The terrible nothingness crept closer and closer. Slowly, his arms and legs began to go numb as the Force was shredded away from him.
Excruciating pain struck him as the Force disappeared. In desperation and despair, Anakin forgot his training, forgot his resolve not to succumb, and just panicked. Falling back on instinct, his Force glow spiked into existence and instantly expanded outward. Kaely screamed and for a moment, Anakin thought he sensed a few animals shriek fatally very close to him before he dropped unconscious.
***
They were silent and swift. Through windows, doors and lightsaber-made openings they poured into the building. Master Healer An-Paj followed closely behind Master Windu into the lair. It had been decades since the blue Healer had last used his lightsaber. Intense combat training was unnecessary for his Healer studies and he had rarely needed to fight.
Stepping around battle droid limbs, An-Paj ducked a few blaster shots from the Destroyer droids up ahead. While Mace and a few other Jedi parried several shots back at the droids, An-Paj Force-shoved the metal parts across the floor and tripped the Destroyers.
His antenna quivered as he sensed that they were going in the right direction. Jedi Healers were trained to be particularly attuned to a being's pain. Not enough to suffer themselves, but able to sense the person's exact location and determine how severely that person's injuries were before reaching them. Despite the Sith's efforts, An-Paj could feel that the Padawan was in pain, but unconscious.
The two other Healers nodded to An-Paj. They felt the teenager, too. The other Jedi followed the Healers' silent directions and began cutting a straight path to Anakin through anything in their way, more droids, walls, and even the floor.
***
Vertigo assaulted Anakin and he nearly retched. Why did I have to wake up?
The dizziness abated slightly, but only enough for him to determine that he was moving for real. Being dragged along the floor actually. Anakin tried to remain relaxed and stealthily opened one eye.
Masters! For one brief second he had been able to sense the approaching Jedi. So that's why this guy is on the run.
It gave Anakin hope and he began drawing on the Force as quietly as possible. Around him he began to erect a Force shield. It was halfway complete when suddenly the Sith turned a corner and his sprained ankle hit the wall. Anakin couldn't resist crying out, but the Sith ignored him and began to speed up. Anakin painfully tried to dislodge the gloved hand griping the back of his tunic as a diversion, and then snagged the Sith's leg with his other arm.
They both fell to the floor and the Sith mentally struck. Almost at once a terrible fog surrounded his mind and Anakin understood how the Sith had caught him in the first place. This guy's been using mind tricks on me!
With every bit of strength he had to spare, Anakin pushed the pressure back and tried to call his Masters through his training bond. But the Sith slammed him into a glass window. It shattered letting a cold drizzling wind blow in from the night sky. In a daze Anakin slumped against the wall, but was unharmed by the glass due to his shield. At the Sith's waist he saw his lightsaber and swiftly grabbed it.
Anakin intended to ignite it straight into the Sith, but it dodged sideways. Instantly it activated a ruby red blade and swung at Anakin's head. He ducked and stumbled away in an effort to gain some distance. His weak ankle and pounding head hindered him from moving faster.
Viciously, the Sith attacked. Every blow was powerful and Anakin's arms strained to block as the Sith drove him into a corner. With a swift kick to his stomach the Sith knocked Anakin back to the wall and sent the boy's lightsaber flying from his hand.
The Sith made an almost growling sound and swung. Anakin stared in horror as the red blade came down on his forearm. But his Force shield held. The Sith went stiff with surprise and Anakin used the opportunity to Force-shove the Sith to the floor. As it landed it's hood fell back and for the first time Anakin saw the face of who he was fighting.
"You're a girl!"
Anakin stared at the Sith. Indeed, she was a young woman about Obi-wan's age, and would have been rather pretty if it weren't for the look of murder on her face. With a howl of fury she thrust out her hand a sent a stream of Force-lightening at Anakin.
The boy was still too surprised and failed to dodge in time. The energy assaulted him and tore through his Force-shield. Automatically, Anakin's body began to absorb it. The Sith stared in confusion. Anakin was supposed to be screaming and thrashing on the ground, but he stood still as stone.
Anakin had to concentrate with all of his might to remain standing. He redirected the energy into rebuilding his shield but couldn't think clearly enough and it wasn't working. He looked at the Sith intently hoping to buy some time.
"You're the co-pilot, Lt. Edacaf." Anakin frowned. She was with us the entire time and we never knew it!
Anakin tried not to give away the fact that he was searching for his lightsaber. He couldn't see it anywhere and didn't even know which direction it had gone when the Sith disarmed him.
She seethed and barred her teeth at him. With another yell she attacked Anakin with more Force-lightening then before. Anakin knew what she was attempting. She wanted to overload his senses and break his concentration.
I should just run. The Jedi are almost here, I should go while I still can protect myself.
But Anakin was feeling confident, his shield was only halfway up, but the energy that seeped through was easy to absorb. If I can just find my saber I can defeat this thing.
"What's with all the disguise stuff you've been doing?" Anakin asked her suddenly.
She still didn't speak. But he sensed and saw her rage increase at his question. It only made Anakin more curious. Recklessly, he persisted.
"The blurring your voice and face you did while chasing me last year and the man's voice and cackling this evening? It seems really bizarre."
The electricity was getting harder and harder to contain. I've got to get rid of it soon. Maybe I can throw it at her? It would be defending myself, wouldn't it?
The Sith finally stopped and glared nastily at Anakin. For a moment they just stared at each other. Anakin used the chance to move a little further from the wall. He thought he could see his lightsaber on the floor behind her, down the hall. It was hard to tell due to the glass on the floor.
She didn't even bother with her lightsaber, but just charged him. She attacked striking at him with a fury of blows and mentally lashed out at him. Anakin warded her off as best he could but was unprepared for her vicious mind powers. His mental shields caved and Anakin screamed as she tore into his mind.
Anakin's concentration was shattered and he lost his hold on the energy he'd absorbed. It exploded around him and the lightening arced outward into the walls and the Sith, but it didn't dislodge her hold on him. Anakin pulled on the Force and let himself glow. It was the only thing left he could do.
The Sith froze and her eyes went wide in terror. Anakin looked at her and waited for her to either drop unconscious like the Padawans had or fight back. Instead, she began to look a bit fuzzy and Anakin wondered if something was wrong with his eyes. Silently she opened her mouth to and tried to scream. In less then a second the glow completely eradicated her.
Is this what balancing the Force means? Anakin thought briefly before the Force-storm from the Sith's death struck him. It howled through the room and flung him across the floor. When it finally subsided, all that was left of Darth Edacaf was a scorched mark on the floor. Anakin passed out from the pain and exhaustion.
He never saw the dark shadow approach him.
***
Master Windu flinched and the Jedi Healers jerked as if burnt. For a few minutes, the Padawan's mind had awakened only to suddenly project extreme agony. The Jedi did their best to run even faster as Anakin's presence in the Force abruptly dimmed to a whisper.
Darting and Force-leaping down to a lower level, they were forced to slow to a halt as Obi-wan slid into their path. He and Qui-gon were battling the Sith. The dark shrouded creature was blocking the passage and skillfully warding off their blows with a double-bladed lightsaber. When it saw more Jedi arrive, it leapt backward and jumped out a broken window that obviously had been smashed in the duel.
Two of the Jedi in their group broke off to help Obi-wan and Qui-gon pursue the Sith. An-Paj and his healers raced past them with Mace Windu.
***
Out on the balcony, the Sith fled into the darkness and over the edge. The four Jedi could only look down into the depths of the city in disgust. When other Jedi patrolling the building in air speeders pursued it, Qui-gon deactivated his lightsaber and backed off. Obi-wan stared dangerously out at the night, before turning to run back into the building.
"Stay in case it comes back." Qui-gon ordered the remaining Knights and followed Obi-wan back into the hallway.
They had lost all ability to sense Anakin for several horrifying moments on their way here and afterwards they had only been able to feel him sporadically. Once Kaely's tracer brought them to this building Anakin's presence had become much clearer. Especially just a few minutes before they had been attacked by the Sith. Anakin's sudden pain had nearly taken their breath away.
They rushed down the hallway to where they could feel Anakin's wavering presence. As they expected, the Healers were already kneeling by Anakin's prone figure. When they reached the end of the passage, Mace Windu stood up with a dejected and almost blank look in his eyes.
Qui-gon took on look at Mace and then froze. Obi-wan shouldered past him. "No." he breathed.
Anakin was sprawled on his back, his pale face mottled with bruises and a lightsaber stab straight through his heart.
It was a horrible sight. The boy's face was chalk white and his eyes half closed. Master Healer An-Paj reached out and gently placed his blue hand on Anakin's forehead. The other Jedi could only stare at the black, cauterized hole in the Padawan's chest.
Qui-gon heard Obi-wan take several shuddering breaths. He gently placed his hand on the younger man's shoulder. All at once, Qui-gon understood what Obi-wan had felt when he'd seen him run through by a Sith. The sight of someone you love brutally wounded was excruciating. He wished fervently that Obi-wan hadn't experienced this again.
"There is hope." An-Paj reassured them calmly. The other two Healers had taken places on either side of Anakin, while An-Paj knelt by his head. They immersed themselves in the Force and with careful precision, they began to circulate Anakin's blood for his ruined heart.
One Healer focused on supporting the other damaged organs and his right lung, the second kept the blood circulating through his limbs, and An-Paj protected and controlled the blood flow to the most vital part, his brain. It was delicate and pain-staking work that required the deepest connection to the Force and the strength to maintain their patient.
The Healers didn't need to give the other Jedi any directions on how to help. Instantly, they all set to work. Obi-wan picked up one of the Healers' packs and began removing the supplies they would need. Qui-gon began assembling the travel stretcher, while Mace cut away Anakin's smoldering tunic and Obi-wan applied emergency bacta patches.
As they worked, another Jedi arrived. "This level and the ten above and below it are secure." She reported. To her credit she merely glanced at the injured boy and didn't let it distract her.
Mace looked up and nodded. "Get a transport ready and call the infirmary back home, Knight Ylredro."
"Yes, Master Windu." She said and turned to give the directions to her approaching team. One of them handed her something.
"We've found his lightsaber." Ylredro held it out to Obi-wan. For a moment he stared at it blankly before taking it and attaching it to his belt.
"We are ready." Master Windu said quietly to the Healers. None of them opened their eyes or made any outward reaction, but signaled with the Force that they understood.
Together, Mace, Qui-gon and Obi-wan gently levitated Anakin's limp form up and onto the stretcher. The two Masters grasped either end, but continued to hold it up with the Force as well. An-Paj and the Healers were completely focused on keeping Anakin alive. Other Jedi moved to assist the Healers in standing and lead them out of the room.
They moved smoothly through the halls to the nearest landing pad. As they went more Jedi came to flank them. Everyone was wary for danger. Their transport landed just as they exited the building. The wind whipped at them and howled in the dark.
"Kaely." Qui-gon murmured suddenly and glanced back at Obi-wan.
Obi-wan was startled and pulled out the tracking device. "Did any of you see a very tiny pink droid flying around?" He asked the others with them.
From the blank looks he received he knew they hadn't. They would have certainly remembered Kaely if they met her.
The shuttle's ramp finished lowering and they levitated Anakin's stretcher slowly up it. The Healers and the Knight's guiding them followed carefully.
Obi-wan thrust the tracking device into a nearby Jedi's hand. "Find the droid this leads to." He ordered.
The Knight looked confused and frowned. "We wouldn't have arrived in time if it wasn't for that droid." Qui-gon called back in explanation and Obi-wan dashed up the ramp into the ship.
***
Qui-gon and Obi-wan sat stiffly in the infirmary's waiting room. Eeth Koth, Yaddle and Depa Billaba in particular had come to truly like Anakin and stayed to support the boy's masters through the entire wait. Master Yoda had just returned to the Temple an hour ago and had come straight to the infirmary. He and Master Windu had talked quietly together ever since. No one else in the Temple had been informed of Anakin's capture or rescue.
Mace stood up when Knight Ylredro arrived. She bowed respectfully and looked straight at Master Windu. He nodded to her, he had ordered that she report at once after her team finished scouring the Sith's lair.
"All examinations are complete. We have found no clues as to where the Sith has retreated. Inside of the building, we found that the main passages had holo-cameras. We have collected the data from the hall where Padawan Skywalker was found and are working to decrypt it now. Also, we discovered the remains of four ysalimiri surrounding the prison cell."
Obi-wan was dismayed, but the masters were not surprised.
"Found the droid have you?" Master Yaddle asked in concern.
"Yes." Ylredro reached into her belt pouch and pulled out Kaely. The tiny droid was scorched and her eye receptacles completely ruined. "I don't know how to turn it off." The Knight handed her to Qui-gon.
Kaely looked like she was deactivated, but from the quiet moans she was clearly very much aware. Qui-gon examined her carefully, but Kaely didn't have a visible off switch.
"Ani must have installed the switch inside." Obi-wan said.
"Can you hear us, little one?" Yaddle asked with a sad look in her eyes.
But Kaely's soft crying didn't change rhythm. Yaddle took her from Qui-gon. Kaely looked much larger in her small hands. Concentrating, she gently disengaged Kaely's power from the rest of her systems.
Obi-wan sighed wearily. "I'll do my best to fix her. Ani shouldn't see her like this."
At once everyone looked at the interior doorway. They sensed that An-Paj was coming. Every eye in the room trained on the blue Healer expectantly when he entered. He looked tired but pleased. "We've successfully reconstructed Anakin's heart. He's in the bacta tank now."
Qui-gon closed his eyes and sighed deeply. All of the thick tension drained from Obi-wan's face and he slumped in his chair. Around the room the Council members relaxed and breathed sighs of relief.
"Now, get some rest, all of you." An-Paj ordered everyone. Obi-wan and Qui-gon left in exhaustion and without protest, but were determined to return soon. All of the others, but Mace and Yoda filed out of the infirmary as well.
When the three of them were alone, An-Paj directed a stern stare at Master Windu and Master Yoda. "Now is a good time to tell me who Anakin Skywalker is and why a Sith abducted and nearly killed him."
The two Council members looked at each other in resignation. Even Master Yoda knew better than to go up against a master healer, in particular An-Paj. It wasn't too surprising that he would ask. An-Paj was very perceptive. They followed the blue healer to his office and quietly related to him how Master Qui-gon had discovered the Chosen One.
***
The Council chose to view the holo-recordings with Qui-gon and Obi-wan present. None of the Jedi decrypting the data had been allowed to see it and no one had played them yet. The members sat in their chairs in the Council chamber while Anakin's masters stood in the walkway. In the center, the chamber's holo projector activated a life size image of the hallway.
Mace Windu used controls by his arm to skim forward until a dark cloaked Sith came into view dragging Anakin. He commanded the system to follow the activity and they watched as the projector kept the almost running image of the Sith in the center of the room.
Anxiously, Qui-gon and Obi-wan watched their Padawan struggle to escape the Sith. Anakin was clearly injured from the mistreatment he'd received during his capture and hindered in particular by his left ankle. They knew that the Council was analyzing Anakin's every move. The teenager was certainly out-matched and had only survived this far due to the fact that the Sith still wanted him alive. Even when it tried to cut off Anakin's arm.
That changed abruptly when Anakin knocked the Sith to the ground and her face was revealed. Both Jedi recognized her at once as one of the pilots. It was embarrassing and horrifying to learn that the Sith had traveled with them for days and they never knew.
Just as they were anticipating how many Knights would be send to hunt down this woman, Anakin killed her with his Force glow. Shock and disbelief echoed from the Jedi. Mace stopped the recording and replayed the Sith's death again and then let the holo finish. After they saw a second cloaked Sith stab Anakin with a lightsaber and leave him for dead, Mace shut it off and everyone prepared for a long debate.
***
"Be still, Anakin." The blue Healer admonished his patient. Anakin was dressed and ready to go, but the Healers insisted he rest before leaving.
"Yes, Master An-Paj."
Anakin sighed in resignation. Obi-wan had told him many funny stories about this particular Healer's delight in keeping his patients, especially Obi-wan. Anakin was beginning to pity Obi-wan now, being trapped in the infirmary was not fun.
"They are late." Anakin decided to give an excuse for his restlessness.
"They will come soon. Your masters are with the Council."
"Again?!"
"Yes, so anxious to leave are you? I had hoped that Obi-wan's wild tales wouldn't drive you away. Its all an exaggeration you know."
Anakin grinned at the Healer's fake hurt look. Then suddenly Anakin got a sly idea. "In that case maybe you could tell me your side of the story."
"I'd be delighted." As An-Paj regaled the boy with Obi-wan's more creative injuries and attempts to escape the infirmary, he contemplated his situation. He'd never met Anakin until now, but from what he'd heard, he nearly had several times. Between the bomb earlier that year, and a variety of accidents, Anakin had come very close to being one of his patients. And in particular, due to the boy's Force glow.
An-Paj had finished reviewing the holo of Anakin's battle with the Sith yesterday. He had become very concerned when he'd learned about Anakin's habit of losing control of the Force without warning in such a strange and painful way. Immediately, he informed Anakin's masters and the Council that Anakin should come in for an examination after every occurrence in the future and chastised them for not informing him before. The Council had agreed quietly to his recommendations and had been suitably apologetic. They then called upon the small group of healers that had treated Anakin after his first Force glow in the Temple and to relate all that they saw and did over a year ago. An-Paj wished fervently that he'd been on Coruscant when that had happened.
He shook his head at Anakin's complexity and the Council's attempts to cope with him. It hadn't surprised An-Paj that Qui-gon and, in particular, Obi-wan had never brought the boy in after one of his glows. Neither wanted to believe that Anakin was suffering, and let the boy talk them out of it every time.
The boy's midi-chlorian count had been amazing, once they reprogrammed a machine to be able to count it. In total the boy had twenty-four thousand in his cell count, far more than ever recorded. So, this is the Chosen One who will bring balance to the Force? An-Paj wasn't sure how the boy would do it. He felt that the whole Jedi order had been effectively trying to keep the Force balanced for their entire existence. Anakin could very well study and strive for decades before discovering how to balance it.
Obi-wan stuck his head in the doorway. "Ready to break out?"
An-Paj and Anakin looked up as Qui-gon and Obi-wan entered. Master Qui-gon held out Anakin's little droid to him. "Kaely was a bit damaged. Obi-wan has repaired what he could. She can't fly or hear us right now."
"I had to replace her eyes, and re-paint her, but several of her interior parts are melted. I don't know how to repair those." Obi-wan explained.
Anakin nodded. "Thank you." He felt guilty that his Force glow had nearly killed Kaely. "I had to build some of them myself. I can replace them."
"You've been a good patient, Anakin. Be careful when you leave. There is a mob of Padawans outside waiting to see you." An-Paj warned.
Anakin's eyes went wide. "On second thought, I'd rather stay here."
"You must face them eventually." Qui-gon pointed out.
"Several of the girls have been begging to be allowed to nurse you to health." An-Paj elaborated.
Anakin only groaned. An-Paj was confused and surprised, so Obi-wan answered for him.
"Ani already has a girl." Obi-wan slipped out the door to peak around the corner.
"Sort of!" Anakin protested.
"Really?" An-Paj was curious.
"Yes, I've had dreams of her since I was five."
"Interesting." An-Paj looked at Anakin intently and smiled with pointed teeth. "I'm afraid I cannot give you advice on how to ward off women."
Anakin just smiled back. Obi-wan had told him about Master An-Paj's many wives, as well. Quickly, Obi-wan came back into the room.
"An escape route is clear, for the moment, hurry!" Anakin leapt off the bed and with a hasty farewell and thanks to An-Paj, he dashed out the door with Obi-wan.
But Qui-gon lingered and strolled down the opposite hall with An-Paj. He could sense the Healer's curiosity had not abated.
"I wonder how reliable the visions of a Jedi of Anakin's power will be?"
But Qui-gon didn't mind answering. "Very reliable. Obi-wan and I have already met her and Anakin charmed her instantly. Also," he added, "Anakin has begun dreaming of his possible children."
An-Paj nodded. "I feel that this galaxy will need more Skywalkers if we are to defeat the Sith once and for all."
The END
***
Yes due to overwhelming demands...err, requests, there is a sequel in progress that immediately follows this story and possibly two more after that. Feedback is Always Welcome! (and is guarantteed to get you more story. ;-)
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