Ezra followed Ania through the bustling base. "So," he jumped over a fallen crate, "where exactly are we going?"

"Hera wants us to find whoever has been feeding intel to Kein Rei. I think Jax may be a part of it," Ania explained.

"Why do we need to go to the docking bay to find Jax?"

"If it was him, he would have heard the transmitter switch off and would know he's been caught. I want to get a record of every departure he's made from the docking bay today." Ania ducked under an A-wing and approached one of the deck officers. "Can you give me a list of all of Jax Liage's departures from here today?"

The officer nodded and scanned something on his datapad. He held it out to Ania. "Looks like he was here for that last attack with Admiral Thrawn," the officer said.

"Did he check back in?"

"Yeah. He checked in and then left for the barracks."

"Thank you." Ania dipped her head to the officer. "Oh, and if he tries to leave, stop him."

"Uh, yes, Commander." The officer turned back to his work, puzzled.

"So to the barracks?" Ezra asked.

"Yep. To the cadet barracks." Ezra took the lead this time. When they arrived, the barracks were completely deserted.

"Hm. Now where?" Ania placed a hand on her chin.

"Maybe he's with Razzi or Cryl?"

She shrugged. "Worth a try. I think they're on inventory today."

When they arrived at the loading dock, AP-5 stopped them. "Please do not enter. I have already had to reorder several crates because of these pilots." He waved a hand back. Razzi and Cryl peeped their heads around a crate.

"We need to speak to those pilots, actually," Ania said. "Razzi, Cryl, come over here." The two quickly obeyed. "Have either of you seen Jax?"

"Sure. He's back there," Cryl pointed to the back.

"How long has he been here?"

"Since we got here. Before that, we were on a mission."

Ezra stepped closer. "Has he sent out any transmissions or had a running transmitter beside him?"

Razzi furrowed her brow. "Not that I've noticed." Cryl nodded his agreement.

"All right. We'll go talk to him." Ania stepped past them. "Jax," she called.

He stuck his head around a crate. "What do you want?" He groaned.

Ezra pushed in front of Ania. "Someone has been sending Rebel intelligence to an Imperial bounty hunter. We think you might know who."

"Why would I know?"

"You know everything that goes on in this base, Jax." Ania stared at him fixedly. "If something like this was occurring, you'd be the first to know."

"Well, I don't know anything. If you'll excuse me, I have actual work to do." Jax grabbed a crate and brushed past them. Ania shot an exasperated glance at Ezra. He shrugged and left the loading bay.

"Now what?" He asked.

"I think we should wait and see what Jax does."

"You think it's him?"

"You don't?" She raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Fair point. You're right. He's bound to make a move again, if it is him."

"And when he does, we'll catch him." A sly grin crept onto her lips.

A few days later, Ania and Tolsa were sparring just outside of the base. Ania's wrist comm began beeping furiously. She groaned and deactivated her lightsaber. "Commander Bonteri," she said into the comm.

"Hey, Commander," Ezra's voice crackled through the comm, "we have a mission."

"Be there shortly." Ania turned to Tolsa. "Sorry to cut this short, again."

Tolsa grinned. "Don't worry. I get it."

Ania narrowed her eyes. "Oh no. I know that look. Don't be getting any ideas!"

Tolsa laughed. "I don't have to come up with the ideas. You make it so obvious!"

"You're despicable," Ania laughed.

"You'd better not keep him waiting!" Tolsa winked, before running off.

Ania rolled her eyes but ran back to camp. She found Ezra outside the Redemption. "What's up?" She asked, stopping beside him.

"There's a shipment of fuel and shield generators being deployed from Concordia. Hera wants us to intercept and take the cargo."

"Concordia? That's one of Mandalore's moons. Is this shipment Imperial?"

"Yeah. It's being smuggled off Concordia and sent to the Empire."

"That seems like a big job for just the two of us." Ania crossed her arms.

"What? You think we can't handle it?"

She rolled her eyes. "Not at all. I'm worried they'll be overwhelmed. When does the shipment come through?"

"If we leave now, we'll get there 3o minutes before the shipment is deployed, given that it takes a little bit to reach Mandalore," Ezra replied.

"Let's go then." She lowered the Redemption's boarding ramp and quickly powered up the engines. Soon enough, they were gliding through hyperspace. In a little over an hour, they would reach Mandalore.

Ania stretched her arms over her head. "I don't know about you, but I'm tired." She stood. "I'll be in my cabin." Ezra nodded and Ania headed back to the crew quarters. It took her a few minutes to fall asleep, but as soon as she did, a familiar darkness crept over her.

Ania.

Ania.

You must be wary! There is danger all around!

Ania.

Beware the beast that sleeps within!

"Hey," Ezra was shaking her awake. She had only been asleep for a few minutes, it felt like.

"What?" Ania sat up quickly.

"We're near Concordia. You were mumbling in your sleep again."

"I heard Ahsoka, I think. It's not important." She stood up, ignoring Ezra's lingering gaze.

The ship dropped out of hyperspace minutes later. Ezra directed Ania down to the moon's surface, near where the shipment would take off. They waited inside as snow began to blow around the ship.

"Look," Ezra pointed out the window. A large freighter was taking off. "Follow it."

Ania lifted off as soon as the freighter was no longer in danger of seeing them. She quickly jammed the ships comms and scanners. They broke through the moon's atmosphere. Ania initiated a scan of the ship, then started. She looked closer at the scan.

"What is it?" Ezra asked.

"There's no cargo."

"What?"

Ania looked at him, now frantic. "There's no cargo on the ship! This was a set up!" She began to convert auxiliary power to the hyperdrive. A blast rocked through the ship and Kein Rei's Kom'rk flew overhead. The freighter jumped to lightspeed, revealing the Twelfth Sister's TIE fighter.

"Blast!" Ania slammed a fist on the controls. "That shot took out the hyperdrive."

"Can you outfly them?"

"Yes, but it doesn't matter. We won't lose them without the hyperdrive." She flung the ship into a spin as both the Sister and Kein began firing at the ship. She flipped the ship around, firing a few blasts of her own. "Can you do anything to fix the hyperdrive?"

"I can try." Ezra jumped up and ran out of sight.

Ania continued to maneuver between the two ships. She rerouted the auxiliary power, transferring it to the shields. A few of her shots hit home, but were deflected by shields. "Ezra!" She called warningly.

A light flashed up at her. The shields were failing. Another blast hit the ship. She heard muttered curses from the back of the ship. Ezra ran back into the cockpit. "It's no good. I can't get it to work." He sat down and began to blast at Kein and the Sister.

Another blast shook the ship harshly. An alarm began blaring at her. "Shields are gone," she said, gritting her teeth. She spun between a few more blasts. "I can't outrun them."

Another blast hit the ship's power converter. All the lights within the ship went black. Ania pulled against the steering toggle, but to no avail. Caught in the moon's gravitational pull, they began to fall.

"This is gonna be a bumpy landing!" Ania warned. She ducked beneath the control panel and opened a hatch. She grabbed a few wires and began to work them together, trying to jump start the ship. The lights sputtered on and off. Sparks flew from the wires. Ania hissed and slammed the control panel shut.

"Ania!" Ezra grabbed her leg and yanked her out from beneath the panel. She sat up and looked to where he was pointing. The snow covered ground was approaching rapidly.

She turned to Ezra, an idea forming. "We have to use the Force to slow the ship!" She exclaimed. "Like when you jump off a building and use it to slow your landing."

Ezra looked skeptical, but nodded. Together, they stretched out their hands. Ania screwed her eyes shut, pouring her strength into the Force. The ship began to slow its decent.

"We're still going too fast!" Ezra cried out.

Ania furrowed her brow in concentration. She felt the ship slow a little more. Ezra's voice broke through her mind, hazily. Suddenly, someone had grabbed her and flung her against the floor. Arms and a head covered her own, shielding her from the sparks that flew within the ship. Ania felt the ship jolt violently as they crashed against the ground.

She blinked her eyes open and saw Ezra, unconscious beside her. Ania scrambled over to him and shook him. He groaned, but didn't wake. She looked up as two ships landed around them. Snow was beginning to blow outside. Ania leaned over Ezra again, checking him for injuries. She couldn't see any. Two figures disembarked from the ships.

Ania hissed through her teeth and checked her blasters and lightsabers. She stood and stepped off the ship. Kein Rei and the Twelfth Sister were barely visible in the blowing snow. Ania shivered. Already, her teeth were chattering. She would've grabbed a coat if she'd had one. The two Imperials drew their weapons and stalked around her. The Sister's crimson blades shown brightly through the snow. Kein's plasma blades were barely visible.

Ania drew her blasters and fired at both figures. The Sister deflected the blasts back at Ania. Ania rolled beneath the blasts, letting them fly at Kein. He dodged them easily and threw a plasma dagger towards Ania. Suddenly, the two began to fly at her. She barely had time to grab her lightsabers, before they were attacking her left and right.

She sent a blast of power barreling into Kein. The Nautolan went flying straight into a tree. He fell motionless in the snow. Ania whipped her lightsabers up in time to block the Sister's attack. The Inquistor laughed, pressing down harder.

"I didn't think you would actually fall for it," the Sister taunted. "I guess you aren't that impressive after all."

Ania pushed the blade back and slid down, sweeping the Sister's legs. In an instant, she was back on her feet, attacking with vigor. Ania glanced at Kein. He was still motionless in the snow. That glance cost her. The Sister made another sweep with her lightsaber. It broke past Ania's late block and cut against her side.

Ania cried out and twisted away before the blade could cut clean through her. She hissed in pain and clipped her shoto to her belt, before clutching her injured side. The Sister laughed and attacked again. Ania blocked and pushed forward as much as she dared.

The wound in her side began to burn. She looked again where Kein had fallen. He was gone. The plasma blade was thrown from behind. She sensed it a heartbeat before it would have buried itself in her back. Kein attacked again, cutting her arm with a plasma blade.

Ania let go of her side and grabbed a blaster. She fired at Kein, while continuing to block and attack the Sister. Kein got a few more hits in with his blades before being flung back by the Force. Ania panted for breath between her chattering teeth. Help me! She cried inwardly.

You lost control last time.

Help me! She cried again. She pressed her attack on the Sister. An unearthly strength burst into her and she hammered her lightsaber down on the Sister.

The Sister buckled to her knees beneath one of Ania's attacks. Ania lashed out with her foot, connecting with the Sister. It shattered part of her helmet. A Mirialan woman stared out of the broken mask. Ania reached out with the Force, wrapping an invisible fist around the Sister's neck.

The Inquisitor threw the beskar bladed lightsaber at Ania. It slashed through her already injured side, breaking open the cauterized wound. Ania buckled, the strength leaving her. She gripped the wound tightly, trying to keep it from worsening. The Sister stood and thrust a hand towards Ania.

She screamed as she smashed into a tree. Ania tried to move, but couldn't. She could vaguely see the Sister approaching through her distorted vision. The red blade prepared to plunge down.

"No!" An unseen force blew the Sister off of Ania and a green lightsaber hummed to life.