“Why do I always have to use the air ducts?” grumbled Tama, crouching her way through what seemed like miles of air duct (but was really only 30 feet). Dust stuck to the sides of her shiny plastic Super TrooperTM suit. Below her, she could hear what sounded like a business meeting. “This is boring,” she yawned, and crawled on.

Soon, she could take it no longer. Opening the hatch, she checked the hallway for Super Troopers,TM then climbed down into the hall below.

“Now if I were a young padawan, where would I be?” Tama said to herself. The she facepalmed. “Duh, she was kidnapped. She’s probably not just prancing around waiting to-” Tama was knocked over by a Super TrooperTM prancing through the hallway. Tama looked confused.

“STOP JUDGING ME!” sobbed the Super TrooperTM as he continued to prance away. Tama shrugged and continued down the hallway, until it lead to a single black door. She tried to sense what was on the other side, but felt a strange block. Intrigued, she forced the door open. Tama jedi jumped up to the ceiling and back into the air ducts. Better safe than sorry. She crawled along the interior of the ceiling, listening for talking.

“Man, I was so turnt last night,” said a voice. Tama paused.

“I know, right? I’ve never seen someone eat so many chewy vites,” said another voice.

“THOSE WERE VITAMINS??? I THOUGHT THEY WERE GUMMY BEARS!” yelled the first voice. Tama, now interested in their conversation, quietly dropped down from the air ducts.

“Oh hey BS-0130,” said the the first Super TrooperTM. Tama became uninterested.

“Is there anything worth seeing here?” she asked the Super TroopersTM. They looked at each other.

“Sometimes if you listen hard enough through the walls you can hear General Var calling her parents,” said the second one. “Her mom seems nice.” Tama facepalmed.

“Fine, I’ll see to it myself,” she said, breaking contact with the Super TroopersTM. She walked towards another door.

“You can’t go through there,” said the first one. Tama looked back at him.

“You will not tell me what to do,” she said, attempting to do the jedi mind trick. The Super TrooperTM stared at her.

“You will tell me what to do,” he repeated. Tama sighed, frustratedly before force pushing both of them back into a wall, knocking them unconcious. She continued towards the door. It hissed open as Tama walked into a shadow to blend in.

The walls were lined with diagrams and maps plotting out planets Tama had never even heard of before. Thousands of failed proposals from marketing littered the floor.

“What the-” a Super TrooperTM bonked his head on the doorway really loudly “is going on in here?” she demanded. Two figures were conversing in the back of the room and paused. Tama slunk back into the shadows.

“Good work,” said a snarly voice. Tama peeked closer. She gasped. Darth Vaita, the most evil humanoid in the galaxy, here in her presence. And Tama was stalking her. She felt a shiver run down her head tails as she processed what was happening.

“I expect our taxes to be presented upon the Suzerainty territories by noon,” she snarled. Tama crept closer. Master Turi was going to love to hear about this!

“Without further ado, we need to do something about the jedi,” said Darth Vaita. “They’re gaining power. Perhaps you could help eradicate them from within.”

“Yes, Lord Vaita,” said a familiar voice. Very familiar. “Eradicate them, I shall.”

What happened next was impossible to describe perfectly, since the amount of emotion and betrayal felt was unimaginable. Imagine spending your whole life to lead to one point, and then you get hit by a herd of rhinos stampeding over you right after your lifeless mangled body was dropped into a pit of flaming cacti while getting struck by lightning.

“Oddly specific that was. Okay, you must not be?” the voice asked. Only then did Tama realize that she was speaking out loud

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” screamed Tama in agony. She crumpled to the floor in defeat as Master Turi stood over her. “How could you do this to me? I trusted you!”

“Kill her,” said Master Turi. “She knows too much.” Tama broke into a full spring out the door with Darth Vaita hot on her head tails. Tama tossed her helmet off and allowed her head tails to air out a bit, since they were cramped up in her suit for the longest time.

Tama zipped past the two Super TroopersTM that she smashed against the wall. They were beginning to recover from their injuries.

“Darth Vaita, my friend,” said the second one. “Man, that party last night was the-” Another Super TrooperTM bonked his head on the doorway.

“Out of the way, plebeians,” growled Darth Vaita, getting stalled by the two Super TroopersTM. Tama used this diversion as a way to escape. She sprinted her way back to the meet point, with Adala holding Karis in her arms.

“WE HAVE TO GO NOW!” yelled Tama, opening the port. Adala looked at her, confused.

“I defeated the Sith. There’s no real danger here. Let’s just wait until Vori gets back,” she explained. Tama’s face fell.

“There are more Sith on the ship,” she explained. “We can’t wait anymore.” Tama hoisted Karis into their ship.

“FREEZE!” yelled a Super TrooperTM. Tama groaned.

“Here we go again,” she sighed, pulling out her lightsaber. The Super TrooperTM took off her helmet.

“Let’s go,” said Vori, rubbing her eyes from being stuck in the helmet. The three of them leaped into their ship.

“Take off quickly,” said Tama, panicking. Adala undocked the ship. Suddenly, a visual transmission appeared.

“Oh good, it’s Master Turi reaching out to us,” said Vori. “She knows how to bypass our incognito mode.” Tama’s eyes widened.

“Due to most unfortunate circumstances, four jedi have been disbanded from the council. Making secret deals with the Suzerainty, Adala Sati, Karis Par, Vori Yara, and Tama Kaap have been discovered doing. Enemies of the Jedi Ascendency, they are. Providing aid to these rebels, you must not,” said Master Turi. The transmission ended.

“Well what the heck was that about?” asked Adala, confused. Tama remained silent.

“There has to be a mistake. We haven’t done anything,” stated Vori. The two turned to Tama.

“It was Master Turi who was consulting with the Suzerainty. Not me. I swear. I just walked in on her and Darth Vaita-”

“Uhuh. Likely story,” said Adala in disbelief.

“Why would I lie? It’s not the jedi thing to do. After all, I am a jedi knight,” stated Tama.

“Not anymore,” muttered a wounded Karis from the floor. Tama gave her a face.

“What is going on?” Vori sighed.

“Turi’s little spy thinks she saw Darth Vaita,” huffed Adala. Tama’s face turned a darker shade of blue.

“I’m not lying,” she said, looking Adala right in the eyes.

“Oh crap, you aren’t,” said Adala. “Well what do we do now! We’re wanted fugitives!”

“And I’m dying,” grumbled Karis.

“Be quiet. You’ll live. I missed any vital organs you might need,” said Adala.

“So you stabbed her? What is going on?” said Tama.

“Well, you found the most powerful Sith lord in the galaxy confiding with the most powerful jedi in the galaxy in one meeting,” said Adala.

“But you actually stabbed your padawan. Seriously!” said Tama quickly.

“She was here,” whispered Vori as all eyes turned to her.

“Oh I am so sorry-” started Adala.

“Don’t be. It was my fault she turned. There was nothing anyone else could do to stop it,” she said, sadly.

“WHO?” asked Tama loudly before she was kicked in the shins by Karis.

“Leeta. My first padawan,” stated Vori. “We lost her to the Dark Side when she was still a young padawan. Three years ago. Let’s just say I wasn’t the jedi I am today, and Var offered her a position. First she steals my padawan, now my lightsaber.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I just hate the pronoun game. I feel it was invented to keep the plot moving to move in for a revealing surprise that half the audience saw was coming anyways,” stated Tama.

Vori shrugged. “I suppose you’re right,” she agreed.

“Um guys,” stated Adala. “We have two bounty ships approaching.”

“Can you jump to hyperspace?” asked Tama.

“No, hyperspace isn’t fast enough,” said Adala, shaking her head. “We need to try überspace.”

“ÜBERSPACE?” yelled Vori. “THE SHIP WILL RIP APART!”

“Do you want to die quickly or by the hands of the bounty hunters?” suggested Adala. Vori stayed silent. “Initializing überspace.” Suddenly, the ship lurched forward at unimaginable speed.

“W-w-w-we’re splitting apart!” yelled Tama, holding on to the back of her chair. A hairline crack appeared in the front window panel of the ship.

“EJECT!!!” yelled Adala as she rushed towards the escape pod. Tama dragged Karis in after Vori lunged into it. The escape pod shot out of the ship moments before it was ripped to shreds.

“I knew I should have invested in extra shielding,” muttered Adala.

“GET OFF ME!” yelled Karis as Tama scooched off her.

“Sorry, there isn’t much room in the escape pod,” grumbled Tama. “So, where do we go now?”

“Wherever our trajectory takes us. I forgot to refill the plasma in the tanks,” said Adala, getting embarrassed.

“You what?” asked Tama.

“Anyways, we’re approaching a planet if you look out this window here,” said Adala.

“Huh. What window? Oh, I forget, I can’t see anything because Tama is sitting on me,” complained Karis. Tama glared at her.

“Do you know what planet it is?” asked Vori. Adala thought for a moment.

“I’ve honestly never been here before and don’t know what to expect,” she sighed.