Clarke's lightsaber sliced through the Sith trooper's armor, cutting the soldier down. Clarke surveyed the battlefield. There were laser bolts flying in the distance, but the battle was eerily calm around her. She saw a hooded figure walking purposefully towards her. A glint of metal in the figure's hand prompted Clarke to ready her lightsaber. The blue blade blazed up, cutting through the fog. The hooded figure did likewise, a red blade igniting from the shiny metal hilt. Clarke leaped forward, drawing back her lightsaber for an overhand strike. The Sith dropped her hood to reveal a masked face. The robe dropped to the ground as the Sith brought her saber up to block Clarke's strike. Clarke gasped when the mask was revealed and after the first strike, she flipped backward, landing 10 paces away. The Sith pressed the attack, swinging her lightsaber in an upwards slash, but it seemed a second too slow, not as fast as her block had been. Clarke easily deflected the blow and stabbed her saber forward. At the last minute, she flicked the blue blade up, tearing a gash in the durasteel mask. The Sith's hand flew up to her face automatically, covering the cut. The red lightsaber was up again, though, to protect against further strikes. However much the Sith tried to cover the gash, Clarke still caught a glimpse of startling green eyes. Clarke's lightsaber dropped to her side at seeing those eyes. The Sith brings up the hilt of her lightsaber.

"I'm sorry," she whispers, as the hilt rams into the side of Clarke's head. As Clarke fell to the ground and began to sink into unconsciousness, the Sith walked away, stooping to pick up her robe.

Lexa extinguished her lightsaber, hooking on her belt. "You never were good at this, Clarke," she said.

"Well, that's not exactly my fault," Clarke said. "Master Atar never put too much emphasis on lightsaber combat, unlike Master Sereta."

"The Sith advanced to Taris," Lexa said. "And the Council still hasn't assisted the Republic in repelling them." Clarke sat on the padded floor. Lexa sat beside her.

"What if the Council sent someone to infiltrate the Empire?" Clarke wondered.

"What if," Lexa agreed. "What if."

"Clarke Griffin, explain yourself," Master Kane said. "Why were you found unconscious on the battlefield?"

"I was.... I was fighting a Sith," Clarke said, giving the smallest of details.

"You were what?" Master Jaha said, sitting forward. "Our intelligence showed no indication of a Sith Lord on that battlefield."

"Well, there was one, and I lost the fight," Clarke said. Inwardly, she cursed. "If I had lost the fight, I would have died! Now I'm gonna have to explain that."

"What do you mean, you lost? You're still standing here," Master Kane said.

"For some reason, the Sith decided to knock me out instead of killing me. I don't know why," Clarke said, covering for her mistake.

"Alright..." Master Jaha said. "You can go." Clarke walked out of the Council chambers, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding when she got out.

Lexa was walking down the hall of the Empire's flagship above Taris. The Republic had been driven back for the day, but they would return. But Clarke. Why was she there? Her last communication had said she was going to be remaining at the Temple, so why... Ah. She was lying. No matter. Lexa turned to the bridge captain.

"Set a course for Dromund Kaas and open a holocomm channel to Admiral Wallace. He needs to be informed of this victory." Lexa said.

"Yes, Commander," the bridge captain replied, relaying orders to the men sitting in the crew pit, who started inputting coordinates and securing communication relays. Lexa turned around and strode to the hologram pod. In a few seconds, Admiral Wallace appeared. Standing beside him was a Sith Lord.

"Commander, report," Admiral Wallace snapped.

"We drove the Republic off Taris," Lexa answered. "We have secure camps all over the planet. I was about to return to Dromund Kaas with my troops."

"Very well," Admiral Wallace replied. Lexa flicked off the console and strode back to the bridge.

"Captain, are we prepared for launch?" Lexa asked, clasping her hands behind her back.

"Yes, Commander," the bridge captain said. Lexa felt a slight rumble through the floor, and the stars began to lengthen into streaks.

------------

The Imperial dreadnought dropped out of hyperspace above the skies of Dromund Kaas. An officer strode up and saluted Lexa.

"Commander, your shuttle is prepared to take you to Kaas City," the officer reported.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Lexa answered without turning around. "That will be all." As the lieutenant walked away, Lexa looked down on Dromund Kaas.

"Why couldn't have the Emperor picked a nicer planet? It's always storming here," she thought, as she turned around and headed for the hangar bay. When she reached the hangar, she ignored the shuttle prepared for her and walked over to one of the Valiant-class starfighters. She popped open the cockpit and boarded the craft. After punching a few buttons, the engines began to whine, and the starfighter shot out of the bay. Lexa guided the fighter into a downward trajectory, entering coordinates for a spaceport into a panel. The starfighter re-angled and shot down through the atmosphere. Lexa re-took control as the spaceport came into sight. She guided the craft into the hangar, landing on the pad closest to the exit into the city. As she popped the cockpit, an annoyed maintenance worker bustled over.  

 "No flight plan and you didn't even signal the tower? What were you thinking?" he said. Lexa decided to leave the hatch partially closed, so the maintenance worker couldn't see who she was.

"Now you won't even acknowledge me, you son of a..." he started to say, as Lexa stood up, using the Force to completely open the cockpit.

"Are you sure you want to finish that sentence?" Lexa said.

"Oh, oh, I apologize, Darth Heda," he said, dropping to his knees. "It is completely acceptable for, um, this." the worker finished, gesturing to Lexa's starfighter.

"Get up," Lexa said. "Refuel my starfighter and prepare it for my return."

"Yes, Darth Heda." Lexa stepped down from the starfighter's wing and exited the spaceport, pulling her hood up as she walked. Lexa soon arrived at the council chambers, ready to deliver her report from Taris. As she stepped in, the Dark Council filed in, taking their seats. Lexa lowered her hood, clasping her hands behind her back.

"Report," Darth Marr said.

"Yes, Lord Marr," Lexa responded. "The Republic has been driven off Taris. The remainder of my troops are sweeping the planet, taking out resistance."

"Very good, Darth Heda," Darth Marr said. "Now, to discuss our advance. Now that we have taken Taris, we can set our plan into motion. Darth Decimus?"

"Thank you, Lord Marr," Decimus replied. "As we discussed last meeting, our spies hidden in the Jedi Order have been placed on key planets, in the positions of commanders and generals. We have people on Corellia, Balmorra, and even Tython itself. We will tear them apart when our forces engage. Darth Heda, you will be leading the strike on Corellia from the Imperial side."

"I will leave at once," Lexa answered, then turned to leave the council chambers. When the door slid shut with a hiss, Lexa let out an imperceptible sigh.

"I have to let Clarke know," Lexa thought. "They need to prepare, even if it exposes our plan." Lexa slipped into a side room and pulled out her holocomm. She pushed a couple buttons, which fed the comm relay through her dreadnaught and towards the Core Worlds. Clarke picked up on the first beep.

"Lexa?" Clarke asked. "What are you doing?!"

"Shut up and listen," Lexa said. "The Sith are planning an imminent attack on key Republic worlds. You have to warn the Jedi Council."

"What? Wait, back up a bit-"Clarke was cut off by Lexa.

"Just tell them. Please."

A soldier propped his feet up on the security desk, taking a bite out of his sandwich.

"This must be the most boring job in the Empire," he thought, as a red node started flashing on the console in front of him. All thoughts of food forgotten, he tapped the screen and a holocomm message popped up on it. Nothing unusual, except.... The person was talking to a Jedi?! The soldier clicked a few more keys, alerting the Citadel guards and delivering the location of the saboteur to them.

"Just tell them. Please." Lexa said.

"Alright, Lexa. You know what you're doing." Clarke said. As she was about to hang up, Clarke saw Lexa's head whip around. An armored person broke down the door, pointing a blaster at Lexa.

"You are under arrest. Place your lightsaber on the floor and hold out your hands." the soldier said. Lexa shut off the holocomm, and Clarke could see no more.

"Lexa," she whispered. Clarke snapped out of her reverie in a few seconds. Placing her holocomm back in her pocket, Clarke hurried back to the Council chambers. When she got there, the door slid open.

"Yes, Clarke?" Master Kane said when she stepped into the room. Clarke did not say anything. Instead, she played the recording from Lexa. When it was finished, the council was silent for a couple moments.

"So, you mean to tell us," Master Jaha started. "That you and Lexa Woods have infiltrated the Sith Empire on the highest levels, after faking her death, and now she has been caught in the act. Is that correct?"

"Yes, Master," Clarke replied. "And I will accept any punishment you deem fit for this, but please help me rescue Lexa first."

"We cannot help you in any official way, due to the fact that it would look like we are condoning this action. However, we can secure supplies and possibly a starship for you," Master Griffin said.

"Thank you, masters," Clarke said, bowing. When she walked out of the room she thought,

"I'm coming, Lexa."

Clarke glanced around the hangar. There were a few droids around, but they weren't a problem. Clarke nodded to Lexa. Almost simultaneously, the two stunned the droids around the hangar. They ran over to a starship. Clarke disconnected a panel and started working with the wiring inside.

"Hurry up, Clarke," Lexa urged. "Someone could come at any moment!"

"Well, do you wanna do this?" Clarke mumbled. Suddenly, the wires sparked and the ramp lowered- about a foot.

"Remind me again why we're not using the Force?" Lexa asked.

"Because if the cameras in here happen to reactivate, this needs to look like a regular theft," Clarke explained. The wires sparked again, and the ramp lowered all the way.

"Got it!" Clarke exclaimed. "Alright, you remember the plan, right?"

"Yeah," Lexa said. "I use this ship to get to a planet where the Sith are picking up new recruits. Get through the Academy and relay information to you, and you slip it to the Republic."

"Good luck, Lexa," Clarke said. "May we meet again."

"May we meet again," Lexa echoed. They two Jedi stood there in silence for a few minutes, when suddenly Lexa moved forward and kissed Clarke. Clarke was surprised, but after a second, she kissed back.

"Goodbye, Clarke," Lexa said after pulling away. Lexa boarded the ship and closed the boarding ramp. The ship's engines began to whine, and the ship shot out of the hangar, leaving Clarke staring wistfully after it.

The torrent of lightning stopped, but Lexa still shook. The Dark Council had handed her over to Darth Nia, one of the most notorious Sith Lords because of what she did to captured Jedi. After the last bit of lightning had subsided, Lexa's head slumped to the side. Nia had been shocking her almost non-stop since she was secured and Lexa had no idea why she was stopping.

"I can feel the hate flowing through you," she said. Lexa was exhausted and paid Nia no attention.

"This is but a taste of the dark side," Nia continued, now pacing around the room. "You want more. Just give in, and I can instruct in the ways of the Force, the way it was meant to be taught."

"Don't... you have... an apprentice?" Lexa questioned. "What about her?"

"Oh, she is worthless. Nothing compared to your power," Darth Nia responded.

"Screw... you," Lexa spat.

"Very well, we will continue," Nia said and continued her attack.

Clarke adjusted her approach vector slightly. She would have to time this perfectly. She had learned that the Sith had transferred Lexa to Darth Nia's flagship. Clarke's stomach tightened when she thought about it. She had heard horrific stories of what Nia did to the captives on her ship. Clarke shook her head to clear these thoughts. She, of course, could take out the troops stationed on the relatively small cruiser, but she would prefer not to. As the engines were about to fire, Clarke rebooted her systems and her ship shot under the massive boosters. Clarke guided the small starfighter into a small hangar on the lower level of the cruiser. The starfighter landed and Clarke jumped out, taking out a small blaster. She had brought her lightsaber, but it might attract a bit too much attention. Clarke extended her thoughts into the Force, searching for Lexa. She soon found her. The thoughts were very weak, which worried Clarke. She started to move through the ship, pausing every so often to make sure she wasn't followed. Eventually, she arrived in a circular chamber with a holotable in the middle. Another door slid open about 10 feet in front of her. A dark-robed individual stepped through, their head turned around. Clarke raised her blaster, aiming for the head. She squeezed the trigger, the blaster bolt flying through the air. But before it could strike its target, the figure held up a hand and the bolt froze in midair. The person turned around and gestured. The blaster flew out of Clarke's hand, skittering to the floor. Clarke reached under her cloak and drew out her lightsaber hilt. The Sith, for it was a Sith, proven by the black lightsaber hilt in the person's hand. The two combatants dropped their cloaks, revealing that the opposing figure was Ontari, Darth Nia's apprentice and former Padawan at the Temple. The two ignited their light sabers. Ontari leaped at Clarke, hissing

"Jedi!" Ontari brought up her saber for an overhand strike, and Clarke parried, the collision of the blades sending them both stumbling back. Ontari quickly attacked again, stabbing her saber forward. Clarke easily sidestepped, bringing her own blade down on Ontari's. The stroke caused Ontari's lightsaber to spring out of her hand, dropping to the floor.

"Shame you couldn't keep up with me," Clarke mocked, bringing the hilt of her lightsaber into the side of Ontari's head. Ontari slumped to the ground. Clarke extinguished her lightsaber and hooked it back onto her belt. She saw no point in retrieving her blaster. She had just fought a battle with a Sith. Clarke strode through the door Ontari came through, continuing to search for Lexa

-----------------------------------

Clarke searched through the prison block, searching for the high-security cell. She found it and saw Lexa, with her head lolling to the side. Clarke sliced through the locking mechanism and rushed over to Lexa's side, undoing the restraints. Lexa's body was riddled with lightning burns. Clarke, however, had no time to worry about them at the moment. She scooped Lexa up, slinging one of the unconscious girl's arms over her shoulders. At that moment, Lexa started to wake up.

"Hey Lexa," Clarke said. "It's okay, you're safe." Lexa didn't respond, either too hurt or she just didn't hear Clarke. As soon as the two made it out of the cell block, Darth Nia appeared.

"Of course," Clarke thought. "This couldn't be easy, could it?" Nia observed the scene for a second, and then Force pulled Lexa towards her. Lexa had fully awoken by then and was startled by the sudden change in her position. Nia waved a hand, saying

"You will fight the Jedi." Lexa's body language changed almost instantly, straightening up. Nia handed Lexa her lightsaber, and the red blade blazed up, crackling.

"No, Lexa, please..." Clarke whispered. It wasn't until Lexa sprang at her that Clarke brought up her lightsaber to block the attack. Lexa continued to swing her saber in quick, controlled strikes. It was all Clarke could do to parry them. After a few seconds of this, Lexa threw Clarke into the wall with the Force, knocking the wind out of her. As she stood up, she said

"Lexa, please, I don't want to hurt you. Just stop." Lexa's only response was a growl, as she sprang at Clarke again. This time, Lexa was more acrobatic, flipping over and around Clarke. Clarke was getting tired quickly. Clarke reluctantly thrust out her hand, flinging Lexa into a wall, much like was done to her a few minutes.

"Lexa, please, don't do this to yourself," Clarke said as Lexa forced herself up. "Please just stop." Lexa used the Force to bring her lightsaber back into her hand, igniting it as soon as it slapped into her palm.

"Lexa, please, don't make me hurt you," Clarke pleaded. Lexa took a step forward and Clarke wearily readied her lightsaber.

"Lexa, I don't want to do this. I know you don't want to," Clarke said. Lexa stopped mid-step, shaking her head as if to clear it. Lexa stood like that for a few moments, before her knees buckled. Clarke raced over, dropping her lightsaber as she caught Lexa as she fell.

"It's okay," Clarke said, repeating her words from before. "It's okay, you're safe." Lexa's emerald eyes blinked open, taking in her surroundings.

"Clarke?' she asked in a soft voice, confused. Clarke then heard footfalls outside the door. Nia had reentered the room to see the two Jedi both very much alive. Nia screamed in rage, pulling Lexa's discarded lightsaber from the floor to her hand. Nia screamed in rage, pulling Lexa's discarded lightsaber from the floor to her hand. She ignited it, swinging at the two Jedi. Clarke dodged, pulling Lexa with her. Clarke stood up, recalling her lightsaber to her hand and activated it, the blue blade meeting the red one in a shower of sparks. While Clarke was deflecting Nia's blows, Lexa was fiddling with the second lightsaber on her belt. Once she finished, she stood up, albeit shakily, and ignited her own blade, the now green blade springing to life. As Lexa slowly advanced, Nia was beating Clarke. The blonde was driven back more and more with each stroke. Lexa raised her saber to strike Nia, but was surprised when the Sith whirled around and parried the blow, slamming her boot into the side of Clarke's head as she did so. Clarke crumpled to the ground, her saber extinguishing as it hit the floor. The Sith then advanced on Lexa. Lexa, however, was ready. As Nia swung her blade, Lexa ducked under, sending her own lightsaber plunging into the Sith's knee. Nia howled in pain, dropping to her other knee. Nia still was fighting, however. As Lexa brought her saber down swiftly to end Nia's existence, Nia brought her lightsaber up forcefully, knocking Lexa's blade out of her hand. It fell to the floor. While Nia laughed as she forced herself up, Lexa backed up.

"After I kill you," Nia taunted, limping towards the Jedi. "I'll kill your friend over there. Or I could make you watch! That would be fun!" Nia laughed maniacally.

"I've had just about enough from you," Lexa said, anger tinting her voice. "You will not hurt Clarke ever again!" Lexa spread her hands and lightning began crackling through her fingers. She floated a few inches off the ground. Nia simply stood there, amazed by the display of power from the brunette. Lexa lifted her hands and torrents of lightning came down on Nia, frying her alive. As the Sith screamed, Lexa collapsed to the ground. She soon got up, rushing over to Clarke.

"Hey Clarke," Lexa said as Clarke stirred. "We did it."

"Yeah we did," Clarke replied. Lexa leaned down and kissed Clarke. It was long and slow, with both of them pouring all their feelings into it. When they finally pulled apart for oxygen, Clarke sat up and let her forehead rest against Lexa's.

"I love you, Lexa," Clarke said softly. Lexa was quiet for a few moments, before responding,

"I love you too, Clarke."

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update! A lot has been going on in my life, so I haven't found much time to write. But I wanted to get this one up today for a particular reason.

Today, the day of this being published, is November 3rd, 2016. And that means it has been eight months since Lexa died. She will never be forgotten, and lives on in fanworks. I never really saluted her, so here's mine, although a bit late.

Yu gonplei ste odon, Heda. 

See you all next chapter!