Sascha stood panting and out of breath on the deck of the
Defiant. With a great deal of pain and effort, she had hauled herself
up the rope from the ground, and was now watching the battle from
above. To her great displeasure, she saw that her troops were taking
heavy losses. Lore was the only one who was doing any real
damage; the rest of the Empire's minions were busy fighting for
their lives.

     "Damn." Who had tipped the Thamasans off, anyway? If she ever
found the weasel... To add to her bad mood, the bandage that Connor
had put on her shoulder had come off, and the wound was bleeding
again. She would have to get it looked after by a medic if she didn't
want it to get infected.

     She lifted her eyes to the sky, and saw a small object flying
towards her flagship. It was swift and sleek, and looked like a
miniature version of the Defiant itself. 'A runner craft,' Sascha
thought to herself. The ship drew closer, until it landed on the deck.
General McArthur stepped from a door in its hull, looking relieved to
be free of its close quarters. He gave a quick bow before he began
speaking.

     "My Lady," he began, "Lord Akfek sends orders that we are to
withdraw."

     "Withdraw?" Certainly, things were not going their way just now,
but the tide could easily be turned. A few reinforcements, and...
"What do you mean, withdraw?" She was incredulous. "These impertinent
rebels can still be crushed _here_! We simply need a few more men,
and..."

     "No, my Lady," said McArthur. "His orders were quite explicit."

     Sascha slapped him hard across the face, sending pain shooting
down her arm. This, however, only served to enrage her further. "How
DARE you interrupt me!" she yelled, venting her anger on the
unfortunate bearer of bad news.  McArthur flushed in humiliation and
embarrassment, and lowered his gaze to the deck.

     "I'm dreadfully sorry my Lady. But Lord Akfek wishes to limit
our losses here, while we prepare for attacks on Jidoor and
Kohlingen."

     At this, Sascha calmed a bit, and raised an eyebrow. "Jidoor?"
The purpose of retaking Kohlingen was obvious; they could not let the
Returners walk away with their town like that... but why Jidoor?

     "Lord Akfek has learned that the Returner base is located
there."

     "How very interesting." Sascha tugged at her lip thoughtfully.
"Well then. It would appear we must go back to Doma. Order the other
ships to cloak immediately. I assume we are leaving Lore behind?"

     "Yes, my Lady," answered the General. "To destroy as many rebels
as he can."

     "One more thing. Before we depart, drop all our remaining bombs
on the town." McArthur nodded, and Sascha grinned viciously.

     She looked down on the town below, holding her wounded shoulder.
The Imperial troops were withdrawing to their ships, but Lore was
still rampaging across the ruined settlement, flinging bodies of
Thamasans and Returners every which way. "He seems to be doing a
fairly decent job..." The day would not be a TOTAL loss, then.
Turning to a low-ranking officer, she ordered the flagship cloaked,
and stood pensive as the familiar aura of magic enveloped the
Defiant. She couldn't wait to hear what Akfek had in store for the
rebels...

*         *         *         *         *

     A few hours later, the second-in-command of the new Empire
strode purposefully down the main corridor of Doma Castle. She
approached the door to the throne room, and pushed it open.

     "So," she began as the door swung open, "what is so important in
Jidoor that we leave Thamasa to the... Returners...?" She paused as
she saw Akfek. He had, apparently, opted for a change of wardrobe,
and seemed to be wearing his brother's old clothing, right down to
the feathered hat. Sascha had only seen Kefka once, when he had
stopped at their inn on the way to Figaro, but she remembered him
well enough to note the striking resemblance between him and Akfek.
It was... eerie. "What's with the clothes?"

     He rose from the throne he had been sitting in and looked at his
compatriot. "I felt a change of attire would be fitting for my new
station."

     Sascha had to admit that he certainly made an imposing figure.
"It... suits you," she said. He dismissed her comment with a wave of
his hand.

     "You were speaking of Jidoor. We have captured a Returner spy
who has told us of their base there. We intend to attack it, and put
a stop to this rebel nonsense once and for all. We will crush them
when they least expect it!" He slammed his fist into his palm for
emphasis. "Cid has even invented some new machines to deal with the
Returner fools. I have seen them, and they are quite... impressive."
Akfek grinned evilly.

     Sascha's smile mirrored his. "So... when will this great battle
take place?"

     "Soon, Sascha, very soon...."

*         *         *         *         *

     It was three o'clock in the morning, and the stars were shining
brightly over the Castle of Doma.  A casual observer might have
thought it a peaceful pastoral scene... but appearances can be
deceiving.

     In the castle's great hall, Lady Sascha DelAubre, known to some
as Sascha the Beast, was pondering the upcoming attack. She wondered
how many rebels were in the base. They had surely increased in number
since the Empire's loss of Kohlingen. There were also the Figarans to
contend with. Even though they would be vastly outnumbered, they were
by no means incompetent farmers... but perhaps (maybe with a little
help from Shade) they could be persuaded to join the Imperial
Forces... and if not, well, it would be their loss. Sascha did not
intend to lose this battle; she would take as many troops as she
could muster, and all the airships that were not needed at Kohlingen.
In addition, she had her own sword and magic, which she intended to
use to the best of her abilities.

     Then a thought struck her. The liberation of Kohlingen. The
rebels gaining in strength. Could Merine be among their numbers? Her
forehead creased with perplexion. She DID remember an intelligence
report talking about a red-haired rebel leader... could it be Merine?
She couldn't allow her friend to perish in the attack... but she
couldn't drop the fight! Sascha began to pace. What to do, what to
do? A message. She would have to get a message to Merine. She
scrounged up a piece of paper and a plume, and scribbled a few lines.
Then she rolled up the paper and tied it with a green ribbon she'd
had in the pack she'd originally brought from Kohlingen.

     "Lieutenant Oliver!" she called to a young officer who was
standing by. "Take one of the runner craft and take this to the rebel
base in Jidoor. Make sure you are not seen..."

     As the soldier walked out, she began to pace anxiously back and
forth across the room. She could only hope that Merine would listen
to reason...