Since the reformation of the Jedi Council under Master Luke Skywalker, a group of elite Jedi was assembled to conduct missions outside the normal expanse of Jedi operations. Known as the Ranger Corps, they are few in number, never numbering more than fifty at a time. Armed with lightsabers and an array of blasters, they are sent in as search and rescue teams or used for recovery missions to retrieve lost or stolen items. Always up for the challenge, the group has, for last six years, been led by three highly decorated Jedi: Kendor Nishio, Mace Rannick and Zadok Starfire. These are some of the stories from this elite group, and while many of their deeds are kept secret, some have slipped out into public knowledge...

"You okay, Mister?" The voice talking seemed far away, but in the hazy light

above him, he could see a face peering at him. His eyes struggled to adjust to

the light, but refused to focus.

He could tell he was on some kind of mattress, and everything hurt. But none

more-so than his left knee.

"Where am I? Who are you?"

"My name's Kitt. You're in my parent's home. Who are you? You look like a

Jedi. Are you a Jedi? Or did you kill one and take his sword?"

He could tell now his interrogator was a young boy. He stretched out with the

Force and assessed his injuries.

His knee felt like it had been shattered and it hurt like a Bantha to move it.

He looked around the room. Everything was still out of focus but he saw that

his utility belt was the only thing besides his boots and duster that were on

the other side of the room.

Kitt waved his hand in front of the Jedi's face. "Yoo-hoo! What's your name?"

"Kendor," he replied. "What happened to me?"

"Don't know. Woke up this morning, and there you were lying in my bedroom. Are

you a Jedi?"

"Yeah, kid, I am. Now, why don't you get your mom or dad to help me out here."

"My mom's dead. She was killed in the fighting."

"What fighting?"

"What fighting?" Kendor asked, sitting up on his elbows, willing the pain to leave his battered body.

"The same fighting that brought you here," Kitt replied.

"You just said you didn't know how I got here."

"In my bedroom, yes. But you were brought here yesterday by some local militiamen fighting off the enemy."

"What planet am I on? Where are my friends?"

"You're on Tatooine, Kendor. As for your friends, I have no clue."

Kendor nodded. What in the galaxy was he doing on Tatooine? Where was the rest of his Ranger team?

As his vision finally cleared, a tall, lanky man dressed in a dark brown robe walked into the room with a cup of water and some food.

"I see you are awake, Jedi," he said with a half-smile. "How do you feel, Son?" The man asked, setting the food and water by Kendor's

bed.

"I think I shattered my knee, sir," he replied. "Where are my friends?"

"I don't know," the man replied slowly. "You were injured in a blast near Toshe Station. We saw no one else with a Jedi weapon except you. Do you remember anything?"

"Can't say I do. The last thing I remember was being at the Jedi Temple on Yavin 4."

The man frowned. He thought for a long moment and then left the room.

A few minutes later, he returned with a device Kendor had never seem before. The man place it over his shattered knee and flipped a small switch.

A low hum filled the air and an intense heat came over his knee and he willed himself to block the pain. But the device was healing his kneecap, and surprisingly quickly to boot.

It was over in a few minutes. A soft click indicated the machine had completed its job and the man removed it.

"How does that feel?" the man asked.

Kendor gingerly tested his knee. He was able to bend it all the way and not feel anything.

"Looks good," he commented.

"What's your name, Son?"

"Kendor Nishio."

"Nishio? I know that name. You any relation to Beger Nishio?"

"Yes sir. My uncle on my father's side. Never met him, though. I left Coruscant to become a Jedi when I was four or five."

"My name's Rayler Wetstone. You've already met Kitt."

"I heard your wife was killed in the battle that injured me. I'm sorry to hear that."

"Thank you, Kendor. But it's nice that someone other than my son and I care. Most people ignored the pleas for an armed garrison to oppose the Hutts. They've got their spies and cronies everywhere. Tala died in a shootout with some Bothan henchmen - and she wasn't even armed!"

Tears welled up in his eyes. Kitt hugged his father. Something about the mention of an unarmed woman and the Bothans triggered a quick flash of memory. In that split-second, he could see a young woman fall to the ground, dying. He shook off the memory, and asked to see his utility belt.

Mace Rannick, Zadok Starfire and Ilam Kolar wandered the streets of Anchorhead, trying to find the address they had been given.

"We're going in circles, Mace," Ilam said, taking note of the same market stall for the third time.

"He's right," Zadok affirmed.

"It's here, fellas," Mace assured them. "We're just missing it somehow."

"What was the building number again?" Ilam asked.

"1138," Mace responded. He checked the building numbers on the block. 1134, 35,36,37, 39... "It should be right here, guys," he said, pointing to the buildings across from them. "1137, then 1139."

A glint of something caught Ilam's eye. It was situated between the two buildings in the back of a tiny alleyway.

"I think I found it," Ilam said, starting to cross the road. The others followed close behind.

Deep inside the inner sanctum of Nobo the Hutt's lair, the fat slug feasted on a smorgasbord of delicacies delivered from his homeworld, Nal Hutta. He was a cousin of the late Jabba the Hutt, who had died at the hands of Princess Leia Organa Solo some twenty-five years earlier.

"Where is Skadd?" the slug asked.

"He hasn't reported back, Nobo," his top lieutenant, Tinox, a twin-mouthed Vagaari warrior, said in Huttese.

Nobo nodded his large head, then reached out with a stubby arm and grabbed the Vagaari. Tinox was yanked forward, close to the Hutt's foul-smelling face.

"Find him!" the slug bellowed.

"Y-yes, Nobo!" Tinox managed, trying not to choke on the odor of his boss' breath.

The Hutt shoved him backwards, and the Vagaari moved quickly to the door.

In the alley, the Jedi stopped walking as the front door opened and an alien came flying outside. They stepped back into the shadows, and as the alien ran past, Zadok grabbed him and yanked him back.

"Going somewhere, Tinox?" Mace said, looking at the twin mouths in weird fascination.

"What do you guys want with me?" he stammered.

"We need info, Tinox," Zadok said.

"Like what?"

"Like is your scumbag boss inside?" Ilam replied.

His eyes frantically looking around, Tinox sought an escape route. But the Jedi had him trapped.

"N-no, he's not," he said.

"LIAR!" Zadok roared. He slammed the alien's face against the duracrete wall. "Where is he?"

"Okay!" Tinox cried. "He's in there. He sent me to look for the bounty hunter he hired that never came back!"

"Give us a name," Mace said, getting real close to the Vagaari's face.

"Sk-Skadd," Tinox said. "His name's Skadd!"

The three men looked at each other. They knew who Skadd Wernox was.

Skadd worked his way through the city, following the tracking signal that was emanating from that Jedi he'd managed to wound the day before. The signal pointed to the edge of the city, and that's where he was going. His helmet's display showed him the layout of Anchorhead and the routes through the buildings. It didn't help that his Mandalorian armor made him stand out in a crowd, but that was okay - locals knew not to mess with him. He worked his way down the back alleyways and eventually found the home the hits were coming from.

Inside the home, Kendor was his feet, his boots on. Kitt was handing him the belt when he noticed a small device on the blaster's holster.

"Hey," he said. "What's this?"

"Let me see," Kendor said, reaching for his belt.

The device was instantly recognizable. It was a Mandalorian tracking device, and he had to get rid of it immediately.

"Where's your back door?" Kendor asked, rushing out of the room.

"Last door on the hallway!" Kitt shouted to him.

He found the door quickly, and flung it open. Running outside, he chucked the tracker as hard as he could, using the Force to send it a kilometer away.

Skadd stopped in his tracks as he was about to break into the hovel. The tracker was suddenly nowhere near the home, but now a kilometer away. The eyepiece that was pointing up at the moment on his helmet came down over his eye and scanned the home. Only one occupant was visible. He turned his attention back to the tracker's signal and went off after it.

The break-in was sudden, and it took Nobo a moment to regain his composure. Three men in black stood in his hide-out, with Tinox splayed out on the floor, coughing from his sudden impact to the ground. He moved slowly, trying to catch his breath.

"Who in the galaxy are you?" the Hutt demanded in Basic.

"Oh, just some friendly neighborhood trash collectors," Zadok said, a grin creeping across his lips.

Four Bothans with blaster rifles suddenly came out of a nearby room, and the Jedi drew their lightsabers. There were three snap-hisses as the lightsabers came to life.

"Get them, you fools!" Nobo roared. "Kill the Jedi!"

The Jedi fanned out into the room, circling the shaggy gunmen. The Bothans looked unsure of what to do next. One threw his weapon to the ground and ran. The others opened fire, and each blaster bolt was deflected back at the shooter. In the blink of an eye, the fight was over.

"You're time's up, Sluggo," Mace said, pointing his blade at the Hutt.

"Are you sure, Jedi?" Nobo replied. "You forget... this is my domain!"

He hit a button on the table beside him, and suddenly, a noxious gas began pouring out of vents around the room.

"Gas!" Ilam said. They took deep breaths and drew their blasters.

The Hutt laughed. He'd released a toxic gas that was found only on Nal Hutta and only the Hutts were immune to its effects. The Jedi realized too late that holding their breaths wouldn't stop the effects of the gas. They began to feel extremely dizzy and nauseous. Their lightsabers suddenly shorted out and the beams disappeared. They were soon unconscious, splayed out on the floor like Tinox was.

The last thing any of them heard was the Hutt's deep laugh.

Kendor felt a tremor in the Force as his friends went unconscious. He also realized something bad was about to happen to Rayler and Kitt.

"We have to go! Right now!" he called, racing back into the home and whipping out his lightsaber.

"Why? What's wrong?" Rayler demanded.

"We're about to have company!" Kendor replied.

A sudden explosion at the rear of the hovel sent duracrete and plaster chunks flying through the home. Kendor ignited the lightsaber and turned to face the Mandalorian standing in the dust and sunlight.

"Thought you could outsmart me, eh, Jedi?" Skadd snarled. "Nice try."

"It was worth a shot," the Jedi replied.

Skadd fired a trio of blaster bolts at Rayler and Kitt as they ran for the front door. Kendor slashed all three away, the third being directed back at the shooter. Skadd shoulder-rolled deeper inside, bringing his weapon to bear on Kendor's torso and fired again. Again, Kendor deflected the shots.

The bounty hunter growled as he popped to his feet. Using the Force, Kendor wrenched the blaster from Skadd's grip, and hurled it across the room. No matter. Skadd had two backup blasters strapped to his legs, and he whipped them out, almost fast enough that Kendor missed it. But he reached out with the Force again, and this time, began choking the masked bounty hunter.

"Let 'em go, Mando," Kendor said. The two blasters clattered to the ground. "What are you doing chasing me?"

"There's a bounty on the head of Kendor Nishio," the Mandalorian choked out.

"Why?"

"B-because he helped kill Nobo the Hutt's father! Nobo wants his revenge!"

"You can tell Nobo that I'm coming for him, and hell is coming with me!" Kendor hissed. He released his Force-choke and the deflated hunter ran.

Tenshi stood naked in the dimly lit bedroom, her back turned to Mace. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight to him. She leaned her head back, resting it against his chest. He nestled his face in her shoulder and kissed her neck.

"We can't do this here," she said, pulling away and turned to him.

He looked in her eyes, but something was wrong. Mace looked in horror as he saw it. Her eyes were reptilian, her skin a sick green. He backed away, his hand reaching for his lightsaber. It wasn't there. Neither was his blaster.

"What's wrong, lover?" she asked, her voice becoming a raspy hiss.

She suddenly lunged at him, and slammed into his chest, knocking him flat on his back. Her tongue flicked in and out of her mouth, and she licked his face. She pulled her head back and he could see her teeth had become fangs. She drove her face towards his and he screamed.

"Mace! Wake up!"

Zadok's voice floated around in Mace's head as he sat upright, panting. He cried out, grabbing Zadok's duster with both hands and pushing him back. Sliding backwards, Mace shot to the wall, smacking his head against the duracrete.

"Ow!" he yelled, holding his head with both hands, forcing the pain away. "Oh, Sithspit!"

He tilted over, his head spinning. Ilam dropped down beside him, and helped him sit up.

"Man, you were having a dream."

"Dream my backside," Mace responded. "That was a nightmare!"

He let the dizziness wear off, and Mace used the wall to help him stand. Ilam helped him stand. Zadok stood by the bars, working his left hand up the right sleeve. He extracted a small torch-pen from a hidden pocket and set to work cutting the lock off the cell door.

It took only a minute for him to finish cutting the lock off the door and soon, the three Jedi were working their way through the labyrinth of a basement.

As they moved through the dimly lit hallway, they heard a soft whimper coming from somewhere ahead of them. They also felt the Force emanating from whoever was down there. They slid silently down the hall, using their extra-sharp senses to locate the being down the way.

After almost a standard half-hour, the three Jedi found themselves facing another cell. A shadowy figure sat huddled in the corner, crying softly. She heard them approach and looked up. She was filthy, her hair hanging over her face. She lifted her face to them, and pulled some of her hair from her face with her left hand, revealing the soft curves of her cheek and chin.

"Hey, there," Zadok said, pulling the torch-pen from his belt.

She seemed to cower a bit more as he began cutting the lock off the door. They heard chains rattle as she moved.

"Who-who are you?" she asked as Ilam and Mace approached her. Zadok stood near the door, watching the hall behind them.

"Jedi," Ilam replied, looking at the chains binding her hands. "Torch!" he said to Zadok. The later tossed him the torch. He cut the chain at the base where it attached to the wall, and then unstrung the hastily-tied chain.

"What's your name?" Mace asked, moving the rest of the hair from her face. She was beautiful. He wiped some of the grime from her face. There was something oddly familiar about her.

"Kayla," she replied. "Kayla Dolvan. I'm one of you."

Ilam looked at Mace, who had suddenly recognized her. She was a Jedi apprentice, who, some ten years before, disappeared from her Master while on a mission to Tatooine. She had been only fifteen then. Her holopic had been displayed in the library at the Temple. Mace had passed it many times over the years. He had the image ingrained in his mind. Her fierce green eyes had burned themselves into his brain. Secretly, he had wondered what she was like. She was never someone he'd met, but he had a feeling they would meet one day.

"Kayla," Mace said. "We've been wondering where you've been for the last ten years." He smiled, and it seemed to put her at ease.

Then, the two Jedi slipped their arms under hers and slowly lifted her up. She was incredibly frail and malnourished. Mace lifted her into his arms and Ilam joined Zadok at the door.

"Something's not right here, Mace," Zadok said uneasily.

"What do you mean?" Mace asked.

"I mean about this basement. It's a circular hallway, with no doors."

"What?" Mace said, looking around. He had been so focused on finding the source of the crying that he hadn't paid much attention to the route. "You sure?"

"Yeah, man. If there's a door, then it's hidden in the walls. Do you still have that small glow rod in your boot?"

Mace thought for a long moment. He had completely forgotten about it. He nodded.

"Left one. Inside seam."

Zadok dropped down and reached into Mace's left boot. He produced a small glow rod that he clicked on. He worked his way along the inside track wall and found a crack in the brick. After working the laser along the seam of the crack, he found the doorway they had been looking for.

"This way, my friends," he said with a wave of his hand.

The stairs wound their way up into a huge anteroom that was lavishly furnished. It was a stroke of luck that the Hutt had decided to display their weapons and belts in this room as trophies. There was also a lone lightsaber that had to have been Kayla's.

They grabbed their weapons and Zadok held Kayla as Mace put on his belt and snapped his holster around his leg. Ilam slid Kayla's lightsaber into his belt and held his own at the ready. Zadok led the way, looking for any sort of way out.

As they moved down one of the decorated corridors, Nobo was waiting with a number of battle droids.

"Stop!" the Hutt shouted.

"Sorry!" Zadok shot back. "No time!" He fired his blaster and killed the Hutt and two droids with precise shots.

Kendor moved quickly through the city, and, having been told what to look for, soon spotted Nobo's hideout. He drew his blaster and deftly moved to the door. As he reached for the latch to open it, the metal door slid open and the sounds of blaster fire filled his ears.

"Let's get the hell out of here!" he heard someone shout from inside.

He stepped through the door as Mace came charging around a corner to Kendor's left, carrying some ragged-looking girl in his arms. Zadok and Ilam were firing their blasters as they chugged around the corner.

"Outside!" Mace yelled. "Now!"

Kendor followed him outside, and Zadok and Ilam were close behind. They ran to the street as blaster bolts whizzed past them. Ilam fired several shots as he spun around the corner to follow his friends.

"Bantha-breath!" Zadok wheezed, gasping for air. Their lungs burned from the long run. Kendor was the only one not panting.

"Where the Force have you been?" Mace looked at Kendor as he spoke.

"In some man's home," the other replied. "He said I was wounded in some street fight. What are we doing here. Mace? I don't remember anything."

"We came to take down Nobo the Hutt," Zadok said. "Looks like we did…. only we stirred up a Wampa's nest. We need to get off this rock quickly."

"Then I suggest we go!" Mace said.

They headed for the spaceport and the Whiplash. As they neared the spaceport, they were suddenly confronted by Skadd as he dropped down right in front of them.

"Skadd!" Ilam called.

"You're not going anywhere, Jedi!" the bounty hunter said, leveling his blaster rifle at them.

Zadok, Ilam and Kendor ignited their lightsabers and Skadd opened fire. They deftly deflected the blaster bolts as they pushed forward, and rather than let the bolts take him down, Skadd ignited his rocket pack and shot skyward.

The rest of the run to the Whiplash went smoothly, and Zadok got the ship fired up and roaring skyward. After a tense ten minutes, they were out of Tatooine's atmosphere and Ilam plotted the jump coordinates for Yavin 4.

Two days later, Kayla was resting comfortably in the medical wing of the Jedi Temple. Mace and Zadok visited her several times, and she seemed to be recovering well.

"Thank you, guys," she said during their first visit.

"We were just lucky to find you," Mace admitted. "No one knew where you were."

She took his hand, and smiled.

"You just rest, Kayla. We'll see you soon."

She gave them hugs and they left her to sleep. No one knew it at the time, but her return would spark a manhunt that would span several worlds, and lead to many deaths…..