I coughed in the blackness and then lay still. What happened? I wondered, feeling something heavy pinning my legs down. If I lay quite still, it didn't hurt, but who wants to lie still when you don't know which of your friends are dead or alive?

I called out in a halting, broken voice. No reply. There's no one left, the thought made me shiver and I tugged my torn green jacket tighter around me. I shook my head, there has to be someone. Atton, Bao-dur, Visas, Brianna and- and Jacen... They can't all be dead, can they?

Suddenly, I heard a cry from the other side of the ship. I couldn't understand all of what the person was saying, but it was enough to know that I wasn't alone. I called back as loudly as I could. If someone was hurt, I wanted them to know that they were not the only one left alive.

A rustling beside me startled me. Bao-dur's light skin glowed in the dark and he spoke to me, "Mira, your legs are trapped. Do you think you can move if I lift this debris?"

"Sure, sure," I groaned, "just get it off of me."

Bao-dur tugged the debris off of me and I wiggled out awkwardly. He set it down and sat quietly for a moment. I coughed again, "uh, thanks Bao."

Bao-dur only nodded in reply. After a long while, he said, "Brianna's dead, Mira."

Brianna. The handmaiden. Not Brianna. Brianna's too strong to die. Where was her training? Not Brianna... My mind wouldn't let me believe it. What would Jacen say when he found out? Most likely he'd be too crushed to say anything.

"Visas." My mind groped to find something less terrible. "What about Visas? And Atton?"

"Atton's fine, I haven't found Visas yet."

"And the droids?"

"I shut T3 And HK-47 down. Goto and my remote are okay."

"So what happens now?"

"We wait for Jacen."

"Where's he gone?"

"I searched the ship, Jacen's gone."

"But you haven't searched Visas' quarters yet," I said, my green eyes focused on his shadowy figure.

"Can't. The doorway is covered with fallen beams. Can't lift 'em," Bao-dur replied, shifting on the hard, debris covered floor. "Besides, I don't think she's still alive."

"You can't know that."

"Mira, we're both Jedi, as Visas was. We both know how to sense one another through the force. You still feel her presence?"

I shook my head and lowered my eyes. They're both dead. Both the other girls. I'm alone with two backward men. I rubbed my face, and sighed. "So, ummm... Take me to Atton?"

"Think you can walk?"

"That's what force heal is for," I replied, gritting my teeth in concentration. I had never really mastered this technique like Jacen and Bao-dur had. I was much better at dominating minds. Mwa ha..

I stood up and followed Bao-dur to the back of the Ebon Hawk. Atton was there, sitting in between two fallen beams, meditating. I had never seen Atton meditate so.. deeply before. He was always in a rush, like me. But now, he merely nodded when we entered the room, without opening his eyes. I couldn't tell whether he was nodding to us, or someone.. somewhere.. in his medetation.

Bao-dur sat down beside him and motioned for me to sit, too. My knees cracked like Kreia's used to when I sat down. I sighed, the journey had not been good to me as it had been to Brianna...

I caught myself. Brianna was dead. The journey had killed her. I was really lucky. Even if my pride and joy of a red mane was dulling.

Bao-dur tapped my arm. I quickly bowed my head and tried to think soothing thoughts, even though I wanted to crush him. I sighed again, he'd always been such a mind reader. That was one thing I did not need right now. Hated it when he intruded on my private space.

Atton tapped my arm. My head jerked up and I looked at him, surprised. A tiny smile was jerking at the corners of his mouth. Great, now even the scoundrel was reading my thoughts. I sighed. Sighing was my job nowadays. Wait. Since when did the last five minutes become nowadays?

Okay, meditating wasn't going so well for me. Using all my power to block the movement of my hand from Atton's mind, I reached over and took out his pack of cards. He didn't notice. I rubbed my chilly fingers together excitedly. Maybe a game of solitary Pazaack would do me some good. I laid out my cards..

Halfway through the game, I happened to glance up. Atton was sitting there, grinning at me. I quickly gathered the cards. "Ummm..." I stammered, trying to think of what to say.

"Republic Senate rules?" Atton asked, taking the cards.

"You're on."

We played five games, Atton being the victor of three, while Bao-dur broke his meditation and watched disapprovingly. I turned up a 5, Atton an 8. I turned up a 9, Atton a 7. I turned up a 5. Rats.. 19 again. Oh well, maybe he'd go over... Atton turned over a 6. Much to my dismay, he also played his last card. A -1.

I ground my teeth. "Not fair..."

"You're getting better, Mira," he grinned, gathering up the cards. "You did beat me in two."

"Sure, sure," I grumbled, sticking my fists into my sides. Ouch. I winced. Maybe pushing on slightly bruised ribs wasn't such a good idea.

I jumped up and tugged my green mesh jacket to smooth the wrinkles out. Bao-Dur's face looked up at me, a concerned look in his eyes. "Where are you going, Mira?"

"I-" I stopped. I wanted to tell him where I was going. I wanted to tell him there was no point in just waiting for Jacen to return, that we had to go look for him. I wanted to tell him. But I just couldn't. I noticed for the first time that his flying contraption was gone. Missing.

I had always hated it anyway.

But he looked so alone. Lonely. His eyes were voids. I had never noticed what a part of him the little guy was. I had never known that he would be lost without it. I wished I had. Maybe I wouldn't have had so many impulses to destroy the little twerpish machine.

"Where's your remote?" I demanded. My voice cut through the still air. Too harsh. I tried to soften it. "Is it-"

"I sent it out after Jacen. He's going to put an end to this place."

"You mean you- you sacrificed him?"

"It is for the good of the galaxy."

I looked into his eyes. The voids. I didn't want to leave him like this...

But I had no choice.

I had to find Jacen.

"Bao-dur?" He looked up at me, something like tears swam in his alien eyes. "I have to go find Jacen. For the good of the galaxy."

He nodded. He understood. He wasn't going to try to stop me. I could have kissed him right then. But thank goodness I didn't...

I turned to Atton. His brown eyes were full of awe and respect.

"I never knew you had it in you," he said.

"Hey," I said, my voice all choked up, "I'm a bounty hunter."

He opened his arms and, without a second thought, I fell into them.

Nothing has ever felt as good as that embrace.

"Good-bye, hunter." He whispered in my ear.

"Good-bye, scoundrel."