"They've found us," Strigis exclaimed in a hushed yell, standing in the doorway of the Whitesun Clinic's basement.

Azla and Deak ceased their sparring. They stared at their master, frozen with fear. Strigis Jove, aged sixty-eight, was a human male with fair skin. He had a bald head, light-blue eyes, bushy grey brows and a matching beard. His face bore a look of dread and his tone of voice was urgent.

"How many?" Deak asked, unfreezing to deactivate his lightsaber. At the touch of a button, a blade of green energy disappeared into the silver and bronze cylindrical hilt clasped in his hands.

"Nine Imperial Death Troopers," Strigis replied.

Deak Starblazer, aged twenty-five, was the eldest apprentice. A human male with a light complexion, wavy dark brown hair, matching thick brows, hazel eyes, and a square jaw. Azla Yandulu, aged nineteen, was the youngest. A green-skinned mirialan female with dark magenta hair, deep blue eyes, and delicate facial features.

"I'll prep the speeder," Azla announced, extinguishing her own blue energy blade. The beam retracted in the silver cylinder she held.

"I'll wake R5," Deak added.

The two dashed out of the basement with their master and scrambled up the stairs.

The Whitesun Clinic was a private practice operated by the three Jedi under false identities. During the Clone Wars, Strigis and Azla were healers who used their knowledge of medicine and the power of the force to treat injured civilians and republic troops. They were posted aboard the medstation Starbright when Order 66 was executed. After the Jedi were collectively branded traitors by then Chancellor Palpatine, the master and apprentice fled in search of sanctuary which they later found in Perigaea, the small mining town on the moon Telluris 3 that they had called home for the past two standard years. There they established the clinic to earn a living by putting their skills to use.

It was at this practice Strigis and Azla met Deak Starblazer and his astromech R5-Z9 one standard month ago. After contracting a strain of malevaxia, he came to the Whitesun Clinic for treatment where the pair healed him. Much to their surprise, the two Jedi sensed that Deak was force-sensitive. This was proceeded by another unexpected discovery when Azla found a lightsaber hooked to her patient's belt while removing his overcoat. Once he was well again, Deak confirmed to the master and his padawan that their suspicion was correct, he was in fact a Jedi Knight. He told them of the events that lead to his presence on Telluris 3. His freighter, the Albus Equina, was carrying a stow-away bounty hunter who sought to collect the reward for his capture. After getting shot with a poison dart during his confrontation with the intruder, Deak and R5 were forced to abandon ship in an escape pod. They landed in Perigaea where they were found by locals and brought to the Whitesun Clinic.

Over the following standard month, the three Jedi lived and worked together at the clinic, healing the sick and the injured while also secretly training in the ways of the force. Deak was part of a family again after being alone for so long, Alza had made a friend with whom she could be herself, and Strigis had gained a new student thus replenishing the Order's dwindling numbers.

But with the arrival of death troopers in their formerly safe haven, all that was now in jeopardy. This was the day the trio had feared. Their very lives hung in the balance. Both their survival and that of the Order hinged on the outcome of the death troopers' search. Strigis had prepared for this moment. In the event that the empire should ever come dangerously close to finding him and his apprentices, Azla and Deak were instructed to take R5-Z9 and go to the derelict Barathrum Mine. There they would hide in the tunnels and await his signal via comlink to re-emerge once it was safe to do so. If they had not received the signal after five standard hours, his data card provided to Azla containing the contacts of the remaining Jedi he knew was to be inserted into R5-Z9. The droid, once commanded, would send an emergency broadcast to those on the card. The two apprentices were to record a warning to alert the recipients that their refuge on Perigaea was compromised.

In accordance with the plan, Deak and Azla went to the garage and packed R5 into their landspeeder. The tripedal droid was one meter tall with white cylindrical casing. The head had three beady photoreceptors and a thin antenna protruding from the top. It's mid-section was covered in green panels housing tools and mechanical limbs. It's weight was supported by two hydraulic shafts with motorized treads on each side and a third retractable tread that extended from the front. Meanwhile, Strigis kept a lookout for the troopers, watching from the building's front windows.

"I see them! They're approaching from town square!" He warned, speaking into his palm-sized comlink.

Azla heard him through her own identical device. "Opening garage door now," she responded. "Ten seconds until departure."

She nodded at Deak. He returned the gesture and slammed his fist against a button on the wall. Azla worked the landspeeder's controls, revving the engine impatiently as the garage door slowly began to lift open. Deak quickly climbed into the back passenger seat beside R5. Azla's comlink chimed and Strigis called out again.

"They're getting closer! I'll hold them off! Get to safety! Go!"

The door lifted higher, seconds away from opening completely.

"We will master," she replied. "Departure in three...two...one!"