In the grey light of early morning a group of Mandalorians duelled. Rain hammered down on their heads, trickling into their eyes and obscuring their vision. The wind howled and waves crashed down onto the beach. Despite the unseasonal weather they fought on, some with fists and feet, some with blades. There were seven in total, six fighting in pairs and one prowling amongst them, his eyes squinted to make out their progress. Melor sighed. He was almost ready to admit defeat and take his men back indoors, but it wasn't quite the time. Drystan would be displeased if they returned too soon.

Through the rain he saw the large door of the settlement open and a figure emerge. When he looked closer he could just about make out that it was a woman. She was moving quickly towards him, her head bowed, her long blonde hair whipping out behind her. When she reached him she paused briefly at his side, tiptoed and muttered "Follow me." in his ear. Without waiting to see whether he was following or not, she set off at a brisk walk for the trees that lined the beach. Melor looked around him. His men were still fighting and the guards at the door had their heads close together, talking. No one had seen anything. He turned and hurried after the woman.

He was able to keep her in his sight although she was far ahead of him. She weaved quickly in and out of the trees, not allowing her pace to slacken for a moment. She elbowed her way into a dense patch of trees and bushes and disappeared. Melor broke out into a run, knowing that he was safe from watchful eyes. It wasn't long before he reached the spot where the woman had disappeared. He quickly pushed his way through the branches and leaves, ignoring the thorns that scraped his face. When he emerged on the other side it was to find a wooden watchtower, decayed with age and overgrown with vines. A small cabin was perched at the very top of it. He saw a foot being pulled through the door and then the door slamming shut.

Carefully testing the first step of the ladder with his weight, he began the long ascent. It was a slow climb as the steps were rotting, and his foot would have gone right through some of them if they hadn't been avoided. Eventually he reached the top and crawled into the cabin, shutting the door gently behind him. Although the wind and rain still raged outside it was much quieter in here. On the other side of the small room stood the woman, watching him carefully. Melor pushed himself to his feet as he held her gaze.

"Jana." He croaked.

He didn't see her cross the room but suddenly she was in his arms, clinging to him tightly. He rained kisses onto the top of her head and tangled his fingers in her wet hair. Moving his fingers underneath her chin, he tilted her head back gently. He took a moment to appreciate her blue-grey eyes before moving in to kiss her. They were wide and intense, and something he saw in them made him pause. He realised that tears were mixed with the raindrops on her cheeks. He drew back a little.

"Jana, what's wrong?"

Jana opened her mouth to speak but faltered. Her face crumpled and she began to sob. Melor pulled her back to him and held her tight, whispering soothing nonsensical words. After a few moments she calmed herself and began to talk, her face still pressed against his chest.

"It's father." She choked. "This insane scheme he has for the Jedi."

"What about it?" Melor murmured as he stroked the back of her neck lightly.

"He's been using that hound Miki as a spy, sending him to the Rakata settlement to check her progress. Miki didn't want to go, said it was too dangerous, but father said he had to because he was the only one with the necessary skills. Father promised him a reward to make him go." Here she began to sob again, and it was a while before she could carry on. "I'm the reward!" She wailed. "Father has promised me to the slime!"

Melor stiffened, his hold on Jana becoming tighter. She gasped and he quickly loosened his grip. "It can't be…Drystan has been promising me for years… He always said that when the time was right..." He shook his head. "This can't be true. Drystan wouldn't lie to me. Miki must have made it up."

A bitter laugh escaped Jana. "It is true. Miki wasn't the one who told me. Father did." Tears were now falling thick and fast down her cheeks. Melor wiped them away almost absentmindedly, his mind racing.

"I'll just have to talk to him. Drystan values me far more than Miki, I'm sure I can change his mind."

"But what if-"

"No." Melor held Jana at arms length, gripping her tightly by the shoulders and staring into her eyes. "He will change his mind. I won't let you be taken away from me."


Revan tossed in her bed, getting herself tangled in the sheets. She struggled to open her eyes but couldn't quite manage it. She had been awake for several hours now, but the Rakata hadn't noticed. The sedatives made her very lethargic; it felt like someone had tied weights to her limbs, or like she was moving through water. Despite this she was grateful for the tranquiliser that had been injected into her. She was in a lot of pain, but she knew she'd be in much more if it wasn't for the drug. Two of the Rakata healers were sitting at her bedside. Believing her to be asleep, they kept their voices low. Revan tried to push through the haze that clouded her mind to catch a few words of their whispered conversation.

"It is certain, then?" One asked.

"Yes, she will live. But whether she'll ever regain all of her strength…" Here the other Rakata sighed. "I don't know. It would take a miracle to return her to her former vigour; but then again it's a miracle that she survived for so long on her own in the first place."

"How long was she alone?"

"A few days…A week… I don't know. It must have felt like a lifetime."

Revan struggled to make sense of what they were saying. She didn't have any idea what they were talking about. What happened to me? She wondered. Slowly, she began to sort through her memories and piece them together. She remembered the cave on Korriban, the visions that tested her. She remembered deciding that it was time to return to Telos, to Carth and her friends. She remembered taking a detour on the way home. Then nothing. Her memories of the last few days consisted of pain and darkness.

As the people at her bedside were speaking Rakatan, she surmised that she was on the Unknown World. But how did she get there? She desperately tried to remember. Broken images began to flicker through her mind. Losing control of the ship, and then the rocky beach hurtling up to meet her. Flames and smoke and twisted metal flying through the air. The sky rushing past as she was flung from the ship. As the memories returned she began to moan and thrash harder in her bed. The conversation of the two Rakata broke off abruptly.

"She's becoming restless again. Pass me another sedative."

There was a slight pause and then Revan felt a small prick in her arm. A cool, tingling sensation ebbed through her. The terrifying images faded away and she became still, drifting off into a peaceful oblivion.


Mission hammered on the cockpit door. No response. She tried again even though she knew that Carth wouldn't answer her. She had been doing this for ten minutes, and he had determinedly ignored her for the whole time.

"Carth!" She yelled. "You've been flying for hours without a break! Get out of there and let Big Z take over for a while." Silence. Mission pushed on. "Have you even had any sleep since we got on this ship?" You'll doze off and make us crash!" Still no reply. Sighing, Mission turned and nodded to Zalbaar who was standing silently behind her.

Zalbaar stepped forwards, a sturdy looking vibroblade clenched in his paw. He raised it and placed the point carefully in the tiny crack between door and wall. He pushed on the sword with all his weight and wrenched the door open another few inches. The vibroblade clattered to the floor, irreparably bent and useless. Zalbaar pulled the door open the rest of the way without any aid.

They entered the cockpit cautiously, making sure to avoid the many used containers that littered the floor. The room had a strong smell of caffa. From their position in the doorway they could see Carth's form slumped in the pilot's seat. They made their way over to him quickly. When they reached him they discovered that he was still awake, but only just. He looked like he'd aged several years since they first boarded the ship.

"Errrm… Carth?" Mission reached out and touched his shoulder lightly. "Carth?"

Carth turned to her, and then grinned lazily. His eyes were glazed and he was staring right through Mission and Zalbaar.

"Carth," Mission ventured cautiously. "I think it's time you got some sleep."

"I tried caffa but that didn't work." He frowned. "Adrenal stimulants worked at first, but then they stopped."

"We're gonna take you to bed, 'kay?"

Carth shrugged and tried to stand up. He fell back into his chair. Mission looked at Zalbaar hopelessly. Zalbaar grabbed Carth and pulled him up, wrapping his arm around his waist. He moved slowly out of the cockpit, dragging the exhausted pilot behind him. As they disappeared, Mission sighed and collapsed into the chair that Carth had just vacated. A voice from the door made him jump.

"He'll be alright again once we find her."

Mission turned in her seat to find Bastila shuffling towards her. "What are you doing out of bed?" She jumped up and hurried over to her. Bastila waved her away.

"It's about time I got up. I need to be ready for when we get to the Unknown World."

"I'm sure we can handle the rancors without your help."

Bastila shook her head. "It wasn't the rancors I was thinking of. From what I felt, Revan is going to need a lot of healing. I'll need all of my strength." They both lapsed into silence for a while.

"How can you be sure that Carth will be okay?" Mission asked quietly.

Bastila laid a comforting hand on her arm. "It's the worry, Mission. Four years of it. It's been building up for all that time, and this has just tipped him over the edge. He'll be fine again once we have Revan and she's safe."


Drystan surveyed the group of people arrayed in front of him. They had been training hard all day and were exhausted. Although they wanted to get some much needed rest before tomorrow's mission, they were still eager to hear what their clan leader had to say. Drystan knew this and paused before addressing them, savouring the anticipation he saw on their faces.

"Tomorrow," He began. "Is a very important day. For too long this clan has been without strong female leadership. For years the women have had no one to set them an example, no one to show them how to defend their families and raise strong children. My former wife," Here he spat on the floor. "Set a very poor example." He paused and glared at the audience, daring anyone to smirk or make snide comments. When everyone remained silent he continued. "Tomorrow this will change. If you succeed in your mission, we will once again have a strong female to lead the rest. She will teach your women how to raise strong warriors, and she will provide this clan with its next leader."

The audience roared its approval. In the corner, hiding in shadows, Jana trembled with rage.