Chapter 7

The Gamble

My eyes flutter open to the sound of a woman's scream. I feel the sun of an unknown planet bathing me in its radiant warmth, and yet I feel as cold as death in my heart. Looking beside me, I see the Dark Lord reborn taking his first steps to reclaim his rightful throne, effortlessly gutting the powerful Wookiee who dared to oppose him with a ceremonial blade which shattered into two as he fell.

Pulling my crimson lightsaber out of the abdomen of the blonde assassin who crumpled to her knees before me, I advance alongside my master upon the outnumbered and outmatched Republic captain who haplessly opposed us with a mere blaster pistol. My lips were drawn into a smile, but my head was screaming at me to stop. My mind saw nothing more than petty enemies whose lives had to be ended in order to realize our dreams, but my heart was broken to know that behind me lay the lifeless bodies of those who were once our friends and allies.

Taking advantage of the opening my master created by using the Force to strangle the man, I lunge forward and pierce his heart with a merciless stab. His body falls lifelessly backwards upon the crashing waves, never to rise again. A quick death was the least I could bestow upon the man who was once my friend.

I hated every moment…and yet took glee in every life I ended.

Our eyes now veer to all that was left to oppose us: a Jedi woman, her grey eyes filled with determination as she raises her blue lightsaber in order to protect the trembling Twi'lek child behind her. The Twi'lek watches on in horror, her mind shattered after witnessing the death of the woman who was like a mother to her.

I look to my right at the Dark Lord who stands poised to attack and yet does nothing. He merely stares at her, observing the sheer anguish which emanates from her eyes. Neither of them move, still affected deeply by the feelings they hold for each other. A tear falls from her eye and onto the sands of the beach, and she is ready to accept her fate.

My patience having worn out from waiting, I press the attack. She struggles to fend off my vicious blows, and all the while Revan remains unmoving. Even now, after having fallen so far, he wouldn't bring himself to harm her. But I have no such reservation in my heart. Her powers wax and wane, whereas mine continue to grow and bolster. And at last, after battering through her defenses, I strike aside her lightsaber and plunge my blade into her chest.

She falls onto her back, her weapon rolling out of her grasp. She looks longingly at him, beckoning and begging him to come to her side as she lays dying. But he cannot move, for his conscience didn't allow him. He looks shamefully away, still afflicted by the weakness of the Light. A tear escapes the eye of the woman as she takes her final breath and the life leaves her eyes.

I wanted to scream, but no sound would escape my mouth. I wanted to wake up from this terror, and yet my mind would not permit me to. I wished to see my friend smile and hold me one more time like she did in the days of my youth, but felt bottomless sorrow knowing that she never would do so again.

My attention then turns to the defenseless Twi'lek child, all alone and cowering with her back pinned against a rock. Tears are streaming down her face, and she grasps her hands over her eyes, as if she herself was also trying to wake from this living nightmare. Revan turns his back on us, not wishing to see what was inevitable.

I use the Force to pull the child's vibroblade and blaster pistol away, sending them hurtling into the waves. She falls to her knees in despair, wishing she had died long ago and did not have to live to see the fall of the man she loved like a brother. I slowly walk towards her, my lightsaber humming with glee. She groans as she feels my hand against her throat, lifting her upwards and pinning her against the rock.

She is too young, I tell myself. She is but a child, and no harm could possibly come from letting her live.

My mind screams at me, begging me to put an end to this madness, but I cannot. The memory of my father and mother – the last remnants of my inner conscience – is all but gone, replaced by anger and hatred. My heart implores me to spare the life of the young girl who still had her whole life ahead of her, but my ambition forbids me from doing so.

Feeling as if I would be driven mad by the voices shrieking in my head, I slash my lightsaber across the girl's throat, and all goes silent. Her eyes contort with unimaginable pain, and then peacefully close shut as she falls forward against me and into my arms.

A wave of unimaginable grief and shock rushes over me.

I feel as if I had killed my own child. In cold blood.

Revan finally turns around, looking mournfully at her dead body. He gestures at the corpse of the blonde woman, and proceeds to walk towards the figure of the woman whose grey eyes continued to haunt him still.

I carry the dead Twi'lek child in my arms and place her down on the sand beside her beloved guardian, taking one last look at them before I enter the ship. I glance over my shoulder to see Revan kneeling before and looking down in despair upon the body of the woman who meant the world to him. Moments later, he closes her eyelids and then takes her up in his arms and rises, following me aboard the ship.

He walks into the medical bay and gently places her body on the bed within. He caresses her brow and once again kneels before her, squeezing her hand in regret. A tear falls from his eye and falls upon her face, joining with the drop that was shed from her eye just prior to her death. He leans in and kisses her tenderly on the lips, knowing all too well that it would be for the last time. He rises and leaves for the cockpit, his tearful eyes looking at me with disdain.

My mind cannot take any more. I scrunch my hair in rage and scream, hungering for release from this torturous nightmare.

-o-

"Bastila! Bastila, wake up!" a familiar voice cried out to her. A pair of firm hands pushed and shook at her arms, and her eyes immediately burst open. She panted heavily, gladdened by the fact that she had been woken at last. Kneeling on the side of her bed and looking down upon her was Elena, her grey eyes staring at her and full of concern.

"E-Elena," she gasped, short of breath and her face and hair drenched with sweat. Relieved to see her dear friend safe and well, she threw her arms around her, surprising the Jedi Knight. "Thank goodness…"

"You were having a nightmare," Elena explained, brushing away a damp portion of Bastila's hair away from her eyes. "You woke me with your unsettled rustling in your bed. I watched on for a while, but you suddenly started convulsing with fear and panic, so I had to wake you."

"It was a nightmare, indeed." Bastila sat up and covered her face with her hands. "I must be honest with you. I had a…a vision."

"A vision? Of what?" Elena asked, placing a gentle hand on Bastila's shoulder.

"It may have been a vision of the future. If it wasn't a foreshadowing of the events which will become inevitable if he falls, then it was at the very least a grave warning to me. I saw myself fighting alongside him, not against the Sith, but…against you. Against all the others who are with us here in this apartment. And I…I killed you. He couldn't bring himself to raise his blade against you, and so I took his place in combat. And Mission…I…"

Elena wrapped her arms around the woman who began to weep into her bed sheets in fear. "It was only a dream, Bastila. His dark nature is something we will inevitably have to deal with in the future, but now is not that time. And you are not the only one who must constantly battle the darkness in her heart. Even now, a small part of me wishes that I had joined his cause that day instead of staying behind, like the rest of the Council would have had me do."

Bastila could not speak, still too traumatized and curled up in a ball with her arms hugging her knees. She merely whimpered and drew closer to her long-time guardian and friend.

"This reminds me of the old times," Elena smiled, hoping to distract Bastila's mind with memories of better days. "Do you remember when you were young, and you had those nightmares of yours?"

The younger Knight still fondly recalled the days of her youth. Her former Master died on a lone mission to Ryloth; something she still felt regret for, as she could not convince him to let her accompany him. Elena had taken her in as her Padawan learner shortly after with permission from the Masters of the Council, and cared greatly for the young girl's welfare, permitting her to share her living quarters. There were many nights in which Bastila would be affected by nightmares all revolving around her failure to save her former Master, and every time Elena would be there for her, providing her comfort and assurance that it was not her fault.

"Yes…I still remember those days," Bastila smiled weakly, appreciative of her care that Elena had given her. "And I can never begin to thank you enough for what you did for me."

"Well, now that you are up," Elena said, slipping off the side of the bed and placing her feet on the floor to stand, "I think we should check on the others. We should try to leave this planet as quickly as possible and return to the Masters on Dantooine."

"I shudder to think that I would even for a moment place my trust in the schemes of a Mandalorian," Bastila shuddered as she rose. "But a slim hope is better than none."

-o-

After coming out of their shared bedroom, Elena and Bastila saw that Kael and Carth were engaged in conversation with Ice on the couches, discussing their next course of action as well as various contingency plans. Zaalbar, on the other hand, could be seen down the hallway banging his paws against the door of the bathroom, inside which Mission could be heard taking a hot shower to both clean herself and soothe her nerves. The Wookiee was obviously in desperate need of the toilet.

"You're up, at last," Carth remarked once he saw the two Jedi approach. "We heard you twisting and turning in bed, Bastila. Heard a nasty knock, as well – you must have hit your head or something."

Bastila grimaced in embarrassment as she plopped herself down onto the couch next to Ice. "It's nothing. Just a dream – a nightmare, is all." She turned her head, attracted by the incessant noise created by Zaalbar who continued to pound away and moan at the bathroom door. "How long has she been in there to cause him to produce such a ruckus?"

"Twenty minutes, so far," Ice said, twirling in her left index finger her silky and untied blonde hair which fell over her shoulders. She gave a small grin. "Can't exactly blame her, though – try living for years in the Lower City where the water quality is below shoddy. It's enough to drive an ordinary girl mad."

"Is she well?" Elena asked, feeling concern for the young child. "She must still be deeply unnerved after the death of her friend, as must you."

Ice's smile immediately disappeared, and she lowered her hand and placed it on her lap. "For her, time and silence are the only medicines which I can think of, as they are for me."

At last, they heard the hissing of the water in the bathroom stop, and a groan of relief came from Zaalbar's mouth. He would see salvation yet.

"You look disturbed, Kael," Bastila remarked, taking notice of the man's shady expression as she slightly leaned forward to take a better look at him. "Is something troubling you?"

"I had a dream of my own, Bastila," he answered after a moment of hesitation. "And it was about you and Elena."

"Kael," Ice rolled her eyes as she sighed deeply. "I'm not in the mood to talk, let alone think about your perverted fantasies. So save it for later – or, better still, never."

"It's not that!" Kael insisted with embarrassment. "It was…something different. As if I was experiencing a vision of the past, or something."

By the Force, Bastila thought. Could it…?

"What did you see?" Elena implored him.

Kael pressed his palm against his forehead and closed his eyes, focusing his mind so that he could recall his dream. "I dreamed that I was standing at the top of the bridge of a command ship, overlooking a colossal battle between the Republic and the Sith. When I turned, I saw the two of you charging into the command deck with a squad of Republic commandos as your backup. You killed all the Sith soldiers, officers and Dark Jedi that surrounded me. As I continued to dream, I was gladdened to see you, thinking that you came to my rescue, and yet I was immediately intimidated to see that you raised your lightsabers against me.

"I wanted to call out to you, but my lips wouldn't move. I could see you speaking to me, but I couldn't hear a single word you said, let alone the battle that was raging around me. Against my own will, my hands rose in front of me, and in my grasp was a crimson lightsaber. I remember readying myself for combat, and you and your Jedi strike team charged at me. Then everything went dark."

His recount finished, Kael put down his hand and opened his eyes. He could see Bastila and Elena looking nervously at one another, visibly disturbed for whatever reason after hearing his words.

"Is…something the matter?" he asked.

"This…may be quite significant," Elena proceeded to explain. "Such dreams, such visions are often a sign of Force-sensitivity…"

"You're kidding, aren't you?" Kael naturally dismissed the idea, but he was poised in listening further.

"It is indeed a possibility," Bastila reinforced Elena's hypothesis. "The vision you just described is a true recount of the day where Elena, a few other Jedi and I managed to capture Revan and bring him to face the judgement of the High Council. There is no falsehood about it. The Force may be acting through the three of us in a way which we cannot determine."

"But that still leaves one question unanswered," Kael shook his head. "If what I saw has truly happened in the past, then just who exactly did I imagine myself taking the place of?"

Elena looked down as she sighed, then slowly brought her head up so that she could tell Kael the truth. "It was Darth Revan."

"R-Revan?" Carth gasped. "How is that possible?"

Elena spoke, trying her best to give what insight into the Force she could. "I cannot know for sure, but I would hazard a guess that a bond was created in the Force between myself and Kael when he saved my life aboard the Endar Spire. Such Force bonds borne from similar situations have been numerous in the history of the Jedi Order. If a bond has indeed been created, it would explain why Kael has experienced a dream which draws upon my own memories of the past."

"But why Revan?" Carth remained questioning. "If Kael saw visions of the past that were a part of your memories, then shouldn't he have seen things from your perspective instead of Revan's?"

"The Force acts in mysterious ways, and neither Elena or I can fathom its intentions," Bastila said. "But we can speak of this later, should we escape this planet and come before the Jedi Council. For now, we must focus on the task at hand."

They turned their heads to look to the corridor as they heard the bathroom door swinging open, and out came a refreshed Mission who looked much more chipper than before. The shower had done her much good, and for a moment at least she seemed to forget the horrors of the day gone past. Immediately after she came out the door, she was shocked to see Zaalbar whoosh past her, slamming the door in a frenzied hurry in her face.

"Boy…that escalated quickly!" she said, remembering that it was not more than half an hour ago that Zaalbar seemed to be completely fine and patient after having gorged himself in the food produced by the synthesizer in the kitchen area.

"Enjoyed your shower, princess?" Ice smiled at the Twi'lek, for whom she gradually started to grow attached to, as if she was her mother.

"Definitely beats anything that the Lower City has to offer, that's for sure," Mission smiled as she came and sat herself next to Ice. "So what's the plan?"

"You know what the plan is, Mish," Ice said, crossing her arms tiredly. "We find that droid dealer, collect the trash can and talk to that Duros Exchange punk whom Canderous spoke of. We go from there."

"Short, simple and to the point," Mission quipped. "I like it."

A quarter of an hour later, after Elena and Bastila had had a proper meal to nourish themselves using the food synthesizer, Kael, Ice, Mission and Elena readied themselves and their gear to make for Janice Nall's droid store. Cautious to avoid the suspicious eyes of any who may spot her weapon, Elena kept her lightsaber well concealed beneath her brown robes. Zaalbar looked mightily dismayed to find that he had to be separated from Mission, but was somewhat made content by the fact that he could rely on the synthesizer to satisfy his already rapidly accumulating hunger.

"We'll try to hurry back, no matter how this plays out," Kael assured those who stayed behind. "I don't intend to stay on this planet any longer than necessary."

"It's going to be dangerous and risky business, dealing with the Exchange," Carth warned them, and then his voice sank to a quiet whisper. "Good luck, guys." He bid good fortune to all four of the individuals who set out, but his gaze was especially fixed upon Ice. Hearing her tragic story about her family caused him to feel and understand what pain she had experienced, and so he found he could relate to her deeply.

Ice smiled back, giving a playful wink back at the soldier as she and the others departed the apartment. "You too, handsome."

-o-

"Welcome to Droid By Janice. I'm the proprietor, Janice Nall. How may I help you?" a yellow-skinned Twi'lek cheerfully greeted the entrants to her shop in Basic. The tiny creases near her eyes told Kael that the droid dealer was advancing in her years, albeit they were mostly covered by applied makeup which accentuated the natural beauty that came with being a member of her species.

"Hi, there," Kael responded positively to the woman. "Would you happen to have a T3-M4 unit lying around?"

"Why, yes, I do," Janice nodded, took a brief look to her right where the droid was situated, then re-established eye contact with Kael. "But it's for a…special client, I'm afraid." She looked for a moment at the shady Duros who stood stationary by the corner of her shop. Elena could well and truly sense the fear in the woman's heart that arose from the presence of the Duros.

"I think I just might be that special client," Kael said, pulling from his pocket what seemed to be a hexagonal silver coin. Engraved on it was a picture of two blaster rifles crossed over one another in diagonal fashion, with a skull atop of them. He walked forward and placed it on Janice's desk in front of her.

"Oh…that's…," Janice stammered, her eyes contorting the moment she saw the symbol. "Canderous must have sent you in his place, correct?"

"Yes, that is right," Kael confirmed.

"T-then the droid is all yours!" Janice grinned in fear, slightly trembling in her voice as she pointed to a small white utility droid. "I don't want to cause any trouble with Davik, nor Canderous, for that matter."

Elena looked at the woman, taking a somewhat great amount of pity for her. The knowledge that every one of her actions was being monitored by a member of the Exchange obviously seemed to take a great toll on Janice's mental health. She pretended to rummage through a compartment of spare parts, doing everything she could to distract herself and ignore the presence of all who were currently inside her store.

"Can't you do something for her?" Ice spoke to Elena under her breath, nudging her with her elbow. "Girl seems to be on the ropes."

"Certainly," Elena nodded, and proceeded to reach out to the Twi'lek, using a mild form of Mind Trick to soothe the tension in Janice's mind. The shop owner stopped her wild rummaging and instead started on making fixes and modifications to other existing droid models, her eyes now calm and serene.

Taking the symbol he placed on the table back and putting it into his pocket, Kael walked over to examine the droid which was lined up with other models of similar appearance against the left wall.

"T3-M4?" he asked the unit, which tooted and beeped in optimism. "Canderous sent me to collect you. Come with me."

The droid gave a beep of confirmation, and started rolling along beside him. Approaching the exit, they were, as expected, confronted by a rather gruff-looking Duros.

"You there, human," he spoke, pointing his finger at Kael. "You are the one sent by Canderous?"

"Yes," Kael confirmed. "And who are you?"

"Who I am is not important – only the droid," the Duros dismissed as he handed Kael a small datapad. "This datapad will tell you the secret location of Davik's estate, where the Ebon Hawk is kept, as well as the location of a hangar in Taris which holds a shuttle that will take you there, as per Canderous's instructions. The T3-M4 droid comes with a secret panel designed to hold gear; deposit any and all weapons that are currently being held by your followers. Only you must meet Davik appearing to be armed."

"So I must take the shuttle to the estate, and conceal the others' weapons in the droid," Kael affirmed. "Anything else?"

"The droid possesses the best of the best of hacking and overriding technology that either Czerka or the Exchange have to offer; use it well when dealing with security consoles while you are there, human. And finally, Canderous has had placed inside the droid a fluorescent sheet with which you must take the handprint of Davik once you've killed him. Put the sheet back within the droid after you've collected Davik's handprint, and use its projector to bypass the security console that must be used in order to access the hangar. Only Davik himself using his handprint can enter the eastern hangar of the estate, where the Ebon Hawk is kept. That is all you must know."

"But how can we trust you?" Ice inquired, feeling distrustful towards the Duros. "What could you possibly gain from Davik's death, that you are willing to help us?"

"Leadership of the Exchange branch here, of course," the Duros answered. "Once Davik is dead, the path will be clear for me to assume control, and you, your friends and Canderous will have a way of getting off this planet. Everybody wins…except for Davik. Now leave – that shuttle is not going to fly itself." He swiftly turned and exited the droid shop, causing a rush of relief to come over Janice who watched him depart.

"Let's go," Ice elbowed Kael as she took the datapad from his hands, and began to lead the group to the hangar, which was situated ten blocks due south as indicated by the map. "That son of a bitch from the Exchange isn't going to have his throat cut by himself."

Mission quickly trailed along behind her guardian, whereas Kael and Elena momentarily stood still together, feeling great concern for Ice. They could only hope that her lust for revenge would not cost them dearly in the undertaking that would follow.

-o-

Davik Kang stood in silence looking out the window spanning the entire western wall of his office in his estate, staring passively at the flow of traffic that littered the afternoon skies of Taris. The ageing man whose face was riddled with creases and lines, and whose hair was thinning and greying removed the cigar from his lips and exhaled, sending a fume of smoke against the glass. Not thirty minutes had passed since he sent a pair of contracted assassins after a debtor who was over a week delayed in his repayment. He did not feel the slightest bit of remorse, even after going as far as to decide that the man's young and beautiful wife would soon become a personal servant and object of pleasure of his, and that their three children would be sold as slaves to wealthy business affiliates on Nar Shadaa.

In the end, business was business, and that was all that mattered to Davik.

Still, he felt boundless irritation due to the blockade that the Sith fleet looming overhead now subjected the entire planet to. He and all the others heard horrific stories of how entire planets were razed and reduced to ashes and rubble by the power-hungry Malak. Even with Taris's important strategic and economic benefits that were enjoyed by the Sith, Davik knew that it would not be wise to gamble or take chances.

He had to get off the planet, and soon.

His ear twitched at the sound of the computer alerting him to a notification by his security force in the estate's private hangar. He quickly paced over and extinguished the cigar on the ashtray on top of his desk before pressing a console button to receive the call.

"Yes, what is it?" he gruffly muttered.

"A shuttle has just landed in the hangar, sir," a male voice replied. "It appears to have been authorized and scheduled to arrive by Canderous."

"Canderous?" Davik raised an eyebrow. He had no knowledge of any shuttle that was due to arrive. "Hold them there. Nobody gets in until I give them permission. Tell Canderous to make his way to the hangar at once."

"Yes, sir. Right away," the voice said, and the call was ended.

Intrigued by the new arrival, Davik turned to the exit and left to meet whoever was the person of interest to Canderous. The automated doors slid open, and the two scantily clad and curvaceous Lethan Twi'lek attendants who stood on either side of the entrance bowed to their master as he departed his personal chamber.

-o-

"I don't know…I have a bad feeling about this," Mission murmured, shaking her head as she walked alongside Ice, following Kael who led them down the loading ramp of their shuttle. She looked nervously at the utility droid that trailed after Kael, twitching her hand nervously to reflect the fact that she desperately desired to have her blaster pistol and short vibroblade on hand, instead of safely concealed within T3-M4.

"Just act natural," Ice told her. But then, noticing that the young girl was trembling with fear already, she encouraged and reinforced her. "Yeah, that's it. Keep up the shaking and chattering of your teeth, and you should be fine, sweetheart."

After waiting patiently in front of the door which led from the southern hangar to the rest of the estate, Kael was slightly relieved – and made more nervous at the same time – to see Canderous walking out to greet them with a smug smile on his face.

"So," the Mandalorian said, two heavy blaster pistols holstered on either side of his torso, and a heavy repeating blaster strapped over his back, "looks like you survived whatever hell you went through in the Lower City. I heard what happened to the Vulkars – and the Beks, for that matter. Seems like a total shitstorm went on down there."

"We've all had better days," Kael shrugged. Looking around, he could see numerous guardsmen all around the hangar watching him intently. Not wanting to give himself away, he decided to hold his tongue about the true reason he was present at the estate until they could find some privacy.

Looking at the three women who stood behind Kael and without a weapon to be seen on them, Canderous grinned. "Looks like you followed my instructions to the letter. Nice work. You like that droid, by the way?"

Kael smiled. "He's a bit of a chatty one, but manageable."

"Don't underestimate it," Canderous warned. "It's one of the finest utility droids in the galaxy, and you'll see soon just why." He turned as he heard the doors opening up again, and saw his employer and another man walking towards them. "He's here."

"Canderous, what is the meaning of this?" Davik asked. "I never expected any new recruits – at least not for today."

"He is a new recruit, Davik," Canderous began to give his recommendation. "And quite possibly the finest that you'll ever see rise out of the shithole that's the Lower City. He's the arena combatant that I told you of."

"Is that right?" Davik suddenly seemed to be interested in the new prospect. "I could always use an extra pair of hands for business. And quite messy business, at that. It's good to see a reliable recruit come through the doors. I still remember that time that now-dead idiot Teron brought with him a swoop racer instead of a fighter as a potential recruit. He didn't last the week."

"Getting old, are you, Canderous?" the short, yet lethal-looking man who stood beside Davik insulted him. His eyes were concealed behind dark goggles which served him well with their functions during bounty hunts, and on his belt was holstered two heavy blaster pistols much like Canderous. "I thought you Mandalorians were all about pride and self-reliance."

"Watch it, Calo," Canderous grunted back, incensed by his colleague's quip. "You may be a famous bounty hunter, but you'll always come out second-best if you ever dare to challenge me."

"Ordo, Nord, enough!" Davik berated his men. "I won't have the two of you throwing a ruckus in front of a new recruit. That's bad business, you know. Now," he turned his attention back to Kael. "What was your name, sir?"

"Dent," he lied. "Dent Brenil."

"Well, mister Brenil," Davik welcomed his guest, "please do make yourself at home. I shall have room 23-C prepared for your convenience. And…," he said, turning to look at the three women who stood behind him, trembling with fear. "I suppose these are your…?"

"They are my servants, yes," Kael answered. "I shall keep them with me."

"Shame," Davik clicked his tongue as he approached them. "They would have made fine additions to my…little entourage." He walked leftwards, inspecting them all, stopping by to look at Mission. "Especially this one. She may be tender and young, but she is, after all, a Twi'lek. They are in most high demand all across the galaxy. Most clients would be willing to pay a fortune to have them as a slave," he placed his hand against her chin, making her shudder, "…or plaything…"

Mission was utterly disgusted by the old man's touch. Whereas she was accustomed to receiving the occasional lecherous look from men of the lowliest of character in the Lower City, Davik's actions simply made her skin crawl beyond belief.

Taking pity on the young girl who appeared to be most disturbed, Canderous spoke to Davik. "Shall I show them to their room, Davik?"

"Why, of course," Davik nodded. "Our guest of honor must be tired. But before that, tell me…where did you get that droid?" he said, looking at T3-M4.

"Turns out there's been a mixup in the freight schedule, Davik," Canderous explained. "This droid was supposed to be sent over to our Sith friends on Manaan to help them hack into the Republic's intelligence network. I'll have to take it along with me to maintenance in order to check it for any possible defects before sending it away to be transported to its destination."

"Very well. You may go now, Canderous," Davik said, believing Canderous's words, then looked at Kael. "I hope you enjoy your stay here. Canderous can show you around the estate, if you wish. If you need me, I shall be in my private quarters. I bid you good day."

The Exchange leader then departed, followed by his bodyguard who gave a disdainful grunt at Canderous before tagging behind. Kael and his companions trailed after Canderous who led them to their temporary quarters. Inside was a luxury suite which caused Mission's mouth to hang wide open, for she had never in her life had the privilege of seeing such magnificent living spaces. Letting her childish nature get the better of her, she ran to the bed the moment the door slid shut behind them, sprawling herself over it in comfort.

"Snap out of it, kid," Canderous rebuked her, much to her disappointment. "Don't get too comfortable while you're here. Remember that we're here to steal the Ebon Hawk as soon as possible." He turned to face Kael. "The Duros told you about the fluorescent sheet inside T3-M4, correct?"

"He has," Kael confirmed with a nod. "But there's still the problem of how we're going to get Davik's handprint to finish the job."

"Ahem," Ice cleared her throat, stepping forward to volunteer. She placed one hand on her hip and flicked her hair with the other, giving the two men a sign that she was precisely the right person for the job. "Just leave that to me."

"You seem confident, girlie," Canderous grinned, impressed by her brave nature. "Very well, here's the plan. After you successfully kill Davik and acquire his handprint, be sure to shut down all the security cameras in the estate using the master computer in his office. Only Davik can see the camera feeds and surveillance tapes in his office, so rest assured that no other Exchange member in this facility will suspect anything of us. Search his quarters for his key card, then swipe it to lock his office after you come out of there."

He then turned away from Ice to speak to Kael, Mission and Elena. "Meanwhile, the four of us and the droid will go on a pretend-tour of this estate. We'll move slow and in the general direction of Davik's office. Once she comes out with his handprint in her possession, we will store it inside the droid's compartment for safekeeping and use it to gain access to the eastern hangar, where the Ebon Hawk is kept."

"What if we come across unwanted company when we're close to the hangar?" Elena asked.

"Kill them, of course," Canderous flatly replied. "And hope and pray that Calo doesn't come skulking around. The man is not to be underestimated. Now, does everyone understand what they must do?"

Ice eagerly stepped in front of T3-M4 and gently patted its head, in a subtle order to open up its hidden compartment which was located on its back. After T3 unlocked and opened up the metallic flap and revealed the weapons and as the fluorescent sheet which lay encased in a thin glass case, Ice removed the case as well as her favourite pivoting dagger. She slipped the case underneath her jacket, keeping it well hidden from view.

"Yes, I understand perfectly what I must do," she said gleefully with a grin, running her finger against the smooth face of the blade before folding and concealing it within the handle with a quick flick of her wrist. "And it shall be my pleasure…"


A/N: I'll probably get to work on the next chapter of my Walking Dead fic, "A Twist of Fate". It's been some time since I uploaded the second chapter of that one, and I think people are starting to get a little impatient by now.

I was originally intending to completely finish up with Taris by this chapter, but it would have been a drag if I did. We'll be seeing the last of Taris most definitely by the next chapter. I've got an original plot of my own planned out for the trials on Dantooine, especially with what happens to Juhani. I'm also planning to write out quite a detailed and AU section where Kael/Revan searches out the Star Map on Dantooine, as well. Hint: it will involve visions from his youth. Lots of visions. Plus one of Kreia.

You're probably thinking why I haven't gone very deep in terms of character development and interaction between all the characters yet, and I agree. Those things will definitely come after I finish up with Taris and move on to Dantooine, especially with Mission, Bastila and Carth.

I've suddenly been getting a lot of ideas for new KOTOR fics, lately. I'm contemplating writing an AU spinoff story to my other KOTOR fic "Heart of a Padawan", where Revan succeeds in conquering the Republic to prepare it for the return of the True Sith, and captures Bastila in the process, and my original character Clara is also involved in the story. But that'll have to wait for another time, at least until after I've finished writing "Heart of a Padawan". Hell, at one point, I considered writing a fic focusing on Carth's efforts to redeem DSF Revan after she reclaims the Star Forge, but I abandoned that idea, since I could see myself writing basically a copy of Starcraft II's plot with Jim Raynor and Sarah Kerrigan.

Until next time, please leave your reviews!