Mace held his cloak tightly around his shoulders as he and Reach - who had put her mask back on - headed towards the local market building. They'd need food to survive. She'd been staying in a hotel for the past few months, but spent the last couple of hours moving her stuff to Mace's apartment. They needed to stick together in order to help each other if and when the Imperials came to Tantra.

"Is your former padawan Mark Algol still alive?" Mace asked.

"I don't know." Reach responded. "Like I said earlier, I think I was the only survivor of the Temple raid."

"You're sure he w-was at the Temple?" He questioned, his teeth chattering.

"No." She shook her head. "I lost track of him after he was Knighted." After he didn't reply, she said,"Why are you wondering?"

"Right now, we're stronger in numbers." He reminded her. "I fear that he could be in danger out there alone."

"We're all in danger, Mace." She pointed out just as they reached the local market.

They entered, walking towards one of the food market stands. A young human man of around thirty years old stood there, selling to an older Tantra. He had long tangled black hair, an implant over his right eye, many scars on the right side of his face, and white tattoos. His freckled, damaged face looked familiar somehow.

"No, no." The man exclaimed. "Thirty credits, not forty!"

The customer grumbled something and took the ten credits back before walking off with its purchase. The young shopkeeper sighed in exasperation as he put the thirty credits away. Mace and Reach walked up to the counter.

"What can I do for you?" The man asked without looking up. "Fruit, vegetables, meat?"

The two Jedi Knights exchanged glances of shock. They knew who this was. They'd just been talking about him.

"Mark?" Reach burst out.

Young Mark Algol looked up, a puzzled look on his face. Then surprise covered his face as he recognized Mace, who had no mask. He gave a small, sad smile.

"Good to see you." Mace greeted.

"Who's that?" He asked, pointing to Reach.

"I'm not taking my mask off right now." She responded. "Can you take a break? We have to talk about...recent events."

"Sure." Mark nodded. "No problem. I don't get many people over here anyway."

He took the money from the register and shoved it into one of his pockets. He walked through the gate of his little area and closed it.

"Come with us." Mace told him.

"No problem." Mark replied, pulling an old cloak over his shoulders.

*X*

"Good to get this thing off my head." Reach sighed as she took off her helmet.

They had brought Mark back to the apartment, to talk. They needed to know how things had gone for him since the clones' betrayal.

Mace rolled his eyes. "You're lucky you have that helmet."

"So, what's been going on with you guys since the betrayal?" Mark asked.

"I was nearly blown up a week ago." He grumbled in response. "And it wasn't even by the clones."

"It was the gangsters, Mace." Reach said in exasperation.

"I'm not that surprised." Mark told them. "You're lucky to get away. Usually they kill their victims."

"Actually, they pretty much left me for dead. Reach found me."

"Or they leave them for dead." The younger Jedi gave a small nod. "Couple of them tried to get me a month or two ago, but I happened to have a blaster with me. Resorted to not use my lightsaber because it could give me away."

Reach nodded. "That's what I've been doing. No Jedi anywhere in the galaxy can use their lightsabers without risking their identities."

"Do you have a plan?" Mark asked. "To stop the Empire?"

"There's nothing we can do." Mace spoke up. "We'd need an army. Remember what our last one did to us?"

"Maybe...we could round up other survivors." He suggested.

"There aren't that many." Reach sighed. "The clones did a thorough job of killing them."

"Not if three of us made it to one planet." Mark refused to believe it. "There has to be more out there."

"Not enough to stop the Empire and bring peace." Mace told him, shaking his head. "Most are dead, thanks to the clones."

"Even Skywalker?" He asked.

The other Jedi's jaw clenched. "Unfortunately, no."

"What'd he do?" Mark asked, his eyes narrowing.

"He fell to the Dark Side." Reach told him.

"But no one else has fallen since Count Dooku." The younger Jedi shook his head. "Just him?"

"As far as we know." She replied.

"What'd Skywalker do to you?" Mark turned back to Mace.

"This." Mace pulled up his sleeve to reveal his metal hand. "He sided with the Sith Lord, the one we've been looking for."

"Who was it?" Mark asked.

"Chancellor Palpatine."