Juhani stood in a secluded area of the common room, wrapping her arms tightly about her body. When she had requested to be sent with Aminta Jae on the mission to find Star Maps, she hadn't spared many thoughts on how she would be recieved by the tightly knit group of friends. They had been polite to her once they discovered that she was traveling with them, almost painfully so. However, Juhani knew that the crewmates were scrutinizing her every move; being far more judgemental than the council ever would. However, all kept thier opinions of her to themselves… all except the hulking brute, that is.

Juhani harbored resentment to all Mandalorians, so when she had seen the one on board, the patch of fur at the back of her neck had stood on end and she was forced to restrian herself from clawing the man's eyes out. His disposition wasn't likely to make her forget the sins his race had commited against her homeworld either. He had taunted her from the beginning, making constant referances to Cathar. After Aminta had ordered him to behave himself, he had resorted to cast mocking glances at her when he thought no one else was watching.

The past three days had been filled with tension aboard the ship, and Juhani cringed at the thought of spending another four cooped up with the people who knew of her weaknesses so intimately. Even the sessions of meditation with Bastila hadn't eased her discomfort or her trepidation. In all reality, Juhani wished that she could be back under the influence of the Masters, and cursed herself for ever wishing to atone for her mistakes.

She shivered, and then glanced about the common room quickly, her yellow eyes flitting from one object to the next in a manner far too rapid for a human to ever hope to accomplish. Her eyes met those of Aminta's, who was sitting cross legged on the floor playing Pazaak with the teenager. Juhani quickly dropped her gaze, and then wrapped her arms tighter about her body.

Aminta bit her lip and turned her attention back to Mission. "I'll finish the game later, okay?" Aminta excused herself, and stretched out her stiff knee as she stood. She had sustained an injury to the area years before, and sitting in one position too long often aggravated it.

"What? But I'm three points away from winning!" Mission complained, and Aminta raised a brow.

"I've beaten you the past six rounds. What makes you think that this one will be any different?" she retorted, and Mission scowled at her.

"Fine. I'll just get Big Z to play a round with me," the girl determined. Once her mind was made up, Mission sprang to her feet and rushed down the hall to the men's dormitory where Zalbaar had spent the past few hours avoiding her. Aminta chuckled, and then turned her attention back to the Cathar.

Juhani looked most uncomfortable, and the young woman kept playing with the hem of her robe, her attention carefully averted from Aminta. Aminta sighed softly. This might be slightly more difficult than I thought. She made her way over to the corner where Juhani stood, and stifled a smile when the Cathar jumped.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you," Aminta apologized. Juhani met her eyes, and then dropped them again. She shrugged, and turned her attention back to the hem in her robe. Aminta bit her lip. "So… why don't you tell me about yourself, Juhani?"

Juhani coughed, and her eyes widened. "What? Why would you wish to know about my life?" she replied with suspicion, her lilting accent more pronounced than before.

Aminta shrugged. "I don't know; I just do." When Juhani remained silent, Aminta saw that tactic wasn't going to work. "You seem interesting. Not many Jedi turn to the dark side and then go on a huge quest to redeem themselves. And I'm guessing not many fall in love with their masters either."

"You speak of Quatra?" Juhani asked after a moment, and Aminta hid a smile.

"Of course."

"I was a fool to convince myself that I ever had feelings for her," Juhani replied dismissively. "And it is only natural that I feel I must redeem myself for my fall to the dark side. It is something I believe that I must atone for."

Aminta nodded absently. "I haven't seen many Cathar in my travels," Aminta noted, abruptly changing the subject. Juhani frowned in confusion, and then nodded.

"The Mandalorians destroyed our homeworld. Very few of us made it out alive," the young woman explained, and Aminta smiled.

"So, you are a strong person."

Juhain's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

Aminta grinned in response to Juhani's shock. "You lived through the destruction of Cathar, you endured rejection, you survived the dark side, and you've embarked on a quest that will most likely cost you your life. You are a very strong person." She paused for a second, and then met Juhani's eyes. "You're not half bad."

Juhani's face slowly transformed into a small smile. "I thank you for your kind words," she responded smoothly, and Aminta laughed.

"You want to get along with everyone on this ship, right?" Aminta asked, and Juhani nodded. "Well then, drop the formalities, have a few drinks, and play a couple rounds of Pazaak. You do that, and you'll fit in just fine."

Juhani frowned, but then nodded slowly. "I will attempt to… how you say? …Loosen up?"

Aminta grinned. "Good idea." She then glanced down the hall to the men's dormitories and turned back to Juhani. "Why don'y you go make yourself two friends at once? Offer to play Mission in Pazaak."

Juhani glanced at Aminta strangely. "What? Why?"

"Because, you'll give Mission a big head since she'll win, and you'll recieve Zalbaar's eternal gratitude for getting the kid away from him. He loves her like his kid, but she drives him nuts."

"Of course. I will do as you suggested," Juhani replied, and headed down the corridor to meet Mission, a noticeable spring in her step.

Aminta frowned thoughtfully as she watched the Cathar go. "I bet the Jedi never gave her much praise," she murmured to herself, and then shook her head. Deciding that Canderous would be good company for a time, she made her way to the cargo hold.

"Candy? You in here?" Aminta called out before she bothered to enter the room.

"If you would have walked two more feet you wouldn't have had to ask that question," Canderous replied gruffly, and Aminta smirked.

"But then I wouldn't be able to get on your nerves. And that is just oh, so fun to do!" Aminta retorted as she headed over to the workbench. Remembering how many shirts she had ruined, she quickly stripped the one that she was wearing off before she proceeded to tinker with the engine.

Canderous laughed gruffly from his spot beneath the engine. "I didn't think that you'd actually do it!"

"Hm?" Aminta didn't bother to glance up from her work. There was a swoop track on Manaan, and she wanted to get the engine stable so that she could race the bike when they landed.

"Strip," Canderous clarified, and Aminta scowled.

"What? You never work with a shirt on."

"Good point," Canderous replied, and Aminta grinned.

"Finally!"

Canderous slid out from his position under the bike. "You got the engine to work?"

"No. I got you to admit that I was right," she retorted, and Canderous glared at her.

"Don't go getting a big head, squirt."

"I wouldn't dream of it, Candy."

The Mandalorian snorted in response. "So, how's the Cathar doing?" Canderous asked after a moment, and Aminta sighed softly.

"Better. She's playing Pazaak with Mission now." Aminta bit her lip, and then turned to Canderous. "You shouldn't speak to her about her homeworld."

Canderous pulled himself out from under the bike and frowned. "Why not? Her people were admirable warriors. I'd think that she'd want to be complimented on the strength of her race. They recieved honor in their defeat."

Aminta sighed. "She doesn't see it that way. She thinks that you're mocking her."

"What?"

"I understand what you're saying, but she doesn't. If at all possible, don't talk to her at all, okay?"

Canderous merely snorted. "I'll talk to who I want to talk to."

"I don't want there to be any bloodshed on my ship."

Canderous laughed gruffly and ducked back under the bike. "Pay attention to your engine, Squirt."

Aminta pursed her lips as though to say something, and then grinned. "Spar with me."

Canderous chuckled and pulled himself out from his place beneath his bike, wiping his grease stained hands off on his pants. "You sure? I beat you to a bloody pulp last time."

Aminta scowled. "You make it sound like I can't fight. I knocked your jaw out of place last time, thank you very much!" Aminta retorted angrily, and Canderous laughed.

"It's your funeral," her replied dismissively with a shurg of his shoulders as he settled himself into a fighting stance.

"Don't be so confident." The pair made eye contact and then began to circle one another. After a brief moment, the two leapt at each other simultaneously.

Aminta made an upper cut with her fist, but Canderous caught her arm and swung her around so that her hand was pinned behind her shoulder blade. She then swung her hips to the left and elbowed Canderous' abdoment with force. The man grunted, and his hold on her arm loosened just enough for her to yank it out of his grasp. Before Canderous had a chance to blink, Aminta made a roundhouse kick so that her foot connected soundly with his jaw.

Canderous grabbed her leg before it made contact with the ground and yanked upwards so that she lost her balance and landed hard on the floor. Before she had a chance to rise to her feet, Canderous had her pinned to the ground, his elbow at her throat. Aminta wrapped her legs around his waist in response, and summoned all of her strength to flip over so that she was on top of him.

Canderous grunted in surprise when he found himself in a similar position to the one Aminta had been a few short seconds before. He quickly punched the side of her face, and Aminta groaned in pain. Canderous then headbutted her, and pushed her off of him. He rose quickly, and Aminta was on her feet not a second later. They circled each other slowly once again, thier bodies slick with sweat and grease from the swoop bike.

Once gain they attacked one another, and this time, Canderous' fists reigned blows onto Aminta body. After a short time of acting as a puinch bag, Aminta rose her arms up and blocked his blows, landing a few of her own punches to Canderous' gut. Canderous growled and lunged at her, causing Aminta to stumble backwards and slam into the wall.

Her head ached from the contact, and her brain was foggy for enough time for Canderous to pin her arms over her head with one hand, and wrap his other one around her throat. When Aminta regained her senses, Canderous tightened his grip on her throat. "I win," he hissed into her ear in triumph, and Aminta glared at him.

"You overgrown son of a Kath!" she spat, and Canderous chuckled.

"You asked for it," he replied with a grin, still not releasing his hold on her throat. It was a thing that he had… he didn't let up until Aminta would admit that he won.

"Hey, Canderous! Have you seen…" Carth's form appeared in the doorway, and then he trailed off. "Am I… uh… interrupting something?" he asked after a moment, glancing between the two.

It was then that Aminta realized how she and Canderous looked. Neither were wearing shirts, both were sweating, and Aminta was pressed up against the wall. "We're sparring," she replied to the goggle eyed Carth. Aminta then groaned in frustration and struggled against Canderous' hands. When he showed no signs of relenting, she sagged with defeat. "Fine! You won. Let me go already!"

Canderous chuckled and released his grasp. "Maybe you won't be so eager to challenge me next time." Aminta glared at him, and before Canderous had a chance to blink, he was thrown into the wall. "No force powers!" he exclaimed angrily, and Aminta laughed mockingly.

"Maybe you won't be so eager to challenge me next time," she mimicked him, and then turned to Carth. "Did you need something?" she asked brusquely as she grabbed a towel off of the workbench and attempted to remove some of the grime from her body. Canderous made himself busy tending the swoop bike.

"I was just checking to see if you at lunch yet," Carth replied, his eyes critically glancing over her bared torso. "You've gained some weight," he noted with approval, and Aminta scowled.

"You say that like its a good thing," she muttered, and Carth chuckled.

"It is. But you still have more to gain… so come eat your lunch," he replied, unperturbed by the dark glare that she was throwing him.

"What, do you have an obsession with fat women?" she muttered, and Carth shook his head with a smile.

"You're still a good twenty pounds underweight for a woman your size. Once you get to be five pounds underweight… then we'll negotioate," he replied.

"Whatever you say, Dad." Aminta grabbed her shirt once her hands were sufficiently clean but made no move to put it on. "May I have permission to take a shower first?" she asked, mimicking the voice of a young child. Carth chuckled.

"You'd better. You smell like Bantha poodoo."

Aminta scolwed at him. "Jerk."

"I aim to please."

"Of course you do," Aminta muttered as she exited the room and headed for the refresher.

———————————————————-

The following four days passed slowly, and all aboard the Ebon Hawk were glad when the ship finally made landing. Mission was the first to spring from her seat in the Common room, and she turned to Aminta quickly. "I'm going to go exploring. I'm getting really sick of this ship!" she announced, and Bastila held up a hand.

"Do not steal anything on Manaan, Mission," Bastila warned the teen, who made a face. "Their rules are very strict here. If you are caught, you will be executed," she warned, and Mission swung her gaze to Aminta.

The smuggler sighed and shrugged. "You'd better listen to her this time. I wouldn't want my favorite twi'lek to end up dead. Besides, we have plenty of credits already."

"But…" Mission began to protest, but Zalbaar's growl cut her off. Sullenly, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine. No pick pocketing, no shop lifting. Can I please get off of this ship now?"

Aminta glanced over to Zalbaar, and inclined her head. Zalbaar nodded in response. ":I shall go with the cub, Aminta Jae:" Zalbaar replied to her unspoken question, and Aminta nodded her head in approval.

"Feel like coming with me, Canderous?" Aminta asked, and Canderous grinned broadly in response. Aminta chuckled. "That's a yes. Is the swoop bike ready?"

"It could use a few touch ups, but its ready to race, if that's what you're asking."

Aminta smiled. "Well, it appears you have your uses after all."

"Unfortunately, I have yet to discover your's, squirt," he retorted, and Aminta raised a brow.

"Touche. I must be rubbing off on you, Candy."

Canderous snorted, but said nothing. Aminta then turned her attention to the rest of the group. "Canderous and I are going to do some recon work, and then head over to the swoop track. Who wants to come with?" Juhani carefuly averted her gaze, and Aminta knew that bringing her along with Canderous would be an extremely bad idea.

"I shall remain here with Juhani. I admit that I am not quite eager to return to another swoop race." Bastila admited, color rising to her pale cheeks.

"Does this have to do with the fact that the Vulkars trussed you up like a Nal Hutta joy girl and stuck you out for everyone to see?" Canderous replied with a smirk, and Bastila's face grew even redder.

"Okay, that just leaves you, Carth. Do you want to come, or do you want to stay on the ship?"

Carth frowned. "The engine needs some work; I should probably stay behind this time. I'm not too fond of swoop tracks, anyway. I'll come with you once you figure out what you're doing though. And once you're done with the Swoop track."

Aminta shrugged. "Well, Candy. It looks like it's just you and me. Ready to go?"

"Yeah," he replied gruffly and turned to Carth. "Hey, Republic. Make yourself useful and have someone deliver our bike to the track, will ya?"

"Our bike?" Carth replied with a raised brow, and Canderous smirked.

"Squirt and I worked on it together. It's ours. Now, do it."

Carth smiled, but the warmth didn't quite reach his eyes. "Sure, Candy."

Canderous' eyes widened, and he picked Carth up off of the floor with one hand. "Don't you ever call me that!"

Aminta sighed and placed her hand to her head. "Will you just try to get along? Please?" she demanded, looking between the two. Canderous snarled, and grudgingly let go of Carth, who glared at him angrily. "Honestly, you're acting like overgrown childern. I would have expected better from you."

"Don't scold me," Canderous retorted, and Aminta rolled her eyes.

"You alright, Carth?" she asked, ignoring the hulking Mandalorian standing next to her.

"I'm fine… can't say as much for my pride," he replied with a chuckle and another glare at the Mandalorian. Canderous just smirked.

Aminta groaned. "Come on, Canderous, let's get out of here. We don't want another war on our hands." With that, she turned on her heel and headed towards the exit. "Men act like overgrown…" she muttered under her breath, completing the phrase with hair raising explectives. Canderous laughed gruffly in response as they descended the exit ramp.

"If you call him a man."

Aminta closed her eyes and continued walking. "Is this deja vu, or have we had this conversation before?"

"We've had it before. I just thought you would've changed your mind by now," he replied, and Aminta sighed softly.

"He's a friend, Canderous. A good friend. Hell, I can act like a teenager around him… there's not many guys who you can do that with. Of course, you are just an overgrown teenager yourself, so I doubt you can appreciate that quality," she retorted with a smirk, and Canderous chuckled.

"You've got a big mouth, you know that, Squirt?"

"How do you think I got such a big head?"

Canderous chuckled at that. The hangar that Carth had landed the Hawk in was small, but its large windows held sweeping views of the sea. Aminta's breath hitched in her throat as her gaze was drawn to the waters, and she paused. Frowning, Canderous pauzed and followed the direction of her eyes. "Didn't peg you as the romantic type," he noted, and Aminta shook her head.

"I'm not. Deralia had oceans too… I haven't seen one since…" she sighed. "This place reminds me of home," Aminta ammended, and turned her back to the view. Canderous brusquely followed suit, and followed her without comment.

Aminta appreciated that more than he would ever know. Whereas Carth would pry for information, Canderous was just there. No comments, no idle chatter; nothing but his silent support. Not that she didn't appreciate that Carth cared, not that she didn't enjoy knowing there was someone to talk to. She cast a sidelong glance at the man walking beside her and her lips quirked upwards slightly. The two men she traveled with were as different as night and day.

"Do you know where we're going?" Canderous asked as the pair exited the hangar and entered Ahto City.

Aminta shrugged. "In all honesty, I've never been here before. There is supposed to be a check in somewhere to the left, though. Maybe-" her words were cut off as a Sith soldier came into sight.

Canderous instinctively reached for his gun, but Aminta blocked his hand. "The Selkath have strict rules. One mistep, and you're executed."

Canderous scowled. "Fish brains," he muttered under his breath, and Aminta rolled her eyes.

"They feel that they need to. Manaan is the only producer of Kolto in the galaxy, and they want to remain neutral. For that to happen, they have to strictly maintain the peace on their planet."

Canderous lifted a brow. "For someone who's never been to Ahto City, you sure know a lot about the place," he noted, and Aminta smirked.

"I read. It's a habit that you should probably undertake. Brute strength doesn't mean anything when you're as dumb as a Bantha," she teased with a slight smile, her gaze still directed at the Sith.

"At least you admit that I've got brute strength," Canderous replied easily. Aminta merely snorted.

A republic soldier was swiftly approaching to their right, and both the Sith and sodlier came to a dead halt when they saw each other. Each reached for their weapons, cast a glance at one of the many security droids, and stayed their hands. The Sith was the first to speak.

"Why don't you attack me, scum? You know you want to!" he taunted, and the Republic soldier set his jaw.

"Why don't you make the first move?" the younger man retorted, and the Sith sneered.

"Coward," he accused, and the soldier's fists tightened at his sides.

"This coming from the man who refuses to attack me," he replied, and the Sith smirked.

"Just you wait. Once we've conquered the galaxy, I'll have your head on a platter."

"Once the Republic wins, I'll personally oversee your execution."

The Sith laughed, and then shook his head. "You're all words. You wouldn't have the stomach to watch a mass murder," he replied smoothly, and then turned in the other direction.

"Hutt slime!" The republic officer shouted at the Sith's back, who merely laughed in response and then continued on his way.

Canderous met Aminta's glance and grinned. "Well, there certainly isn't any tension on this planet."

"None whatsoever," Aminta drawled, and then turned her attention towards the soldier. "Excuse me?" she called, and the soldier whirled around.

"What?" he snapped, and then caught sight of the lightsaber strapped to her hip. "Oh! My apologies, Master Jedi. It's just that these blasted Sith… nevermind. How can I help you?" he asked after he had regained his composure.

"I'm looking for check in. Could you direct me?" Aminta asked brusquely, and the soldier nodded.

"Of course. It is just down the hall to your left. Turn through the first door, and you're there," he directed her, and Aminta nodded.

"Thanks." Then she turned to Canderous and winked. "See any good Swoop matches recently?" Aminta asked the soldier after a second's hesitation, and the man shook his head.

"I don't particularly enjoy racing. I can vouch for the Cantina here, however. They serve a great ale," he advised, and Aminta grinned.

"Would you know anything about artifacts?" she asked, abruptly changing the subject.

The soldier frowned. "Artifacts?"

"Ancient things. We're actually looking for something called a star map," she explained, hoping that the soldier would know something. He scratched his head, and his frown deepened before he shook his head.

"Roland Wann, the director of the republic base, might be able to help you out. Stop by there, and he'll probably be able to tell you something," he offered, and Aminta nodded. With that, she and Canderous headed on their way.

The soldier's directions were easy enough to follow, and they soon had a passkey to Ahto City in hand, as well as a warning on the severity of the Selkath's punishment. Apparently, the 'fish brains,' as Canderous called them, were as attatched to their neutrality as the Mandalorian was to his repeating rifle.

Soon, the pair had exited the greeting room, and had entered the jewel of the Selkath, Ahto City. A large marble fountain demanded attention, and the languid trickling of the water exuded the same serentiy as the silver, white, and blue color palette. However, the furnishings and even the fountains were understated to magnify the beauty of the ocean.

A thin wall and polished railing were all that seperated Ahto City from the waters which were deceptively calm. Cool breezes found their way over the wall, and the city itself bore the scent that only salt water can bring. All in all, it was a beautiful place, and Aminta found it not suprising that those who had built it wished to keep neutrality. Their tastes were steeped in the serene; why should their political policies be any different?

"So, where's this swoop track?" Canderous asked, cutting into Aminta's reverie. Aminta scowled at him in response.

"Mandalorians," she muttered under her breath. "The idiots have no appreciation for beauty."

Canderous guffawed in response, and Aminta rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. We'll find you're blasted swoop track." She tapped on the shoulder of the nearest person, who turned slowly to face her. "Do you know where I could find the Swoop race coordinator?"

The woman that Amitna had made the mistake to question gave her a cursory glance, and her gaze settled on Aminta's lightsaber. "It is obvious that you are affiliated with the Republic. I have no time to talk to you," she replied easily before turning her attention back to the group of women surrounding her.

"It doesn't take much time to tell me where a racing track is!" she exclaimed in exasperation, and the woman raised a brow.

"It takes time that is too valuable to waste on you. Besides, you could never hope to compare yourself to a real woman," she replied and turned back to the other women quickly. Seething, Aminta reached for her lightsaber, but one of the Selkath turned his eyes on her and she was forced to loosen her grip on its hilt.

Canderous chuckled. "If she thinks that she's a real woman, she's got another thing coming to her."

Aminta sighed and shook her head. "Come on, Candy. There's got to be someone who will tell us where to go."

"Good luck finding him."

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I know, I know. Another short one, and not much closure at the end, but I felt that I owed you guys an update. It's been over a week, after all. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and please review.