When Brinna walked into the common room the next morning, she found Mission, Zaalbar, and Canderous sitting around the table. She caught Mission and Zaalbar exchanging a look and she instantly knew why as she looked at Canderous. The expression in his eyes was menacing and he held his jaw so tightly clenched that he looked as though he could chew through plascrete, if he were so inclined. Brinna stared at him for a full minute but he was apparently so preoccupied that he didn't notice. As she watched his flickering gaze, she knew with certainty that he was mentally playing out the encounter he was anticipating having with Jagi that day.

"He's been like that for an hour now," Mission whispered, sidling up to Brinna as she turned to help herself to a steaming mug of caffa.

Brinna sighed, worried. "He's probably been like that since last night," she murmured to Mission.

The teen's gaze was troubled as she darted a glance up at Brinna. "You'll look out for him, won't you?"

Startled, Brinna looked directly at Mission. She hadn't realized that the Twi'lek and the Mandalorian had become so close. "Of course I will. Don't worry about Canderous, Mission. I'll make sure nothing happens to him."

As if reading Brinna's mind, Mission responded, "He looks out for me and Big Z. And he looks out for you too. He's not such a bad guy—for a Mandalorian."

Brinna smiled. "No, he's not."

"Do you know how obvious it is that you two are talking about me?" Canderous's gravelly voice suddenly interrupted their tête-à-tête.

"What is this encounter with Jagi all about, Canderous?" Brinna asked directly, turning to face him.

"It's a matter of honor," Canderous replied, his lips tightening.

"Care to enlighten me as to exactly what that means?"

"That's between me and Jagi."

With those words, Canderous abruptly rose from his seat and strode from the common room, bumping into Carth on his way out. The Mandalorian continued on as if he hadn't even noticed Carth's existence.

"What's wrong with him?" Carth asked, staring after Canderous's retreating back with an aggrieved look on his face. "He's not his normal charming self."

The sarcasm dripping from the words caused Brinna to sigh. "When are you two going to learn to put your differences aside?"

"When Malak shows up at the Jedi enclave on his knees begging for mercy."

Mission sniggered but Brinna wasn't amused. "Look, Carth, he's tense about his meeting with Jagi, so do you think you could go easy on him? We've got a rather important mission to complete and the last thing I need is you two tearing each other apart."

The look on Carth's face indicated that he'd like nothing more than to do just that to Canderous but he simply nodded by way of reply. Mission turned and walked back to the table and, as she turned her back toward them, Carth met Brinna's eye and gave a significant glance at the teen.

With a rush of guilt so powerful it made her stomach ache, Brinna suddenly understood what it was Carth was trying to convey to her. Overwhelmed by the stress and exhaustion of the previous day, Brinna had forgotten to tell Mission what she had learned of Griff. Her face must have belied something of her emotions for Carth directed a sympathetic gaze her way.

"Go easy on yourself," he said softly, murmuring the words close to her ear as he walked over to her to claim his own mug of caffa.

His nearness and the kind tone of his words caused her to tremble a little but she forced herself to focus on the task before her. Taking a deep breath, she carried her mug over to the table and seated herself across from Mission, reaching out and taking the Twi'lek's hand.

"I have news about your brother," she said, in response to Mission's inquisitive gaze. The teen's face blanched and Brinna grasped her hand more firmly, hastening to add, "It's not what you're thinking but it is serious. He was out on a mining expedition and was taken hostage by Sand People."

Instead of looking relieved that her brother was still alive, Mission's face paled even more. "Griff's been taken prisoner?"
"Yes, but we're going to find him." As Brinna spoke, Carth seated himself next to her and she found she was grateful for his reassuring presence. "We're going to the Sand People enclave today to try to persuade them to cease their attacks on the Czerka. We'll free Griff while we're there, I promise."

Mission nodded weakly, her hand limp in Brinna's. Zaalbar looked at his friend and made a mournful noise.

"Don't worry, Mission. Brinna saved Dustil. She'll save Griff too," Carth said.

She could hear the conviction in his words and she felt a tingle. He had faith in her. Not only that, when he'd spoken of how Brinna had saved Dustil, his voice had rung with gratitude. The paranoid uneasiness with which he'd once treated her had been replaced by an implicit trust. It was a powerful realization that struck Brinna to her very core. She snuck a glance at him and, almost as if she'd willed it, his eyes met hers for a brief second during which she lost all sense of herself and everything that surrounded her.

"We'd better get going," Brinna said, reluctantly shaking herself back to reality. She gave Mission's hand one last squeeze before heading out toward the equipment bay, Carth following.

When they entered the corridor, she was surprised to feel Carth gently seize her hand. She stopped dead in her tracks, turning to look at him.

"I meant what I said in there," he told her, his voice soft. He'd never before looked at her in the way he did now and it sent a shiver up her spine. "I know you'll find Griff and save him."

"I hope you're right," she told him, her throat suddenly dry.

He smiled. "I am. I think you could do anything you set your mind to."

Brinna could feel heat creeping up her face and neck as she cast about for a reply but, to her relief, she found that one was not necessary. Carth gave her hand a quick, warm squeeze and then continued into the equipment bay.

Canderous was already there, putting his armor on and collecting his pack with a look of grim determination on his face. Brinna wished he would tell her what the deal with Jagi was but she knew better than to push him. The Mandalorian would place his confidence in her when and if he felt like it.

HK-47 was also waiting in the equipment bay. Though she was still wary of him, Brinna had to bring him along to act as a translator with the Sand People. She only hoped that his homicidal urges would be directed toward whatever foes they might come across. It wouldn't exactly be dignified for her to be done in by a shot to the back from her own droid.

As they left the ship, Brinna could feel her Jedi brethren reach out to her and she knew they were all gathered in the common room. She also knew they had been talking about her, though she had no idea what specifically had been the topic of their conversation. Once again, she felt an uncanny sense that someone knew more about her than she knew herself.

She shook the thought aside as they made their way through Anchorhead. Her full concentration would be needed for the tasks before her and she was determined to get things done as quickly as possible. Dark fears had begun to creep into the corners of her mind, though she had shared these with no one. There was a voice in the back of her mind that was growing ever more persistent in its insistence that she would not be able to stop Malak in time. She was doing her best to ignore it but she was finding that she was having less and less success in this endeavor.

The gate guard gave them a minor hassle until Brinna produced her hunting license and then he was quick to let them through with a dire warning. Brinna made a sour face as she stepped through the gate but she said nothing. The suns, which had been unbearably bright within the confines of the city walls, were now blinding. Her eyes momentarily dazzled, Brinna didn't see the woman standing outside until she nearly stumbled over her.

"Hello there," the woman said in a voice that sounded strangely elated. "You're heading out to the desert? You're a hunter, right? You must be if you've been allowed to leave Anchorhead. When you see Tanis, and I know you will, tell him his wife hopes he enjoys the anniversary gift."

Brinna blinked several times until the other woman's face came into focus. Marlena, that was what Tanis had called her back in the hunting lodge. Mrs. Venn would have been a lovely woman had her face not been marred by a twisted expression of bitterness. Brinna felt a combination of sympathy and something like dread.

"Why do you think I would know him?" she asked carefully.

"Don't play dumb. You're just another of his playthings down at that 'hunting' club. I know your type through and through. Well, he can do what he wants. He'll get what he deserves. I bought my own license just so I could see what he did."

Though she bristled at Marlena's calling her Tanis's "plaything", Brinna held her tongue. A shiver ran down her spine at the woman's words and she realized just how thoroughly Tanis had destroyed his wife. "You sound like you're planning to kill him."

"Oh, I'm through planning. I just left him a little mess that he has to take care of. If he's smart, he'll be just fine. But he's not smart." The last sentence was spoken with an almost feline grin of pleasure. Marlena was practically purring at the thought of whatever trap she had laid for her husband.

"I have to go," Brinna said shortly. Marlena disturbed her and she had plenty of her own problems to deal with without having Tanis's rather crazy wife adding to her burdens.

"I'm sure you do. Like I said, when you see him, tell him his wife Marlena says hello," the woman replied. Brinna heard her humming a little tune as she stepped through the gates and into Anchorhead.

"You don't think..." Carth began, exchanging a look with Brinna.

Sighing and closing her eyes, Brinna squeezed the bridge of her nose. "Yes, I do. She seemed just crazy enough to do it."

Carth sighed as well. "I thought we were rid of that guy."

"Yes, well, you can never have too much of a good thing, can you?" Brinna asked with false brightness.

"By the time you two are done yammering, we'll have run out of water," Canderous barked. Carth openly glared at him but Brinna merely sent a mild look his way.

"Let's go," she said, turning and leading her companions away from Anchorhead and into the desert proper.

She had to admit, Canderous did have a point. The heat out on the dunes was more oppressive than any she had ever known. There had never been any reason for her to venture outside of Anchorhead's walls on any of her previous visits and Brinna found herself wishing that she hadn't had to do so on this visit either. Her robes were already clinging damply to her back and the heat and light were so intense that her head was beginning to ache.

"Anyone out there?" a voice with an hysterical edge called out, breaking into her thoughts. "Could you help? I seem to be…ah…doomed."

"Looks like it's our friend Tanis," Carth muttered.

He did, indeed, seem to be doomed. He was standing helplessly with a blaster in his hand, surrounded by four of his battle droids. The droids were twitching in a very threatening way and there was no mistaking the naked panic in the hunter's eyes.

Brinna sighed again and wished for patience. Though she found him completely despicable, she didn't think he deserved to stand around in the desert, waiting to die of thirst—for that was the means of demise his wife had planned for him. It seemed Tanis had never been particularly good with his droids and his wife had been their caretaker. She had used this to her advantage and had reprogrammed the droids to detonate if Tanis stepped outside of their perimeter. HK seemed to find Tanis's predicament very amusing and he was clearly disappointed when Brinna set him to work at disabling Tanis's droids. For his part, the hunter looked a bit uncertain at her choice but refrained from saying anything.

HK worked quickly and within a matter of minutes, all four of the malfunctioning battle droids had been disabled. Tanis's relief was palpable and his triumph at having escaped the fate his wife had constructed for him was obvious.

"Now, my dear lady, I must see to your reward. Will, uh, earthly delights suffice?"

Brinna heard Carth make a menacing noise and, despite his earlier preoccupation, even Canderous let out a low growl at Tanis's words. The reactions of her companions coupled with the daggers Brinna was shooting Tanis's way with her eyes must have made the hunter see the wisdom of reconsidering his offer.

"Er…I suppose not," he said. He told her that he considered his life worth something and pressed a couple of credit chips in her hands before he gleefully strode off across the desert, droids in tow.

"He clearly learned his lesson," Carth said, his voice fairly dripping with disgust.

"Forget him," Brinna said. The day seemed to be growing even hotter, if it was possible, and she was anxious to leave all memory of Tanis Venn far, far behind her.

The sand seemed to shimmer and undulate before Brinna's eyes as she led Carth, Canderous, and HK over the dunes. Just to break up the monotony, every so often a band of Sand People would attack and Brinna quickly developed an appreciation for the fear the creatures inspired in the Czerka. They were not easy opponents. At times they proved surprisingly resistant to the Force and their gaffi sticks were punishing weapons. This coupled with the suddenness and viciousness of their attacks made them a challenge, to say the least.

In addition to the Sand People, they also had to fend off the occasional attacks from the wraids that roamed the desert. Brinna collected the skull plate of each beast with the intension of selling them to Fazza. She wasn't too proud to scrape together whatever could possibly be traded for credits. Their stores would need to be replenished before they left Tatooine and they had fewer credits than Brinna would have liked.

She didn't have long to fret about this, however, for they suddenly found themselves suffering through yet another Sand People ambush. Brinna called on the Force but was only able to put two of the three warriors in stasis. The third one charged straight for her and though she managed to duck the brunt of the blow, the warrior's gaffi stick grazed the right side of her head and set her ears to ringing and her vision to wavering. The heat-induced headache that she'd been fighting off suddenly came roaring to life and the pain was such a distraction that she just barely managed to duck the warrior's next blow.

"Exclamation: I'll see pieces of you spread all over these dunes, meatbag!" a mechanical voice called. Brinna looked up to see HK bearing down, blasters blazing, on the warrior that had attacked her and, for once, she was grateful for his homicidal tendencies.

Brinna dropped to the ground and rolled as HK fired. His first shot was off the mark but the second hit the warrior in his gaffi arm and the creature gave an inhuman roar as his weapon fell from his useless limb. Leaping to her feet, Brinna swung her lightsabers in a wide arc, silencing the warrior forever.

"You all right?" Carth asked, panting as he approached. His blades were covered with gore and she knew that he would have finished off the warrior HK had hit if she hadn't gotten to him first.

"Yeah. I'm okay," she responded, gritting her teeth against the pounding pain in her head. She mopped her dripping forehead with the sleeve of her robe, took a deep breath, and focused on using the Force to heal her and her companions' wounds. The headache receded a bit but it still felt as though one of the Sand People was inside her skull, banging repeatedly on her brain.

Something of the pain she felt must have shown on her face because Carth thrust a canteen at her. "Drink this," he said. "You're probably becoming dehydrated."

She took the water from him and drank. When she was done, she felt a little better and she took the opportunity to pause for a moment and catch her breath. Shielding her eyes, she squinted against the merciless light of the suns and caught sight of a very bulky object some distance from them. "What is that?" she asked.

Carth looked over in the direction toward which she was gazing, squinting his own eyes. "It looks like a sandcrawler," he said.

"Maybe they'll have some more information about these attacks and about Griff."

"Then what are we standing around here for?" Canderous's harsh voice interjected. The sound of it startled Brinna and she turned to see that he was standing a short distance behind her, cleaning his own blades of gore.

Without a word, she took off in the direction of the sandcrawler. She could hear HK's gears whirring as he followed and she overheard him complaining about the sand interfering with his functions but paid him no heed. She was too busy keeping a sharp eye on the dunes, watching out for more Sand People.

Unfortunately, the miners didn't have much leisure for talk. They were barely able to tell Brinna that they'd been ambushed before it happened once again. Wave after wave after wave of Sand People sprang seemingly from nowhere and attacked Brinna's party and the miners. The searing heat and the strain of battle combined forced Brinna into something like a primal survival mode. Her world was soon nothing more than blinding light, deafening cries and blaster fire, and a flash of pain every now and then as a gaffi stick hit its mark. When the battle was finally over, she found herself breathing in shallow gasps, nearly choking as the dry desert air filled her lungs.

The miners thanked Brinna and her companions for their help and passed along a useful bit of information: the Sand People had set up a perimeter around their enclave, protecting it with blaster turrets. Deciding to abandon their sandcrawler to a fate as a salvage heap for the Jawas, the Czerka employees set off for Anchorhead.

"Looks like we're definitely going to have to disguise ourselves," Carth said as he casually handed her his canteen once again.

It was almost uncanny how he knew what she needed without her even having to tell him and she found that she was more grateful for his presence than ever. The more time passed, the more she learned that there was nothing more reassuring than going into battle with Carth Onasi at her side. He always had her back but, just as importantly, he looked out for her mental well-being just as carefully as he looked after her physical well-being.

"Admit it, flyboy. You're just anxious to try on the latest in Sand People fashion," she said, unable to resist teasing him.

His smile was amused but she could see the relief in his eyes. He must have been more worried about her than she'd initially thought. "As the most handsome pilot in the galaxy, I can only enhance whatever I wear," he told her, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Ugh, spare me," Brinna said, rolling her own eyes. She thrust the canteen into Carth's chest. "I just hope they'll fit over that giant head of yours."

Carth opened his mouth but took one look at Canderous and closed it again. Brinna glanced over and saw that their Mandalorian companion was something less than amused. She decided they'd best leave off the banter for the time being.

"Let's go take a look at that refuse pile over there," Brinna said, pointing.

Canderous was off instantly and Brinna actually found herself hoping that they'd run into Jagi soon. They wouldn't have a moment's peace until Canderous was able to face his old friend.

The refuse pile turned out to be a very crude booby trap set up by the oh-so-pleasant Gamorrean hunters with whom Brinna had spoken in Fazza's lodge. HK was fairly crackling with glee as he fired his blasters at the treacherous creatures. It wasn't long before the Gamorreans understood that they were in over their head this time.

"Gamorreans," Carth said, disgust evident in his voice.

"Yes, well, I know they're your favorite and all but can you give me a hand here? There might be something useful in one of these piles," Brinna said, picking through the closest one at hand.

"Scavenger," Carth said to her. She glanced over at him and saw that he was smiling teasingly at her.

"Beggars can't be choosers, can they? Or do you have some secret stash of credits I don't know about, flyboy?"

"I believe your Twi'lek friend relieved me of them all," he grumbled.

"Then start scavenging, would you?"

They worked for a few moments, taking whatever parts they felt would prove useful before they moved on. Brinna led them behind the sandcrawler and just as she was turning to Canderous to tell him that it looked like his friend had opted not to show for their encounter, Jagi suddenly appeared, a couple of Rodian thugs in tow.

"Ah so you managed to come after all," he called out to Canderous, a smug, mocking smile on his face. Brinna tightened her grip on her sabers and Carth must have moved as well for Jagi suddenly took notice of them, adding, "I see you brought friends."

"You brought some of your own as well," Canderous said evenly. In spite of the casual tone of his voice, Brinna knew him well enough by now to know that he was seething. Every line of his body was tense and he had a death grip on his blades.

"Ha! Indeed I did. I foresaw that you might need help so I arranged a distraction."

"I came by my own will," Brinna informed him, a muscle in her jaw working. She still didn't know quite what to make of the situation but she was anxious to do whatever she could to prevent an all-out blood bath. She could feel sweat beading on her forehead.

"I do not need to hear your excuses, Jedi!" Jagi said, spitting the title out contemptuously. "I know why he brought you!"

"Enough of this talk, Jagi. Let us do what we came here to do."

"I think you both need to calm down," Brinna interjected in a forceful tone. She couldn't help but wonder if she was just plain crazy. If looks could kill, both Canderous and Jagi would have been long gone by now. Did she honestly think either Mandalorian would listen to her, now that they had got their blood up?

"We both know the stakes here, and we both know what we must do," Jagi said, ignoring Brinna. "It is only in death that this can end."

"This is a matter of honor. I cannot stand by this insult. I must do this," Canderous told Brinna.

"Why do you need to fight him, Canderous?" Brinna asked, exasperated. She hoped that the Mandalorian might give her a straight answer, for once.

"He has slandered me and questioned my honor. Among the Mandalore, many have died for much lesser insults!"

Brinna wanted to scream. She was well aware of the importance of honor amongst the Mandalorians but she would have liked nothing more than to take both men and shake some sense into them. Could honor really be important enough to justify the senseless shedding of blood?