Disclaimer: If you haven't played KotOR II recently, by all means grab it. It's out on Steam, including full support for the Restored Content Mod.

The crew was waiting expectantly as Meetra entered the main hold. "Get ready to move out. We've got a hostage situation; Adare thinks the mercenaries are holding Master Vrook." She went on to explain what she knew, and her plan to infiltrate the caves. "The droids can record the paths we've traveled and generate a 3-D map of the tunnels, so we can find our way out. Either T3 will detect human life signs, or one of us will feel them through the Force. Once we locate Vrook, we hit hard and fast, and retreat through the caves to this side of the hills, collapsing the tunnel behind us to deter pursuit."

The crew assembled on the landing pad in front of the Hawk. Mical had elected to come along; Meetra gave him the light armor that she had received from Lt. Grenn, back on Citadel Station. They headed to the kinrath cave, but once inside, they turned away from the nexus chamber and began searching. The tunnels twisted and turned, but the droids were able to keep track of their location well enough. In a few hours, they had a workable map, including routes to a few of the collapsed exits. They didn't detect any life signs, but T3 picked up several energy readings, and they followed them. They found tunnels blocked with force fields-the mercenaries had sealed off a large section to keep the kinrath out. Bao-Dur bashed one in, and they crossed into the merc-held area. Things were very different here; the tunnel walls had been lined with a layer of plasteel to keep the kinrath from digging in, and lighting was strung along the ceilings. They found and eliminated several mercenary patrols without raising an alarm. Meetra was surprised to run across a few battle droids. But that surprise paled in comparison to what they found next.

The tunnel opened into a catwalk which ran along one wall of a cavern the size of a cruiser's hangar. The place was full of military equipment. Two dozen vehicles were lined up along the far wall: recon speeders, personnel carriers, and three hovertanks. Hundreds of battle droids stood in ranks in the center of the floor. The rest of the space was full of heavy repeaters, mortars, and crates of equipment. Mercs filled the space, working on the machines. Sparks flew from welders and fusion cutters, cranes lifted engines, and mercs hauled gear back and forth. Meetra and the others ducked back into the tunnels.

Bao-Dur frowned. "Zherron said the mercs didn't have any heavy weapons! How in the hell did they get this much gear onto the planet without anyone in Khoonda noticing?"

"They didn't have to," said Atton, shaking his head. "It was already here! Those are Sith vehicles and equipment. Malak attacked this world with a mechanized division, and took heavy losses during the troop drop. The mercs must have scavenged the crashed transports, then assembled the parts." He shook his head. "Master, they must be planning to attack Khoonda. It would cost too much to repair all this stuff for them to profit by selling it."

"We're going to stop them," Meetra said firmly. She turned to G0-T0. "Can you take control of the droids down there?"

"Not at this distance," the droid replied. "My transmission range is limited. I would have to get within ten meters, and even then I could only override perhaps six or eight of the 863 battle droids in the depot."

Meetra nodded. "Let's split up-Kreia, Visas, and I will find Vrook and get him out. I want the rest of you to get down there and sabotage as much as you can, with emphasis on those tanks and APCs. If this does come to a fight, we need to take a chunk out of their heavy firepower. Work in teams and stay hidden-I don't want to raise the alarm before I find the hostage. Once I signal you, blow whatever charges you've set and retreat through the tunnels. Remember your maps-there's more than one way out of here. We'll rendezvous just outside the entrance we went in originally." The crew nodded and got moving.

Meetra crept along the tunnel. Her group had slipped through the depot without being spotted as the others fanned out to cut cables and place explosives. She could feel a strong presence in the Force, and was heading for it. She came to a stop as she heard footsteps and voices. Two mercs came out of a side passage directly ahead. Meetra didn't bother drawing her lightsaber; she snapped one merc's neck and knocked the other out with a kick to the head. They dropped and Meetra was through the door. Vrook stood in a force cage; Meetra ran up to it. She couldn't slice it, so she bashed the panel in with her saber hilt, shorting it out and dropping the force field. Vrook did not speak or move.

"Stop right there!" Meetra spun to find a squad of mercs swarming into the room, led by a woman wearing heavy armor. Visas and Kreia started to reach for weapons, but Meetra waved them off-Vrook was in the line of fire. The woman smiled. "So the Jedi has friends after all. Drop your weapons and equipment on the floor, then kick them away."

"All right, you got us." Meetra dropped her saber, then unclipped her belt and dropped the whole thing. Visas and Kreia did the same. She kicked her belt away, but not before using the Force to activate her comm so the others could hear.

The merc gestured with her rifle. "Turn around slowly. Tell me, are there more militia here?"

Meetra grinned. "We're not militia." The room shook as the armory started to blow. Alarms blared through the halls. The mercenaries were distracted for a split second, which was much longer than Meetra needed. She pulled her sabers in and launched herself at the mercs with Visas and Kreia right behind. They downed all ten mercs in seconds, then recovered their equipment.

"Always the rushing into action without thinking of the consequences," Vrook growled. He raised his eyebrows at Meetra's stunned expression. "What? You were expecting thanks?"

"From you, Vrook? Not really, but it would have been nice," Meetra sighed.

Vrook crossed his arms. "Khoonda is in danger, and you've ruined the best chance of averting a full-scale conflict!"

Meetra cocked her head. "How were you going to help in a cage?" Vrook opened his mouth angrily and Meetra held up her hands. "Sorry; should have kept that one in. What's the situation?"

"Right now Dantooine is at a critical moment," said Vrook. "If Khoonda falls, the Republic may lose control of this system. This attack must have been planned for some time, but they've been holding off for the right moment. And now since they lost their captive Jedi, they'll attack immediately. I'm going to try and reach Administrator Adare. Time is of the essence."

"That explosion was my people setting off charges in the main depot," said Meetra. "The damage should buy us some time, a few days maybe. Enough to arrange for Khoonda's defense."

Vrook nodded. "I hid my lightsaber before being captured; I need to retrieve it. I will meet you back at Khoonda. Good luck." He turned and dashed out of the room.

Meetra and her team ran back through the tunnel; the mercenaries were occupied fighting fires in the depot and didn't try to stop them. The tunnels were clear and they made good time back to the entrance. When they stepped outside, none of the rest of the crew were anywhere in sight-but there was someone waiting for them.

"So, you're the one interfering with my operations." Azkul was a tall, grizzled old soldier wearing heavy battle armor. A nasty scar slashed from his left temple to his jawline; his left eye was blind. Two dozen mercs and droids stood ready just behind him. "I don't have to ask who you are. That other Jedi had no stomach for a fight, wasn't even carrying a lightsaber when we took him. But you, you're different. You've been to war before."

"And if you threaten Khoonda, I'll go to war again," Meetra said coolly.

Azkul threw back his head and laughed. "Did you hear that? It's war! A whole battalion of us, against these two…" He eyed Visas. "Or is it three? There couldn't be more Jedi left than that."

"There might be a few more, you know," said Atton. He and Handmaiden stepped out from behind a boulder.

"Five!" said Azkul insolently. "Even five wouldn't give me too much trouble."

Meetra crossed her arms. "There won't be any trouble… if you pack up and leave."

"Leave?" Azkul raised his eyebrows. "I've got the numbers and the firepower, even after you bombed my armory. I've already been paid; what would I tell my employer?"

"Take the money and run," said Bao-Dur. He was leaning against a tree trunk to Meetra's left.

"You can't spend it if you're dead," Mira chimed in, from a branch above the Zabrak's head.

"Seven," breathed Azkul. He glared at Meetra. "Somehow I'm still not convinced."

Meetra saw Atton make a subtle hand signal: Mical and the droids were also in position. "As I have said, leave this planet in peace, and that will be the end of it." Her face hardened. "This is your only warning."

Azkul bared his teeth. "Kill them all!" The mercs attacked with vibroblades; Meetra and her students drew their lightsabers. HK and the other shooters rained down fire from a position halfway up the hill. Mira tossed a grenade into the droid squad, then everyone moved in. The fight was over very fast; most of the mercs were down, but Azkul was gone.

"Let's get back to Khoonda fast," said Meetra. "We have to warn the Administrator and prepare to fight before Azkul can get organized."

They hurried to Khoonda; Adare was waiting in her office, along with Vrook and Zherron. Adare gestured to the Jedi Master. "I see you have found the elusive Master Vrook. He's told me that his 'rescue' complicated our situation to some degree. I can't say I anticipated that. I thank you for finding him, though. Vrook has informed me that the mercenaries devised a plan of attack to annihilate Khoonda itself. I must ask for your aid again, Jedi."

"The explosions in the armory brought part of the ceiling down," said Meetra. "The mercs will have to dig out their equipment and make repairs, so we have some time to build defenses. One of my droids has a cloaking device; he can watch the mercs and give us warning when they start to move."

"The most important thing will be to ensure the civilians are safe," said Vrook. "Is there anywhere that can be used as a shelter?"

"There is a storm cellar below this floor," Adare replied. "It is accessed via an interior stairway, or a heavy exterior door on the north side, one of three ways into the building. The militia is warning the outlying farms now; the civilians are coming here for safety."

"That will have to do." Meetra glanced at Vrook. "Holding that door will be your job." The Jedi Master nodded; Meetra turned to the captain. "She said three ways into Khoonda. What are the other two?"

"The main entrance on the west side, and the garage door on the east," Zherron replied. "The building is a fairly sturdy structure; it was designed to withstand the severe weather on these plains, including tornadoes. We can retreat inside once the mercenaries press their attack, but we'll want to set up an outer layer of fortifications. I've got a map on this datacard; let me set up the image."

He slotted the card into a reader on Adare's desk and projected a hologram of the area around Khoonda. "Okay," said Meetra. "Bao-Dur here is a former Republic combat engineer; I'd like to hear his thoughts on the defense."

The Zabrak walked around the hologram for about two minutes, taking a careful look before speaking. "The ridge to the north is too rough for them to get over in any serious numbers, but we might see small groups of infantry harassing us from that side. The south is blocked by steep hills-the only way through is a pass south of Khoonda. If they want to use it, they'll have to take an extra day to go around. The creek to the west is too shallow to block them, but it'll slow them down. The main action will be defending the approach from the plains to the east, through the saddle in the hills. Now, what do we have to work with?"

"There are three light cannon turrets around the perimeter-one to the east and two to the west," said Zherron. "There are twenty-four men in the militia, including me and Berun; we have blaster rifles and medium armor. I have four heavy war droids and three heavy repeaters with generators and tripods, Republic surplus. That's all, and it's not much. A lot of the farmers around here are veterans-we should see if any of them would be willing to join up, help in the fight. You should try the salvagers, too."

Meetra nodded, then looked thoughtful. "You said you blasted the kinrath caves shut. Do you have any explosives in storage?"

Zherron brightened. "Yes we do, a little over a hundred kilos, but it's for mining and demolitions, not military grade."

Meetra snapped her fingers at Mira, who stepped forward. "I can make about four dozen barrel mines, if you can get me the rest of the components." She began ticking off on her fingers. "I'll need a hundred liters of flammable liquid, like fuel or alcohol, fifty large cylindrical containers-cargo cylinders or sections of drainage pipe will do-and about twenty tons of rocks, gravel, and scrap metal. Detonators, I'll take care of myself. We can also use bamboo from the Enclave to make sharpened stakes; they're simple, but effective."

"I'll have Berun get it together," Zherron said. He crossed his arms. "There were a couple of new buildings going up, so we've got plenty of construction materials for fortifications. I suppose we could build a barricade in the saddle, and try to defend the chokepoint."

Meetra shook her head. "We'd be too exposed-they have mortars, they'd blast the position to pieces. We can't use the rooftop either, for the same reason." She eyed the saddle. "The ground rises sharply to the gap on their side, and descends much more gently on our side." Meetra looked at Bao-Dur. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

The Zabrak nodded. "Reverse-slope defense." He began typing, altering the hologram. "We dig in on the downslope, with the repeaters in strongpoints here, here, and here. They won't be able to see our entrenchments until they come over the crest; that will limit their ability to adjust the mortars onto our position. We can force them to attack a fortified position over bare ground. One or two good marksmen should be detailed to pick off anyone spotting for the mortars." He rubbed his chin. "The war droids are too large to shelter in the trenches, so let's put them on the west side. We should also blow the bridge across the creek and plant stakes on the bank to slow their advance."

HK-47 spoke up sharply. "Interjection: Master, I believe demolishing the bridge is unwise. Please allow me to explain my reasoning."

Meetra frowned, but nodded. "Go ahead, HK."

"Explanation: The mercenaries are no fools," HK said. "If there is too much visible obstruction, Azkul may consider the creek to be too great an obstacle, and forego attacking from that direction completely. Warning: Less than half of the equipment in the depot was destroyed beyond repair; the rest is salvageable. We did almost no damage to the battle droids. If Azkul concentrates his attack on the east side, the defenders there will be at a numerical disadvantage of more than thirty to one. Addendum: That disadvantage would be further increased by small attacks from the north and west, forcing us to commit at least some forces to defend the flanks. I calculate that if Azkul mounts one massive assault from the east, the defenders will be overrun by sheer weight of numbers. It is to our advantage that Azkul chooses to divide his forces. Theory: The bridge is duracrete; if it remains intact, Azkul may believe that it is too well-built for us to demolish, and represents a weak point in our defenses. It follows that he would send additional forces to attack by that route. Troops on the bridge could avoid the spikes, but will be vulnerable to enfilading fire. The western approach can be held solely by the heavy war droids, with support from myself, G0-T0, and T3-M4. T3 can interface with the Ebon Hawk's weapons system; he could do the same with the turrets here. G0-T0 can similarly control the four war droids, coordinating their fire and increasing their combat effectiveness."

Bao-Dur nodded. "Fair enough; what do you suggest?"

HK extended a computer probe from one of his fingers and plugged in to the desk. New symbols began to appear on the hologram. "Strategy: Vehicular obstructions and explosive traps should be sited in the plains on the far side of the creek. This will keep the enemy armor at standoff range, and thin out the infantry. The turrets should focus on this area, with enemy vehicles and crew-served weapons as priority targets. In addition to planting stakes at the creek's edge, site additional stakes in the creek bed itself, where the attackers will not know of the danger until it is too late. The war droids are heavily armored and shielded; they do not need cover. They will be deployed in the open ground between the creek and the building, to engage any attackers who make it past the turret fire. I will construct a fighting position where I can cover the bridge and support the war droids. Conclusion: If defended properly, the western approach to Khoonda is a kill-zone. Azkul should be baited to commit a sizeable portion of his forces to assault into the teeth of the defense, taking some of the pressure off the east side."

"That's good thinking, HK," said Meetra, nodding approvingly. "Still, we should send some Jedi to the west side, in case the mercs manage to gain a foothold on our side of the creek. Atton, Handmaiden, that's you two." They nodded; Meetra turned back to the map. "Zherron, get your people to work fortifying; Bao-Dur is in charge of laying out the defense lines. Mira, start assembling explosives as soon as you have materials; have Atton help you. I'll take a group to the Enclave to cut bamboo for stakes and talk to the salvagers. There's lots of work to be done. Let's get started."

As Meetra left the building, Mical turned to her. "I need to speak with you privately, Jedi." Meetra nodded; the two stepped aside. Mical licked his lips. "I have not been honest with you."

"Your position at the museum is a cover; you are an agent of Republic Intelligence." Meetra laughed at Mical's dumbfounded expression. "You didn't slip up. I worked with Intelligence agents during the Mandalorian Wars; I recognized the way you jammed the lock on the library door. Republic Intelligence contacted me a couple of months ago, and I've been expecting another agent to show up ever since I left Telos."

Mical lowered his head. "I want to make it clear that I was not tracking you specifically. I was looking for any Jedi activity at the Enclave." He glanced over at the eastern field, where Bao-Dur was showing a tractor where to dig. "I contacted my handler and asked for help, but I don't know if they have any to send."

"If they can get help here in time, that's great," said Meetra. "But we need to prepare to hold Khoonda by ourselves. We've got a lot of work to do, and not much time."

Meetra sent G0-T0 north, to keep the mercenary camp under surveillance. She then borrowed a cargo speeder from one of the local farmers and headed back to the Enclave with Visas, Handmaiden, Kreia, and Mical. In an hour or so, they had harvested several hundred bamboo poles, which would be cut into thousands of meter-long stakes. They loaded the speeder and headed for the salvagers' camp. When they arrived, it looked like the salvagers were sorting their belongings into heaps. Meetra walked up to Daraala. "What's going on?"

The older woman shrugged. "We have to leave before the mercenaries attack. We only have my ship, so we have to leave most of what we have behind." She sighed. "It'll be a miracle if we manage to break even."

Meetra pursed her lips. "Actually, I came here to ask for volunteers to help defend Khoonda."

"You're crazy." The speaker was a young woman with a full rucksack. "Azkul has hundreds of men and droids."

"Taepalae is right." Jorran walked up, and the other salvagers were drifting over to listen. "Even if the militia can win the battle, the Enclave and Garang are picked clean. I'm grateful to you, Jedi, but there's no way for us to make a living here anymore."

"Yes, there is." Meetra reached into her belt pouch and came up with a small sack. "These are crystals from the caves nearby. Only a small percentage of the gems are usable in lightsabers, so the Order has been leaving the rest behind for centuries." She glanced at Atton. "What's the going rate for uncut optical crystals?"

Atton shrugged. "It varies depending on size, shape, and quality, runs from fifty credits per kilo to over four hundred."

Meetra turned back to the salvagers, who were eyeing the pouch with interest. "This is what I offer you: the chance to stop running from system to system, barely scraping by. The chance to build something, to have a new start right here. Khoonda is a new beginning for this world. There will be farming and mining, new cities rising out of the ruins." She tucked the bag back into her belt pouch and snapped the flap shut. "But it can only happen if this mercenary assault is stopped. Whoever hired Azkul wants the system for themselves. The people who live here are to be killed, enslaved, or sent away as refugees." Meetra shrugged. "Maybe you can live with that, but I can't. If any of you change your minds, we'll be setting up defenses at Khoonda." She walked away, shaking her head.

Meetra drove the cargo speeder back to Khoonda, where she was shocked to see a large crowd outside the front door. Most wore some form of work clothes; they were carrying blasters, swords, even knives and clubs. Adare was standing in the doorway, trying to calm the crowd. The mob wasn't letting her speak, they were talking angrily, all at once, shaking their fists at the Administrator.

Someone turned, and saw Meetra. "There she is!" Meetra recognized Dillan. "You damned Jedi brought another attack to our door! Well, we won't have it. If the mercenaries want you, then they can have you!" The crowd of civilians murmured agreement, edging toward Meetra. They were right on the edge of rushing her, but nobody wanted to go first.

"We will not be dictated to by bandits and renegades," Adare said firmly. "The militia will make a stand against Azkul's forces. Those of you who can leave the area before the fighting begins are encouraged to do so. The rest of you can take shelter in the cellar until the battle is over. Of course, if any of you are willing to stand and fight alongside us, we would be grateful for your help."

Dillan snorted. "After they left us all to die when Malak came?" She glared at Meetra. "Why should we fight for them?"

"This isn't about the Jedi, it never was." Zherron strode out of the door from behind Adare; he glared at Dillan. "I've had an informant in Azkul's camp for over a year now; he was planning this attack for months… before the Jedi came back. You want to make a deal with the mercenaries, buy them off, and avoid a battle at any cost. But there isn't any getting along with Azkul, he's out for blood and taking the place over."

"I'm with you." A brown-haired, middle-aged man stepped out of the crowd and joined Zherron. "I'm not a violent man. I've had my share of it in the war. I sincerely hoped I could just hang my blaster rifle on the wall as a souvenir for my grandchildren." He shook his head. "But I've seen this before, and I know what we have to do, if we want to keep what we've built here. Dantooine is my home, and I'll fight to keep it safe."

"Thank you, Suulru." Adare shook the veteran's hand, then turned back to face the crowd. "Will anyone else stand with the militia?"

"We will." A dozen or so salvagers were coming across the bridge. Daraala was leading the group, and Meetra spotted Jorran and Taepalae as well. The group came to a halt in front of Adare; Daraala crossed her arms. "We want exclusive mining rights in the caves, and land set aside to build our homes on."

Adare smiled gratefully, shook Daraala's hand, and then turned to Meetra. "I need to get the shelter organized. Good luck, Jedi, and thank you."

In the end, seventeen of the local civilians decided to fight-including Dillan, to Meetra's surprise. Everyone had a rifle or carbine; those who hadn't brought their own were issued one, even Meetra's students. Zherron put everyone to work constructing defenses. Soon, a line of militia were digging trenches on the east side with picks and shovels. The civilian volunteers filled sandbags with the freshly turned earth, then piled them up for use in the earthworks. A four-man crew took the tractor out into the plains to the east and west, cutting down trees and dragging away boulders which the mercenaries could use for cover. With the trench roughed out, Bao-Dur went to work turning a hole in the ground into an actual fortification. First, he sliced the felled trees into sturdy beams, which he laid across the trench at two-meter intervals. He used plasteel panels to build a roof over the trench, which he covered with sandbags to protect against shell fragments and deflect grenades. More sandbags were piled in the opening between the roof and the ground, leaving shooting slits for the defenders to fire out. The next step was building pillboxes for the repeaters; one was set up at each end of the line and one in the center. Daraala's salvagers built a second defensive trench on the north side of the compound; they would watch the ridge and help Vrook protect the cellar door.

Berun and the salvagers took the cargo speeder to the ruins of Garang, the old capital city, to scrounge for materials. They returned with everything Mira needed to make her mines, along with several dozen durasteel beams. Bao-Dur and T3 cut them into two-meter sections, then welded three pieces at right angles to make 'hedgehog' anti-vehicle obstacles. HK constructed several fighting holes on the west side. From there, he could cover the western field, bridge, and the creek; Atton and Handmaiden could also take shelter if they came under heavy fire. The hedgehogs were placed in a double line about half a kilometer from the creek. Enemy vehicles wouldn't be able to approach any closer unless the mercs could move one or two of them out of the way. The area between the hedgehogs and the creek was flat and open, with no cover from the turrets.

Mira was able to build more than fifty barrel mines. Each consisted of a cylindrical container with one end sealed, packed with a two-kilogram explosive charge and a small pouch of thickened fuel, behind a payload of rocks and metal scrap. When set off, the traps would hurl burning shrapnel more than 200 meters in a wide arc. Each one was buried at an angle, with the open end pointing towards a likely avenue of approach, and carefully concealed with grass and scrub brush. The remote detonators fed into the control console for the turrets; T3 would trigger them from his position. Another group of volunteers planted the bamboo stakes; soon the creek was bristling with spikes. More stakes were lashed crosswise to wooden beams, forming spiked barricades. They lay flat, but when flipped over, they would present a row of spikes. The militia set the barricades up on the slope, where they could be raised into position quickly, to slow the mercs' advance.

The mercs had a huge advantage; at some point, the defenders would likely have to fall back and fight from inside the building. Atton and Berun built barricades out of furniture in the front hall and garage. The militia could use them for cover and hit any mercs trying to force their way inside. They left enough room for a Jedi or two to make a stand in the open floor in front of the barricades. The final step was building a sandbag wall in the saddle. Meetra and a small group of defenders would make their initial stand there, to make it appear that they were trying to hold the mercs there. When the attack started, the militia would pretend to be routed and run back towards the trenches. More militia would set up the spiked barricades after Meetra's group ran past. Hopefully, the mercs would take the bait and charge over the crest and into the repeaters' field of fire. Around lunchtime on the third day, G0-T0 reported that the mercs had gotten their remaining equipment out of the armory, and would be ready to attack sometime late that night. Bao-Dur guessed that the assault would begin a little after dawn, so that the sun would be in the eyes of the defenders on the east side. Meetra, Zherron, and Bao-Dur spent the rest of the day making sure the defenders knew their places. With nothing else to be done, Zherron posted sentries and they all headed inside to eat and rest.

It was late in the evening, and the Ebon Hawk was quiet. Mira, Visas and Kreia were already asleep; Mical and Bao-Dur were standing watch. Meetra was staying at the militia command post in Khoonda, and would be there until the battle was over. Atton was dozing in his bunk when he heard a soft knock at the door. Brianna walked in. "I didn't want to be alone."

Atton cocked his head curiously. "Nervous?"

She shook her head. "I am not afraid. I believe in Master Meetra's cause, and I would be proud to die in her service. Perhaps I am to die tomorrow, or perhaps in my bed, a hundred years from now." Brianna crossed the room and sat down next to Atton, laying her head on his shoulder. "Either way, Atton, this is where I want to be tonight."

They spent the night curled up together in Atton's bunk. He woke first, then kissed her on the forehead. "Atton Rand."

She yawned, confused. "What?"

He grinned. "Atton is my real name, Brianna. I was fifteen when I enlisted-too young to join legally. I did some slicing, erased my personal records, and created a false identity: Jaq Dran." He shook his head. "Black Jaq was a Sith assassin, but he's dead. I'm Atton Rand, and glad of it."

Brianna beamed and kissed him. "Pleased to meet you, Atton Rand." She stood. "We should go-it's time for us to relieve the people on watch." Atton nodded, and they left the ship together.

A/N: Some of you will recognize the confrontation with Azkul. It's my little homage to the greatest Western movie of all time. The 'barrel mines' are a type of real-world IED called a fougasse, which has been in use in various forms for more than three hundred years.